Chapter 2501: The War in the Gray Swamp

　　All in all, the few most capable forces in the Imperium of True Human Beings, including the “New Imperial Guards” that had been reorganized by Blackstar the Great based on the Deep Sea Fleet, the expedition army which remotely cooperated with the Astounding Thunder Fleet, and the elite troops of the four Kurfürst families made of the core members of the families who would never abandon the honor of their families, were either staying still or stalling each other. It was impossible for them to be mobilized to the edge of the Imperium easily.

　　Therefore, the participants on the battlefield at the edge of the Imperium became the mediocre fleets of the four Kurfürst families, the fleets of their vassal families, the new warlords of the peripherical worlds, and the mercenaries, space pirates, assassins, etc., who had been attracted by money.

　　The many participants of the war each had their own plans and were not on two utterly opposing sides as they appeared to be.

　　It was true that the four Kurfürst families were trying to annihilate the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists to defend their monopolization interests. However, the “four families” were not only four people. They were made of countless living individuals who each had their own thoughts and who placed their own interests above the interests of their families.

　　The four families had reaped inestimable benefits through power, but the benefits were not distributed to all the family members evenly. The privileges of the main bloodline and the secondary bloodlines and the privileges between the low-ranking family members and the high-ranking family members could have a major difference.

　　As the saying went, “inequality rather than insufficiency is the source of maladies”. The unfairness in the distribution of benefits was enough to fill the secondary bloodlines and the low-ranking family members with anger. When the anger was mixed with the Immortal Cultivators’ selfishness, it was enough to destroy all their loyalty to their families.

　　Many members of the four Kurfürst families had been in a clandestine relationship of interests with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in the past hundred years.

　　It was even safe to say that a lot of people in the four Kurfürst families had made major contributions for the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors to grow from an unimportant business group into an organization that could influence the politics of the Imperium!

　　Zuo Tianying, the former manager of the Blue Sky Market, promised Boss Bai when trying to persuade him that even if Boss Bai wanted the latest warship of the four families, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would still be able to smuggle it for him. It was certainly not bragging.

　　In the conspiracies of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and some of the people in the four families, those thieves of the four families would get the latest warships out and fabricate a nonexistence “space storm”, which reportedly caused the destruction of the warship. Then, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would have the new warship, while the thieves of the four families would gain tremendous profits as well as the friendship of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. The profits and the friendships could significantly help the thieves to improve their strength and distinguish themselves in the cruel family competitions. It was almost a perfect “win-win”.

　　Even the latest warships could be smuggled from the four families’ territory to the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. It was needless to mention other things such as crystal suits, intelligence, or resources.

　　After all, no matter how big the cake of the family had been made, what the descendants of the secondary bloodlines got was just the tiniest slice. They and their offspring would never be the Kurfürst for the next ten thousand years. So, why did they have to be so stubborn?

　　Besides, they were not betraying their families. They were only picking several fruits from the big and deeply-rooted families. Did it really matter? Could the magnificent four Kurfürst families collapse because of the loss of a minor warship or the leakage of a few pieces of unimportant intelligence? Hahaha. Absolute impossible!

　　It was the common mindset for the descendants of secondary bloodlines in the four Kurfürst families.

　　Part of the descendants of the main bloodlines, who hadn’t been particularly successful, also thought so.

　　While their positions in their families were low, they were large in number and controlled most of the lowly but down-to-earth jobs. They were essentially the cornerstones of their families.

　　The cunning merchants of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors were best at attracting and corrupting such noble descendants. In the past hundred years, they had won the fondness of a lot of people in the four families through various methods. The “cornerstones” had already been riddled with holes.

　　Right now, at the bottom level of the four Kurfürst families, there was even a weird, popular theory. What the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists were doing was actually to force the leadership of the four families to see the power of the bottom level and prompt them to distribute more benefits to the bottom level. Therefore, the greater fuss the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors caused, the more the secondary bloodlines of the four families would benefit.

　　It was one side of the coin.

　　On the other side of the coin, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was also not a unified group made of determined people, but one made of countless cowardly, greedy, and boneless individuals.

　　Merchants were the most audacious and reckless people in the world. For 300% profits, they would not hesitate to wave their sabers at Blackstar the Great.

　　But at the same time, merchants were also the weakest and the most capricious people. As long as Blackstar the Great or the four Kurfürsten could offer a 301% price, say, the temptation of a certain franchise right, the same merchants would not bat an eye and would sell their own parents.

　　Perhaps the business leaders such as Jin Yuyan, who was farsighted with a clear head, understood the consequences of making deals with the wrong people, but most members of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors could barely resist the enticement of interests before their eyes.

　　Therefore, the four Kurfürst families also had many spies within the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. They had won the secret allegiance of many members of the alliance too.

　　In short, the four families and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors were not two black-and-white sides. There was in fact a chaotic, obscure gray swamp, which everybody had submerged themselves into willingly for their interests. The only difference was whether they were deep gray or bright gray.

　　A member of the four families could be working for the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors because his fatal secret was controlled, like Li Wuji.

　　But at the same time, he could be appointed by his family to allure and coerce certain members of the Business Alliance, even truly receiving the secret letters of loyalty that the members of the Business Alliance wrote to the Kurfürsten.

　　The members of the Business Alliance who wrote the secret letters to pledge loyalty, on the other hand, could be actively tempting some other members of the four families, attracting them into the swamp in clandestine deals for all kinds of interests.

　　In the meantime, both the members of the four families and the members of the Business Alliance, when encountering a weak enemy, passer-by, or friend by accident while they were on a trip, might also change their faces quickly and play the role of space pirates, swallowing the victim from the skin to the bones.

　　It was exactly the absurd and chaotic war that was going on at the edge of the Imperium right now.

　　Of course, all the messy forces, who did not have the slightest loyalty or credit and who had been planning for their own interests, would eventually sort everything out in the turbulence and find the wind indicator, which would be the result of the battle of the Seven Seas Grand Market.

　　After the battle of Seven Seas was settled, both the descendants of the four families and the members of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would immediately understand the role they should play.

　　As a matter of fact, those selfish Immortal Cultivators had always played only two roles. They were either the victors or the followers of victors.

　　When the day came, the losers would be taught a profound lesson about how inevitable and unstoppable their failure was.

　　In the training room in the Blue Sky Market, Li Wuji confessed everything he knew.

　　Not only had he accomplished the mission that Li Yao and Boss Bai entrusted to him perfectly, but he had also even secretly got in touch with certain treacherous guys in the four families and the guys whom he could blackmail. He made a list of names and encouraged Li Yao and Boss Bai to attract those people into their cause too.

　　That was exactly the weirdness of human psychology. It was certainly a shameful thing to eat s*it alone, but if more people were dragged into the septic tank, including those who were in much higher places than himself, such a thing would not seem as unbearable.

　　By then, being the first person to eat s*it would even be something worth being proud of!

　　Li Yao and Boss Bai naturally took in all of Li Wuji’s “kindness”.

　　“My lord, if our cause does succeed in the end, you will be the greatest contributor!”

　　Li Yao patted Li Wuji’s shoulder with a smile.

　　Since Boss Bai was playing the bad cop, he could only play the good cop and give Li Wuji hope. “You are now only a marquess. Is that really anything? Your future is nothing but promising!”

　　Li Wuji did not necessarily believe what Li Yao said, but he had to pretend to be “flattered”, not even having the courage to wipe the shoulder that Li Yao had just patted. Hesitating for a long time, he still summoned his courage and asked, “Fellow Cultivator Li, I wonder… what is ‘our cause’ exactly? I’m… I’m rather confused!”

　　“It doesn’t matter what our cause is specifically. Is it really important to know whether we are on the four families’ side or the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors’?”

　　Li Yao waved his hand and declared, “What matters is that we have such a magnificent fleet. This is our foundation and the greatest support for our fortune and power! As long as we have such a support, the four families, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, or any other forces have to give us enough respect, don’t they?

　　“Of course, both our cause and your position require much more than the current fleet. Only by further expanding and building up ourselves in the battle of Seven Seas can you rise and your future be better ensured, allowing you to even become the Kurfürst in the end!”

　　Li Wuji bulged his eyes and swallowed hard. “About that…”

　　“Trust me.”

　　Looking at Li Wuji in the eyes, Li Yao spoke with a voice that was piercing into the guy’s brain. “Vulture Li Yao is a super expert that everybody in the Imperium knows. I have my dignity, and I am always best known for my credibility. How can I lie to you? If you work for us dutifully, chances are that we can establish a branch fleet for you to command after the battle of Seven Seas is over. Consider it as a replacement for your former fleet. I assure you that it will be stronger than the previous one. Just rest assured about that!”