Long before the meeting began, both parties had already submitted documents regarding their intent to cooperate. Having established a reasonable understanding of each other's bottom lines, the formal talks were more symbolic than practical.
Evelyn had only scheduled a single day for the proceedings; she had no extra time to squeeze into her itinerary.
Regarding this formal dialogue, countless dissenting opinions existed within the Empire. Most people harbored anxieties, viewing this unstable peace with skepticism.
The dialogue did not proceed smoothly. While they reached a consensus on future cooperation policies, there remained endless, unresolved squabbling over the implementation of specific clauses.
The Empire possessed a fully developed diplomatic team, with specialists handling and pushing every proposal. The Zerg structure, however, was entirely different. These interstellar marauders didn't usually do "socializing"; their typical approach was "I see it, I want it, I take it," leaving them lacking a formal procedural framework.
Sakti once again experienced the agony of arguing with ministers until he wanted to flip the table. The Minister of Commerce and the Minister of Finance double-teamed him, constantly ratcheting up demands regarding prices and taxes.
Kai had never truly dealt with humans, and Arthur was too young and held a sensitive status. The only one capable of holding the line against the opposition was the Core Species himself. Both sides demonstrated the traditional mastery of "lowballing to the ankles." The Empire slashed the price of energy stones to a third of the standard market rate and pushed for further tariff hikes on other goods. Sakti, ruthless and cold-hearted, responded by directly cutting the supply volume to less than half of the original proposal.
On such an occasion, his "mascot" of a brother was of little use, serving only as a silent, expressionless "hidden boss" to maintain a sense of presence... It wasn't that Clark lacked wit, but rather that the Core Gene groups lacked sufficient understanding of human nuances.
In the eyes of the Zerg, stellar energy was precious, but not so precious that they needed to split every pebble in two. They possessed their own energy stone refinement technology and could even further reduce energy consumption.
Conversely, the Empire's demand for energy stones was gargantuan. The deep-space patrol missions of the three active-duty starships burned through untold amounts of "black gold" every year, to say nothing of the eternally operating Data Canopy and the entire inner-galactic network that supported the River of Time.
The output within human-controlled space fell far short of their consumption.
The five previous expeditions had nearly emptied the Empire's coffers for this very reason; tens of thousands of units of the highest-grade energy were only enough for the Red Tai Sui to tear through a single anchored attack on a Zerg hive.
The ironic reality was that the inventory of Akasha Fissures within the Zerg-inhabited sectors far exceeded those found elsewhere.
Humans could not coexist with pollution; they had to choose relatively stable planets to build their cities.
But the Zerg were unafraid. They dared to build Angon atop fissures and sleep beside sources of pollution. Once all external factors were stripped away, even a female Zerg’s efficiency in hand-mining ore was several times higher than that of a human.
The humans of the Old World could ignite wars multiple times over oil; all conditions of extreme material abundance were built upon the foundation of plunder and extraction. When resources obtained through peaceful means were insufficient to support the current rate of development, predatory behavior directed outward became a near-inevitability.
On this point, Sakti and Evelyn reached a tacit agreement: *If resources do not flow toward me, then risks will surely flow toward me in the future.*
The meeting lasted five star-hours. Only then did the Zerg and humans finally finalize the twelve documents regarding the free trade agreement between the Empire, the Grey-Wing tribe, and the Kamlan region, setting them down in black and white.
By the time Evelyn finally signed the preliminary cooperation framework letter of intent, Sakti’s face was practically a "mask of agony."
The reigning monarch’s warning to "be prepared to have your flesh torn off" had not been empty talk; the humans had truly spent the entire session grinding against the Zerg's absolute bottom line. The Core Species had held on with a death grip, refusing to make a losing deal. He could already imagine the Imperial media hailing this cooperation as a "resounding success."
The successful signing of the agreement meant that the stellar energy provided by the Zerg would exceed 20% of the Empire's annual allocation, accounting for one-third of all traded goods.
If he couldn't use this to trade for more favorable policies, Sakti would rather bury himself in an ocean trench.
All the newly incorporated planets required massive amounts of construction materials. He had to use this wave of dividends to pull the entire third and fourth quadrants up as quickly as possible, achieving self-sufficiency and a production cycle. Otherwise, relying on selling ore to survive would eventually lead to disaster.
The Zerg could not go hungry.
Once this lethal species couldn't fill its stomach, it would begin to expand outward, devouring one place after another.
A Zerg swarm crazed by hunger would dare to eat anything—and *could* eat anything.
When the meeting concluded and both sides prepared for a brief rest, Klein, who had previously pretended not to know Sakti, paused for the first time. He intercepted the Zerg team as they prepared to exit from the other side, gesturing to Sakti with a smile.
"Would you be willing to join me for afternoon tea, along with your partner?"
"I would."
Sakti had too much he wanted to say, but constrained by the setting, he had only been able to respond with silence. Now, he gave Clark a nod, ignored Kleiman’s cold-faced hunger for gossip, and followed the Secretary’s lead in a different direction.
Ge La gently took his hand, walking side by side with him.
When they entered the private drawing room, the Human Empress was already seated at the table.
This time, approximately a hundred people had descended to the surface with Evelyn, all belonging to the Empress's personal guard, promoted by her own hand.
However, for some reason, she had dismissed her retinue. Now, only three old acquaintances and one slightly nervous male Zerg remained in the room.
Her solemn and intricate coat was draped over the back of a chair. The Empress made a gesture, giving a brief opening explanation.
"I will be departing immediately. Klein and the Red Tai Sui will remain on Kamlan for a while to handle the follow-up coordination."
"So, I called you here for tea."
She winked at Ge La.
"Sit."
The male Zerg was somewhat bewildered by the atmosphere.
He had thought good friends would be like him and Xiao—cuddling intimately every day, tails touching. But these human friends seemed a bit... fierce when they interacted. During the negotiations, the monarch had placed immense pressure on both the Zerg and Kamlan. Her brief answers to certain questions were steady and precise, leaving no room for bargaining on key points. Even her polite smile had made the male Zerg feel afraid.
But in the next second, Ge La saw the grey-haired, equally refined Secretary suddenly pull the Core Species—who had been silent until now—into a tight embrace.
Klein gripped his old friend’s shoulders firmly, refusing to move.
A faint sob escaped him.
The Core Gene female was slightly taller than a human and could have easily pushed him away, but Sakti only gave a helpless smile.
"Sigh."
He sighed softly. "If you act like this, I won't be able to keep my promise to punch you the moment we met."
"Don't worry."
Evelyn pulled the bewildered male Zerg toward her. Away from her professional state, the woman displayed a somewhat languid and gentle demeanor. "Their friendship is just like that. Friends who haven't seen each other for too long always need a bit of emotional release."
Her hands were also rough and powerful.
As an Empress born of the Second Legion, she had spent more time holding a gun and piloting a mecha than she had holding a scepter. As she sat there, the dormant lines of her muscles made her body resemble a leopard poised to strike.
The male Zerg gently shook her hand. He smelled the scent of rusted iron and lubricant—a scent soaked in the battlefields. It was clear that even after ascending to the highest position, the woman before him still engaged in regular military training and weapon maintenance.
"Please do not be afraid of me. Right now, this is just a small gathering between friends."
Smiling softly, those emerald eyes gazed at the male Zerg. "I heard that you are in charge of managing the entire Great Information Nest. That is very impressive. Would you mind telling me your story?"
Dazed by that gaze, the Zerg opened his mouth, his wings rubbing together slightly in a surge of something akin to shyness.
His superior mental strength allowed him to perceive the speaker's emotions. Just as Sakti had said, his old friends did not loathe, despise, or refuse to accept him.
Evelyn treated him as an equal conversational partner and was attempting to ease the relatively heavy atmosphere in the room.
"What do you want to hear?" Ge La asked softly, curling his tail around his side. "I don't know much about true human culture, and I don't have many exciting stories."
Adults always have a reserved side; they can no longer wail without restraint as they did in their youth. Everyone has learned the art of quiet self-control.
By the time Klein had quickly composed his emotions and was shoved off Sakti's shoulder with a look of feigned disgust, the two sitting at the table were already engaged in a quiet, whispered conversation.
This scene set off alarm bells for the Core Species. The Zerg's superior auditory system allowed him to discern that the conversation was still within a normal range, but he had witnessed Evelyn's talent for casually digging pits for others.
Sakti sat down boldly next to Ge La, shamelessly squeezing into the conversation circle.
"Count me in."
The Empress let out a snort of laughter.
"Do you know what you look like right now? Like an overprotective old father."
"..."
What a sharp tongue. What a vicious evaluation.
"Sakti is still very young," Ge La instinctively defended his partner, moving to shield him. "He just reached adulthood."
At this, even the Secretary, who had just regained his composure, burst into laughter.
Sakti remained calm and composed, fully utilizing his advantage of having skin thicker than a fortress wall. "That's right. I am exactly that young and vigorous."
He held the male Zerg’s swaying tail and took the opportunity to ask the question he cared about most.
"Where is the Marshal?"
"Did he not descend to the surface with you?"
Evelyn and Klein exchanged a look.
Neither responded immediately. The Secretary stood up and began rummaging through his personal belongings.
"His body has entered a period of decline. He is no longer fit to use the River of Time or engage in any form of deep-space travel."
It was the Empress herself who finally answered. Her green eyes looked quietly at Sakti. "He deeply regrets being unable to come to Kamlan in person. He entrusted me with a few things to deliver to you privately."
Ge La felt his partner's hand, which had been teasing his tail, freeze for a moment.
It wasn't until Klein returned with an object that the hand resumed its movements as if nothing had happened.
"Since when?"
"Not long ago. He hoped to see the trade zone plan proceed smoothly and intended to come to Kamlan to see you both, but in the end, he couldn't make the journey."
Evelyn handed a slender box to the Core Species.
"He sent this to you."
It was a white camellia.
The fragile flower, having crossed the sea of stars, was sealed within a vacuum device. It would never wither; it would never fade.
"This is—"
"This is the new white camellia from the courtyard of the Red Deer Palace."
Both spoke at the same time.
The Empress's voice held a rare softness. "The one you... once planted yourself was destroyed in an accidental fire. But when we refurbished the grounds, we found a cluster of new sprouts growing from the original, deep-seated roots."
"When the former Emperor passed away, Marshal Yates placed an identical white camellia on the casket. This time, he wished for me to bring it to you, who possesses the same soul."
"He hopes you will not be trapped by the past, not be trapped by your origins, and not be trapped by conflicting perceptions," Evelyn said.
"No matter how your appearance, identity, or stance changes, those who love you will always love you."
"And the fact that you are his proudest student remains as it ever was—unchanged."
***
