Once the Shista vessel departed, the other ships in the sky began to land. A few minutes later, as the detachment officers disembarked, intending to approach and make the acquaintance of Blade, they saw two young songstresses step off the Singer vessel. One they recognized as Ambassador Jiayouna; the other was unfamiliar. The two songstresses reached Blade before them, and the diplomatic officials exchanged glances, communicating their decision non-verbally. They chose to wait a little longer.

Master Tuxin also disembarked. Upon seeing the unknown maiden beside Jiayouna, he had a strong suspicion of her identity and immediately approached Blade. Meanwhile, the Trant Legion’s ship also landed. Emerging this time was Yang Ying. As the leader of the Trant Mercenary Group, Yang Ying naturally needed to be present when his subordinate, Master Weifeng, was due to engage in a duel, and he wished to maintain appearances.

Yang Ying, Blade, Master Tuxin, Xinnidi, and Jiayouna gathered together. The initial focus of everyone’s gaze fell upon the songstress they had never encountered before.

“This is Xinnipo, who has been studying under Grandma. Her cultivation has now reached the peak of the Third Level. She is here to assist me in dealing with Ronge,” Jiayouna began with the introduction.

“Greetings to all. This duel has been an eye-opener for me. I feel this trip was certainly worthwhile.” Xinnipo’s voice, like Jiayouna’s, was exquisitely elegant and pleasing to the ear, perhaps even surpassing Jiayouna’s in quality.

After some pleasantries, everyone became acquainted.

“Master Blade’s sword techniques and spells are deeply impressive. The most remarkable was his instantaneous nullification of Ronge’s moves right there, leaving him utterly helpless. In terms of actual combat capability, few people I know can compare to you. Perhaps only the Loa, our combat race, could produce such a genius.”

Xinnipo was genuinely pleased by Blade’s complete victory over Ronge and offered him these flattering words. She was evidently aware that Blade was a "True Human." Although inwardly surprised by Blade's previous performance, she didn't find it entirely anomalous; after all, for the mysterious and powerful True Humans, anything occurring around them seemed plausible.

“Well done,” Master Tuxin said sparingly, yet his words conveyed his true feelings perfectly. Blade’s performance had exceeded his own expectations.

Blade smiled. Though he had just come through a major battle, there wasn't a speck of dust on his clothing; his plasma shield hadn't even been breached. The fight had left him completely unscathed.

Yang Ying exchanged a few superficial pleasantries with Blade, staging a scene of amicable relations within the Trant Mercenary Group.

Once the congratulations concluded, Xinnipo shifted the topic: “Although Ronge and his party have left, the Kustarians will not let this rest. Master Blade, Master Yang Ying, Master Tuxin, do you have any plans for dealing with the Kustarians?”

Yang Ying’s mind stirred. He mused: Since she asks this, it seems she has preparations of her own.

The Singers addressed Third Level masters as ‘Master’ as well, so Yang Ying directly inquired, “Does Master Xinnipo have any suggestions regarding this?”

“I was about to ask the very same question,” Master Tuxin added.

“Indeed, there is a proposal that might be worth considering,” Xinnipo smiled faintly. “Earth is already a high-level civilization. As allies of the Singers, if we refuse to align with the Kustarians and subsequently face retaliation, the Singers cannot stand idly by. Her Majesty the Singer Empress and the Cabinet Ministers have been informed, and after deliberation, they are willing to lift the military-industrial barrier imposed upon Earth. Furthermore, we will provide a sum of military aid. We will supply a complete stellar system defense matrix. Once established, it will be sufficient to repel an attack by a Kustarian fleet. This way, at the very least, the Kustarians will have to think twice before moving against the Solar System.”

Master Tuxin immediately responded, “This matter requires consultation with the President.”

“Naturally,” Xinnidi replied with a smile. “This is of paramount importance; the specifics of implementation still require communication with Earth’s high command.”

Yang Ying pondered on the sidelines. The Singer-Earth United Industrial Group had never involved itself in the military sector before. But now, with Earth possessing the designation of a high-level civilization, that constraint could be loosened. This would affect Trant Company's military business, but it was unavoidable. Moreover, upon venturing beyond a star system, high-level civilizations entered an era of resource explosion. The galaxy held countless unclaimed star systems; even if they lacked habitable worlds, mineral planets were always abundant. The losses within the Solar System could ultimately be compensated for in other systems. In the final analysis, money held little significance for Yang Ying; what mattered was securing the resources necessary for the Three Races’ development.

After this preliminary discussion, Xinnipo suggested moving to the Singer Embassy for a more in-depth talk, to which everyone agreed. The group of diplomatic officials was thus left waiting. Four Peak Masters and a Singer Ambassador had no need for their approval to conduct their business; the five of them proceeded directly onto the Singer vessel, leaving Mars. They traversed hyperspace back to Earth and arrived at the Singer Embassy.

Upon arrival, Master Tuxin immediately contacted Jin Seiler and Master Kongli, along with other authorized personnel, arranging a virtual conference room within the Singer Embassy. Everyone who received the summons, regardless of their location in the Solar System, cancelled their existing schedules and joined the meeting.

“The Cabinet has authorized me to present two options to you all. The first is that the entire defense system will be provided gratuitously; Earth will not spend a single cent or exert a single ounce of effort…”

Xinnipo slowly articulated the Singer Cabinet’s proposal. Those around the conference table heard the terms and felt they were exceedingly generous, yet no one spoke, aware that there were no free lunches in the universe; the terms must contain an attached clause.

“But,” Xinnipo continued, “But…” Many inwardly exclaimed, As expected!

“But the Solar System must join our Singer Military Alliance to oppose the other military alliance led by the Kustarians. The alliance’s core principle is that if any member is attacked, all other members must dispatch troops for aid.” Xinnidi voiced the content following the ‘but.’

The attendees erupted in murmurs, whispering amongst themselves. If they joined this military alliance, the Solar System would be truly drawn into the conflict between the Singers and the Kustarians. While they would receive support from the Singers and others if the Kustarians attacked the Solar System, conversely, the Solar System would be obligated to send troops to aid the Singers and others if they were attacked by the Kustarians. The war history between the Singers and the Kustarians spanned longer than humanity’s modern civil history. To be drawn in meant the Solar System would thereafter be trapped in a whirlpool of war, unable to escape.

Having finally defeated the Ancient Legion and purged a vast swath of corruption through the Revolution, those present, who looked forward to a period of peace, found this condition difficult to accept.

“There is one issue. The former Earth Military has been reorganized into the New Earth Military. Without the Ancient Legion as a major adversary, the New Earth Military’s strength is only a quarter of the former Earth Military’s. More crucially, the military does not possess spatial jump technology. Under these circumstances, the Solar System is fundamentally incapable of fulfilling the mutual defense requirement of the terms, as our warships simply cannot reach another star system!”

The speaker was Li Yosef. He had been injured in an assassination attempt previously but had nearly recovered thanks to the advanced medicine of the 26th century. He was now the Commander-in-Chief of the New Earth Military. With no external threats, the New Earth Military’s enemies were limited to Solar System pirates and some remnants of corruption that escaped the purge during the Revolution. These remnants had mostly formed private armed groups or even terrorist cells, causing considerable trouble for the reconstruction of the upper echelons of power.

As Li Yosef spoke, he kept glancing toward Yang Ying’s side. Yang Ying knew that his group possessed spatial jump technology, and Li Yosef, while not saying it outright, clearly harbored ambitions regarding it—a natural consequence of his position.

Xinnipo also glanced toward Yang Ying, wishing to gauge the reaction of the “True Human” to this statement. Seeing Yang Ying’s composed and unperturbed demeanor, Xinnidi paused, then addressed Li Yosef: “If Earth agrees to join our alliance, we are willing to sell a batch of warships equipped with faster-than-light engines to Earth, and provide training for the personnel to learn their operation.”

The observers felt a wave of disappointment. Not providing the core technology, only selling finished products—it would take hundreds or even thousands of years for the military to develop their own spatial jump technology. The technological gap was too vast; even dismantling and studying the faster-than-light engines would be a waste. Moreover, Xinnipo said ‘sell,’ not gift. Singer warships were hardly cheap items. To purchase warships to arm the Earth military and plunge it into the Singer-Kustarian conflict—this prospect seemed too bleak. Don't choose it! Don't choose it!

“Master Xinnipo mentioned a second condition just now. What might that be?” Jin Seiler coughed and inquired.

“The second condition is that Earth does not join our alliance. We will still provide this defense system, but it will be sold, not gifted.”

Xinnidi announced a figure.

The room exploded into an uproar again. Although everyone present regularly dealt with astronomical figures, the number Xinnipo quoted was astronomical even by their standards—it equaled the Solar System’s entire ten-year Gross Production Value.

“Of course, payment can be made in installments, settled over fifty years,” Xinnidi added. “In reality, this is already below cost price, and the transport and personnel training are included as complimentary additions. This pricing structure was determined considering Earth’s current capacity to bear it. We believe that upon becoming a high-level civilization, Earth’s productivity will rapidly ascend to a new level, perhaps allowing you to clear the debt for this defense system within a decade.”

After a brief flurry of discussion, Jin Seiler spoke on behalf of everyone: “We require time to consider this.”