In the central square of the empire, a grand "conference of awards and honors" is held almost every week.
On the high platform, Imperial Marshal Qin Lan or other high-ranking military officers would personally award medals to the heroes who had made meritorious contributions on the battlefield, as well as their most desired reward—female slaves.
"Meritorious Service Number C1138, Corporal Wang Lei, Fifth Assault Battalion, Iron-Blooded Legion!"
As the host's loud voice rang out, a burly young soldier with a hideous scar on his face excitedly stepped onto the platform.
One of his arms was torn off on the battlefield and replaced with an Imperial-standard prosthetic limb that gleamed with metallic luster.
"Corporal Wang Lei, during the battle to capture 'Windwhisperer's Forest,' your squad was ambushed by elven rangers. With your squad leader killed and the entire squad in danger, you fought bravely and, at the cost of your right arm, killed three elven archers, clearing the way for the subsequent advance! The Empire will never forget your bravery!"
The host read out the war achievements with great enthusiasm. Below the stage, tens of thousands of spectators erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
Wang Lei straightened his chest, his intact left hand clenched into a fist, his whole body trembling with excitement.
"The Empire hereby awards you the Third Class 'Star Cross' Medal! A reward of 5,000 Imperial Merit Points! A property in the second-tier city of 'Cloudsea City'! And..." The host deliberately dragged out his words, building the atmosphere to a climax, "...a human female slave from the Holy Light Land, as a reward for your heroic deeds!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a young girl dressed in a white veil and wearing a metal collar around her neck was brought up.
She looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with long golden hair, bright blue eyes, and skin so fair it was almost translucent.
She was the youngest daughter of a destroyed count in the Land of Holy Light. At this moment, her eyes were filled with fear and numbness, and her body trembled slightly under the countless burning gazes from below the stage.
Wang Lei's breathing instantly became heavy. He strode over and grabbed the girl's arm as if he were picking up a piece of cargo.
The girl let out a suppressed gasp, but under the weak electric current stimulation from the collar, she dared not resist any longer.
"From today onwards, you are my woman!" Wang Lei grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and loudly announced to the girl and all those in the audience who envied him.
"Long live the Empire! Long live His Majesty!"
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the audience once again.
Countless young men of the empire looked at Wang Lei on the stage, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. They wished they could immediately enlist in the army, go to the front lines, and exchange their blood and scars for the same glory and rewards.
This scene was broadcast live to every corner of the empire via ubiquitous holographic projection.
In the most exclusive upscale residential area of Chengtian City, "Nine Heavens Cloud Top," an even more luxurious private banquet is underway.
The owner of the manor is none other than Colonel Zhao Tianyu, a rising star in the Imperial military.
Inside the banquet hall, the impeccably dressed imperial nobles clinked glasses and exchanged toasts. But what truly captivated the eye were undoubtedly the "female slaves" who moved about the hall serving the guests.
Some of them carried wine trays, some peeled fruit for the guests, and some knelt quietly at their owners' feet like pets.
These female slaves were all exquisite beauties from the Land of Holy Light. There were voluptuous dwarf girls, gentle human noblewomen, and the rarest of all, elves with breathtakingly beautiful faces.
In Zhao Tianyu's arms was the moon-white-haired elven girl he had named "Lina".
"Colonel Zhao, your elf is truly exceptional! I've heard that the price of an ordinary elven female slave on the black market is almost as high as a small spaceship!" A fat merchant said with a fawning expression.
"Hahaha, what's money?" Zhao Tianyu laughed, downing a mouthful of strong liquor. "This is His Majesty's gift to us soldiers who shed blood on the front lines! I earned it by exchanging the heads of the enemy! You merchants would never understand!"
The entire empire was immersed in a frenzy of conquest and possession as its core values. Men reveled in the fruits of their victory, viewing women from other races as a measure of their success.
However, beneath this frenzied ocean, a cold undercurrent is quietly surging.
The women of the empire, those who enjoyed unprecedented peace, wealth, and social status, began to feel uneasy.
At first, this unease only circulated in private.
"Did you see yesterday's 'gift ceremony'? That girl... looks even younger than my daughter."
"Yes, it's so pitiful. Even though they were the defeated side, isn't this... a bit too much?"
"It's more than just excessive! Didn't you see the way those men looked at them? Like a pack of hungry wolves! My husband watched the live stream yesterday, and the way he looked at me changed, became... very strange."
These private discussions quickly spread across the Empire's network.
The network of the Holy Star Empire, managed by the AI "Pangu," is efficient, transparent, and offers relatively free speech.
Because Lin Feng believes that absolute confidence comes from absolute power, he never bothers to block the flow of information.
The first to publicly voice a dissenting opinion was Li Ruoxin, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Chengtianzhidu University.
Li Ruoxin, 42 years old, is one of the Empire's most renowned female scholars. Born into a commoner family, she rose through the ranks to become an authority in the Empire's academic circles through her talent and hard work. She has dedicated herself to researching and promoting gender equality in the Empire, believing that the Empire is at the forefront of all human civilization in this regard.
However, when she saw the female slaves being given away as spoils of war, she felt a chill that ran deep within her.
On her personal homepage, she published an article titled "Beware! Civilization Regresses Under the Halo of Victory!"
In the article, she wrote with a calm yet sharp touch:
"To define an intelligent life, regardless of its race, as an 'object,' 'property,' or 'spoils of war' simply because of defeat, and to publicly bestow and distribute it, is the most ruthless trampling of the word 'civilization.' This is not only the objectification of women from the Land of Holy Light, but also a heavy blow to the social status of all women in our empire!"
“When the gender symbol of ‘woman’ can be equated with the word ‘trophy,’ the social status and dignity that we women in the empire have fought for through generations to achieve, equal with men, will become precarious.”
"Today, they are the ones being objectified, but what about tomorrow? When the war ends, when the expansion of the empire comes to a standstill, when society needs a new 'oppressed' to divert attention from its contradictions, who will be the next one to be pushed onto the 'reward platform'?"
"I urge the decision-makers of the Empire, and all the rational citizens of the Empire, to face this issue squarely. We can try war criminals, we can enslave prisoners of war to do labor, but we must never define a gender as a resource that can be possessed and distributed! This runs counter to the advanced, civilized, and equal values that our Holy Star Empire has always touted!"
Li Ruoxin's article was like a boulder thrown into a lake of revelry, stirring up huge waves.
The article's comment section exploded instantly.
"Bullshit! These women were won with the lives of the empire's men! How to deal with them is the empire's internal affair! What do you, an old woman, know?"
"You're right! While I was risking my life on the front lines, you were having afternoon tea in the rear, and now you're coming out to play the saint?"
"I think Professor Li is just jealous! Jealous that we got assigned young and beautiful elves, while she's already old and faded!"
The vast majority of male netizens scoffed at Li Ruoxin's articles, and some even hurled insults at her.
However, this article resonated deeply with women in the empire.
Countless women expressed their support for Li Ruoxin in the comments section.
"The professor is right! Objectifying women is a threat to all of us!"
"I am a female soldier of the Empire! I have also shed blood for the Empire! I absolutely cannot condone this practice of treating women as spoils of war!"
"Support Professor Li! What we need are not 'sisters' as spoils of war, but equal and intelligent peers!"
As Li Ruoxin's article gained traction, a second, more influential voice emerged.
Zhang Wan'er, the Empire's most sought-after holographic idol, boasts over a billion fans, the majority of whom are young people. She is known for her sweet, sunny, and energetic image.
During a live stream interaction broadcast to the entire empire, a fan asked her what she thought about the recent "loot" issue.
Everyone assumed that Zhang Wan'er would, as usual, use some official, ambiguous words to gloss over the matter.
However, Zhang Wan'er put away her signature sweet smile and said with a serious expression:
"As a woman, it breaks my heart to see those lives like mine, with thoughts and feelings, being displayed and distributed on stage like objects."
"Among my fans are many young girls. I hope that in the future they will be respected because of their talent, hard work and character, rather than being treated as 'objects' that can be possessed because of their gender and appearance."
"I believe that the reason our great Majesty and our empire are so powerful is because of our civilization and our advancement. And the mark of civilization is respect for every independent individual. I hope that this respect can be extended to those poor defeated ones who have laid down their weapons."
Zhang Wan'er's words, though gentle, were firm in their stance.
Her influence far surpasses that of scholar Li Ruoxin. Her words acted as a catalyst, transforming the entire incident from an online debate into real-world action.
A third force also emerged.
Chen Jing, Deputy Minister of Social Resources and Welfare, Imperial State Council.
She was a shrewd and capable female politician in her forties. She didn't care about abstract concepts like "human rights" and "civilization"; she only cared about the most practical interests.
She keenly perceived that this "female slave reward" policy was seriously undermining the stable social structure that had already formed within the empire.
She submitted a report at an internal meeting of the State Council.
"Colleagues, I must point out that the 'Regulations on the Reward of Female Slaves' are having a devastating impact on the Empire's marriage and family system."
"According to our department's preliminary statistics, in just three months after the regulations were promulgated, the divorce rate in the capital city has soared by 300%! Ninety percent of the divorce applications were filed by men. Their reasons are strikingly consistent—their 'conquests' are enough to allow them to 'change' to a younger, more beautiful, or even different race wife."
"At the same time, the empire's marriage rate has plummeted to an all-time low. Countless young men no longer pursue women of the empire; instead, they devote all their energy to gaining military merit so that they can 'acquire' an elf or dwarf female slave in the future."
“If this continues, the traditional family in the empire will quickly disintegrate. Women in our empire will face the risk of being abandoned on a large scale. And can a new family consisting of ‘master’ and ‘slave’ shoulder the responsibility of raising and educating the next generation of imperial citizens? I have serious doubts about this.”
"This is not merely a moral issue, but a matter of social stability that will shake the very foundations of the empire!"
Chen Jing's report plunged the conference room into a deathly silence.
Soon, real-world protests broke out.
Tens of thousands of women from the Empire spontaneously took to the streets of Chengtian Capital. Most of them were highly educated women, white-collar workers, and even many were retired female soldiers and female officials.
They did not take any extreme actions, but simply held up various signs quietly.
"We are citizens of the Empire, not prepared spoils of war!"
"Stop objectifying women! They are us tomorrow!"
"We demand racial equality, but we also demand gender equality!"
"I have shed blood for the empire! My husband cannot exchange my merits for a female slave!"
This massive women's parade brought the festivities of the entire empire to an abrupt halt.
The men glared angrily at these "ungrateful" women, believing they were being unreasonable and betraying the empire.
Women felt their future and dignity were threatened like never before, and they had to speak out for themselves.
Two completely different sets of values clashed most fiercely.
For the first time, imperial society was fractured because of gender.
And everyone knows that only one person can mend this rift, or rather, can determine its ultimate fate.
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