Faced with Qin Qianfan's inquiry, everyone remained silent, their gazes uniformly turning toward him.
Seeing this, Qin Qianfan spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Everyone."
He paused, sweeping his eyes over each person present.
"You've all likely seen the Joint Staff Department's reward proposal."
The group nodded.
Qin Qianfan continued.
"You all know my character."
"I have always been strict in rewarding and punishing, never mixing personal interests with public duty."
His gaze sharpened.
"If anyone has any dissatisfaction with this reward proposal..."
"You may voice it now."
The conference room fell silent for a second.
All eyes were fixed on Qin Qianfan.
No one spoke.
Qin Qianfan waited a few seconds.
Just as he was about to continue, seeing that no one had spoken up, a voice suddenly rang out.
"I'm dissatisfied."
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Ruan Zhixu leaned back in his chair, a faint, almost mocking smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Qin Qianfan and spoke slowly.
"The official position is too low."
Qin Qianfan's brow twitched slightly.
Ruan Zhixu went on.
"If we're going to make him a Public-Grade Fleet Commander, fine."
He paused, emphasizing his next words.
"But the warships under his command..."
"Should ideally all be T5-class."
The conference room fell silent for another second.
Then, a wave of discussion erupted.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Old Ruan is absolutely right!"
"All T5-class! That would truly match the kid's combat achievements!"
"Twelve thousand T5-class warships.
Their combat power would rival that of an ordinary Joint Fleet!"
Qin Qianfan stood there, a slight smile curling his lips.
He said nothing.
He simply watched quietly.
At that moment, another voice spoke up.
The voice was steady, carrying the cool detachment characteristic of a technical bureaucrat.
Lu Yanzhi.
Federation Director of Military Technology.
The helmsman of the Advanced Technology Research Bureau.
He spoke slowly.
"Old Ruan is right."
Everyone's attention shifted to him.
Lu Yanzhi continued.
"We can fully develop the Pluto Fleet into the Federation's flagship force."
He paused, his gaze settling on Qin Qianfan:
"All sorts of advanced warships and technologies..."
"Can be prioritized for supply to the Pluto Fleet."
The conference room was quiet for a second.
Then, an even louder wave of discussion broke out.
"Excellent!"
"That's a great idea!"
"A fine horse deserves a fine saddle. Only with sufficient equipment can he fight the toughest battles!"
"Weapons are made to be used!
It's perfect to have the Pluto Fleet test new weaponry.
Didn't the graviton beam projection array on the Zhen Yue perform exceptionally well on the battlefield before?"
Lu Yanzhi looked at Qin Qianfan, a faint smile on his lips.
"I can take responsibility for this."
He paused, then added.
"Have the Advanced Technology Research Bureau establish direct coordination with the Pluto Fleet."
"All newly developed weapon systems, defensive technologies, warp engines..."
"As long as they can be mass-produced, the first batch will be prioritized for equipping the Pluto Fleet."
Qin Qianfan looked at Lu Yanzhi and promptly expressed his gratitude.
"Then, on behalf of Beiwang, I thank you, Old Lu!"
Just then, Su Qingyang lightly tapped the table with his fingers.
His gaze rested on Qin Qianfan as he spoke slowly.
"Based on Beiwang's current merits..."
He paused.
"Perhaps only the Stellar Medal would be worthy of him."
The conference room fell silent for a second.
Then everyone gasped.
Stellar Medal.
Those three words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves.
Ruan Zhixu exclaimed in shock.
"Stellar Medal!"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"That's..."
He paused, leaving the sentence unfinished.
But everyone knew what it meant.
According to the Interstellar Expansion and Meritorious Service Compensation Act.
Any Federal Citizen awarded the Stellar Medal could claim a star in a newly explored star system as their own.
A star.
Not a planet, nor a satellite.
A star.
A colossal object that could burn for billions of years, releasing endless light and heat.
Though it might seem like just a star.
The benefits it could bring were immeasurable.
One could hire others to develop the star's energy.
Build a Dyson Sphere to collect the star's radiant energy.
They could even tax the radiation, photons, and rays emitted by the star.
The legendary Sunshine Tax.
As long as that star continued to burn, the profits would never cease.
It was genuine wealth that could be passed down through generations.
Xue Jintong leaned back in her chair, a faint smile on her lips.
"Receiving the Stellar Medal at twenty-two..."
She paused, her tone exaggerated with envy.
"How utterly enviable!"
She shook her head.
"It took me until I was two hundred to get my hands on a Stellar Medal."
The conference room fell silent for another second.
Then everyone's eyes turned to Qin Qianfan.
Xue Jintong's words had reminded them of something.
Among the seven Marshals present.
The youngest recipient of the Stellar Medal was undoubtedly Qin Qianfan.
Forty-five years old.
That record had stood for thirty years.
Now, it was about to be broken by his son.
Ruan Zhixu looked at Qin Qianfan and couldn't help but laugh.
"Old Qin, your record won't hold."
Qin Qianfan said nothing.
He simply sat there, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Su Qingyang spoke slowly.
"When Qianfan received the Stellar Medal at forty-five..."
"We all thought that record would stand for at least a hundred years."
He shook his head and continued.
"Who would have thought..."
"His son would break it."
Lu Yanzhi chimed in.
"And not just by a little."
He gestured with his hands.
"Forty-five to twenty-two!"
"A full twenty-three years earlier."
Xue Jintong laughed even more heartily.
"What do you call that?"
She paused, then said word by word.
"The student surpasses the master."
Laughter filled the conference room.
Qin Qianfan sat there, listening to the discussions and watching the smiling faces.
The smile on his lips simply wouldn't fade.
Then, he slowly spoke.
"That kid..."
He paused, his tone carrying an indescribable pride.
"He really is better than me."
Ruan Zhixu slapped his thigh.
"Obviously!"
"If he weren't, would you be so pleased?"
He pointed at Qin Qianfan's smiling face.
"Look at your face, grinning like a blooming flower."
"Modest in words, but overjoyed in your heart, aren't you?"
The laughter in the conference room grew louder.
Qin Qianfan waved his hand with a smile.
"Not at all, not at all."
But his face clearly said otherwise.
And he was thoroughly delighted.
Su Qingyang watched this scene, a slight smile also curling at the corner of his mouth.
He slowly spoke.
"Then it's settled."
"Grant Qin Bei Wang."
"The Stellar Medal!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
No one objected.
Because that young man was worthy.