NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42: None Shall Overstep
The Interstellar Alliance Security Council, located in the Soras planetary fortress, has been established for over 2,000 years, handling at least 200,000 deployments, military interventions, and humanitarian aid tasks annually. It remains in a highly busy state every moment.
There is a saying: The Star Peace Council will only cease meetings on the day it dissolves.
"Yes... Message received, I understand, Your Grace the Grand Shepherd."
The representative of the Maxwell Consortium, Hazama Qingsu, nodded, turned off the communication, stood up, and requested to speak to the Star Peace Council committee:
"Esteemed committee members, we, representing the Maxwell Consortium, request to speak."
"Speech approved."
At this moment, the Star Peace Council's security ambassador has rotated, now representing the "Obliteration Sanctum," and they have already colluded in advance.
"Thank you, sir — just five minutes ago, we suffered a terrorist attack. A moving planet approaching the Fairy Galaxy was assaulted by the former president of Baizhu Star, Leoz Dominet. We strongly condemn Baizhu Star for the massacre and attack on civilians and hope to receive fair and just handling. If necessary, we will have no choice but to take military action."
The Maxwell Consortium representative spoke eloquently, packaging themselves into the image of a victim.
"The Empire expresses dissent."
The spokesperson for the "Empire of Heralds" spoke lazily:
"When the Star Peace Council ADO198 resolution was made, the Maxwell Consortium representative claimed that their entire population is armed. Now when attacked, they begin to claim civilian status? Aren't they a group of potential armed militants?"
"Having an entire population armed doesn't mean it's permissible to indiscriminately attack our people. Instead, it indicates that our nation is filled with suffering, resorting to all citizens fighting due to necessity."
The Maxwell Consortium representative remained indifferent, speaking shamelessly:
"If being an armed population is reason enough to be slaughtered at will, then would conducting large-scale massacres on nations engaging in 'people's war' also be perceived as readily acceptable? After all, they are all potential armed personnel, even having indirectly or directly aided military operations."
"Sure, you can come over and try slaughtering a few planets of ours, slaughter one of us, we'll burn one of your planets."
The "Empire of Heralds" representative was nonchalant:
"Don't think we don't know what you sent over? A wandering planet? Originally the 'Tasuli' combat planet, equipped with a 20,000-millimeter caliber Star Annihilator Cannon and Mind Turbulence System, a fort permanently housing 29,000 regular troops and 90,000 militia — so it's a wandering planet, huh?"
"Up there are six million civilians engaged in productive construction, moreover, there are schools, hospitals, and residential areas."
"Isn't that a Pioneer Group? What's the deal, are you trying to move the planet to Azure Star and start colonizing? Let me remind you, Azure Star has been bought by Mr. Leoz."
The Empire was evidently well-prepared, sending evidence after evidence to the big screen:
"Purchase documents, records of origin from Azure Star, legal garrison of Baizhu Star — this is a quintessential case of 're-purchase redemption of territory.' Suppose an able young man originating from the Mother Star, who becomes successful and honored years later, cannot use money to secure Layer Abyss's sovereignty status for his Mother Star — then, I ask all Interstellar Alliance members here, who would be willing henceforth to give back to their Mother Star? How then would we retain these grateful and talented individuals?"
These words immediately incited numerous country representatives to discuss, indeed, many civilizations follow this model, especially under the Empire with its numerous emerging civilizations, largely reliant on a few elite talents to purchase planets to gain sovereignty.
"But this cannot be an excuse for Leoz Dominet to slaughter our civilians... Even if it is a Pioneer Group, it is normal for a colonial mission to be armed indeed; interstellar law permits colonization..."
The Maxwell Consortium strived to argue, yet hardly anyone in the meeting supported their side.
"Representative of the Maxwell Consortium, representative of the Empire, please return to the main topic."
Seeing the Maxwell Consortium begin to lose ground, the "Obliteration Sanctum" timely intervened to ease the situation:
"The issue we are discussing now is whether Leoz Dominet's attack on the Maxwell Consortium's wandering planet involves genocide and massacre."
"This is undoubtedly genocide! Ships and wandering planets are all considered national territories. If this isn't deemed a terrorist attack, it would be tantamount to tacitly allowing interstellar pirates to massacre and plunder civilians of civilizations!"
The representative of the Ghost Heart Civilization immediately stood up and eloquently expressed:
"I condemn the attack from Azure Star on the Maxwell Consortium, its soldiers, and people. Ghost Heart Civilization will stand with the Maxwell Consortium and the Maxwell people!"
The representative from the Moon Count Civilization also spoke firmly:
"I am shocked by today's terrorist attack from Azure Star on Maxwell civilians. There is no doubt, Maxwell has absolute self-defense rights."
"Our side also strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Maxwell. As an interstellar famous figure, Leoz must immediately cease the violence and Arcane Energy attacks on innocent civilians."
"Just imagine, if your child is attending a concert on the planet of the Maxwell Consortium, and at this moment, they are attacked by Leoz's terrorist assault. Regardless of the reason, can you tolerate your own flesh and blood being affected by Leoz's attack?"
"It's just an ordinary planet, so what if it has some armed forces? Even if we take a step back, would you rather have your child stay on a barbaric place like Azure Star, or would you prefer to have them with the advanced and sophisticated Maxwell Consortium civilization?"
The Temple has been in operation for too long. As an idealism civilization, they have engaged in philosophical debates and rhetoric for years, completely overwhelming others in verbal battles.
Morality, conscience, kinship.
The side of the Temple has meticulously prepared scripts, linking with each other, with professional scholars and media moguls creating momentum. In just a few minutes, the news of 'Starry Abyss Hero Leoz's racial massacre' has already begun to spread widely.
"Think about it! Who is the real civilization?"
The civilizations on the side of the Temple shouted:
"Those who support Leoz, would they be willing to send their children to suffer on Azure Star? We don't know, but those who support the Maxwell Consortium would certainly be happy to let their children enjoy life in the elegant and civilized environment of the Maxwell Consortium."
Someone also made a claim based on legal provisions:
"Azure Star has no sovereignty at all, and Leoz refuses to allow the Star Union to review his purchasing qualifications. See? This is the despicable and shameless 'Starry Abyss Hero'! He must have bribed the auction company!"
"Azure Star had been observed by the Maxwell Consortium for two thousand years, but the Maxwell Consortium followed the law and only moved to expand when it was taken away—Leoz is a robber!"
"Do you guys have no conscience at all? How tragic are the people of Maxwell; they have been massacred, exterminated, forced to wander. Yet, you sympathize with these terrorists instead of the people of Maxwell. Fine, then live on Azure Star for all your lives, ruled by the dictator Leoz!"
The Empire is not only the least experienced narrator, but also a newly emerged civilization. Many people have not forgotten the Empire's wars and hatred. In many eyes, the Empire is a young, impulsive, poorly-mannered empire that likes to provoke trouble everywhere.
Especially with the recent 'silent disconnection' incident, the Empire suffered the most, even causing their own allies to lose confidence and almost start a rebellion.
Therefore, they lack many allies, and when engaging in verbal battles with these civilizations, they lose just by sheer momentum.
But the spokesman of the Empire, Cledo Archie Santore, remained very calm.
He is a Purgatory Demon Race with pale red skin, white hair smoothly flowing down his temples, clearly looking refined, completely a scholarly official, but this group of Demon Descendants, especially the Purgatory Demon Race, is impossible to remain obedient.
Cledo initially silenced the Maxwell Consortium with sarcasm, but when the Temple launched their public opinion offensive, it completely turned the moral stance against them.
Cledo didn't speak further, only focused on playing with his pocket watch, as if waiting for something.
The speakers had already started to treat 'support for the Maxwell civilization' as an unquestionable fact and kept promoting their theoretically correct base, as if conducting a pyramid scheme.
"A bunch of idiots: If someone can kill another's mother just because their own mother died, then the world should belong to whoever has more mothers."
Cledo's assistant, a High Elf woman, began to complain:
"Prince Archie, are we really saying nothing?"
"Don't rush, Xie Diluo."
Cledo fiddled with his pocket watch:
"The Philosopher King foresaw this situation from the start. His Majesty said: 'Leoz will prove himself, we just need to await his proof'—as to how he will prove it? That's unknown."
"Whatever His Majesty the Philosopher King says, I naturally believe." The High Elf pursed her lips, "But that Leoz is really cunning, always staying close to us but never making contact or establishing diplomatic relations."
"A fence-sitter, it's not surprising—being able to skillfully play both sides is also a skill, quite an excellent skill at that."
Cledo did not dislike it; in fact, he rather admired it:
"The Philosopher King places great importance on Leoz, especially since Azure Star perfectly sits at the frontier line between the Empire and the Temple—once across the Fairy Galaxy, it would be the Atalan Star System owned by the Maxwell Consortium, not to mention Leoz's controlled territory has already reached the entire corner of the Layer Abyss. Coupled with his influence on the edge of the Eye of the Galaxy, if the Crystal Tower Civilization ever connects with the Fairy Galaxy, it would form a pincer attack on the Maxwell Consortium."
"Wow, no wonder the Mushroom People are so dedicated."
The High Elf girl pursed her lips:
"The Temple's control over the edge areas was already weakened, and now to be subjected to a pincer attack, it's like someone squeezing an egg—oh, they don't have mushrooms. But to get to this point, how embarrassing."