Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 180 - 100: The Envoy

Chapter 180: Chapter 100: The Envoy

"I think this ’Universe Beauties Compendium’ is just so-so."

In the restaurant, Jiuyue picked at her skewered chicken as she criticized the 36th issue of the ’Universe Beauties Compendium.’

The 36th issue’s team visited a rather special tribe, not located on a particular planet, but on the company flagship.

The tribe’s original planet had been devoured by an endless snow disaster, so the queen of the West Wind Clan accepted the company’s invitation, leading the survivors aboard the Universe Company flagship prepared for them, where all West Wind Clan members now resided.

This had also been the company’s focal point for publicity over the past decade, solidifying their image as saviors in the hearts of the people.

"The book says that the queen of the West Wind Clan is now considered the most beautiful woman in the universe, and the West Wind Clan’s overall quality also ranks second," Jiuyue relayed.

The secret lay in their innate snow disaster energy.

Descendants of the West Wind Clan naturally wielded the power of ice, an unusual energy source that subtly transformed them, with the magazine describing them as if each member of the clan was like a flower on a high cliff.

"And what do you think?"

Duan Mingyuan was no stranger to this tribe, as Bai Kou had also told him about the origins of the West Wind armor while in the central control room.

The condition for the West Wind Clan to take residence in the flagship was that the queen voluntarily cooperated with the Life Science Department’s various studies, as their snow disaster energy, just like the Blue Star’s life energy, was deemed by the company as a high-quality energy source.

In comparison, the red crystals of Red Star were deemed secondary energy sources due to their instability.

Over these days, Duan Mingyuan also gained a lot of knowledge about the universe from the Royal library’s collection, which was missing from the archives of the Yunhai Academy’s library.

"She does have some looks, but to rank her first, there must be a filter of the queen and the survivors," Jiuyue remarked, unimpressed.

It’s like telling a sob story in a talent show competition; even if you win, it’s an undeserved victory.

Duan Mingyuan suddenly realized that Jiuyue was particularly sensitive about rankings of beauty, always harboring animosity towards the Ice Snow Queen in her words.

"Let me have a look."

At his words, Jiuyue immediately handed the magazine over to Duan Mingyuan. He only took a brief glance before commenting, "Not as good-looking as you are."

He was not interested in topics like who was the most beautiful woman in the universe, but if someone were to hold a ’Universe Various Energy Source Summit,’ he would definitely sign up. After reading so many books, he realized that as one of the current universe’s five major ’class-one energy sources,’ Blue Star’s life energy source had never had a representative join the annual energy summit.

It was always someone from the Life Science Department attending on their behalf.

Duan Mingyuan was very dissatisfied with that, as was Jiuyue with the West Wind Clan queen being chosen as the most beautiful woman in the universe.

"Very well, Mr. Mingyuan, you’re right, that’s an insightful observation!"

Jiuyue handed a skewer of spicy chicken hearts to Duan Mingyuan. They should encourage people like Mr. Mingyuan who are not afraid of authority and dare to speak the truth.

After finishing the ’Universe Beauties Compendium,’ Jiuyue understood the concept of ’academic monopoly’ much better.

She further expressed her opinion, "I think the one ranked second should be ranked first."

"Second?"

Duan Mingyuan looked further back to the runner-up, but as this issue’s main focus was on the West Wind Clan and their queen, the other rankings did not come with pictures.

However, from the title "Calamity Fox," it wasn’t hard to associate it with a nine-tailed fox demon.

Jiuyue was very sure that "Mommy is definitely prettier than her."

Nine-tailed fox demons are an extremely rare race in the universe. Duan Mingyuan searched and found that the issue about the fox demon was in the 27th issue, where the magazine team had tried everything to board the Life Science Department’s eco-ship and met the reportedly only nine-tailed fox in the universe.

But the nine-tailed fox seemed not to like dealing with others and had refused the interview.

"This is good news, it means they are now on the Life Science Department’s eco-ship."

That was also why he hoped Blue Star would become the seventeenth civilization to sign the non-interference treaty. Pigs reared in captivity have no diplomatic bargaining chips, but once they became the seventeenth star, they could use diplomatic means to negotiate. Perhaps they could exchange Jiuyue’s parents and those "energy batteries" that were illegally transferred to the eco-ship back.

"It shouldn’t be long before you can see them."

"Mr. Mingyuan, I believe in you!"

Jiuyue smiled, she had never doubted Duan Mingyuan’s abilities.

After meeting Mommy, she wanted to tell her all about Mr. Mingyuan’s glorious deeds in detail.

"Yo, long time no see, Mr. Duan Mingyuan. I met an old man in the great hall who said he was exploring the ends of the universe and told me I could find you here."

An uninvited guest barged into the skewered chicken restaurant. Fu Ling made herself at home by adding a seat at the table, and Mr. Hei Yu was with her.

"I don’t think you’ll mind sharing a table with me. I’ve been busy from the morning till now and haven’t had time to eat."

Mr. Hei Yu, upon seeing Jiuyue again, had become much more composed as well, his feathers gleaming and full of vitality.

Nowadays, he had soared far from his past status. As Fu Ling received her appointment as director, his position naturally elevated, becoming the supervisor of the monster’s area on the eco-ship, responsible for collecting the monsters’ requests and suggestions.

"Are you the inspection officer this time?"

Duan Mingyuan asked.

"How could it be? According to the hierarchy, although an inspection officer is at the same level as our positions, they come from the main department and hold much more actual power."

One of the powers of an inspection officer is to decide whether to declare full-scale war on a certain planet.

She heard that the Blue Star people had shot down the flagship of the Cosmic Relations Coordination Department, an act that was enough to make them one of the potential war targets of the company.

"However, the main department heard that I had spent a long time on this planet and happened to know you, a Transcender, so they sent me as the vanguard. Thanks to you, I was able to take a short leave. Since I returned to the eco-ship, I haven’t rested for a single day."

A full-blown 007 lifestyle, living on the eco-ship, she even skipped going home, "I put a bed in my office, so I can sleep there when I’m tired. But don’t worry, I emphasized to the main department time and again that you are a reasonable person and the prospects of negotiation are very optimistic... How are those three Imperial Guards from the ’Long Branch’? It’s fine if people die, as long as the armor is intact."

"No one died, they are staying with Qing Hua."

"That’s good."

Fu Ling breathed a sigh of relief; one of the firm objectives of the negotiation was to recover the three "Long Branch" armors as much as possible.

"You didn’t go see Qing Hua?"

"He wouldn’t dare see me."

Fu Ling smiled slightly and lowered her voice, "Apart from recovering the armor, my other mission is to ensure that Qing Hua will never have a chance to turn things around in his lifetime, you can understand it as a departmental grudge."