The seventh lunar month year 1202 - early autumn.
The West Semlia Trade Conference, jointly organized by Crossbell Council Speaker and Starlight Technology President Fang Zheng, has finally arrived at its opening time.
The participants were Gillias Osborn, the Iron-blooded Prime Minister of the Erebonian Empire, and Olivet, the Imperial Prince. Samuel Locksmith, the President of the Republic of Calvard. Clotia von Ossides, the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Liberl, and Albert, the Grand Duke of the Principality of Remifilia.
The means of transportation that representatives from various countries took to come to Crossbell were also different. Erebonia used their steel train, Calvard and Remifilia used a convoy, and Liberl came by airship... Well, at least all kinds of transportation were used.
"Report, representatives from various countries have arrived in Crossbell."
"Yes, I understand."
After hearing the report, Fang Zheng nodded, then he looked at Towa, who was pale in front of him, with a smile.
"You don't need to be so nervous."
"How can I not be nervous..."
Hearing Fang Zheng's teasing, Tova immediately protested.
"They are all big shots from various countries, including the head of state and the princess. I am asked to coordinate and command in such an occasion. What if something unexpected happens..."
"You've done well so far, haven't you?"
Looking at Tova's nervous expression, Fang Zheng chuckled.
"Don't worry, everything is going well. Relax a little. You know what will happen next. By that time, even if things don't go well, no one will care about it."
“Ah… um…”
Tova nodded with a complicated expression, while Fang Zheng stood up and straightened his clothes.
"Okay, let's go."
Led by Fang Zheng, the group arrived at the square in front of the Starlight Tower, where Speaker McDowell had already been waiting. When he saw Fang Zheng coming out, he turned around and looked at him with a speechless look.
"I thought you wouldn't come out."
"It's necessary to be polite, but there's no need to make it too grand."
Fang Zheng chuckled.
"Especially you, you are so old after all, it's not good for your health to be outside in the wind like this."
"Now is not the time to talk about this."
Speaker McDowell sighed and looked forward again.
“Here they come.”
At the same time, the crowds on both sides of the street cheered, and then, under the guidance of the guide car in front, a number of luxury guided vehicles drove along the street and stopped in the square in front. Then, the doors of the cars opened and representatives from various countries walked out.
The first people Fang Zheng saw were Kolos and Captain Yulia behind her. After all, they were old acquaintances. So Fang Zheng smiled and nodded at them. Kolos also smiled and returned the greeting slightly.
Next came Samuel Locksmith, the president of the Republic of Calvard. He was a plump man with a mustache. He looked very friendly with a smile on his face, like a businessman who made money by being friendly. Fang Zheng was stunned when he saw the follower behind him, because the woman following President Locksmith was none other than Wuxiang Loulan from the Chase Guerrilla Association.
Wasn't she in charge of the Chase Guerrilla Association? Why did she end up in the Republic?
This question only flashed through Fang Zheng's mind. After all, he hadn't paid attention to Chase's situation for a long time. Who knew what was going on... But it had nothing to do with him anyway.
Archduke Albert of Remifiliah is a middle-aged blond man who looks like a superior.
The last person to appear was the Empire's Prime Minister Osborne.
This was a serious man. Even if he did nothing but stood there, he exuded a strong sense of presence. The blond idiot was also wearing royal clothes, smiling and accompanying him. How should I put it? Clothes really make the man. After putting on the clothes, the idiot really looked like a human being.
Everyone is a political veteran, so they naturally know what to say in different occasions. In fact, Fang Zheng did not hide everything behind the scenes like that idiot president, and did it secretly. Whether it was controlling Crossbell, interfering in the parliament, or even arresting parliamentarians for trial, he did it openly. Perhaps in the eyes of most ordinary people, these are nothing, but for the leaders of the four countries, what Fang Zheng wants to do is already obvious.
This time, the Western Semlia Trade Conference was just a "formal notification".
Although everyone knew the truth at this moment, in front of the media and the audience, everyone remained warm and polite in their greetings. They exchanged pleasantries, took photos, and said hello to each other. Then, Fang Zheng stepped forward.
"——Dear leaders, thank you for coming all the way to Crossbell. I would like to extend my heartfelt welcome to you all. I am extremely grateful for your coming to attend the West Semlia Trade Conference. According to convention, I should have given a welcome speech and announced the opening of the conference at this moment, but please allow me to take up some of your time."
“…”
Hearing this, the representatives were calm on the surface, but there were some strange looks between them. Even Olivet had a flash of uneasiness in his eyes. According to convention, the speech should have been delivered by McDowell, the speaker of the Crossbell Parliament. After all, from an official point of view, Speaker McDowell was still recognized by the governments of various countries and was the political administrator of Crossbell.
But now, Fang Zheng directly delivered a welcome speech as the organizer, which in itself was equivalent to announcing to everyone that he was the ruler of Crossbell.
Is this really okay?
Olivet originally thought that even if Fang Zheng had such an idea, he would still be cautious about tradition and etiquette. After all, this was in the public eye, and reporters from all over the world were here. But what he didn't expect was that the other party actually came straight to the point and showed off, as if it was a matter of course.
"Next, please allow me to introduce to you the pearl of Crossbell, the brightest beacon on the continent of Semria..."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng turned around, and everyone looked up at the Starlight Tower in front of them. Although the Starlight Tower was still covered by a curtain, its height that soared into the sky was enough to make people dumbfounded.
"It will become a symbol of a brand new beginning for this city, and will become an immeasurable existence for the entire continent... Next, the first skyscraper in the history of the Zemuria continent, the Starlight Tower, will be officially unveiled!"
Following Fang Zheng's order, the next moment, the curtain that originally covered the Starlight Tower slowly rose, just like when a performance begins, slowly showing all the background of the stage to the audience. This tower, which took several years to build, finally showed its figure to everyone at this moment.
Although he had long known about the powerful strength of Starlight Technology and had prepared himself mentally, when he saw the true appearance of the tower with his own eyes, Prince Oliver couldn't help but hold his breath.
In front of everyone, there was a 500-meter-high, azure-blue crystal tower. The outer layer of the tower reflected the color of the sky, giving people the illusion of connecting heaven and earth. The golden outer shell and the azure-blue crystal merged together to form an extremely unique style, and at this moment, the surrounding fountains suddenly began to spray water, connecting the sky, the earth and the tower together.
For some reason, when he looked up at the tower in front of him, Olivet suddenly had a strange illusion. It was as if this tower was not a product of the human world, but the throne of the gods. They sat in it, overlooking all living things from the sky. This huge building, just sitting here, gave people an indescribable sense of sacredness and oppression, especially with the tower as the center, Olivet could also see several golden rings of varying sizes slowly rotating around it.
This doesn't seem like technology that would exist on this continent at all.
Where on earth does this existence come from?
Not only Olivet, but the citizens of Crossbell were also stunned by the magnificent view of this grand tower. For a moment, there was silence all around, with only the flashlights in the hands of the reporters flashing desperately. It was not until a moment later that cheers suddenly broke out and resounded throughout the city.
At the same time, Fang Zheng turned around and looked at everyone with a smile again.
"Then, I once again announce to all the leaders and guests present here that the West Semlia Trade Conference has officially begun."
After the unveiling ceremony, in fact, today's mission has been completed. After all, everyone has come from afar, so according to the plan, they will rest in the Starlight Tower for a day and start the formal meeting the next day. Of course, for safety reasons, the Starlight Tower will not be open to the public during the West Semlia meeting.
For Tova, it was a relief that it had ended smoothly so far.
However, this is not the case for Ellie.
"Ko... Ko, Ko, Kolos is actually the Crown Princess of Kolotia?!"
"Come to think of it, it seems like this is the first time you know this."
Seeing Ellie who was so frightened that she couldn't recover, Fang Zheng clapped his hands. After all, Chlos's identity in the Genis Royal Academy was a secret. Although Chlos fought alongside many people during the Liberl coup, Ellie and Alisa were both taking refuge in the academy at the time, so they naturally didn't know Chlos's situation. Although Chlos also attended some events as the princess after that, Ellie and Alisa were not the heir to their country after all, so they didn't care that much.
So when Ellie saw Chloë walking out of the car, she was completely stunned. She probably didn't expect that the person she was dating in college would be the princess.
"Have you known this all along, Mr. Founder?!"
"Of course. After all, when I was a teacher at the academy, Her Majesty the Queen asked me to take care of her."
"Ah, you didn't tell me about such a big thing... Ugh, I really shouldn't have told me."
Having said that, Ellie was speechless for a while, then she looked at Tova.
"President, do you know?"
"Huh? I know. I knew about it when Mr. Fang Zheng sent the invitation letter. To be honest, I was also shocked at that time."
Facing Ellie's question, Tova nodded, but even so, compared to Ellie, Tova was still relatively calm and steady. After all, Ellie and Alyssa were both friends of Chloë. As the student council president, Tova was close to everyone, but her relationship with Chloë was not as deep as Ellie's. Therefore, even if she was a little surprised, it was just a surprise.
"I didn't expect this to happen. What should I do..."
"What to do?"
Fang Zheng sat on the chair and looked at Ellie who had a bitter face.
"It has come to this, you're not going to tell me that you're quitting because you're too embarrassed to show up in front of your friends?"
"That's not the question. This is a coup d'état. If Chloë knows that I'm involved in this, how can I meet her in the future..."
"What do you mean by participation? You are also an accomplice."
Fang Zheng rolled his eyes.
"It was you who wanted to change Crossbell's current situation. Now you're not going to tell me that you're not going to do it just because of this? It doesn't matter whether you do it or not. Now that it's come to this, the arrow has been put on the string and it has to be shot. It's too late for you to regret it."
"It's not that I regret it, I just... forget it."
At this point, Ellie also let out a long sigh.
"Just like what you said, Mr. Fang Zheng, it has come to this point... let's just leave it at that."
"very good."
Hearing Ellie's answer, Fang Zheng nodded with satisfaction.
"Everyone, go and rest. The main course will be tomorrow."