"Then it's settled. From now on, we're allies once again. This is the list for the First Batch of goods. Next comes the exchange of intelligence regarding the rules and environment."
High atop the tower, the two sides completed their agreement in the meeting room. After taking a brief look around and leaving behind a liaison group, they began their return journey.
The signing went remarkably smoothly. It could even be said that they had come prepared to form an alliance.
"After all, they won't have to expend anything."
The fact that the two sides were far enough apart was precisely why the agreement had gone so smoothly.
At such a distance, travel itself was extremely inconvenient, let alone any direct conflicts of interest. On many levels, allies were merely "friendly trading partners."
That was why making distant alliances and attacking nearby enemies had become a diplomatic norm. Allies with no conflicting interests and strategically complementary strengths were naturally better in greater numbers. Yet as long as two sides were close enough, unless one side completely submitted to the other, "neighboring countries" were the most likely to accumulate grievances.
After all, never mind the endlessly disputed territorial borders—even sandstorms, water sources, environmental pollution, and disease could routinely be blamed on neighboring countries.
For the Martial God faction and even the other Earthling factions, it was all upside if Lu PingAn's side succeeded. They would gain another channel for trade and technological exchange, and even if he failed spectacularly, it would not affect their own development.
"We need more allies like this."
Lu PingAn's side did not actually expect much from an ally's so-called loyalty.
All Earthlings knew that geopolitical allies could never truly be relied upon. It was enough for everyone to take what they needed. If someone really entrusted