The prime leader tried to contact the galactic council but Aran had taken hold of every satellite they had and isolated the communication across space. The rebellion had picked up the pace and the big families began to concede. They all feared for their lives, and when those who followed the path of mercy became violent, they were nothing less than rabid monsters, who sought destruction.
After all, they subconsciously start venting their hearts for everything bad that they had suffered in life. The big families started conceding when they saw the younger generation joining the rebellion and questioning their conscience. The young were easily influenced and they all knew that this was the chance to save some face for the family and also to become heroes in the eyes of the masses.
Since the prime leader’s ancestor could discard his family members and climb high to be called a hero, so can they. The elders had no option but to transfer the power to the younger generation, who began to appease the crowd with promises of accepting the Variants and helping them progress. Meanwhile, they donated their family’s fortune with both hands.
The living standards of the people had shot to the sky in just one night. Shi Lang was busy inside the Variant City when he was notified that the council of Cigs invited him to a meeting. Shi Lang replied, “The council is seeking me, they can come here, and bring appropriate guards if they are too scared. The meeting will be held outside the city and in presence of the Variant council.”
The cig council was expected to throw their weight around but they were surprisingly docile and they came forward to accept a meeting. Shi Lang did not mind it as his work here was finished. He had located the presence of spiritual energy here. This was going to be very useful for him.
Using the skills of the primordial soul realm, he connected a wisp of his soul energy to the spiritual energy and found that beneath the core of the planet, there was a massive network of mines. These mines had spirit stones.
Spirit stones were something that a cultivator could use in order to increase their cultivation base, and the effect was immediate. Shi Lang opened his eyes and stood up from the spot. Crystal stood in front of him. He asked, “What is the matter?”
The girl replied, “They are seven minutes away.”
Shi Lang nodded and then stretched his body as he replied, “I will go meet them and also they have spirit stones under the crust.”
Crystal froze for a moment and then asked, “Shall we ask them to mine it?”
Shi Lang replied, “Definitely, but I do not know if they will allow this. Also, spirit stones are not infinite. Their planet might run out of them and that will be disastrous. First, let us get through this meeting and see if they can reach a middle ground and then seize that weapon, after that we can try to have them form an alliance with our civilizations and send more people over here to train. That will be more constructive.”
Crystal nodded and the two moved toward the city gate. On the way, Shi Lang was pondering over the point he should teach the people here about spiritual cultivation or not. If he went by the logic from his last life, then spreading the teachings of cultivation was a meritious deed.
However, he did not know what these people would do if they learned cultivation. While lost in thought they arrived at the city gates and found that Jill was talking with Salve, the man seemed to be nervous. It was normal, after all, the other side had suppressed them for ages. His confidence was low.
Shi Lang walked over and said, “Do not worry, they cannot hurt you in my presence, if you want to be wary, then be wary of me.”
Salve was surprised and then he recalled the truth Shi Lang had told him earlier and his mind shifted focus. Shi Lang did not mind looking like a demon to make things proceed smoothly. Jill shook her head slightly as they all walked out. The members of the variant council members were also present.
Outside the city, the Ace Division was gathered with their gear on. Shi Lang looked at them all and yelled, “You morons, what is going on with the war gear? Did I ask you all to come over here and scare the people? Go back to the ship.”
The team shivered and they all scurried away back to the ship. Crystal chuckled and said, “Senior Sonic arranged all this.”
Shi Lang sensed a twitch developed at the corner of his mouth. He said, “First Milo and now this jerk. Is my team cursed to have a clown?”
Jill said, “I will tighten his leash boss, you calm down.”
Shi Lang nodded and said, “Yes, captain Jill, only you are the good seed in this bunch of rascals, and of course, our Miss Crystal is also good.”
Jill had a weird expression on her face, she did not know why, but the Commander was happier than usual. She looked at Crystal and asked, “What is it?”
Crystal shook her head but replied with telepathic communication, “He found a network of spirit stone mines under the crust.”
Jill froze for a bit but then calmed down since Shi Lang had yet to tell everyone about it, which meant this was a sensitive issue. She decided to keep this information to herself. Shi Lang walked ahead with Salve and the two began talking about a lot of things.
They did not wait for long before they spotted a group of lev vehicles approaching them at a high speed. The convoy was made up of Lev-cars. In just a few seconds, the vehicles reached closer and the people disembarked from them.
There were no guards but a lot of drones flying behind the people. This was a meeting between the councils of the two groups that had been at odds for eons. The entire world was watching the scenes unfold in front of them. Shi Lang looked at the Cigs in the variant council and said, “I do not intend to interfere in the negotiations, and the variants do not know much, so I hope you guys stay honest. Do not take the position for granted just because the other party is your kin.”
The people nodded and they assured him that they will not falter or play the Variants. Ryud was the person in lead. This timid-looking girl had picked up the mantle to reform the council of Cigs. She nodded at Shi Lang in greeting and then shook hands with Salve and said, “I take it as you are Leader Salve?”
Salve was surprised and then nodded, he was looking at the lady holding his hands without any hesitation and could not help but ask, “Why do you shake hands with me?”
Ryud replied with a faint smile, “A shaking hand can tell the world that we can still get along with each other.”
Salve nodded, he was an honest man and his face could tell what was going on in his mind. The meeting began and after a small introduction, the people began to talk about more delicate issues. They talked about the integration of Variants into normal society and how to prevent this discrimination from spreading around.
The meeting lasted for six hours and the variants displayed great patience and calm. They also did not hesitate to step forward and mention the doubts they had. The Cigs also cooperated and the basic meeting was completed. After the session, the two parties decided to take a break and camp outside the city.
Ryud and a few of the young leaders of the Cigs and Variant council discussed something and they came to Shi Lang, who was standing at the side, looking at the horizon. Ryud asked, “Sir, may I ask you something?”
Shi Lang nodded without looking at her and the girl asked, “Sir, why are you so sure that the two groups can live together in harmony?”
The young general sighed and said, “Look at the horizon.”
Everyone followed his words and Shi Lang said, “If the sky can bow down and the earth can raise her head to meet each other at the horizon, then can you all not live together in harmony? The key is not to point out the difference other people have, but to embrace your own trait while respecting others for what they are. The best example is to allow children to meet and play with each other from a young age.”
The people were in awe and they were amazed by the way of thinking this person had. Shi Lang was younger than all of them. Ryud suddenly asked, “Sir, is there a way we can maintain communication outside the scope of Galactic Strike Force.”
Shi Lang could not be happier, he said, “I will give you the coordinates and the star map to reach my home world, the federation. Or you can form an ally relationship with the empire through the Galactic Council Ambassadors. We can form a system where the youths of both worlds can visit and experience the vastness of the galaxy.”
The people were glad to hear this, as for the problem of transport, that will be solved by the two governments, and Shi Lang also mentioned the presence of Spirit Stones under the crust and how this matter should be covered up and kept a secret. However, he also asked them to find a way to exercise inside the city to reap benefits.
The task was almost complete, and now he needed to seize the weapon and go back to Blue Star, where another storm was waiting for him.