Chapter 430 - 423: Codename "Celestial Punishment

Chapter 430: Chapter 423: Codename "Celestial Punishment

A little over ten minutes later, the first pilots were airborne as delegations from various nations began to approach the airspace.

Over the next few hours, the ground crew at the base became incredibly busy.

Private jets from other countries landed at the airport one after another.

There were no honor guards or diplomatic pageantry. Instead, several groups of base Officers split up to greet the representatives, guiding them to designated lounges to await the meeting. If the primary member nations all arrived, they wouldn’t wait for any latecomers.

「Mos City, 6:30 AM. Hua Country delegation’s lounge.」

General Chu Jianfeng, Tao Xingzhi, and other accompanying personnel were communicating with their home country about their potential stance for the upcoming conference.

Thanks to the Quantum Black Box, communication between Mos City and Hua Country was instantaneous, a convenience that was then extended to various critical departments via fiber optic cables.

Militarily, there wasn’t much to discuss. Hua Country’s position was crystal clear: if necessary, they were prepared to deploy all of their advanced weaponry.

The main point of contention was the matter of interests.

The major powers of the World Alliance still had no idea what Kaslopa was like—it was, after all, another world.

Humanity’s desire for exploration has been unceasing since ancient times. Even though the nations of the world now style themselves as peace-loving, they are merely sharks that have yet to smell blood.

Therefore, even though humanity’s current space technology was insufficient to support a large-scale incursion into the Otherworld, it didn’t stop them from coveting it.

The Global Treaty Alliance Against the Dark Tide still maintained an official stance of equality among its member nations, but in reality, the power to make final decisions still rested with the original founding countries.

Tao Xingzhi and military-political figures back home were also negotiating potential discussion points with countries like America, Russia, and France. In the end, strength was all that mattered—they had experience with similar matters back when the World Alliance consisted of only six nations.

「8:45 AM.」

All preparations were complete. Russian Officers went to the lounges they were responsible for and informed the delegations that the meeting was about to begin.

The venue was the large, amphitheater-style conference center on the second floor of the Guardian Base. Each nation had sent a lean delegation of seven or eight people, making the hall feel somewhat empty despite the twenty-plus countries in attendance.

The three figures seated in the very front row were the most eye-catching.

One was a tall Holy Spirit radiating brilliant light, another was the Red Demoness, as beautiful as a Goddess, and between them sat the Dawn Sage, his silver and black hair draped over his shoulders.

General Rozov was the host of the meeting for Russia, and he sat beside the Holy Spirit as an escort.

The Hua Country delegation was seated to the left, a bit farther back. The meeting had not yet begun, and the venue was filled with hushed murmurs, like a classroom before a lecture.

Chu Jianfeng asked in a very low voice.

"Old Tao, did Mr. Yan not come this time?"

"No... He seems to be busy carving White Crystal Components lately. I reckon he won’t be able to get out for a while."

"Oh... I see. I was hoping to ask about Dawn’s Magic Potions, and whether it would be possible to share the technology for their widespread production."

Tao Xingzhi glanced at the world-renowned Hua Country general and replied irritably.

"The research institutes have studied that miraculous substance, the Magic Potion, countless times. The Magic Power components within simply can’t be synthesized or replaced by mechanical means or conventional pharmacology. Old Yan told me long ago that Magic Potions require a Philosopher’s Stone and a large-scale Magic Array. Even within Dawn, only the headquarters can occasionally produce a small supply of the indispensable base ingredients."

Chu Jianfeng sighed.

"The Philosopher’s Stone... I hear it’s incredibly difficult to produce, but it’s just so useful. It’s practically a panacea."

"Obviously. Aside from the immortality part from ancient legends, it can pretty much do everything else."

A rare, sheepish expression appeared on Chu Jianfeng’s serious face.

"That’s why I only dared to consider bringing it up with Mr. Yan. I don’t know the others well enough to even ask..."

The entire conference hall was now filled with the low hum of hushed, separate conversations.

However, the Red Demoness still managed to pick out Tao Xingzhi and Chu Jianfeng’s conversation. The bad habit of using ’alternate identities’ was becoming trendy among the core members of Dawn, and it was Master Sage who had started this fine trend.

She brushed her bare foot against Qin Xiaoxia’s calf and chuckled softly.

"Aren’t you a bad influence?~"

His mind was completely occupied with the issue of the contact point on Kaslopa, so he hadn’t been paying attention to the chatter around him. He had a look of utter confusion at what the Red Demoness had just said.

"I’m all for you getting fresh with me, but don’t you go slandering me..."

"DONG! DONG! DONG!"

It was the hall’s jarring chime. The time was exactly nine o’clock, and the conference room fell silent at once.

Lazov’s bear-like roar boomed from the loudspeakers.

"And so, the first general assembly of the World Alliance since the arrival of the Dark Tide will now begin. This meeting was initiated by the Master Staff-Carrying Sage of the Dawn Association, one of the human world’s most ancient Guardians. The specific details of this meeting still require further explanation from the Master Sage."

Lazov, from his position to the side, nodded toward the three from Dawn. He then saw the Master Sage stand up.

Without walking to the podium or any dramatic pause, Qin Xiaoxia simply turned his body and head so that most of the attendees could see him. His deep, clear, and magnetic voice rang out.

"As I’m sure you all know, when the Hua Country satellite crashed into the Otherworld several days ago, I went to investigate that world in the form of a Thought Body."

After saying this, Qin Xiaoxia looked down at the person beside him.

"Red Demoness, lend me your power."