Chapter 175 Era Turning Point

The capture of the Star Alliance sleeper agents finally relieved the Three Great Civilizations. They hurriedly recalled their fleets, lifted the information blockade, and fully mobilized their propaganda machines.

Soon, the explosive news that "the Interstellar United Army had struck the World Tree Civilization's lair and defeated it" spread throughout interstellar society in the shortest possible time. Countless interstellar citizens sheltering on refuge planets were stunned, their minds buzzing, and they were utterly dismayed.

Just a short time ago, they had been on the defensive, enduring a full-scale invasion by a foreign enemy. The future had seemed bleak, and they were living in constant fear. They weren't mentally prepared for such a turnaround, but suddenly they were being told that the war was over and everyone was safe... Dude, they had only just gotten out of bed and hadn't even brushed their teeth yet!

Many interstellar citizens were stunned and found it hard to believe.

But as the Three Great Civilizations' official media revealed the entire course of the war, confirming that it wasn't a rumor, the entire interstellar society snapped out of its shock, replaced by boundless elation.

Under the shadow of the World Tree Civilization, the entire operation of interstellar society had been forced to change, disrupting everyone's lives. Countless people had gone from being free and easygoing interstellar citizens to refugees fleeing the flames of war. Wartime policies had tightened the supply of resources and civil rights, creating an immense disparity. This change had been going on for nearly twenty years.

From the perspective of a civilization or a high-level Super, twenty years was just a fleeting moment, no more than a small ripple in the long river of time. But for ordinary interstellar citizens, it was nearly a generation.

Any change in an era would be magnified in the lives of individuals. The Three Great Civilizations had been deadlocked with the World Tree Civilization, and no one could see a clear future for the war. Countless interstellar citizens had pessimistically believed that this life of fear and anxiety would continue, that tomorrow would not be better, and that at least two or three more generations would have to suffer in the flames of war.

But in the darkest hour, a ray of dawn tore through the deep fog and shone into everyone's lives.

This ray of light came from countless soldiers who had sacrificed themselves on the front lines, and from Black Star, who had single-handedly turned the tide of the war.

On April 17th of the Star Sea Calendar 799, countless refuge planets echoed with cheers that soared into the clouds, coming from different races and spoken in different languages.

Countless interstellar citizens called this day the "turning point of the era," representing the end of the war and the destruction of the World Tree.

As the victors, the Three Great Civilizations were showered with praise from the entire interstellar society. In their propaganda, they didn't hide Black Star's achievements, but wrote them down in their entirety:

Before the outbreak of the war, he maintained internal checks and balances, reducing internal friction. In the early stages of the war, he led the Super A Grade group to resist the foreign enemy without hesitation and personally ventured to collect crucial intelligence on the World Tree. During the preparation phase, he buried himself in training potential seeds, cultivating a new batch of Super A Grade powerhouses. He single-handedly defended the shallow dimension, preventing the World Tree Civilization from making any progress and forcing it to abandon the most dangerous front line for the Three Great Civilizations. He was the first to find the location of the World Tree's main body, forcing it to abandon the invasion. He single-handedly kicked off the final battle, turning a long-term war into a final showdown…

Too many achievements made Black Star's brilliance in the war impossible to hide. His presence was extremely strong. Countless interstellar citizens counted Black Star's contributions and were filled with admiration. The reverence that poured out of their hearts was like a warm current baking their hearts, or like an uncontrollable trembling of the soul, penetrating every bone and every nerve.

Although it felt somewhat disrespectful to the normal soldiers who had sacrificed themselves on the front lines, after reviewing Black Star's deeds from beginning to end, many interstellar citizens felt that Black Star had controlled the entire rhythm of the war. He adjusted the overall strategic direction, and the Interstellar United Army was more like a "tool" to carry out his will, only responsible for execution.

Because of his great merits, Black Star became the interstellar society's recognized "chief war hero," his reputation soaring and surpassing all previous records. He was truly at his zenith, flooding the entire interstellar society with respect and being fervently sought after.

The Super A Grade group also shared a large amount of reputation and received countless praises, especially the "sacrifices" listed on the memorial碑, who received even more respect and were extremely popular.

Although Super A Grades had been regarded as the privileged class of interstellar society before the outbreak of the World Tree War and had been viewed with hostility by many interstellar citizens, one thing was separate from another. The Super A Grades had fought bloody battles on the front lines, protecting their safety, and the interstellar citizens were genuinely grateful.

Due to wartime policies, most of the population of the major star systems had been concentrated on different refuge planets. Now that the flames of war had been extinguished, the Three Great Civilizations had also begun to gradually repatriate refugees in batches, slowly moving out of wartime mode and restoring normal social operations.

…

Central Star Sea, the Sea Blue Federation's refuge planet.

In the huge open-air take-off and landing plaza, a fleet of long-range spaceships engraved with the Black Star Army's emblem were neatly parked. Their hatches were wide open, and Sea Blue Star people formed long, winding queues, nervously and excitedly stepping onto the starships heading home under the command of the army members.

Years of fear and anxiety had left everyone with a haggard and weary look, but it couldn't hide the smiles and relief that radiated from their faces, filled with anticipation for a brighter tomorrow.

In the office of the political affairs building, Bennett, with his gray hair and wrinkles, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the dense crowd in the square. He took in the haggard yet excited expressions of one Sea Blue Star citizen after another and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"The pain of war can only be healed by time…"

With that, Bennett turned his head and looked at the Black Star statue, which served as a landmark in the city. A look of relief appeared in his eyes.

"Black Star… you really did it. I knew I could always believe in you."

Bennett smiled gently, feeling relieved.

He had already taken a backseat on many things, but he was still proud and honored to have an old friend like Black Star.

At the same time, in the Dragon Emperor's floating island above this refuge planet.

A spaceship slowly entered the airport terminal and docked steadily. The hatch slowly opened.

Harrison walked out of the spaceship along the gangway, stepped onto the platform, and with just one glance, his eyes locked onto Jenny, who had been waiting anxiously.

As their eyes met, everything around them seemed to become illusory, and they could only see each other, as if they had been separated by a lifetime.

Harrison strode forward and forcefully kissed Jenny's shiny forehead, then hugged her tightly.

Jenny only struggled symbolically for a moment before hugging Harrison's not-so-broad back and whispering, "Did you even know to come back?"

"...I'm sorry, I had reasons why I had to leave. I…"

"Alright, I'm not blaming you." Jenny interrupted him, annoyed. "I'm just grateful to Black Star. If he hadn't found the World Tree's main body and completed what you wanted to do, you definitely wouldn't have come back."

"That's true." Harrison let go of Jenny and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Jenny glared at him and said, "Speaking of which, you've also ascended to the heavens in one step. You've caught me, so you're now related to Black Star. Although I don't get along with Black Star, I can't deny that he's now standing at the pinnacle of the universe. With him as a backer, you can walk sideways in the future."

"This…" Harrison was immediately a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.

Jenny snorted, lowered her head, and touched her lower abdomen. Then, she raised her fist and waved it, pretending to be fierce. "You have to be good to me in the future, you hear? Otherwise, my sister and my brother-in-law will give you a mixed doubles beating. See if you can take it!"

Harrison shivered subconsciously.

Although he wasn't dating Jenny because of her identity, the thought of the two powerhouses in Jenny's family made him break out in a cold sweat and feel immense pressure.

Harrison felt that the more he talked about this, the more dangerous it became, so he quickly changed the subject, cleared his throat, and asked, "Well, I'll be settling down in Dragon Emperor from now on, staying with you."

But Jenny refused, shaking her head. "There's no need to stay in Dragon Emperor. I plan to resign and not be the Dragon Emperor Grand Manager anymore."

Harrison was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

"I've been working overtime for so many years, and I'm tired. Ames doesn't know how to manage things. I used to worry about it, but now that she's together with Black Star, with Black Star around, she doesn't need my help anymore."

Jenny's tone was complicated. She was still somewhat dissatisfied with Han Xiao, that bastard who had stolen her sister, but it wasn't up to her to object.

As she spoke, Jenny paused, looked directly at Harrison, and her tone softened, becoming somewhat shy:

"Besides, I know you like to explore everywhere. I want you to be happy when you're with me. I can't unilaterally stop you from pursuing your hobbies just because we're together, so… will you take me on adventures in the future?"

Harrison was stunned, then overjoyed and deeply moved.

"You're so good to me…"

He looked at Jenny's face, his heart pounding, and he couldn't help but slowly lean in. Jenny's face turned red, and she slowly closed her eyes.

Just as the two were about to touch, a deliberately loud cough suddenly sounded from the side.

"Cough cough!!"

Like a thunderclap, it instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere, and the two woke up as if from a dream, recoiling as if they had been electrocuted.

Their faces flushed, and they quickly looked in the direction of the sound. They saw Iso had arrived beside them at some point, his eyes sweeping over them.

"When did you get here? You're such a big person, don't you know not to disturb other people's good times!" Jenny was embarrassed and angry, and she was the first to fire.

Iso didn't bother to pay attention to her. He strolled to Harrison's side on his own, sized him up, revealed a mischievous old man's smile, and patted Harrison's shoulder vigorously, feeling gratified.

"Good lad, you're much more reliable than that bastard Black Star."

Harrison knew Iso and smiled wryly. "Don't make fun of me, how can I compare with a great figure like Black Star with such great achievements?"

"Hey, why can't you compare? At least in terms of procreation, you've already beaten him by one step. If he had half your skills, I would have had grandsons long ago. That Black Star is obviously a blockhead himself, but he pretends to be so great. I wanted to kindly impart my experience, but he actually嫌弃 me." Iso was angry when he said this, blowing his beard and glaring.

Harrison didn't know what to say and said helplessly, "Don't mess around, Black Star is a person who does great things. Where would he waste his energy on such trivial matters…"

"Hmm? Trivial matters?" Jenny's ears twitched, catching the keywords.

"Oops, that's not what I meant, I…"

Before Harrison could finish explaining, Iso put his arm around his neck, pulling him down, and smiled slyly:

"I think you're much more pleasing to the eye than Black Star. Come on, I'll teach you a few tricks, and I guarantee you'll subdue Jenny…"

"Get lost, don't disgust me." Jenny next door had a disgusted look on her face, kicked Iso, who staggered, and pulled the reluctant Harrison around and left.

…

Unexplored Universe, Star Alliance Capital.

In an office, the head of the Star Alliance, Lor Civilization's head Sevigny, and other Star Alliance member leaders were gathered. Each person had a virtual screen floating in front of them, displaying the same information.

"The observer team has sent back this phase of the battle report. Have you all read it?"

The head of the Star Alliance looked around and asked.

Sevigny nodded and smiled. "I read it as soon as it came in. It seems that under our instigation, the Three Great Civilizations really can't hold on."

Hearing this, many people smiled.

The head of the Star Alliance smiled slightly and looked down to read the contents of the intelligence:

"The World Tree army attacked the Central Star Sea, concentrating on destroying refuge planets, causing the complete sacrifice of refugees on 1,783 planets, with civilian casualties estimated to be between fifteen trillion and twenty-five trillion…"

"The Shining Federation's homeworld was attacked by a large World Tree force. The defense forces struggled to repel the invaders, but the homeworld was severely damaged. Although the top echelons were unharmed, many middle-level officials and dignitaries died."

"The Interstellar United Army and the World Tree invaders engaged in a battle in the Bright Silver Arm, but were ambushed and suffered heavy casualties. Eight Super A Grades died on the spot."

"Due to the unfavorable war situation and being suspected of being an internal spy, fearing post-war liquidation, the Star Cluster Alliance initiated an evacuation plan, unwilling to continue participating in the war. The Three Great Civilizations expressed strong opposition, and internal turmoil arose in the Interstellar United Army, suspected of splitting…"

Although he had already read it once, Sevigny couldn't help but raise a happy smile as he listened to the head of the Star Alliance read it out, his heart filled with the pleasure of revenge.

Finally, the head of the Star Alliance seriously read through the "fierce battle situation" fabricated by Han Xiao, paused, and said in a relaxed tone:

"It can be seen that the battle between the Three Great Civilizations and the World Tree Civilization is extremely tragic, and the Star Cluster Alliance has been schemed against by us, misunderstood as a traitor who leaked information, suffering from both internal and external troubles. If this trend continues, the Three Great Civilizations will undoubtedly be defeated!"

As soon as he finished speaking, many people present revealed gloating but appropriate smiles, secretly rejoicing.

And some Star Alliance members who had not supported it before now had nothing to say.

After reading this report, everyone came to the conclusion: the two sides had beaten each other to a pulp, and the Three Great Civilizations were definitely living in deep waters!

This wave was stable!