The man in black uniform strode into the temple.
He did not salute the ring.
After thousands of years of evolution and progress, the Star Ring Church has gradually become very open-minded and free while retaining its original doctrines, and no longer uses strict doctrines to restrict believers.
Although the state of the Star Circle Church is small in size and has a small population, it is very wealthy. Most of the citizens' wealth comes from interstellar transportation trade, religious income, and tourism income... It is precisely because of this that the citizens live a leisurely life, have free thoughts, are lazy in behavior, hate fighting, and believe that material things determine consciousness. Such citizens' feelings for religion stop at piety and have not become extremely fanatical. They do not have the habit of praying four times morning and evening.
As the military leader of the Star Ring Church, Reares always acted in his own way. When he entered the temple, he just lowered his head slightly and drew a circle on his chest with his slender fingers. Then, he walked straight towards Li Yuebai.
As the distance shortened, Lei looked even more handsome. He stood straight, and every movement showed the strength of a well-trained man. He had long and sharp eyebrows, and a pair of dark eyes that were extremely penetrating.
With a simple search of the database, one can see how this admiral once displayed his tyranny and brutality on the battlefield, enough to scare the lawless interstellar pirates.
At this moment, there was no aggression in his eyes when he looked at Li Yuebai, but instead he was full of smiles.
"Thunder?" Li Yuebai couldn't help but smile.
Just as I was about to speak, I realized that this was still in the temple, not an ordinary place. I couldn't speak too casually, I still had to be a little more cautious.
"General Ares, at this moment, you should be handling military affairs. Why are you here in such a hurry? The God of the Star Rings has never taught us that we can abandon our duties in order to worship Him." Li Yuebai said.
"I'm not here to worship the gods, but to see you." Lei heard the teasing under his serious tone, so he followed the topic and said in a deep voice: "Respected High Priest Palder, I have important matters to discuss with you."
Li Yuebai nodded, and walked out of the temple with Lei and went to a garden slightly lower.
When he arrived at the garden, he was surrounded by unknown bright flowers and unknown strange-looking birds making melodious and pleasant calls. In such a secular atmosphere, Li Yuebai finally let go of his pretentious attitude.
"Lei, what happened?" he asked in a gentle tone.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the other person's sharp eyebrows tightened, showing an expression of being worried.
"Long Moon," Lei whispered, "Our country has unintentionally drawn a double-edged sword."
The original owner's name was Palder. According to the legend of the distant blue planet, the origin of mankind, Palder is the name of the god of light, and the moon refers to a beautiful satellite that emits soft white light. No matter from which angle you look at it, this name fits the original owner's image very well.
"Double-edged sword?" Li Yuebai couldn't help but frowned.
Leares gave a brief explanation, and Li Yuebai understood it quickly.
Just the day before yesterday, rich high-purity iridium ore was discovered on laj8807, a satellite of an inconspicuous asteroid in the Star Ring Church State.
Iridium is the rarest and most valuable metal in the interstellar world today.
Its elemental chemical properties are extremely stable, making it the most suitable core component for precision weapons. No army can exist without it.
At the same time, it is extremely rare in the entire universe. Even the most advanced smelting plants, which consume tens of thousands of tons of ore and spend several days, are unable to extract even one gram of pure iridium metal.
laj8807 is a desolate uninhabited satellite. There is no water, no plants, no stellar light, and naturally no residents. Hundreds of years ago, the Pope of the then Cyclone Church State had an idea and sent people to build a self-circulating building there, barely providing a residence for explorers who came from thousands of miles away to explore. But it was too desolate and boring, there were not even beasts to fight, and gradually the building became empty, and no one visited for many years.
A few days ago, a daring interstellar pirate fleet came to the Star Ring Church State to plunder, and the plundering location was on a planet not far from laj8807. The army quickly launched a pursuit of the pirates, but the pirates were unable to defeat them. During the escape of Emperor Cang, they fired several plasma cannons, one of which happened to hit laj8807.
laj8807A hole was blasted in the hard earth's crust, and boiling magma gushed out. After coming into contact with the cold air, it quickly solidified.
However, both the army of the Star Ring Church and the interstellar pirates clearly saw that the solidified magma was flashing a strange green light - that was the unique light of high-purity iridium ore.
The diameter of laj8807 is three thousand kilometers. In addition to the hard crust on the surface, the inside is full of magma - rich in high-purity iridium. A simple test and calculation will show that this iridium metal is enough to support hundreds of luxurious interstellar fleets!
This probability is equivalent to a diamond falling from the sky and hitting the Pope on the head.
The military was ecstatic at first, but then the euphoria turned into extreme panic.
Millions of years ago, there was a proverb on the distant blue planet, which went like this: To possess a jade is to be punished.
The Star Ring Church state is small in area and has a small population. It has been able to survive in the gap between the two superpowers, the Galactic Empire and the Democratic Federation, entirely relying on religion and non-aggression diplomacy.
Now, the news that laj8807 is rich in iridium mines has been exposed to the public. Even if all interstellar pirates are eliminated, the news will still spread like wildfire. Within a day, it will spread to every corner of the universe and attract countless beasts who are eyeing it covetously.
There has always been a long and tough tug-of-war between the Galactic Empire and the Democratic Alliance, which has continued intermittently and without end.
Now, we are enjoying a brief period of peace, but anyone with a little foresight can see that this kind of peace will not last long, at most 20 to 30 years, at most a few years... Perhaps this generation will witness the next major war.
When the war breaks out again, no matter which side it is, they all hope to occupy the laj8807 of the Star Ring Church state and take all the indium mines for themselves... Only in this way can they build hundreds of luxurious fleets and destroy all the enemies.
The military strength of the Star Ring Church State is not on the same level as that of the Imperial Alliance. Even with a military genius like Reares, it is still very difficult to win a war of self-defense.
Perhaps the best choice is to give up laj8807.
But such a choice is nothing but chronic suicide.
If laj8807 were handed over to the Empire or the Alliance, they would certainly seize every second to mine and develop it. The entire Star Ring Church state closest to it would unfortunately be reduced to a mine, a giant factory, used to smelt ore continuously, causing endless pollution.
"I will never allow laj8807 to be given to those bastards for nothing." Lei paced back and forth in the garden in agitation. He stood in the middle of the path, stretched out his hand, and fiercely pinched off a crooked and hard branch. His eyes flashed with wild and bold light: "Only by winning can we survive."
The garden was very quiet and there was no one around, so he did not care about his status as an admiral and spoke somewhat radically.
"Lei, calm down." Li Yuebai's expression and tone became serious: "Do you want to go to war with the Empire and the Alliance?"
"When it comes to that point, fighting is the only option."
"Your military talent is beyond doubt." Li Yuebai said: "But..."
The military strength of the Halo Church State is simply not enough, far from enough.
"If the war starts in the next second, it will certainly not be enough." Lei said calmly: "Fortunately, the God of the Star Ring has given us enough time... enough for us to raise military funds, recruit soldiers, build a fleet, and implement the plan that should have been implemented long ago."
A few years ago, Reares became the representative of the young generals of the Eagle Faction of the Star Ring Church State.
He was brave, strong, even a bit rebellious and stubborn. As soon as he became a general, he assembled a group of talented staff and drew up a plan to revitalize the country's military.
This is the biggest disagreement between Longyue Palder and Lei.
It can even be said that the political and military views of these two people are completely opposite.
Longyue is against any form of war and against sending anyone to the battlefield.
While Li Yuebai was deep in thought, there was a slight ding in his head, and a dialog box popped up:
Dear host, the original owner's choice here is to oppose the war advocated by Reares. The original owner believes that the problem should be solved through peaceful means. Please follow the original owner's choice to play the plot, otherwise the self-destruction process will be activated.
"My point of view is the same as the original owner's." Li Yuebai said.
"That's what the system guessed." The system said, "You and the original owner always have something in common."
Li Yuebai pressed OK.
"My friend." Li Yuebai looked directly at Leares and said calmly, "This time, I still cannot support your point of view."
"Not surprising." Lei raised his eyebrows.
"I don't want to see our land engulfed in flames of war, and I don't want to see our people forced to leave campus, go to the battlefield, and turn into dust in the universe." Li Yuebai said, "I will seek a solution politically."
"Politics?" Lei laughed. "Longyue, maybe you are right. Maybe your prayers can move the God of the Star Ring and make him come here to protect our galaxy and our people. Or maybe you can move the Emperor of the Empire and the President of the Alliance to come to this garden to have a cup of tea and forget all about the war."
"...But I won't stop your plan. If necessary, I'll even help you." Li Yuebai interrupted his endless sarcasm: "Just think of it as an extra line of defense."
Lei was silent. He walked towards Li Yuebai, opened his arms and held him tightly in his arms.
They have known each other since they were teenagers, and despite their differences in views over the years, their feelings for each other remain unbreakable.
"So, the story now is that you have taken two different paths, trying to save the country from two different directions," the system concluded.
"Yes." Li Yuebai said.
"But you don't look like you're going to save the country, do you?" The system made a rare joke, but its tone was still serious. Perhaps the system thought that this was not a joke, but an objective statement.
After Lei left, Li Yuebai lay down on the rattan chair and fell asleep until he yawned and woke up.
"System, haven't you explained it to me clearly?" Li Yuebai stretched his waist and said, "Before I completely gain control of this body, all decisions must be based on the original plot. In other words, you will remind me one by one of the efforts made by the original owner to save the country."
"So you're just going to sit back and wait?" The system said helplessly: "I have to say, your choice is very wise..."
As if in response to Li Yuebai, another crisp "ding" sound was heard.
A dialog box popped up: "Dear host, tonight, you need to go to Marshal Augustan's residence to attend his private reception."
"Marshal Augustin..." Li Yuebai frowned.
"Leares will also go." The system reminded: "You must go to accompany him and assist him."
The Star Circle Church State has three supreme rulers.
Pope, Prime Minister, Marshal.
They were in charge of religion, politics, and the military respectively, assisting and restraining each other.
Marshal Augustan was the boss of Laares. He had already gone through half of his life journey, and his face was often weathered and mellow.
Reares was young and successful, and he was in the limelight. He often argued with the marshal because of military deployment issues, regardless of the marshal's face. Although the marshal admired his troublesome subordinate, he was also very troubled and would suppress him from time to time, and conflicts between the two frequently occurred.
"Oh? Are these two ancestors going to meet again?" Li Yuebai laughed secretly in his heart, "Then I really have to go."
"That's right. This is also the reason why the original owner attended the reception." The system said: "Only the high priest can ease the conflict between the marshal and the admiral."
At nine o'clock that night, Li Yuebai took a carriage to Marshal Yuan's residence.
The so-called carriage is actually a means of transportation made of machinery. Its appearance is a reproduction of the ancient carriages of Blue Star, but the horses are silver-skinned and are machines made of the purest metal. When they move, they are both elegant and modern.
Li Yuebai wore a lighter robe with less complicated decorations, but he still felt that his presence was too strong.
When he stepped out of the carriage with the help of his servants and stepped onto the road leading to the gate, everyone's eyes turned to him, some with admiration, some with piety, and occasionally... with lustful gazes.
"Respected High Priest, your arrival has brought glory to our hearts." The housekeeper of the Marshal's residence came forward to greet him politely, speaking words of praise.
Li Yuebai greeted the people around him with a friendly smile, and then walked towards the banquet hall under the guidance of the butler.
"By the way, there is something I need to inform you of in advance." The butler politely reminded: "The young master is also present tonight. I hope the high priest will forgive his immaturity and mischief..."
The marshal had several sons and daughters, and his favorite was the youngest, Richard. Having a son in his old age and being too busy with military duties to discipline him naturally led to some bad consequences.
Richard is only seventeen years old this year. He is well-known throughout the Star Ring Church for his handsomeness and mischievousness. He often hangs out with a group of noble teenagers, drives his flying vehicle around, plays and makes trouble everywhere, and beats and scolds the civilians or even nobles he doesn't like... He is a very destructive and dissolute young man.
The marshal was a marshal after all, and he could not allow his son to affect his image. Therefore, after repeated reprimands failed, he came up with a trick - giving Laares the power to discipline Richard.
Richard was a little afraid of Lei, so he had to restrain himself a lot.
But half a year ago, Richard did something that angered Lei - he pursued Longyue Palder.
Of course it was politely rejected.
Since Richard was born, he had never seen anyone dare to go against his will, so he immediately resorted to violence and tried to take the original owner away by force - of course he was stopped in time by Lei.
Lei was really furious that time. He didn't care about Richard's identity and beat him severely.
From then on, Richard never dared to do anything blasphemous to the high priest again.
Li Yuebai retrieved this story from the original owner's memories. After reading it carefully, he couldn't help but smile. He just thought it was so interesting.
Immersed in such an interesting story, he stepped into the banquet hall step by step and soon saw Richard.
Richard was wearing a gorgeous velvet uniform, with an exquisite weapon on his waist, a disdainful look on his face, and was surrounded by several fawning young noble boys.
He is indeed a very evil boy, but his appearance is impeccable. He is handsome in a wicked and evil way, enough to make girls scream.
But no matter how handsome he was, Li Yuebai could hardly have any better impression of him, so he shifted his gaze to Richard's side - there stood a blond young man, who looked a little unfamiliar, with his back to everyone, and his half-long blond hair shone like real gold.
When the blond boy turned around, Li Yuebai felt a sting in his eyes.