Chu Guang couldn’t help recalling Li Ke, that eccentric weird fellow who had shown up at Falcon City’s gate during the New Year’s visit.

Yang Kai’s bumbling demeanor completely shattered the mysterious, aloof image he’d had in mind.

Or maybe... he just wasn’t good at in-person interaction?

The attendant, barely suppressing his laughter, quietly stepped forward to right the fallen chair.

Yang Kai nodded stiffly, forcing a strained smile. “Indeed...”

Chu Guang walked to his seat at the head of the table and sat down, then looked across at the Academy’s representative.

“Well then,” he said with an easy smile, “Since this isn’t our first time working together, let’s skip the formalities and get straight to business.”

Yang Kai nodded. Compared to his confident, eloquent holographic self, he looked like a different man in front of Chu Guang. He was laconic, cautious, and he measured every word.

“Exactly my thought,” he said curtly.

Then he drew a line through the air with his index finger, unfolding a holographic display, and placed a projection pen on the table.

“Clearspring City belonged to the Federation. Its legacy should rightfully belong to all of its descendants. We hope to send a scientific expedition team of 50 to 100 people for long-term residence in Clearspring City, conducting purely observational studies on the local ruins. Those ruins and any physical discoveries will remain yours, while any digital data we obtain will be copied and shared with you...”

He paused, checked mentally that he had left nothing out, then took a deep breath and continued, “In addition, we’ll dispatch a research team to your side to provide some technical assistance and supply professional research equipment. All of this is outlined in the cooperation agreement before you.”

As Yang Kai summarized the proposal, Chu Guang scrolled through the holographic document, occasionally glancing over its edge to study the man’s expression.

Honestly, the guy was a total amateur at diplomacy.

Then again, he was from the Research Division. Diplomacy wasn’t part of his job description, so the lack of polish was understandable.

Normally, these talks started with overblown demands so both sides could haggle down to a compromise. But this man did the exact opposite, like he was terrified of being rejected, he began with lofty moral reasoning and then dumped every bargaining chip straight onto the table.

To be fair, the offer was tempting. Chu Guang had to admit that by the halfway point, he was already intrigued.

Still, the way the man presented it was like slapping a fat wallet onto the counter and telling the shopkeeper, “Take whatever you think is fair.”

Scrolling to the end, Chu Guang resisted the urge to chuckle, coughed lightly, and replied. “... We value our relationship with your side, and we’re indeed interested in your research cooperation proposal.”

Yang Kai’s heart leapt. His worries had been unnecessary after all!

But before he could exhale in relief, Chu Guang’s tone shifted. “However, we do have objections to certain clauses in the agreement.”

The vague phrasing made Yang Kai tense up instantly. “What objections? Please, say it.”

Chu Guang swiped the hologram aside and met his eyes squarely. “Clearspring City was a Federation Era city and it belongs to humanity as a whole. But we are its current stewards. We were the ones who fought and bled to reclaim it. Asking us to share the fruits earned by the sacrifices of Clearspring City’s survivors... doesn’t that strike you as a bit presumptuous?”

Seeing the displeasure on Chu Guang’s face, especially those steady eyes, Yang Kai panicked. “I’m not asking for ownership of the ruins! It’s just an observational study, as I said. The sites remain yours! And we recognize your effort, that’s why we’re offering technical aid in return. This isn’t a one-sided...”

“That’s exactly the issue I’m raising.” Chu Guang cut in calmly. “Your agreement mentions sending at least 100 researchers to set up an Academy branch at Camp 101 for an exchange. But to me, a one-way exchange isn’t really an exchange.”

Yang Kai froze. He hadn’t expected that to be the problem.

Bugra Free State practically begged them to send researchers and been refused. Yet now that they offered voluntarily, the New Alliance... objected?

“What do you mean?”

Feigning mild annoyance, Chu Guang pressed on. “Isn’t the scope of exchange entirely under your control? Even if you sent us a batch of second-rate researchers, we would have no way to stop you. And as for those research instruments, sure, we don’t expect cutting-edge models, but if you just dump your obsolete junk on us...”

“We would never do that!” Yang Kai blurted, face flushed, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Though truthfully, he wasn’t so sure. The Foreign Affairs Department might actually pull a stunt like that, saving the Academy money counted as an achievement, after all.

Promotion within the Academy depended on performance metrics, and most mid to upper-tier Researchers favored short-term gains over long-term goodwill.

If the Academy expected to ascend within a century, that attitude even made sense.

But Chu Guang wasn’t about to play the sucker. He was the one who harvested other people’s fields, not the other way around.

“I didn’t say you would,” Chu Guang replied evenly. “But we need a safeguard to make sure you can’t.”

Seeing Yang Kai struggle for words, Chu Guang patiently continued, “That’s easily fixed. We have foo- ahem, people who understand how your Academy works. I’d like to refine the agreement details ourselves. We will list out the exact types, models, parameters, and, most importantly, the prices of all equipment transfers. That way you can’t just decide one day to clear out your storage and dump your leftovers on us.”

Yang Kai forced a stiff nod. “Fine...”

That demand wasn’t unreasonable.

If the New Alliance asked for anything truly off-limits, like instruments tied to graviton or FTL-drive research, they could simply specify an exclusion clause.

At least that part was negotiable.

Chu Guang smiled, sensing that he had gained momentum, and pushed further. “The other issue is what I mentioned earlier, the personnel you will send.”

“We absolutely support academic freedom, but true exchange must go both ways. Aside from your people coming here, we would like to send some of ours to your side as well.”

Yang Kai blinked, then protested immediately, “That’s impossible! Only Academy members are allowed inside! Other survivors can only stay in the committee’s settlements. We can’t design a separate living system just for you, don’t push it!”

The Academy operated on KP and GP, credits that governed every aspect of life from travel to food access. Outsiders couldn’t survive within that framework at all.

Chu Guang, however, didn’t see it as such a big problem. Just tweak the system a little, add a diplomatic personnel status, and let the New Alliance pay the cost. It was simple. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But judging from Yang Kai’s rigid expression, pushing it further would get nowhere.

So Chu Guang offered a concession. “Then let’s compromise. Our people won’t enter the Academy. Instead, they’ll reside in one of your committee-administered settlements for academic exchange, of course, one we designate.”

The Academy’s talent pipeline wasn’t confined entirely within its own walls. Certain settlements handled artifact sorting and data processing.

Those places tended to have higher living standards and better conditions than ordinary settlements. Since they had close ties to Academy work, many children there grew up immersed in science, producing a higher ratio of Prospectors and Researchers than anywhere else.

Many mid-level researchers’ families lived in those settlements as a workaround for the Academy’s closed environment.

Chu Guang had learned about it from Yin Fang, and he saw huge potential. Sending New Alliance personnel there could train skilled Prospectors, or even future Researchers. Maybe he could even poach a few naive idealists while he was at it.

The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the plan seemed.

As for his people being poached? It was impossible.

The allure of the Wandering Swamp couldn’t compare to that of Ideal City, and Chu Guang understood exactly what Researchers truly valued. If anyone did defect, that just meant they weren’t New Alliance material to begin with.

He would simply let them go.

Yang Kai hesitated for a while before replying carefully, “That’s against regulations... Some settlements aren’t open to outsiders. We can’t just let you pick whichever one you want.”

As expected, Chu Guang’s face blossomed into a warm, confident smile. “Then let’s choose it together. We could establish a special zone in the Wandering Swamp.”

Hearing the unfamiliar term, Yang Kai blinked. “Special... zone?”

“Exactly.” Chu Guang nodded, smiling. “Our visiting researchers would operate only within that zone, working alongside your personnel there. And don’t think I’m joking. You really shouldn’t underestimate our tomb raid... Ahem, archaeological techniques. We’ve reclaimed plenty of relics ourselves over the years. We might even learn a thing or two from each other.”

Yang Kai inwardly scoffed at the notion of mutual learning. The Academy had been studying relic recovery for over two centuries, combing over ruins so thoroughly there was hardly dust left. He doubted the New Alliance had anything worth learning.

Still, the proposal itself wasn’t unreasonable.

Committee settlements weren’t part of the Academy’s core, and even those hosting research facilities only handled peripheral work.

After thinking it through, Yang Kai nodded. “Alright... I don’t see a problem. But I’ll need to confirm with my superiors.”

Chu Guang blinked, genuinely surprised by how quickly the man flipped from stubborn refusal to agreement.

He had expected acceptance, but not so easily.

The meeting concluded.

Yang Kai stood briskly, pocketed his projection pen, and left the conference room in a hurry, as if he was escaping.

Watching his figure vanish through the doorway, Chu Guang couldn’t help musing aloud. “So Academy researchers are actually... pretty easy to deal with?”

They were efficient and decisive, so much better than the dithering Highest Council bureaucrats from the Enterprise.

Maybe he had misjudged them.

Just as he thought that, hurried footsteps echoed outside. Moments later, an unexpected face appeared at the door.

Seeing Charlie, Chu Guang, still in a good mood, stood and greeted him with a smile. “What brings you here?”

Old Charlie, still president of the Merchants’ Guild, looked visibly agitated.

Although the Guild was an New Alliance-affiliated body, it functioned more as a service organization than an administrative one, with offices separate from Alliance Tower, at the old forward-base site by Linghu Lake.

For a time, Chu Guang’s own office had been there. “... Forget why I came, just look at this first,” Charlie said urgently, thrusting a folded newspaper into his hands.

Chu Guang glanced down, scanning the front page, and his eyebrows shot up at the bold headline.

“THE CLEARSPRING CITY MOTHER NEST HAS NOT FALLEN! IT HAS BEEN SECRETLY IMPRISONED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR!”

Below it, a subtitle blared: “Clearspring Daily Reveals the Shocking Conspiracy Hidden in the Eastern District!”