Galaxy Domination Guide-Chapter 694 - 680 The Opening of the Cataclysm Era (Part 4)
Forty-year-old Chen Shizhong straightened his collar, maintaining a grave expression. Hailing from Lingge Star, he bore the mixed features of Asian and Caucasian descent, not tall in stature but with an impressive demeanor. Lingge Star had joined the Star Alliance over twenty years ago, and later on became a part of the Iridium Star United Empire, becoming thoroughly sinicized.
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When Chen Shizhong was young, he had experienced the invasion by the Teizene. He then studied hard, entered the civil service system, and, after Bai Zhongqi had restored order out of chaos, joined the diplomatic corps. The Imperial Cabinet government had earnestly integrated a number of former Star Alliance officials into its central administration, and Chen Shizhong was one of them.
The doors of the Envoy Ship opened, and Chen Shizhong stepped out confidently, his face set in an exceedingly serious and earnest expression.
The Solitary Civilization officials opposite him, judging by their expressions, were somewhat apprehensive about the sudden appearance of this Envoy Ship and the diplomat on board.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I am Chen Shizhong, a diplomat of the Iridium Star United Empire. You may not be familiar with Iridium Star, but the Star Alliance should not be unknown to you. The Star Alliance was established by His Majesty Bai Zhongqi, the Iridium Star Chancellor. Later on, it suffered a usurpation by the traitor Xiao Yu. Now that Xiao Yu has been executed, most of the Star Alliance has been integrated into the Iridium Star United Empire, the civilization I represent."
One Solitary official and one military officer were greatly surprised after hearing this; they had not expected the Envoy Ship to be from a High Level Civilization.
Chen Shizhong continued, "The six planets you forcefully landed on all belong to the cataloged planets of the Iridium Star United Empire. You have violated our national sovereignty. I now issue a formal warning for you to withdraw immediately from our territory. This star region belongs to the Iridium Star United Empire. Should you persist in your delusions, you will face annihilation."
The two Solitary individuals exchanged looks, clearly uncertain and startled.
The historic battle involving 170,000 warships had ended with the victory of a presumed Swarm devouring a star; if the Devourer of Stars was the Iridium Star Chancellor, then this was clearly not someone the Solitary could afford to provoke.
Nevertheless, the Solitary official decided to argue his case. He said, "Your Excellency, an extreme astronomical event has occurred, and the entire Galaxy, the entire Universe, has changed. Originally, the Iridium Star United Empire was not even in this Galaxy, and yet here you are now. You just claimed this star region belongs to the Iridium Star United Empire, which I cannot accept, because our Solitary Civilization has several planets that are now part of this star region. Are you saying that our Administrative Star also belongs to Iridium Star? Besides, on the recently occupied planets, we have not found any signs of Iridium Star sovereignty, so your claim to these planets is utterly groundless."
Chen Shizhong showed none of the patience expected of a diplomat, responding bluntly, "If that's the case, then I regret to inform you that our negotiations have failed to reach an agreement. I now officially declare war on the Solitary Civilization on behalf of the Iridium Star United Empire."
The Solitary official felt a sensation of being utterly baffled—how had the discussion escalated to hostility so quickly?
The Solitary military officer, also furious, said, "You resort to military action without any justifiable cause? The recklessness and barbarism of the Iridium Star United Empire are no lesser than the former Star Alliance. And I'm even more curious as to how you, a low-ranking diplomat, have the authority to declare war on a High Level Civilization. This is utterly preposterous."
Chen Shizhong looked anything but arrogant, yet his words were supremely so. "This has always been Iridium Star's domain regardless of any astronomical or geological changes. Moreover, aren't you two overestimating your Solitary Civilization's power?"
That was a clear slap in the face, and the two Solitary individuals wished they could strangle Chen Shizhong. However, even if a diplomat cursed someone to their face, no civilizations would dare to harm them, a basic rule of the game that no one dared to break.
Chen Shizhong turned and left without saying another word. In the end, the Solitary could only watch as the Iridium Star's Envoy Ship left triumphantly.
Chen Shizhong's actions were not arbitrary. In fact, his visit was merely a formality, as Bai Zhongqi did not believe that based on the nature of the Solitary, they would truly withdraw if asked. They had to be driven out by force to protect the interests of Iridium Star.
After receiving the message from Chen Shizhong, Bai Zhongqi immediately sent the order to the Empire Army High Command to march.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor himself was leisurely stirring his milk tea with a teaspoon at home. He would not personally command the war against the Solitary Civilization; with so many Knights and tens of thousands of generals in the Empire Army at his disposal, it was completely unnecessary for him to be personally involved.
However, the Chancellor's wife, Han Jiaxue, was very concerned about the situation facing Iridium Star. She said to Bai Zhongqi, "Apart from the Solitary Civilization, we face other civilizations within the New Orion Arm, which have either merged from the Second Universe or already existed within the First Universe Galaxy. Their powers are far inferior to Iridium Star, but with the current situation, their presence in the Great Star Zone of the Orion Arm, some located within and some outside the United Empire's territories—some even encircled by our own—represent unstable factors in the Empire's defensive posture."
Sipping his milk tea, Bai Zhongqi asked, "Do you plan to eliminate all other civilizations within the Orion Arm?"
Without hesitation, Han Jiaxue replied, "If necessary."
This stunningly beautiful Chancellor's wife, who had grown increasingly indispensable to Bai Zhongqi following her trials in the Wilds of the Galaxy, may seem gentle and placid like a clear spring, but in action, she was exceptionally firm.
Zero also supported Han Jiaxue's view, adding, "Knight Chi Jia has been undercover in the Southern Cross Arm, collecting a great deal of significant information on the Galaxy's affairs after the merge of the star systems. Due to the redistribution of power domains and intertwined interests, the Ten Great Powers officially split and waged war against each other recently. Many civilizations have begun military operations within their isolated environments, aiming to secure a favorable position once the Galaxy stabilizes, in hopes of gaining more strength. Our situation in Iridium Star is arguably the best among all the civilizations in the Galaxy; we nearly monopolize an entire Great Star Zone within the Orion Arm, with only minor civilizations besides us. If we can take them all down, it would put us in an extremely advantageous position for the power struggle in the Galaxy to come."
Bai Zhongqi nodded slightly and sighed, "It seems we must take up the mantle of hegemony."
