Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1351: Identification

While passing through the Tris Civilization, Sein had the chance to observe a small federal patrol fleet from a distance.

The Gallant Federation’s military management was still as strict as ever.

Sein’s spacecraft was only a standard commercial tourist vessel, so it could not get anywhere near the federation’s military bases.

It was also difficult for him to accurately assess the combat strength of this small patrol fleet.

After all, the federation’s fleets operated as a coordinated whole during warfare, so there was no straightforward way to measure its power.

From what Sein knew, even a small patrol fleet included destroyers, patrollers, frigates, support frigates, haulers, recon ships, a capital ship, and more.

Each vessel had its own role to play.

If it were only one or two ships, a couple of knights or mages might have been able to slip in and cause havoc.

But if the entire fleet worked together, combining their offense and defense, they could bring down even gods.

When Sein drew closer, the patrollers were in the middle of clearing obstacles from an asteroid belt.

He saw two ships firing blue particle beams, and from that alone, he gauged that their firepower was already at a level capable of threatening Rank Three opponents, perhaps even demigods.

“Those must be the federation’s assault ships...” Sein murmured.

This was just a small patrol fleet, yet they had two such ships. He could only imagine how devastating the larger fleets must be, especially those stationed on the borders or assigned to external conquests.

While he was lost in thought, a blinding red light and a deafening sound erupted straight ahead.

The patrol fleet had noticed Sein’s ship and was issuing a warning, ordering him to leave the area immediately, lest he be “caught” in the asteroid demolition zone.

Sein’s spacecraft carried the Zeak Empire’s emblem, and all the paperwork was authentic.

However, the patrollers showed no intention of closing in for further inspection. They simply ordered him to leave.

As Sein piloted away, he could not help but glance back at the fleet.

This time, his mind was not on their firepower but on their defenses.

“I wonder how durable those ships are.” His gaze lingered on the two destroyers still engaged in their task.

At such a distance, it was difficult to judge. Even if he relied on the Faceless Mask, he would not be able to accurately gauge their defensive strength since their protective shields were down.

And besides, the federation’s assault ships came in countless types. Learning the defenses of one would not necessarily help against another.

On the battlefield, the true defenders of a fleet were not the destroyers but the unassuming frigates.

Those ships, with their defensive capabilities pushed to the absolute limit, were the main barriers Sein and the Magus World Army would have to breach.

***

Sein’s journey through the Tris Civilization was only a small part of his overall route.

Once he passed through Tris’ territory, he would be close to the borders of the Gallant Federation.

The high-ranking officials of the Magus Civilization had deliberately arranged Sein’s infiltration path this way, and there was a clear strategy behind it.

The many federation-affiliated civilizations along the way had buried Sein’s identity even deeper.

Several of his assumed identities were even verifiable.

The smoothness of these identity transitions within the federation’s vassal civilizations made Sein suspect that, aside from Nexon—the world he was about to visit—the Magus Civilization likely had covert forces planted not only in those civilizations, but even within the Gallant Federation’s territory.

For his smooth entry into the federation, there had to be unseen supporters working behind the scenes—some that even Sein knew nothing about.

And if the Magus Civilization could carry out such operations, it was only natural to assume that the Gallant Federation had done the same inside the Magus Civilization’s own territories.

No wonder the higher-ups in the Magus Civilization had not allowed him to directly use a cross-star domain teleportation array to reach the federation’s borders.

After officially entering the Gallant Federation’s space, one thing immediately stood out to Sein compared to the other star domain civilizations he had passed through.

The federal laws required every ship and individual entering its territory to register their information with the central database.

This registration process was far more rigorous than anything Sein had encountered in previous technological civilizations, and that slightly unsettled him.

With the Gallant Federation’s top-tier technology, even a Rank Four like Sein found it hard to use the Faceless Mask to completely hide from their detection systems.

And even if he wanted to try, it would be best to wait until he was closer to Nexon before taking such measures.

At the federation’s border, a roughly two-meter-square slab of pure yellow crystal was installed by a staff member in the control room of Sein’s modest spacecraft.

Its purpose was not only to serve as the ship’s identification. According to the staff, if Sein’s vessel got into an accident, the crystal slab could be used to track him so rescue ships could be dispatched to his location as quickly as possible.

Whether their claims were true or not, Sein at least acted as though he believed them.

Not only was his ship registered, but Sein himself was now on record as well.

An identity crystal card and a black wristband were the two standard items required for Sein to enter the Gallant Federation.

The identity crystal card represented his origin and his standing within the federation’s society as a “second-class citizen”.

This gave him the right to travel and conduct business within the federation, but not the right to vote.

Still, second-class citizenship was considered relatively high, since his supposed world of origin was the Zeak Empire.

The federation’s citizens were divided into five classes, and by comparison, creatures from low-level planes or microplanes who came to the Federation to make a living often faced harsh treatment.

The federation’s propaganda abroad might be impressive, but in reality, this place was far from the dreamland or treasure trove that many weaker extraplanar creatures imagined.

The black wristband handled Sein’s daily expenses.

The federation’s currency had long since left behind any physical form; as a highly technological civilization, it relied entirely on virtual money.

Sein’s wristband currently held about a hundred thousand Federal dollars, which he had exchanged at the federation’s border.

The ease with which he secured second-class citizenship was most likely also linked to the wealth he had shown.

In the Gallant Federation, money talked.