Chapter 557: Envy Lovers, Not Immortals (2/2)
The Driver always knew Lan Jue was stronger than he was. He was blessed with an almost unnatural streak of luck, too. This, though, was more than just a rank or two different! He must be cheating!
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Once Majesty and Zeus-1 left with the soldiers, Tempest had grown quiet. Their riches were already worthy of song, so there wasn’t much on Tempest to keep them there. As their mission progressed, the likelihood of coming back to this distant planet was practically zero.
Lan Jue stood before the bridge’s expansive windows, smiling softly. He turned his head toward Su Xiaosu. “What’s our next objective?”
“The Red Widows,” she answered. “They’re one of the top ten pirate clan in the Shattered Starfields. After a month the soldiers are all working well together, it’s time for them to face a stronger opponent. It’ll stimulate their growth.”
“Alright.” He didn’t press for any more information about the Red Widows. He trusted Xiaosu.
Normally, as commander of the Star Division, he personally managed all matters no matter big or small. However, after his meditations things were different. First of all, Xiaosu’s command and responsibility was no less than his own by this point. In the future Lan Jue would need to put more of his energy into cultivation, and he wouldn’t have the mental or physical energy to deal with the multitude of problems that come with running an army. So, without making it widely known, Lan Jue went about expanding the responsibilities of his subordinates.
Once their destination was confirmed, Lan Jue returned to his quarters and returned to meditating. For the last few days he’d felt ill at ease, especially when he came out of his hermitage. Ever since the joining, he and Qianlin have been unable to separate.
Ever since accepting Demortuis, Qianlin had fallen into a strange state, almost like hibernation or meditation after deep understanding. He had to wait for her to snap out of it before they could separate. But could he wait? There was no other option.
Because they were still joined, Lan Jue was unable to tell how much his own Talent had grown. He was in no hurry for Paragon and wished to wait for Qianlin, so the bulk of his cultivation was spent trying to grasp the secrets of the thunder essence, controlling Captus, and stabilizing his own Discipline.
Jun Yongye applauded this period of relative peace. Joining with the Banishing Blade was only the initial step. If he wanted to become the sword’s true master, than they had to be in complete harmony – completely symbiotic. To get there would take time and patience.
Two days later, Star Division was closing on their next target.
The Red Widows were different than the clans they’d faced before, in part because their base wasn’t a planet, or even several planets. Strong though they were by comparison, they still didn’t even come close to threatening the Moonfiend Pirates.
In fact their base was on a sizeable asteroid, which itself had captured three smaller space rocks in its orbit. The quad-asteroid set-up endowed them with natural barriers to protect themselves, and the bases on each of the smaller rocks were capable of mounting a tenacious defense. At the first sign of danger the smaller bases would react, sending in whatever reinforcements they needed. Most of the clan’s might was focused on their outlying bases because the planetoid had its own defense system that even extended to protect the asteroids.
According to Xiaosu’s information, the Red Widows had two battleships, more than twenty patrol ships, and a well-equipped mecha division. They were also equipped with a planetary defense system which allowed them to bring a good slice of the Starfields under their control. That’s how they earned their top ten spot on the pirate list.
The Red Widow Pirate Clan didn’t have a very long history, maybe only fifteen years. In fact, the vast majority of pirate clans didn’t have much of a history to speak of. They rose and fell faster than the ancient dynasties.
The Red Widows had caught Su Xiaosu’s eye back when she had been the Moonfiend Empress, but she had been careful to not act rashly. It would have been very costly to deal with them, so she opted to permit their existence.
That was, until now. The Star Division needed a target.
Majesty and Zeus-1 stopped a few thousand kilometers from one of the clan’s asteroids. With the Blinding Stones equipped, they were indistinguishable from the black expanse of space.
When Lan Jue entered the war room, his commanders were all gathered. Everyone agreed on the plan of action. It was time to press the attack. Lan Jue was settled in the captain’s chair with Su Xiaosu at his side. The whole plan was hers, after all, it only made sense for her to lead the charge.