The higher-ups at Hurt were unwilling to hand over the person, so there was no need for him to stay in prison any longer. Han Xiao expressed his intention to leave immediately. Volman tried to persuade him to stay a few times, but then stopped. The group boarded the hovercar and returned to the port.
The atmosphere in the car was silent; no one spoke. Han Xiao closed his eyes to rest, while Reynold stood beside him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Volman secretly observed Han Xiao's expression. He felt that Black Star must be unhappy about being rejected, but he didn't care about Han Xiao's thoughts. After all, he was just relaying the higher-ups' message, and Black Star's dissatisfaction was none of his business.
Besides, Volman didn't think it was a big deal to displease Black Star. Civilization has always been the mainstream in this universe, and no matter how powerful Black Star is, he's not an official.
As a diplomat, he felt that by conveying the attitude of the higher-ups, the Hutt Civilization had no intention of winning over Black Star. At present, Amethyst had already taken the lead, and they could not compete with a star cluster-level civilization.
So many galaxy-level civilizations are currying favor with Black Star, and they are just one of them. Goddora is the galaxy civilization with the closest relationship with Black Star, while they are Goddora's competitors. No matter how you look at it, it is impossible for Black Star to establish a very close relationship with the Hutt Civilization.
Therefore, Volman believed that the higher-ups knew they had no chance, so they were too lazy to win them over. They figured handing over Lothaire wouldn't get them anything in return, so why bother to humbly meet Black Star's demands? As long as they could maintain a superficial relationship like other star system civilizations, using Black Star Army's branch bases as a mere formality would be enough.
In Volman's view, Black Star's act of wanting to mention people and books with just a few words is a manifestation of arrogance and a lack of self-awareness.
--Our galactic civilizations may indeed give you face, but we don't give face to just anyone.
Just as Volman was pondering his superior's intentions and imagining exciting scenarios, the hovercar finally returned to port.
Han Xiao and Reynold got out of the car and boarded the spaceship, with Volman accompanying them all the way.
As he stepped onto the gangway and was about to enter the cabin, Han Xiao turned back, glanced at Volman on the dock, and suddenly smiled.
We'll see each other again soon.
"Welcome to visit again." Volman wore a sincere, insincere smile.
The spaceship shuddered, quickly started up, and disappeared into the horizon as it followed the port passage, transforming into a high-speed streak of light.
Watching the spaceship disappear into the distance, Volman's smile vanished. He rubbed his stiff facial muscles, then turned and waved to his crew members.
"Knock off."
Five days passed peacefully.
On this day, the refined young man, Volman, was as usual lounging around at the Black Star Army branch in the Skywalker Star System when an urgent notification arrived in his inbox. A team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was about to arrive at the Black Star Army branch, and he was instructed to prepare to welcome them.
"Strange, why were they not notified beforehand? Why were they suddenly sent to the Black Star Army's branch? What are they trying to do?"
The notification was not in accordance with procedure and did not explain the purpose of the group of Foreign Ministry colleagues' visit. Volman was somewhat confused, but since it was a task assigned by his superiors, he had no choice but to complete it.
After gathering his team members and making arrangements for the welcome, Volman led his group to the branch's port to await the arrival of his colleagues.
This Black Star Army satellite base is located in outer orbit around the resource planet, monitoring the mining teams on the planet. The port is a floating interstellar spaceport, built next to the satellite base, and is an independent small space station.
Volman waiting for more than half an hour, an official spaceship bearing the insignia of the Hutt Civilization approached and docked at the airport pier.
The spaceship came to a stop, and the hatch slowly opened. A group of people dressed as diplomats, accompanied by several Amethyst people, walked down the gangway, chatting and laughing.
Volman hurried over and introduced himself.
"This is Volman, the diplomatic chief of the Black Star Army's branch. These are envoys from the Amethyst Civilization. We have just completed a handover and are preparing to rest here for a while," a diplomat said elegantly.
"An envoy from the Amethyst Civilization! "Volman exclaimed in surprise. Amethyst was the ruling civilization of Colton, while Hutt was just one of the star system civilizations. Sending an envoy to visit was an important diplomatic mission.
Volman couldn't help but envy his Ministry of Foreign Affairs colleagues who were receiving the Amethyst envoys and chatting amiably. They were able to deal with envoys from a star cluster-level civilization and were usually active on the political stage between civilizations, making their work more elegant and respectable, while he himself had been assigned to be in charge of an armed force.
I'll be transferred back sooner or later... Volman comforted himself. The higher-ups sent him here to take charge of the Black Star Army branch because they believed in his abilities and that he wouldn't make mistakes. A diplomatic elite like himself would definitely return to the diplomatic headquarters.
Just as he was about to invite the Amethyst Messenger to rest, several armed men escorted a woman off the spaceship. Volman turned his head and looked over, instantly stunned.
The woman being escorted over was none other than Lothaire, whom he and Black Star had met a few days ago!
A look of astonishment flashed across Volman's eyes. He tugged at a diplomatic colleague accompanying the Amethyst envoy and whispered, "How did she end up on your ship? Why did you bring her along?"
The colleague was taken aback. "You know her? She's a high-profile criminal sent by the Amethyst Envoy to be received. Her name is Lothaire."
Volman was startled, and instantly thought of Black Star.
Could it be...?
Just then, another spaceship landed. Volman recognized the warship; it was Black Star's vessel.
The hatch opened, Han Xiao stepped out with Reynold. The usually stern-faced Amethyst envoys immediately broke into smiles and went to greet them.
After exchanging a few words with smiles, the Amethyst Envoy waved his hand, and several armed men escorted Lothaire to Han Xiao, whereupon they removed all her restraints and released her on the spot.
Lothaire rubbed her wrist, glanced sideways at Reynold, then gave Han Xiao a deep look, said nothing, and was led by Reynold onto the Blacklight Stealth.
Han Xiao turned his head and saw Volman standing at the edge of the crowd, looking somewhat dazed. He smiled and walked over.
"I told you, we'll see each other again soon."
"You..." Volman suddenly didn't know what to say to deal with the situation.
"Actually, it's not a big deal. Your Hutt Civilization doesn't allow bail, so I had to find a civilization that does allow bail to take over." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Volman's lips trembled, forcing out a stiff smile, while a thousand curses escaped his lips.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my colleague wearing a warm, welcoming smile, as if she already knew this, and it seemed that I was the only one kept in the dark.
In that instant, he felt that his most precious sense of superiority had been shattered into pieces, and that the very government of the Hutt Civilization that had given him that sense of superiority had smashed it to pieces.
Han Xiao didn't look at him again. He turned around, shook hands with the Amethyst Envoy, exchanged a few pleasantries, boarded the spaceship, and left with Lothaire.
Volman clenched his fist, forced a smile again as he addressed the Amethyst Messenger; work was still the priority.
After finally settling the envoys, Volman returned to his office, where he was alone for the time being.
Sitting down, Volman let out a long sigh, trying to calm his thoughts and pick up the book to continue reading, but found that he couldn't concentrate at all.
The thought of Black Star made Volman feel uneasy. He secretly comforted himself, telling himself that this whole affair was a power struggle among higher-ups and had nothing to do with him.
There was no conflict between him and Black Star. Fortunately, he had always maintained diplomatic courtesy. No one knew what he had been thinking about mocking others. As long as he didn't hold a grudge against himself, no one would know that he felt he had lost face.
Didi--
Just then, Volman's communicator rang. When he opened it, he found it was a message from his direct supervisor.
"Lord Black Star specifically informed us that he was very satisfied with your hospitality, making him feel very comfortable, and hopes to see you again next time. Your transfer application will need to be postponed for the time being; you will continue to be in charge of the Black Star Army's diplomatic missions..."
Clang!
Just as several team members were about to push the door open and enter, they suddenly heard the sound of something being smashed coming from inside the office.
The group hurriedly pushed open the door and saw that the group leader, Volman, whose face was usually calm and composed, was now ashen. The floor next to his desk was littered with messy items, his usual crystal glass was smashed to pieces, and his blue beverage had soaked the physical books he usually took great care of.
Blacklight Stealth, Main Hall of the Ship.
The three sat at opposite corners of the circular sofa, forming a three-way standoff. Lothaire's gaze kept shifting between Han Xiao and Reynold. Reynold sat upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead, while Han Xiao leaned back on the sofa, one hand on the back of the chair, the other holding a wine glass, observing Lothaire with interest.
"You saved me, so what do you want me to do for you? Don't be shy, tell me."
Lothaire broke the silence first, her tone nonchalant.
Reynold frowned. "I simply wanted to get you out of there..."
"Alright, keep those words to yourself."
Lothaire interrupted Reynold, crossing her legs with a mocking expression. "I don't know this 'Lord Black Star.' To get me out of here, you even enlisted the help of the Amethyst Clan. It must have cost you a fortune. I don't believe you'd pay such a high price just to satisfy the wish of a foolish subordinate. Heh, you must have told this 'Black something' about my abilities... Sorry, your nickname is too silly for me to mention."
Is this woman a hedgehog? She'll argue with anyone she meets...
Han Xiao muttered to himself, recalling that Lothaire from his previous life during the Silver Revolutionary Army era didn't seem to have this kind of personality.
Reynold said in a deep voice, "I'm offering myself as a bargaining chip to beg Lord Black Star to save you. Don't be ungrateful!"
"Oh." Lothaire curled her lip, her tone flippant. "So you think I'd actually be grateful to you?"
"You!" Reynold exclaimed angrily.
"I'm quite curious, how could this Mr. Black possibly agree to such a request? What do you have that would make him value you?" Lothaire looked Reynold up and down.
"I'm a Calamity Grade!"
"Wow, you've really made something of yourself." Lothaire opened her mouth wide in an exaggerated manner, clapped twice perfunctorily without any sincerity, and shrugged, "So you mean he values you a lot?"
Reynold spoke, Han Xiao was right next to him. He didn't want to boast about how much he was valued, as he felt it was a bit presumptuous of him.
"Ahem." Han Xiao interrupted their conversation, saying, "Mobilizing the Amethyst Civilization is not difficult for me. You've been imprisoned for too long; you've never heard of me."
Using force is out of the question. Even if they have a high status now, attacking a civilization will still bring various sanctions. The legion is currently on the rise, so it is impossible for them to destroy their own foundation.
As for withdrawing the branch bases to show a stance, it would have a negative impact. It would make other cooperating interstellar civilizations feel that they are holding an interstellar regime hostage. They are not even Beyond Grade A level yet, so being too domineering is not good and is not conducive to maintaining stable cooperative relations.
The solution is actually quite simple. The Hutt Civilization was able to take over Lothaire from Planet Cecil, and the Amethyst can do the same for prisoners. It's just a simple transfer.
Amethyst values herself far more than Hurt, because she and Amethyst are equal partners. Hurt, knowing he can't compete, and that Black Star, no matter how powerful, isn't a staunch ally, is too lazy to curry favor with him and naturally dares to be disrespectful. He's very Zen-like.
Pleading loyalty to Amethyst would bring far more benefits, so when Amethyst took the lead, the Hutt Civilization civilization quickly changed its tune and found it appealing.
With minimal impact and high efficiency, this was Han Xiao's preferred solution. If players were doing this task, they would basically have to resort to violent means to break the prison.
"Really? Such a big talk. You must be someone important." Lothaire raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I need to brush up on the history of the last ten years or so."
As she spoke, Lothaire gracefully stood up, walked over to Han Xiao, snatched his wine glass, downed it in one gulp, tossed the empty glass aside, sat down again, let out a burp, and waved her hand dismissively. "Thirsty? Let me have a drink. Someone as important as you certainly won't hold it against me, will you?"
Han Xiao turned to look at Reynold, "Your sister has quite a personality, like a scoundrel."
"She's been this willful and sharp-tongued since she was little, never considering other people's feelings!" Reynold couldn't help but complain. "So I'm not surprised at all that she later became an ambitious manipulator of the entire civilization!"
"Yes, I am an ambitious man, a mean-spirited scoundrel. Releasing me will only bring disaster to countless others. Do you regret saving me now, my dear little brother?" Lothaire made a face.
"No." Reynold snorted, not bothering to argue.
"Tsk, I'm getting a little touched. Sure enough, no matter how much you hurt your family, they're always willing to be the ones to suffer."
Lothaire stretched lazily and said, "Since you're not going to use me, can I leave whenever I want? If you refuse, I'll take it as you still intend to use me. Of course, you don't need to feel ashamed of your hypocrisy; I've seen this kind of thing many times."
Upon hearing this, Reynold turned to look at Han Xiao. He only wanted to rescue Lothaire and fulfill his duty. As for where Lothaire would go in the future, he didn't care at all. Only Han Xiao could decide to release her.
Han Xiao stroked his chin and suddenly asked, "You created a new religion in your hometown, brainwashed countless people, and made them believe in you. Everyone thinks you're an ambitious person."
"Hmm, you have the same discernment as any ordinary person in the world, and you also love repeating the same nonsense." Lothaire said sarcastically. "What, are you some big shot trying to criticize my behavior? Go ahead and say it, I'll try to repent for a minute, any more would be going too far."
"But I don't think you're an ambitious person; you're a Reformer." Han Xiao leaned forward, gazing into Lothaire's eyes, his tone neither too loud nor too soft, and began to fertilize.
As soon as he finished speaking,
Lothaire's expression froze, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes, and she was instantly stunned.