Chapter 924 - 597: Finally Arrived_2

The lords of the various super star clusters below fell silent.

Previously, they thought that with sheer numbers and backing from the three giants, nothing major would go wrong.

But today’s battle woke them up from their dreams, making them realize that even with such robust support, heavy losses were still possible.

With such thoughts, who would be willing to be "cannon fodder"?

Oh!

I just wanted a sip of soup!

But you left me with nothing but skin and bones.

Who the heck would want to end up worse off trying to make an easy gain!

Naturally, the lords of these super star clusters remained silent.

The Venerable King Lupus was very rational, knowing that relying solely on the strength of the three giants wouldn’t be enough to defeat the Martial Hero Race. They needed these super star cluster lords to act as minions to have a chance at taking the fat land of the Northern Crown and Hercules Great Wall, so he had to persuade them.

One voice was not enough, so he turned his gaze towards Queen of Komingo and Emperor Kampsa.

Although both were still uneasy about today’s war, they clearly understood that there was no turning back at this stage of the conflict. Otherwise, even if they returned to their respective celestial bodies, they’d be overturned by the furious financial conglomerates that funded this war.

No vast celestial body can be controlled by a single person or family—it requires support from many conglomerates and noble families to maintain control.

Queen of Komingo thought for a moment and said, "Gentlemen, now that you’ve lost so much, how will the financial conglomerates and noble families that supported you react if you return? If we push a bit further and capture the Northern Crown and Hercules Great Wall, you’ll undoubtedly reap significant rewards. Then, what do these losses amount to? Your influence within your super star clusters is bound to increase substantially."

Though she was a woman, her words struck a chord in everyone’s heart immediately.

Emperor Kampsa looked at the crowd, "The Queen is right. If you return like this, although you may still be lords of super star clusters, your influence will diminish. Not only will you suffer, but so will I—the predicament is similar for us all, so we must press forward. Think carefully whether our reasoning holds water."

The lords of the super star clusters pondered deeply.

If they persisted, as the three giants suggested, to capture the Northern Crown and Hercules Great Wall, then today’s losses would be of no concern. But if they failed, they’d likely have to abdicate to quell the anger back home, let alone retain influence.

The pros and cons were equally weighted, and no one dared make an easy decision.

Just then, a virtual screen from the super Titan battleship’s A.I. appeared suddenly, "Esteemed Venerable King Lupus."

Everyone looked towards the A.I. assistant.

The Venerable King Lupus did the same, "Mr. Ares, do you have something for me?"

The A.I. assistant, known as Ares, said, "I just received a message, seemingly from King Nuazai of the Martial Hero Race."

Hmm?

Nuazai came knocking?

The Venerable King Lupus, Emperor Kampsa, and Queen of Komingo exchanged glances.

Kening Tyrant, Li Sa, and other celestial or super star cluster lords were momentarily baffled.

They all wondered why, with the war raging for so many days, Nuazai had not shown his face or come knocking. Now, with the Martial Hero Race just having won a battle, he was reaching out. Could it be a show of strength?

The Venerable King Lupus frowned and asked, "What message did he send?"

Ares said, "He seems to want to send a representative to negotiate with us. How should I respond?"

"Hold on, let me discuss it with everyone first."

The Venerable King Lupus did not make an immediate decision but instead turned to speak to the crowd with words that could sway hearts, "You’ve heard it—though Nuazai won a battle he’s seeking negotiations. Don’t you see that the Martial Hero Race is now fighting with all they’ve got? If they could continue fighting us, given today’s victory, Nuazai wouldn’t be reaching out. There’s only one possibility: today’s battle exhausted their trump cards, leaving no strength to oppose us. Are you really going to give up now?"

"Indeed."

"If the Martial Hero Race still had cards to play, why would Nuazai seek us out to negotiate?"

"They must be at their limit, hoping to negotiate now to lose less ground to us."

"Exactly. Why else would they negotiate, expecting us to leave empty-handed? Even a reasonably smart person would know we wouldn’t return with nothing, so Nuazai’s intention should be obvious—he wants to preserve some territory and let us take the rest."

The hitherto sullen and worried celestial and super star cluster lords now began to talk openly, sharing their deep-seated thoughts.

Seeing this, the Venerable King Lupus, Queen of Komingo, and Emperor Kampsa couldn’t help but smile; they understood that these celestial lords wouldn’t abandon ship now.

Kening Tyrant asked, "Venerable King, should we agree to negotiate with Nuazai?"

Li Sa said, "Logically, seeing the Martial Hero Race already at their limit, an aggressive strike should take down the Northern Crown and Hercules Great Wall, negating the need for negotiations. But if we could secure most territories without bloodshed, leaving them a couple of star systems under ’soft confinement’ wouldn’t be unthinkable!"

The Venerable King Lupus smiled and said, "Taking it without bloodshed is naturally best, but a vigorous push also isn’t wrong. Still, I think meeting and negotiating with them may help us gauge how much strength Nuazai retains, allowing us to seize the Northern Crown and Hercules Great Wall with minimal cost. What do you all think?"

Queen of Komingo harmonized her thoughts, "I think that can work."

Emperor Kampsa added, "Meeting them loses nothing and lets us gather some intelligence."

Kening Tyrant, qualified to snag some small gains, naturally wouldn’t want to forgo this, "I agree."

Li Sa nodded, "Let’s meet them."

"Alright."

"Negotiation then."

"See just how desperate the Martial Hero Race is."

The celestial and super star cluster lords all voiced their willingness to negotiate with the Martial Hero Race.

With a clear answer, the Venerable King Lupus immediately turned to the A.I. assistant, "Ares, please respond for me and say we’re willing to negotiate, letting them pick the location."

Ares promptly replied, "Okay, Venerable King, I’ll contact the other side right away."

...

Secret base planet.

Nuazai, Li Luo, and several high-ranking officials of the Martial Hero Race waited tensely.

Prior to this, the Union’s blockade of the Hercules Super Star Cluster cut off their communication with their home base, preventing them from using their super A.I., "Venerable King" to send messages.

Today, they suddenly re-established contact with the Hercules Super Star Cluster, hurriedly sending a message.

As to whether the Union would agree to negotiate, they were unsure, hence their anxiety.

Suddenly, the communicator lit up.

Nuazai quickly connected the call.

The projection of Venerable King appeared, "Great King, the Union just replied—they are willing to negotiate with us."

Haha!

They’ve agreed!

Finally agreed!

Nuazai, Li Luo, and the Martial Hero Race high officials couldn’t help but feel excited—they finally awaited the chance to negotiate.

Everyone knew that, after this negotiation, regardless of the outcome, the Martial Hero Race would remain safe because the one and only True God of the Cosmos, Lu Li, promised to personally come and handle matters here!

Nuazai, Li Luo, and the other high-ranking officials of the Martial Hero Race were thrilled.

Yet Gu Wei, who had remained silent, sighed. He knew more than those in the Martial Hero Race—Lu Li’s visit would be far more than a simple peace mediation. It would involve the destruction of a colossal celestial body equivalent to at least the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex to send a shockwave through the entire cosmos!