Star Dome Railway, I am surrounded by strange things!

"Jiang Yan, I have a very unreasonable request. Could you please enter into a marriage contract with me to help me gain enough reputation to deal with this disaster?"

"I promise that if you develop a romantic life in the future, I will personally go to the Immortal Boat Luofu to explain."

After hearing what Bronya said, Jiang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The thought of being teased forever for trying to get married in front of his sister was beyond his ability to bear psychologically. He really couldn't bring himself to say it.

After being "rescued" by Bronya, he quickly expressed his stance:

"Please rest assured, Miss Bronya. I have already promised that whenever Beloberg is in danger, this shield will stand at the forefront of the battle line, and now is no exception."

"As for our engagement, please rest assured. I have already devoted my entire heart to endless exploration and adventure. You don't need to worry that this marriage will cause me any trouble. On the contrary, if there is anything you need cooperation from, please feel free to ask."

Hearing Jiang Yan's words, Bronya immediately thought of "the obligations of the nobility" and quickly explained:

"No, no, no, the Great Guardian does not have the responsibilities and obligations of ordinary nobles. Please rest assured."

However, the only response she got was Jiang Yan's face full of question marks.

What are you talking about? As a "husband," don't I need to show up every holiday? What does that have to do with nobility?

Bronya finally realized that this young man from Xianzhou was obviously a martial arts fanatic and had no idea about the unspoken rules of the nobility. She blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Please forget about it."

After saying that, he still felt it was not enough, so he quickly added:

"Yes, yes, let's quickly find Xi'er and the others, along with Pera and Shiluwa. There's still a lot of unfinished work!"

That was true. Even if the marriage contract was officially announced, fabricating a bunch of pre-existing contracts was far beyond the authority of a Grand Guardian. Therefore, Bronya had to gather all the people she could trust and turn this ruthless task into a final plan and a fait accompli as quickly as possible.

Soon, the Earth Fire Rescue Team, who were visiting Klipper Palace, were called over. Perla and Sylva were also invited over by the ladies-in-waiting of Klipper Palace. However, just as Bronya said, "For Beloberg, I have decided to enter into a marriage contract with Mr. Jiang Yan," Sylva swung her sickle directly at Jiang Yan.

"You're a liar full of lies! What on earth did you say to Bronya? Do you remember what you said underground?"

Fortunately, Jiang Yan had already subconsciously drawn his shield after Bronya's blunt words, repeatedly blocking left, right, up, and down, finally blocking the spirited young woman's furious attack. Meanwhile, the others, whose minds had been completely blanked by the news of the full force of the attack, suddenly woke up and quickly grabbed Seele, who was still refusing to give in.

"Stop, Xier! This has nothing to do with Jiang Yan. It's my own choice."

After a long explanation, everyone finally understood that the Great Guardian wasn't under some kind of magical spell cast by Jiang Yan, causing him to lose his mind and suddenly get married. Instead, he was planning to use a powerful banner as a cover, just like some stories in ancient history, to use a marriage to ward off the covetousness of a powerful enemy.

After Natasha explained the situation several times, Xier finally understood the situation and apologized to Jiang Yan embarrassedly. She also promised to be his free sparring partner in the future, which allowed the meeting to get back to the main topic.

However, even this joyous interlude couldn't brighten the mood one bit. The situation Bronya and Jiang Yan described was far too dire. Could it be that this troubled planet, just as it had seen a glimmer of dawn, would be extinguished by the powerful darkness beyond the starry sky?

Never allow it!

Even though they knew very well that at this critical moment, if they were not careful, the entire Beloberg would be destroyed by powerful foreign forces or huge internal strife, there was still no trace of escape or fear in everyone's eyes. This was the will tempered by the seven hundred years of cold waves on this planet.

"Let's get started! After tomorrow, whether the God of Spring Yalilo still exists will depend on us."

Bronya slowly walked down the stairs, stretched out her right hand, and placed it among the crowd.

From this moment on, until tomorrow afternoon 24 system hours later, she will no longer be the high and mighty Great Guardian, but one of the "traitors" who will face unprecedented challenges together and change the fate of the entire planet.

The next moment, seven hands overlapped each other.

Oops, I've been entangled by the Lord of Extinction! : Chapter 23: A Long Day

Although the Great Guardian seems to have the final say in Beloberg, Cocolia, who is unstoppable even when doing evil things, can only control the military command. When it comes to the power in everyone's hands, no one is so easy to talk to.

Therefore, within these 24 hours, Bronya must successfully convince the "city builders", the officials of Krippenburg, and the public opinion of the upper and lower districts to become supporters of this hasty decision and create a fait accompli.

Otherwise, once the Interstellar Peace Company is given the opportunity to carry out their best method of bribery, how many rich people and officials will be willing to stay on this planet and continue to live a hard life?

Countless examples from the border trade wars proved that once the first wave of people chose to sell out the common people in exchange for their own journey to a more habitable planet, that planet would easily become the property of the Interstellar Peace Corporation amidst the rush of betrayal. Human hearts are vulnerable to temptation, and Bronya absolutely did not want this planet, of which she was immensely proud, to become another negative example of human nature.

Fortunately, this fierce wave of scandals had already laid enough groundwork for what they were going to do, so soon everyone started to act according to their division of labor.

Natasha remained in the upper zone, while Xier and Luca returned to the lower zone. They began to fully utilize the popular base of the Earth Fire, publicly announcing the massive debt owed by the Interstellar Peace Company, stating that "each Beloberg would need to repay millions of credit points." They also began to advocate for a "best of both worlds" solution: marrying with the Immortal Ship to avoid this unreasonable debt.

Pella was in charge of publicity within the Silvermane Guard and Krippenburg.

The mere fact that the Interstellar Peace Corporation had no intention of reclaiming the entire planet, only of exploiting the planet's core and the Rift, was enough to completely turn all Silvermane Guards against the company. Furthermore, the Interstellar Peace Corporation had no habit of arming indigenous armies; their first act upon occupying a planet would be to replace them with automated robots that could be remotely disabled at any time and loyal security personnel. This made it impossible for them to even be bribed. Pella simply needed to spread this fact.

Joining an advanced alien civilization would not be a good thing for the officials who had worked at Krippleburg for generations. Perhaps some lucky ones would be given important positions, but it was inevitable that the vast majority of their jobs would be replaced by employees dispatched by artificial intelligence and Interstellar Peace Corporation, and these positions would no longer exist.

The most lethal thing has always been the cold facts. Pella, who was communicating with officials in his capacity as an intelligence officer, completely won the support of these officials by relying solely on some "automated office" promotional materials from the Interstellar Peace Company sent by the Minghuo Merchant Group.

As for the most difficult "City Builders," Bronya naturally had to deal with them personally. Seven hundred years later, the heroes who had once emulated the Amber King in building a fortified city to protect the planet had long since become a political group encompassing nearly all of Beloberg's military nobility and senior bureaucrats.

They controlled a vast amount of national resources and even had the power to select the Grand Guardians. If they were bribed by the Interstellar Peace Corporation, the consequences would be disastrous. So Bronya decided to bribe them first.

Soon, a secret meeting was urgently held at Krippleburg.

"Your Excellency, the Great Guardian, I wonder what is the important matter that has called us here in such a hurry?" A noble in gorgeous attire asked in surprise at the meeting seat.

However, Bronya wasn't misled by the other party's emotions. Centuries of time had allowed this group to have eyes and ears in every corner of Krippleburg. The conversation during the meeting with the Interstellar Peace Corporation must have been on their desks for a long time.

Waiting for your decision? Just waiting for your bid.

Under normal circumstances, Bronya, who had been taught by Cocolia since childhood, would not mind taking the initiative in the topic by repeatedly probing the topic and then bringing out the main point of the story.

But now she didn't intend to waste any second, so she pressed her hands hard on the table, and the loud noise successfully attracted everyone's attention:

"City Builders, at this moment that determines the fate of this planet, please abandon these meaningless temptations. I will tell you everything, and you must also tell me your final choice, just like our ancestors who saved this planet seven hundred years ago. Okay?"

After saying that, without waiting for a reply from the seated people, Bronya told all the city builders the whole story of how the Interstellar Peace Company came to collect the debt, her speculation that the other party intended to develop the star core and the rift, and her idea of ​​using a marriage to avoid the debt. Just as she promised, there was no concealment and no hiding.

This kind of frankness, rarely seen at Krippenburg, unsurprisingly stirred up quite a stir in the audience. The naked truth, like the blazing midday sun, made these political creatures want only to hide. After a long period of whispering, an elderly man in the front row adjusted his glasses and slowly spoke:

"Your Excellency, Grand Guardian, we understand your sincerity and the urgency of the matter. However, decisions based on facts and rationality remain the cornerstone of this planet's survival."

"We already know the Interstellar Peace Company's ambitions, but how can the safety of the Immortal Ship Luofu be guaranteed? And how can you guarantee that these nominal treaties won't one day become free indentures for all of us?"

"There's no guarantee. It's just the lifeline we can grasp at the moment, the only one." Bronya said firmly.

Completely ignoring the astonishment of the audience, Bronya continued to speak:

"Although our planet's think tank's intelligence is seven hundred years behind, fortunately, both the Interstellar Peace Company and the Immortal Ship Luofu have left enough footprints in the galaxy seven hundred years ago, enough for us to understand what kind of ferocious dire wolf we are facing."

After that, Bronya sent the public information that Silva had rushed to collect from the Beloberg Think Tank, as well as the information that Jiang Yan had added to the Xianzhou Think Tank, to everyone's information terminals:

"Since the interstellar trade wars that followed the locust plague, tens of thousands of planets have become vassals of the Interstellar Peace Corporation."

"And in peacetime, things don't seem to change much."

"There are tens of thousands of resource planets that have been incorporated into the Interstellar Corporation's system. Not a single one of them can maintain its independence today. And not a single one has not been abandoned after the resources were depleted."

"Would the city our ancestors sustained with countless lives for seven hundred years be an exception? I don't think so."

As photos of abandoned planets with depleted resources were projected before their eyes, all the city builders looked extremely grim.

Even those who are tired of this endless ice and snow and just want to escape from here understand that all their wealth, power and status come from this city. Once it is completely abandoned, they and their entire family will no longer be a noble city-builder family, but just a fat sheep with a large amount of credit points. What's the point?

Looking at the expressions of the city builders below the stage with satisfaction, Bronya changed the subject:

"As for the immortal ships, since the nine great ships set sail eight thousand years ago, only six remain, and they haven't occupied any planets for their own use. The Chiming and Fox People, to whom entire tribes have taken refuge, currently maintain a good degree of autonomy, and some of their members have even become generals of certain immortal ships."

"At least in terms of credibility, I think they can be trusted."

The city builders had no objection to Bronya's words. As the first civilization to use the star track opened up by the Star Train to reopen the planet's cosmic trade routes, the information about the Immortal Boat had long been studied by various forces in Beloberg.

As for this group of cosmic weirdos who have been single-mindedly hunting down the People of Plenty for five thousand years, as long as they don't get involved with the People of Plenty, the entire universe doesn't believe that they will have any malice or ambition towards themselves.

However, this answer alone could not convince everyone. A city builder with a golden Iron Guard badge on his chest asked bluntly:

"So, we have to confront this opponent head-on just for their credibility? If they choose to give up diplomatically, and if we incur retaliation from the Interstellar Peace Corporation, how will we cope?"

During Cocolia's reign, the military nobles naturally suffered the most losses. Not everyone was as reasonable as the Langdao family. Looking at the resolute attitude of Cocolia's adopted daughter, many people recalled the time when Cocolia insisted on pushing forward the isolation order.

Is this choice destined to be the right one? No one can guarantee it.

Maybe the people of Xianzhou are trustworthy and don’t have any thoughts about Beloberg, but what everyone is afraid of is that they don’t have any thoughts!

After deeply offending the Interstellar Peace Company, the "unthinkable" Xianzhou people ran away. What should we do?

Even if they are loyal and help Yalilo No. 6 to resist the lightning, how will everyone integrate into the entire universe in the future? Can the Xianzhou people always protect everyone?

Faced with this heart-piercing questioning, Bronya did not panic. After all, a few minutes ago, she finally heard a slight vibration from the communication terminal.

"Regarding this, I have invited Mr. Jiang Yan, who refused to abandon his comrades in the face of life and death, to answer our questions. He is just outside the door. Could the City Builders allow him to attend this meeting as a special representative?"

Clearly, his status as a war hero, his good reputation, and, of course, the scandal known to all Belobergers, were enough to make the city builders treat Jiang Yan as half one of their own. After a brief discussion, the dusty Jiang Yan arrived at the stage, participating in this highest-level meeting that was originally closed to all outsiders.

Jiang Yan drove straight from Krippenburg to the Minghuo Merchant Corps office. With the cooperation of Tianbosi, he collected countless information and obtained a lot of authorization. Without even taking a breath, he rushed back to Krippenburg and caught up with the meeting that would determine success or failure.

After exchanging glances with Bronya and receiving a nod of approval, Jiang Yan took a deep breath and said:

"Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Yan, the familiar Immortal Boat Foreigner, and of course, also a member of the glorious Silver Mane Iron Guard."

"Just a few months ago, I came here to fulfill my adopted sister's wish. To be honest, as an outsider, an ordinary human, I wasn't a formal member of the Minghuo Merchants before. My visit to Yalilo 6 was entirely private and personal. Fortunately, the helmsman was understanding and gave me this identity, preventing me from becoming the biggest fraudster in Beloberg's history."

"Obviously, I, a counterfeit business representative who immediately went to the military camp upon arrival, am the best proof that the Immortal Boat has no ambitions here. Otherwise, why would they send me here instead of sending the seniors who are hundreds of years old?"

With Jiang Yan's self-deprecating remarks, the atmosphere instantly became much more relaxed.

As the first alien friend to open up the trade route, and having stayed in Beloberg for quite some time, the city builders all had some understanding of Jiang Yan's character. It was hard to believe that this young man, who was so determined to pursue his ambition of preservation that he didn't even care about his own life, had shouldered some important mission or conspiracy from the very beginning.

Jiang Yan paused for a moment and continued very frankly:

"Everyone knows what happened later. Yalilo VI is no longer a resource planet, and naturally, there aren't enough commodities to trade with. It wasn't until the Tianbo Division sent a capable senior instead of a fake like me that we discovered the real potential for cooperation—the sealed and intact star core."

"As everyone knows, the Immortal Boat isn't interested in anything other than hunting down the People of Plenty. But to be honest, Luofu was put in a terrible predicament not long ago because of a smuggled star core. That's why they urgently need to research a faster and safer way to seal the star core."

"The Interstellar Peace Company has a reciprocal agreement with us. If they're willing to join us in collaborative research, we'd be more than happy to do so. But it's clear that these sneaky guys they've sent over this time aren't looking to research sealing and elimination, which can be done openly, and they have absolutely no desire to cooperate. So, we'll have to rely on our own abilities."

Jiang Yan never thought that he was cut out for politics, let alone the desire to do so, so he had no intention of wasting time talking to the group of cunning and treacherous guys in the audience.

Is the routine as powerful as the real thing?

Sure enough, faced with Jiang Yan's overly direct hint, someone in the audience finally couldn't help but ask:

"May I ask what abilities Luo Fu is going to use to gain our support?"

This statement was very indecent and even more unprotective, not at all like that of a "city builder", but the immense temptation of the Immortal Boat for mortals was enough to make them completely lose their reserve.

Looking at the quiet environment, Jiang Yan smiled triumphantly.

What's the point of using tricks? The only thing that matters is the human heart!

Then, amid the expectations of countless people, he spoke confidently:

"In terms of wealth, Xianzhou is far inferior to the Interstellar Peace Company. If you want these things, I believe that Miss Topa can satisfy you at any time."

"The Xianzhou's pride and joy is naturally its unrivaled medical expertise. While the elixir of immortality is unattainable, with the Danding Division's expertise and regular care, we can instantly cure the chronic illnesses of our Xianzhou friends, who have endured hardships since childhood, and double their lifespans. This is no small feat."

In the silence, the countless heavy breathing sounds that suddenly became obvious proved without a doubt that the fish had taken the bait.

Oops, I'm Being Haunted by the Lord of Extinction!: Chapter 24 The Contract is Established

The better off one's life, the more afraid one is of death. This is an unavoidable human nature from primitive times to the cosmic age. This was especially true for the middle-aged and elderly people in the audience, who had money, honor, and status. The good life offered by the Interstellar Peace Company was certainly tempting, but it was completely insignificant compared to a few more years of happiness.

After all, if all your teeth fall out, no matter how delicious the food is, it is meaningless; if your waist is not strong, no matter how beautiful a woman is, it is meaningless; if you are not strong, no matter how good your life is, can you take it to the underworld?

Only in this aspect can Xianzhou proudly say, who else?

After all, there aren't many immortal species in the entire universe, and even fewer exist if you exclude the fertile people who have lost their minds and resembled vicious beasts. The Xianzhou people, a subspecies of humans who can live for nearly a thousand years with almost no side effects, are simply envied by all flesh and blood life in the universe. Every year, countless wealthy or powerful people pay a huge price to go to Xianzhou Luofu and ask the same question:

"Is there any way to turn me, an old man with osteoporosis, memory loss, and skin wrinkled like an old sheet, back to my youthful state and let me live happily for another thousand years - just like you people on the Immortal Boat?"

The secret to immortality, born of the blessings of abundance, naturally couldn't be passed on, but the Xianzhou people, having cultivated biotechnology for millennia, naturally wouldn't let their guests return empty-handed. Medical procedures like stem cell cultivation and injection, bone reconstruction, and the awakening of compensatory mechanisms seemed miraculous to outsiders. To Beloberg, a city regressing technologically, Jiang Yan's claim of "doubling lifespan" wasn't much of a boast; it was completely believable.

Moreover, Jiang Yan was very considerate and provided a free experience activity - the "Beloberg Friendly Visiting Group" will go to Luofu early tomorrow morning. There, each member will have the opportunity to enjoy the Danding Division's special treatment, conditioning, and free medicine services as a "Xianzhou friend" until all hidden diseases are cured and they are in good health.

Some people in this world might be able to resist the allure of eternal life, but no one can resist the allure of curing a chronic illness and regaining youthful vitality. Almost immediately, more than half of the "city builders" eagerly expressed their desire to sign up for this experience.

Wait and see? Who knows if I, in my old age and frailty, can survive the next cold snap? Who knows if the Xianzhou people will be as powerful as they are next time?

Under their leadership, the other city builders naturally did not want to become the opposition and miss this "fairy opportunity", so under Bronya's stunned eyes, the shadow masters of this country were collectively packed up by Jiang Yan and sent to Luofu.

Treaty? Position? Does it still matter in the face of "selling oneself out"?

These guys who were just talking about "facts and rationality" and then turned around and showed their ugly side like the old people who were deceived and bought health products crazily, are they the elites of this country?

Even as a participant in the plan, Bronya felt disillusioned at this moment, and even suddenly understood Cocolia's feelings to some extent.

How can we govern the country well if we are with such insects?

Fortunately, unlike Cocolia, Bronya has always been surrounded by a group of reliable companions, so she did not fall into the situation of causing the entire tribe to ascend to the star core. Instead, she took over Jiang Yan's position and began to make the final confirmation of the treaties and documents one by one.

In the seven hundred years since Beloberg was founded, had there ever been a meeting so smooth? A single decree would often take weeks, months, or even years of wrangling and hand-wringing before it was implemented; that was the normal pace. Even so, signing a treaty between two civilizations was no joke. By the time all the terms and documents were finalized, it was already late at night.

As the city builders, who could not hide their fatigue, left one after another, only Bronya and Jiang Yan were left in the huge conference room.

Looking at the massive Eternal Winter Monument in the distance and the car lights scattering away like ants, the grandeur and the insignificance reflected simultaneously in the same picture, yet so ordinary and reasonable, Bronya rarely showed a weak expression.