Published: February 12, 2025
Ye Zhongming held a thin little booklet in his hand.
This was given to him by Commander Cheng Liujin, a record of the life and achievements of all past Bronze Commanders. After flipping through it, Ye Zhongming realized that he was the 333rd Bronze Commander.
333?
Ye Zhongming felt a sense of regret that it wasn’t 666.
The content of the thin booklet wasn’t extensive; most of the predecessors were summarized in just a line, mentioning only a name and their time in office.
Only a handful of individuals had some details recorded, mostly just a sentence or two. Among those that left a deep impression on Ye Zhongming, the booklet focused on about a dozen people.
The most astonishing were the first Bronze Commander and the 101st Commander.
The first Bronze Commander was a true genius, having fought thousands of battles throughout his life without a single defeat. He continued to win even when challenged by a powerful being that had come to the planet where the Star-Eye Clan resided in his old age, but he died shortly after due to severe injuries.
At that time, just as the Star-Eye Clan was entering the star level era, the appearance of this Bronze Commander significantly boosted the morale of the entire clan.
Ye Zhongming admired this individual, but he also learned one crucial fact: the Star-Eye Clan had not relied on the Roulette for assistance to leave their home planet; they had done it themselves.
The other notable individual was the 101st Commander, whose greatest achievement was transforming the Bronze Mask Brigade into an iron-clad force, surpassing even the Silver and Gold Brigades in strength. Most astonishingly, this powerful figure ultimately instigated a military coup, attempting to overthrow the joint rule of the two Lords of the Star-Eye Clan.
Although he ultimately failed, that battle severely weakened the Star-Eye Clan. Originally, the three elite brigades—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—were annihilated, with the Bronze Brigade completely wiped out and the other two suffering devastating losses.
The Star-Eye Clan had thus declined from prosperity to its current state, and it had never recovered since.
Ye Zhongming stroked the Bronze Mask in his hand, feeling its cold texture, and he recalled the various legends surrounding this position.
The most prominent belief was that it was an ill-fated position.
Since the time of the 101st Commander, fewer than 20% of those who held the position of Bronze Commander were able to retire successfully; most either perished on the battlefield or were assassinated. Even the previous Commander had just defected.
Since the time of the 101st Commander, the Star-Eye Clan had implemented regulations regarding the three brigades. The Bronze Brigade was increasingly assigned logistical tasks and no longer held the same status as the other two brigades, instead taking on less crucial duties and guarding less important positions.
Most importantly, the Star-Eye Clan changed the rules: once a certain standard was reached, warriors would be transferred to the next level brigade.
Generally, ten thousand fuleira marked the threshold for the Bronze Brigade; exceeding it would lead to a transfer to the Silver Brigade. Surpassing twenty thousand would result in a transfer to the Gold Brigade, and among the Gold Brigade, the most outstanding and specially talented warriors would be absorbed into the Core Guard, responsible for the safety of the clan leader, core warehouse, and key figures.
However, the Core Guard was small and did not constitute a separate brigade.
Thus, the situation among the three major brigades of the Star-Eye Clan became clear—whoever became the Gold Commander would undoubtedly be the confidant of the two Lords of the Clan. The Silver Commander would be the candidate to replace the Gold Commander at the right moment, becoming the next strongest leader of the Star-Eye Clan.
As for the Bronze Commander, it was more of a position under scrutiny, inherently bearing an aura of being disliked.
Ye Zhongming put down the mask and listened to the increasingly noisy sounds outside, knowing that soon the surviving newcomers would be allowed to enter the store to purchase goods. He had even heard someone approaching his tent to call him to set off.