Chapter 896: Chapter 360: Empire Expedition Brand Ambassador

“Is it okay?” Daphne asked softly, “You have complete freedom to choose.”

“Please let me be quiet for a moment.”

Yang Ming slightly pursed his lips, and only the subtle sounds of the two breathing filled the reception room.

…

Daphne left the guest room.

She hugged her arms, standing behind the window of the prison hallway, watching the dozen or so noble prisoners leisurely playing ball in the square below.

The noble prison has always had the reputation of being a mini vacation paradise. Nobles who committed crimes can live joyously here—except for being unable to call in escorts or models, or leave on their own, everything else isn’t much of a problem.

Inside the room, Yang Ming scratched his head, his expression somewhat troubled.

He indeed may overlook certain aspects, but it doesn’t matter; he has Lyu. At this moment, Lyu is also calculating and pondering various possibilities.

“Boss, signing it would bring more benefits than drawbacks.”

Lyu’s voice emerged from the hidden earphone.

“What are the drawbacks?” Yang Ming immediately asked.

“The first is that you will definitely be criticized by the New Federation’s media machine. However, they’re already going all out to tarnish you, so why should we care about the enemy’s opinion?

“The second is that engaging in external warfare and plundering civilians isn’t a good reputation. It will slightly diminish your historical evaluation, but considering you’re merely a figurehead, and you have deep enmity with the New Federation’s political system, through my manipulation, the impact on your prestige won’t be significant, basically controllable.

“The third is that the Military Department is exclusionary. Even if you are just a titular head, it’s easy to face some exclusion, requiring you to spend effort managing.”

Lyu murmured a few times:

“If I must mention a fourth, it’s based on my understanding of you, that deep down you would feel guilty and uneasy about it.”

Yang Ming sighed: “Actually, it’s about the fourth point. I don’t care about the first three. After completing the mission to retrieve my home planet, whatever happens next doesn’t matter.”

Lyu chuckled.

Yang Ming mumbled: “My only hesitation now is whether, by using my name for slaughter, I am part of the slaughter?”

“Certainly you are,” Lyu said quietly.

“Damn it, am I becoming a little collaborator in the starry political game?”

“Huh?” Lyu didn’t understand.

Yang Ming briefly explained the anti-Japanese war from a century ago in his hometown.

Lyu laughed: “Boss, it’s different. Your hometown suffered from the brutal invasion of Imperialism. This time, the conflict between the New Federation and Sherman Empire is like a rancid brawl between two cosmic rabid dogs.”

Yang Ming’s forehead was marked with a few black lines.

He always felt that Lyu was insulting him.

Lyu spoke softly: “Boss, I’ve always been curious why you have such a deep-seated anti-war sentiment; war is actually a norm for human civilization.”

“It has to do with the education I received growing up, my hometown always pursued peaceful rise.”

“Peaceful rise? That’s almost impossible,” Lyu laughed, “When civilization needs to expand, it must acquire more resources. On a planet, there’s an upper limit to rare resource reserves, almost inevitably leading to war.”

Yang Ming said: “Perhaps in the long run, it’s impossible, but on a short-term level, it’s indeed achievable—liberation of labor, enhancement of labor value, improvement of workers’ personal qualities, and realization of happiness—all achievable on the basis of a massive population. Do you know how many people my hometown, occupying 6.5% of my home planet’s land surface, supports?”

“How many?”

“Over a billion.”

“Huh?”

“Also because my home planet’s civilization level is relatively low,” Yang Ming sighed, “individual demands for life aren’t that high.”

Lyu countered: “But if you blindly pursue peace, you would inevitably suffer losses in clashes between civilizations and regimes.”

“Yes, losing in that aspect is inevitable, but we must maintain sufficient deterrence,” Yang Ming laughed, “A gentleman wears a sword but doesn’t use it; this sword must be sharp enough, we all understand this.”

“Alright, but I still can’t quite comprehend how lower-level civilizations can almost not coexist peacefully.”

“Let’s set this issue aside,” Yang Ming tapped the table, “Are there any other drawbacks? I can overcome my personal perception.”

“No more drawbacks really, boss,” Lyu laughed, “Your current interests lie in Wind and Dark Star, plus the internal influence within the Empire. The New Federation has always regarded you as an enemy. Human history books have told me more than once that what conquerors of civilizations can get doesn’t necessarily end in historical infamy; historical records can be easily rewritten.”

“What else can they be?”

“The honorary parent of the conquered civilization.”

Yang Ming leaned back, the clarity of thought breaking open.

In that case, being the father figure of the New Federation…it’s quite a decent title.

“Daphne, you can come in now.”

Yang Ming’s voice directly echoed in Daphne’s mind, ignoring the barrier of the shielding device.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com