BATTLE FOR STARS

Joan fell silent for a moment and looked at Lina.

“Allen used all of it for your treatment… In fact, over the years she earned quite a lot of money, but it was almost entirely spent on your medical care. She had no other choice, which is why she entered the tournament.”

Two streams of tears finally slid down Lina’s cheeks. At last, she understood everything her mother had done for her.

“You were only twelve at the time. Allen told me that if anything happened to her, I should send you to her former master and let you become a mech gladiator slave. Only that way could you continue to survive. And by then, you were already healthy—just like Allen, with an exceptionally sharp nervous system—so you would definitely be accepted.”

Joan paused briefly, then continued, “Because you only became a gladiator slave at the age of twelve, your redemption price is much lower than that of other slaves. That was the last bit of advantage your mother could secure for you.”

“Mom…” A surge of grief overwhelmed Lina. She never imagined that even in her final moments, her mother had still been thinking of her.

“This recording was also meant to be delivered to you ten years later,” Joan added. “And she asked me to pass on one sentence. She said that by then, you would have grown up, learned how to live, and be able to protect yourself.”

“What did she say?” Lina asked.

“Live well in her place.”

“Mom!” Lina threw her arms around Joan and burst into tears. At last, she understood everything.

In the silent, dark expanse of space, dozens of white ring-shaped structures, each tens of meters long, were connected end to end, forming a massive diamond-shaped pattern.

At the center of this formation lay a vast open space spanning several square kilometers. At the very bottom of the structure was a gem-like protrusion. Whenever it lit up, the entire ring structure would glow in response, and the space in the center would distort. Then, like a magic trick, starships would emerge from within.

As the lights flickered repeatedly, various spacecraft leapt out—sometimes dozens at once, sometimes only three or five.

This time, a massive carrier several kilometers long and hundreds of meters wide emerged, accompanied by dozens of escort ships. From their design and weaponry alone, it was clear these were not ordinary civilian vessels.

“Isn’t that a combat fleet from the Kramic Kingdom? Why are there so many this time?” a staff member in the Resk Empire’s warp gate control center remarked.

“That’s their royal fleet,” another replied after checking the insignia on the ships.

“Who’s arriving? Why would they bring a carrier just to attend a festival?”

Generally, a carrier served as the command center of a fleet and rarely appeared in planetary space unless war was imminent.

“No idea. Don’t worry about it. That’s above our pay grade. Just guide them into the holding zone.”

“Got it.”

This detachment of over a dozen ships was part of the Five-Petal Fleet, the royal private fleet of Princess Belina—the youngest princess of the Kramic Kingdom. She had arrived with her carrier Sour Strawberry and several escort vessels.

After spending more than two years living on Earth under the identity Zhou Weiyang, Belina was now returning to her home planet, accompanied by her new Earth boyfriend Ding Yufei and his close friend Liang Jinsong.

However, at a warp station, they received new orders from the Kingdom, instructing them to head to the Resk Empire to retrieve a batch of decommissioned starships.

The Kramic Kingdom, along with the Resk Empire, the Duir People’s Republic, and the Hania Federation, had formed a coalition to counter the increasingly powerful Hill Empire.

As the technological leader and core force of the coalition, the Kramic Kingdom had, in recent years, developed unmanned fleets and begun replacing allied fleets with newer vessels free of charge—on the condition that the old ships be taken back.

This arrangement had always been mutually beneficial and proceeded smoothly. However, recently, the Resk Empire had withheld over two thousand decommissioned ships, refusing to release them. As a result, the Kingdom dispatched Princess Belina herself to handle the matter.

After leaving the warp point, the fleet headed toward the Resk Empire’s second-largest planet—Boman, the closest major entertainment world to the Kramic Kingdom.

The Resk Empire was not known for remarkable technological achievements. It had originally grown from a small colonial planet, amassing enormous wealth through the production and trade of slaves.

At the time, raising a human population was far slower than manufacturing machines, but during an era of expansion and colonization, population demand surged. This allowed the empire to expand rapidly. Eventually, after merging with several human trafficking groups, it formed the foundation of what is now the Resk Empire.

Today, the empire’s business extends far beyond slave trading. It has become the center of interstellar entertainment—stimulants, sex, slavery, death, gambling, games, and competitions. Whatever one could imagine, it offered—so long as one had enough money.

These industries generated vast revenue, enabling the empire to build a massive fleet. Although most of its ships were purchased from allied nations, this did nothing to diminish its deterrence—especially with its fearsome genetically modified army known as the Skull Legion.

Privately, however, they were called the “Pig-Faced Legion.” Due to genetic modifications, their soldiers’ nostrils tilted upward, resembling those of pigs. Combined with the fear and disgust they inspired, the nickname became widely used behind closed doors.

Long ago, the Kramic Kingdom and the Duir Republic jointly introduced hyper-realistic gaming systems capable of simulating nearly indistinguishable realities, marking a pinnacle in entertainment technology.

Today, such devices were widespread across countless planets. Yet many still craved genuine experiences. Thus, regardless of shifting political powers, the Resk Empire’s entertainment industry continued to thrive.

“Belina, the emperor of Resk is incredibly rude. We went to meet him personally, yet he only sent a projection. Then he told us to deal with fleet matters through his general, Lieutenant General Frederick. And that general is actually off enjoying himself on this planet, making us come here to meet him!”

A woman in military uniform spoke to a beautiful young girl seated in the lounge.

This girl was none other than Princess Belina of the Kramic Kingdom. Aside from her brothers, she was the only one with the right of succession.

Belina was only eighteen years old. By interstellar human standards—where lifespans often reached three to four hundred years—she was still considered a child.