Each Gets What They Need

"Origin? The Zerg?" Bular murmured, repeating.

Origin?

That's a bit of an overstatement, but it's not all that impressive. There are plenty of races that boast about their race names. Take the Telo Civilization, for example. To other civilizations, Telo is just a meaningless term, but in their own culture, it means "master of the world." That's way more impressive than any Origin.

However, Bular still managed to glean a lot of information from Danton's few words.

First, Danton said "we" really like this title. Because of the mystery surrounding the Origin of the Zerg, some analysts from other races speculate that the Zerg may have mutated from some kind of organism with a social structure. Those Space Octopus are actually Zerg; they have no thoughts and all act according to a single will.

However, many people later refuted this view, pointing out that on the original planets of various alien races, during the process of biological evolution, there were more or less social structures among the organisms. All their members obeyed the will of the leader, and the individuals had almost no independent consciousness, only mechanically completing tasks.

Although such groups are united and cooperate sincerely, none of them evolve to a high level. They may have been able to occupy a certain position and advantage in the early stages of civilization by relying on collective strength, but they will gradually fall behind when other races begin to grow intellectually.

Simply put, when everyone is brainless, these species can gain an advantage by working together. But once everyone starts using their brains, the disadvantage of a group having only one brain becomes apparent.

No matter how intelligent this brain is, it can't compare to thousands upon thousands of brains. With examples on their respective planets, this conjecture was quickly abandoned, but some people, believing that the universe is all-encompassing and full of wonders, still support this claim.

Before and after accepting a mission, whether for his future career or for his own life, Bular would do his best to understand the people he was going to come into contact with.

There isn't much information available about the Zerg themselves, Bular went through all the images, texts, analyses, and speculations about the Zerg more than ten times.

So when the word "we" appeared, Bular quickly realized that the Zerg could not be a race with a single will. Although this could be deduced from the previous simultaneous appearance of three Zerg, as well as other details, nothing was as conclusive as their own words.

Secondly, Danton revealed his name, which further confirmed the previous inference. While the actual number of Zerg may be small, it is certainly not so small as to have only one.

Finally, Danton revealed his rank as Major General, which in Riken Language means "military officer," but this still suggests the existence of a hierarchy within the Zerg. Danton then emphasized that he would be in charge of diplomatic matters. A Major General can be understood as a military officer, while diplomats are typically civilian officials among other races. Bular didn't know whether the Zerg had sent a Major General because he himself was a Lieutenant General, employing an equal strategy, or because Riken Language lacked a word that accurately described Danton's rank.

Bular memorized some things, intending to subtly probe them during the subsequent conversation if the opportunity arose.

Thus, the diplomatic meeting lasted for nearly a month, during which Bular and Danton discussed many things and finalized many matters.

First, the Zerg would join the Star Sea Technology Alliance at least signifies the success of the main objectives of this meeting. Bular already anticipates his return, a promotion, a raise, and a meteoric rise to power. Therefore, this burly man weighing over 300 pounds, along with his equally 300-pound "beautiful" Adjutant and other colleagues weighing over 300 pounds, have all been extremely excited lately.

Secondly, there are some details. The Swarm earns respect through its own strength, and in some ways, it will certainly differ from emerging civilizations that are defeated and then forcibly plundered.

The Zerg will still abide by the Alliance rules, Telo Civilization will receive the lion's share of the points earned by the first group of researchers they send to the Epoch Clan. However, Danton has made it clear that one should not expect a large number of these researchers; it is merely a formality, a way of repaying the Telo Civilization for not choosing war.

The Telo Civilization understood this principle. Realizing they couldn't conquer the Zerg through force, they opted for peaceful negotiations. While their initial aim was to preserve their strength, the plan did benefit the Zerg reciprocated by offering a way out.

The Telo Civilization could publicly declare that it had successfully invited the Zerg, and that the Zerg had adhered to the traditional rules of the Alliance. The Zerg could also join the Alliance smoothly, without making things too unconventional. Both sides saved face, avoided war, and preserved their strength.

Then there's the issue of the Riken Race and the Rat-folk Race. The Riken Race's technology level has reached the point where they can be invited, while the Rat-folk Race are still some distance from that standard. Previously, they each had their own inviting nations. However, after the Zerg joined the Alliance, the Zerg became the closest member to these two groups. The Zerg naturally gained the right to invite them.

However, there might be some minor disputes, such as protests from the Duoqi Race, which could even lead to conflicts. Bular stated that the Alliance wouldn't interfere in these matters and that they would need to be resolved independently. Danton, on the other hand, downplayed these as minor issues.

In fact, by this point, most of the key matters concerning joining the Alliance had been finalized, and the remaining minor details were easy to resolve. The reason it took so long was mainly due to two factors.

First, Bular is only a major general, and he was promoted temporarily. To put it nicely, he's a diplomat; to put it bluntly, he's a expendable pawn. If the Zerg Swarm has a violent temper, he definitely won't be able to get back.

Therefore, his actual authority is extremely low, and he has almost no say in anything. He is merely a tool; he came to the Zerg to establish a communication channel. Once the channel is established, Bular becomes a megaphone, relaying information between the two sides.

Because they didn't know the Swarm's attitude beforehand, but still needed to ensure smooth communication, Bular's ship was equipped with a Quantum Communication Device. However, even among the Telo Race, this device was extremely valuable and a product protected by the Alliance. Therefore, the device was strictly protected, and its operating room was equipped with multiple identification devices, so no one except Bular was authorized to enter.

Every day, Bular had to go to the control room to clock in and check that all the identification devices were working properly. If he failed to clock in on time or if the identification devices were damaged, the spaceship, the control room, and the equipment itself would immediately initiate a triple self-destruct sequence.

Thank you Black Buddha for the 1500 Qidian Coins reward, and thank you Hui Zhongyi and Book Guest Good Brother the 100 Qidian Coins reward.