This turn of events caught Xiao Yu off guard. Apart from the covert data skirmishes, ever since arriving at the Azure Market, his interactions with the Molian Civilization had, at least on the surface, remained cordial and cooperative. The trade proceedings had been relatively fair and just.

In fact, after completing the transaction worth three hundred million Transaction Points, Xiao Yu had already planned to depart, to find a quiet location where he and the Luka scientists could digest the newly acquired technologies.

By his estimates, these technologies would require at least several hundred years of collaborative research and verification to fully master. That alone was already an extraordinary harvest.

Just as this procurement mission was about to conclude perfectly, this sudden demand emerged at the final moment.

Xiao Yu understood the underlying meaning of those words very clearly. The moment he heard them, he felt a strangely familiar sense rise within him.

Similar justifications had surfaced more than once during the Earth era.

In a flash, Xiao Yu’s mind spun through billions of calculations, analyzing countless variables. While the Luka scientists, especially those from the Psychosocial Sciences Division under Luka Two were still frozen in shock, Xiao Yu had already composed and sent a response to the Molian Civilization.

There was no time to hesitate. In situations like this, even a moment’s delay could trigger suspicion from the other side.

“Is that so? What a shame such a thing has happened. As a civilization that holds a sound moral framework and basic sense of justice, we must, and should, cooperate with your efforts. However, due to certain internal requirements, we request some time to make necessary preparations. Namely, to establish basic internal defenses and begin evacuation of civilians. Oh, and while we’re on the topic, could you tell us more about that technology you mentioned? The one that allows forty-times lightspeed travel using only Level 4 technology? Our leadership is very interested. If such a technology is truly achievable with our current scientific level, then perhaps using a few ships as barter isn’t entirely unacceptable.”

This long response from Xiao Yu, apart from its misleading and distracting content, was really meant to communicate just one thing.

Xiao Yu had changed his mind, he now appeared willing to trade his warships for technology.

He had thoroughly seen through the Molian Civilization’s mindset, though he had previously underestimated their determination to obtain his fleet.

From the outset, they had attempted to acquire Xiao Yu’s Alien Beast-forged warships through peaceful means, trading goods for ships. But the moment Xiao Yu firmly refused, they immediately pivoted to war without hesitation.

An internal traitor? Who conveniently fled into Xiao Yu’s fleet and thus required a security search? Who would believe that?

It was clearly nothing more than a pretext for war.

This initial misjudgment immediately placed Xiao Yu in a dangerous position. While the fifty thousand warships represented only a fraction of his total fleet, he had no desire to lose them.

Thus, he now faced a difficult dilemma. Allowing enemy forces to enter his fleet was tantamount to handing over the sheep to the tiger. But refusing would almost certainly result in war, a battle in which he had no chance of winning.

Xiao Yu knew that if he denied the Molian Civilization’s request, they would initiate hostilities immediately. And clearly, even if this Level 5 Civilization had only deployed a limited force, his fifty thousand ships still stood no chance.

So, Xiao Yu unleashed a surge of processing power and ran countless simulations in an instant, eventually arriving at a simple, effective strategy.

Buy time. He needed to buy enough time for his main fleet to arrive.

The Molians’ objective was the warships. Only after failing to obtain them peacefully did they switch to the fallback option, forcible seizure.

It was evident that if peaceful trade could succeed, they would have preferred not to start a war. Therefore, Xiao Yu now had to give them a glimmer of hope, the hope that they could still acquire these warships without conflict.

During this time, Xiao Yu wasn’t idle. Through the shared data interface between the two civilizations, he secretly launched another infiltration attempt against the Molian computer system. Although restrictions prevented him from obtaining much high-level data, even the basic public-layer information was enough for Xiao Yu to form an initial estimate of the strength the Molian Civilization had stationed here…

The most fundamental characteristic of a Level 5 Civilization was antimatter technology. This allowed their starships to be built larger than those of Level 4 Civilizations, with far more powerful propulsion systems, weapons, and defensive capabilities. On top of that, there were numerous derivative technologies based on antimatter, each and every one a marvel that Level 4 Civilizations could only look up to.

However, the most important detail was this: within this star system, the Molian Civilization had not stationed much of its strength. According to Xiao Yu’s analysis, only one ship of Province-Class or above was present.

Aside from mobile units like warships, the only remaining power the Molians had in the star system consisted of a large number of space stations and ground fortresses. But all of these installations were controlled by artificial intelligence, and their operational efficiency was very low. Moreover, Xiao Yu could even attempt to launch a cyberattack against them, potentially crippling these facilities.

The conclusion was: once the main fleet arrived from three light-months away, Xiao Yu might have a real chance of winning this war. He might even succeed in raiding the Azure Market.

Therefore, the most critical task at present was. Can Xiao Yu buy enough time for the main force to arrive?

After receiving Xiao Yu’s response, the Molian Civilization fell silent for a while. Xiao Yu suspected that they were likely engaged in an internal debate.

By now, the Luka scientists from the Psychosocial Sciences Division had finally snapped out of their initial shock. Predicting the intentions of foreign civilizations and devising next steps was precisely their specialty, and within an instant, they had grasped the true motive behind the Molian demand.

They didn’t start shouting or panicking. One by one, they furrowed their brows and entered deep thought. It was at this moment that Xiao Yu gave his cleverly constructed response.

The Luka scientists understood immediately what Xiao Yu’s words were meant to accomplish.

Luka Two slowly nodded. “Delaying is the right move. But the Molian Civilization isn’t stupid. I worry that such an obvious ploy won’t fool them.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Xiao Yu said, shaking his projected image’s head. “The information imbalance and their own greed give us a high chance they’ll accept the bait. Based on their previous behavior, they don’t really want a war either.”

A few seconds later, Xiao Yu received a transmission from the Molian Civilization.

“We deeply appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We accept your request. However, there is one condition we must clarify: to prevent the traitor from leaving your vicinity, we will station several warships around your fleet. Please rest assured, we harbor no hostility toward you. These forces are merely a precautionary measure. That settles the matter. Earlier, you mentioned your leadership had changed their minds and is interested in our products?”

Upon hearing this reply, Xiao Yu let out a quiet breath of relief, and the tightly-wound Luka scientists relaxed just a little. They knew the first step of Xiao Yu’s deception plan had succeeded.

This matter was a question of life and death for them. Although Xiao Yu hadn’t said it outright, both he and the Luka scientists clearly understood one thing: If the Molian Civilization had refused Xiao Yu’s proposal and launched an attack, Xiao Yu could still afford to abandon the fifty thousand warships. But the fate of the Luka scientists would be far more tragic.

At that point, being tagged with a price and sold off like merchandise at the Azure Market would be the best-case scenario.

“Yes. After one final round of internal discussions, our leadership has decided to reassess the feasibility of purchasing various relevant technologies. After all, if we could master forty-times-lightspeed travel and low-cost antimatter production while still at Level 4, it would give our civilization a tremendous leap in strength,” Xiao Yu replied.

“Excellent. Here is a package of related data regarding the technologies. Your scientists may run preliminary tests and validations. Our Molian Civilization sincerely hopes you’ll consider purchasing them,” came the cheerful response.

“Very well. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Our scientists will promptly review this material and submit their recommendations to our leadership,” Xiao Yu replied.

That concluded the exchange. After cutting the connection and turning toward the still-serious Luka scientists, Xiao Yu spoke.

“This crisis has been defused for now. Our main fleet is accelerating toward this location and is expected to arrive in about half a month. In the meantime, Luka Two, I need you to handle something for me.”

“I’m not well-suited for this sort of maneuvering,” Xiao Yu continued. “Getting us this far has already pushed me to my limit. From here on, it’s up to you. Put your Psychosocial Sciences expertise to work. Buy us time. As long as we can hold out until the main force arrives, you’ll all have a chance at survival…”

“So, fight for your lives. I will give you all the support and resources you need.”