The death of Ribbons represented the total destruction of the Innovators' power. The current Earth Federation government was bound to be restructured. The first group of high-ranking officials—those who recognized the philosophy of Celestial Being and truly yearned for world peace—were released. All the puppets who had been bewitched by Ribbons were purged, and the Federation government returned to their hands.
The first act of the rebuilt Federation government was to dissolve the independent security force, A-Laws. All surviving members of A-Laws were arrested for investigation; those found guilty were sentenced, while those found innocent were disbanded and integrated into the regular army.
Sergei was also reinstated. Like Kati, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Neither Kati nor Sergei returned to their original posts. Instead, they entered the Central Command to oversee the deployment of the entire military—one as the Commander-in-Chief of Earth forces, and the other as the Commander-in-Chief of space forces.
Then came the issue of the Middle Eastern nations. These countries had been resisting due to the oppression of the previous Federation government. Now, new policies were being formulated to allow the Middle Eastern nations to join the Earth Federation, providing support and aid where needed. This included the destroyed Kingdom of Azadistan; Marina Ismail was welcomed back to the kingdom to serve as its leader.
Next was the suppression and integration of various anti-government factions. Not all anti-government forces had been fighting against the Federation for the sake of the oppressed; in fact, those were in the minority. Most anti-government forces used slogans like "Overthrow the Federation" or "Topple the tyrannical A-Laws" as a front to commit crimes and establish their own local dominance.
These pests had to be completely eradicated. Even if the Earth Federation didn't take action, Celestial Being and the Promis Legion would.
Finally, there was the work of pacifying various regions. A-Laws hadn't just persecuted remote areas; the regions under direct Federation control had also suffered under their oppression and cruelty. With the establishment of the new government, it was naturally time to clean up the mess left by its predecessor.
Of course, these were the public meetings—a general assembly of regional representatives fully elected by the people.
However, beneath this meeting, there was another assembly far more important than the general one, for its outcome concerned the very survival of humanity.
The attendees were few, consisting only of the Earth Federation's top leadership: the Chairman of the Federal Assembly, the Secretary-General, the Chief of Military Staff, and other high-ranking officials. They sat on one side of a long table. On the other side were the representatives of Celestial Being: Yang Hui, Sumeragi, Wang Liu Mei, and Creuset.
Aeolia Schenberg did not appear. His existence was far too sensitive. Furthermore, existing as a conscious ideology within VEDA was, in a sense, eternal life. The topic of "immortality" had been a sensitive and contradictory issue since ancient times, so it was best to keep the fact that he was still alive hidden.
"Long time no see, Mr. Chairman," Yang Hui said, taking the initiative to greet the kind-looking old man sitting directly across from him.
"It has been a long time, Little Hui."
"Little Hui!?" several people exclaimed at once.
Everyone on the Celestial Being side looked at Yang Hui in surprise, then broke into playful smiles. Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, they felt it was already worth the trip.
"One of Revil's kind," Yang Hui thought, rolling his eyes in frustration. This former Chairman of the Human Reform League was just like Revil—cunning as a fox and fierce as a wolf, yet usually appearing kind and gentle. In private... he was also a bit of a jokester.
"Ahem, Mr. Chairman, can we be serious?"
"Of course we can, Little Hui."
"Don't call me Little Hui!"
"Your old man passed that name down to me. He told me I must never forget it."
"Then I beg you to forget it! Forget that old scoundrel along with it!"
"Hahaha, alright, let's get back to the main topic."
The brief reunion and banter served to close the distance between them while easing the tension on their own side. It killed two birds with one stone—truly the work of an old fox.
Seeing the Chairman put away his playful attitude, Yang Hui also turned serious. "Name your terms."
"Celestial Being is to join the Federation in its entirety, becoming a part of the Federation and its direct subordinate force."
"Impossible. Celestial Being's stance has always been neutral. We are the Overseers of the world. That has not changed in the past, and it will not change in the future."
"The Earth Federation has been restructured, and humanity is moving toward unification. You cannot be the exception. Or rather... is your goal the same as A-Laws? Do you wish to stand above the Federation government?"
"We will not join the Federation, but we will not control it either. We are merely neutral observers. Should new conflicts arise, we will once again conduct armed interventions."
"Are you planning to make an enemy of the whole world?"
"You do not represent the whole world."
"You're making things very difficult for me, Yang Hui."
"Name your price." If it was "difficult," it meant it could be done; it was just a matter of the price.
"The deep space mothership Celestial Being and the VEDA terminal within it."
"No. At most, we can grant the Federation government shared access. We cannot turn it over to you completely."
"Technological sharing from the Celestial Being organization."
"That is acceptable, but the GN Drives will not be handed over."
"..." The Federation officials cursed inwardly. They wanted Celestial Being's technology specifically to get their hands on the manufacturing process for GN Drives; they didn't care much for anything else!
"Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to manufacture them," Yang Hui said. He naturally knew their primary targets were the Celestial Being ship, VEDA, and the GN Drives. The first two were halfway settled, but Yang Hui flatly rejected the last one, and they wouldn't let it go easily.
However, to complete the upcoming Dialogue, he had to show some sincerity to persuade the Federation government and gain their assistance.
"The manufacturing of a GN Drive requires the unique gravitational environment of Jupiter. Even if I gave you the technology, you couldn't produce them."
"If that is the only concern, we can solve it. We sent exploratory ships to Jupiter in the past. With our current technology, we could—"
"Jupiter must be designated a forbidden zone. No one is allowed near it," Yang Hui interrupted the Chairman, his voice resolute.
"...Your reason?"
"For the survival of humanity." As he spoke, Yang Hui stood up and began to explain the full scope of the Celestial Being Project to the Federation side, including the final third phase: preparing for the Dialogue to Come.
After listening, everyone was shocked. They found it hard to believe what Yang Hui was saying. After all, humanity had only recently left Earth; how could they come into contact with another civilization so soon?
However, the Federation Chairman looked solemn. He had essentially watched Yang Hui grow up and knew that Yang Hui wouldn't use something like this to deceive them. Combined with the massive fleet currently stationed outside Earth's orbit, he reached a judgment.
"Your fleet... was prepared for this goal?"
"Chairman! You believe him!?"
"Whether I believe him or not, what does it matter?" the Chairman replied to the others' astonishment. "With that fleet, do you think the combined regular Federal Army could stop them?"
"This..."
"He holds an army capable of completely destroying the Federation government, yet he is negotiating with us. What is his purpose? Given the combat strength Celestial Being has always displayed, would an armed intervention require such a massive force?"
"..." The others lowered their heads and fell silent. What Yang Hui called the "Dialogue to Come" sounded like a fairy tale, but when all the scattered pieces of information were connected, it gained credibility.
"Yes. Everything I have prepared is to face the Dialogue to Come and to fight for humanity's hope of survival," Yang Hui said seriously.
"...You have already determined that the other party is hostile?"
"Whether they are hostile or well-intentioned, without power, one does not have the right to speak as an equal."
"Hmm." Everyone present agreed with this logic. A weak nation has no diplomacy; only strong military might serves as the firmest backbone for diplomatic relations.
"Furthermore, we may not understand their 'goodwill,' and they may not understand ours."
"What do you mean?"
"This is the reason I want you to set Jupiter as a forbidden zone. Over ten years ago, when I first joined Celestial Being, I went to Jupiter to manufacture several GN Drives. On Jupiter, I discovered a terrifying thing. The guests have already arrived. They are at Jupiter."
"What!?" The Federation officials stood up in shock.
"The ELS—Extraterrestrial Variable Metallic Lifeforms..." Yang Hui then shared all the intelligence regarding the ELS with them.
"This... how could we... how could we possibly have a chance of winning?"
"Reinforce our armaments! Reinforce them at any cost!"
"It's meaningless. How much armament would it take to be qualified to stand against them? Don't forget, this is only one branch of their species."
"The new government has just been established. We haven't even finished cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration. We don't have the budget or energy for such massive rearmament."
"They are still dormant. Who knows when they will wake up? What if it's ten thousand years from now?"
"We cannot leave the survival of humanity to chance!"
"Exactly. We cannot leave the survival of humanity to chance." Yang Hui interjected into their argument, supporting the Chief of Military Staff's statement. "The ELS are attracted by Brain Quantum Waves. I have had VEDA run multiple calculations based on factors such as the distribution of GN Particles, the awakening rate of Quasi-Innovators, and the prevalence of Brain Quantum Waves. There is a 95% probability that the ELS will awaken and visit Earth in two years."
"Two years!" Everyone was horrified. Two years was far too short; there was no time to prepare.
"What is your plan?" the Chairman asked Yang Hui in a deep voice. This was no longer a time for human infighting. Since Yang Hui had brought this up, he surely had a plan.
"Reinforcing armaments is a must. I will participate in the armament expansion plan to improve the performance of the Federal Army's equipment as much as possible. As for the scale of the expansion, you can decide based on the Federation's actual situation."
"Good. No problem. What else do you need from us?"
"Give my fleet a legal and legitimate status."
"Understood. Anything else?"
"For now, this is all we can do."
"...Do you think we have a chance of winning?" Everyone present already had an answer in their hearts—no—but they still clung to hope. They hoped Yang Hui would tell them there was a chance, even if it was just for psychological comfort.
Unfortunately, Yang Hui was destined to disappoint them. "No."
"Then what is the point of all this?"
"But there is hope."
"Hope?"
"Yes, hope. The three essential elements for completing the Dialogue to Come that Aeolia Schenberg required: VEDA, Innovators, and the GN Drives. They are our hope."