Seated in the VIP section of the venue, Xiao Ran still wore a general's uniform beneath his mask. The unreadable expression hidden behind it gave others a sense of awe and mystery. He faced the stage as he sat there, looking as though he were attentively listening to the music and watching Sheryl's performance. From time to time, the index finger of his right hand moved through the air before him, as if swaying along with the music.
This image of Xiao Ran was repeatedly displayed on the massive Holographic Projection above the stage. To outsiders, he clearly looked utterly relaxed, and the reason for that relaxation could only be his absolute confidence in himself.
In truth, Xiao Ran's gaze was not focused on Sheryl's performance onstage at all. Instead, he was looking at information projected from the watch on his left wrist, something no one but him could see.
He repeatedly reviewed the prompt that had appeared in his mind earlier, carefully studying the detailed explanations for each condition. The movement of his right index finger was merely a habitual adjustment as he browsed what he wanted to see.
Of the six conditions mentioned in the prompt, the first concerned population and autonomous territory. Since the population had to exceed five million and there was also a final requirement regarding the proportion of autonomous territory, there had to be considerable requirements for the territory itself as well. For the 25th Fleet, even without counting the planet they were currently on, the enormous fleet itself—Shima One, Shima Two, Shima Three, and so on—covered quite a large area. The exceptionally high final ratio probably included the planet as well.
The second condition prohibited using force, conspiracies, assassination, coercion, transactions, and other negative means to obtain the highest authority within a faction.