His voice was icy, and the aura around him grew heavy as he glared daggers at Ethan Young.

An immense pressure radiated from him.

He was filled with rage from his encounter with Stella Sterling, and while he hadn’t dared to vent it on her, that didn’t mean he had to hold his tongue with someone else.

This man had walked right into the line of fire. The anger Miles had just been forced to suppress was now perfect to unleash on him.

Ethan Young, however, showed no fear. He remained expressionless. "Mr. Saint, you must be joking. When did I ever lay a hand on you?"

"I simply saw you harassing a woman and couldn’t stand by and watch, so I spoke up to stop you. But I never laid a hand on you."

"One should have evidence to back up their words. While Meridia Base welcomes all our friends from afar, that does not mean any of you can walk all over us whenever you please."

After he finished, Ethan Young simply stared calmly at Miles Sanctus.

His looks were rather average—he wasn’t handsome like Miles Sanctus. With his square jaw, he appeared quite stern.

But his presence was by no means inferior to that of Miles Sanctus; in fact, it was even more intimidating.

Miles Sanctus narrowed his eyes. He had no proof. This Ethan Young had merely shown up at the right moment, but Miles hadn’t actually seen him make a move.

Forcibly pinning the blame on him wouldn’t be justifiable.

But he was certain this was the one who had acted.

But they were still on Meridia Base’s territory. Even though he was furious, the man wouldn’t confess, and Miles had no proof.

It wasn’t a good idea to have a complete falling out with Meridia Base.

So he calmed himself, ignored Ethan Young, and turned to Stella Sterling. "I hope you will give my offer serious consideration, Miss Sterling. I believe you’re a smart woman. You should know which choice is most beneficial for you."

Stella Sterling’s expression remained unchanged. "My terms remain the same. If you hand your base over to me right now, I’ll be sure to give your offer some thought."

Her rejection was loud and clear.

Miles Sanctus had ignored her counter-offer several times, which in his mind was already giving her plenty of face.

He hadn’t expected that even after he’d made himself so clear, Stella Sterling would still stubbornly refuse to change her tune.

He stared at Stella Sterling, momentarily speechless.

’Does she really mean that, or is she just toying with me?’

’But I’ve never met her or anyone from Caeluna Base before. We have no bad blood between us.’

’So there’s no reason for her to toy with me like this.’

’And she has no reason to offend me, either!’

He thought it over but couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

’This woman must be crazy!’

He gave Stella Sterling a long, hard look for several seconds, then turned and left without another word.

’No matter what she says, I’ve set my sights on Caeluna Base and Stella Sterling. I won’t give up this easily.’

’Of course, I’m not stupid enough to actually hand over my own base. I’d have to be out of my mind to agree to that condition.’

’But this Stella Sterling is obviously a stubborn woman. If I want to get to her, I’ll have to find another way.’

’If going after her directly proves impossible, it’s not like I don’t have other options.’

’I just hope she knows what’s good for her and comes to her senses in a day or two.’

"Given the circumstances, you should probably conceal your face when you’re out and about. Otherwise, you’ll attract too much trouble."

Ethan Young looked at Stella, his brow furrowed as he spoke.

Stella Sterling thanked him for his kind intentions but replied nonchalantly, "It doesn’t matter. If someone comes looking for trouble, I’ll just deal with them. I’m not going to inconvenience myself for the sake of others."

’If I were powerless, that would be one thing. Then I would indeed need to be more careful.’

’But I have the power and the strength, so there’s absolutely no need to put myself out.’

Hearing Stella Sterling’s words, Ethan Young was stunned for a moment. But when he thought about the strength of Caeluna Base, he fell silent.

’With her current power, she really is qualified to say that.’

’No one knows the true extent of Caeluna Base’s power, but everyone knows one thing for sure: they are incredibly strong. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to provoke them.’

’So what if Stella Sterling walks around with her face unconcealed? Anyone with designs on her would have to think long and hard about the power she wields.’

’And they don’t have what it takes to oppose Caeluna Base.’

’If they weren’t confident in their ability to take on Caeluna Base, then no matter what they were thinking, they wouldn’t dare make a move against Stella Sterling.’

’After all, no one who has survived this long is a fool. They all understand what’s most important. It’s unthinkable that they would put themselves in danger just for a beautiful woman.’

’However, Ethan Young never expected that there were two such foolish people in this very hall right now.’

’He was intensely curious. How on earth had Stella Sterling managed to establish a base as large as Caeluna Base in just over a year?’

’And where did she get all her resources?’

’All of these questions were baffling. But everyone has their secrets. If he were to ask about them, it would be overstepping his bounds.’

’There are some things you wouldn’t even tell your best friend, let alone an acquaintance like Stella Sterling. They weren’t nearly close enough for that.’

"Our commander would like to have a word with you. I was wondering if you have a moment?"

Ethan Young changed the subject, revealing his main reason for approaching her.

Stella Sterling paused, then realized the "commander" he was referring to must be the leader of Meridia Base.

’The man who looks so much like Gordon Ford.’

She glanced over and saw the man in question conversing with the leaders of several other bases.

Pulling her gaze back, Stella Sterling said, "After this summit is over."

Ethan Young nodded, gave Stella Sterling one last look, and walked away.

"Hey, girl. Do you have any idea how strong Sanctyr Base is? You do realize you probably just seriously offended that guy, right?"

The speaker was the woman in leather, Chloe, who approached Stella Sterling after Miles Sanctus and his people had gone.

She seemed to be gloating, yet at the same time, a little worried for Stella Sterling.

Stella Sterling didn’t seem flustered by her words, merely nodding in response.

’If I offended him, I offended him. Besides, even if I hadn’t done it this time, a feud between us was already inevitable.’

’Besides, as far as I’m concerned, the issue isn’t whether I’ve offended him. He’s the one who has offended me.’

"Huh? That’s your only reaction?"

Chloe was incredulous. ’This girl is way too calm.’

"What else should I do? If he’s offended, he’s offended. If telling the truth is enough to offend him, it just shows how narrow-minded he is."