"Take another look at the unexplored idle planetsāthere actually arenāt many left, roughly close to a thousand stars in total. Among them, over five hundred belong to Liu Anās territory, with the remaining planets divided among various Viscounts and Barons, and many directly under the Royal Familyās dominion. Idle stars are predominantly found in the outer layer, with only a few having flourishing civilizations due to Fold Jump passage networks."
"This indicates that resources within the Nanxiang Star Cluster are actually limited. The most critical limited resource isnāt stellar radiation energy, but rather the transport capacity represented by the Fold Jump passages. The convenience of transportation is vastly different with or without these passages."
"So, if the resources in the Nanxiang Star Cluster seem unlimited but are actually limited, will Liu An, who possesses absolute power, continue to covet those slightly partitioned Royal planets in the Central Star Region? If I go there and become an Earl, Iāll become his direct competitor, taking away what he sees as his possessions. Can he accept that?"
"Letās analyze Liu Anās age and how far he is from becoming a Marquis, and further examine Nanxiang Marquis Liu Anās actions over the years. We can conclude that we must take a detour, or it will be a dead end!"
"Liu An looks down on us from the depths of his heart, sees us as colonists, and despises me. Yet I have become a prospective Earl, and once I gain a foothold, there will be one more Earl in the Nanxiang Star Cluster competing with him for military achievements, something he cannot bear. Two tigers cannot live on one mountain. This is inevitable."
"Meeting adjourned!"
Ren Zhong was in a fairly good mood.
Among the eight core subordinates, three shared his exact viewpoint, indicating they were indeed thinking critically and making reasonable judgments.
After everyone dispersed, Zheng Dafa, now responsible for resource distribution within the fleet, nervously returned, and upon entering, he fell to the ground with a thud, "My Lord Earl! I was wrong, I... I was too naive! Thatās what I genuinely thought at that time."
Ren Zhong stood up, walked to the desk, pulled up Zheng Dafa, and said irritably, "Why so tense? I didnāt say I would remove you from your position. The true purpose of this meeting wasnāt just to assess your understanding but more importantly to cultivate you. Although you are not particularly clever, you have been diligent over the years, and Iāve seen that. Your loyalty is unquestionable, so I will naturally look after you and your descendants adequately. Of course, if you want to become a carefree man, thatās feasible, but your offspring will still need to rely on their abilities to speak for themselves if they wish to hold high positions like you."
"Thank you, my Lord Earl, for understanding," Zheng Dafa replied, bowing and retiring backward.
Once Zheng Dafa left, Ren Zhong couldnāt help but smile.
He knew that small figures have their own ways of surviving.
This Zheng Dafa, like Ding Canghai, was once a lackey of Wang Jinsou, and a treacherous adviser. It was he who facilitated and incited Ding Canghai to assassinate Ren Zhong.
After defecting and surrendering to him, he has always lived cautiously.
Aware of his own dullness, he could only be diligent when dealing with matters, seizing every opportunity to serve as an assistant to Ju Qingmeng and Huo Donghua, learning whatever he could.
Zheng Dafa now has settled down within the fleet with his family, fearing he would lose Ren Zhongās trust because of a minor mistake.
After waiting a while longer, Xiao Xingyue arrived.
Having not met alone for a long time, Ren Zhong realized Xiao Xingyue hadnāt aged much.
Although she frequently engaged in activities over the years, each session was brief, spending most of her time in slumber.
At that moment, Xiao Xingyue was still wearing the traditional Telekinesis Master white robe, making her appear tall and slender.
When she looked at Ren Zhong, her expression no longer housed the shadows of the past, but rather revealed relief and remorse.
She sat in the chair across from Ren Zhongās desk and sighed.
Observing her hesitation to speak, Ren Zhong smiled and said, "Say whatever you want directly, donāt hold back. Weāve known each other for not just a day or two."
Xiao Xingyue looked up at him, expressing, "Actually, before you showed me the information about Liu An, I once fantasized about the Empire. I always thought a civilization developed for millions of years wouldnāt be too backward or barbaric, and there must be some advanced civil governance concepts. However, thinking back now, I was naive. Your decision at that time, although harsh and cold, proved unavoidable upon reflection. Only in this way can a little bit of Source Starās flame be preserved at least, proving that many people once existed on Source Star. Liu An is terrifying. Through gene-targeted compilation, he changed the innate personalities of tens of trillions, creating trillions of bloodthirsty war-mongers. Such a person has no limits, so nothing he does should be surprising. Heās just the tip of the Empireās dark iceberg. You understood, while we remain ignorant."
Ren Zhong acknowledged without defending his actions.
After a long silence, Xiao Xingyue rubbed her temples, saying, "I want to apologize to you, Iām sorry."
She spoke slowly, her face filled with sincerity.
Ren Zhongās face broke into a smile, "Thank you for your understanding, but the past is the past. I donāt blame you. After all, according to normal thinking, who would have thought such a decayed and backward Empire could sustain for millions of years? It doesnāt align with common sense, but it did happen. There must be a reason, and I will strive to find that reason."