After hearing this somewhat ancient story, Loren asked with a calm, profound gaze:
"Were the Resistance's military funds also sourced from this?"
Hearing Loren's question, the elderly nobleman sitting across from him suddenly seemed to understand something.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, he asked Loren in return:
"Is this the reason you chose to stand against the Resistance?"
Loren smiled and nodded.
"As you said, everything has its price, doesn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Oren Hunter found himself momentarily speechless.
He didn't know what to say.
His heart only felt an indescribable irony—so it was all just a laughable price...
Finally, the somewhat dispirited elderly nobleman shook his head bitterly.
"The Hunter family, passed down for thousands of years, ends so hastily..."
"Heh heh heh... What a joke..."
Loren, sitting across from him, remained calm and silent.
After delivering his farewell speech of defeat, Marquis Oren Hunter smiled bitterly and slowly stood up.
Facing the cold, dangerous interstellar hunter, he said with some loneliness:
"Mr. Loren, would you accompany this old man, whose life is at its end, to take one last look at this city?"
"Come to think of it, ever since I inherited the family's noble title, I've never truly appreciated it."
Under Loren's arrogant and indifferent gaze, he made his final request.
"Of course, let's go." Loren rose from his chair, his tone flat.
"Thank you for your mercy."
The lonely elderly nobleman nodded slightly at Loren.
The two walked one after the other through the courtyard filled with rare plants, heading out of the manor...
Oren Hunter led the way; Loren followed behind.
...
---------
Federal Calendar 7709, January 4th, morning.
Dusk Star Domain, Main City.
A noble old man and a young man with a cold, dangerous aura walked side by side down the bustling commercial street of the Main City.
Like the most ordinary of strolls.
Interestingly enough.
As the elderly nobleman Oren Hunter walked through the bustling streets of the Dusk Main City, many passersby on the commercial street recognized the Lordship.
Mostly ordinary people, they enthusiastically greeted him.
"Lordship!"
"Oh my god, it's Marquis Hunter! I actually ran into him!!"
"What's he doing here?!"
A few well-informed passersby even shouted to Oren Hunter:
"Lordship, the Resistance has failed. What do we do about the Dusk Star Domain?"
To these enthusiastic greetings, the elderly nobleman only smiled kindly, shook his head, and waved his hand, choosing not to say much.
The Hunter family had already fallen. Who knew what the future held?
That was no longer his concern.
Of course, some passersby also recognized Loren standing beside Oren Hunter.
But they only let out a gasp, not daring to greet Loren.
After all, Loren's unique style and reputation were no secret in the Federation these days...
"The people seem quite afraid of you, Mr. Loren," Oren Hunter said to the silent Loren after they exited the bustling commercial street.
"I'm actually a very kind person. That's slander from the mainstream media."
Loren's tone was utterly serious.
Hearing this, Oren Hunter smiled and shook his head, not continuing the topic.
"The real problem with the Federation is that the Central Star Domain, representing the powerful, has siphoned off far too many benefits that don't belong to them."
"The other star domains have all become breeding grounds to nourish the Central Star Domain."
"This is the root cause of the disharmony within the Federation all these years."
Loren didn't respond, continuing to walk calmly.
Seeing this, Oren Hunter spoke up again, as if talking to himself:
"Do you think this is fair, Mr. Loren?"
Loren glanced at the old man beside him, his gaze deep and profound, still offering no answer.
Oren Hunter stopped in his tracks. Gazing at the cityscape in the distance, he spoke with a lonely tone:
"After meeting you, Mr. Loren, this old man at the end of his life has set aside his arrogance and understood one truth."
"No one, or any star domain, has the right to arbitrarily decide who should be sacrificed or treated as a price."
"People can have that awareness; they can decide for themselves. That is noble and worthy of praise."
"But to make that decision for others and hide the truth..."
"That is not forced choice, nor is it a grand vision. That is tyranny, enslavement, oppression."
"In this process, rebels will naturally arise."
"People as terrifying as you, Mr. Loren."
At this moment, Loren let out a light chuckle, its meaning unclear.
"Heh..."
Hearing Loren's mocking laughter, Oren Hunter's face also revealed a smile of one who had seen through the world, his eyes filled with indescribable weariness.
"The Hunter family's resistance is over."
"What about yours, Mr. Loren?"
"Many in the Federation believe you will become the next Federation Councilor."
"You, who came from the slums, would you be willing to become that lofty Councilor?"
Hearing the persuasive undertone in the elderly nobleman's voice, Loren smiled and shook his head, replying with a playful tone:
"Who knows what the future holds?"
"I see... What a shame. I won't get to see your choice, Mr. Loren." Oren Hunter nodded with a complex expression and fell silent.
The two walked on in silence.
Together, they toured this extraordinarily prosperous Floating City.
The magnificent and unique scenery of the Floating City perfectly filled the silence between them.
Thirty-five minutes later.
The two, having reached the highest scenic spot of the Floating City, both stopped in tacit understanding.
This was an observation deck built into a commercial tower.
Originally packed with sightseers, the place quickly emptied as soon as people spotted Loren.
Only Oren Hunter and Loren remained.
Leaning against the railing of the observation deck, Loren looked down at the entire Floating City and muttered softly:
"My reputation is occasionally useful, after all."
Upon hearing Loren's comment—whether it was self-deprecating or not—the elderly nobleman Oren Hunter's expression turned strange.
He felt that the other party almost enjoyed his bad reputation.
So this was the kind of person the Hunter family had offended... the old nobleman mocked himself in his heart.
After a moment of self-mockery, the elderly nobleman also walked to the edge of the observation deck.
After gazing at the familiar yet strange Floating City scenery for a while, he let out a soft sigh and asked the question he most wanted to know:
"If I hadn't caused the tragedy of that planet, would everything have ended differently?"
