Chapter 15 General

“What position did you retire from, Su Mo?” Lin Hai asked curiously from the side.

Su Mo scratched his head and coughed slightly, “It’s nothing much, I think it was General.”

Upon hearing Su Mo’s words, Lin Hai and the others couldn't help but stop their cutlery.

“General? You were willing to retire? You know my eldest brother is still risking his life on the front lines and is only a Major General. Furthermore, the Federation is now demoting all officers due to the increased number of people enlisting. Just maintaining your current rank is a disguised promotion.”

“Eat,” Lin Yaotian scolded unhappily, looking at Lin Hai and the others' shocked expressions.

Lin Hai and the others quickly lowered their heads.

At this moment, Lin Xiaoyu wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, stood up, and said coldly, “Father, I’m finished eating, I’ll take my leave first.”

After speaking, she turned to leave.

“Sit down!” Lin Yaotian said in a low voice.

Although Lin Xiaoyu was very unwilling, she didn't dare to disobey Lin Yaotian's orders and could only sit down.

Lin Hai quickly explained to Qian Chengxue, “Little Yu is a bit ignorant, don’t mind her.”

“It’s okay,” Qian Chengxue shook her head, not taking it to heart. She looked at Lin Xiaoyu with a gentle gaze.

Seeing this scene, Su Mo couldn’t help but speculate. If he wasn’t mistaken, the one who switched places with Qian Chengxue should be Lin Yixuan.

Lin Xiaoyu and Lin Yixuan were supposedly born from the same mother.

Looking at the men at the table, it was obvious that large families were patriarchal.

Now it seemed that Lin Xiaoyu’s mother had failed to produce a son, so she didn’t even come out to eat.

Moreover, Lin Xiaoyu used to have an older brother, Lin Yixuan, so no one would say anything. Now that she had become an older sister, she was naturally very annoyed.

Therefore, it was normal for her to dislike Qian Chengxue.

However, Su Mo also understood one thing; Lin Yaotian and Ye Tian should have known about this a long time ago.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a coincidence that Ye Tian was so good to Lin Yixuan, giving him mecha and showing concern.

And Lin Yaotian wouldn’t have personally taught Qian Chengxue from the beginning and sponsored her in various ways.

At this moment, Lin Yaotian said to Qian Chengxue in a deep voice, “I heard you recently won a section of the Federation’s public tender.”

“Yes, Father,” Qian Chengxue nodded in response.

“If there are any financial problems, speak to the butler. Also, your ships will travel with the Lin family’s ships when the time comes.”

Although Lin Yaotian didn’t say much, he had explained the matter clearly.

“Okay,” Qian Chengxue nodded in response.

Hearing this, Su Mo’s impression of Lin Yaotian improved quite a bit. Asking the butler for money meant that he was planning to pay out of his own pocket.

So, he was quite good to Qian Chengxue after all.

Just then, the butler hurriedly walked in and whispered a few words in Lin Yaotian’s ear.

Lin Yaotian’s eyebrows immediately raised.

Lin Hai asked in confusion, “Father, what’s the matter?”

“Councilor Delega is here,” Lin Yaotian said in a deep voice.

“Then should we avoid him?” Lin Hai quickly asked.

“No need, just listen in, we’re all family here,” Lin Yaotian didn’t intend to avoid anyone.

“Yes!” Lin Hai and the others quickly replied.

Su Mo curiously asked Qian Chengxue in a low voice, “Who is this Councilor Delega? I haven’t heard of him before?”

Qian Chengxue quietly explained to Su Mo, “Councilor Delega is one of the representatives of the hawkish faction in the council, and strongly advocates for war against the Empire. You may not be aware, but the council has been divided into two factions in the past two years. One faction advocates launching an attack on the Empire, and the other is conservative, believing that we should now focus on competing for resources and temporarily ignore the Empire.”

After listening, Su Mo nodded slightly.

“I understand.”

Before long, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes, wearing a Federation councilor’s uniform, and walking with a brisk pace entered.

Lin Yaotian immediately stood up and said to Councilor Delega.

“Let’s sit down and eat together.”

Delega didn't decline and sat directly opposite Lin Yaotian, then said with a smile.

“Lord Lin Yaotian, let’s not beat around the bush, I’m here today for serious business.”

“I know, just say it, there’s no one else here,” Lin Yaotian didn’t intend to avoid anyone else.

Seeing that Lin Yaotian had said this, Delega didn’t stand on ceremony and directly cut to the chase, “Lord Lin Yaotian, I know you were also a soldier, you should have some backbone.”

“Of course,” Lin Yaotian replied without hesitation.

“That’s good, don’t you think there’s a problem with the council’s current strategic policy? We’re being kind by not causing trouble for the Empire, but they’ve repeatedly tripped us up in secret over the years, posing as pirates and so on, constantly attacking our ships, killing our people, and robbing our supplies. Do you think we should continue to tolerate this?” Delega asked sternly.

“You’re right, but we don’t have any substantial evidence. Also, we are at a critical moment, and the Speaker of the Council is considering the big picture. What we need now is to maximize our own strength,” Lin Yaotian replied calmly.

“No evidence? Three years ago, wasn’t General Li’s entire family killed by the Gaumoto Empire’s minions? The video was even sent back. They’re so arrogant that they dare to intercept and kill our generals, can we still tolerate this?” Delega replied, infuriated.

Lin Yaotian became even more silent. He raised his glass, drank it in one gulp, and didn’t immediately answer Delega’s words.

Hearing this, Su Mo’s brow was also tightly furrowed. This group of Empire soldiers was indeed going too far.

He could more or less tell that Lin Yaotian was also holding back a bellyful of fire. The reason why this Delega came to persuade Lin Yaotian was probably because he had done his homework in advance.

However, a scene that surprised everyone appeared. Lin Yaotian didn’t express his position as Delega had expected, he just said in a deep voice, “I am well aware of all the Empire’s criminal acts. But now is not the time to dwell on them, everything should be for the greater good.”

“Hmph, I always thought you Lin Yaotian were a man of backbone, but I didn’t expect you to be nothing more than this. If you’re afraid, just say so. When has the Federation needed to be wary of those barbarians?” Delega said with a very displeased expression.

“Once a war breaks out, you can’t control it as you wish, the situation will only develop in an uncontrollable direction. Before we have absolute certainty, we cannot act rashly. In this regard, I unconditionally support the Speaker of the Council’s decision. Don’t forget how the previous Heaven’s Cup participating civilizations were destroyed, who is our real enemy?” Lin Yaotian said with unusual calmness.

Delega’s face squirmed for a moment, he said in a cold voice, “Excuses are just excuses, there’s no need to say those high-sounding words. However, Lord Lin Yaotian, I hope you can reconsider what you just said. There’s a saying that those who walk different paths cannot make plans together, your words and actions may lead to a narrowing of your path in the future.”