Chapter 1299: Returning to the Daikong Star Alliance (3)

The tens of thousands of citizens in the square also bowed one after another.

Aolana's eyes were slightly red.

"Commissioner, fellow citizens... we only did what we had to do. Long live the Daikong Star Alliance."

A thunderous cheer erupted from the square once again.

On the streets of Olaviria, there were welcoming crowds everywhere.

From the Starport to the Diplomatic Committee building, the ten-kilometer road was packed with citizens who had come spontaneously to welcome them.

They waved flags and shouted slogans, their faces beaming with pride and excitement.

An old man stood by the side of the road leaning on a cane, his three eyes filled with tears.

"They're back... they've finally come back..."

A middle-aged woman beside him handed over a handkerchief.

"Old man, do you know them?"

The old man shook his head.

"I don't. But they are our people. Captured by the Alien Race and locked up for so long, they did not yield, they did not betray. They are heroes."

The middle-aged woman nodded.

"Indeed. I heard that Guilliman wanted them to admit that the actions of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance were legitimate, but they simply refused to budge. In the end, it was Commissioner Kewake who negotiated in person to bring them back."

The old man wiped away his tears.

"It wasn't easy. It wasn't easy at all."

In a café by the street, several young people were sitting around a holographic screen, watching the live broadcast from the Starport.

"Look, Aolana! She's walking at the very front!"

A young girl pointed at the screen, her eyes full of admiration.

Another boy said.

"I heard that when she was at the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, facing Guilliman, she wasn't afraid at all. When Guilliman asked her questions, she answered with neither servility nor overbearingness, making those Humans look at her with new eyes."

A third young person said.

"That's for sure. Academician Tuowake as well; those Humans wanted him to reveal our scientific research intelligence, but he didn't say a single word."

The girl's eyes were sparkling.

"So amazing. I want to be like them in the future."

The boy laughed.

"Then you'll have to get into the Diplomatic Academy first."

The girl glared at him.

"I'll get in! Who's afraid of who!"

The café owner walked over carrying a few drinks.

"Here, this is on the house. To celebrate our heroes coming home."

The young people took the drinks and thanked the owner in unison.

The owner looked at Aolana on the screen and said with deep emotion.

"I've lived for four hundred years and seen many things. War, peace, prosperity, decline. But I have never seen our diplomats held captive by an Alien Race and still be able to return with their heads held high like this."

He paused.

"It wasn't easy."

In the square in front of the Diplomatic Committee building, the crowd was even denser.

This was the end of the welcoming ceremony, where Aolana and the others would receive formal recognition.

Above the main entrance of the building, a giant banner was hung.

"Welcome Home, Heroes".

A temporary podium had been set up in the center of the square, surrounded by flowers.

Kewake stood on the podium.

Behind him stood Serafen, Tailanisi, Vitas, and Zuola, and behind them were Aolana and the other twenty-two returning diplomats.

"Citizens of the Daikong Star Alliance!"

Kewake's voice spread across the entire square through the loudspeakers.

"Today, we gather here to pay tribute to our heroes!"

The square fell silent.

Kewake continued.

"During their detention by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, Ms. Aolana and her delegation, facing a powerful Alien Race and an unknown fate, always maintained the dignity of the Daikong people. They did not yield, they did not betray, and they did not bring shame upon the Daikong Star Alliance!"

He turned to Aolana.

"Ms. Aolana, please tell us, how did you manage to do it?"

Aolana stepped forward and stood before the microphone.

Her gaze swept across the dense crowd in the square, and then she spoke.

"Commissioner, fellow citizens. We only did what we had to do."

She paused.

"During that time at the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, we were locked in a small room, unable to go out, unable to communicate. All we could do every day was read, think, and wait."

"Guilliman came to ask us questions. He asked us about the Feng Qi Xing Alliance, the Daikong Star Alliance, and the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance. I told him that we are diplomats, not spies. What we know, we can tell him. What we don't know, we cannot make up. What we don't want to say, we will not say."

Enthusiastic applause erupted in the square.

"He did not make things difficult for us."

Aolana continued.

"He just looked at us and said, 'Ms. Aolana, you are an honest person.' I said, 'Lord Guilliman, honesty is the basic virtue of a diplomat.' He said, 'Pity, not all diplomats think so.'"

Someone in the crowd laughed.

The corners of Aolana's mouth lifted slightly.

"Then he left. He never came again."

She looked at the crowd in the plaza.

"We waited a long time. We waited for the negotiations, waited for the release, and waited until today."

Her voice was somewhat choked with emotion.

"Thank you all. Thank you for coming to pick us up. Thank you for not forgetting us."

Thunderous applause erupted in the plaza.

Kewake stepped forward and took Aolana's hand.

"Ms. Aolana, the Daikong Star Alliance will not forget anyone who has sacrificed for her."

He turned to the plaza.

"Citizens! Let us cheer for our heroes once again!"

"Aolana! Aolana!"

"Long live Daikong! Daikong is unyielding!"

The cheers rose and fell, continuing for a long time.

Zuola stood behind Kewake, her eyes fixed on Aolana's back.

Her expression was calm, but her mind was analyzing rapidly.

Aolana's performance was impeccable. Her words, her expression, and her body language all perfectly matched what a diplomat who had been detained for months and finally returned should look like.

But Zuola always felt something was wrong.

It was not a problem with the performance; it was... instinct.

She could not say what it was.

She just felt that Aolana's gaze was different from before.

Perhaps the experience of being detained had changed her personality.

Zuola withdrew her gaze and looked at Tuowake.

Tuowake stood behind Aolana, his eyes full of deep emotion.

He looked the same as before: gentle, calm, with the temperament of a scholar.

"Zuola."

Kewake's voice came from the side.

Zuola snapped back to reality.

"Commissioner?"

Kewake looked at her.

"What are you thinking about?"

Zuola was in Silence for a second.

"Thinking about the significance of their return."

Kewake asked.

"What significance?"

Zuola looked at the cheering crowd in the plaza.

"They have returned, and everyone is very happy. But what comes next? We have already agreed to the conditions of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance. Their people will come to inspect our diplomatic records, and their goods will flood into our markets."

She paused.

"What have we gained? Twenty-three compatriots."

"Zuola, you are too pessimistic."

Zuola shook her head.

"It is not pessimism, it is reality. Commissioner, we cannot defeat the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance. Therefore, we can only negotiate. To negotiate, we must make concessions. To make concessions, we must pay a price. The price is our sovereignty and our markets."

She looked at the cheering crowd in the plaza.

"They do not know these things. They only know that the heroes have returned."