Beside him, Bradley chimed in, his tone tinged with self-deprecation.
"If a talent like the Commander can be ousted, I probably won't fare much better. Who knows, the two of us might be assigned to lead a fleet!"
As soon as he spoke, he grinned, a hint of anticipation creeping into his voice.
"If we really are sent to lead a fleet, I hope it's a Sequence Fleet. At least they have more warships; if a real war breaks out, we'd have a bit more confidence!"
Strauss leaned back in his chair, his expression still grim. He let out a soft sigh, his voice full of helplessness.
"I hope so too!"
Meanwhile, within the Imperial High Command of the Ferry Empire in the Goldstein Star System.
A sunken, circular conference room was filled to capacity.
Thirty-six people sat there, every single one of them dressed in the Imperial Marshal's formal uniform, radiating an imposing aura. Their epaulettes were embroidered with a single gold star flanked by silver wings.
This was the exclusive insignia of an Imperial Marshal, symbolizing their supreme military authority. Furthermore, each man's chest was adorned with medals of various sizes. Each one differed in design, recording their family glory and past military achievements.
In the center of the conference room, on a massive circular light screen, a Federation documentary titled The Youngest General in the World was playing.
The footage clearly displayed the scene of Qin Bei Wang's medal conferment, as well as the entire process of the Pluto Fleet annihilating the Imperial warships.
These Imperial Marshals, who lived in luxury yet possessed immense pride, stared at the screen, unable to stop themselves from shouting in anger.
One marshal with a fleshy, rugged face slammed the table, shouting harshly, "Useless! Purely useless! These peasants couldn't even guard the border properly, letting the Federation Fleet slip through the cracks!"
Another white-haired marshal frowned, his voice filled with heartache and rage. "The Empire pours so much military funding into them every year, only for them to hand the Federation achievements and disgrace the Empire?"
Another man, his face twisted with humiliation, gritted his teeth and cursed, "This is an absolute disgrace! Since the Empire's independence, this is the most pathetic battle the Ferry Empire has ever fought. The opponent had fewer than four hundred starships and wiped out over 80,000 of our warships. If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off!"
The curses rose and fell, and the entire conference room was shrouded in an atmosphere of fury.
Just as the shouting and arguments reached a crescendo, a steady, powerful voice suddenly rang out, instantly silencing everyone.
Immediately following this, the central circular light screen slowly faded to black.
A man with short blonde hair and refined features slowly rose from his seat.
He was Cassius Reinhardt.
Hailing from the Reinhardt family. Even among the Empire's thirty-six Earl families, the Reinhardt family stood at the very top, wielding immense resources and power.
Consequently, the moment Reinhardt stood up, the noisy conference room fell silent instantly. All the marshals looked toward him in unison.
The signature blonde hair of the Reinhardt family was exceptionally dazzling under the lights, carrying an innate, unquestionable authority.
"Enough. What is done is done; there is no way to undo the past," Reinhardt spoke, his tone flat yet carrying an air of absolute command. "One can only hope those idiots on the front line learn from their mistakes so they don't disgrace the Empire further."
He paused briefly before shifting his tone.
"Let us now focus on the request for reinforcements from the Opal Sector War Zone. Currently, there is a severe imbalance of forces between the Opal Sector War Zone and the Federation's Myriad Stones Star Domain Theater. If the Federation is determined to swallow the Opal Sector War Zone, we will lose control of an entire star domain. The losses would be incalculable!"
As soon as Reinhardt finished speaking, a mocking voice rang out, breaking the brief silence.
"Tsk tsk, Marshal Reinhardt! Who doesn't know that the Opal Sector is currently a quagmire?"
The speaker slowly looked up, his tone full of disdain. "To hold onto those four star systems they've already swallowed, the Federation will certainly reinforce that direction. Unless we commit enough Sequence Fleets, any amount of troops we send will only result in a protracted war of attrition. It would be completely counterproductive!"
Reinhardt looked toward the source of the voice.
The speaker was Aurelian de Bourbon, from the de Bourbon family, which stood on equal footing with the Reinhardt family.
Before Reinhardt could respond, Valentino Alvarez, who sat beside de Bourbon, also spoke up. His tone was equally mocking.
"Marshal Reinhardt, perhaps you've forgotten? Most of the resources in the Opal Sector have always been controlled by your Reinhardt family. When the resources were being divided, you didn't think of us. You were terrified we'd reach in and take a slice of the pie. Now that the Federation has attacked and it looks like you can't protect those resources, you suddenly remember we exist?"
The two played off each other, their mockery and dissatisfaction completely undisguised.
The atmosphere in the conference room became subtle once again. The other marshals remained silent, quietly watching the clash between the three, none willing to take a side first.
Just as the atmosphere was about to reach a deadlock and the confrontation between Reinhardt, de Bourbon, and Alvarez was on the verge of exploding, a gentle yet powerful voice slowly rose.
Belmont Est had a faint smile on his face as he spoke to break the awkwardness.
"Marshal de Bourbon, Marshal Alvarez, that is not the correct way to put it."
His gaze swept over the two of them. Then, he leaned forward slightly, his tone peaceful yet logically clear.
"Ultimately, we all live under the same roof; we all belong to the Ferry Empire. If this house collapses, none of us can escape; we will all suffer. If the Federation truly captures the Opal Sector, it will be no small matter for us. Once they enter, they can directly launch an offensive against our vital energy production site, the Morgan Sector, dealing a severe blow to the Empire's energy supply. Even if they are conservative, they can use the Opal Sector as a base to continuously harass the neighboring Ruidu Sector and Yakov Sector, disrupting our deployments."
At this point, Est's tone carried a hint of certainty as he slowly added, "If I recall correctly, the resources and core industries of these three sectors—Morgan, Ruidu, and Yakov—are mostly held by your two families, correct? Once the Opal Sector falls, the first to suffer will be the interests of your two houses."
These words hit the mark perfectly.
The expressions of de Bourbon and Alvarez shifted slightly. They opened their mouths to retort but momentarily found themselves unable to find the right words.
However, Est did not give them the chance to speak. Instead, he quickly turned his gaze toward Cassius Reinhardt.
His tone returned to being peaceful as he continued.