137: Flame Princess's Gift

Sagittarius Arm, Dragonborn Empire, Yanhuang Ancestral Star.

A figure as red as flame stood quietly before the porthole of the Star Arm Level starship—the "blazing dragon."

The "blazing dragon" was less of a starship and more like a small star! The Dragonborn Empire possessed only twenty starships of this caliber!

It was unimaginably massive; just the operators alone required one hundred and eight thousand Stellar Level individuals, with countless Planetary Level operators. Combined with the technology on board, it could withstand a direct assault from a Star Arm Level Beginner!

She possessed a tall, lithe figure, skin as white as snow, and long hair like flowing flames that moved without wind, resembling a burning galaxy.

Her beauty was peerless, and between her brows lay both the nobility of royalty and a hint of the awe-inspiring dignity belonging to a Star Arm Level expert.

She was the 2200th Crown Princess of the Dragonborn Empire—Yan Ji, a Star Arm Level Intermediate expert and the next Dragon Emperor!

As the youngest Star Arm Level in the Empire, at 120,000 years old, she was hailed as the "Light of the Dragonborn."

"Your Highness, the route has been set. We are expected to pass through one 2.3-level civilization, 13 2.2-level civilizations, 167 2.1-level civilizations, and... 1,124 2.0-level civilizations," the captain reported respectfully.

Yan Ji parted her red lips slightly, her voice as clear as a Phoenix's cry: "Pass the order to activate 'Dragon Might Stealth Navigation.' On this journey, aside from the 2.3-level civilization 'Star Spirit Federation' which we shall not disturb, for all other 2.2-level and lower civilizations, whenever Stellar Level energy fluctuations are detected—whether Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or even Peak—capture them with the 'Void Realm Dragon Claw,' Seal their cultivation, and hold them in the cargo bay."

The captain paused, confirming cautiously: "Your Highness... all of them? This... wouldn't that cause public outrage? Especially those 2.2-level civilizations; they might have... behind them..."

Yan Ji glanced at him, her eyes looking as if she were observing an ignorant child: "Public outrage? The complaints of a swarm of ants—why should I care? Even if the other nine 2.4-level civilizations joined forces, what could they do to my Dragonborn? My father's decree is that maintaining good relations with the Human Federation is the Empire's highest national policy. What does a civilization that has just ascended to 2.1-level lack the most? It is foundation, it is resources, and especially... the origin crystals condensed by Stellar Level Mine Slave."

A domineering arc curled at the corner of her lips: "Although my father has already prepared ten gifts, how can I, as the Crown Princess, go empty-handed when personally attending to offer congratulations? These Stellar Level individuals are the 'little souvenir' I have prepared for the Human Federation."

"A... little souvenir?" The captain's mouth twitched, feeling that he had gained a brand-new understanding of the word "little."

"Execute the order," Yan Ji said in a calm tone. "Being able to serve as stepping stones on the rise of the future Master of the Sea of Stars is their honor."

"Yes! Your Highness!"

...

The "Iron Curtain United States," on the Capital Star "Iron Fortress," the Supreme Council was debating fiercely over whether to increase the intensity of "resource coordination" toward the neighboring "Shihe Civilization."

The Speaker, a Stellar Level Peak, pounded on the table: "We must be tough! We must let those Shihe weaklings know who makes the rules in this Star Domain!"

Suddenly!

An indescribable, terrifying pressure swept across the entire Capital Star system in an instant like a cosmic storm!

The entire star system, including the parliamentary hall, saw all Stellar Level councilors, regardless of their cultivation level, freeze at the same time!

It was as if they had been frozen by invisible ice, and even their thoughts had stagnated!

Immediately after, a giant claw composed entirely of energy, covered in crimson Dragon scales, appeared out of thin air above every Stellar Level Expert, scooping them up with a gentle motion!

Just like scooping fish in a fishpond!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

The parliamentary hall instantly emptied by more than half!

Including the Speaker who had been speaking passionately, he vanished along with his chair, still maintaining the posture of pounding the table!

The remaining Planetary Level officials were dumbfounded, staring at the empty Speaker's podium and the seats of numerous big shots, their minds blank.

"Wha... what happened?!"

"Where is the Speaker?! Where are the councilors?!"

"Enemy attack?! Sound the alarm immediately!!!"

The chaos lasted for a full ten minutes. When they pulled up the surveillance footage, they only saw streaks of red light flash by, and then... the big shots were just gone?

"Could it be... some kind of cosmic phenomenon beyond our understanding? 'Selective Stellar Level Evaporation'?" An astrophysicist proposed a hypothesis that even he didn't believe.

The Iron Curtain United States instantly fell into a super-chaos of being leaderless. The 180,000 Stellar Level individuals in the Capital Star system had vanished, and the "resource coordination" plan for the Shihe Civilization was indefinitely shelved.

The Shihe people thus escaped a catastrophe and, years later, became a peace-loving civilization of sculptors; but that is a story for another time.

...

A 2.1-level civilization known for art and music—the "Neon Star Domain."

On the famous "Planet Bliss," a grand "Interstellar Starlight Ceremony" was being held to honor the most popular virtual idols of the year.

A Stellar Level Beginner female star named "Phantom Butterfly," famous for her Law of Charm, was on stage accepting the cheers of billions of fans. Her smile was alluring, her eyes flowing with emotion, and she was preparing to deliver her acceptance speech.

Suddenly, she felt her body lighten, the scenery before her eyes receding rapidly, and the cheers of the fans instantly became distant...

When she came to her senses, she found herself locked in a small, energy cage covered in Seals, surrounded by dozens of other equally bewildered Stellar Level "stars" dressed in all sorts of strange costumes!

"What is going on?! I was in the middle of receiving an award!"

"My concert! My nine quadrillion fans are still waiting for me!"

"Who is it?! You dare to kidnap me, 'Phantom Butterfly'? Do you know who my godfather is?!"

Phantom Butterfly was so angry that her beautiful face lost its color. She attempted to invoke the Law of Charm, but discovered that her cultivation had been completely Sealed; she couldn't even cast a seductive glance.

An old-school, tough-guy actor of the Stellar Level who had been captured nearby sighed: "Stop shouting. I saw what caught us just now... a... Dragon claw?"

"A Dragon claw?! When did our Neon Star Domain offend the Dragonborn Empire?!"

"It doesn't look like... we offended them," another captured Stellar Level director pushed up glasses that were no longer there, as they had fallen on the stage during the sudden capture. "That Dragon claw... seemed to be in a hurry. It just grabbed us and left, not even sparing us a second glance..."

The stars: "...So we were just... scooped up on the way?!"

...

A 2.0-level civilization focused on agricultural technology—the "Green Source Commonwealth."

An old scientist of the Planetary Level Peak, "Elder Ye," was in the experimental fields reporting his results to several Stellar Level Beginner Ministers of Agriculture, carrying the "Super Star-Ear Rice" he had meticulously cultivated, which boasted a 300% increase in yield per acre.

"Look! This ear of rice! This energy fluctuation! It is enough to allow every planet in our civilization to feed an additional fifty billion people!" Elder Ye's old face was flushed with excitement.

The several Stellar Level Ministers of Agriculture also nodded repeatedly, wearing satisfied smiles.

Suddenly! The sky darkened!

Several crimson Dragon claws descended with precision, "picking" those Stellar Level Ministers away as if they were plucking fruit...

Leaving Elder Ye standing alone on the ridge of the field, still holding a handful of golden rice ears, disheveled in the wind...

He looked at his empty surroundings, then looked at the heavy rice ears in his hand, muttering to himself: "Did the Ministers... get scared away by my rice? The energy was too high... did it scare them?"

...

Similar scenes played out continuously along Yan Ji's route.

A Stellar Level Marshal of a certain military civilization was reviewing his fleet, and he vanished along with his command platform;

A Stellar Level Chief of a certain scientific research civilization was tackling a difficult problem, and was instantly scooped away from the laboratory;

A Stellar Level King of a certain imperial civilization was holding a wedding, and the groom, one second before saying "I do"...

The King was snatched away by a Dragon claw, leaving the bride and the entire court dumbfounded at the wedding scene...

Chaos! Extreme chaos spread along the route!

The high-level combatants of countless 2.2-level, 2.1-level, and 2.0-level civilizations were inexplicably "evaporated"!

Along the route passed, civilizations with Capital Star systems saw more than half of their Stellar Level individuals vanish, while the losses for civilizations with ordinary star systems were much smaller...

They didn't even know who the enemy was or what the purpose was!

2.0-level civilizations could only attribute it to an "unknown cosmic disaster" or an "unknown super-weapon of a hostile civilization," falling into extreme panic and suspicion.

The informed Level 2.2 and 2.1 civilizations dared to be angry but dared not speak, swallowing their broken teeth along with their blood...

Meanwhile, the culprit, Yan Ji, was sitting leisurely in the command seat of the "blazing dragon," sipping the Empire's specialty "Dragon Blood Tea," watching the cargo bay surveillance feed filled to the brim with 500,000 various Stellar Level "gifts" packed like sardines, and nodded with satisfaction.

"The quantity is about right, and the quality is acceptable. I hope the Human Federation will like this... unconventional welcome gift."

At this moment, on the bridge of the Dragonborn Empire flagship "blazing dragon," the young navigation officer looked at the dense crowd of Stellar Level individuals inside the starship and couldn't help but speak:

"Your Highness, this subordinate is slow-witted. Since these Level 2.2 and 2.1 civilizations are so weak, why don't we simply incorporate their territories into the Empire's map? Why tolerate them... er, developing right under our noses?"

Yan Ji, who was resting with her eyes closed, slowly opened them, a flash of helplessness appearing in her crimson eyes, as if looking at a new recruit.

"Direct conquest?" She chuckled, the sound like sparks falling onto an ice field, "Do you think our colleagues in the Empire's Territory Management Department are all idle?"

She stood up, walked to the massive star map, and tapped a light point representing a Level 2.2 civilization with her fingertip.

"To conquer a civilization like this, what do we need to do?"

"If we destroy them directly, it's like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs! If we don't destroy them, then we need to do this..."

"First, dispatch at least one standard sub-fleet to conduct military deterrence and orbital bombardment to destroy their will to resist and their main military facilities—this consumes energy, wears down ships, and occupies military forces."

"Then, dispatch ground forces to occupy and maintain stability—those natives won't listen obediently; they will resist and sabotage, and we will lose precious army soldiers."

"Next, we must establish a Puppet regime, or simply station our administrative management team—this means pulling countless elite bureaucrats from the Empire's home territory to manage those natives whose way of thinking is still stuck in the tribal era!"

"Finally, we have to face security wars that could last for countless years, cultural conflicts, and riots caused by unfair resource distribution..."

Yan Ji withdrew her finger, her tone carrying undisguised disdain: "Wasting such huge amounts of manpower, material resources, and time to manage a bunch of 'primitives' who need to be taught everything from scratch, just for that little bit of... origin crystals?"

She looked at the navigation officer, her eyes sharp: "Do you think this deal is worth it?"

Cold sweat seeped from the navigation officer's forehead: "It... it is this subordinate's lack of consideration."

An experienced old captain nearby chuckled and took over the conversation: "Young man, remember. In the sea of stars, time and energy are the most precious resources. Instead of spending time teaching monkeys to build spaceships, you might as well plant a few more apple trees in your own backyard—at least apple trees won't throw stones at you."

"But..." the navigation officer still didn't quite understand, "What about their technology? Surely it has some value?"

This time, even the old captain couldn't help but shake his head.

"Technology?" Yan Ji's tone carried a condescending pity, "Do you know what a 0.1-level civilization gap means? It means that physical Laws that their top scientists cannot understand in their entire lives are nothing more than basic knowledge in our Empire's elementary school textbooks."

"Their 'faster-than-light engines,' which they treat like treasures, have energy utilization efficiency so low it's outrageous, and the spatial ripples they produce are as rough as splitting water with an axe."

"Their 'Planetary defense matrix,' which they are so proud of, appears as fragile as a spider web to us."

"Except for the Stellar-level Experts themselves who can produce origin crystals like human-shaped batteries, everything in their civilization—from technology to culture, from art to philosophy—is, in our eyes, no different from the primitive bone needles and murals displayed in museums!"

"No! Even worse, because those antiques at least have 'historical research value,' while the creations of these low-level civilizations don't even have that."

The old captain added: "It's like, would you go and snatch 'high-tech weapons' from a group of monkeys still fighting with sticks and stones? You wouldn't. You would just find them noisy, and if they didn't attack you, you wouldn't even bother to look at them."

The navigation officer seemed to understand something: "So... we are actually... 'pig farming'?"

"A very vivid metaphor." Yan Ji nodded approvingly, "Let them grow naturally, forage for themselves, fight among themselves, and develop themselves. We only need to pass by occasionally and pick the fattest 'pigs' to take away, just like these Stellar Level ones. It's worry-free and effortless, sustainable harvesting. Usually, let them stay in the designated 'pigsty,' which is their territory."

The navigation officer finally understood completely. He looked at the flickering light points of the civilizations on the star map, and his eyes became complex.

It turned out their existence was not due to the benevolence of higher civilizations, but rather a form of extreme, cold... pragmatism.

"Then... what about Level 2.3 civilizations? Like the Star Spirit Federation ahead, we seem to have bypassed them?" The navigation officer recalled the navigation orders.

This time, Yan Ji's tone carried a trace of subtle caution.

"Level 2.3 civilizations... are different." She cast her gaze toward the direction of the Star Spirit Federation, "Many of these civilizations are the remnants of more powerful civilizations that declined in the ancient past. In their hands, they may hold some 'legacies' that even we are unwilling to touch easily."

"Legacies?"

"It could be a Damaged Weapon from a Level 2.5 or even higher civilization. Although they cannot fully drive it, if forced into a corner and it self-destructs, it is enough to severely damage or even destroy an Empire fleet."

"It could be an ancient, near-collapse but still-running Galaxy Level Law technology, where the cost of forcibly breaking in far exceeds the benefits."

"It could also be a piece of encrypted knowledge about some ancient taboo, where rashly seizing it might attract existences we cannot imagine..."

Yan Ji withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to calm: "For that little bit of origin crystals, betting on whether the other side will flip the table is not worth it. Therefore, for Level 2.3 civilizations, as long as they don't provoke us, we give them basic 'respect' and maintain a safe distance. This is an unspoken tacit understanding between the giants of the sea of stars."

"Only when our own territory is fully developed, technological development stagnates, and we need to relieve the pressure of continuous population explosion will we consider opening up new territories. Otherwise, it is better to build more artificial planets or construct more space cities." Speaking of this, Yan Ji continued to rest with her eyes closed.

The navigation officer took a deep breath, feeling as if he had attended a vivid and cruel course on "Interstellar Political Economy."

He looked at the star map again. Those low-level civilization light points that once represented "potential threats" or "resources waiting to be developed" in his eyes had now turned into...

Plots of "farms" that had been divided and were waiting for regular harvesting, as well as a few special areas with signs hanging that read "Beware of Dog, Approach with Caution."

And the Dragonborn Empire, along with other Level 2.4 advanced civilizations, were the farmers in this dark forest of the sea of stars, holding sickles, wandering between their own manors and the ownerless wasteland.

"Alright," Yan Ji's voice interrupted his thoughts, carrying a trace of lightness as the task was about to be completed, "The 'souvenirs' are almost ready. Let us go and meet the... Human Federation, that can make the Dragon Emperor value them so much, and even spare no effort to let me come and deliver the gift in person."

The "blazing dragon" adjusted its course, like an elegant and dangerous crimson Dragon, and quietly glided toward the territory of the Human Federation.

Leaving behind in the starry sky countless low-level civilizations that had fallen into chaos, panic, and endless suspicion due to the loss of their core experts, silently performing the most real survival Law of the Universe in the darkness...