The group of hovercar stopped in front of Alliance HQ.
Secretary-General Lin exited first to open the door for Norton. A staff member fastened a cloak over his shoulders while another handed him his sword.
Norton accepted the sword before ascending the steps, Secretary-General Lin and Dylan following close behind.
The guard stationed at the main entrance stepped forward as they were about to cross the threshold, only to be intercepted by Secretary-General Lin. He held his arm outstretched with the appropriate documents. “We have an appointment.”
A few seconds later, he turned and quickly rejoined the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, several Alliance staff members hurried over to greet them. “Please, come this way to the reception room. The Chairman will be arriving shortly.”
……
The Alliance Chairman was still in the conference room listening to one of the participants speak when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Someone leaned inside after receiving permission to do so.
The Chairman cast a tired glance in their direction. “I hope this is important.”
“The Grantz Emperor has come to visit.”
The Chairman rose from his seat and planted a hand on the table. “Let’s stop here for now. We can reconvene after my meeting. Take a break, everyone.”
He commented as he headed into the corridor, “I wasn’t informed of how urgent this appointment was.”
“We just received word of it ourselves.”
The Chairman had no intention of dawdling on this. “Forget. I would never refuse a meeting with Grantz.”
His secretary behind him took note of the Chairman’s attitude. He was treating this newcomer country with the same deference as superpowers like Boston.
The Chairman let out a long sigh, “Come, let us go greet our guests.”
They ran into said guests halfway.
Norton was the first to come to a stop.
The Chairman bridged the gap and extended his hand. “Welcome, sir. Your visit has caught us at a rather busy time. I ask for your understanding in any shortcomings to the reception.”
Norton paused briefly before taking his hand. “It’s fine.”
The Chairman gestured down the corridor. “Let us head to the reception room.”
As soon as everyone took their seats, the Chairman cut to the chase, “May I ask the reason behind your visit today?”
Secretary-General Lin stepped forward as Norton inclined his head. “We would like to propose a transaction with the Alliance.”
The Chairman didn’t even blink. “Please do elaborate. I’m more than glad to help with anything within my power.”
Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses. “May I inquire about how much manpower and resources are necessary to clear out the infested area?”
The Chairman had been dealing with the fallout of the Round 2 competition grounds over the past few days. His mind immediately went there after Secretary-General Lin’s words.
However, this was not one of the questions he was expection. He didn’t seem to care that he was speaking with Secretary-General Lin and confirmed once more, “Pardon me, but are you referring to the region used in the command battle?”
“Yes.”
“This is not confidential information by any means, but I’m afraid the specific requirements are still being ironed out. I will have to ask about them later. Why don’t you elaborate on the transaction first.”
Secretary-General Lin nodded. He simply stated, “Grantz can clear out the infested region at once.”
“However, we will need state-of-the-art mothership technology and enough equipment and weaponry to outfit the legions we’ve brought along.”
Blueprints for motherships and other technologies had been provided upon becoming a member of the Alliance, but they were by no means state-of-the-art.
The Chairman was taken aback momentarily. He had a vague notion of Grantz’s intentions, but he had thought they would be more interested in trading resources or something.
“The Alliance has never publically distributed state-of-the-art mothership technology before.”
The Alliance was never short on resources thanks to the resource tournament. A portion of the technologies they possessed was more advanced than any other nation’s, including motherships.
He considered it for a moment. “However, I supposed an exception can be made.”
The galactic region under lockdown covered a large number of planets including the Alliance’s Central Planet. Aside from the Central Planet, which was only open while the resource tournament was being held, the loss incurred by the shutdown of operations on other planets made this deal very tempting indeed.
“We would gladly agreed to this deal if your side can guarantee the cleanup will be done within a certain amount of time.”
“We can discuss compensation in further detail at a later date.”
Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses. “Additionally, I would like to confirm that ownership of any unclaimed planets goes to the nation that is able to clear them out regardless of location.”
“While that is true, out of consideration for any nation that may wish to reclaim their homeland, this rule only applies to planets that have been insect-infested for over 50 years. The immediate region surrounding the planet will also be awarded to the cleaning nation. Planets cannot be privately owned, however.”
Secretary-General Lin nodded before suddenly changing the subject, “Have you ever considered revamping the command battle simulation, sir?”
The Chairman paused, “I understand your side’s dissatisfaction. We will definitely implement additional measures to ensure the safety of participants.”
“No, you’ve misunderstood, sir. I was asking if the Alliance has ever considered making the insects the target of the command simulations. I fail to see any merit with the current system.”
Secretary-General Lin’s tone was stern.
The Chairman frowned but replied, “The command simulation is meant to compare various measures of strength among Alliance members through competition. It is also a way to prevent unnecessary warfare in a fair manner by inviting public scrutiny. If the insects were the target instead…”
They too had once toyed with the idea, but change was far easier said than done. Besides, the insects would introduce too many drastic, uncontrollable variables. “If the insects were the target, I’m afraid it would be difficult to normalize the difficulty of the competition.”
Norton raised his eyes and spoke for the first time, “Luck is also a form of strength.”
The Chairman turned towards Norton.
Norton met his gaze. “An interesting saying I heard during my time here.”
The Chairman was stunned.
The reception room fell silent.
Dylan, who had been standing to the side, spoke up, “Take some time to think about it. We’re just here to propose the transaction.”
Dylan and even Norton were in no hurry. They knew Grantz would be free to do whatever they wanted once they established a foothold here.
Grantz has learned long ago that only the words of the strong mattered to most.
……
Ye Muo and the others stayed out just a bit longer once the sun set and the Central Planet lit up with colourful lights.
It was already getting late.
Adlet relieved Jacob of the bags he was carrying. “His Majesty has been in the parlour for quite some time. The purchases everyone made today have also arrived. I’ve stored them in the parlour upstairs. Perhaps you would like to sort through them now?”
Ye Muo shot Bert a nervous glance. “Father’s back already…”
Bert shrugged as he walked off. “That’s right. There’s nothing I could have done. We’re only back so late because Xavier insisted on buying all sorts of snacks and visiting the amusement park. I told you we should have come home earlier.”
Ye Muo tried to silence Bert by covering his mouth. “Nonsense, Bert.”
Ano jumped to Ye Muo’s defence without hesitation, “That’s right. You’re the real reason we’re late.”
Bert changed the subject, “Alright, alright. Let’s go sort through what we bought. Did you get Norton a present, Xavier?”
“A couple, actually. I bought some for everyone.”
“Even me? I helped you carry so many things today.”
Ano jabbed his finger in Bert’s direction. “That was all Jacob. Besides, how can you still ask for more gifts with a straight face after everything Xavier bought you today?”
Ye Muo physically stepped in between them. “It’s okay. Everyone has a share. I bought you a ton of that red candy you like, Ano.”
Jacob brought up the rear, murmuring as he reaclled the things Ye Muo bought him, “How childish.”
Lakely grumbled, “Says the person who keeps secretly setting Ano up.”
His bad mood had all but dissipated after following them around the entire day.
It wasn’t until they headed upstairs that Lakely paused. He couldn’t enter Norton’s quarters. “What a shame. I wanted to see what Xavier’s room was like.”
He quickly shook his head. “No, no, no. I’m not that much of a pervert yet. You can’t be like that, Lakely.”
Everyone else was already waiting in the parlour by the time Ye Muo’s group arrived.
There were boxes piled high in the middle of the room.
Helene and Adrian were hovering around the pile. Helene was lifting one of the lids up a crack to sneak a peak when Ano caught her red-handed.
“Helene! That belongs to Xavier!”
Helene dropped the lid like a hot potato before quickly glancing at Norton. Norton didn’t even spare her a glance, but she still loudly proclaimed out of guilt, “Of course I know that! What’s wrong with me taking a look on his behalf?!”
Ye Muo immediately kicked his shoes off once he was in a familiar place. He strode barefoot across the carpet to push some boxes towards Helene and Adrian. “It’s fine. We can open them together. They’re for you guys anyway. I’ll repackage the ones for Big Brother Ye He and the others later.”
Hearing that, Aria stepped forward. “I’ll help too then.”
Dylan took one step forward with crossed arms so Ye Muo could push some gift boxes his way.
Norton glanced at them before turning his attention to the door. The next second, Secretary-General Lin suddenly pushed it open and entered without knocking.
He adjusted his glasses and tried to collect himself. “Pardon me.”
He stepped out and gave the door two perfunctory knocks before returning and quickly stating, “Negotiations have concluded, Your Majesty.”
“The motherships will be provided in the coming days and come equipped with new mecha models. Because we stated we intend to outfit our legions, the number provided slightly exceeds our total personnel count. The Alliance has also promised to reimburse any resources consumed during the cleanup operation.”
“The mecha we previously purchased can be returned. Additionally, the cleanup operation will qualify as a form of assistance, meaning there will be a payout in the form of Alliance merit points calculated via the standard rate. Although these points cannot be redeemed directly for currency, they can be used for discounts within Alliance borders. His Little Highness’ crystals can be kept for now.”
Ye Muo glanced over blankly from where he was surrounded by ribbons and gift boxes. “My crystals?”
Adlet offered him a drink from his serving tray to redirect his attention. “Here, Your Little Highness.”
“Thanks, Adlet! Oh, this is the cup I brought back!”
“Yes, I took the liberty of cleaning it and submitting the pattern to the logistics department. They said they could create a more intricate variation.”
Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses again. “The timeframe previously agreed upon was also able to be extended by 1.5 times. Further extension is possible in case of emergency.”
He was practically skipping when he left the Alliance HQ. Heaven knows how he was able to keep his expression under control as he amended the agreement draft last-minute on his holomind.
Grantz had made sure to leave room for negotiation in the agreement they drafted. It seemed like they should be even more bold the next time they wanted to make a deal. The Alliance sure had deep pockets, ah.
