Chapter 1052: They Are Just Looking for an Excuse

Saikeshan home planet, Yongshuang Star.

Elder Aisi Wense stumbled into the royal palace, the light of the blue Crystal Core on his forehead flickering rapidly.

"Your... Your Majesty! My lords!"

Aisi Wense did not even have time to offer a formal greeting before speaking urgently.

"They... the envoys of the Xiuluo Saint... they have put forward new demands! They are... more harsh than before, and even more... bullying!"

The Frost King Ailamande sat upright on the throne, surrounded on both sides by core nobles such as Count Kainuo, Grand Duke Moge, and General Hanren.

They had originally been discussing how to "safely" handle the preliminary assessment of the Xiuluo Saint delegation, and how to hand over those trivial "sincerities" bit by bit to buy more time.

"Calm down, Elder Aisi Wense."

Ailamande's voice was low.

"Speak slowly, what exactly do they want?"

Aisi Wense steadied his emotions and spoke at a rapid pace.

"That Li Fengmin! He just notified me, saying that our previous statements and the things we submitted lacked 'substantive sincerity'!"

They are demanding... demanding to immediately initiate a full-scale, unrestricted random inspection of Yongshuang Star!

All energy facilities, scientific research institutions, historical archives... and even... even including our core military restricted zones!"

"What?!"

Count Kainuo stood up from his ice-crystal chair, his snow-white long fur bristling slightly.

"Who do they think they are?! This is Yongshuang Star! It is the Royal Court of Saikeshan! It is not the back garden of their Xiuluo Saint! Unrestricted inspection?

And they want to inspect our military restricted zones?! Why don't they just demand to move into His Majesty's bedchamber?!"

Grand Duke Moge's expression also turned extremely ugly, and the Frost Staff in his hand struck the ground heavily.

"Arrogant! To the extreme! This is no longer arrogance; this is naked humiliation and violation! They are treating us as criminals to be scrutinized!"

General Hanren could not help but let out a cold snort.

"Inspect military restricted zones? Do they want to see how much we have left in our reserves so it's easier for them to destroy us in one go later? Or do they want to find an excuse to pin a charge of 'hiding military power and harboring evil intentions' on us?"

Aisi Wense added bitterly.

"There is more... they demand that His Majesty and all cabinet members be ready to accept their face-to-face questioning at any time, and may not decline for any reason... This is simply treating you and all the lords like subordinates who can be ordered around at will!

The... the most excessive part is that they demand we immediately dispatch three of our most senior Condensed Essence Crystal Core cultivation masters to return with their fleet as hostages for 'technical verification'! This is an ultimatum, with no room for negotiation!"

"Hostages?!"

Count Kainuo practically roared.

"Bullying! This is simply bullying! Your Majesty! Did you hear that? They are trying to dig up our roots! The core technique of the Condensed Essence Crystal Core is the foundation upon which our Saikeshan race stands in this star sector and rises in the future!

What is the difference between handing over the masters and handing over our lifeblood?! And they want to inspect everything, question you... Where is this accepting a vassal? This is clearly the prelude to the destruction of our nation and race!"

Count Kainuo turned to Ailamande and knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty! We can no longer endure this! These Xiuluo Saint people have had no good intentions from the start! Their so-called 'gentleness' and 'order' are nothing but a noose around our necks, and now it is tightening!"

They just want to use this step-by-step pressure to force us to resist, or force us to hand over everything, and then discard us like the mining slag discarded by the Fengqi, or even wipe us out completely!"

The nobles discussed among themselves, and everyone felt a sense of oppression and humiliation.

The demands of the Xiuluo Saint envoys had far exceeded the scope of "inspection" and "submission negotiations," touching upon their core dignity, secrets, and future as an independent civilization.

"Enough."

The Frost King Ailamande slowly raised his head, the dark purple light of his Crystal Core stabilizing.

"Kainuo, I feel your anger. I also feel the humiliation of everyone present."

Ailamande's gaze slowly swept across the face of every noble.

"However, anger cannot solve problems, and roaring will only make the enemy more convinced of our weakness and... being Out of Control."

"Let us calm down and think. Why would the Xiuluo Saint people suddenly put forward such extreme demands? Is it merely because that diplomat named Li Fengmin has a tough personality?"

Grand Duke Moge stroked his long beard.

"Does Your Majesty mean... they might have sensed something?"

"It is not impossible. Perhaps our performance was not seamless. Perhaps they have held deep suspicions toward us from the very beginning.

Li Fengmin's previous indifference and his current step-by-step pressure might both be a form of probing, a... stress test. They are testing our bottom line, testing the limits of our patience, and also testing the quality of our 'submission'."

General Hanren said in a deep voice.

"If they really have become suspicious, then these demands make sense. Inspecting the whole territory is to find evidence of our hidden power; questioning the high-level officials is to observe our reactions and look for flaws; demanding the Crystal Core masters... is both to plunder technology and to verify whether we truly view the Crystal Core as our 'foundation of survival' and dare not hand it over easily, as we have shown."

"There is another possibility; they might not care at all whether we are truly submitting. They are just looking for an excuse, an excuse that allows them to act 'justifiably'."

If we refuse these demands, they can claim we 'lack sincerity' and 'harbor ulterior motives,' and thus launch an attack.

If we accept... that is equivalent to binding our own hands and delivering our throats to their Blade, and they can dismantle all our ability to resist without a drop of blood being shed."

Ailamande's analysis left the agitated nobles speechless for a moment.

"Then... what should we do? Accepting is a dead end, and refusing... I fear we will immediately face the artillery fire of their fleet."

Count Kainuo raised his head and said to Ailamande.

"Your Majesty! Since it is likely a battle either way, we might as well strike first! While their delegation is still on our territory, take them! Using that Li Fengmin and those few tin cans as bargaining chips might make them hesitate!"

"Stupid!"

Grand Duke Moge immediately refuted.

"Take the delegation? And then what? The main Capital Ship fleet of the Xiuluo Saint is at the edge of the star sector!

Once we move against their people, it is equivalent to giving them the best excuse to start a war! How long can we hold out against a fully formed interstellar fleet?!"

Kainuo retorted.

"Then are we just going to watch them strip us bare, tear us apart, and finally crush us like crushing an ice worm?

To endure humiliation, one must have the opportunity to carry the burden forward! Now they aren't even giving us that opportunity!"