With Lulu introducing everything along the way, Hao Ren finally arrived at the central tower of Kuiper Station. The Station Chief had specially prepared a temporary reception room for this meeting. After entering, Hao Ren found it much plainer than he had expected—the room had very simple furnishings, and the only decorations in the rectangular cabin were an aquarium at the far end and several pots of green plants beside it. Other than that, there were only the necessary tables and chairs, along with a few fixed Data Terminals. Conditions on the Space Station were limited, after all. Under normal circumstances, a work station like this would never specially prepare a reception room for some important figure to drink tea and chat.
The moment Hao Ren entered, he saw more than a dozen little green people already seated on both sides of the long table in the center of the room. Just like the unfortunate crew members he had seen beneath the blood lake, these people were about the height of children, with enormous heads, strange facial features, blue-green skin, and somewhat thin limbs. They all wore similar yellow-green outfits made of what appeared to be a mixture of rubber and fabric. Each person's clothing bore different markings indicating that they came from different Vassal States. Looking at the scene, Hao Ren could not help thinking of the old science-fiction movies that had been popular years ago. So today, humanity was finally having a historic meeting with little green men...
The little green people in the room appeared to have been waiting for some time. When they saw Hao Ren, they immediately stood up and clumsily placed their hands over their chests in greeting. This gesture was the "standard pose" established by the Xiling Empire to make it easier for