After receiving Shepard's report, the Citadel was naturally left utterly bewildered. It was not that they suspected Shepard of lying; after all, the truth of such a matter could be confirmed with a simple investigation. And as a Spectre, Shepard spoke with such certainty that the Citadel had no choice but to believe her. Helplessly, the Citadel had to dispatch another diplomatic team to the Wandering Galaxy to negotiate with Fang Zheng.
However, the negotiations did not go smoothly.
At first, the Citadel Council wanted to invite Heavenly Dao Palace to join the Citadel Council, just as it had done with other races. Fang Zheng flatly refused. What a joke. Joining the Citadel meant abiding by Citadel laws and regulations, and Fang Zheng obviously would not allow Heavenly Dao Palace to submit to the rules of an outside power.
This left the Citadel delegation utterly baffled. In their experience, ordinary civilizations and races would choose to join once they learned of the Citadel. Yet this Heavenly Dao Palace...
They simply did not know their place!
"We hope you can understand that Citadel treaties exist to regulate the development of civilizations throughout the Milky Way Galaxy and prevent unnecessary dangers..."
"And why do you get to decide that?"
Fang Zheng, in his Time Dragon form, looked disdainfully at the Asari envoy before him.
"Your rules and laws are merely your rules and laws. They are not the truth of the universe. Heavenly Dao Palace needs nothing from the Citadel and has no desire to join it, so why should we follow your rules?"
"You..."
As she listened to the verbal sparring between the two sides, Shepard found herself secretly envying Heavenly Dao Palace. As a human, she knew very well what humanity had suffered within the Citadel. While joining the Citadel