The Galactic Alliance was jointly established and led by the Star Glory Empire, the Holy Radiance Empire, and the Warhammer Interstellar Confederation, along with several small and medium-sized interstellar civilizations. However, the true power still lies with these three interstellar overlords.
Furthermore, the borders of these three interstellar civilizations all happen to meet the Mechanical Clan, making them interdependent. Throughout this millennium-long war, both sides have maintained a seesaw battle, with victories and losses on both sides, but neither has been able to decisively eliminate the enemy."
After Lilith finished speaking, she looked at Zachary Chase: "And the Shaw River Star Region in the Northern Star Region of the Star Glory Empire is precisely the area closest to the Mechanical Clan, and it remains in a state of constant war preparedness. The Governor of the Shaw River Star Region is also a Five-Star Marshal; such an appointment is not without reason."
Zachary looked at Lilith with satisfaction; this girl had already assimilated a lot of knowledge during this time, and her brain was like a small computer.
"Although our escort route this time is close to the combat zone, Mechanical Clan starships rarely appear in this area, and there is no need for them to attack our small Interstellar Transport Ship fleet. So, normally speaking, this escort mission should not have too much risk," Lilith stated her thoughts.
"Theoretically, that's true, but I don't know why I always have a very bad feeling after seeing that sergeant," Zachary rubbed his temples.
Lilith comforted him: "Perhaps it's because this is your first time in such an environment, Commander, so you're naturally a little nervous."
"Perhaps," Zachary tried not to think too much. Anyway, no matter what happens, he had no choice now. Temporarily abandoning a bounty mission from the Imperial Army would have severe consequences, possibly even informing Zachary's academy, and then it wouldn't just be about skipping ranks—whether Zachary could graduate smoothly would be another matter entirely.
"Commander, there's something that might distract you, and I'm sure you'll be interested," Lilith suddenly said.
"What is it?" Zachary was curious.
Lilith raised her hand, and a holographic image appeared, showing a little girl only 1.2 meters tall, with a slave collar around her neck that Zachary was familiar with.
A slave? Is this an underage female slave?
"Why would you think I'm interested in this?" Zachary looked at Lilith with a dark expression, wondering what he had done to make Lilith misunderstand him like this.
"Huh? You're not interested?" Lilith was surprised. Zachary's expression was complex, unsure how to explain it to Lilith.
"This is a Dwarf, and I thought the Commander would be more interested."
"Dwarf?" Zachary immediately snapped back to attention, pointing at the 1.2-meter-tall girl: "This isn't an underage girl?"
"Underage?" Lilith shook her head: "Of course not. She's already an adult. She's even a few years older than the Commander, but it's due to their racial genes. The Dwarf race's height is at most 1.3 meters, and some are even as short as one meter."
So that was it; Lilith hadn't misunderstood him.
"Why are you showing me this?" Zachary asked curiously.
Lilith brought up the Dwarves' data: "The Dwarves are one of the rare interstellar races, like the Demon Tribe. Long ago, they were once a powerful interstellar civilization, but were later defeated by other interstellar civilizations. The Dwarves also became an interstellar nomadic race without territory.
"The Dwarves do not have strong bodies and are not good at combat; however, they are natural technical engineers! They are best at researching various technologies. Their ability to learn scientific and technological skills is several times that of other interstellar races. Currently, half of the Dwarves are employed in various interstellar civilizations' interstellar industrial factories or technology research institutes. They have a nickname: 'Interstellar Craftsmen'!"
Zachary instantly understood Lilith's meaning: "You want me to recruit her!"
Lilith nodded: "Currently, what our Little Dragon Fleet lacks most are these technical talents. Although our two T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships are currently managed by a group of half-orc mechanics and engineers, it's clear that their abilities are only satisfactory and cannot fully utilize the efficiency of the T2 Iron Hammer. If we had an Interstellar Craftsman, I believe it could greatly increase the working efficiency of our interstellar industrial ship!"
Zachary rubbed his chin: "That makes a lot of sense, but with just one Dwarf, won't the number be too small?"
"One Dwarf is indeed a small number, but perhaps she can help us contact other Dwarves? We can give it a try," Lilith suggested.
"You make a good point. Anyway, we don't have anything else to do right now. How do I buy this Dwarf?" Zachary asked.
"This is cargo listed directly on the Network Slave List in Galaxy 3, priced at three thousand star coins. You can contact the owner directly to purchase it," Lilith said, bringing up the detailed information.
Three thousand star coins. This was much more expensive than when Zachary previously bought a hundred half-orc slaves, including Charlotte. If it were before, Zachary would have felt a pang of pain for quite a while. But now, Zachary didn't even blink.
"Wait… this person…" Zachary saw the owner, and it was someone he knew.
"You negotiate with the other party, and once the price is confirmed, I'll go pick her up," Zachary said.
"Alright."
Lilith went to negotiate with the other party, who quickly responded. Both parties quickly agreed to the transaction for three thousand star coins.
Zachary glanced at the transaction address, then left the starship to pick up the person.
Inside a private room at a teahouse in the starport, a Dwarf was pushed in.
"Boss, the goods you wanted… Oh, it's you!" The leather jacket woman looked at Zachary, surprised.
"What a coincidence." Zachary had already noticed earlier that the seller of this little Dwarf was precisely this leather jacket woman.
"I didn't expect the handsome young man to like this type," the leather jacket woman looked at Zachary with a half-smile.
"Cough, cough, cough… Let's just complete the transaction," Zachary directly proposed the transaction.
The leather jacket woman didn't dally either; after the three thousand star coins were credited, she pushed the little Dwarf in front of Zachary and handed him a button, which was the controller for the slave collar.
"Handsome, are you interested in adding someone?" After the transaction was complete, the leather jacket woman started to flirt with Zachary again, licking her red lips.
"I'm sorry, I don't have that in mind. I need to inspect the goods now. Could I trouble you to…" Zachary gave her the boot.
The leather jacket woman didn't get angry; having completed a three thousand star coins deal, she was too happy to care. Although that Dwarf was very special, no one had ever been willing to buy her for three thousand star coins, and just when she thought she would have to lower the price to sell, Zachary appeared.
"Then, handsome young man, take your time inspecting the goods. Oh, right… she's still a virgin… be careful. If it's really too much, I can help." The leather jacket woman walked to the door, not forgetting to probe one last time.
"No need," Zachary said.
The leather jacket woman threw him an unappreciative eye-roll and walked out of the private room.
Zachary looked at the little Dwarf who had timidly huddled in the corner after entering. She looked small in the holographic image before, but now seeing her in person, she felt even smaller. It was hard to believe that such a small physique belonged to an Interstellar Craftsman.
"What's your name?" Zachary asked.
The female Dwarf huddled her body, softly saying: "Annie…"
Zachary reached out his hand toward the Dwarf Annie, and the female Dwarf immediately timidly shrank her head, like a startled little mouse.
Grumble, grumble…
At this moment, her stomach made a sound.
"Is your stomach growling?" Zachary asked, knowing the answer.
"No… no…" Annie said in a voice like a mosquito.
Zachary extended his hand: "Then come with me. I'll take you to eat something delicious."
Hearing about delicious food, Annie finally raised her head, her big, watery eyes looking at Zachary.
For some reason, this scene made Zachary feel a sense of guilt.