Stunned into silence!
Sage Hathor's words shook nearly everyone's minds, shaking them to their core. The No-Name Galaxy was renowned for its disunity and independence, and each of the regions within the galaxy was complex and contentious in regards to territory and rulership, with numerous accounts in history of changing leaders every few decades, centuries, or millennia, depending on the scale of the territory. The only exceptions were the eight Sages' Major Regions.
Submission had long since been eliminated from the vocabulary of these leaders, and only ambition and seizing aggression remained. So one could imagine the sheer disbelief at Sage Hathor's initiative to submit! To become a Galactic Zone no less!
Was the situation so desperate? Or was there more to it? There had to be!
"Wha-what did you say?!" The Mystic Overlord with the bearing of a scholar fumbled over his words as he unintentionally and disrespectfully questioned Sage Hathor's words. Despite that, no one present thought his question was out of order!
"..."
Sage Khonshu's eyes narrowed sharply.
"How sanctimoniously altruistic of her," Sage Imentet spat suddenly with a voice laced with bitterness, but only Luo Ning could hear her words. Luo Ning could only bitterly smile. There were layers upon layers to Sage Hathor's question and current actions, and it was by no means as simple as submission. Moreover, it was clear that Sage Hathor, Sage Shattered Sphinx, Sage Pakhet, and Sage Amunet had acted on their own with an agreement.
Qing Qiumu, Yue Songli, Wei Si, and Young Master Shang were together with Su Mei, standing upon a single platform. They were all observing this with varied expressions. Wei Si scratched his bald head while Young Master Shang and Su Mei stared at Sage Hathor.
Qing Qiumu and Yue Songli were excitedly stunned; Wei Wuyin had a type of charisma that was unmatched. With very little effort, Sage Hathor was already willing to submit! Knowing the trend, this should lead to the subsequent submission of the other forces of the No-Name Galaxy!
Yue Songli was the most excited out of the group as her heart was racing rapidly, causing Dakarai to bob up and down within her bosom. The shrunken hyena was entirely uninterested in this heavenly fortune and pressed lightly with its paws to try to stabilize itself, battling fiercely to prevent itself from moving too much. The sight was enough to stimulate a eunuch.
"It's happening!" Qing Qiumu remarked with nostalgia. Wei Wuyin had a habit of conquering places. Some were gradual and systematic such as the Myriad Monarch Sect, and others were grander and explosive in development like the Ancient Sealed Region. She recalled the rumor of when the forces of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region had kneeled before him in willing capitulation without him saying a word. She never thought she would bear witness to a similar event on a far greater scale than before!
However, despite their excitement, it served as a stark contrast to Young Master Shang and Su Mei's facial expressions. They were thoughtful and solemn. Seeing Wei Wuyin's two wives get lost in his brilliance rather than observing the situation, blinded by their feelings, Young Master Shang explained slowly: "No—it's not that simple."
"What?" Yue Songli's excitement was hard to dampen, but she was interested in understanding more.
Wei Si was a little lost as a flicker of confusion flashed through his dark beady eyes, but he commented: "Her questions feel weird. What's that about?"
Young Master Shang's tone deepened as he spoke, "Her words should feel strange. She's actively preventing others from submitting after her, by offering herself as a sacrifice."
"Preventing?" Yue Songli was taken aback.
Young Master Shang nodded, "Preventing. To clarify my words: Sage Hathor is seeking Wei Wuyin's Neo-Dawn Empire's support to assist everyone else, completely abandoning her region's future."
"Agree? This is his only chance to legitimately enter the contentious contest within the No-Name Galaxy with a solid foundation. Only fools would think that Brother Wei's travels to the White Abyssal Galaxy and Sky Heart Galaxy were coincidental, especially given the submission of Grey Rose and the unruly beasts of the Sky Heart Galaxy. Brother Wei intends to gain some foothold in the No-Name Galaxy for future ambitions.
"But if left unchecked, it's quite likely that those more ambitious would concede to him and destabilize the entire situation. Chances are, the Sages in the know have already established measures for Sage Hathor to be restricted in scope while Sage Hathor herself has already agreed to all the restrictive stipulations. Given her reputation, they must trust her wholeheartedly.
"But if the other Sages made the first move, the No-Name Galaxy would be like a house of cards and fall into Brother Wei's palms with very little effort with an inevitable cascading effect. Sages are..." Young Master Shang didn't finish his final sentence, but the quiver of reverence within his lingering voice was enough to determine what he would have said.
"..." Su Mei's eyes roamed away from Sage Hathor and landed on Wei Wuyin. While he had a calm pair of eyes, she was the only one who could fully understand and read Wei Wuyin with little effort, even though she didn't understand why that was the case, what she sensed was a clump of growing dissatisfaction and rampant mental calculation within him.
Why were Sage Imentet, Sage Khonshu, and the other Sages prone to scheming and seizing advantages left ignorant of her current action of submission? The answer was both in plain sight and incredibly hard to notice for the average observer!
Because they would submit! This was no different than the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region! Countless lesser forces submitted to the Neo-Dawn Starfield and relocated after following the invisible trend set by the peak forces that was rearing its imminently arriving head!
Sage Hathor didn't respond to the Scholarly Mystic Overlord's question. Her focus remained entirely on Wei Wuyin, awaiting a definitive answer so she could continue.
Wei Wuyin's thoughts were rapidly sifting through a series of possibilities. "Support the Prosperous Union Major Region? My empire can do that. My Neo-Dawn Empire can support that and much more," Wei Wuyin answered as he swept his gaze across the numerous platforms, observing the thoughtful faces of these elites.
Yet as expressions changed, no one else directly spoke out. There seemed to be something preventing them from doing so, hesitation that hung by a thin, invisible string.
Sage Imentet and the other Sages didn't jump out either. Even the Mystic Overlords remained silent! They all understood!
A single speech and a few indirect questions that were hard to decipher in purpose and meaning for the ordinary person had all but sliced through Wei Wuyin's chances of conquering the No-Name Galaxy as they jumped like rabbits at the opportunity to acquire Wei Wuyin's support.
After all, Wei Wuyin just needed to let the offers flow in as each desperately tried to be the first or rather receive the greatest benefit after this depressing tragedy! After all the offers came in, he just needed to make a simple decision: Accept EVERY! LAST! ONE!!
When that happened, perhaps the majority of the regions would have been his to own, and with his support, the No-Name Galaxy would inevitably be influenced by the Neo-Dawn Empire and collapse within a very short period, causing others to follow the trend after seeing themselves fall behind. But not this time!
Sage Hathor and the others intelligently avoided that fate by offering a single, trustworthy individual who would keep the Neo-Dawn Empire's influence at bay like an isolated cancerous cell. It was clear that Sage Hathor intended to sacrifice her Major Region to bolster the others and survive through the tide of the recent calamity while simultaneously allowing the No-Name Galaxy to maintain its independence.
And Wei Wuyin...wasn't in a position to refuse! Sage Hathor smiled warmly, firmly stating, "Then, I, Hathor Ouaiti, and my trusted allies, are willing to become your vassal! Should you be willing to accept us!"
Wei Wuyin was the entire focus of attention this time, yet the meaning carried within everyone's eyes was far different from before. There was anticipation within their eyes, but also great relief after thinking of the future that was avoided by Sage Hathor's submission!
Some were thinking of establishing connections with Wei Wuyin, and after learning about his recent exploits within the Sky Heart Galaxy and White Abyssal Galaxy, they felt a cold shiver traverse down their spine at the thought. l?ght\nоvel\cаve~c`о/m. While certainly beneficial, they would become chess pieces to the potential domination of their contentious galaxy!
Moreover, if a single one of them thought of this, then others would as well! Before they knew it, several regions might be taken over. Furthermore, those who were willing to submit early would rise in cultivation and power, while those who didn't submit would slowly weaken due to the lack of cultivation resources, and this imbalance would eventually spread far and wide!
Then, they would be left with a great choice! Submit! Or be dominated!
Give it a decade, a century, or a millennia, and Wei Wuyin's Neo-Dawn Empire's vassals would become the majority, and then...
The No-Name Galaxy? It might very well gain a name!
Wei Wuyin calmly smiled at Sage Hathor. The dynamic of the No-Name Galaxy was difficult to navigate, and a few of his easily disruptive moves were already checkmate before they could even go out. He couldn't use the seductive tactic of promising to grant one an ascension to the Resonant Soul Realm over the others, forcing them all to agree or be left behind.
Why? Because the No-Name Galaxy was unafraid of foreign and domestic Supreme Sages! If it wasn't one of the eight Sages, the guardian would kick them out, if not directly deal with them. The threat wasn't enough.
And while they were unaware of this, Wei Wuyin had acquired the secrets of their unified cultivation art, including the strangeness of their cultivation bases. The rumor that their cultivation base was equal wasn't a rumor—it was the truth! Their cultivation bases would all equal each other, so raising any of the eight to become Supreme Sages would have the others follow suit. The balance couldn't be broken!
If he decided to support the territorial lords of a minor region, the Sages would certainly refuse to allow that to happen! They would be exiled! Sage Hathor's earlier words alluding to their decision to be separate from the galaxy had all but indicated that fate! They could obtain support, but they would be unable to stay!
It was a simple yet near-flawless decision!
"Does that mean that Wei Wuyin...?" Qing Qiumu muttered softly. Wei Wuyin's isolation was all but decided, and if he refused, the others could accept, but they wouldn't be allowed to stay! Only Sage Hathor's submission would ensure that Wei Wuyin would have any type of foothold within the No-Name Galaxy for future ambitions!
However...
"But why must we make it so complicated?" Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Stars shone beautifully with alchemical light, continuing: "Let's make this simple and interesting. A wager. One that involves the entirety of the No-Name Galaxy's greatest leading figures. We can decide the entire fate of your galaxy right here and right now—as a whole."
The Sages, Mystic Overlords, and Original Magistrates all simultaneously frowned with surprise.
"A wager?" Sage Shattered Sphinx said with a cautioning tone, warning Sage Hathor and the others to not easily agree but not to decline either. They grasped his intentions instantly and all remained silent despite the urge to ask questions or refuse an outrageous proposal.
Wei Wuyin chuckled softly, "The wager will be based on a simple contest. If I lose, not only will I support your regions through this period of desolation wholeheartedly, I also will promise to deliver ten Mystic-World grade products each century, to every participant at or above the World Emperor level. Of course, one must be a leader of their territory and can control its fate."
Gasps resounded. Ten? TEN?! Mystic-World graded alchemical products?! EACH?!?! They were reeling with disbelief, some just salivating at the thought!
"And if you win?" Sage Nepit asked.
"If I win this wager, then...all of you, your territory and your forces, become vassals of my Neo-Dawn Empire. The No-Name Galaxy...will finally have a name."

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