Assistant Qin Xiao's silence did not last long. Soon, the intelligent assistant hovered over and said, "Captain, the Ice God has sent a border crossing inquiry to the southeast and requires us to provide identification."

Qin Xiao snapped out of his daze, picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. "Reply to them that I am here on the Empress's orders. You can confirm with the Empress that the voyage will proceed as planned. Proceed with the advance."

The intelligent assistant, consisting only of a humanoid upper body, still made a perfect gesture of courtesy, saying, "As you wish, Captain."

After speaking, the smart assistant left.

The entire fleet received a notification from the intelligent assistant at the same time, and the rest of the fleet members were all mechanical androids under the control of artificial intelligence.

"Captain's orders are as follows... Course unchanged, proceed!"

The massive fleet had only slowed down slightly, but it did not stop and continued heading towards the border of the Ice Eternal Dynasty.

In reality, this pass is only symbolic; it has almost no effect on the southeast direction or the entire eastern defense line.

The Shattered Star Sea in this area are all friendly forces within a controllable range, and the most common activities are customs clearance and trade.

Today's fleet appearance is quite a big move.

It's not that there are no forces in the Ruins of Return or that individuals can't afford to play this game, but to be honest, anyone who can afford to maintain a fleet with this configuration is truly a powerful demigod.

In all the realms, demigods are still extremely rare, and given that the Void Realm does not allow demigods to move around, the situation is truly not small.

For a moment, the Divine Dynasty soldiers on the southeastern border defense line were somewhat panicked. Inside the border, the floating buildings and pavilions were filled with the sounds of music and bustling activity.

As a border region for trade, its prosperity far surpasses that of other places.

All races from all the myriad worlds may be found here, and strange and unusual goods may appear on this market first.

At this moment, a shrill and urgent whistling sound filled the sky above the entire city, interspersed with the deep and powerful tolling of bells.

On the street, pedestrians looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Brother, I've just arrived in this fortified city. What's going on here? Is this some kind of program?"

A man stopped a vendor and asked curiously.

The vendor didn't seem to mind; he had a strangely shaped head with four pairs of eyes, and his big eyes were full of doubt.

"That's strange. I often come to this fortified town, and I've never heard that sound before!"

The man grew anxious. "So, what exactly is this thing?"

The vendor glanced at him and said, "Intrusion alert! Run, buddy! Anyone who dares to invade the Ice Eternity Divine Dynasty is no small fry."

After speaking, the vendor packed up his goods, casually pulled out a hovercar, and sped away.

It feels so out of place, so incredibly out of place...

The man was dumbfounded, but before he could prepare to escape, a fleet of enormous creatures leisurely sailed past above the sky full of floating cultivators and various types of floating warships.

Just like a group of sardines trying to protect themselves, a dozen humpback whales slowly glide by, emitting long, mournful calls. The ripples on the water reveal their enormous silhouettes and the absolute oppressive force of death.

Inside one of the largest wooden warships, a group of men dressed in white stood respectfully.

In the crowd, an elderly man with gray hair was gripping the armrest of a chair with an embarrassed expression.

"Gentlemen, shall we fight or not? Let's make a decision."

The audience was completely silent; no one dared to speak up.

Even with the so-called summons of the Empress, the sheer scale of the military force entering without proper permits undoubtedly constitutes an invasion.

But they dared not fight, even though they had already committed the crime of failing to defend the border, and might even be charged with treason.

Even so, the border guards still didn't fight, and their meaning was quite clear: they were afraid that anyone who dared to speak out would become the scapegoat.

However, the world is never short of fools and idiots who want to seize so-called opportunities to soar to the top.

Finally, a young man stepped forward from the crowd, his hand on his sword, and said, "My lord, since the other party has entered by order of Her Majesty the Empress, we, as subjects of the Divine Dynasty, have no reason to block their way."

However, please contact them to ascertain their name and strength, so we can have a proper record and avoid being too impolite.

That's a nice thing to say.

The old man glanced at him, his face expressionless.

"General Lin is right. Let's contact them again, clarify things, gather all the information, and send it back to the capital immediately."

The young man's face showed surprise and excitement.

It was worth it! Just like that, a colonel was promoted to a general. No matter the reason, it was a real benefit.

The people around were quite aware that this man surnamed Lin had risen several ranks in one step, but whether he could maintain his position was another matter.

The other party will definitely become the commander on duty today, and if anything goes wrong, they will definitely take full responsibility.

This old fellow has connections in the court. His father was a high-ranking official on the frontier during the reign of the Ice Emperor, and later married the daughter of another General Pingnan.

It can be said that he had cultivated extensive connections at all levels; otherwise, how could he have landed such a lucrative post on the eastern border?

Even if things go wrong today, when it comes to assigning blame, the person surnamed Lin will take the fall, and the others can pull some strings at home, and everything will be fine...

The old man stood up; his body was still robust.

In the world of cultivation, even those with low talent can rise to prominence due to the abundant resources their families possess.

Although he looks old, he actually has a long life ahead of him.

This is why the court considers an older appearance to be mature and prudent; otherwise, this appearance could be changed.

The old man stood up and walked to the porthole. The entire wooden roof section became transparent, reflecting the view outside.

His face remained calm and composed, but inwardly he began to feel somewhat worried.

My father said a few days ago that the Empress is young and her actions are often hampered, but recently she seems to have changed her mind and no longer argues or fights with the major families. Everything is just as it was before.

However, they completely ignore matters concerning foreign affairs, including wars and armed conflicts.

Many high-ranking officials in the court offered their advice on this matter, but the Empress dismissed them all with a single word, saying that she already had a solution and that all that was needed was to wait.

So, this is the Empress's strategy?

This armed force is indeed formidable, but it's unlikely that this fleet alone can subdue the surrounding areas...

Never mind, no matter what, I'll report this to my father immediately so that the family can make preparations as soon as possible.

Judging from his appearance, he seems to be planning to deal with the problem head-on.

Damn it, these hotheads are the most annoying, and the kind of people that these aristocratic families find most repulsive.

On the other side, Qin Xiao remained seated by the flagship's porthole. "Is there any counterattack?"

The smart assistant calmly responded, "Everything is normal, master."

Qin Xiao chuckled. What a coward, he can even tolerate this?

"In that case, let's proceed at full speed, ignoring everything along the way, and head straight for the capital!"

"Yes, Captain!"