Chapter 683: What Does This Have to Do with Us?

Chapter 683: What Does This Have to Do with Us?

In the Alliance Building, the diplomatic district was bustling with activity.

It had been like this for some time now.

With the representatives of the Enterprise, Academy, and Legion gathering in Dawn City, more and more small and medium-sized settlements, sensing an opportunity to exploit the situation, had sent envoys to the Alliance.

Among them were those who came in good faith, but there were also plenty of fakes, and even some stubborn raiders who disguised themselves as normal settlements to take advantage.

A case had occurred not long ago.

A survivor settlement registered in an abandoned urban area two hundred kilometers away turned out to be a raider farm trafficking people and organs.

A merchant from the Free State, eyeing the business opportunities brought by the influx of envoys to Dawn City, had bribed the management of that raider farm, set up a disguised radio station for sending and receiving signals, and packaged the settlement as an innocent little white rabbit. This deception fooled the Foreign Ministry’s signal location checks and return-call verification procedures, earning him proxy authorization for that base.

The merchant was gambling that the Alliance wouldn’t have the resources to personally verify every survivor settlement application on-site.

If he succeeded, he could obtain “diplomatic immunity” within the Alliance under the guise of a diplomat, representing a thousand-person survivor community to extract benefits from various factions.

He had to admit, he had accurately judged the work capacity of the Alliance’s foreign affairs department.

The Alliance’s Foreign Ministry indeed lacked the ability to conduct on-site inspections of settlements. However, the Alliance also had a special group known as “players.”

Clearly, he had underestimated the players’ enthusiasm for exploring new maps and settlements.

That very day, several players parachuted into the area and, upon discovering that the actual situation differed from the mission description, immediately submitted reports offline through the official website.

Although the area was far beyond the Alliance’s jurisdiction and the Guard wouldn’t deploy, the semi-official “Home for Refugees” would issue raider camp clearance missions based on player intelligence, offering bounties for rescuing hostages.

At that point, the Foreign Ministry’s work was done. What followed was the business of the Alliance’s various legions.

Word had it that the Silver Legion took on the follow-up mission, and the entire battle lasted only half an hour.

The players who captured the raider camp found the radio station that had been used for verification with the Alliance Foreign Ministry and brought it back to Dawn City along with the prisoners taken in the battle.

With both human and material evidence in hand, the merchant from the Free State was arrested on charges of fraud, becoming the second Free State merchant arrested by the Alliance after Sinderson.

Faced with irrefutable evidence, even Norreg, the Free State’s foreign minister attending the Alliance’s Sticky Mould Community meeting, could say nothing and had to swallow the bitter pill.

Since that incident, the Alliance Foreign Ministry had tightened its review procedures for survivor settlements outside the Valley Province, and the workload of every department had more than doubled.

As usual, Cheng Yan, the Alliance’s foreign minister, sat in his office reviewing documents.

Just then, his deputy walked in with a letter and placed it on his desk.

Cheng Yan stopped writing, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

“What’s this?”

“A protest from the Xilan Empire.”

Seeing Cheng Yan’s surprised expression, the deputy foreign minister made a helpless face, took a crumpled newspaper from the file bag, and placed it beside the letter.

“…It started with this newspaper.”

Cheng Yan didn’t open the letter but picked up the newspaper instead. The headline photo was the one that had been causing a stir recently.

“…The Goblin Observer?”

The deputy foreign minister nodded.

“Yes… but it’s not about the headline. It’s about the news on page two. Take a look.”

“Let me see.”

With that, Cheng Yan flipped to page two.

Unlike the Survivor Daily, the Goblin Observer was an unofficial, privately run “entertainment newspaper,” and one run by a vault dweller at that.

After the Sinderson case, the Alliance Representative Assembly had passed a media qualification review bill, and the industry committee had formulated detailed regulatory guidelines. However, these only required that news reports not fabricate facts or show subjective bias, and that commentary must cite reliable sources.

Some had suggested to the Administrator that the Alliance authorities should review media qualifications, but the Administrator didn’t approve. Instead, as before, he adhered to the principle of “experts handle affairs, the public supervises,” leaving management to the industry committee composed of experts, and oversight to the Representative Assembly, which represented the public opinion and voice of the Alliance.

In other words, the Alliance’s foreign affairs department couldn’t do anything to the newspaper procedurally. Even if they wanted to, they’d have to go through the Representative Assembly or the Administrator…

Rubbing his brow with his index finger, Cheng Yan looked at his deputy and asked in an uncertain tone.

“Are they protesting that we’ve taken in the Moon Tribe refugees?”

The deputy foreign minister sighed.

“No… They’re protesting that we use the term ‘refugees’ for those Moon Tribe people, and then we said something about the fable of the Sun-Bearing Divine Ox. Honestly, I didn’t quite understand. In short, they demand we use derogatory terms like ‘criminals’ or ‘sinners’ to refer to those people, and then, out of respect for the Empire, expel them.”

Cheng Yan couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

“Well, another Great Deer God.”

The deputy foreign minister gave him a helpless look.

“I told that guy that we respect their beliefs, but they should also respect that we are atheists… But he was very stubborn, even threatening to oppose us at the Sticky Mould Research Community meeting.”

Cheng Yan stared at him in disbelief.

“This… what does it have to do with sticky mould?”

The deputy foreign minister shrugged and muttered under his breath.

“Who knows… Damn it, I feel like the Vellantese are pulling strings behind the scenes. I knew those big-noses had ulterior motives when they dragged these brain-dead idiots into the Sticky Mould Community!”

“You can’t say that. The Brahmaputra Province is also part of this land. Any progressive voice deserves encouragement… even if some survivor factions aren’t progressing very obviously.”

Cheng Yan coughed and looked at his deputy, continuing, “The important thing now is to solve the problem… Is that all they’re demanding?”

The deputy foreign minister hesitated for a moment but still told the truth.

“They also want to summon the Administrator.”

Cheng Yan was taken aback, thinking he’d misheard, and asked again uncertainly.

“Summon??”

Were these people not awake yet?

The deputy foreign minister said with displeasure.

“Yes… They think we’re in the wrong.”

Cheng Yan’s expression gradually turned serious.

“Did Duke Garava propose this?”

The deputy foreign minister: “I’m not sure. The one who delivered the written demands to us was his attendant, a guy named Niyang.”

Cheng Yan pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“If anyone could see the Administrator over such a trivial reason, our Administrator wouldn’t have time for anything else… I happen to be free tomorrow afternoon. I’ll meet with the Xilan Empire’s ambassador myself.”

The Xilan Empire could no longer be considered a small or medium-sized survivor faction; it at least occupied an entire pre-war administrative region.

Even if their demands sounded absurd—even somewhat unreasonable—Cheng Yan felt it was necessary to hear them out.

Perhaps there was some misunderstanding.

As the Administrator often said, misunderstandings arise from a lack of communication, and many problems can be resolved through dialogue.

The Sticky Mould Research Community was founded on this principle.

If the various survivor factions on the wasteland could set aside their long-standing disputes and cooperate on matters concerning the common destiny of humanity—at least on some issues—then this land might usher in a new era.

For the sake of the future of human civilization, he felt it necessary to speak face-to-face with this ambassador who had traveled from afar...

...

The next day, Cheng Yan summoned Duke Garava, and set the meeting place in Conference Room 2 of the Alliance Building.

With a long, drawn face, Duke Garava entered the conference room.

He did not sit down immediately, but cast a glance around the circular conference table. Seeing that only a foreign minister sat before it, a hint of arrogance and disdain crept into his expression.

At the Cohesion Council meetings, those who sat with him were at least the administrators of the Alliance.

What was a foreign minister worth?

Did he even deserve to sit at the same table?

Still, mindful of diplomatic etiquette, Duke Garava forced himself to walk to the table and take a seat, tapping his index finger on the surface.

"Where is your administrator? Have him come and speak with me."

Facing Duke Garava, who had adopted an aggressive tone from the outset, Cheng Yan stared at him unflinchingly and replied with neither humility nor arrogance.

"Our administrator's schedule has been very tight lately; it's difficult to arrange a private meeting with you in the short term. However, he instructed me to fulfill the duties of a host, to take good care of our guest's feelings. It's the same if I listen to your troubles—"

"This is not a trouble," Duke Garava rudely interrupted, narrowing his eyes and speaking with a hint of menace. "I'll say it again: you are provoking the wrath of the Empire."

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Cheng Yan, with a problem-solving attitude, decided to overlook the rudeness for now and continued patiently.

"I am here precisely to resolve the issue... So first, I'd like to understand: what is the conflict between you and those Moon People?"

As he spoke, he opened the notebook on the table, picked up his pen, and prepared to take notes.

But no sooner had his words fallen than the conference room echoed with Duke Garava's indignant protest.

"They are accursed people!"

"Reason?"

"The Sun-Bearing Sacred Bull—"

"Enough, Mr. Garava. You know we don't want to hear that!"

Having reached his limit, Cheng Yan finally interrupted the man's nonsense.

Looking at the stunned Duke Garava, he raised his voice and continued.

"We want to know where your grievances come from—for instance, did they kill someone of yours, or commit crimes like theft, robbery, or human trafficking in the past? You can treat this as a hearing. We will listen to both sides and strive to reach a result satisfactory to both parties. If we can help you reconcile, that would be best... What do you think?"

Duke Garava stared at him blankly, as if looking at some strange, exotic creature.

...Reconcile?

He wondered if he had misheard.

Why should he, with noble blood flowing in his veins, reconcile with those lowly creatures? They were only fit to kiss his toes.

The Empire had been merciful enough not to behead them, but to keep them penned in hovels.

Yet those ungrateful wretches had shamelessly fled from the Province of Brahma, cleverly excusing their filthy lineage and pretending to be pitiful innocents.

What would the other survivors think of the Empire!

Seeing him silent for so long, Cheng Yan reminded him sternly.

"Duke Garava?"

Suddenly, Duke Garava calmed down and leaned back in his chair.

Just as Cheng Yan thought he was finally ready to communicate properly, he crossed his right leg over his left knee and coldly dropped a single sentence.

"That is not important."

Cheng Yan stared at him in astonishment, frozen for a long moment.

Not important?

"Then... what is important?"

"His Majesty says they are accursed people, so they are. That is His Majesty's decree, and also the decree of the Sun-Bearing Sacred Bull. Why should I explain anything to you?"

Duke Garava lifted his chin slightly, looking down his nose at the Alliance's foreign minister across the table, and continued without restraint.

"This is our own affair. It has nothing to do with you!"

Confirming that the man was not joking but truly meant it,

Cheng Yan steadied himself, glanced left and right at the secretaries taking minutes, then put down his pen and closed his notebook.

There was no longer any need for this.

Seeing his action, the other staff recording the meeting also closed their notebooks.

It seemed not only they, but even the foreign minister himself, felt this was a waste of time.

Garava frowned slightly, uncertain what these people meant, only sensing that the situation was not as he had imagined.

Before rising from the conference table, Cheng Yan cleared his throat, sat upright, looked at him solemnly, and asked again with gravity.

"Then... Duke Garava, I would like to hear your demands once more."

Garava frowned.

"...What demands?"

Cheng Yan: "Regarding what exactly you want us to do."

Garava answered without hesitation.

"Expel those accursed people immediately! And apologize to the Western Xilan Empire in the newspapers!"

He had made some concessions.

Having the Alliance's emperor apologize to him seemed unrealistic, but an apology in the newspapers should be acceptable.

In his view, he had already offered a sufficient face-saving gesture.

Cheng Yan nodded, indicating he had heard.

Seeing him nod, Garava's face broke into a pleased smile, and he leaned back comfortably in his chair.

"This communication is much smoother. We should have done this from the start."

He hadn't expected the Alliance to be so easy to deal with.

A little firm pressure, and these people caved.

It seemed he had overestimated them; perhaps he could be even tougher next time.

"I think so too. From the beginning, we should have communicated in this straightforward manner," Cheng Yan said, expressionless, staring at the smug Duke Garava. "So... what does this have to do with us?"

The smile gradually froze on his face. Garava stared at him, dumbfounded.

"What did you say?"

Looking at the bewildered Duke Garava, Cheng Yan hesitated no longer. He rose from the table, tucking the untouched notebook under his arm.

"You said it yourself—this is your own affair. Tell us to mind our own business."

"So what does this have to do with us?"

Garava: "???"

What kind of talk is that?

What does he mean, what does it have to do with you?

He opened his mouth, about to roar in anger, but for a moment couldn't think of a retort.

Ignoring the stunned expression on the man's face, Cheng Yan walked out of the meeting room without looking back.

"Wait, wait a minute—"

Duke Garava stood up, reaching out to stop him, but no one paid him any heed.

Seeing that even the foreign minister had left, the others seated at the conference table also rose and filed out of the room.

In an instant, the vast chamber was left with only him, standing dumbfounded before the table.

Staring at the half-open door swaying on its hinges, Garava withdrew his trembling fist and let out a furious roar into the empty meeting room.

"You... will regret this!"

The roar echoed through the room, but no one acknowledged him, not even a single soul heard it.

Finding nothing on the table to smash, Duke Garava slammed his fist hard against the surface, then kicked the table leg with the tip of his shoe in frustration.

Biting back the pain in his toes, he swallowed his rage, grinding it down into his gut.

Just wait.

This humiliation—

He would repay it a hundredfold!

...

After the meeting, having calmed down, Cheng Yan went to the administrator's office and found Chu Guang, proactively reporting on his meeting with the envoy from the Xilan Empire and making a self-criticism for his work errors.

"...I'm sorry, Administrator, I messed this up."

Having finished reading the meeting minutes, Chu Guang listened to his account but said nothing more than a simple comment.

"Don't blame yourself. You only did what was within your duties. At least in my view, you didn't mess anything up."

If anything, he shouldn't have bothered with that fellow from the start.

For instance, he himself, during the symposium on the Adhesive Commonwealth agenda, barely paid attention to that waste who had nothing worthwhile to say.

Expecting to be criticized by the administrator, Cheng Yan was taken aback and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"But... you said we should resolve issues through communication as much as possible."

Chu Guang said patiently.

"I did say that, and that's why we communicate with all beings who can understand human speech—even the slime mold. But if they truly can't understand, there's no helping it; we have to find another way to communicate. You need to understand that not everyone is open to dialogue. And it was they who rejected our conversation, not you who rejected theirs."

Cheng Yan pondered this for a long time, then said respectfully.

"I understand!"

Seeing that he seemed to truly grasp it, Chu Guang nodded approvingly.

He had heard something about the situation in the Xilan Empire, but he hadn't taken it too seriously.

Those people were essentially nothing more than lackeys of the Vland people. Like most survivor settlements, they had no urgent interest in solving the threat of the mutant slime mold; they only hoped to use it to gain advantages in other areas from the Alliance and other ancient survivor factions interested in the slime mold.

That was actually fine—after all, the Adhesive Commonwealth existed for that very purpose.

Clearly, the Legion had promised the Xilan Empire some benefits, whether military support or economic gains.

Thus, whether the Alliance offended them or not, they would stand with the Legion.

Such vassals, who had already chosen sides, were not worth courting. Even if negotiations failed, it didn't matter.

As for their so-called threats, Chu Guang paid them even less heed.

Even the Legion hadn't dared to bring up military threats, let alone these lackeys. He didn't believe these people truly had the courage to carry out any form of retaliation.

Any form of retaliation.

Setting the meeting minutes aside casually, Chu Guang looked at Cheng Yan and continued.

"Is there anything else?"

Cheng Yan nodded and promptly said.

"There is one more matter that requires your decision. The Kingdom of Camelback has proposed that we establish an embassy in Silvermoon Bay."

Chu Guang asked, puzzled.

"Didn't we set up an embassy there long ago?"

Beyond the Alliance's borders, embassies served both as channels for dialogue with other factions and as save points for players.

Especially for factions without military bases, embassies were almost the only official save points besides player-operated ones.

"That's true, but the Camelback ambassador said... the number of our people active in Silvermoon Bay far exceeds that in Camelot City. He hopes that, for the sake of those Alliance citizens, we at least set up an office to resolve disputes. However, I suspect... the real reason behind this request might be related to the Xilan Empire's recent military activities around Silvermoon Bay."

Hearing this, Chu Guang frowned and turned his gaze to the map hanging on the office wall.

After a moment's thought, he spoke.

"This can be arranged."

Ignoring the Haiya Province controlled by the Torch Church, Silvermoon Bay was the nearest outlet to the sea for the Alliance, crucial both strategically and economically.

Although the Alliance did not directly control this port, its economic interests in the region were no less significant than those in the Kingdom of the Lion or the Kingdom of the Honey Badger.

To prevent any reckless fools from causing trouble, it was best to make some appropriate gestures.

"Yes." Sensing Chu Guang's intent, Cheng Yan nodded knowingly and turned to leave.

Watching the foreign minister depart, Chu Guang looked back at the map on the wall.

A railway line ran along the edge of the Jobal Mountains, crossing the battlefield where the Skeleton Corps had once fought, all the way to the throat of the mountains—Petra Fortress.

Soon, the railway would pass through there, entering the fertile No. 4 Oasis and the port of Silvermoon Bay, connecting to the maritime route leading to the Baiyue Strait.

Initially, the Kingdom of Camelback had been wary of the Alliance's railway, fearing a repeat of the Stone City incident in No. 4 Oasis.

But the military pressure from the southwest forced the nobles and merchants of Camelback to draw closer to the Alliance, seeking tighter cooperation in exchange for security protection.

Chu Guang actually didn't dislike this meddlesome stick reaching in from the southwest.

Though annoying, compared to its tangible harm, it mostly brought him absurd amusement—even less troublesome than the rats to the north.

Besides, these fellows had brought the Alliance some gifts.

And very tangible ones at that.