A Game of Power, Extraterrestrial Civilization

"The simultaneous gestation of four evil gods is a first in a century." A middle-aged liaison officer in the inner ring spoke gravely, the wrinkles around his eyes betraying his deep concern. "Does this signify that the Spirit Realm's invasion of the real world has reached a new stage?"

Jiang Wanqing glanced at it and saw that the identity card placed in front of the liaison officer clearly read "Huating Li Lineage".

If the capital city is the political center of Central State, then Huating City is its economic center. It is one of the few megacities in the world with a population of over 30 million.

"Yes, that is precisely General Gu's concern." The old man nodded. "Therefore, General Gu has a suggestion..."

He slowly scanned the liaison officers on the inner ring road.

"What proposal?" The middle-aged liaison officer glanced subconsciously at the other liaison officers on the inner ring, then looked at him cautiously.

"Rebuild the Yulin Guard!" the old man said, enunciating each word clearly. "Not the current garrison that bears the name of the Yulin Guard but is actually infiltrated and influenced by various local forces, but a new Yulin Guard that is reassembled, under the unified management of the central government and commanded by the military!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then whispers began to circulate.

The Yulin Guard were a powerful force established a century ago by the Central State military to counter the invasion of the Void Realm. The standard for joining was that of a mid-level professional.

It once effectively resisted the invasion of the Spirit Realm during the era of celestial upheaval, deterred ambitious individuals within the country, and held out until the establishment of the new order.

However, after the rise of local factions led by lords, the Yulin Guard was gradually dismantled and infiltrated.

Jiang Wanqing frowned as she scanned the venue. People were whispering and exchanging opinions both inside and outside the meeting room.

Judging from the dismissive expressions of the liaison officers present, the outcome of this proposal seemed already clear.

"Old General Gu was devoted to the country, but..." The girl beside her shook her head, turned to look at Jiang Wanqing, her big eyes crinkling into crescent moons with youthful vivacity, "Hello, my name is Li Mengyao, the liaison officer for the Li Lineage in Yun Province."

"Jiang Wanqing, the liaison officer for the Lin Lineage of Qimeng City." Jiang Wanqing smiled and nodded in greeting. She glanced around the room, a hint of confusion in her expression. "It seems that no one really agrees with rebuilding the Yulin Guard. Shouldn't that be a good thing for Central State?"

"That's right, it's a good thing for Central State, but not necessarily for us..." Li Mengyao looked at her and smiled knowingly, "Sister, weren't you from a local faction before? This involves the power struggle between the local and the central governments."

If control of the Yulin Guard is transferred to the military, the central government's influence over Central State will increase significantly, and life will become much more difficult for us lords..."

Jiang Wanqing nodded knowingly, confirming her suspicions.

Sure enough, someone in the meeting immediately objected. "I object! Judging from the current situation, the evil god has not yet fully awakened. At this time, what we should do most is to increase support for various regions and carry out continuous crackdowns on cult organizations, rather than concentrating our forces."

"That's right. The central government should increase its support for local governments. Eradicating cults requires a lot of manpower and resources, and the state should provide some support!"

"At this time, we should strengthen the defenses of various places, such as the Wheel of Fate that appeared in Qimeng City." Who knows if these cultists have any follow-up actions?

"They've transferred the Yulin Guard from near Qimeng City. What if the cultists come back? Are we supposed to fight this battle alone?"

Jiang Wanqing frowned slightly.

The meeting hall immediately erupted in noise. Jiang Wanqing glanced at the lords present and found that almost no one supported the proposal.

Clearly, within the Lords' Council, the local factions wielded far more power than the central faction.

The old man had anticipated this situation. He glanced at the hall with disappointment. "These fools are not worth considering! You only know how to defend yourselves, but have you never thought that once the evil god is fully revived, who can remain unscathed?"

He was met with silence.

A moment later, the middle-aged man tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "The vote begins. Those who support rebuilding the Yulin Guard, please raise your hands."

Only three hands slowly rose, appearing exceptionally frail in the hall of over a hundred people.

"Raise your hand if you disagree with rebuilding the Yulin Guard!"

"Whoosh~"

Almost everyone raised their hand.

Li Mengyao sighed softly, but firmly raised her arm.

Jiang Wanqing chose to remain silent.

As a newcomer, the specifics of how to treat the nation and the local area, and whether to participate in their covert power struggle, are decisions that Lord Lin Xu must make; she is only responsible for relaying the information.

"120 votes in favor, 1627 votes against, 33 abstentions -- resolution rejected." The middle-aged man's voice was low.

Each Legendary lord is equivalent to 100 votes, each Pioneer Lord is equivalent to 10 votes, and each Enfeoffed Lord and acting lord is equivalent to 1 vote.

The old man remained calm; this outcome was exactly what he had expected.

Standing on the edge of the conference room, Xia Jingyi sighed and shook her head. In terms of vying for power and profit, these lords had never lagged behind.

"Next, let's begin the next agenda item—the deliberation on the revised 'Central State Joint Defense Agreement'..."

The voice of the Legendary liaison officer who chaired the meeting rang out once again, but the atmosphere in the meeting room was much more relaxed.

"Relax, this is just a waste of time~" Li Mengyao chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "The truly important topics are never discussed on the surface; they've already been discussed beforehand."

She paused, looking at Jiang Wanqing meaningfully, "You need to be careful. Xiang Province is Jiang Lineage family territory. The Lin Lineage's rise in Qimeng City is like taking meat from Jiang Lineage's mouth. They will never let it go."

Jiang Wanqing frowned. "It seems the relationships between the Pioneer Lord aren't very good either."

"Whether the relationship is good or not depends mainly on everyone's interests~" A hint of resentment flashed across Li Mengyao's face as she lightly snorted and glanced at a certain area in Central.

Jiang Wanqing keenly noticed that it was a gathering place for the major Lineage of the provincial capital, with the seats of a dozen or so lords' liaison officers lined up in a row, which clearly formed a power alliance.

"See those over there? Those are the second-generation great lords who, taking advantage of their early rise, have each occupied the most fertile areas of Central State and divided up their own spheres of influence."

Li Mengyao pouted. "For example, your Xiang Province is considered by the Jiang Lineage to be their own territory..."

Jiang Wanqing frowned as she looked around; at this moment, she finally had a clear understanding of the various forces at play in this conference room.

Gu Qiancheng, representing the national team, is at odds with the other six Legendary lords (including many Pioneer Lords from the Central District) who represent local forces.

Leaving aside the relationships between the Legendary lords, the lords of the Central District can be divided into at least two camps based on the order of their birth: one side consists of the powerful lords who, relying on their early advantage, occupy the prosperous cities and provincial capitals of the country, while the other side consists of the rising stars among the newer lords.

The various factions, both opposing and cooperating, formed the entire Lords' Council. This small meeting room is also a microcosm of the many intertwined forces across the entire Central State Continent.

"Report on the Third Contact with the Extraterrestrial Qimeng People..."