Ominous fluctuations appeared in the universe, and then several huge bubbles seemed to emerge out of nowhere, becoming more numerous as they materialized in the vastness of space. Within the pale bubbles, fearsome-looking warships began to reveal themselves.
Su Beisi climbed out of his hibernation pod, his burly body filled with strength, his large tail hanging down and swaying back and forth on the ground.
The people of Teizene had grown quite accustomed to hibernating during their voyages. The lifespan of Teizenes was relatively short, and much of their travel was measured in years. Maintaining normal bodily functions during the journey meant a sheer waste of their lifespan, so most Teizenes chose cryogenic hibernation.
Cryogenic hibernation had other benefits as well; it conserved resources. Those in hibernation did not need to consume large amounts of nutrients and energy, which was especially useful in tough and supply-scarce environments, allowing the Teizenes to save a large amount of essential materials for use in wartime.
The guard officer draped a large robe over Prince Su Beisi, whose tail swept the floor as he walked out of his cabin with strong, vigorous strides.
"Have we arrived yet?"
The guard officer replied, "Yes, Sixteenth Prince, this is the Black Bud Galaxy, on the periphery of the Danlu Interstellar Cloud. We can choose to attack directly into the interior of the Danlu Interstellar Cloud or subjugate a nearby lower civilization to acquire some useful materials before proceeding."
Su Beisi knew that these weren't real choices. He had led a thousand Teizene warships across thousands of light-years on a hasty expedition, with not much in the way of supplies. Particularly after engaging in three battles consecutively, the First Expeditionary Fleet of Teizene was severely lacking in materials, especially in terms of ammunition.
"Our ammunition is only enough for us to fight two high-intensity battles," he said, "Even though those Earthlings and Iridium Star beings are foolish primates, we can't let our warships go into battle without ammo. Let's raid that lower civilization first, hold one or two feasts before the battle to boost everyone's spirits, and then use the production capabilities of that lower civilization to supply us with a batch of new ammunition."
Producing ammunition wasn't technically complicated; the ammunition used by the Teizenes didn't involve complex technology. With relevant supervisors and technicians present, the Teizenes could directly command the factories of lower civilizations to manufacture their weapons. This was where the Teizenes and the Iridium Star differed greatly in their abilities to sustain combat; Iridium Star units had Atomic Substance Constructions, even on their escort ships, allowing them to collect various minerals and produce their living supplies and ammunition directly.
However, the Teizenes had to resort to attacking and coercing weaker civilizations, then having theseweak entities supply them with materials for the war effort.
"This civilization in the Frost River Galaxy should be called the Lvzhao Civilization," the guard officer informed, "it's the only interstellar civilization within dozens of light-years."
The Sixteenth Prince said, "Unsurprising, the material scarcity here makes it difficult for many interstellar civilizations to emerge."
The guard officer added, "However, legally, the Lvzhao Civilization is a member of the Galactic High Governance Council. By directly invading the Lvzhao Civilization, we are essentially provoking the Galactic High Governance Council."
Su Beisi scoffed disdainfully, "Can the Galactic Council even reach this place? Those brainless and greedy fools are only keen on scheming against each other in their eight major star sectors. A member civilization from a remote backwater that can't even secure a seat there hardly attracts their attention."
His smile was filled with disdain and arrogance. "Besides, it's not like we haven't clashed with the Galactic Council before. If they think they can simply manipulate us Teizenes at will, then let's just wait and see."
Several former members of the Galactic High Governance Council were now vassal civilizations under Teizene. The High Council wasn't even sure of the exact number of member civilizations it had; adding one wouldn't please them, losing one wouldn't bother them. As for being attacked by other civilizations, the Galactic Council typically didn't intervene unless they saw a profit to be made, then they would rally under this pretext.
The Galactic High Governance Council maintained a neutral stance towards the Teizenes. If they had wanted to destroy the Teizenes, they probably would have done so already. The military prowess of the Teizenes was indeed fearsome, with few civilizations capable of being as belligerent and skilled in warfare as them.
As most of the Teizenes were awakened from their hibernation pods, the First Expeditionary Fleet of Teizene seemed to heat up even more. Without any notice, the fleet of Teizene entered the Frost River Galaxy.
The guard officer stood on the bridge, attentively integrating various data needed by the Sixteenth Prince. In the Star Alliance, such tasks were handled by computers, but in the technologically backward Teizene, they were primarily performed by humans.
"It's a bit strange," he remarked, "the Lvzhao Civilization should have a fleet of a hundred or so warships. Despite being a 14th level intermediate civilization without energy shields on their warships, they could only suffer a pummeling from us. But now, as we boldly enter the Frost River Galaxy, these Lvzhao ships haven't mobilized, which is quite suspicious."
The Sixteenth Prince had a different view and pulled up the astronomical optics intelligence, pointing and saying, "See, their warships are all docked at the orbital spaceport of their home planet, Lvzhao Star. These lower civilizations are inadequate in handling emergency situations. By the time they react and get ready, we would have already reached their gates."
Meanwhile, in the orbit above distant Earth, inside the Joint Command of the Xu Lanzhou Universe Army, Xu Lanzhou also received the intelligence he had been looking to see.
"As expected, after a long journey, the Teizenes have decided to build a forward base on the outer periphery of the Danlu Interstellar Cloud," he said with a radiantly triumphant smile, murmuring to himself, "His Majesty really has a masterful plan. Using Lvzhao Star as bait to attract the Teizenes, once they all enter our range of attack..."