The Star Area is as busy as ever in the early morning. Countless standard spaceships shuttle back and forth, pale blue tail flames crisscrossing, sketching one graceful arc after another. Among them are private ships from the three great empires. Ships from the Kree Empire and Skrull Empire are very simple and unpretentious, mostly gray or black spindle-shaped ships. Although the interior decor has a certain mechanical aesthetic of order, if one were to describe them as luxurious, that privilege belongs to the private ships of the Shi'ar Empire.
The one Strange rode to the election wasn't even the most luxurious ship from the Shi'ar Empire; it was merely a noble ship. However, the most luxurious royal ship not only was much larger than the previous one but also extravagantly decorated. The arches were made of solid gold. Although gold's value in the cosmos doesn't surpass its value on Earth, it still counts as a rare precious metal. Every star system lacks this material. This arch alone can buy an entire set of mining equipment or a civilian version of a gravity tractor.
Not to mention the 360-degree observation skylights in the ship's rest area. These are not made of glass but of some sort of high-strength transparent crystal. Not only are they clear and bright, but they also don't affect the ship's structural integrity in the slightest.
Even more outrageous is the vibranium alloy used beneath the bedroom's bed. Vibranium is several times rarer than gold. Although Earth isn't the birthplace of vibranium, up until now, even the three great empires haven't found a place with more vibranium than Earth. Although Earth's vibranium alloy is now available for export, and the three great empires each have a certain stock, it remains incredibly scarce. Using it for bed boards is, simply put, a waste of resources.
However, vibranium is also known as Sound-Absorbing Steel, with the best anti-vibration performance in the cosmos. Using this for a bed board means that no matter how the ship shakes, those sleeping on the bed won't feel a thing, ensuring complete comfort.
Of course, there are all sorts of precious green plants. It's important to know that green is rare in the cosmos; otherwise, Earth wouldn't be known as the cosmic greenhouse. Two of the three great empires have absolutely no need for any plants, and civilizations and planets under their rule rarely see green plants. The Shi'ar Empire fares slightly better in this regard but only slightly. This is mainly because too few green plants can adapt to space and ship environments. Even human starships, built by a civilization traditionally fond of cultivating flowers and grass, mostly use artificial flowers for their green decorations.
Yet these Shi'ar nobles can grow real plants on their ships, and every species at that. Whether it's delicate grass or vibrant flowers, they twine around the arches, complementing the golden decor in a way that can be described as a blend of verdancy and gold.
Not to mention the feather elements that the Shi'ar Empire loves to use. These feathers are not their own, but collected from various sources across the cosmos. For example, peacock feathers from Earth, which they acquire and use to decorate walls in various patterns. This undoubtedly requires a vast expenditure of time and money. Yet, the people of the Shi'ar Empire hardly consider this lavish. Nobles nurtured by the resources of the entire empire deserve such grandeur.
And just as each minister went to their new department to hand over their work, a document was delivered to Strange's desk. Shiller greeted him, "Good morning, Supreme Magician, the ministers have checked in with their departments. Aside from regular business, this plan is our first long-term task to complete, with the workflow and overview all here."
Strange took the document and saw the words "Opinions Gathering on the Comprehensive Review of Interstellar Environmental Protection Levels."
The title was not difficult to understand, with key terms in boldface. To someone familiar with political affairs, the meaning should be clear, but unfortunately, Strange was not only not a politician, he was also an American. So he asked, "So what is this work about? Is it to gather opinions, or to review environmental protection?"
"We need to gather everyone's opinions before reviewing environmental protection."
"Why gather their opinions?" asked Strange, somewhat confused. "If it needs reviewing, just review it. What does it matter whether they're willing?"
"It's a reminder," Shiller said, "meaning we give them a chance to self-inspect first. Then we'll initiate the review procedure."
"So does that mean we'll review them regardless of whether they agree or not?"
"Not necessarily, it depends on their performance."
Strange again looked puzzled. Shiller sat across from him, gesturing with his hands on the table, then said, "When we want to get people to do something, the worst method is to issue direct orders. I believe with the Supreme Wisdom as executive secretary-general, none of your directives could be implemented."
"So how should we proceed?"
"First, we need to conduct reviews."
"But if he doesn't want any of my directives implemented, he could also avoid reviews."
"That won't do," Shiller said. "If he doesn't want to implement your orders, he can find reasonable excuses in the thick legal codes."
"Couldn't he use the same excuses to avoid reviews?"
"He could, but we could then immediately launch a review of him. And once a review of him is initiated, he would need to avoid suspicion. Any excuse would seem like quibbling."
"But wouldn't he be unafraid of being reviewed?" Strange frowned. "He shouldn't be that naive; the entire interstellar council is under the control of the three great empires. He doesn't need to make himself vulnerable."
"That's exactly the essence of the review. You don't actually have to uncover something; you just have to keep investigating. As long as you keep investigating, he has to keep avoiding suspicion and can do nothing."
"But how can we keep investigating?"
"A person is the sum of their social relationships, so the things that can be investigated are endless. Moreover, the higher the position, the more there is to investigate. On a certain year, month, and day, who did they interact with by the coffee machine in the morning, what did they discuss, where did they go afterward—these can all become subjects of scrutiny. As long as the investigation remains unresolved, they can't resume work."
"So you're using the investigation to threaten them?"
"Yes, when we play the investigation card, they can imagine that if they don't comply, we'll shift the focus of the investigation, so they're compelled to investigate."
"But what if they don't investigate thoroughly?"
"Of course, they won't investigate thoroughly. We don't need to, either, because we're not genuinely trying to uncover anything; we just aim to prompt actions from people."
"I'm a bit confused again," Strange said, "you say you want to investigate, but not actually find anything. If you don't find evidence, how can it prompt people to act?"
"The scrutiny itself is a signal, indicating that during this period, we are doing this job. To achieve results, we have to catch some typical cases. No one wants to be the one standing out and getting hit, so they will restrain themselves and may even act according to the direction of the investigation. Thus, our goal is achieved."
"I get it," Strange realized and said, "we're just signaling that we're catching their missteps, so they conduct self-investigations and reflect. But I don't understand, why don't we actually investigate? We should be able to find something, right?"
"Of course we can. But if we do investigate and find something, it needs handling. If we don't handle it, it's like acquiescing. If we do handle it, we must grasp the right degree, not too light or too heavy, and tailor strategies for different types of people. If any part goes wrong, it backfires on us."
"I understand now," Strange said, "actually handling them is too troublesome, so just scaring them suffices."
"Exactly, especially regarding environmental issues. Whether interstellar society is environmentally friendly has no bearing on us, so there's no need to genuinely investigate; scaring them into self-regulation is enough."
"But why make them self-investigate environmental issues?"
"We both know self-regulation is never effective. They may slightly restrain themselves, may do some superficial work temporarily, but the essence remains unchanged. Before and after self-regulation, they remain the same."
"Right, so what's the point in doing this?"
"This lends legitimacy to our actions," Shiller chuckled, saying, "In governance, this is crucial. If you immediately catch their missteps and decide to handle them, it might seem petty, uncaring. Especially if the other party is powerful, many people might come to plead for him, making it appear you're overreacting."
"But if before acting, you launch a series of well-known scrutiny and warning activities, issuing repeated orders and showing a serious attitude with great momentum, then whoever offends again is blatantly breaking the rules, disregarding authority, viewing from a position of contempt for you as the Supreme Magician."
"If at this point someone else pleads for him, they become a bird sticking its neck out. No one wants that role. Especially since you're not only the interstellar councilman but also the Supreme Magician. Anyone offending you considers carefully, and those willing to help violators become rare. Don't let them feel isolated."
"I understand," Strange laughed, "it means we need to repeatedly carry out a task, amplify its promotion, then capture typical cases, leaving the other side no escape."
"Exactly. And, to prevent genuine correction, we place these matters in tedious, lengthy decrees like documents you hold, making them feel you are just flaunting authority, merely lighting three fires as a new officer. So, they won't really change; when caught, there's no room for excuses."
"Alright, then who's your target?" Strange queried, then mused, "Should we solve the Kree Empire first? That annoying Supreme Wisdom-controlled robot secretary general could be dismissed, allowing you to take the position."
"No, we can't move against the Kree Empire now. Once Supreme Wisdom faces issues, everyone knows it's your doing. Such exclusion must be executed flawlessly, with no trace, ideally forcing him to resign."
Strange seemed to listen to a fanciful tale, replying, "Before we came, for thousands of years, this was the territory of the Three Great Empires, and the secretary general was always the same electronic life. You plan to make him willingly exit? How is that possible?"
Shiller retracted his hand, sat up slightly straight, gave Strange a smile, stating, "You know, he has no choice."