Xu Wuyi sent a formal reply to the Star Alliance liaison officer the next morning.
The reply was brief. It neither evaded the Star Alliance's warning nor used any confrontational language. On standard-format stationery, he wrote a short written response: "The Council document has been received. Regarding the structural issues of the Mental Connection Network within the territory, I will continue to monitor the matter and make corresponding adjustments as necessary based on actual circumstances. Thank you for the Council's concern."
After accepting the reply, the liaison officer remained at the Core Residence for less than two hours before leaving. The two dark-gray Star Alliance aircraft rose from the docking platform, passed through the spatial passageway entrance, and vanished into the depths of the dark-gold void. Xu Wuyi stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hall, watching the aircraft shrink into two tiny points of light before merging completely into the distant backdrop of energy pillars.
He remained by the window a little longer before turning and returning to the control console. The formal reply had already been sent, and its wording left the Council no grounds to interpret it as defiance or contempt. He had not promised to stop anything, nor had he promised structural adjustments. He had merely stated that he would monitor the situation and make adjustments according to actual circumstances. Within the Star Alliance's administrative system, this was a typical delaying tactic: neither rejecting nor accepting, leaving the actual judgment to "future assessment," with the timetable for that assessment entirely under his own control.
Sitting at the console, he reopened the Council's original document and reread the historical sections concerning the Ancient God Method. The document stated that there had been four known attempts to practice the Ancient God Method among known civilizations. Three had resulted