Resurrection Empire

Chapter 1297 - 493: Philosophy of Survival

No unexpected events occurred, and Ren Zhong, as the Empire’s prospective Earl, easily made contact with the Governor of Lookout, a Viscount named Wen Yuanbo.

This Viscount possesses a royal family surname and indeed has royal lineage. However, from his title, it’s apparent that he is likely a distant descendant of some Prince, possibly more distant than Liu Bei’s relation to King Jing of Zhongshan.

Viscount Wen Yuanbo displayed no airs; when informed that the Tracker Spaceship from the Source Star Fleet was applying to dock, he even personally came to the space dock to greet them. Furthermore, he personally accepted the fourth-class Mother Empress giant reproductive cells handed over by Ren Zhong, endorsed Ren Zhong’s military accomplishments, and promptly uploaded them to the Empire.

Evidently, Viscount Wen Yuanbo is not of the same ilk as Liu An, and his royal lineage grants him the ability to report information directly.

When Ren Zhong’s wrist watch finally received certification from the Imperial Earl, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The journey was rather arduous, fraught with countless worries, but fortunately, no further upheavals arose in the end.

Before entering the Fold Jump Subspace Channel, numerous ships of the Source Star Fleet were undergoing structural scanning inspections, which would take an hour.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ren Zhong and Wen Yuanbo went to a hotel near the space dock to have a meal, which served as a welcome banquet.

During the banquet, Wen Yuanbo, with a reserved demeanor, expressed private admiration for Ren Zhong’s achievements.

In tens of thousands of years, never has a commander from a C-level colony consecutively thwarted the conspiracies of two opposing forces on the return journey. Neither the Divine Level Spirit Demon Race nor the fourth-class Mother Empress should be enemies faced by a normal C-level colony return fleet. Yet Ren Zhong encountered them, fought and triumphed over them, amassing considerable gains and achievements enough to capture attention.

Especially in the Mother Empress Ship battle, the Source Star Fleet not only achieved an overwhelming victory but even obtained the Mother Empress Ship’s giant reproductive cells, which was truly remarkable.

After listening to Ren Zhong’s verbal account, appropriately rewritten to appear more rational, Wen Yuanbo repeatedly sighed, "Earl Ren Zhong, you truly are a person of destiny; this... this luck is incredible."

To rationalize the entire battle as much as possible and appropriately downplay his abilities to avoid appearing too extraordinary, Ren Zhong described the process of discovering the Mother Empress Ship’s ambush as astronomical personnel discovering abnormal background radiation within the Tenglong Nebula.

He explained that at that time, he made an overly conservative judgment and decided to change course to an exploration route, laying ambushes along the way. Ultimately, in a stroke of fortune, they waited for the Mother Empress Ship to enter an unstable nuclear fusion celestial body for rest before using an extremely low-cost approach to explode the star, finishing decisively.

As for why the Source Star Fleet managed to avoid the explosive outbreak of the Black Mist Zone, and didn’t immediately reestablish communication with the Empire after escaping, but instead continued covert navigation until now suddenly revealing their identity, Ren Zhong and Wen Yuanbo tacitly did not elaborate, only muttering about fate’s twists and blessed fortune.

As the meal was drawing to a close, Wen Yuanbo said, "Earl Ren Zhong, though your origins are humble, your talent is enough to break through the barriers of birth. I am far from comparable. Although I have royal lineage and was born a Viscount, compared to you, I’ve accomplished almost nothing. I barely secured the position of Governor of Lookout for decades, but have been disheartened. The Nanxiang Star Cluster possesses the martial and virtuous Nanxiang Marquis Liu An, barely needing me to add finesse. As far as I know, Nanxiang Marquis is only a step away from the title of Marquis, and he places great importance on power and achievements. Earl Ren Zhong, upon reaching South Nine Star, you should find a way to connect with Nanxiang Marquis and declare your stance. After all, in the entire Nanxiang Star Cluster, only you can rival him in titles, but you are not yet fully fledged and must get along with him."

Wen Yuanbo’s words were particularly insightful; Ren Zhong fully understood, and he cupped his hands in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for the advice, I will keep it in mind."

Ren Zhong’s first impression of this Viscount, possessing royal lineage yet unsuccessful, was rather favorable. At least he was someone with whom one could communicate normally. His act of promptly uploading information and assisting Ren Zhong in registering within the Empire’s political hierarchy was not solely out of kindness; perhaps there was some self-interest involved.

He should be hoping for the emergence of an Earl in the Nanxiang Star Cluster who can match Liu An, or at least disturb the waters. Then this royal family Viscount, with a Yellow Vest, despite escalating conflicts, would have no fear of life threats, and potentially seize the opportunity to open up the situation, sweeping away the predicament of being completely suppressed by the dominant and forceful Liu An, allowing him to slightly exercise his ambitions.