Wandering Meteor
Chapter 337 - 336: Farewell

Chapter 337: Chapter 336: Farewell

Everything in the world will eventually calm down; this is a natural law, and a manifestation of entropy increase.

The previously tumultuous and fiery cosmic space gradually became tranquil as the Wandering Alliance’s war with the Titan Alliance finally came to an official end.

However, this end was not a normal conclusion—the Titan Civilization did not manage to annihilate and absorb the Wandering Alliance as they had envisioned. Even more unexpectedly, it was they who had to initiate the withdrawal, unable to reap enough benefits from the conflict. Although deeply unsatisfied and regretful, the Titan Civilization had no choice but to retreat due to the forceful intervention of the Metal Civilization.

With the departure of the Titan Civilization’s Battle Stars, the immediate space began to slowly return to a state of calm.

Yet, amidst the tranquility, the space was strewn with extensive wreckage; a glimpse at the condition of the debris was enough to gauge the intensity of the battle!

Regarding the withdrawal of the Titan Civilization, Lu Chen, the Constant Star, let out a sigh of relief. In truth, he was not keen to see the Titan Civilization retreat so easily. Unfortunately, they lacked the power to stop them. The only option was to join forces with the Metal Civilization to eliminate the Titan Alliance, but even Lu Chen knew this was unlikely. That the Metal Civilization had intervened at all to save them from crisis was fortunate enough; expecting them to engage in a fight to the death with a Level 4 Civilization for their sake was unrealistic.

This is believed to be one of the reasons why the Metal Civilization only repelled the Titan Civilization without starting a full-blown war.

Once the Titan Civilization completely withdrew, the Wandering Alliance immediately began clearing the battlefield and tallying the losses. After the accounting, the results of the battle were clear.

In the fight against the Titan Alliance, the Wandering Alliance had sacrificed a total of twelve Battle Stars, including Earth’s numbers one to eight, two from the Eternal Life, and two from the Science and Military. In addition, half of the Wandering Star System’s Heliosphere material was plundered by the Constant Star Unrivaled, resulting in a roughly fifty percent reduction in the star system’s diameter. The losses were severe. Had it not been for the timely intervention of the Metal Civilization to stop the war, the casualty numbers might have been even greater.

Of course, despite the heavy losses, the silver lining was that the Wandering Alliance survived.

Lu Chen’s hydrogen mass had not been plundered. Although half of the Heliosphere material was taken, it did not hurt the core. Given the current needs of the Wandering Alliance, this half of the Heliosphere material was still sufficient, not to mention that interstellar material could be absorbed subsequently; thus, the problem was not significant. The main loss was the twelve Battle Stars and the hundreds of billions of lives on them, which was regrettable. However, this was the inevitable consequence of war that cannot be avoided!

On the Titan Alliance’s side, they too suffered significant casualties. After all, having mastered Unified Force Technology, the Wandering Alliance was no easy target. In this battle, the Titan Alliance sacrificed a total of one hundred and twenty Battle Stars. Though the number might seem large, the loss in terms of quality was far less than that of the Wandering Alliance. Of the one hundred and twenty lost Battle Stars, one hundred and seventeen belonged to subsidiary civilizations under the Titan Civilization’s control—essentially vast amounts of lower Level 2 and 3 civilizations, held back in their technological development and used as mere cannon fodder. The Titan Civilization’s significant losses were in the three Titan Battle Stars, one of which was annihilated by the Wandering, and two obliterated by the Metal Civilization’s Absolute Zero Domain.

Of course, the above losses of the Titan Civilization do not include the initial substantial casualties from the Bee Clan Civilization.

Even without accounting for the Bee Clan’s casualties regarding their Battle Stars and crews, the combined death toll from just the subsequent engagement of the Wandering Alliance and the Titan Alliance topped one hundred billion—a terrifying figure. Although most were beings from the Level 2 and 3 civilizations, they were still lives!

From this, it is evident that war is merciless, brutal, and all the more so in the era of the universe.

"Wandering, should you not explain this situation to me?"

After everything was handled, Lu Chen sought out Wandering. He had certain questions that had been on his mind for a while; it was only that he had been too preoccupied to ask before.

Wandering had by now retracted all its avatars, reverting to a gigantic super metal planet: "There’s really not much to explain about this. I plan to join Metal Civilization in seeking the mystery of our origin, but in consideration of our past connection, I allowed Metal Civilization to assist the Wandering Alliance in resolving their crisis. This can be considered as repaying the care you once showed me, and from now on, we owe each other nothing."

At this moment, Metal Civilization had withdrawn to a distance, waiting for Wandering to bid farewell before departing with them.

"It appears that some things have indeed transpired without my knowledge. What exactly did Metal Civilization discuss with you?" Lu Chen of Constant Star said, both surprised and not. If it were Metal Civilization, they indeed had the means to sever certain connections between him and Wandering.

Metal Planet Wandering replied: "This is a matter between Metal Civilization and myself, and I don’t think there’s a need to tell you. All you need to know is that it is my choice."

"Wandering, you were raised before my eyes; you can’t hide the truth from me. Was Metal Civilization coercing you? Tell me, if Metal Civilization intends to use force, our Wandering Alliance would rather be destroyed than let them succeed!" Lu Chen of Constant Star said resolutely.

Wandering retorted: "Do you think I’m the kind of planet that can be coerced?"

Lu Chen of Constant Star paused, then said promptly, "Oh, Wandering, why put yourself through this? I know you must be compromising with Metal Civilization to save the Wandering Alliance. Otherwise, given our stance and that of Metal Civilization, they would have no justifiable reason nor possibility to intervene. I at least see this much clearly. But, have you ever considered why Metal Civilization is so eager to have you? If you really go back with them, I fear for what might become of you."

"The sacrifices of one planet to secure the safety of the Wandering Alliance— isn’t that the best course of action? If we follow your plan, you might sacrifice yourself, but whether the Wandering Alliance can successfully escape remains uncertain, and even if they could, it would mean forsaking many Battle Stars and lives. Is that what you wish to see? The outcome as it stands is the most perfect ending possible," Wandering stated.

Lu Chen of Constant Star found he could not refute this point.

"It is indeed the best result, I admit, but you don’t really have to go with them. Our Wandering Alliance can still fight!" Lu Chen of Constant Star continued to try to persuade Wandering.

"What resources does the Wandering Alliance, which has just been through a great battle, have to fight Metal Civilization? The odds of winning are not at all high. Plus, you got one thing wrong: the main reason I have agreed to go back with Metal Civilization, aside from wanting to save the Wandering Alliance, is for myself. I want to have an independent life, not one controlled by others. I want to know the origin of life, all of which Metal Civilization can provide me."

"Moreover, rest assured," Wandering continued, "Metal Civilization has gone through great lengths to take me with them. They won’t treat me badly, otherwise they could have simply used brute force. There’s no need for complications. Therefore, your concerns are unnecessary. From today on, the grudge between Wandering Alliance and Metal Civilization is wiped clean. There’s no reason or stance left for war."

"Wandering, you..."

At that moment, Wandering solemnly interrupted Lu Chen: "This is my choice, my voluntary choice. Please respect it. Furthermore, Lu Chen, from now on please call me Wandering, drop the ’number’. I will have a new life, and it shall begin with a new name!"

It seemed Wandering had truly made up its mind.

It no longer addressed Lu Chen as ’Big Brother’, calling him by his name instead, making its stance very clear.

Watching Wandering depart into the distance, Lu Chen of Constant Star felt an intense reluctance. Memories of their time together flooded his mind. He wanted to call out and say more, but he suddenly realized he had no ground to stand on. He could only watch helplessly as Wandering drew further away, and kept moving away, until even its shadow could no longer be seen.