Sovereign of the Ashes

The “hidden forces” Belphane mentioned were most likely referring to the demons of the Quatar Star Pirates.

Sein had not known much about such matters in the past. Still, after witnessing more over the years, especially after becoming more closely connected with the Spider Queen, he had gradually come to suspect the truth.

Still, Sein never brought it up openly, nor did he try to confirm it with anyone else.

Sometimes, things were better left undiscussed.

The Dawn Empire Army likewise avoided mentioning those demons.

As for Belphane’s proposal that the Byrne Empire send troops to join the war in Divine Descendants World, the Dawn Empire responded with great enthusiasm, expressing their willingness to fight alongside their Magus World allies.

In the end, it was the Dawn Empire’s Grand Chancellor, Situ Kong, who raised the key issue by asking how the Magus Civilization intended to handle the logistics and supply lines for the Dawn Empire’s enormous army.

“The total number of troops the Dawn Empire plans to deploy has already surpassed one hundred million. What you see before you now is merely the vanguard,” Grand Chancellor Situ Kong stated.

“If the Magus Civilization can provide stable logistical support, it would greatly reduce the burden on the Dawn Empire.”

Within the Dawn Empire’s bureaucratic system, Situ Kong was one of the few high-ranking officials who had always been reluctant to send troops in support of the Magus Civilization.

He acknowledged that the Magus Civilization had provided indispensable assistance during the Dawn Empire’s founding.

However, Situ Kong viewed everything from the perspective of the Dawn Empire’s own interests. To him, the Empire’s strength and prosperity mattered far more than repaying so-called “debts of gratitude”.

Unfortunately for him, neither the Emperor nor the veteran generals of the military shared that opinion.

In the end, Situ Kong did not attempt to persuade the Emperor otherwise.

He was a seasoned official who understood the art of governance well, and he also served as the Crown Prince’s instructor in military strategy.

When Grand Chancellor Situ Kong brought up this matter, Sein was also present, and he looked toward Belphane with curiosity.

The war the Dawn Empire Army was preparing to fight in Divine Descendants World was fundamentally different from the battlefields where the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation clashed in other star domains.

First and foremost, this was a fragmented star domain battlefield.

The Magus Civilization’s current sphere of influence did not border Divine Descendants World. In contrast, the Gallant Federation could provide rapid nearby reinforcements and support.

In other words, if the Magus Civilization wanted to deliver supplies and resources to the Dawn Empire through conventional routes, they would first need to pass through the Gallant Federation’s territory...

The risks, costs, and potential losses involved were simply far too great!

The same problem applied to the Byrne Empire Army if they intended to join the war in Divine Descendants World.

At present, the only forces capable of sneaking around behind the Gallant Federation’s frontlines were those notoriously reckless black mages and the star pirates.

But surely they could not expect star pirates to handle the Dawn Empire’s logistics?

Besides, the Quatar Star Pirates would never bother with something like that.

The ones truly responsible for keeping the Dawn Empire Army provisioned were someone else entirely.

Belphane let out a soft chuckle. With a clap of her hands, a blue-skinned humanoid creature barely half a meter tall appeared inside the conference hall.

The creature had two slender tentacles extending from his head, while a layer of fine scales covered its body.

A blue mustache and goatee grew above his lips and on his chin, giving him an oddly crafty appearance.

In terms of strength, the little fellow was merely Rank Five.

Moreover, he was obviously not a fighter. Sein could not sense even the slightest warrior’s aura from him—only... the unmistakable scent of coins.

“Greetings, everyone. I am Popporon, Special Affairs Steward of the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce. Our organization will be responsible for the Dawn Empire’s logistics and resource resupply.

“As for transport routes and supply channels, there is no need for concern. We will ensure the Dawn Empire receives more than enough military supplies from nearby regions such as the Vostar Star Domain, the Yuyang Worlds, and the Baglier Asteroid Belt.

“And if required, even forcibly opening long-range space-time corridors to deliver strategic supplies directly to the Dawn Empire’s Army would pose no difficulty for us,” he assured with a smile.

The Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce had always claimed to maintain strict neutrality.

It neither participated in the Magus Civilization’s wars nor openly sided with the Gallant Federation.

Even if it had shown some inclination toward the Magus Civilization in the past, it had always exercised restraint and at least maintained the appearance of neutrality.

But under the current circumstances... the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce was clearly no longer bothering to keep up appearances!

Such blatant support for the Magus Civilization would undoubtedly affect their organization’s reputation and standing.

At the very least, the Gallant Federation would strongly condemn them.

However, since the federation had already all but severed trade relations with the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce, such condemnation would have no real impact on them.

The greatest consequence of their actions was actually the severe blow to their reputation across neighboring star domains—especially among civilizations that had yet to join the war.

This would inevitably affect their future business dealings with many worlds.

As for why the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce chose to act this way, Sein recalled one of Tourmaline’s paternal uncles, who seemed to hold a very high position within the organization.

Anyone capable of casually gifting Tourmaline a pair of world-class arm ribbons was clearly no ordinary figure.

Now that the Dragon Clan of the Immortal Realm had fully entered the war, the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce naturally had no reason to continue holding back.

Chaofeng had built the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce into a colossal enterprise not purely for profit. What he truly enjoyed was the process of accumulating wealth itself, using it to realize his own sense of purpose and value.

But if forced to choose between wealth and family, Chaofeng would undoubtedly choose family without hesitation.

There was no way he would continue playing nice with people who had taken his nieces and nephews!

The dragons of the Immortal Realm fighting side by side had apparently been a long-standing tradition.

***

This steward, Popporon, likely carried dragon blood in his veins as well. Although he appeared humanoid, a dragon tail swayed behind him from time to time.

The powerhouses of the Dawn Empire also seemed to possess a natural fondness for dragons—just look at the Emperor’s elite Valiant Dragon Army.

Grand Chancellor Situ Kong continued his discussion with Popporon, focusing mainly on matters related to resource storage and transportation.

There were countless details involved in such work.

Within the Dawn Empire, civil officials handled logistics while military generals focused on warfare at the frontlines. Their responsibilities were clearly divided.

Although Gongsun Wudi was a military general, Sein noticed that she listened very attentively as the Grand Chancellor spoke with Steward Popporon.

***

After the Dawn Empire finalized its next course of action, Sein asked what he and the others were supposed to do next.

Mel also looked over curiously. After delivering Lady Bev’s letter, she had likewise received no further instructions.

Belphane shrugged. “Let’s just continue advancing with the Dawn Empire Army for now. I haven’t received any orders to return either, so it looks like I will be joining you guys for the time being.”

“But there’s no need to worry. Once a stable transport route is established, even if it relies on the Arriba Chamber of Commerce, returning to the Magus Civilization’s territory will be easy,” she assured them.

Sein and Mel exchanged glances. In the end, they had no choice but to accept the situation.

Without a completely secure route, trying to cross the Gallant Federation’s territory and return to the Magus Civilization would be extremely difficult, even for beings of their strength.

As for the Vostar Star Domain and the Yuyang Worlds that Popporon had mentioned earlier, they were most likely neighboring civilizations that had originally remained neutral.

But now that the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce had begun transporting supplies for the Magus Civilization’s allies through their territories, did that not mean these civilizations had also “quietly chosen a side”?

Indeed, the situation in a Clash of Civilizations could change in the blink of an eye.

With the Immortal Realm officially entering the war, the conflict between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation might soon undergo a fundamental shift.