What is Koprulu's local customs and traditions

When Augustus received the agreement from the UED officer known as "Captain," he inevitably made eye contact with him.

The young captain's face was as pale as his uniform, as if he had just emerged from his hibernation pod. He had a very handsome Asian face, his eyebrows seemed to be fogged up, and his eyes were only half open.

"Hello, Marshal Augustus." After handing the contents of the agreement to Augustus, the UED captain gave him a standard military salute.

"Hello, Captain," Augustus. "Long time no see."

"W-what?" The officer looked bewildered. "I don't think we've seen him before in the name of the Dragon God."

He arrived in the Koprulu Sector after more than a year of deep hibernation, so the possibility of him knowing Augustus is extremely slim. Even if he was secretly colluding with the Revolutionary Army, there's no reason for his identity to be exposed so easily.

"Oh--" Alexei Stukov merely glanced at Augustus and the unsuspecting captain with his sharp gaze. "I suppose Augustus was referring to me. We had a brief long-distance call when we first arrived in this sector."

"Yes, Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov, there's an old saying on Earth: 'A day apart feels like three autumns.'" Augustus clearly speaking to the UED captain; he was just testing him.

"There are always some ancient sayings from Earth that modern Earthlings have never heard of, aren't there?" Alexei Stukov smiled.

Augustus returned the smile, then picked up the peace agreement on the table and began to examine it carefully. It was, of course, a draft; the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet had presented conditions they could accept, and Augustus could modify it at will, as long as the final result satisfied both sides.

The agreement's terms are simple and clear: neither party may resort to any form of force during the period the agreement is in effect.

At the same time, it also planned the dividing line between the spheres of influence of the Korhal Revolutionary Army and the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet: a complex division was made based on the positions of various star sectors on the galactic plane. The UED divided Koprulu into a circle with Tarsonis as the center, and then divided it into different sectors, totaling 24 sectors, each named with a Latin letter.

Broadly speaking, each side will hold half of the colonies in the Koprulu Sector. The Revolutionary Army's territory appears to be much larger, but it doesn't have many planets. Moreover, if a detailed division were to be made, the mineral reserves and economic strength of the planets in each side's territory would undoubtedly have to be taken into account, which would require a lot of time to calculate and negotiate.

Unless neither side actually cares about the binding force of this treaty, since there is no interstellar alliance in this universe that can coordinate the various forces.

When Augustus put down the treaty, his gaze towards Alexei Stukov across from him changed.

Putting everything else aside, they really have quite an appetite.

Since the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Republic were also within the area of division, the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet initially aimed to unify humanity in the Koprulu Sector.

If the Kel-Morian Combine's executive board and the United States Congress saw this, the industry elites and old fogies inside would explode.

The Umojan would certainly react the most fiercely, as they had always wanted to retain their independence. In contrast, the rulers of the Kel-Morian Combine would undoubtedly be furious, because at that point, who would know who owned their guild assets and numerous mining planets?

Augustus was determined that even if the peace treaty was of no use, he would still show it to the people of the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Republic.

Finally, Augustus focused on the duration of the treaty—10 years.

He couldn't help but laugh, while Alexei Stukov across from him lit a cigar.

Both sides are intelligent people.

"Oh yeah~ Oh yeah-- Oh yeah! I'm Tychus Finley, and I'm the coolest guy in this sector right now! I'm going to sing a song for the great Augustus Mengsk --Wow, beautiful Zerg! Marines always love crawling into them! Sticky, wet, slippery, and with a weird smell~ Oh yeah~"

Unfortunately, just as Augustus about to discuss the contents of the peace treaty with Alexei Stukov, his train of thought was immediately interrupted by Tychus's gruff voice.

At this moment, Arcturus and Kerrigan arrived late and walked to his side.

"Sergeant Tychus, this isn't your private bar." Arcturus's face twisted as he shouted, trying to remind the increasingly high-spirited Tychus, but no one paid him any attention.

"That bastard drank a lot of hard liquor today, and he added a lot of spikes to it." Kerrigan's eyes flashed with a golden light as she used her telepathic abilities to read Tychus's memories.

"Well, when he wakes up tomorrow, he'll probably have no memory of what happened today." Her bright red lips were almost pressed into a thin line as she said, "Why did you lock me up in New Folsom?"

"How much did Tychus drink?" Augustus almost jumped up and slapped Tychus across the face.

"He himself couldn't quite remember: just a small drink before work, then another bottle before meeting Augustus, um~ and those Earthlings?" Kerrigan mimicked Tychus's tone, but when she said it, it sounded completely different.

"Why doesn't he go see God!" Augustus suddenly became very calm amidst his rage, and everyone in the army knew that this meant that some unlucky fellow was about to suffer a terrible fate.

Usually, and in the vast majority of cases, it refers to Tychus.

At this moment, Green Bar was still packed with men and women enjoying themselves to the lively music, the air thick with the strong smell of alcohol and hormones. It was a sanctuary for releasing inner turmoil and desire, where even the most refined could turn into a beast.

Tychus Finley was undoubtedly the most unmissable focus of the group; his powerful dance moves overshadowed the dancers around him, and his massive, steel-like muscles seemed to be singing with abandon.

Within the Revolutionary Army, Tychus Finley's mind was filled with petty theft and slacking off, but the soldiers all knew that Tychus was the king of night markets, bars, and strip clubs.

In this sense, the Earthlings who have traveled from afar have already experienced the hospitality of the Terrans for at least the past half hour and are deeply impressed by their traditional customs.

Not all Earthlings who come to the Koprulu Sector are treated this way, able to sit among a group of muscular, naked men dancing and discuss military and political matters.

Augustus n't understand how Alexei Stukov could endure such an eyesore of torture and wait here quietly for so long; he could only take it as a form of respect for the customs of the Terrens.

Not far from Augustus, a woman with dark skin was dancing wildly beside him. She had long, wavy brown hair and wore only a silver bikini, constantly swaying her round, pert buttocks.

In the past, Augustus might have cast a scrutinizing glance, but now he looked straight ahead.

Even if the people here are completely out of touch with the civilized world, they would certainly recognize Augustus and know that he is the recently famous Marshal of the Revolutionary Army. The reason is simple: the bar is plastered with posters and wanted posters of Augustus, Raynor, and Tychus, and occasionally you can see Harnack Hank's signature disheveled hair—and that's all.

This is Tychus's doing, using his ass to think about Augustus. He wanted to put pressure on Earthlings and, incidentally, boast about himself and Augustus.

Regardless of what Tychus thought, he must have misunderstood a very important thing: Earth's military was not the weak and vulnerable honor guard he imagined during peacetime. War was not uncommon within the Solar System Empire.

The loud music playing around him annoyed Augustus; he was used to working with his conscientious officers.

Augustus actually preferred capable and efficient people. He couldn't always tolerate incompetent fools, and he despised opportunists even more. At least, these people wouldn't gather in the General Staff or at important meetings to perform striptease.

As expected of you, Tychus.

You did a great job.

"Stop." Augustus's voice was almost drowned out by the music, but the people in the bar still heard him.

"Then get out."

The noise stopped abruptly, and the people on stage immediately fled the bar with terrified expressions, as if Augustus a man-eating monster.

Tychus suddenly realized what was happening.

Tychus felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Tychus was as quiet as a chicken.

"Take him to sober up!"

After that, Augustus casually remarked to Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov opposite him, "Lieutenant General, your subordinate certainly has an extraordinary presence."

"A distinguished officer who graduated from the military academy of Alpha Draco (also known as Alpha Draconis, the α star of Draco, which ranks only 8th in brightness, the "North Star" 4,000 years ago, about 300 light-years from Earth, and there is no direct evidence that this place was a colony of the United Earth Directorate). The school gave him extremely high marks and made very high recommendations to the army." Alexei Stukov placed his hands on the table, revealing his amiable smile, seemingly oblivious to the little scene that had just occurred.

The tables in Green Bar were all made of metal, with the legs welded firmly to the floor. Bloodstains from the mercenaries' fights could still be faintly seen on the tabletops.

To prevent drunken mercenaries and pirates from fighting each other, the bar's gravity can be adjusted to be higher than standard when necessary. However, under normal circumstances, the burly men with alcohol flowing through their veins don't care about gravity. Thanks to genetic engineering and the overuse of enhancement drugs, they are truly tough guys capable of killing a bull.

"After capturing Braxis, the captain has been promoted exceptionally and is now the commander of a Great Fleet. But we will still call him captain," Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov introduced the officer beside him to Augustus.

"It's a code name, or a title of honor, like a unique appellation in this army. At the moment when the captain achieved such a brilliant record, he and his merits were already considered legendary. But what truly makes him stand out in the history of the war is that he was only a captain when he received this honor."

Augustus nodded. Alexei Stukov was right; judging from the UED officer's shoulder insignia and medals, he was at least a major general. This man should be capable of commanding a Fleets, or even own a UED Fleets command.

However, the fact that such a decorated general could only stand beside Alexei Stukov subtly reveals the lieutenant general's status within the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet.

In the Koprulu Sector, rumors now circulate that Gerard DuGalle destroyed the Terran Confederacy, calling him "the Conqueror of Tarsonis," but few know that Alexei Stukov was the mastermind behind it all.

Today's peace negotiations were likely also the work of Alexei Stukov, based on Augustus's understanding of him: he was always cautious, but very bold in his military tactics.

These are the most difficult characters to deal with in UED. The contest began when Augustus accepted the peace treaty.

In Augustus's view, the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet was not without the strength to defeat the Korhal Revolutionary Army after conquering the Throne World of the Terran Confederacy. However, from the perspective of DuGalle and others, their opponents were not just the Terrans, but rather the Protoss and the Zerg.

After all, Earth only sent the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet to deal with the threat of the Zerg and Protoss. The Solar System had been monitoring their colonies for hundreds of years, but had never sent Fleets to reclaim them.

DuGalle and Alexei Stukov should not have been afraid of the strength of the Korhal Revolutionary Army, much less have they taken the initiative to show weakness and request peace talks with Augustus. Either they had indeed suffered considerable losses in the attack on Tarsonis and urgently needed to rest, or they had more important matters to attend to.

This matter should take precedence over the complete eradication of Augustus's Revolutionary Army, and it is urgent to disperse a large amount of military forces. It is for this reason that Alexei Stukov does not want to engage Augustus now.

At this point, an answer was already clear in Augustus's mind—the UED Project Black Flag, which involved sending Fleets to control the newly formed Overmind on Char and gain control over the Swarm.

Using the Zerg's power to fight the Protoss, letting the two races kill each other, is entirely in the interest of the United Earth Directorate.

Using the enemy to fight the enemy is the best approach.

Aside from the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, only Augustus knew about this. This was another major advantage he could exploit.

The enemy thinks you are completely unaware of their little secrets, but in fact you have already seen through their tricks.

Therefore, even though he was the one who proposed the peace talks, Alexei Stukov was still flexing his muscles at Augustus's words. Moreover, Alexei Stukov must have known Augustus's character well, because someone like Edmond Duke would certainly have seen his words as weak and cowardly bluster.

Alexei Stukov poured Augustus a glass of clear liquid—even with Augustus's fondness for alcohol, he could hardly tell what kind it was from its color and aroma; it seemed to be an ancient wine from the Solar System.

It was an extremely strong juniper gold, with an intense aroma. Augustus bet that, given the Mengsk Family's fondness for spirits, Angus and Arcturus would treasure it.

"The gin produced in Amsterdam is sealed in the cellars of a winery in San Diego. Before our Fleets left the Solar System, this gin was listed as one of the military supplies. But it is very precious and there is absolutely no way we could get it here," Alexei Stukov said.

"This is just a small gift to mark our meeting."

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