And so, this military conference concluded successfully in a fervent atmosphere. It was destined to be a victorious conference, a successful conference, and a unifying conference.
This was evident from how the officers surrounded Yu Lian and Feifei after the meeting, insisting on inviting them to a gathering.
Of course, Brigadier General Luben of the Garrison Command HQ and Colonel Sahe, the Marine Corps brigade commander, ceased their activities for the day, using the excuse of “not bothering young people’s activities when one gets old.”
Young people can, of course, squander their youth at will, but middle-aged people are under great pressure and must seize every minute.
"...How much of what he said today do you think is true, and how much is false?"
"Uh, heh, a Moon People's mouth is a liar's ghost!"
"That's right! These top students, these Tiger Amulet Group members, might not be good at fighting, but they're definitely born to speak in officialese!"
"Then we..."
"Hmm, let's observe first. See where he actually goes and who he meets."
"You actually want to track a spiritual energy user? This guy isn't an ordinary spiritual energy user! I'm telling you, the last time I was drinking with Colonel Enke of the Far Shore Fleet, he explicitly said that this young master is also a genius in spiritual energy!"
He said it as if he were really good friends with Colonel Enke, when in fact he was just there to accompany him for drinks and be a hanger-on. Brigadier General Luben rolled his eyes inwardly.
Colonel Sahe was even more nervous. You know, when he went to drink with Colonel Enke, the chief assault Captain of the Far Shore Fleet's exact words were, "If it were me facing Moray in that situation, I would surely die!"
But thinking about it, it's not surprising. Precisely because this person is both a Tiger Amulet Group member and a spiritual energy genius, he is so highly regarded by the big figures on Earth.
"Who told you to send people to follow him? Can't you just have two capable attendants accompany him? If that doesn't work, get two girls, take them for tea and seafood, wouldn't that be enough? Which young man doesn't like that? If the Central Special Envoy is served comfortably, won't everything be fine?" As soon as the Brigadier General finished speaking, he found his Colonel Sahe staring at him with the look of someone watching an idiot.
This was nothing new. Brigadier General Luben and Colonel Sahe were, after all, rivals in office politics, and mutual humiliation was common, but Brigadier General Luben was particularly furious this time.
He also thought he was an idiot.
That Special Envoy and that stunningly beautiful military reporter lady were openly showing affection, so even an idiot would know their relationship.
But, could they find that caliber of tea and seafood?
"People who are used to big meals will occasionally try something different! Besides, how can a Central Special Envoy conduct a survey without someone accompanying him? This is very reasonable!" Brigadier General Luben's voice was a little loud, as if he was trying his best to convince himself, and then he added, "In short, if he really came for the Red Maple Factory as he said, then we should be able to rest assured."
Colonel Sahe thought for a moment and felt that this made some sense.
"Heh, I knew it, such a big piece of fat, the higher-ups couldn't possibly ignore it forever. But to actually send a Moon People to handle this kind of thing, they must really be craving it!"
"By the way, that guy named Zhang, the one who came with the Minlan merchants? How much did he give you?"
"We are soldiers, how much could we have? Didn't the bulk of it go to the Star District Government and the Red Maple Factory's high-level executives? Fortunately, not much..." Colonel Sahe sighed with relief.
"Yes, fortunately, not much, it's easier to handle." Brigadier General Luben also felt very fortunate.
The two mortal enemies and collaborators in office politics (these two points are not contradictory at all) exchanged glances, both feeling that the other was indeed worthy of being their nemesis.
Colonel Sahe pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "...What about our side?"
Brigadier General Luben said irritably, "Naturally, we proceed according to the original plan, as usual... Uh, by the way, the Special Envoy's opinion is certainly very insightful. So, one point must be carried out cautiously and steadily! We must not oppress the ordinary Lumina Rebels settlements too much, and for the main rebel forces of the enemy in Sero Ancient City, reconnaissance must, of course, be the priority."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh, "Besides, the Wanling Sect probably has several spiritual energy users, and it's really hard to fight them without heavy weapons."
They never expected Yu Lian, the Special Envoy, to personally participate. Earth Command HQ had made it very clear that support in terms of extraordinary powers would arrive, and the local Garrison Command HQ only needed to prepare the front line.
Colonel Sahe, however, shook his head and said in a helpless tone, "No, I'm talking about the longer term. The Lumina Rebels have existed for ten years!"
Brigadier General Luben understood his meaning and sighed with a pained heart, "...Well, we'll see. If it really comes down to it, this tacit understanding will have to end, and we'll need to cut ties with everything."
Don't blame me! Who told you damned mantises to get tangled up with cults? Bah, who told your Wanling Sect to act so shamelessly and turn yourselves into a cult?
As for Yu Lian and Feifei, they also seemed very easy to get along with, and directly attended the welcome reception held by the mid-level officers. As the core of the gathering, they naturally handled all the flattery and probing with grace, successfully leaving everyone with a good impression of "these two Moon People are refined people" and "these two Moon People are quite easy to talk to."
And so, the common plot that observers of the great universe outside the box love to see still did not happen, which left Yu Lian a little disappointed.
"A bit surprising!" Feifei chuckled.
Every time she says that, she's leaving room to retort me. Yu Lian decided not to speak this time, and instead showed a relieved and profound smile.
"I thought Yu'er would take over command here with thunderous means and personally lead the army to suppress the rebellion."
Well, for medieval warlords, such an operation has almost become a traditional art form to build a heroic persona for themselves.
"However, I thought Yu'er would at least give them a warning." Feifei added.
"The Lumina Rebels have been causing trouble for so many years; if there wasn't some trickery involved, I wouldn't believe it too much. But no matter what, the combat plan formulated by the Garrison Command HQ this time is at least a plan with no obvious flaws. It's good to just execute it and see, at least it can make the Wanling Sect and the Lumina Rebels suffer more. To be honest, their approach has already exceeded my expectations. Even if I really gave them a warning, I could only achieve this much."
Thinking of this, Yu Lian couldn't help but touch his chin, showing a look of self-satisfaction: "Doesn't this mean that my fame has already spread far and wide, and even without seeing me, my legend already exists!"
Feifei, however, nodded: "At least here, that's the case."
Feifei wasn't joking, Yu Lian could tell that, and he was so pleased he almost got carried away, but then he quickly told himself this was "my private self" and he absolutely couldn't let his tail wag like a flag pole!
"Tomorrow I have to go to the Independent Memorial Hall. As a Central Special Envoy, it's inexcusable not to visit this sacred place of heroes from the Independent War." Yu Lian said, "What about Feifei?"
"Me? Oh, I probably need to borrow a ship from the Command HQ and explore along the islands of New Seville. I also came with a mission."
"Reporters are so nice!" The Star District Government pays for travel.
"Isn't a Special Envoy even better?" Treated like an ancestor wherever he goes.
The two exchanged smiles and finally decided to indulge themselves, enjoying the benefits of the system.
The next day, after bidding farewell to Feifei, Yu Lian, accompanied by his entourage, headed to the Independent Memorial Hall in New Seville—which was the former residence of Duke Tangheisser, the local lord during the Imperial rule.
Incidentally, besides the attendant officer whose name was not very important yesterday, there was also a young female officer with a Appearance of about 2, who was said to belong to the logistics and propaganda department of the Garrison Command HQ, specifically sent to be Yu Lian's guide.
Of course, since this female officer was probably also an NPC background character appearing once or twice, her name was equally unimportant.
The Independent Memorial Hall was also located in K. City, the capital of New Seville, but it was at opposite ends of the city from the Garrison Command HQ and the military guesthouse and other facilities.
This K. City, officially called Coleman City, was named in honor of Coleman Tiac, one of the independent heroes who launched an uprising here. However, during the Imperial rule, it was also called Tangheisser City, and naturally, it was the core of Duke Tangheisser's rule over this star system.
It is a coastal city, located on Saizen Island, the only place in all of New Seville that can barely be considered a "continent"—in fact, it is only two-thirds the size of South Australia on Earth. During Duke Tangheisser's rule, only his retainers, military officials, and their families resided here, along with some branch offices of large organizations and a small number of commercial establishments, which barely formed the layout of a city.
At that time, the permanent population of this city was only about 100,000, and the entire city was a very typical Imperial-style small town, which could be considered elegant.
By now, the permanent population has increased to 300,000, and a considerable part of them are immigrants from other planets. Construction is booming everywhere, and the city's aesthetic has become rather inconsistent.
"When it was still called Tangheisser City, it was truly a pearl of the Far Shore!" the unimportant female officer said in a half-ingratiating, half-boasting tone, then lowered her voice: "Now it's not good, the Star District Government seems to be recruiting immigrants too, and this place has completely become a large construction site, making the sea breeze a bit noisy."
Yu Lian glanced at her, smiled noncommittally, and decided to forget about this lady later.
Soon, the vehicle arrived at its destination. This was an Imperial manor-style building built along a blue coast and white sandy beach, which was the Independent Memorial Hall of this planet, formerly Duke Tangheisser's mansion.
"Sir, I'll go take care of it now." The female officer jumped out of the car energetically, ready to communicate with the management first, and it would be even better if she could clear the area.
However, Yu Lian said, "You are free to move around. There's no need to trouble others; I'll just go in and look around myself."
"But..." The female officer was about to say something, but then saw Yu Lian sweep his gaze over her with a smile, and she immediately couldn't say anything more.
It was operating hours at the Independent Memorial Hall, and there were still quite a few tourists, including even a few soldiers. Although Yu Lian's appearance in a naval officer's uniform was eye-catching, he wasn't really being stared at like a panda, and that was exactly the effect Yu Lian wanted.
He easily sent the museum staff away and, like an ordinary tourist, strolled around aimlessly with relaxed steps.
After the successful uprising, some suggested burning down this massive Imperial aristocratic building to express their determination to be irreconcilable with the Empire!
Fortunately, Coleman Tiac, the independent hero who launched the uprising here, was a sensible man.
He was not a military officer but a merchant by birth, relatively flexible and adaptable in his actions. If possible, he didn't even want to harm Duke Tangheisser's family, using them as bargaining chips for negotiations with the Empire.
However, what was completely unexpected was that Duke Tangheisser, who had always struggled with descendants, was so resolute. The last Duke Tangheisser, upon hearing that his two sons had died in the "riot," shot himself in his study.
A thousand-year-old Imperial Duke thus became extinct.
Although this Imperial family had long ago lost its power and central Imperial territory due to various operational errors, becoming a "country" lord, the Duke's noble status remained, naturally causing a huge uproar.
The scale of the Independent War escalated further, and large-scale battles around the I Earl Star Gorge and Luknar Corridor erupted as a result. However, these were all Past events.
Now, Yu Lian stood at the entrance of the study where the last Duke Tangheisser, Allen IV, had shot himself, surveying this room with many stories.
Mr. Tiac, the pioneer of independence, who was meticulous, flexible, and very thoughtful in his work, completely preserved the original appearance of this room during the transformation of the Duke's mansion into a memorial hall. Not even the furniture inside was changed; only occasionally would specialists enter for maintenance and cleaning.
The items inside were naturally relics, and logically, entry was not allowed. Indeed, two guards stood at the entrance.
Facing a Captain, the two security guards were naturally under great pressure, but this concerned their livelihood, so they naturally dared not retreat, much less allow Yu Lian to enter.
Yu Lian, of course, wouldn't make things difficult for them; he simply smiled and nodded at them.
The two security guards, one old and one young, both felt a little dazed. They both felt that the Captain in front of them, though a big shot, was very kind and spoke nicely. He was clearly a respectable gentleman, and as long as he didn't force his way in, he could look at the door for as long as he wanted.
Yu Lian thus brazenly observed the furnishings in the study, while beginning to organize the information he had collected.
