Sky-cracking Rider

Chapter 1225 1194: Stationing Troops

"The meat of the Cold Abyss Beast truly lives up to its reputation!"

With his mouth covered in grease, Heseman Brown had searched for some information about the Cold Abyss Beast while the Feather Tribe people were cooking it on the spot.

This ice and snow magical beast, which is only active deep in the Antarctic Continent and rare to see in coastal and other marginal areas, is ranked among the top one hundred of premium meat ingredients. Only first-rate Feather Clan Hunters who have lived for generations in Antarctica can hunt this fierce creature. There are zero cases of outsiders capturing it; most end in failure, and some are counter-killed. After all, the icy and snowy Antarctic is the Cold Abyss Beast's home ground, where temperature and snow almost decide half of the odds in victory or defeat.

Small, round, fatty particles are distributed between the muscle fibers, making the meat not only more tender but also enhancing its flavor. Moreover, these fatty particles, with special elasticity, are rich in nutrients beneficial to the human body. Instead of causing obesity, they help regulate blood lipids, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

Poor mountains and rivers often produce good things.

"Save a ton of processed meat for me; I'll pay with Star Yuan."

Chen Fei raised his glass to Knight City Lord, who hosted a banquet to entertain the Princess and his entourage. The wine was excellent too, all local specialties of Antarctica.

The meat of the Cold Abyss Beast needs to be soaked in juice extracted from local moss, or else it would be unbearably fishy, tough, and leathery, as most carnivorous animals' meat doesn't compare to herbivores.

"Take as much as you want; take it all if you like, no charge."

Even if Knight City Lord didn't give face to Chen Fei, he still had to give face to Her Royal Highness the Princess.

A mature Cold Abyss Beast weighs about 200-300 tons, and removing the fur, bones, and viscera can still yield one-third of net meat. Giving Chen Fei a few tenths still leaves a lot remaining.

While the beast's meat is expensive elsewhere, here, if one has enough patience and luck, the young people would hunt more Cold Abyss Beasts.

"Thank you, as a gesture of gratitude!"

Chen Fei waved behind him, revealing a large group of fully armed Combat Mechs.

A thousand Combat Mechs stood in neat rows, lifting their heads simultaneously.

The once lively banquet instantly fell silent.

"Ah, this is..."

Knight City Lord was stunned.

"Raising the alert level and expanding the patrol area temporarily will cause a manpower shortage. These thousand Combat Mechs are lent to you; as long as you ensure energy and maintenance, they can operate tirelessly, and their parasite identification module comes as standard."

Upon learning about the composition of the personnel stationed at the secret permanent base "White City," Chen Fei realized that although the population here is nearly ten thousand, excluding the elderly, young, and non-combat personnel, the number of qualified warriors is not high, roughly around a thousand, no more.

One soldier out of ten citizens is already a high proportion.

"Is this considered garrisoning?"

Princess Lin Ziyu looked at Chen Fei with a faint smile.

"Hey! Deploying troops so openly to another sovereignty is inappropriate!"

S-Class Space Ability User Heseman Brown immediately reacted. This place is still a military base directly under the Slan Royal Family; Chen Fei's actions are no different from an invasion.

Chen Fei put down his wine glass, raised his hands, and said, "No, it's just a friendly loan of soldiers; the command authority resides with Knight City Lord. All I need is intelligence sharing on 'Sagali.' Of course, I need Her Royal Highness the Princess's authorization, as actions by the 'Sagali' civilization against Cangqiong Star and Blue Star mean we should best maintain intelligence linkage to avoid being attacked individually."

"Hmm, let me think about it!"

The relationship between the Lin and Chen families isn't enough for Lin Ziyu to allow Chen Fei to deploy his military force on Cangqiong Star without concern.

Previously, Chen Fei's action of being a One Man Army in Zhai Liuzhou was to counter the rebel army and parasitic species' lurking forces. Although he didn't report it in advance, it was understandable. The Slan Royal Family didn't intend to pursue the matter and signed a memorandum of understanding with Blue Star Sovereigns, operations that Chen Fei wasn't made aware of, staying uninformed.

"Sorry, I need to ask my mother first!"

After hesitating for quite some time, Lin Ziyu eventually decided to seek Her Majesty the Empress's advice, apologized, then rose from her seat.

The maids and shadow guards followed immediately behind.

"Don't worry; Cangqiong Star has enough experience dealing with 'Sagali.' The young people here are excellent warriors."

After Her Royal Highness the Princess temporarily left, Knight City Lord once again raised his glass to show goodwill to Chen Fei.

If there wasn't sufficient trust, Her Royal Highness wouldn't have brought Chen Fei here and wouldn't reveal so many Combat Mechs. Even if he didn't get permission in the end, Knight City Lord would still appreciate the gesture.

A moment later, Princess Lin Ziyu returned.

Facing Chen Fei's inquisitive gaze, she earnestly said, "Her Majesty has authorized me to fully connect with you on everything regarding the 'Sagali' operation."

Public affairs are public, private are private. In official matters, the Empress is still the Empress; in private, she remains Lin Ziyu Slan's mother. While it's a monarch's world, public and private mustn't be confused, or it could lead to major issues.

"So?" Chen Fei guessed the attitude of the Slan Dynasty.

"In principle, your proposal is accepted, including intelligence sharing on 'Sagali' since there was already such an agreement before; 'White City' only plays a role in emergencies involving royal family members. The importance of a thousand Combat Mechs is equated with that of a 'Stargate,' so there's no conflict."

Princess Lin Ziyu explained the reason for agreeing; some matters still need Her Majesty the Empress's permission. Even as a princess, she cannot act autonomously.

In a certain sense, garrisoning and activating a "Stargate" don't differ much. Once the "Stargate" is activated, Chen Fei's Combat Mechs can still arrive later; it's just a matter of when.

Furthermore, the Combat Mechs controlled by Artificial Intelligence AI "Adam" are more reliable and less prone to rebellion than the Feather Tribe people who regard "White City" as home, as they follow only Chen Fei. While Blue Star's electronic computing experts can destroy "Adam," controlling "Adam" isn't possible, and that's precisely the hallmark of this AI—uncontrollability.

It now appears that this lock simply couldn't be unlocked by anyone.

Heseman Brown breathed a sigh of relief; Chen Fei's "rashness" got beautifully resolved. Fortunately, the person involved was a Chen Family Disciple, or else this situation wouldn't have happened, as Princess Lin Ziyu wouldn't even consider bringing others here.

"Thank you for the support!"

Chen Fei guessed right; Knight City Lord likewise considered the issue of insufficient troop strength.

Once engaged with the "Sagali" host, casualties are unavoidable. Though the tribe's presence in "White City" ensures unity and loyalty, it leaves gaps in trust and rapport for personnel replenishment. Losing a robust young man means a permanent loss; even if newcomers arrive, rebuilding trust and rapport is challenging in a short time.

These Combat Mechs don't have those shortfalls and, in fact, provide a better choice. Trustworthiness is unquestionable; even if they cannot establish rapport with the Feather Tribe people here, they function as a unit, and their collective rapport compensates for individual deficiencies.

With the entry of a thousand Combat Mechs, human resources available in "White City" suddenly became ample, serving as a boon in need.

"Don't mention it; if the quantity isn't sufficient, feel free to contact me. I have no shortage of Combat Mechs and can always provide additional support."

Combat Mechs are consumables for Chen Fei, used as fodder in attrition warfare against the "Sagali" civilization. A big battle typically results in the loss of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of Combat Mechs. It's an indicator of the Blue Star Civilization's industrial technology vs. "Sagali" civilization's biological technology's hard power clash, determining the victor based on who successfully mass-produces the most soldiers.

Knight City Lord smiled and said, "These thousand are sufficient!"

Any more and he might not be able to command them.

"OK!" Chen Fei raised his hand, snapping his fingers.

The thousand Combat Mechs moved in organized formation to stand behind Knight City Lord, with command authority being transferred immediately.

The banquet atmosphere, slightly subdued due to the sudden collective appearance of the Combat Mech army, regained its liveliness as the talented and artistic Feather Tribe people started performing again, leading to a joyful setting.

The banquet, where hosts and guests alike enjoyed themselves, concluded with Chen Fei obtaining the Cold Abyss Beast meat he intended to take back as a local specialty. Knight City Lord generously gave him two tons, along with other Antarctic specialty accompaniments.

The Princess's entourage decided not to stay at the "White City" base but instead return to the Imperial Capital Delan City. S-Class Space Ability User Heseman Brown had long prepared a "Space-Time Seed" in his mansion in the Imperial Capital, making the return journey as quick as a blink.