Federal Military Council Chamber.
Above the circular long table, a holographic projection in the center was displaying an analysis map of the battle situation in the frontline starfield.
Baal sat at the head of the table, his military uniform crisp, his golden eyes sweeping over the circle of people before him.
Seated below were the standing committee members of the Federal Military Council, the youngest of whom was over forty.
Baal spent twenty minutes analyzing the troop deployments and the abnormal movements of the Zerg. The red alert zones on the projection were densely packed; the frequency of Zerg activity over the last three months had doubled compared to the previous quarter.
"The outpost in the Seventh Starfield requires two additional mobile squads, and the ammunition supply lines must be replanned. I have already sent the specific proposal to everyone's optical computers. Review it when you get back."
After speaking, Baal leaned back out of habit.
Silence fell over the room for three seconds. No one spoke up.
Dante, sitting in the third seat on the left, was the first to make a move.
Dante Lowen, a 2S-grade male holding the rank of General. At fifty-three years old, it was a rarity across the entire interstellar space for someone of his grade and age to still be alive and kicking, sitting here in a meeting. In his early years, he was a fierce warrior on the front lines. Later, suffering from mental pollution, he retreated to the second line, but his words carried even more weight in the council than Baal's.
"Thank you for your hard work, Commander-in-Chief," Dante began, his phrasing thoughtful. "However, before we discuss the front lines, there is a matter the council believes needs to be addressed first."
Baal said nothing, his golden eyes sweeping over flatly.
"Regarding Ms. Jiang Lijin."
Baal's finger tapped once against the tabletop.
Here it comes.
"Ms. Jiang's performance on the front lines is a tremendous contribution to our Federal Military," Dante said, his pace unhurried and his expression earnest. "With such great merit, it would be unjustifiable for the Federation not to show some appreciation. The public is watching, and public opinion is already discussing it."
Several old men beside him nodded in agreement, wearing expressions of deep concern for the country and its people.
Baal cut straight through the preamble. "What can you give?"
Dante smiled. "That's exactly what we are discussing—"
"Young Master Tinia from the Yunlan Consortium blew up a few stars for her last time, spending five hundred million. How much is your Military Council's annual budget?"
Dante's smile froze on his face.
Someone nearby coughed lightly, and the atmosphere grew subtle.
Dante was, after all, an old fox who had been around for decades. He didn't dwell on this point and quickly shifted tactics. "Material matters are not urgent. But at the very least, our sincerity must be shown. Inviting Ms. Jiang to visit the military headquarters would also be a kind of—"
"Dante," Baal called his name.
Dante paused.
"I've been Commander-in-Chief for a few years now." Baal rested his folded hands on the table, his golden eyes devoid of any politeness. "You don't need to beat around the bush with me. Tell me directly what you want to do."
The council chamber fell silent for a moment.
Dante exchanged glances with the committee members on his left and right. Seemingly confirming a tacit understanding, he finally abandoned his superficial rhetoric.
"Fine, then I will speak frankly." Dante placed his folded hands on the table. "According to reliable intelligence, the Imperial Royal Family is already preparing to offer Ms. Jiang an official position. It won't just be an honorary title; they also plan to allocate a barren star to her as her fiefdom."
Baal's expression remained unchanged. The Empire's moves were faster than he had anticipated.
"Everyone can see what those people in the Empire are scheming," Dante continued, his pace quickening slightly. "A 3S-grade female, the only one in the entire interstellar space. Whoever brings her under their wing first will hold an absolute advantage. If Ms. Jiang accepts the royal appointment because of the conditions offered by the Empire..."
He paused, looking into Baal's eyes.
"For the Federation's front lines, that would be an irreversible loss."
"Commander-in-Chief Baal, as Ms. Jiang's matched beast husband..." Dante weighed his words carefully. "The council must also consider whether you are still suitable to continue holding this position. It's not as if the Imperial Royal Family hasn't considered annexing the Federation. If your partner stands with the Empire, your stance—"
"You can try," Baal interrupted him, his tone light, even carrying a hint of a smile.
"Let's see if the soldiers on the front lines recognize me as their Commander-in-Chief, or if they recognize your Military Council."
The temperature in the entire council chamber plummeted several degrees.
Dante's expression changed slightly.
These words were essentially laying all the cards on the table. If they really tore at each other's throats, who would be afraid of whom?
Baal's prestige in the military over the years wasn't built on his family background. He had personally led troops through Zerg defense lines and reclaimed three lost starfields that had been judged unrecoverable.
If the Military Council truly dared to make a move against him at this critical juncture, the front lines would probably erupt in mutiny by the next day.
Dante remained silent for a full five seconds.
"The Commander-in-Chief is joking," Dante said, his tone softening. "The council is merely analyzing various possibilities; we absolutely have no intention of targeting you. Ultimately, our goals are aligned. We want to keep Ms. Jiang on the Federation's side. Having her here is good for you, good for the front lines, and good for the entire Federation, isn't it?"
Baal sneered inwardly.
The old man spoke with high-sounding words, but who didn't know that the mental pollution levels of these council members were each more severe than the last? The aftereffects of retiring from the front lines worsened year by year. Ordinary-level purifiers were completely useless for 2S-grades!
What they truly wanted was crystal clear.
"If she accepts the royal appointment, what can I do?" Baal asked in return. "Lock her up? Or stop her?"
He raised a hand and knocked on the table, not even lifting his eyelids. "Don't forget, I am only one of her five beast husbands. And not a very favored one at that."
As soon as these words were spoken, the council chamber fell completely silent. Several veteran generals looked at each other in dismay.
But Dante still refused to give up.
"You can't say that," Dante said, leaning on the tabletop. "According to our observations, although Ms. Jiang is closer to Young Master Tinia, her attitude towards you and Dean Chiron is equal. There is room to maneuver here."
Baal toyed with the data pen in his hand, glancing sideways at him. "Why don't you tell me, how do we maneuver?"
Dante was stumped.
He opened his mouth, only to realize he truly had no experience to offer. As a 2S-grade male, he had never been matched with a suitable female in his entire life.
"Kron." Dante turned his gaze toward a gray-haired S-grade veteran general in the corner. "You tell us."
The named general, in his early sixties, was the oldest member of the council. Unlike most of the old men present who had been bachelors their whole lives, he was only S-grade, which meant he was a married man.
Everyone's eyes simultaneously turned toward him.
Kron's old face flushed slightly, and he coughed dryly twice.
"Um... my situation is a bit different from this."
"As long as you have experience," Dante urged. "You are, after all, the only married male in this room."
Kron hemmed and hawed for a long time before finally, under everyone's eager gazes, speaking with difficulty: "I was stationed on the front lines year-round, spending thirty years on the battlefield. By the time I retired and went home, it was already..."
He touched his graying temples.
"Anyway, the relationship between my wife and me isn't very good. She prefers another beast husband in the house. Even though that beast husband is of a lower grade than me, he has spent a lot of time by her side, knows how to talk to her, and can cook. Every time I go back, she treats me like a guest."
The conference room was eerily quiet.
A group of 2S-level elites holding the military and political power of the Federation, having just finished discussing the Zerg offensive on the front lines, had started to study how to woo a wife.
Baal looked at this group of old men, his temples throbbing.
"So what is your advice? Learn to cook?" Dante pressed.
Kron thought about it seriously. "Spend more time with her?"
Dante looked back at Baal. Baal stood up expressionlessly and tossed his data pen onto the table.
"I want your conclusions on the frontline strategy within three days." He strode toward the door. "Meeting adjourned."
Dante's voice called out from behind him, "Supreme Commander, about the Federation's compensation package for Ms. Jiang—"
"I'll ask her when I get back," Baal said without even turning his head. "We'll talk once we see if you can even afford what she wants."
