Chapter 43: The Federal Ambassador

Prior to this, Chen Zi'ang's understanding of diplomacy was limited to artistic portrayals on television.

Ambassador Pierre’s remarks just now undoubtedly broadened his horizons and even deeply shocked him.

Did the Federal Elf Ambassador know that the "Human Rights Watchers" were covertly spreading extremist ideologies under the guise of monitoring and safeguarding human rights?

Naturally, he knew.

As a victim, when current legal channels failed to help her, Seiko Takano was forced to resort to the most primitive act of retribution. Which chief culprit caused all of this?

The Federation.

Yet, Ambassador Pierre could still maintain an unblushing composure, omitting any mention of the Federation's malice and atrocities. Instead, he branded Seiko Takano as an "anti-affirmative-action activist" and even casually proposed dispatching an assassin... This inevitably reminded Chen Zi'ang of the various acts of bullying inflicted upon the weak nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America by Western powers in modern history books.

Right and wrong are irrelevant; only interests matter.

"We will handle the issue concerning Seiko Takano," Xia Qingyu said coldly. "We won't trouble the Federation with it."

"Your Highness, you are making things very difficult for us," Pierre said, displaying an expression of displeasure. "The victim's family is appealing for public attention on this matter, and major Federal media outlets have already begun reporting on it, even demanding that the official authorities of Takamagahara hand over the killer to a Federal court... If we cannot give our domestic public an account this time, and the situation continues to escalate, our side will be compelled to take harsher measures against Takamagahara."

"Oh?" Xia Qingyu asked leisurely. "What kind of measures?"

"Trade sanctions, for instance," Pierre said indifferently. "Tariff adjustments, trade quota restrictions, and even a review of the interstellar trade alliance's eligibility for accession."

"Is that it?" Xia Qingyu sneered. "No threat of war?"

Pierre: ???

Even with his many years of experience as an ambassador, he found it somewhat difficult to parry Her Highness's rhetorical style. He could only quickly put on a stern demeanor and said:

"What do you mean? Is Your Highness representing the Empire in issuing a diplomatic provocation to the Federation?"

"It seems Ambassador Pierre's comprehension is rather limited," Xia Qingyu mocked. "Whether it's parking mining vessels of military designation or dispatching mercenary squads under the moniker of 'mystic scholars,' both fundamentally belong to military actions—as if the Federation has already intended to invade the Takamagahara sector and made preparations to go to war with the Empire for it."

"No, no, no." Pierre's expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly corrected, "We have no intention of going to war with the Empire. Why would Your Highness think that? I believe both sides acknowledge that the Takamagahara sector is the nexus connecting the Empire and the Federation; ensuring its independence and stability is mutually beneficial."

"Up to now, Takamagahara has benefited immensely from its long-term trade with the Federation. If we are to deepen economic and trade ties and increase Takamagahara's mineral export volume, adopting more advanced mining equipment is quite necessary."

"Unfortunately, you humans seem to treat our goodwill as a plot and our outstretched hand as poison. If we had known in advance about human distrust toward us, we would never have permitted Takamagahara to join the Interstellar Trade Alliance in the first place."

"It's not too late for Takamagahara to withdraw now," Xia Qingyu retorted sarcastically.

"Pardon me," Pierre sneered. "In what capacity is Your Highness making such remarks? Does Your Highness represent the Takamagahara sector, or the Empire?"

"Since Ambassador Pierre has addressed me as 'Your Highness,' what do you think?"

Listening quietly from the side, Chen Zi'ang felt that Ambassador Pierre's attitude was extremely aggressive, nearly every sentence laden with pressure.

Fortunately for him, he had encountered the beautiful serpent Xia Qingyu, who was not only impervious to all soft and hard tactics, but also prone to sneering, mocking, and ridiculing at every turn. It was thanks to Pierre's sufficiently thick skin that he wasn't directly poisoned to death by her venom.

"It seems we are unable to reach a consensus." Following an entire afternoon of verbal sparring, Pierre finally signaled his surrender. "Forgive the trouble, Your Highness; our side will discuss this properly with the sector governor instead."

This remark carried the implicit intention of bypassing the Empire to deal directly with Takamagahara—imbued with a subtle, hidden insult: "Let's see if Takamagahara will listen to your Empire."

Without losing her composure, Xia Qingyu merely stood up and said:

"Then I shall take my leave."

"I won't see you out," Pierre said coldly.

Chen Zi'ang quickly stood up, followed Xia Qingyu out of the reception parlor, and took a glance at the time.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon.

According to standard etiquette, the embassy ought to have invited guests to stay for a meal. Letting people leave at this hour clearly indicated a breakdown in talks, and the attitude was already unmistakable.

Riding in the car away from the embassy, Chen Zi'ang looked through the window and noticed that the guard on duty had been replaced, and the new guard even politely lifted his hat in salute toward him.

As for the guard who had fallen victim to the [Entangling Touch], there was no telling where he had been sent off to.

"Chen Zi'ang," Xia Qingyu suddenly said, "tell me your thoughts."

"Thoughts on what aspect?" Chen Zi'ang asked, puzzled.

"The Federation," Xia Qingyu said.

"Well..." Chen Zi'ang pondered for a long moment before finally saying, "The Federation cannot be trusted."

"Hmph." Xia Qingyu offered no commitment, merely offering a faint smile.

Shinichiro Oishi, who was driving, cast an admiring gaze at him through the rearview mirror, as if saying, "Impressive, bro, actually managing to satisfy the boss—how did you pull that off?"

Chen Zi'ang desperately wanted to tell him there was no special trick; you just had to endure a lot of scolding.

Yet this answer was not an intentional catering to Xia Qingyu's perspective, but rather Chen Zi'ang's own judgment.

He had already sensed that whether Ambassador Pierre was applying harsh pressure or softening his tone, both were actually controlled, manufactured masks rather than genuine emotional outbursts.

Furthermore, he harbored a more obscure intuition unsupported by evidence: that the mining vessels Pierre wished to park here served purposes far beyond mere mining.

Naturally, there was no need to share such baseless speculation with Xia Qingyu, as doing so would most likely earn him nothing more than a scoff.

Upon returning to the office, Xia Qingyu did not dwell on the matter and summarily dismissed the two of them.

Chen Zi'ang walked back to his office, looked at Luna Tsukimiya's empty desk, and let out an involuntary sigh.

There was no telling where Luna was now or how she was doing.

He seated himself in his chair, unlocked his computer, and suddenly noticed a new email in his inbox.

Upon clicking it open, he saw the sender was "Interstellar Interconnected Communications Corp." He didn't recognize them, but the opening lines of the message were painfully familiar:

"Are you doing well, Senior? Have you missed me~ Luna's spaceship has already left the Perseus Corridor and started jumping toward the Rosette Nebula!"

"To be honest, the night I came to your place to find you, I wanted to say a proper goodbye in person, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back my tears... I didn't want Senior to see me crying, and since Senior had gone to the Limbo Realm, I just said goodbye to Little Bamboo beforehand. I hope Senior won't be too sad."

"The reason I'm heading to the Rosette Nebula is because there's a very important matter that requires me to handle it in person. Allow Luna to keep this as a suspense for now; once I return from the Rosette Nebula, I'll tell Senior everything."

"Life on the spaceship is quite monotonous. Since most of the time is spent traveling at faster-than-light speeds, I just sleep in the decompression pod."

"However, occasionally when we enter a stable flight state, I can come out for a bit of activity. I took a few nice pictures of the starry sky through the porthole, processed them for grayscale and saturation, and am sharing them for Senior to enjoy."

Attached below were various photographs of the cosmic starry sky and celestial bodies.

"Of course, they say there are even more gorgeous interstellar gases and dust near the Rosette Nebula—which is why it's called the 'Rosette Nebula' in the first place. Once I arrive, I'll show Senior even more pretty pictures."

"While I'm away, Senior must remember to eat well and sleep on time, okay?"

"Love you~"

The closing attachment featured three selfies of Luna Tsukimiya: one smiling while flashing a peace sign, one puffing out her cheeks in a feigned pout, and one playfully winking her left eye. Paired with her extraordinary and sweet beauty, every pose was a feast for the eyes.

Having finished reading the email, Chen Zi'ang felt his mood lift considerably. He casually saved all three selfies and then set to work on official business.

Right, I'll get all the year-end paperwork finished today!