One month after the Abyssal Hunters and their group departed, Kazdel finally welcomed the delegation from Yan.
This time, it was obvious that Yan took the diplomatic mission extremely seriously. Not only was the Grand Tutor present, but even the Grand Commandant, the highest military authority of the empire, had arrived as well. Alongside these two senior figures were dozens of young officials, led by Lin Qingyan and Liang Xun.
Taihe, the Deputy Censor of the Censorate, and Jie Zhen, a monitor censor, had also arrived with several junior members of the institution.
And besides all of them, there was someone else.
Seated within the golden dragon sedan chair was a figure whose identity could hardly be more astonishing.
The Emperor himself had come in person.
The Emperor of Yan, the so-called True Lung whom few people ever had the chance to see, had personally traveled to Kazdel to participate in this diplomatic exchange.
This might very well become the largest diplomatic event in the entire history of the Yan Empire. The discussions and agreements between Kazdel and Yan would undoubtedly be recorded in the annals of history.
Kazdel's senior officials were stunned at first, but they quickly recovered. Preparations for the Yan delegation had already been underway for some time, but the reception protocol they had planned would clearly need to be upgraded.
This was no ordinary delegation.
It looked as if a significant portion of the Yan court had come along. Not to mention the Emperor himself, the presence of both the Grand Tutor and the Grand Commandant alone represented enormous political weight. The younger generation accompanying them were all highly promising officials, and the members of the Censorate were famously unyielding figures who had personally experienced brutal warfare.
This was no longer simply a high-level diplomatic reception.
It required a reception of the highest possible standard.
His Highness, the King of Liberation, personally greeted the delegation.
He met the Emperor beneath the statue of Kazdel's Sarkaz King. The Emperor looked like an ordinary middle-aged man at first glance. His appearance was unremarkable, but his eyes were sharp and expressive. For some reason, they reminded Felix of Old Wei from Lungmen.
The two men shook hands and exchanged friendly words before the delegation was guided into the Capitol Hall by Sarkaz guards.
Unlike the Grand Tutor, the Grand Commandant was an old general with a notoriously fiery temper. His responsibilities were primarily military, and he held a far more aggressive stance when dealing with many of Yan's internal affairs, including issues involving the Sui and its familiar.
If the Grand Tutor represented diplomacy and restraint, then the Grand Commandant embodied uncompromising strength.
The two of them were like yin and yang.
Felix understood perfectly why both had come.
Balance.
After all, it would be impossible for the court of Yan to entrust every important matter solely to the Grand Tutor. Besides, who could guarantee that the Grand Tutor's report to the court had conveyed Felix's original words without any interpretation?
No one truly believed the Grand Tutor would lie.
But his political enemies would certainly insist that he had.
With the Emperor personally present this time, however, even the most bitter political rivals would restrain themselves.
"Please take a look," Felix began after everyone had taken their seats. "This is the original analysis diagram of the Originium weapon. Its final firing position was directly above Kazdel."
Once the presentation began, the meeting resembled less a diplomatic discussion and more a scientific lecture led by Dr. Felix.
Pointing at the image projected in the air, he continued.
"This attack blasted a massive hole into the sky. Through that hole, the sky beyond appears completely different from the sky we normally see. This strongly suggests that the sky above Terra is artificial."
He paused briefly.
"It is as if we live inside a world covered by a glass dome, and that attack simply broke a hole through it."
The powerful figures seated around the circular table remained silent as they studied the projected images.
Some nodded thoughtfully.
Others narrowed their eyes.
"Before this," Felix continued, "I came across certain records left by the previous civilization. From those documents, I learned that the substance enveloping the entire planet Terra is called Starpod."
"It serves as a protective barrier. Its purpose is to shield Terra from external threats and ensure the continued survival of life on this land."
He switched the projection to a cross-sectional diagram.
"The reason flight altitude is limited, and why even the most advanced reconnaissance aircraft eventually lose signal, is precisely because of this barrier."
"We were fortunate enough to recover fragments that fell when the Starpod shattered during the attack. Some of the materials appear to be the purest form of Originium ever discovered. The remaining metals, however, are completely unidentifiable and impossible to analyze. We suspect they originate from the previous civilization."
Up to this point, Felix was actually rather satisfied that no one had interrupted him.
What he didn't realize was that he had no reason to lie.
Moreover, his reputation had already reached a point where few doubted him. In a remarkably short time, he had overseen the creation of large numbers of advanced warships and aircraft, effectively making him synonymous with future technology itself.
As for the existence of plans left behind by the previous civilization, the Grand Tutor and the others still had questions, but they believed the King of Liberation was telling the truth.
After all, he had just signed a diplomatic agreement. There was no reason for him to fabricate such a story or provoke conflict.
Kazdel and Yan had even signed trade agreements. Deceiving them now would serve no purpose.
"The records of the previous civilization also mentioned a very interesting term."
Felix highlighted a single word in the projection.
"Observer."
He tapped the word.
"My understanding is that the Starpod were created to ensure the continuation of civilization and to protect the legacy of the previous era."
"They exist for one purpose."
"To prevent the arrival of the Observers."
"What exactly are the Observers? Are they a phenomenon, or an alien force similar to the demons? At present, we have no way of knowing. What we can confirm is this: now that the Starpod barrier has been shattered, Terra is exposed to the depths of space. We have nowhere left to hide. Our only option is to resist."
"The crisis will arrive within two to three years. This conclusion was reached by the Kazdel Research Institute and is also consistent with the information I obtained from the records of the previous civilization."
After Felix finished speaking, most members of the Yan delegation looked completely bewildered. Aside from the Grand Tutor, the others seemed as if they had just listened to a stream of incomprehensible jargon.
Several of them blinked in confusion. Some turned toward the Tianshi accompanying the delegation, hoping for an explanation.
The Tianshi could only shake their heads helplessly.
Don't look at us. This isn't our field either.
The Grand Tutor rubbed his temples while studying the dense data and diagrams projected by the device.
He could understand the images, but the formulas gave him a splitting headache. He had hoped the Old Tianshi might join the delegation this time, but that elusive figure wandered freely across the lands of Yan. No one knew which city he might be visiting or where he might currently be teaching.
"Your Highness," the Grand Tutor finally asked, "what do you hope Yan will do?"
The Grand Commandant coughed lightly before speaking in a deep voice.
"I also have a request. Would you be willing to share your research findings with us?"
Felix nodded without hesitation.
He had never intended to monopolize the discovery. If he kept everything to himself and then died, the knowledge would die with him. That would benefit no one.
He glanced at the thoughtful Emperor before replying.
"Grand Commandant, please rest assured. From the beginning, I intended to share these research results with the nations of Terra. The only reason I have not done so earlier is that some countries currently lack the technological and political stability that the previous civilization considered necessary to overcome this crisis."
Hearing this, the Emperor raised his eyes slightly.
What a carefully crafted statement, he thought.
Even if it was simply diplomatic courtesy, it had been delivered with remarkable elegance.
Since the other party had already shown goodwill, refusing to reciprocate would only cause unnecessary embarrassment.
"Kazdel's rapid unification is inseparable from the efforts of His Highness the King of Liberation," the Emperor said calmly. "Its technological achievements and research capabilities are clear proof of the progress of our era."
Felix met the Emperor's gaze.
Both men nodded at the same time.
The exchange of formal compliments was complete.
Felix then began answering the Grand Commandant's question, which was also clearly what the Emperor wished to know.
The Emperor now regarded Kazdel as an equal power.
In the past, Kazdel had been insignificant. Even its rise had been supported financially by the Emperor and his rather irresponsible elder brother. Yet the Emperor knew very well that the true transformation of Kazdel had come from one person.
Felix.
Within only a few years, he had turned a declining nation into a technological and military powerhouse.
The Emperor knew that geniuses existed in this world. His elder brother had been a genius.
As for himself, he was merely a ruler who maintained stability. Perhaps that was enough to be called competent.
But Felix was undeniably a genius.
And Kazdel's status had risen together with him.
What would the future look like?
"Since we do not fully understand the Observers," Felix continued, "we can begin with logical deduction."
Instead of answering directly, he shifted the direction of the explanation.
"The Observers may be a force, similar to the 'higher-level entities' among the Northern Demons. If that is the case, the solution is straightforward. We must build a powerful fleet and prepare for direct confrontation with whatever arrives on Terra in the future."
"When that time comes, I will fight alongside all of you to defend this planet."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The second possibility is far more difficult to deal with."
"In this case, the Observer is not a physical force but a phenomenon. Its influence may extend beyond direct attacks and instead affect the mind, or exploit flaws in the laws of nature themselves."
"In other words, its mere existence could distort the fundamental rules of reality."
He gestured toward the projection again.
"For example, the 'Breath of Permafrost' currently spreading through the Sami region may be one such phenomenon. It causes madness and gradually corrupts everything it touches."
"If both possibilities are true," Felix said slowly, "then the evil represented by the Observer becomes an existential threat. It would attempt to destroy civilization by eroding the very rules that support reality."
He concluded calmly.
"At present, the Observer can be defined as a higher manifestation of hostile forces. It may cause supernatural phenomena such as spacetime anomalies and mental corruption, while also possessing a tangible form."
Although this was only a theoretical deduction, the conclusion made both the Grand Tutor and the Grand Commandant feel a heavy weight in their hearts.
Demons, or Collapsals.
Yan had fought them many times before. Even now, the empire remained locked in conflict with them.
Those demons attacked the frontier cities endlessly, like tireless machines. Wherever they advanced, the land was polluted and civilization was erased, leaving behind nothing but lifeless wastelands.
If Felix's deduction was correct, then Yan might have already encountered the vanguard of the Observers.
The Emperor's expression did not change.
The Grand Commandant, however, took a slow breath before speaking.
"Your Highness, I understand what you mean. War is inevitable."
"The only question is whether we are prepared for it."
"Only…"
The Grand Commandant frowned slightly.
"To be honest, some of Yan's frontiers are currently engaged in active war against the demons. At the same time, we are concentrating our resources on developing a new generation of land warships. With the number of warships we currently possess, we simply cannot cover all of our territory…"
Are they here to borrow troops?
Felix was somewhat surprised by the implication, but since Kazdel was already mass-producing warships, he was not particularly stingy about it. After all, lending forces would bring considerable practical benefits in return. And with the Emperor himself sitting right there, it was impossible that Yan expected to take something for nothing.
What were all these warships being built for anyway?
Primarily for the northern region of Sami.
Felix had no intention of personally heading there to lose his sanity fighting demons. Once the players finished their current battles, they could simply be sent north to hunt demons around Sami. By then, constant PvP would probably start to bore them, and a large-scale PvE activity involving demon slaying would surely become popular.
Since Yan had raised the issue, Felix generously offered to deploy two warships to assist their patrol operations along the relevant frontiers.
Having already expressed Yan's intention to form an alliance with Kazdel, the Grand Tutor, after receiving a nod from the Emperor, naturally continued the discussion and proposed additional treaties.
At that point, Felix lost interest in personally handling the negotiations. He handed the responsibility to Anthony and Ines, instructing them to represent him in discussions with the Grand Tutor regarding future cooperation.
He believed that doing business with Yan would be extremely profitable.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a little regret.
Old Wei had never mentioned any outstanding young women from his generation or the next generation within Yan's elite families. Otherwise, Felix could have arranged a political marriage to further strengthen the alliance.
What a pity.
Then again, when he thought about Victoria and New Tara, Felix quickly decided to drop the idea entirely.
Strictly speaking, Ch'en Hui-chieh did carry a trace of the True Lung bloodline. Unfortunately, she and Talulah were currently wandering through Victoria together, enthusiastically playing the role of wandering heroes. Although they frequently wrote letters to Felix, they were far too busy to return anytime soon.
The first day of diplomatic exchanges quickly came to an end.
Felix publicly announced that Yan would now stand as Kazdel's strategic ally and partner.
The news immediately spread through the reporters present.
In fact, many journalists had already received advance notice that the Yan delegation would be visiting Kazdel. The information had been deliberately leaked by Felix himself.
The purpose was simple.
To attract as many reporters as possible.
Meanwhile, the envoy who had previously returned to Leithanien with what he believed to be a successful diplomatic outcome was now questioning his entire life.
Both the Black Empress and the White Empress had interrogated him repeatedly, asking whether His Highness the King of Liberation had secretly said anything significant during their meeting.
The poor envoy had nearly burst into tears.
He had merely conveyed goodwill. What else could he possibly have done?
However, the two Empresses clearly sensed that something was wrong.
Kazdel and Yan had indeed cooperated before through trade agreements, but that relationship should not have escalated to the level of a strategic alliance so quickly. After all, Kazdel's only openly acknowledged ally had been the small nation of Kjerag.
There had to be some decisive factor.
Some hidden reason that had prompted Yan to make such a bold move toward Kazdel.
After all, no one was blind.
The Emperor himself had traveled to Kazdel. That alone demonstrated how significant the situation must be.
The Black Empress frowned.
"No. Why haven't they contacted us in Leithanien? Is there something about Leithanien that makes it inferior to Yan?"
Fine.
If that was the case, then perhaps they would simply conduct a diplomatic visit in person as well.
Just wait.
Leithanien was not the only nation paying attention.
Many factions across Terra were equally shocked and chose to continue observing the situation.
Laterano had only just finished hosting its international conference.
And now Kazdel was already preparing to host one of its own.