After stepping into the reception hall, Zero gave a quick glance around and realized that all the representatives attending this meeting were human.
He had thought he might encounter some other cute races, like maybe a soft-bodied species such as starfish or something...
'What a pity,' he thought to himself, then walked toward the only empty seat at the head of the table.
A company shareholder sitting next to that seat immediately stood up to pull out the chair for him.
After Zero sat down, one of the attendees smiled and began to lavish praise on both the company and the Xianzhou, saying, "You've really thought of everything!"
That person expressed great satisfaction with the itinerary and arrangements, even complimenting the thorough safety checks before boarding the cruise ship.
The shareholder smiled and nodded, graciously accepting the praise.
He simply pretended not to notice the hidden sarcasm behind the words.
Wasn't that just a veiled insult? Wasn't he basically saying that the company and the Xianzhou had bad intentions and that something was bound to go wrong now that they were all gathered on the ship?
Saying he was "pleased with the arrangements" was just another way of accusing them of being too heavy-handed, forcing them to undergo strict security checks.
But all of that was for their own good.
If someone with ill intent had managed to sneak in and tried to harm the Marshal, everyone on this cruise would've been in deep trouble.
"By all logic, since the company and Xianzhou were so thorough, nothing should've gone wrong, right?"
That person turned his attention to Zero. At first, he seemed surprised, but then he changed his tone to one of feigned concern,
"Or… was there some delay?"
The shareholder immediately caught on to the issue.
On the surface, it sounded like concern, but in truth, it was criticizing the Marshal for arriving late and keeping them waiting.
If it were anyone else, they'd probably go along and apologize politely, but this was the Marshal we're talking about…
The shareholder secretly thought, Not good. He knew the Marshal wasn't one for subtext, he said things directly, no games.
He'd never seen anyone dare to talk like that in front of the Marshal before.
This time, he really couldn't guess what the Marshal might do.
Zero shook his head and chuckled lightly, "No, nothing like that. I just got distracted, first time seeing the scenery out here on the open sea, I lost track of time."
The man's face froze for a moment before he forced a laugh and echoed Zero's words.
The shareholder, hearing this, lifted his teacup to hide the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
'Please,' he thought, 'do you people even realize who you're talking to? That's the Marshal!'
As expected of the Marshal, just the two words "open sea" were enough to shut these people up.
Normally, a cruise ship would be covered in countless cameras recording everything, but for the Marshal's safety, all cameras in his area had been turned off in advance.
Once a ship enters international waters, if an "accident" happens, say someone falls overboard, it'd be like trying to find a needle in the ocean. No evidence, no proof.
Zero listened to the man go on, praising the ship's facilities and the ocean views to the skies.
He was used to empty flattery, usually it went in one ear and out the other. He automatically filtered out anything useless.
Keeping a pleasant smile, Zero met the man's eyes and nodded occasionally, replying kindly, "As long as you like it."
The man gave a dry laugh, and another person cut in abruptly, his tone harsh, "Enough with the small talk. Let's get to the point."
Zero raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected to meet someone so blunt in a business meeting.
'What a surprise.'
They'd probably get along just fine.
He shifted his gaze to the speaker, a man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a pair of downward-curving mustache tips.
Zero said, "The reason I've gathered you all here today is for one thing."
Aside from Mustache Man and the shareholder, everyone else's face stiffened immediately.
'Gathered us?'
What did he think they were, dogs he could summon and dismiss at will?
"Gathered" was a word you used for subordinates, wasn't it? They weren't his subordinates. How arrogant could he get?
But Zero didn't care whether his word choice sounded appropriate or not, nor did he bother hiding his meaning behind vague metaphors.
He looked straight at the man with the mustache and said calmly, "I intend to end the Swarm disaster and the Emperor War."
His tone was perfectly flat, like he was just brushing off the previous small talk.
He still wore that same friendly, approachable smile, but to everyone else, that smile suddenly seemed… terrifying.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Before coming to this meeting, they had, of course, been briefed on the Xianzhou Marshal's infamous exploits.
And when they heard the meeting would take place on a cruise ship, they were all terrified.
Seriously, after the Xianzhou blew up a star, they hadn't said anything, but now they were openly hosting a joint meeting with the company? A trap, obviously.
But under the pressure of the two biggest economic powers in the universe, they'd been forced to attend, arriving on this resort planet right on schedule.
Before boarding, they'd undergone extremely strict security checks, their communications equipment confiscated.
If this had been their own turf… they would've already torn the organizers apart.
They'd waited and waited, planning to exchange a few pleasantries once the meeting began, then they walked into the hall and saw the company representatives.
So they sat there. And waited. For ages.
And finally, the Xianzhou delegation appeared.
The person leading them wore a kind smile, easy to fool at first glance.
But the moment they saw a company shareholder stand up personally to pull out that person's chair, their minds blanked out completely.
After all, the Interstellar Peace Corporation was the largest economic power in the entire universe. The only person who could make one of its shareholders humble themselves like that… was the Marshal of the Xianzhou.
That gentle-looking smile instantly took on an entirely different meaning.
And then this god of destruction opened his mouth, to declare that he was going to end the wars and disasters of the universe.
A thousand curses exploded in their heads. If they could fight the Xianzhou and win, they'd already be shouting in his face.
'Are you insane?! What does the Swarm disaster or the Emperor War have to do with you or the Xianzhou?!'
'Busybody much?!'
'It's one thing for you to use your colossi to smash planets, but now you're dragging us into it too?! What, you're actually trying to maintain "universal peace"?'
'The reason the universe isn't peaceful is because of the Swarm, the AI machines, and you, the Xianzhou Marshal!'
'Honestly, if this troublemaking Marshal just offed himself, the universe would instantly become a safer place.'
As for the Swarm and the AIs? Even if everyone else in the universe died off, what did that have to do with them?
Why should they waste manpower and fleets to save other galaxies?
Zero saw all the changes in their faces and felt absolutely nothing.
Compared to these irresponsible fools who would rather ignore a spreading catastrophe, he really was the good guy here.
He decided to start with diplomacy before force.
Step one: reason and emotion.
He stood up and took a few steps around the hall, randomly choosing a "lucky one," and placed his hand on the man's shoulder.
"I know there are many rumors about me out there…"
He watched the man's body stiffen under his hand, and softened his tone, "They say I'm a tyrant of the stars, that I'm inhuman, bloodthirsty… there are all sorts of stories. But rumors are just rumors. Now that you've met me in person, do I really seem as terrifying as they say?"
Everyone, "…"
What were they supposed to say to that? What could they say?
After Zero talked for a while and no one dared to answer, he couldn't help sighing.
The man whose shoulder he was holding flinched violently at that sigh.
All that effort to calm them down, ruined by one nervous twitch.
Helpless, Zero said, "That reaction makes me look like some kind of villain…"
The man wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a flattering smile, "How could you be a villain, sir? You're the one helping other planets, you're so generous, so kind, truly a once-in-a-millennium good man, "
'So, kind sir, could you maybe… take your hand off my shoulder and go bother someone else?'
A normal person would've played along with the compliment.
But Zero wasn't normal. After watching the man's trembling limbs for a moment, he coolly exposed what everyone was really thinking, "Save your flattery. If even a so-called villain like me is willing to act for the peace of the universe, surely you, who think yourselves righteous, can do even better, right?"
Everyone, "…"
What a direct, brutal moral shakedown.
If he weren't the Xianzhou Marshal, they'd have tossed his invitation straight into a trash bin, and then launched the bin into another galaxy.
Anyone who didn't know his style might've mistaken him for some sanctimonious preacher who didn't have to lift a finger himself.
Some people kept smiling and flattering him; others stayed dead silent.
Zero withdrew his hand from the first "lucky" man's shoulder, then chose a second and placed his hand on his shoulder.
As the saying goes, politeness first, force later.
Now came step two.
He dropped his smile. Instantly, the room went silent.
Looking around at his "partners," he said slowly, "I'm sure some of you have never been to a battlefield, right?"
"Of course. Given your positions, it's only natural you wouldn't need to fight in person."
"They call me a tyrant, but they don't know, the Mara-struck once rebelled in the Xianzhou, trying to seize control of the fleet."
"Many died in that war. They became numbers on a report. And to you, perhaps, those numbers mean nothing more than numbers?"
He thought back to that hellish beginning and sighed quietly.
At the time, they'd barely even had enough to pay compensation to the families of the dead…
In a way, he really did owe Aha a thank-you for the assistance back then.
He paused, then continued, "Behind those numbers were living, breathing people. In that war, my people and I poured out everything we had, defeated the Mara-struck, and took back the Xianzhou."
"Other star systems suffered the same way. And the root of it all, was the 'Anti-Organic Equation' created by Rupert."
"My people have suffered enough. Naturally, I can't stand by and watch others, other worlds, keep living in misery."
"They call me a tyrant. But if not for me and my subordinates… how many more systems would've fallen to machines or Swarm?"
"If not for my men willingly saving the stars, they'd have died long ago. They wouldn't even be alive to call me names now."
Zero withdrew his hand from the second "lucky" man's shoulder, returned to his seat under everyone's stares, and picked up his champagne glass.
"I've said my piece. After all, I'm not really a tyrant, am I? I'm certainly not going to threaten you with 'being tossed into the sea' just to make you cooperate."
He took a sip, it tasted pretty good, then turned to ask the shareholder about it.
The shareholder thumped his chest and promised to send him the entire vineyard.
Zero nodded indifferently, tilted his head back, finished the glass in one go, then stood up and walked toward the door without hesitation.
Seeing this, the shareholder hurried to follow, offering apologies to everyone as they left.
He caught up with the Marshal at the security gate where access cards were required.
"Sir, where's your card?" he asked.
"I forgot," Zero said matter-of-factly.
The shareholder sighed helplessly and tapped his own card on the scanner.
"If there weren't outsiders around, you could've just used facial recognition…"
Zero nodded vaguely, took the elevator to his floor, and as soon as the doors opened, he saw the two people who'd been waiting.
They sat under a sun umbrella, his chief strategist staring blankly into space, in sharp contrast to Daiyang's bright, eager expression.
Neither of them asked about the meeting.
The strategist knew full well that the Marshal's mouth had probably caused some kind of commotion again.
Thankfully, the colossi always existed to clean up after their tactless boss.
Daiyang, on the other hand, trusted the Marshal completely, she believed there was nothing he couldn't accomplish.
She asked enthusiastically, "My lord Marshal, do you want to go to the water park? Surfing, maybe?"
Zero shook his head and declined, picking a lounge chair and sitting down.
He was just an introverted shut-in who wasn't good at talking or socializing; forcing himself through that meeting had already drained every bit of his energy.
All he wanted now was to lie still on this chair and recharge. For the next few days, he wanted to be left completely alone.
Daiyang sighed in disappointment, then half-jokingly asked, "Did you at least meet any handsome guys?"
Zero thought seriously for a moment and shook his head. "Didn't notice."
Her enthusiasm deflated immediately. She then asked, "Then… should I take care of them?"
Zero understood what she meant, she was asking if anyone had upset him.
"No need. Who knows, those people might prove useful later."
Daiyang narrowed her eyes, thinking over the possibilities.
Zero, never one for riddles, reminded her, "Their home planets can't be doing too well, otherwise they wouldn't have been sent to meet me. Keep them around, they might be useful."
Daiyang understood.
Just like when they'd helped the company shareholder before, raise them up, little by little, and eventually, they'd become Xianzhou's strongest allies.
"The butler brought fruit and champagne. You should eat a little, sir," she said.
"Oh, and if you don't want to go out, you can ask the butler, or the strategist, to have food sent up. This ship's got forty different cuisines to choose from."
She handed him the fruit platter, gave a few more reminders, and then decided to take the chance to scout out potential allies. Waving to her boss, she disappeared from sight.
The strategist asked quietly, "If someone refuses, what will you do?"
Without hesitation, Zero replied, "Refuse? Then they'd better be ready to make enemies of the Xianzhou."