"You've got guts."
He raised a thumb and shook it at the Atlantic Federation President before him.
Seeing that he had spat in the other's face, the President actually put on an expression that seemed to say, "Would you like to spit again? It's fine, I definitely won't get angry."
The East Asia Deputy Foreign Minister put away his lazy attitude and sat up straight.
As everyone knows, unlike rogue nations like the Atlantic Federation, the East Asian Federation emphasizes having just cause for action.
What does that mean?
It means that in everything they do, they must stand on the side of reason.
For example, not firing the first shot, not being the first to use the Light of Peace, and so on.
This strategy has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that thanks to this approach, the East Asian Federation's international image is vastly different from that of the Atlantic Federation.
The Atlantic Federation dares to pull out a piece of toilet paper and declare, "This is my reason for attacking you!"
The external reputations of the two are like night and day.
Once the East Asian Federation's strength grows, those willing to befriend them naturally come in droves.
The downside, however, is situations like the current one—where others can exploit loopholes.
It must be understood that interactions between nations are extremely complex, far more complicated than interpersonal relationships, and far less straightforward when it comes to settling scores.
There are also many unspoken rules that, while not openly acknowledged, are tacitly accepted by all.
In space, the East Asia Fleet was ambushed by the Atlantic Federation Fleet, which even brazenly used weapons like the Light of Peace.
Who was right and who was wrong was clear to every nation in the world.
Logically, East Asia should have immediately retaliated by launching their own Light of Peace at the Atlantic Federation, right?
That makes sense, and according to conventions dating back to the old United Nations era, once the Atlantic Federation took action,
from that moment on, under the Light of Peace mutual-assurance pact,
the five major powers among the Allied Forces' Big Three should have already been trading Lights of Peace across the skies.
But the current situation is different from historical precedents.
Due to the Coordinators deploying Neutron Jammers within the Earth Sphere, theoretically, all the Lights of Peace within the Gravity Well have become useless.
Never mind how the Atlantic Federation managed to unlock their Light of Peace.
Or the fact that after unlocking it, the Atlantic Federation didn't inform their allies.
In any case, those who understand, understand—the Atlantic Federation is a rogue nation, and reasoning with them is pointless.
But the East Asian Federation can't do that. The East Asian Federation cares about its reputation.
The East Asian Federation secretly unlocked their Light of Peace using their own resources, but the problem is that before the Atlantic Federation deployed their Light of Peace,
the East Asian Federation similarly hadn't informed their allies about unlocking their Light of Peace.
Therefore, launching the Light of Peace is not an option!
If they take action, they can't justify it morally, and it would damage East Asia's international image.
So, could they deploy the Goddess of Love instead?
After all, the Goddess of Love is pollution-free and environmentally friendly. The answer is—still no.
Frustrating, isn't it? Absolutely frustrating!
Here, we must mention the Atlantic Federation's textbook-level self-preservation tactics before deploying the Light of Peace.
A nation that started from scratch, with a history shorter than that of every other country in the world, and a history book as thin as a single volume.
Yet, it is precisely such a nation that has managed to rise against the wind, despite lacking the deep historical foundations of others.
Yet this nation, which once dominated Earth's Gravity Well for a very long time, is no simple entity.
When the Atlantic Federation fleet stabbed the East Asia Fleet for the first time, the Atlantic Federation government immediately sent a diplomatic note to the East Asian Federation.
Claiming their own fleet had mutinied!
They emphasized these rebels carried weapons of mass destruction and urged their East Asian Federation allies to exercise extreme caution.
If encountering this rogue fleet, the East Asian Federation was free to deal with them as they saw fit—whether through execution or dismemberment!
The underlying message: This fleet has nothing to do with us in the Atlantic Federation. We neither know nor control their actions.
Similarly, if your East Asia Fleet encounters them, handle it however you wish.
Isn't this utterly shameless?
Most people would call it shameless, despicably so.
Other nations could also denounce it as shameless, utterly contemptible.
But the East Asian Federation alone could not—absolutely must not—say such a thing.
Why?
Because in the history of the East Asian Federation, there once emerged an army that endured humiliation to fulfill its mission.
Of course, that wasn't a rebel force of the East Asian Federation, but rather troops dispatched to support a neighboring nation while avoiding direct declaration of war against 17 factions.
A necessary compromise, flown under a different banner.
At the time, the East Asian Federation's stance was: "We are not declaring war on you; this is merely the spontaneous action of individuals."
Back then, even as battles raged fiercely on the island nation under such pretexts,
The Atlantic Federation swallowed its pride. Though they vocally threatened retaliation, they ultimately never engaged in direct conflict with the East Asian Federation's homeland.
Thus, as circumstances shifted and the East Asian Federation now overshadowed the Atlantic Federation,
Those once-unreachable scoundrels had stooped to mimicking tactics they once scorned from the East Asian Federation.
What could the East Asian Federation do?
To refute the other's justification would indirectly negate their own past actions.
This became one of the reasons and the underlying confidence for the Atlantic Federation's audacious betrayal!
The "rebel army" ploy was ineffective against other nations, but due to certain historical constraints, it held some sway over the East Asian Federation.
"Thank you for your praise, Deputy Foreign Minister of the East Asian Federation."
Wiping the spittle from his face, the Atlantic Federation President embodied a stance of "you do you, I'll endure."
No matter how you act, I'll treat it as a form of indulgence.
"All personnel related to your rogue fleet must come to our territory to stand trial."
"Naturally, all punishments will be carried out in accordance with our nation's laws."
"As for corresponding reparations, our demand is 4 trillion Federation credits in war compensation."
Raising a hand to halt the Atlantic Federation President's self-aggrandizement, the East Asia Deputy Foreign Minister stared at this brazen individual.
Since his earlier discourteous display hadn't provoked the other party—
Hadn't ruffled a single hair, nor provided grounds for further escalation—
Perhaps it was time to switch to a more refined approach.
The demand for personnel to stand trial in the East Asian Federation was likely inconsequential to the Atlantic Federation.
After all, their so-called rebel fleet now amounted to nothing, and with figures like Azrael already sacrificed as scapegoats,
Surrendering relevant personnel was a foregone conclusion.
But regarding that 4 trillion Federation credit compensation...
Calculated per capita across the Atlantic Federation's population, it would mean each person paying nearly 1,000 Federation credits.
Would they ever agree?
"No objections to personnel being put on trial."
The Atlantic Federation President nodded, exactly as the East Asian Deputy Foreign Minister had anticipated.
He raised no objections to the first demand, but reframed the second one.
"As I stated earlier, they were rebels within our Atlantic Federation, so legally their actions have no connection to us."
"How could there be any talk of war reparations?"
Hearing this, the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister's eyes lit up.
Perfect. That's exactly the line I was waiting for.
Just wait! I'm about to unleash my fury.
The East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister immediately prepared to slam the table and stand up.
"However, guided by humanitarian principles, we can provide corresponding financial assistance for the losses suffered by the East Asian Federation this time."
"The soldiers of the East Asian Federation fought on the front lines for the collective interests of all Naturals."
"None of us could have anticipated such an incident occurring. We'll consider the 4 trillion Federation currency as support for the frontline troops' efforts."
"Please accept this token of our sincerity."
The Atlantic Federation President then spoke with a face full of smiles.
Watching the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister's hand poised to strike the table, he smiled with profound meaning.
What's 4 trillion Federation currency anyway?
Our Atlantic Federation is wealthy - we don't care!
Using our Atlantic Federation's resources to win over allied nations, I'll accept it for the survival of our Federation!
Now the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister couldn't bring his hand down - the other side had adopted the attitude of being the Atlantic Federation's second Buddha.
This fury wouldn't be easy to unleash.
Moreover, while they wanted to insist on the terminology of reparations, the other side was framing it as financial assistance.
Before coming, the higher-ups had already briefed the Deputy Foreign Minister, making it clear not to dwell on this issue.
They were all seasoned veterans - they could argue about terminology until the end of time.
"Your nation shows great sincerity."
With his hand suspended in mid-air, the East Asian Deputy Foreign Minister didn't withdraw it.
"As the Atlantic Federation President, you need to kneel and observe a moment of silence at our nation's martyrs' cemetery for the innocent soldiers who died."
"No problem. The East Asian soldiers sacrificed themselves for us - it's only appropriate."
"Your nation needs to fully open your financial markets to us, including land purchase rights, equity transfer rights for various companies, patent agreements for scientific technology, etc."
"No problem. We're all one family. We're very willing to engage in deep cooperation with East Asia."
"Our citizens should have freedom of movement to the Atlantic Federation, automatically gaining all rights of your citizens after one year of residence."
"This issue..."
The Atlantic Federation President had agreed readily to the previous conditions, but only here did he show hesitation.
Open citizenship?
Given the East Asian Federation's population size, granting the same rights as our own workforce after just one year of settlement...
The other side would send people over with all their might.
It wouldn't take much - would the Atlantic Federation still be the Atlantic Federation after ten years?
This was different from the previous series of terms, where they could rely on substantial capital to resist to some extent.
Compared to the East Asian Federation, population size would always be their fatal weakness!
"Oh?"
Smiling cheerfully, the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister lowered his hand slightly.
As the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister's hand descended, the Atlantic Federation President urgently exchanged glances with his advisors.
"Agreed. Mutual exchange is welcome. We greatly welcome citizens of the East Asian Federation to contribute to the development of our Atlantic Federation!"
"Whether they are our citizens who have obtained your country's citizenship, or those whose temporary one-year term hasn't expired - as long as they are legally recognized citizens of our nation."
"They enjoy the protection of our laws. When your country tries relevant individuals, you must notify our nation and have them judged by our judges according to our legal framework."
"Even if found guilty, they must serve their sentences within our territory."
The hand didn't pause its descent despite the other party's agreement. The East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister continued speaking while pressing downward.
Extraterritoriality? Or serving sentences back in the East Asian Federation?
This was utterly unreasonable! Even the Atlantic Federation President, who had mentally prepared himself, felt his face slightly change color.
If they agreed to this, what would become of the Atlantic Federation?
A semi-colonial, semi-federal state?
But that wasn't all. The East Asian Deputy Foreign Minister's demands continued.
"Throughout history, the Alaska region has contained historical evidence of our citizens' activities. Reliable records show our citizens settled there before your nation's citizens arrived."
"However, given the historical relationship between our two nations, our country has no intention of and does not seek territorial expansion."
"Therefore, we propose leasing the entire Alaska region from your country - let's make it 199 years."
"Simultaneously, to promote exchange between our nations, we request full access to the following ports of your country."
"..."
In the torrent of words, as the Atlantic Federation President's expression gradually turned vacant, the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister's mouth never stayed closed for more than five seconds.
The demands pouring from the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister couldn't even be described as a lion opening its mouth wide.
They were better characterized as pushing one's advantage and directly replicating every unequal treaty from history.
This caused the Atlantic Federation President's face to turn from pale to blue, then from blue to black.
Good heavens! If they actually complied with all these demands according to the East Asian Federation's proposals, the Atlantic Federation could no longer call itself a sovereign nation - they might as well hand over their entire national sovereignty to East Asia.
"I disagree!"
Finally, it wasn't the East Asian Federation Deputy Foreign Minister who slammed the table. Despite his advisors frantically signaling, the President finally showed some backbone - he rose and slammed the table himself, firmly uttering that single word of refusal.
(End of Chapter)