Having survived the Caribbean Scuffle and the Battle of the Ten Dragons, Yusuf then led Yang Ying forward. "See how the images on both sides represent the stories?"

Reaching a small display board, about two square meters in size, Yang Ying paused.

Yusuf noticed and chuckled, "Colonel Yang Ying is also interested in this?"

The image depicted a conference room, clearly far more opulent than the Review Committee’s quarters, with walls decorated in grand gold and silver tones. This did not give an impression of nouveau riche display, but rather one of elegant refinement, hinting at the vicissitudes of history alongside the brilliance of a new era.

"This conference room was decorated by someone commissioned by the Caesar Family. Only their family architects could manage to decorate a room so classical yet modern, so magnificent without appearing vulgar. In the entire Mercenary Alliance, only this room is fit for our honored guest," Yusuf gestured toward the figure seated in the main position within the image: a young woman with silver skin, pointed ears, and purple hair, framed by transparent membranous wings.

"A Syrinxian?" Yang Ying murmured to himself.

"Precisely. To be exact, the Syrinxian Ambassador," Yusuf corrected.

The Syrinxian race was the alien species that had provided the most significant assistance to humanity after mankind entered the cosmic age. They hailed from a planet called Syringa, twice the size of Earth, located twenty thousand light-years away.

In the 24th century AD, the Syrinxian made first contact with Earthlings and gratuitously offered a series of technologies desperately needed by humanity, resolving issues concerning human movement within the Solar System. Many colonies, including the Space Cities, were established with Syrinxian technological support.

While there were numerous posters and pictures of Syrinxian beings on Terra, authentic records of scenes like this conference room were exceedingly rare.

The appearance of the Syrinxian bore a striking resemblance to Earthlings, which earned them widespread adoration on Earth.

And perhaps the most celebrated trait was their voice, described as heavenly music. Many Earthlings believed that if a Syrinxian pursued a career in Earth's entertainment industry, anyone could become a superstar—this was the very reason Earthlings named their homeworld Syringa.

"Why did this Syrinxian Ambassador come to the Asteroid Belt?" Yang Ying asked.

Yusuf recalled, "That was twelve years ago. To bridge the gap between the Syrinxian and Earthlings, this Ambassador made a decision: to personally tour the Solar System, visiting every major colony, meeting humans face-to-face, so that more people could see a Syrinxian with their own eyes, rather than through media channels. Her journey caused a massive sensation; the Earth military dispatched the entire Second Fleet to escort her. Wherever she went, she delivered a speech in a public forum, and local residents spontaneously flooded the streets to watch."

Yusuf paused, then continued, "As for her visit to Woreel, it was simply to meet with the warriors, speak with them, and propagate the Syrinxian philosophy of conduct and foreign policy to deepen the warriors' positive impression of their race. In the conference room shown in the image, she discussed her views on peace with us committee members." Yusuf shook his head. "God knows, discussing peace with us mercenaries—it was truly an indescribably strange sensation."

"Extraterrestrials think fundamentally differently from our civilization; different modes of thought are normal," Yang Ying continued to watch the holographic image. The Syrinxian Ambassador in the scene possessed an ethereal beauty; her large eyes were crystalline, her features exquisitely refined as if sculpted by nature's own artistry. Her silver skin lent her an air of cool detachment. Combined with her mysterious alien origin, it was no wonder she caused such a stir wherever she went.

"Surely she didn't visit every single city in the entire Asteroid Belt?" Yang Ying remarked.

"Not quite. Besides Woreel, she only visited Canaan City, the main base of the Thirty-Three Fleets," Yusuf stated. "I distinctly remember when she was in Woreel, she sang a song right there in the barracks where you were temporarily staying, and every young man in that barracks treated her like an angel."

"Angel, diplomat?" Yang Ying watched for a moment longer, then moved on.

Along the way, Yusuf used these dynamic holographic images to brief Yang Ying on the history of the Mercenary Alliance's development. As the narrative progressed, Yusuf's tone became less steeped in reminiscence and more filled with composure and pride, as the later history was experienced, and even participated in, by him personally.

The group walked to the end of the pathway, which led to the exit of the Exhibition Hall.

By the roadside, one final holographic projector remained, though it was currently powered off.

Yang Ying pointed at the inactive projector and asked, "Mr. Yusuf, this projector must hold a story as well, mustn't it?"

"Indeed. An empty projector is not something we would usually leave in this hall. However, while the story for this projector has been determined, there is no footage available to play it," Yusuf said with significant meaning.

"I see." Having walked through the exhibits, Yang Ying had a good general understanding of what deeds qualified for display in this Hall. "It must be the Gray Port Battle fought by the Tran Mercenary Group, correct?"

"That is right, precisely the Gray Port Battle," Yusuf admitted with a nod. "The impact of that battle was profound; two of the Ten Great Pirate Fleets were eliminated in that single engagement. Furthermore, the neutral city of Gray Port was incorporated into the Mercenary Faction's sphere. This offset the loss caused by Boss being forcibly ejected from the Mercenary Faction. And how can a mere tourist city like Boss compare to a vital transportation hub like Gray Port? Our Mercenary Faction not only suffered no net loss, but actually profited."

The Mercenary Alliance collected a certain percentage of donation taxes from the cities affiliated with the Mercenary Faction. Large mercenary groups responsible for defending these cities were in charge of collection, and paying these taxes was one of the prerequisites for being recognized as a major mercenary group.

Neutral cities, lacking a major mercenary group to govern them, consequently paid no donation tax.

In his recounting, the elder carefully omitted the three mercenary groups that were annihilated during the Gray Port Battle.

This was because the fate of those three groups had been sealed: they were deemed to have covetously initiated the attack on Gray Port against the Tran Mercenary Group and were subsequently destroyed.

The major powers in the Asteroid Belt were intensely pragmatic. In the Mercenary Alliance, the phenomenon of 'the shade departs when the lamp cools' was commonplace; no one would oppose the Tran Mercenary Group over three mercenary organizations already relegated to history.

Even an elder of Yusuf's stature believed those three groups had brought their doom upon themselves. While the Tran Mercenary Group's reaction might have been slightly excessive, it remained within reasonable bounds—after all, the Asteroid Belt was a place where strength dictated outcomes.

"I imagine many within the Alliance are intensely curious about the process of how we fought that battle," Yang Ying shifted his gaze from the projector to Yusuf.

"That is certainly true. Before today, I had hoped to obtain some documentation regarding the Gray Port Battle from you, Colonel. Holographic recordings would have been even better, allowing us to fill this projector and add another grand, fresh story to the Hall. However, Colonel Yang Ying has made it perfectly clear that it concerns the secrets of the Tran Corporation, and I presume you would not entrust them to me. This projector, then, must be decommissioned."

Yusuf sighed regretfully, reached out, and detached the keychain-sized projector. He turned and handed it to Yang Ying. "Since this projector has lost its original purpose, let us give it a new value. Let it stay by your side, a reminder that you achieved a great feat, one that nearly earned a place in the Mercenary Alliance Exhibition Hall. And the reason it failed to enter was not due to any fault of yours or ours, but simply because external conditions prohibited it."

Yang Ying accepted the projector. "This will be a precious keepsake. It will remind me of the Alliance's goodwill toward me, and I hope it will symbolize the future cooperation between our two sides."

"Well said!" Yusuf led the applause, and under his influence, the accompanying Alliance officials also clapped.

After the group shared lunch in the Alliance building's cafeteria, Yusuf escorted Yang Ying and his party out, and they returned to the barracks via an Alliance official vehicle.

Yang Ying's mission in Woreel was complete; there was no further reason to remain.

Yang Ying's group requested a return vessel from the Alliance, spent a few minutes packing their belongings, then re-boarded the vehicle, heading for the port.

The Alliance's efficiency was high; by the time Yang Ying arrived at the port, an Alliance official spacecraft was already docked at the end of the Silver Way.

Just as on their arrival, a crowd of curious mercenaries had gathered beyond the VIP passage, waiting to see what important figure would be using the Silver Way.

Upon seeing Yang Ying’s party, they exchanged loud whispers for a while longer, then respectfully watched as Yang Ying and his group proceeded down the Silver Way, boarded the vessel, and only dispersed after the ship had departed.

The ship left the port, drawing further and further away.

Yang Ying took out the projector he had received earlier and, borrowing some tools from the Ghost Agent, inspected it. He found no signs of tampering.

"Sir, do you think Yusuf might have planted something in this projector?" Brian inquired.

"I don't know, but I hoped not, which is why I needed to check," Yang Ying replied. "In the Asteroid Belt, one must always remain vigilant against betrayal. If there were a listening device inside, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. Since nothing is amiss, that is a relief."

Yang Ying handed the projector to Katerina. "Put it away. It truly is a wonderful souvenir."

"Yes," Katerina nodded, placing it carefully into her travel pack.

The holographic broadcast system on the ship remained active, currently airing a news report. A beautiful anchorwoman announced, "The Mercenary Alliance and the Caesar Mercenary Group have just held a joint press conference, confirming a piece of information: Istha Caesar of the Caesar Mercenary Group will be taking over the duties of the Caesar Mercenary Group's representative to the Mercenary Alliance from his brother, Committee Member Andre Caesar. Committee Member Andre will retain his position on the Alliance Committee until the next Alliance Committee elections."

Yang Ying let out an "Oh?" and turned to look. The screen showed several figures in what appeared to be a press conference setting. Seated centrally at the long table on the dais was Committee Member Andre, whom Yang Ying had met just yesterday. To his left sat a young man, perhaps eighteen years old, whose demeanor was elegant but whose eyes held a cold detachment. When he spoke, he projected an unmistakable air of remoteness.

Requesting monthly tickets, requesting recommendation tickets!