Your Excellency, your response was truly swift; you handled the situation very well."
Inside the Holy Terra Palace, Salihovic was reporting to Gu Hang. When the topic turned to the triumphant ceremony, he couldn't help but offer Gu Hang a compliment.
Gu Hang waved his hand, not responding.
Indeed, his reaction time on the scene was not slow.
But how well it is handled is another matter.
The matter was dealt with, but when Gu Hang realized the problem, his hasty reaction and handling made it difficult for him to speak tactfully.
He wanted to elevate the Prime Minister to a higher position to avoid that awkward situation. However, his words were too direct, and his intentions might have been a bit too obvious.
It's hard to say whether Prime Minister Qi Bodu was truly relieved afterward.
Ultimately, Gu Hang did not want Qi Bodu to be wary of him, nor did he want Qi Bodu to think that he, or the entire alliance, was a person or force that posed a threat to him.
Whether this goal can be fully achieved is hard to say.
He was quite helpless about this matter.
Ambassador Salihovic did indeed operate in Sacred Terra for a considerable period, with Gallardo as his backer. However, Prime Minister Ziberdau's status was simply too high; they weren't in the same circle, and Salihovic couldn't easily reach him. He did have some opportunities to meet the Prime Minister in public, but naturally, there was no chance of genuine conversation during those occasions. As for private interactions, those were even fewer.
He did have the intention to place some foreign intelligence agents around the prime minister.
He did indeed do that, but he didn't dare to go too far. He could only place some people on the periphery and be satisfied with being able to listen to some peripheral information.
Otherwise, wouldn't the Ministry of Justice and the courts be powerful?
In fact, many agencies in the Imperial Central may already be aware of the Alliance's intelligence activities in Holy Terra.
However, firstly, the alliance is an imperial power with a background, and it hasn't done anything outrageous, so it's not appropriate to target it.
Secondly, the Foreign Intelligence Service's operations were registered with the Ministry of Justice and applied for under the guise of normal activities of the alliance ambassadors. Although some of the Foreign Intelligence Service's actions tested the limits, the official documentation provided a slight degree of security.
But that's about it. It's unrealistic to try to plant a spy next to the prime minister using such methods; and they dare not use any more outrageous or powerful methods that cross the line, because if they get caught, it will cause serious trouble.
So this is the only way.
Neither the alliance nor Salihovic has any way to influence the Prime Minister.
Even carefully probing their thoughts is difficult.
This matter can only be entrusted to Galar.
When Gu Hang asked to find out what the Prime Minister was thinking, Gallardo agreed, but he also explained that he could only help as much as he could, and the final result was hard to guarantee.
Gallardo has indeed joined the prime minister's political faction, but he is certainly not a close associate.
He does want to!
However, he did not rise through the ranks of the Prime Minister's faction at all, but rather transferred from Eugène's faction. With a reputation for betraying his former boss, he could not possibly gain complete trust or be considered one of his own; at best, he was either a newcomer or a defector.
Gallardo even suspects that if he is allowed to remain in power for a while, the Prime Minister will eventually replace him.
The Military Affairs Department is a very important department; how could we let a traitor get his hands on it?
Even if we don't take him down directly, we'll at least make him do a lot of things to prove himself.
That day just hasn't come yet.
In this respect, he actually had to rely on Gu Hang's support from the outside. Otherwise, as a rootless military prime minister, it would only take Qi Bodu's word to remove him from office.
The two supported each other.
...
After the triumphant ceremony, most of the participants left over the next month.
They usually got what they wanted.
Gu Hang hadn't left yet, of course.
He hasn't gotten what he wants yet.
Gu Hang didn't actually want to stay in Holy Terra for too long. There were still many things at the Alliance headquarters that needed his attention when he returned.
However... at this moment, he also had to complain bitterly about the empire's low administrative efficiency.
The Empire is still studying the Alliance Plan.
Gu Hang has submitted multiple applications, hoping that everyone can at least have a formal meeting, even if no results can be reached immediately, at least a face-to-face conversation to push things forward.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if the Alliance Plan fails to pass and the two sides even have to resort to arms, that would still be a conclusion.
However, if things get to that point, it might be difficult for Gu Hang to return to the alliance.
In fact, this could be said to be the fundamental reason why the Imperial Central Government insisted that Gu Hang come in person: if you don't even dare to come, it proves that you have rebellious intentions, and the "Alliance Plan" will definitely not be approved for you. They may even have to prepare military forces to quell the rebellion.
Now that you're here, the "Alliance Plan" is negotiable—but only negotiable. If the negotiations ultimately fall apart, then you, Gu Hang, shouldn't go back.
But Gu Hang still had no choice but to come.
Faced with this approach of arriving, dragging things out, and not giving a clear explanation, he felt helpless and angry, yet there was nothing he could do.
The only thing we can do is keep applying force in various other directions, hoping to speed things up.
He couldn't express these emotions; he could only maintain emotional composure.
The walls have ears.
His psychic power allowed him to clearly sense that there were many imperial spies around him all the time, monitoring him and his family, and also keeping an eye on all the important figures from the alliance he had brought with him.
The surveillance on others was slightly less severe, but the surveillance on Gu Hang was particularly serious.
With Gu Hang's spiritual power, he could easily eliminate all these spies.
But it's clear that Gu Hang won't do that.
Instead, he openly shared his life and work in Holy Terra. This even included his interactions with the Alliance and his guidance of their work.
He displayed his harmlessness without reservation, increasing the favorability of the imperial high command towards him.
Of course, there are some real secrets that cannot be revealed. But Gu Hang had already explained to the Alliance homeland that during his time in Holy Terra, everything was left to the 'Big Three' structure consisting of Osena, Thaddeus, and Lambert to make their own decisions.
He possesses special psionic abilities that allow him to bypass surveillance and contact the Alliance's home territory.
But there's no need to do that.
If anyone notices that he has used some special psionic methods, even if the Empire cannot track him down, it will increase their suspicions.
Now that everyone's here, let's just be honest and straightforward.
However, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease.
The imperial central administration was slow—or perhaps it was deliberately keeping him at a distance, giving him the cold shoulder.
But some people are impatient and eager to meet him and get in touch with him.
That's the Imperial Psionic Order.
The current chief master of the Spiritual Order paid a visit.
Gu Hang met with them openly and generously, while also allowing his spies to investigate.
...
Dou Zhao is quite old now.
Including the rejuvenation surgeries that the imperial nobles could access year-round, he is now 349 years old, and theoretically he still has some years left to live.
But for him, it wasn't like that.
A normal person typically has five opportunities for rejuvenation surgery, and a lifespan of 500 years is the upper limit.
But he has already completed all five rejuvenation surgeries. Now, he can sense that his time is coming to an end.
Because he is an S-class psionicist.
For most people, possessing psychic talent and, after receiving proper training, gaining stable control over psychic energy is a blessing. Psychic energy is a very powerful force; if mastered well, it can change one's destiny.
However, no one can deny the devastating impact of energy on the human body and soul.
The constant subdimensional murmurs, the physical harm caused by releasing psychic energy, the gradual change in personality, and the shortened lifespan...
Dou Zhao, who was originally able to extend his lifespan to 500 years after five rejuvenation surgeries, could clearly sense that he would not live past his 360th birthday.
In other words, he only has eleven years left to live.
But he had nothing to regret.
If it weren't for his mastery of psychic powers, how could he have risen from the son of an ordinary company employee to become one of the most powerful people in the empire?
The president of the Psionic Order, an S-rank psychic... Without these titles, he wouldn't even be qualified to perform a single rejuvenation surgery; he would have been a skeleton long ago.
And now...
"I have nothing left to hold me back," Dou Zhao said calmly, sitting across from Gu Hang. "If the Emperor summons me, I should go. But before I go, I must leave something behind for the place I have fought for for three hundred years."
"What exactly does a psionic order need?"
"After much deliberation, I still feel that the Psionic Order needs a leader who is strong enough to truly unite countless psionicists."
"I can't think of anyone else but you."
"So, accept my invitation, Mr. Gu Hang. You will be the next Chief Instructor of the Spiritual Energy Cult."
"This is not only my decision, but also the unanimous decision of the nine great masters of the order."
Gu Hang pondered for a long time.
This Dou Zhao is the current supreme leader and chief master of the Spiritual Energy Cult.
Before he even arrived and began to state his thoughts, Gu Hang had already guessed his purpose.
But he was still somewhat surprised by the psychic order's eagerness and directness.
At the same time, he was also worried that there might be other pitfalls in this matter.
He cautiously asked, "I am neither a psionicist from the Psionic Order nor have I ever made any contributions to it. What merit do I possess...?"
Let me decline for now and see what's going on.
Dou Zhao shook his head slightly and said, "This has nothing to do with whether you contribute to the Psionic Cult, it only has to do with your strength. Your psionic power is beyond everyone's imagination. The so-called S-rank, S+-rank, and even the Alpha-rank, which humans cannot stably control, are no longer sufficient to judge your strength. Such great psionic power is extremely rare in the entire history of the Empire."
Dou Zhao originally wanted to say "only emperors surpass" for the last sentence, but in the end he felt it was inappropriate and swallowed it back.
He changed the subject: "Besides, once you become the chief grandmaster, what's there to worry about not making contributions? In the future, you'll have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the Psionic Order. At the same time, the Psionic Order will also become an asset to you."
Even after discussing this, Gu Hang still shook his head slightly: "This matter is still too sudden and too important. Please allow me some time to think about it."
"I understand." Dou Zhao stood up. "But before that, could you please come to the Psychic Cult? We have a dedicated space where you can unleash your power to your heart's content. Let us witness it. Some of the younger generation don't understand the power of psychic energy; they need to broaden their horizons. Some outsiders also need to broaden their horizons."
At this point, he added, "Perhaps this can also help you with your current predicament."
Gu Hang's heart skipped a beat, and he roughly understood what the other party meant.
However, he remained cautious and did not agree immediately, saying that he needed to consider it, but he would inform the Psionic Order of his decision before sunset the next day.
After politely seeing Dou Zhao off, Gu Hang immediately summoned Salihovic.
They didn't hide it from the monitors either.
Salihovic was somewhat surprised after telling the ambassador to Terra about his idea of the Psionic Order.
"During my stay, they never contacted me. This is such a big thing, it came so suddenly…"
He sighed and continued, "But that's typical of those psychic masters, isn't it?"
"How so?" Gu Hang asked.
"They are self-righteous, arrogant, and look down on others; yet they are also down on their luck and have no real power, often being manipulated by others, forced to swallow their grievances; the more this is the case, the more they can only maintain that sense of superiority and demonstrate their worth..."
Gu Hang was quite surprised: "I didn't sense any arrogance or haughtiness from them. Wasn't Mr. Dou quite kind and sincere?"
"That's because he's facing you, Your Excellency the Governor."
At this point, Salihovic recounted the history and current state of the Psionic Order to Gu Hang.
After listening, Gu Hang roughly understood everything that Salihovic had said before.
The Psionic Order is an organization established by the Empire to govern all psionicists within its borders. Its highest leader, the Grand Master, is even qualified to be elected a High Lord.
This is the source of their arrogance.
However, if they were truly that powerful, there wouldn't be those later descriptions.