CHAPTER 852: THE PREPARATION FOR WAR

On the next day in the Barisan Continent, busy activity filled the skies in many areas surrounding the land. Along the coast, interstellar vessels could be seen floating, blocking the beautiful view of the blue sky.

The citizens of the Aster Empire who lived near the coast had been seeing this sight since yesterday, when many interstellar vessels suddenly arrived on the continent. Their numbers were even greater than when the Barisan Continent first opened to the world.

Even the special space designated for vessels to land was already full, forcing the others to hover not far from the coast.

These interstellar vessels were not only from the other powers of the Ancient Blue Gate World but also from other stars. Various symbols on each vessel showed their organization or origin.

All of them made their way here after their leaders, most of whom were still inside the Barisan Continent, ordered them to gather.

It was predicted that this scene would continue for a few more days, as many vessels were still on their way.

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Inside Aldrian’s palace, Aldrian sat on his throne, thinking about the ongoing war mobilization. He truly did not expect that the announcement would attract so much attention from so many people. Many decided to join, and it made him slightly push back the departure schedule.

Initially, he thought there would not be many who wanted to go with him. This was a war to reclaim a large area as wide as a star cluster, and it was an infamous fallen star cluster at that. War was not something people wished to involve themselves in, and other powers would not spend too many of their resources on a war that could weaken their strength at home.

However, that was fine for him. He did not need many to go with him anyway. He only needed a few of the strongest cultivators who truly wanted to follow him, and that would be enough. Even if no one wanted to go with him, that was also fine. He would go alone if needed.

At this moment, he was truly surprised that not only had those leaders gone all out by ordering large-scale mobilizations, but also that many people without any affiliation wanted to join him. They registered themselves with the guilds or families that had opened recruitment for the war.

For those who had affiliations but no interstellar vessels, they could join others who had them and coordinate their arrangements accordingly.

"Your Majesty, Emperor Rozwald wishes to visit and give a report."

A voice transmission suddenly came from the elder guarding the teleportation formation.

"Bring him in," Aldrian ordered.

Not long after, Emperor Rozwald entered the throne hall and gave a slight bow.

"My apologies, Your Majesty, for disturbing your time, but I came with a report on the war preparations."

Aldrian nodded.

"At ease, Emperor Rozwald. You are not disturbing me at all. And please, you don’t have to be so formal. You can act more casually when it’s just the two of us here."

"Well, for now I’m afraid I can’t do that, Your Majesty. You are currently the leader of the alliance troops, and there is a hierarchy I must respect," Emperor Rozwald replied.

Aldrian couldn’t help but sigh inwardly as he watched how Emperor Rozwald behaved before him. It was the same way his direct subordinates acted when they met him. But Emperor Rozwald was not his subordinate; he was an emperor of a great empire in this world.

Seeing Emperor Rozwald lower himself as if he were a direct underling made Aldrian feel uncomfortable. He had already told the emperor there was no need for such formal reporting and that he could manage the troops as he saw fit.

But Emperor Rozwald insisted that it was necessary. He maintained that Aldrian, as the leader who had initiated this war, needed to be informed of every development in the preparations and that every plan had to receive his approval.

Aldrian simply let Emperor Rozwald do as he wished, since what he said was also true. Even so, the emperor’s attitude still made him feel uneasy.

"There are already more than two hundred interstellar vessels, and more are still on their way. We’ve also received messages from several powers from other stars, imploring us to wait for them before departing. Based on our calculations, we might be able to gather more than fifty million troops from various stars. The preparations should be complete by the day after tomorrow, and we can depart then," Emperor Rozwald reported.

Hearing that, Aldrian raised his eyebrows.

"That many?"

Emperor Rozwald nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Besides the many powers that have seriously mobilized their troops, there are also many individuals who wish to volunteer for this war from various worlds. From what I know, many of these individuals are descendants of ancestors who came from the Fallen Star Cluster."

"Their ancestors became refugees after the devils occupied the Fallen Star Cluster and spread throughout many worlds. They might want to join because they wish to reclaim their ancestral world."

Aldrian nodded in understanding.

"With such a large number of troops, I and the other leaders from many factions have already created a detailed plan on how we can reclaim the Fallen Star Cluster and minimize the chance for the devils to escape," Emperor Rozwald added before taking out a scroll from his storage ring and presenting it to Aldrian.

Aldrian walked toward Emperor Rozwald, took the scroll, and read its contents. After a few moments, he nodded.

"This is a good plan. However, are you sure you want to attack several worlds at the same time? By splitting the troops across multiple worlds, there’s a chance they could be pinched by the devils from the other worlds that aren’t under attack. Moreover, we still don’t know what those devils in the Fallen Star Cluster have prepared for us."

Emperor Rozwald smiled.

"That’s something we’ve already taken into account, Your Majesty. The thing is, the devil troops that tried to launch a surprise attack on our world consisted of many of their main forces from various factions within the Fallen Star Cluster."

"After Your Majesty killed all of them, we can assume that the devils in the Fallen Star Cluster are at their weakest, having lost many of their higher-ups. Although their numbers may still be far greater than ours, we can compensate for that with the quality of our troops."

"We plan to evenly distribute our high-ranking cultivators at the pseudo-immortal stage. These cultivators will handle the majority of the enemies. No matter how many devils come, the pseudo-immortals can take care of them."

Aldrian nodded.

"Sounds good. If all of you have already decided on this plan, then let’s proceed. Let’s just hope those devils don’t have any surprises waiting for us."

Emperor Rozwald nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Then I will take my leave."

After that, Emperor Rozwald left the throne hall.

As Aldrian was about to walk back to his throne, he received another voice transmission from the Xin family’s elder.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Xin wishes to meet you."

Hearing that, Aldrian raised his eyebrows. He knew that man had been in seclusion for the past month, and it seemed he had finally finished. He replied to the transmission,

"Let him in. If it’s him, you don’t need to ask for permission."

Not long after, Xin Haontian entered the throne hall. There was no change in his appearance, but his aura had grown stronger, and Aldrian immediately realized that he had made another breakthrough. At this moment, he had already reached the High Emperor stage!

This truly surprised him. Xin Haotian had achieved two breakthroughs within the Emperor Stage minor realms in less than four months. That kind of speed was terrifying, showing not only Xin Haotian’s talent but also how perfectly his cultivation technique suited him.

Such progress was absurd, only a few could replicate it.

When Xin Haotian entered the hall, Aldrian smiled at him.

"I thought you didn’t want to leave your family’s secret realm and preferred a comfortable, lazy life. I haven’t heard anything from you for over two months."

Xin Haotian shrugged.

"Well, if I really wanted a lazy and easy life, I’d probably stay here instead of my secret realm. It’s much more comfortable here."

Aldrian smiled when he heard that. He was glad this man was still the same as ever. He often felt bored when almost everyone, even his acquaintances, seemed to distance themselves because of differences in status or hierarchy. Everyone tended to act too formal in front of him, and he needed someone like Xin Haotian who could stay casual. Someone he could consider a friend.

"Anyway, congratulations on your breakthrough. You’re truly a monster to achieve two breakthroughs in such a short time," Aldrian said.

"You’d better look in the mirror. I don’t want to hear that kind of praise from you. Besides, it’s thanks to the resources you gave my family that I could progress this fast," Xin Haotian replied casually.

Aldrian still smiled.

"So, what brings you here? I suppose you didn’t come just to greet me after your seclusion or brag about your breakthrough, did you?"

Xin Haotian fell silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on Aldrian.

After a few seconds, he finally spoke.

"Let me serve under you."