I Am The Swarm-Chapter 683: Argument

The Confederation races that had lost their territories were the most marginalized, newly established outer-ring civilizations. Their histories were short, and their voices alone carried little weight.

Unfortunately, their foundations were too weak, and they couldn’t offer any benefits to persuade other races to support them. Therefore, Humes only needed to employ delaying tactics. After all, it wasn’t his concern, and the plight of those few races’ homelands was, in his eyes, a trivial matter.

Moreover, given his position, even if there were a way to resolve the issue, he would have to sabotage it. After all, the Swarm had no intention of returning the territories it had seized.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

Ambros, on the other hand, had the easiest job. The Confederation races he was responsible for were outer and mid-ring civilizations that hadn’t suffered any direct losses.

Their strength was limited, and since they hadn’t incurred significant losses, they lacked the boldness to make specific demands. At most, they offered some vocal support, which Ambros simply let go in one ear and out the other, paying no real attention.

The real obstacle to the smooth progress of the agreement was the inner-circle civilizations. Although they were powerful, they couldn’t directly confront the Ji race and thus avoided a head-on clash.

However, as one of the oldest and most established civilizations, they had contributed significantly to the Ji race’s population over the years. While some of these individuals had truly converted to the Ji race, becoming its staunchest supporters, others, like Beladuka, maintained strong ties to their origin races. Through these internal connections, they could influence some of the Ji race’s decisions to varying degrees.

Their vast network of “insiders” was also the primary reason they believed they could one day replace the Ji race. Obtaining intelligence was no problem for these “insiders.”

Although Ambros had stated that the reason for the Ji race’s sudden change in attitude was kept confidential to prevent leaks, with only him privy to the information on the frontlines, the high level of secrecy didn’t deter the origin race sympathizers within the Ji race. To them, their origin races weren’t outsiders, so there was no reason not to share the information.

Thus, the inner-circle civilizations soon learned the reason, followed by Beladuka. This information was relayed by the inner-circle civilizations, not the Ji race, perfectly circumventing the rules.

Once the reason was known, the inner-circle civilizations, which had been openly and covertly resisting the agreement, suddenly fell silent. Beladuka instantly became the one with the easiest job.

But beneath the silence, undercurrents were stirring. Humes, through his own connections, also managed to glean some information. Upon learning the details, Luo Wen couldn’t help but smirk. It was indeed the reason he had suspected. It seemed it was time for him to prepare as well.

After a three-day pause, the negotiations resumed on the fourth day. With the Confederation’s concessions as a foundation, the discussions proceeded smoothly. Although some races looked extremely angry with their face as dark as a thundercloud, it didn’t affect the overall progress.

Ambros, representing the Ji race and the Confederation, agreed to all of the Swarm’s conditions—whether it was the territorial divisions, the detention of captives, or the exaggerated detention period.

However, as a condition, they made a small request. Given the high level of the agreement being signed, both sides had to send highly significant representatives to sign it in person, using the ancient method.

Clearly, Marlene, as a Swarm general, held a high position of authority, but in the face of the behemoth that was the Confederation, her status was somewhat inadequate.

After all, the strength the Swarm had displayed, while sufficient to dominate the mid-ring civilizations, still paled in comparison to the Confederation and the Ji race.

Of course, this was merely the Confederation’s perspective. They were unaware of Luo Wen’s existence, his capabilities, and the number of secondary bases he had established.

The Confederation believed their concessions were a form of charity to the Swarm, an immense honor for the Swarm. Among the Swarm’s key figures, only Empress Sarah herself could barely be deemed worthy of representing the Swarm to receive this honor and sign the agreement.

Therefore, the Confederation proposed that the Ji race would send a grand delegation of elders to represent the Confederation in signing the agreement. In return, the Swarm had to summon its empress to sign.

As a balancing measure, the Swarm could choose any planet near the border as the signing location.

This outrageous demand infuriated Marlene. She made it clear that this was absolutely impossible. The Swarm empress would not risk appearing in such a dangerous frontline territory.

Ambros, however, argued that as a civilization with a history spanning over a million years, the status of the Ji elders was equally revered. Moreover, they represented the vast Confederation.

Although his words were somewhat tactful, the underlying message was clear: the status of the Ji elders far surpassed that of the Swarm empress. If the Ji elders were willing to come to the frontline to sign the agreement, why couldn’t the Swarm empress?

Unfortunately, they were dealing with Marlene. The two sides had already torn off the veneer of civility, and the brief period of friendliness had been nothing more than a facade. Therefore, there was no need to hold back. Marlene directly fired back.

“You have tens of thousands of Ji elders, while we have only one empress. Even if the status of a Ji elder is more revered, that reverence has been diluted tens of thousands of times. How can it compare to our empress?”

This blunt remark sent Beladuka, the elderly woman, into a rage. Fortunately, she was restrained by others, or the meeting might have devolved into a physical altercation.

Watching the restrained Beladuka, Marlene expressed deep regret. If a fight had broken out, she could have easily activated her exoskeletal transformation and beaten Beladuka to the point where even her origin race wouldn’t recognize her.

“Lady Marlene, your words are excessive and beneath the dignity of the Swarm. Although the Ji elders are numerous, we are a unified entity. Every member represents the whole. The honor of the individual is the honor of the collective. Insulting any member is an insult to the entire group. If you do not apologize, we will pursue this matter to the end.” Ambros couldn’t ignore Marlene’s sweeping attack and spoke with a threatening tone.

“Are we still discussing the matter of these trillions of captives? Is this agreement still going to be signed?” Marlene’s casual remark instantly cooled the Confederation’s anger by several degrees.

Seeing Ambros and the others somewhat subdued, Marlene, however, wasn’t ready to let it go. She continued her barrage of sarcasm.