Chapter 990
Appearance
Outside of Blackrock Star.
At this moment, three uniquely shaped warships appeared here.
These three warships are flat and have extremely sharp edges. Light blue energy patterns, like flowing clouds, run across their surfaces, making them look like giant clouds floating in the sea of stars from a distance.
The warship's hatch opened, and three people stepped out.
These three people had human faces, but their pupils were yellow, and they were much taller than ordinary humans.
These three people were from the Vika civilization.
Because the Vika civilization was human, it always held a very high status among the affiliated civilizations of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Other civilizations can only rely on the Crimson Cloud Empire to sell them scientific research weapons and warships.
The Vika civilization, however, had already integrated technology and the extraordinary, and was on the same path as the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Take their warships, for example. They were all produced by themselves, but they obtained the key technologies from the Crimson Cloud Empire.
The young man among the three looked at the old man beside him and said:
"Third Elder, there's no need for you to make the trip yourself. You can leave this matter to us."
The Vika civilization employs an elder council system. Apart from the civilization leader, the elder council holds the most power, making each elder a figure of real authority within the civilization.
The old man, known as the Third Elder, said with a serious expression:
"This matter concerns that treasure, and it absolutely cannot be lost. How can I be at ease if I don't come in person?"
No sooner had the old man finished speaking than a yellow light suddenly flashed on Black Rock Star in the distance, followed by a yellow light shield enveloping the entire star.
Seeing this, the young man beside him sneered:
"These Black Rock Clan people are still so foolish. What's the use of activating this protective shield? If we really wanted to start a war, we would have been waiting here."
Another powerful figure from the Vika civilization laughed in unison:
"The Black Rock Clan has only been kept alive by the Empire because they are stupid. If it were any other civilization, they would probably have been colonized by the Empire long ago."
As they were talking, Shi Tian had already led the Black Rock Clan's experts out of Black Rock Star.
The Black Rock Clan's powerful members looked at the Vika Civilization members with hostility in their eyes; they made no attempt to hide their emotions.
There was already animosity between the two.
Shi Tian immediately said coldly, "What are you doing here in our Black Rock Civilization? Don't you know the Empire's regulations?"
The regulations that Shi Tian mentioned were the star system management regulations promulgated by the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Any civilization affiliated with the Crimson Cloud Empire must notify the other civilization in advance and obtain permission before entering the territory.
The Third Elder said:
"Clan Chief Shi Tian, you're wrong. We sent you a message ten days ago, but you haven't even given us a reply!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Tian frowned and immediately looked at Shi Pan beside him.
Shi Pan hesitated for a moment and said, "Clan leader, have you forgotten? After the last conflict with the Vika civilization, we blocked their signal source. It was you who gave that order."
Upon hearing this, Shi Tian realized he had indeed given that order, but that wasn't important. He looked at the Vika civilization members:
"Our Blackrock Civilization does not welcome you. Leave our star system immediately!"
Facing Shi Tian's unfriendly gaze, the Third Elder's expression remained unchanged; instead, he smiled and spoke:
"Chief Shi, don't be in a hurry to send us away. We've come here to make a deal."
Shi Tian frowned: "What deal?"
"We would like to borrow the noble's sacred stone for a while, and of course, we will offer you a price that will satisfy you."
Upon hearing about the Sacred Stone, Shi Tian and the Black Rock Clan members all showed expressions of anger.
The Sacred Stone was left behind after the death of the progenitor of the Black Rock Civilization.
This sacred stone can be considered the most precious treasure of the Blackrock Civilization.
Anyone who is a member of the Blackrock Clan can use the power of the Sacred Stone to strengthen their physical body.
The Blackrock civilization once faced several crises, and each time it survived by relying on the power of the Holy Stone.
When they submitted to the Crimson Cloud Empire, they only lent the Sacred Stone to the Empire's research institute for study, and the Empire returned it quickly.
It can be said that the Sacred Stone is a sacred object of their Black Rock Clan, and they would never allow anyone to touch it.
Now these people from the Vika civilization actually want to borrow the Holy Stone from them. How could the people from the Black Rock civilization possibly agree to that!
Before Shi Tian could speak, Shi Pan said coldly from the side:
"Impossible! Our clan's sacred stone will never be lent to you. Don't even dream about it!"
The elder of the Vika civilization had anticipated Shi Pan's words and continued:
"Don't rush to refuse. I can promise that if you lend us the Holy Stone for a month, our Vika Civilization can secure you a captain's position in the Imperial military, and we will also provide 30,000 merit points as a reward!"
Merit points are the currency of the empire.
Merit points can be exchanged for resources in the Empire, and they are extremely valuable.
Thirty thousand merit points is quite a lot; an ordinary imperial soldier's annual salary is only ten merit points.
It must be said that the conditions offered by the Vika civilization were very tempting to many Blackrock people.
But when they realized that the other party wanted to borrow their sacred stone, they immediately suppressed their desires.
Shi Tian said in a deep voice:
"Hmph, no need to say anything more. No matter what conditions you offer, we will not trade the Holy Stone. You can leave now!"
Seeing that Shi Tian's attitude remained firm, the Third Elder's smile immediately vanished.
"Shi Tian, we're definitely borrowing your sacred stone today. Take a look at this!"
The elder of the Vika civilization took out a badge from his person.
The badge is entirely silver, with shimmering light flowing across it.
Upon seeing the badge, the Blackrock Clan members' gazes sharpened. Having been members of the Empire for so long, they naturally recognized what it was.
This is an insignia that only Imperial Legion Commanders can possess.
The Crimson Cloud Empire has a total of eleven legions, each with at least 300,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of warships.
The legion commander holds a position in the Imperial military second only to the marshal, making him a truly powerful figure.
The legion commander's badge is a symbol of the legion commander's status.
"This is the emblem of the Saros Legion Commander. He has agreed to let our Vika civilization borrow your Holy Stone!" the Third Elder said with a sneer.
He had come prepared this time, of course, and had the insignia of an Imperial Legion Commander with him.
Unless the Blackrock civilization wants to bear the responsibility of disobeying orders, it has no choice but to hand over the Holy Stone.
The legion commanders of the Crimson Cloud Empire have the authority to command other affiliated civilizations, which is one of the empire's rules.
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Black Rock Clan members turned completely grim.
Clearly, the Vika civilization had gotten involved with this legion commander and then used that connection to get him to intervene on their behalf.
The other Black Rock Clan members also turned their gazes toward Shi Tian.
This is a matter that only Shi Tian can decide.
Refusing would be tantamount to refusing the Empire's orders, which could very likely lead to a purge by the Imperial military.
The empire never hesitates to take action against disobedient vassal civilizations.
"We're just borrowing your sacred stones, not taking them. Don't make that face, as if our Vika civilization is bullying you," a young man from the Vika civilization said with a sneer.
These words were clearly sarcastic.
Several Blackrock tribesmen had already begun to emanate an earthy yellow hue, and many of them could no longer contain their taunts.
Shi Tian shook his head at the Black Rock Clan members, then looked at Shi Pan and said:
"Go and inform Master Hua of this immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Pan was momentarily stunned, but then a look of joy appeared on his face. Although the Imperial Legion Commander wielded considerable power, that power was only relevant to subordinate civilizations like theirs.
But it's different for Master Hua, who is the empire's executive officer.
In some respects, they have more power than the legion commander.
If the Master of Painting can step in, even if the Vika civilization has a legion commander backing them up, they have nothing to fear.
Without hesitation, Shi Pan immediately turned around and headed into Black Rock Star.
The Vika civilization members also witnessed this scene, but none of them paid any attention to it.
Now that they've come, they're naturally confident they can get what they want from the Blackrock Civilization.
If the Black Rock Civilization still doesn't give it to them in the end, then they can simply take action and then accuse the Black Rock Civilization of insubordination.
Within the database.
Chen Feng continued browsing information about the Crimson Cloud Empire on his electronic device.
Through these seven days of learning, he also gained a clearer understanding of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
The information we had previously obtained about the Crimson Cloud Empire was only a small part.
The Crimson Cloud Empire has nineteen publicly known eighth-tier powerhouses, among whom the top five are the CEOs. These five have reached the limit of the eighth tier and are hailed as the empire's most solid pillars.
This is just individual combat strength; the Crimson Cloud Empire's strongest asset is its fleet.
Every legion of the Crimson Cloud Empire has a record of besieging and killing eighth-tier powerhouses in the outer star systems.
In addition, the documents also contain detailed records of many technologies of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
Technological methods such as global Dyson networks, black hole energy mining, dark matter capture and utilization, and galactic gravitational flow collection are examples of such technologies.
In the fields of space and time, the Crimson Cloud Empire also possesses many cutting-edge technologies.
One of the techniques, called spatial folding, is particularly unique.
According to the Black Rock Civilization's database, the Crimson Cloud Empire once used technological means to fold the space of a star system, and through continuous folding, directly caused the star system to be completely destroyed.
The more Chen Feng looked at these technologies, the more alarmed he became.
According to his estimation, even if the Crimson Cloud Empire had not reached the level of a true Level 3 civilization, it was not far off.
However, Chen Feng did not see any records regarding dimensional technology.
According to his estimation, information of this level would probably be considered an absolute secret even within the Crimson Cloud Empire, and the Black Rock Civilization would have no way of knowing about it.
The Crimson Cloud Empire keeps these technologies strictly secret; subordinate civilizations can only acquire these technological products by exchanging merit points.
To obtain information about this technology, one must possess sufficient status and position within the empire.
This is also why the Black Rock Civilization wanted to make a name for itself.
This not only relates to the Blackrock Civilization's influence within the Empire, but also to whether they can exchange for more powerful technologies.
"Looks like I'll have to change my plans." Chen Feng had a decision in mind.
The power of the Crimson Cloud Empire exceeded his expectations; if they were to engage in a direct war, he might not be a match for them at all.
The methods the Crimson Cloud Empire used against him were probably just the tip of the iceberg of this civilization.
The other side has always focused its attention on the peripheral star systems.
In the eyes of the Crimson Cloud Empire, he was probably just someone with some special qualities, and they didn't go all out to deal with him.
Chen Feng originally planned to confront the Crimson Cloud Empire head-on after reaching the fifth step of the Dao Integration Realm, but now that plan is no longer feasible.
He needs to gradually build up his own and Earth's strength before he can confront the Crimson Cloud Empire head-on.
The Black Rock Civilization is a good springboard. It can use the Black Rock Civilization to obtain some of the technology of the Crimson Cloud Empire and then give it back to Earth.
Just as Chen Feng was thinking about his next plan, Shi Pan's voice suddenly came from outside the database:
"Sir, are you still there?"
Chen Feng composed himself and walked out of the archives. Shi Pan was standing respectfully outside the door.
Chen Feng calmly looked at Shi Pan: "What is it?"
Shi Pan said angrily:
"My lord, people from the Vika civilization have arrived. They actually want our race's sacred stone."
Shi Pan quickly recounted what had happened.
Chen Feng was stunned after hearing Shi Pan's words.
Because he had heard of the Vika civilization, and the last time the Moro tribe escaped, they said that their sacred tree had been taken away by the Vika civilization.
Chen Feng asked, "How far is the Vika civilization from you? Where is it located?"
Shi Pan didn't expect Chen Feng to ask this question, but he didn't think much of it and replied, "It's two thousand light-years away from us, located in the Vika Galaxy on the northern side of the Orion Arm."
"This is truly a civilization," Chen Feng couldn't help but smile.
The information that Shi Pan provided was basically the same as what the Moro people said.
Chen Feng had long wanted to visit the Vika civilization and retrieve the sacred tree of the Moro tribe.
But he had been too busy before and hadn't been able to find the time.
Unexpectedly, the Vika civilization suddenly appeared on its own.
But soon, Chen Feng thought of another problem.
When the Crimson Cloud Empire was annihilating the Moro Clan, it was constantly searching for the Moro Clan's sacred tree.
As a subordinate civilization of the Crimson Cloud Empire, the Vika civilization could not possibly be unaware of this matter.
In other words, the Vika civilization deliberately concealed the news of the sacred tree.
It now seems that even the affiliated civilizations of the Crimson Cloud Empire cannot truly be of one mind with the Crimson Cloud Empire; most of the time, these civilizations are still thinking about their own interests.
Seeing Chen Feng talking to himself, Shi Pan was extremely anxious, but he dared not urge him.
Chen Feng looked at Shi Pan and said:
"Take me there."
Upon hearing this, Shi Pan's face immediately lit up with joy. Chen Feng's words meant that he was prepared to stand up for their Black Rock Civilization.
"My lord, please follow me!"
Shi Pan respectfully led Chen Feng towards the outside of Black Rock Star.
Outside Blackrock Star, the Vika civilization members were growing impatient.
One of the young men said coldly:
"How long are you going to drag this out?"
In the eyes of the Vika civilization members, the Black Rock civilization was simply stalling for time.
The Third Elder beside him looked at Shi Tian and said:
"Chief Shi, I know you want to contact people within the empire to help you, but I can tell you that no one will help you with this. Don't waste your time."
He was very clear about the situation of the Blackrock Civilization within the Empire.
They basically have no connection with the imperial high command. Even if the Blackrock Civilization wanted to vassalize a certain important figure, the other party might not even be interested.
The only people the Blackrock Civilization could establish connections with were a few captains in the Imperial military. (End of Chapter)