Chapter 1611: Chapter 1611

Nation-building is one of those things that, once started, brings endless trouble.

Du You was somewhat experienced in this regard, having established an empire of his own and governed several territories that were practically similar to small nations. However, those territories were built from scratch, step by step.

This time, things were different. This time it was under the Starry Sky environment, something Du You had never encountered before.

Moreover, this effort at nation-building was akin to a snake trying to swallow an elephant, with development moving far too quickly. Initially, they had only taken control of a small star system with a limited population, making management relatively easy.

But now, they had suddenly seized the entire battlefield in the Starry Sky. With a vast population and an immense scope, managing the situation became a daunting task. Constructing functional infrastructure in every corner would demand a significant amount of time. Until then, the entire territory was bound to remain relatively chaotic.

Fortunately, Ke Jisi was highly capable, and the Yalanda World had already hit its stride.

Thus, Ke Jisi took the initiative to bring her elder sister Shaliya over. The two worked together to strategize and sort out the complications here. As a result, Du You managed to brush off all responsibilities yet again, extricating himself from the affairs entirely.

While the fledgling empire surged with development, external circumstances continued to shift relentlessly.

Independent regions multiplied rapidly, and the areas under the control of the original Star Ring Alliance upper class dwindled to a bare minimum. What Du You had not anticipated was that even the core regions were beginning to face issues.

The root cause was not dissatisfaction among the local population toward the Alliance but the ambitions of power-hungry individuals there.

Some opportunists—individuals or family factions—craved more. They began rallying people to rebel, striving to carve out independent territories, while others launched offensives against neighboring areas to seize land.

Such internal strife grew increasingly severe, and the Alliance’s upper class was utterly powerless to quell it.

Even within the Alliance’s leadership, numerous members harbored divergent goals. Some sought advancement but lacked opportunities; others resented the hierarchy suppressing them, resorting to various tactics to fulfill their ambitions.

The Alliance, already steeped in chaos, descended further into disarray, with nobody paying real attention to external affairs anymore.

This state of affairs persisted until today, when a new development finally emerged.

Du You grinned as he reviewed the report in his hand. This time, it was the Blood-colored Alliance that had launched an attack, aiming straight for the Alliance’s core region.

"If the upper echelon of the Alliance’s forces are rounded up in one fell swoop, the Alliance will never regain the potential to unify again. The Blood-colored Empire is smart, but this battle won’t be so easy for them."

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Alliance’s upper-class members were well aware of the development. Those who had been engaged in bitter disputes—nearly at the brink of tearing each other apart—along with the leaders of major factions within the core regions, finally convened. Of course, they didn’t meet personally but held the meeting via holographic projection. None of them dared to gather in one place, fearing they may be wiped out altogether.

As the attendees saw each other, the meeting hadn’t officially begun before derisive jabs flew left and right, quickly escalating into heated arguments. The entire virtual conference hall devolved into chaos, even though nobody was physically present.

"Enough! Do you still not understand the gravity of the situation? If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, do you know what fate awaits us?"

"Hah, well, I refuse to cooperate with that traitor over there."

Someone retorted dismissively from the sidelines: "I have enough power to handle things on my own without your help."

The organizer of the meeting looked visibly displeased. Even he hadn’t expected the former Alliance upper echelons to turn out this incompetent, with the guillotine practically at their throats and yet still occupied with mutual verbal attacks.

Thus, a shocking display appeared to everyone in attendance. "This time, the Blood-colored Empire has directly advanced toward our core region. They’ve mobilized over a hundred interstellar fortresses, at least ten of which are top-tier. Additionally, they have countless Starry Sky Transformed Beasts among their forces. As for how many have reached tier seven, we currently have no way to confirm."

As the detailed intelligence data surfaced, the people who had been quarreling fell silent. Many had not paid attention to external matters in quite some time.

"Damn it! What are those bastards in the military districts doing? Why didn’t they stop them? How did so many of their forces make it through?"

Others responded by staring at those speaking as though they were fools. Isn’t it obvious? With such overwhelming strength and no reinforcements on their side, no military district could possibly hold them back. Perhaps the frontline military had already surrendered to the enemy—it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Some of them themselves had accepted bribes from the Blood-colored Empire in the past, assisting with their schemes. Thinking back, these individuals were now wracked with profound regret. If the Alliance hadn’t dissolved into its current state, how could their positions have crumbled as well? Although many regions had declared independence, they faced countless more problems, and the scope of authority they held had significantly shrunk.

"I think we should mobilize all nearby troops. This battle will be extremely difficult." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵

"Without reinforcements, it’s pointless for us to leave the core regions; our words carry no weight anymore. Those who could have returned have already come back; those who haven’t won’t be coming back now. Seriously, how long has it been since you last paid attention to anything?"

The Alliance’s original speaker sighed deeply, seeming to age tremendously in that moment.

When did the Alliance’s leadership become a group of fools? Why were there no competent individuals left? Yes, he understood now—he himself wasn’t adequate for the task either—but he never imagined the others were even worse.

If not for the Blood-colored Empire’s invasion, perhaps they’d remain oblivious forever.

"Then what should we do? Surrender?"

"Stop joking! The Blood-colored Empire came this time with the sole intention of annihilating us. If we die, the Alliance’s unification will never happen again. The next era will belong to the Blood-colored Empire. So, all of you here, stop harboring wishful thinking."

Finally, someone uttered this cruel reality, and no one bothered to ask who had said it.

After all, to have climbed to this level of authority, no matter how foolish, they weren’t entirely brainless. If they still had no understanding of the situation now, they would have long been eliminated in prior power struggles.

"If we unite our remaining forces in the core region, there might still be a chance to fight. At this moment, let’s set aside personal agendas, as the slightest selfishness could lead to total annihilation. I hope you’ll carefully consider."