Chapter 964: Chapter 520, Veto Power

Stealing Jindi Star isn’t something that can be completed overnight.

However, the value brought by Wu Jiarong becoming the Principal Sage within the Mingyang Sect doesn’t need to wait long to be demonstrated; it can already play a role now.

Gu Hang’s visit to Jindi Star was to negotiate with the upper levels of the Mingyang Sect, with two main goals:

First, to reclaim the three star sectors and forty worlds that Jindi Star has no legal right to control.

Second, to have Jindi Star accept equipment manufacturing orders from the Alliance, especially starship orders.

Both conditions are quite challenging.

Even though Gu Hang, who has been quite prominent lately, came in person and had Wu Jiarong as an insider, the sages of Jindi Star still showed no courtesy.

After all, Wu Jiarong is an outsider who recently rose in rank, and crucially, everyone knows she came from the Alliance, having received much help from Gu Hang, making them naturally suspicious of her stance.

The first round of negotiations ended without result, but Gu Hang was not annoyed.

Although the Mingyang Sect did not agree to his conditions, after his visit, their attitude was still considered not bad, and they showed respect to Gu Hang.

For some time afterward, he stayed on Jindi Star, visiting several key factories and meeting many Principal Sages.

…

Chen Haixu, the Founding General of Jindi Star, had been in his workshop for several days.

Publicly, it was said that he had a very important product that required him to retreat for personal crafting. For this reason, after a polite attendance at the first meeting with the Alliance delegation brought by Mr. Gu, and personally hosting the banquet for welcoming Gu Hang, he closed his doors.

But in reality, an astute observer could see that he was avoiding Gu Hang.

Of course, even if he was cloistered, Chen Haixu, the Founding General, was perfectly aware of external happenings.

“Who did Gu Hang meet today?”

While manipulating a dozen mechanical arms, Chen Haixu asked.

There was no one beside him, but a servitor skull connected by mechanical tendons floated around in his laboratory, equipped with a speaker at its mouth.

“Report, General, today Gu Hang met with the Principal Sage Ke Zonggang. This is the seventh Principal Sage Gu Hang has met in recent times. Currently, only you and Sage Jing Yiming remain for him to meet.”

The Mingyang Sect currently has only nine Principal Sages, not yet filling the original count of eleven.

Chen Haixu nodded slightly, his somewhat inhuman face forced a smile, and he continued, “Let him slowly meet with them. Anything else to report?”

“Sage Wu Jiarong has requested to convene the second Sage Conference, still on the topic discussed in the last conference.”

“Hmph, her treacherous heart hasn’t died.” Chen Haixu sneered and lamented, “Wu Jiarong, I had high hopes for this young junior and even offered her much guidance. But why is she so stubborn, determined to align with the Alliance?”

The servitor skull floating by him continued, “So, Founding General, do we need to do anything? Like stopping the second conference, warning Sage Wu Jiarong, or…”

“There’s no need.” Chen Haixu stopped his servitor skull assistant from continuing, “Let them fuss all they want; do you think they can achieve any results?”

With his master’s words, the servitor skull closed its mouth, leaving only the red glow in its eyes flickering.

As Jindi Star’s Founding General, Chen Haixu undoubtedly had the confidence to say this.

Although Gu Hang proposed some exchange conditions, like the Alliance wanting to reclaim all planets except Jindi Star. For this, the Alliance promised that the raw materials produced by these worlds would be prioritized for Jindi Star.

All conditions, just like before the Green Tide.

However, now they can’t accept those conditions anymore.

Previously, receiving raw materials required ‘payment.’ Although this payment was generally made by producing some low-end products or accepting a few orders.

The same went for human resources.

Simply put, those mineral resources, those human resources, were not ‘valuable.’ By comparison, the products produced by Jindi Star were much more valued.

And now, Jindi Star isn’t as affluent as before. After internal discussions, the sages of the Mingyang Sect decided not even to pay for the raw materials and human resources they previously deemed negligible in added value.

The Mingyang Sect, licking its wounds and recuperating, was determined not to act generously anymore.

External sales orders were the same.

For some other things, if the Alliance offered additional resources in exchange, they weren’t unable to take orders; but starship orders, definitely not. All production capacity must first meet the needs of the sect fleet.

They planned to create a new mechanical ark, along with eight battlecruisers and over forty cruisers to form a powerful Mingyang Sect fleet.

Having experienced the Iron-tooth Green Tide, the entire Mingyang Sect agreed that the sect must have enough self-defense capabilities and cannot rely on others. They narrowly escaped calamity this time, but who knows if they can avoid the next crisis?