After nearly two hours of deliberation, Feng Mo narrowed down his choices from the thousands of treasures available in the Federation treasury to three items, each tempting and difficult to forsake. The three items were: the schematic for a Matter Particle Detection Space Station, a T5 Ancient Life Tree Seed, and a chunk of T7-grade Star Trace Metal.
This Star Trace Metal is a rare substance left behind after a star ages into a red giant and finally explodes into a nebula. It forms naturally at extreme temperatures, and is vital for constructing T7 and higher-grade starships. When merged with dark matter materials, it can create armor strong enough to withstand the bombardment of a planetary annihilator.
Star Trace Metal is incredibly dense—a piece the size of a fist weighs a ton. The Federation's treasury contained a piece as large as a basketball, estimated to weigh around ten tons.
Though Feng Mo coveted all three items, he ultimately chose to redeem the T7 Star Trace Metal, as its value outweighed the other two in his current plans.
"Redeem the T7-grade Star Trace Metal?" an electronic voice confirmed.
"Redeem," Feng Mo replied without hesitation.
"Congratulations, Representative. The T7-grade Star Trace Metal will be delivered to the main control room of the Storm God within three hours."
With his redemption complete, Feng Mo exited the vault and, accompanied by a staff guide, left the Federation's Parliament Building.
The three of them then took a star vehicle to Starport No. 3. Along the way, Feng Mo marveled at the bustling scenes below. The Celestial Star, a rare Class V life-bearing planet, can support a population of up to three trillion with its mild climate and four distinct seasons—ideal for habitation. It's the only Class V life planet in the entire Federation. Even Radiant Prime, despite extensive modifications, hasn't reached this level.
In comparison, Snowhawk Prime, or even Hurricane Prime, which served as Feng Mo's former headquarters, can't hold a candle to Celestial Star. Feng Mo was already contemplating its future role as a possible capital for the Storm Empire.
Federation Year 7500, October 1st
An announcement pinned to the top of the Federation Star Network read:
> "From October 1st, the Storm Empire under the Federation's authority will conduct live combat exercises along the border between the Snowhawk and Clouddream star systems, focusing on testing the T5 Fleet Steed-class Interstellar Transport Ship and the Storm Fleet's jump-attack capabilities.
> – Storm Empire, Feng Mo"
The announcement stirred a patriotic fervor among Federation citizens, who took to the Star Network to denounce the Frost Snow Alliance and condemn their secessionist actions.
Feng Mo's objective in issuing this notice was not mere posturing; he had clear intentions. The Prometheus System had issued a mission to subdue the Clouddream Empire and the Moonfrost Empire. With the Storm Fleet's current strength, defeating the combined five T5 fleets of these two empires would be a substantial, though challenging, endeavor.
If the opposition played dirty—tying down the Storm Fleet with two or three T5 fleets while sending the rest to storm the Storm Empire—it would put Feng Mo in a tough spot.
Currently, all Federation forces are occupied with the Eastern and Southern Warzones, unable to spare resources for issues arising between the Storm Empire and the Frost Snow Alliance. This announcement of military drills thus serves to shield the ongoing construction of the T5 Battle Planet and provoke the Frost Snow Alliance. Feng Mo hoped to lure out small detachments to annihilate, and if more than three T5 fleets showed up, he'd simply retreat.
During this period, the Storm Fleet, led by Feng Mo, patrolled along the Snowhawk border, occasionally firing rounds to keep up appearances. Initially, the Frost Snow Alliance responded with three T5 fleets stationed at Clouddream, but soon relaxed, assuming Feng Mo was merely putting on a show for the Federation.
Unbeknownst to them, each transport ship arriving in Snowhawk discreetly joined the Storm Fleet, eventually entering the Beast Roar System via a stargate. This was conducted with extreme secrecy, as Feng Mo had ordered a complete lockdown to eliminate spies. Any suspicious individual was detained for interrogation—even if innocent, they would be held for at least two years.
The Battle Planet project was of utmost importance, with the T7 Star Trace Metal seamlessly fused into the dark matter components to bolster its surface armor. This integration would provide quasi-T6-grade defenses, capable of withstanding planetary annihilator blasts with minimal damage.
Federation Year 7501, October 7th
As time went by, the various factions gradually noticed that the Storm Fleet's drills had lasted over a year. They sensed that something unusual was afoot, but no spy could infiltrate to confirm their suspicions.
Though the factions knew Feng Mo was preparing something monumental, they didn't realize it was a Battle Planet. Many assumed he was merely developing a quasi-T6 starship design.
In response, the Federation organized a press conference to introduce the Qilin, its first quasi-T6 star carrier. Feng Mo attended the event and was genuinely impressed by its capabilities, noting that no current Storm Fleet ship could rival it in a one-on-one confrontation. The Federation's starship design division had made impressive strides, which Feng Mo wholeheartedly supported—innovation thrives on competition.
During this time, the Federation's advancements exploded, quickly producing a quasi-T6 battleship, a quasi-T6 destroyer, and a quasi-T6 frigate within the year. These achievements sent shockwaves through the ranks of the Frost Snow Alliance and the Eastern Warzone's Pan-Human Alliance, stirring anxiety and confusion.
However, these developments had little impact on the Storm Empire. The Storm Fleet's exercises continued, though command was passed to Ai Er, while Feng Mo himself returned to the Beast Roar System.
Federation Year 7501, September 1st
After one year and eleven months, the T5 Battle Planet was finally completed.
The Battle Planet was not an actual planet retrofitted for combat. Instead, it was a man-made celestial weapon built around a dark energy matrix engine, its core. Armor, weapons, and energy shields were then added in successive layers. It sounds straightforward, but the process was anything but simple.
(Author's Note: I have no idea how this works, so let's just roll with it, shall we?)
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