"Gentlefolk, another message has just come in from the Owl Dragon Legion. That lord states that he gives us three minutes more. And that if, three minutes hence, he has not the result he wants, then what follows will not be a matter of those few rounds of shelling." The security head swallowed as he reported it.
And at the same time called up several video pictures, taken of the Owl Dragon Legion standing in strict order at this hour.
And above all those interstellar missile ships!
Looking at those missile-launching installations, thick past counting, and at the gun-muzzles of the other warships—
every one of these Stellar City people felt a chill down the back.
An attack on that scale would surely take the whole of Stellar City to pieces!
"Qian Feng — is what that Owl Dragon lord said just now the truth!" The elderly representative demanded it of him outright.
Learning the facts through intelligence channels was one way; learning them from the man himself was another.
Family Head Qian Feng's forehead was beaded with sweat; he wavered, not knowing what to say.
"Qian Feng! If you will not give an honest account, then do not blame us for washing our hands of your wretched business!" the elderly representative said in anger.
Family Head Qian Feng set his teeth and said, "Some of it is true. With the slave trade running short lately, our supply came into difficulty. So having no other course, we went to the Chu River Star Region and looked out some sources of goods there. But… but… those were only the meanest commoners off some poor and barren planets! And what came after was because this Owl Dragon Legion attacked our Qian family's City in the Sky, wrecked my son's marriage, and carried off my son's betrothed besides. Ah, just so! President Guiji — your daughter is in the Owl Dragon Legion's hands at this very moment!"
Family Head Qian Feng meant by this to climb upon the Star-Shark Guild's connection — little knowing that the Star-Shark Guild had long since chosen its side.
"Hmph. My daughter's business I shall see to myself; don't think to make a gun of us. I ask you this: was the Sacred Lancer Legion truly annihilated entire by the Owl Dragon Legion?" President Guiji put the question everyone cared about.
Family Head Qian Feng gulped, and said in a low voice, "That… I am not certain of either; but the Sacred Lancer Legion was indeed defeated… and some warships fled toward the Holy Radiance Empire!"
And then, of a sudden, Family Head Qian Feng's tone turned, and he said in excitement, "The Owl Dragon Legion attacking the Sacred Lancer Legion — that is a declaration of war upon the Holy Radiance Empire. We can get in contact with the Holy Radiance Empire; let the Holy Radiance Empire only take a hand, and this Owl Dragon Legion before us can certainly be destroyed!"
The company were much astonished — they had not thought the Owl Dragon Legion truly fought the Sacred Lancer Legion, and won besides.
But at the same time they were weighing Family Head Qian Feng's proposal.
The Holy Radiance Empire!
Just so: with the Galactic Alliance now existing in name only, of the three great empires it was beyond doubt the Holy Radiance Empire that stood strongest.
They had even thought as far as a future in which the Holy Radiance Empire unified the whole map of the Galactic Alliance.
Though being interstellar merchants, they would not lay a wager lightly.
And just at this moment, one of the representatives had feedback from his own intelligence channel, and the color of his face changed on the instant.
"How stand the channels on your side?" The elderly representative looked at this masked man.
This was the man behind the Stellar Tavern; and on matters of intelligence he was beyond doubt the ablest of them.
The tavern's master drew a deep breath, and set out in a low voice the astonishing intelligence he had. "The Owl Dragon Legion, on the strength of fewer than 100 warships, attacked the Qian family's slave planet and star-port, annihilated the Qian fleet, and defeated the Sacred Lancer Legion. And in the pursuit at the last, at the Holy Radiance Empire's border, annihilated the Sacred Lancer Legion entire — their flagship included! And at that time the Holy Radiance Empire's Southern Sacred Fleet-Group, come out to their rescue, had already reached that field. But the Owl Dragon Legion's main body appeared upon the field using special starships possessing an interstellar jump capability, and stood across the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group's path — and destroyed the Sacred Lancer Legion's flagship in the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group's very face. And after that, the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group chose… to withdraw!"
Hearing this, the representatives present were astonished to a face; the weight of information in it was too astounding.
The Owl Dragon Legion had annihilated one of their Sacred-Light Legions entire before the eyes of a Holy Radiance Empire fleet-group, and the other had made no move whatever, and chosen simply to withdraw?
"And besides… the Consul of the Southern Star Region, one of the Holy Radiance Empire's five Consuls, was present at the time!" the tavern's master added.
At which the whole of the session fell into silence.
The color of Family Head Qian Feng's face turned to terror as well; he had known the Sacred Lancer Legion was beaten, but not how matters had developed afterward.
Nor had he thought the Owl Dragon Legion would come to a standoff with the Southern Sacred Fleet-Group.
And so the development of this business went past every expectation any of them had held.
On the one hand the Owl Dragon Legion's overbearing threat.
On the other, the Stellar Alliance's face.
Which weighed lighter and which heavier — the scale within them truly could not settle it.
"My Qian family is willing to give up 50% of the commercial resources we now hold, and I am willing to share the whole series of our arrangements with the Holy Radiance Empire with the gentlefolk! Gentlefolk, do not forget. The Stellar Alliance! Only with all our strength gathered together are we truly strong." Family Head Qian Feng, at this hour, spared nothing and let the blood run once, if only the green hills might remain and firewood never want!
He had two great mountains at his back still, Qin Xiaotian and the Holy Radiance Empire; so long as his Qian family could go on living, it could certainly rise again.
The representatives fell into silence.
But just at this moment, several of the representatives present received certain messages.
Every one of these came from partners they had lately taken up with.
Because of the Mechanical Race's withdrawal and the shrinking of market share, the trouble was not the Star-Shark Guild's alone; they faced the same difficulty.
Every one of them urgently needed new sources opened.
And upon receiving these messages and seeing what was in them, hearts that had wavered before came all at once to a decision.
The elderly representative among them; and his deep gaze went to Family Head Qian Feng, and there was nothing but coldness in it.
"Now upon this question let all present cast their votes. Those in favor of expelling the Qian family, raise your hands." And having said it, the elderly representative raised his own hand outright, plainly and at once.
Family Head Qian Feng's expression froze. How had the business moved so fast as this?
And then his expression grew stiffer still — for he saw those hands going up, one after another.
Of the 10 present, every one of the other nine but himself, Qian Feng, had a hand raised.
"Jin Yizhong! What do you mean by this? If my Qian family had not helped you before, your business in the Holy Radiance Empire would have come to grief long ago!"
"Bulwo, our two houses signed an agreement of cooperation — we are allies. How can you do such a thing!"
"President Guiji — our two houses' marriage went wrong, granted, but I promise you: not a jot of what was promised your Star-Shark Guild before will be short!"
Family Head Qian Feng cried out, but the nine faces opposite did not change.
The elderly representative said coldly, "Since all present have decided, then I declare it. From this moment the Qian family is no member of the Stellar Alliance, and every person of the Qian family is to be expelled from Stellar City at once!"
With that, Qian Feng's video connection was cut off outright.