Chapter 294

Chapter 294

The hovercraft convoy stopped at the Star Alliance Center.

Secretary-General Lin got out of the car, then opened the door. Norton stepped out. Someone draped a cloak over him, and another handed him his sword.

Norton took the sword and then strode up the steps, with Secretary-General Lin and Deenlie following closely behind.

As they were about to enter the Star Alliance Center, a guard by the door stepped forward. Secretary-General Lin blocked him, extending his hand to block him and presenting a document. "Appointment."

After a few seconds, he turned and quickly walked a few steps forward, rejoining the procession.

By the time Secretary-General Lin arrived, several of them had already hurried out to greet him. "This way, please. The meeting room is this way. The Chairman will arrive shortly."

...

On the other side, the Star Alliance Chairman was in a meeting room. Someone was still speaking, and the meeting was halfway through when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

After receiving permission, someone poked his head in.

The Star Alliance Chairman sat at the conference table, looking over. He seemed somewhat tired. "I hope this news is important enough."

"The Emperor of Grath is visiting."

The Chairman stood up, placing his hands on the table. "Meeting adjourned. We'll resume after my meeting. Everyone, take a break."

As he walked out the door, he said, "You didn't tell me the appointment was so urgent."

"We just received the notification ourselves."

The Star Alliance Chairman had no intention of dwelling on it. "Never mind. I would never refuse an appointment from Grath."

The secretary behind him keenly sensed the Chairman's attitude—just as Buston always had priority in the Star Alliance.

The Star Alliance Chairman let out a long breath. "Let's go. Welcome our guests."

Halfway there, they met the other group.

Norton stopped first.

The Star Alliance Chairman stepped forward and extended his hand. "Welcome, but your visit has caught me unprepared. Please forgive any lack of preparation."

Norton paused for a moment before extending his hand. "It's fine."

The Star Alliance Chairman spread his arms wide. "Let's go to the meeting room."

The group reached the meeting room. As soon as they were seated, the Star Alliance Chairman said directly, "May I ask what brings you here?"

Norton tilted his head slightly, and Secretary-General Lin stepped forward. "We wish to conduct a transaction."

The Star Alliance Chairman remained composed. "Please, go ahead. If it's within my authority, I would be happy to assist."

Secretary-General Lin pushed up his glasses. "May I ask how much manpower and material resources you would need to clear that area?"

The Star Alliance Chairman had been dealing with the battlefield now overrun with insectoids over the past few days. The moment Secretary-General Lin spoke, his mind immediately went to that place.

But the question took him by surprise. He didn't care that he was speaking to Secretary-General Lin and asked again, "Excuse me, are you referring to the Command Battle battlefield?"

"Yes."

"This is not classified, but it will take a while to find out. I'll have to look it up afterward. You can first state the terms of the transaction."

Secretary-General Lin nodded and came straight to the point. "Grath can eliminate them in the shortest time possible."

"But we need the most advanced mothership technology, along with enough new motherships and their associated weaponry to equip the legions we bring."

When joining the Star Alliance, the Alliance provided motherships and other technologies, but not the top-tier ones.

The Star Alliance Chairman was taken aback. He had vaguely guessed Grath's intentions, but he thought they might want to trade for resources or other things.

"The top-tier mothership technology has not yet been made available to outsiders by the Star Alliance."

Thanks to the Resource War, the Star Alliance was rich in resources, and some of its technology—including motherships—was ahead of other countries.

He thought it over for a moment. "It's not impossible."

The sealed star region encompassed the Star Alliance's central star and a large number of other planets. Except for the central star, open only during the Resource War, the value of those planets is nothing compared to the losses incurred during the seal period.

"If you can guarantee clearing it within a set timeframe, we would be glad to make a deal."

"Then we will return to confirm the finer details of the transaction."

Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses again. "Additionally, I would like to confirm: no matter the location, as long as an unowned planet is cleansed of insectoids, ownership goes to the one who clears it—is that correct?"

"Yes, but considering that other countries might want to reclaim their homeland, planets occupied by insectoids for fewer than fifty years are excluded. For other planets, once cleared, the surrounding star regions also belong to the clearing nation. Planets are not privately owned."

Secretary-General Lin nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. "Have you considered reforming the Command Battle?"

The Star Alliance Chairman was startled, then said, "I understand that you are dissatisfied. We will implement new measures later to ensure the safety of participants."

"No, you've misunderstood me. What I am saying is, have you considered changing the opponent in the Command Battle to insectoids? I truly see no purpose in such a chaotic free-for-all."

Secretary-General Lin's remark was rather blunt.

The Star Alliance Chairman frowned but still replied, "The Command Battle is meant to compare capabilities across the board and prevent unnecessary wars, with everything under public scrutiny to ensure fairness. If the opponent were insectoids..."

They had considered reforms before, but it is not as simple as it sounds. Moreover, if the opponent were insectoids, there would be too many variables and uncontrollable factors. "If the opponents were insectoids, guaranteeing equal difficulty would be impossible."

Norton raised his eyes and spoke for the first time. "Luck is also a part of strength."

The Star Alliance Chairman looked at Norton.

Norton met his gaze. "That's a very interesting saying I once heard."

The Star Alliance Chairman stood frozen in place.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Deenlie, who had been standing at the side, was the one to break the silence. "You can take your time considering that. Our visit today is solely for the transaction."

Deenlie was in no hurry, and neither was Norton. Once they established a foothold here, they could do whatever they wanted.

Only the words of the strong carry weight—Grath had long understood that principle.

...

When the sky darkened and the central star lit up with multicolored lights, Ye Mo and the others stayed a little longer before heading back.

It's really pretty late anyway.

Adelaide took the bag from Jacob's hand. "His Majesty is in the living room—he's been back for a while now. The stuff the other princes bought has been delivered too. I have placed them all in the upstairs living room. Maybe you want to go open them now?"

Ye Mo looked nervously at Baide. "Dad's already back."

Baide spread his hands as he walked forward. "Right, what can you do? It's all because Cyril wanted snacks and the amusement park that we got back so late. I told you we should've come back earlier."

Ye Mo moved to cover Baide's mouth. "Baide, you're full of it."

Arnold immediately backed Ye Mo. "Yeah, it's totally your fault we're late."

Baide changed the subject. "Alright, let's go check out our haul. Did Cyril get Norton a present?"

"Yes, bought a lot, everyone has a share."

"What about me? I helped carry all your stuff."

Arnold called him out. "Jacob carried everything. Plus, Cyril already bought you a ton of stuff, and you still want a present?"

Ye Mo inserted himself between them. "It's fine, everyone gets something. Arnold, I got a bunch of those red candies you like."

Jacob trailed behind, thinking about what Ye Mo had gotten him, and muttered, "Childish."

Lakeley remarked, "Wasn't he just secretly messing with Arnold a minute ago?"

He'd been trailing them all day, totally forgetting his earlier gloom, and was loosening up too.

But when they started upstairs, Lakeley stopped. That was Norton's area—he didn't have clearance.

"Too bad. I kinda wanted to see Cyril's bedroom."

"No, no, no, that's kinda creepy. Lakeley, you can't be that guy."

When Ye Mo and the others went up, everyone else, including Norton, was already there.

There was a pile of boxes in the middle of the living room.

Herli and Adrian were gathered at the side. Herli was leaning in, sneaking the lid open to peek, but Arnold caught her red-handed.

"Herli! That's Cyril's stuff."

She glanced at Norton next to her—he didn't react or even look over—but she still blustered guiltily, "I didn't know. Besides, what's wrong with checking it out for Cyril?"

As soon as they were in familiar territory, Ye Mo kicked off his shoes and padded barefoot onto the carpet. He pushed the boxes in front of Herli and Adrian. "It's okay, we can all open them together. They're all gifts for everyone. There are some for Brother Ye He and the rest—I'll rewrap those later."

Elia offered, "I'll help too."

Deenlie crossed his arms and took a step that way, successfully getting Ye Mo to slide some boxes his way.

Norton glanced at them, then looked toward the door. The next second, Secretary-General Lin pushed the door open and walked in without knocking.

He adjusted his glasses and said, trying to stay calm, "Sorry."

Then he closed the door, knocked twice for show, and came back in, quickly saying, "Your Majesty, we're done negotiating."

"The mother ship can be provided in a few days. It comes with new standard mechas. Since we said we need to equip the legion we brought, the quantity is actually more than our total headcount. Moreover, the Star Alliance has promised to supply the materials consumed during the bug cleansing."

"The mechas and equipment we purchased can be shipped back. Also, this cleansing counts as aid and will be calculated into contribution points according to Star Alliance standard rates and incorporated into the Star Alliance. Although it cannot be cashed out, it can be used as a discount for consumption in the Star Alliance. The young prince's crystal can stay put for now."

Ye Mo, amidst a pile of ribbons and boxes, looked over with a bewildered expression. "My crystal?"

Adelaide came over with a tray and handed him a drink, distracting him. "Young prince."

"Thank you, Adelaide! This is the cup I brought back."

"Yeah, I cleaned it. I gave the design to logistics, and they said they could make a more polished version."

Secretary-General Lin adjusted his glasses again. "The original timeframe is also flexible. It's been extended by one and a half times our estimate. If we're pressed, we can push it back a bit more."

When he walked out of the Star Alliance gate, he almost jumped for joy. Heaven knows how he controlled his expression at that moment, using mental power to connect to the optical computer on the spot to urgently modify the previously drafted contract. The team had deliberately left room for the other side to bargain after the initial estimate. Looks like from now on, they need to be more ambitious with their quotes. The Star Alliance is seriously loaded.