In orbit around Tianshui Star, the merchant spaceship from the extraterrestrial civilization lingered quietly.
The ship measured roughly 3 kilometers in length and 1.6 kilometers in width, its exterior clad in pale golden armor plates of unknown material, presenting an asymmetrical, streamlined silhouette overall.
To human eyes, the ship was exquisite, yet it looked remarkably like a "chrysalis."
Especially when it hung motionless, rhythmic patterns of light rippled through the gaps between the armor plates, giving humans the impression that the ship was breathing, a truly peculiar sight.
But what humanity focused on right now was not the ship itself, but the contents of the communication sent by the alien merchant group.
The higher-ups of the Humanitarian Defense Alliance nations were holding a remote conference, with communications from the receiving station synced to the meeting in real time.
At this moment in the meeting, the expressions of the national leaders were all grave.
"Based on what this alien merchant group is saying, a civilization's representative, as well as the individuals responsible for contacting other civilizations, are usually Ascendants?"
"After the 'Star Sea Access' rule was released, our nation's think tanks speculated that perhaps in the universe, Ascendants would serve as representatives of their home civilizations in cosmic affairs... It seems that is indeed the case now."
"Then what do we do now? Should we contact Han Qiu and have him temporarily join the reception team?" the spokesperson for Heilanja said.
The other nations remained silent, waiting for Beixing's side to speak.
Since Han Qiu publicly proclaimed himself an Awakened One, he had not only been posting multiple videos daily to actively boost his fame, but had also mobilized large numbers of people offline to create momentum for him.
Suddenly, many people across various nations emerged to cheer for Han Qiu, shocking the decision-makers of every country. They hadn't expected him to have infiltrated their nations so deeply.
After that, each nation conducted detailed investigations and partial cleanups. They were effective to a degree, but Han Qiu had already achieved his goal.
His combination of offline and online propaganda had caused his fame to skyrocket. Now, a large number of the populace firmly believed he was an Awakened One.
There were also those who harbored doubts yet still supported him.
Because Han Qiu had publicly stated that as an Awakened One, he would not abandon others.
Those with doubts, even knowing that Han Qiu's identity likely had problems, still chose to support him because of the banner he raised.
But even if Han Qiu were a true Awakened One, without Beixing's approval, he could not join the reception team.
After all, Beixing had yet to withdraw its warrant for Han Qiu's arrest.
At this point, Beixing's spokesperson spoke up, setting the tone from the start.
"Whether Han Qiu is truly an Awakened One remains unknown. Even if he is, he cannot join the reception team.
Moreover, in this matter, the Awakened One is not the key point at all. The key point is that this is Tianshui Star, the mother planet of human civilization. Here, we humans are the hosts, and the alien merchant group is the guest. It is only proper for the guest to follow the host's arrangements. How could it be the other way around?"
The moment Beixing's side said this, spokespersons from the other nations expressed their agreement one after another.
The Xisiya Empire's spokesperson said, "Indeed. Who goes to receive them and who conducts trade negotiations should all be decided by us humans. The alien merchant group has no right to interfere."
"Perhaps this is itself a form of power play by the alien merchant group. If we show weakness, they will gain the upper hand in trade negotiations," the spokesperson for Lury said.
"Exactly. In business negotiations, it's common for one side to give the other a show of force upon arrival. If the other party fails to push back, they'll be psychologically dominated and end up at a disadvantage in formal negotiations."
"Don't be fooled by seemingly friendly words like 'Dear new Star Sea neighbors.' No matter how you look at it, that's still a Doomsday Rule!"
The leaders of the nations quickly reached a consensus. Humanity must not be swayed by the generic label of "extraterrestrial civilization" and needed to demystify it.
How human merchants did business with each other, how they conducted trade negotiations, they should handle dealings with the extraterrestrial civilization the same way. Only then could they ensure their own interests would not be compromised.
The receiving station quickly replied to the alien merchant group as instructed, with an attitude of "welcome, but business is business."
"Our reception team consists of human elites selected to ensure smooth trade negotiations. Please rest assured, honored guests."
The reply was not harsh, but it had already conveyed the underlying message that humans were making their own decisions.
Not only that, but the human side also designated the landing location for the alien merchant group's ground delegation.
"These are the coordinates for our guests' landing. Please have the ground delegation descend at this location."
When a major businessman travels to another place for important negotiations, the hotel accommodation is often arranged by the host. This both demonstrates the local businessman's "warmth and friendliness" while subtly reminding the visiting businessman that "this is my territory."
The human side was doing exactly that now. Tianshui Star was humanity's mother planet, human territory. The alien merchant group certainly couldn't just land wherever they pleased.
Designating the landing location was one of the manifestations of humanity seizing the initiative.
The alien merchant group raised no objection to humanity's suggestion. "Very well, we accept this arrangement."
Before long, under the observation of human satellites, the rear section of the massive alien merchant vessel concaved inward, as if opening a passage. A small spacecraft then emerged from within and descended toward the surface of Tianshui Star.
Meanwhile, the human reception team also rushed to the coordinates in time to wait.
The coordinates were located outside Qingzhou City in Beixing.
Qingzhou City was one of the few large cities still in use by Beixing after several rounds of Doomsday Rules disasters, with a population second only to Pinglu.
It was chosen to receive the alien merchant group for several reasons. First, the terrain around the city was flat. Second, the city's infrastructure was well-developed, allowing any needs to be quickly met.
Finally, there were extensive armed deployments within Qingzhou City. Though the probability was low, if a conflict ever broke out between humanity and the alien merchant group, the military could be mobilized to intervene at a moment's notice.
Around the coordinates, the security detail responsible for making arrangements for the reception team had also arrived.
Leading Beixing's side were Bai Xuewu and the others. Among them, she held the highest military rank and served as the team leader.
"Lieutenant Yang, Captain Bai, why didn't Major Silver Fox come this time?" a curly-haired young man in combat gear from the security detail asked. It was Aaron.
Yang Ran, holding the rank of Lieutenant, shook his head. "Not sure. I'm a bit curious about that too."
"Major Silver Fox has another assignment." Bai Xuewu said while playing with her tablet. "She went to Suroma."
"Going to Suroma at a time like this?" Yang Ran clicked his tongue. "After Bruce died and all those explosions, I heard that place is in complete chaos now."
"Although Suroma's core cities were all bombed, it was still one of the world's top powers. Quite a few quality resources have been left behind." Zhao Ming's voice rang out.
Everyone turned to look. The latter was wearing a white uniform trimmed with gold, looking like some noble young master.
Bai Xuewu sized him up. "Why aren't you in combat gear?"
"I'm not a member of the security detail, so of course I don't need to wear combat gear."
"Then why are you here..." Bai Xuewu realized. "Are you part of the reception team?"
Zhao Ming nodded.
"What?" Yang Ran looked baffled. "Why were you assigned to the reception team? You're not from the diplomatic or trade departments, and you weren't a big boss before the Doomsday Rules, were you?"
The main personnel of the reception team were primarily composed of officials from each nation's diplomatic and trade departments, as well as veteran entrepreneurs who had fought their way through the commercial market. It was a combination of officials and civilians.
Beixing had plenty of elites at the official level, but fewer on the civilian side, mainly because very few private enterprise tycoons had escaped being wiped out due to their ties to the Qingmei Society.
"It was Dr. Zhang's suggestion, and Head Gao inserted me into the reception team." Zhao Ming said. "They believe my abilities might prove useful in the negotiations."
"Come to think of it, you really are quite suited for this." Bai Xuewu knew Zhao Ming had a sharp mind. Since joining the base, he had frequently offered strategic advice and was the most outstanding among the official Ascendants who joined later.
"I'm so jealous of you." Aaron said. "Being able to negotiate trade with aliens must be really interesting!"
"Is it? I'm under a lot of pressure, actually." Zhao Ming said flatly. "If other trade deals fall through, it's no big deal. But if this one goes wrong, people all over the world are going to be unhappy."
Aaron thought about it and realized that was true. This trade deal had the world's attention, and as one of the negotiators, the pressure was bound to be immense.
"Look up there!"
Someone in the security detail shouted, and everyone looked up. A spacecraft that was clearly not made by human hands was breaking through the clouds, revealing itself and descending rapidly toward the ground.
"That's the alien merchant group's ship." Zhao Ming said. "I'm heading over to the reception team."
The security detail members also sprang into action. Bai Xuewu put away her tablet and led the others to form a defensive perimeter around the reception team.
A moment later, the ship, which looked like a black "fly jar," slowly descended and came to a stable halt at about five or six meters above the ground.
After the hatch opened, several figures actually jumped straight down from it!