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"That\'s a very interesting thought. If I were to see that, it would make my day." Tempted by Cao Cao\'s suggestion, Zheng Tianming smiled and shifted his attention from the TV to Cao Cao.

"But I believe you didn\'t come here just for a casual chat, Mr. Cao. What does Mr. Emberweave want?" Mr. Zheng asked.

"Straight to the point? That\'s fine with me. What my lord wants is for Astral Tech Corporation\'s Sector Alpha City to become a recognized country," Cao Cao said.

Zheng Tianming looked into Cao Cao\'s eyes and saw no sign of deceit, so he let out a small chuckle.

"Hahaha... Then your lord might be disappointed. Doesn\'t he know that the Qing Empire is one of the five major countries of the UN? They can infinitely use their veto right. Don\'t you know they always want to unite Southeast Asia into their territory? Accepting Sector Alpha City as a recognized country would create a powerful opposition to their goal of uniting Southeast Asia."

What Zheng Tianming said was true. Accepting Sector Alpha City as a country would create a major power in the Southeast Asia region. If there were a fight between the Qing Empire and the people in the Southeast Asia region later, it would likely lead to a defensive pact like NATO, comprising the Southeast Asian countries.

Zheng Tianming knew that the Southeast Asian countries had won the Anti-Unification War, but they were not unscathed. They had paid a high price for their victory, losing one of their largest islands with dense forests and diverse ecology to heavy bombing by the Qing Empire.

That island still hadn\'t recovered, as all the plants and trees there had been poisoned, along with the water. Life there was harsh; the paradise full of vibrant greenery and animals had turned into a wasteland because of the anti-guerrilla tactics the Qing Empire used.

But it was a different case with Sector Alpha City and Astral Corp. Everyone knew about the US reclamation campaign and that the deciding factor for the US to unite and eliminate the Confederacy\'s old regime was the weapons that Astral Corp sold to the US back then.

They also knew that Astral Corp, which owned Sector Alpha City and had its own armed forces in the form of Astral PMC, was practically a country at this point. However, the number of people they could recruit to use those high-tech weapons was still very low.

The Sector Alpha City is just a small island the size of about a Manhattan after all.

And they also knew that Astral Tech was very selective when selling their products. They only sold to countries they were confident would be their allies, such as the US, where the rumor of Daniel being the lover of Victoria Goldwyn, who held massive influence in the US Congress, circulated.

So, if they were to accept this notion without a veto, it might cause Astral Corp to become a big brother in the Southeast Asian region. This could lead to a defensive pact and end up with them selling their weapons and power armor to the countries in Southeast Asia, creating another group of power that the Qing Empire might not dare to offend.

Cao Cao understood this fact, nodding in agreement but then letting out a mischievous smile.

"What do you think will happen if we were to let out a rumor that we are negotiating with you about selling our weapons and power armor?" Cao Cao asked enticingly.

Hearing this, Zheng Tianming turned his head, looking at Cao Cao with interest.

"Mr. Cao, you piqued my curiosity when you first came to me and said you had something to discuss as CEO of Astral PMC and a representative of Astral Corp." He paused, sitting down on a couch opposite Cao Cao and ordering his men to bring more tea and dessert.

"Now... you have my full attention. Tell me your plan, Mr. Cao," Mr. Zheng said with an amicable smile.

"This may be a real deal, or it might be me just spouting nonsense that I can\'t keep. It all depends on whether the Qing Empire is going to veto us or not," Cao Cao paused, and Zheng Tianming gestured for him to continue.

"To be fair to you, we will do it like this. We will make a contract that we will sell you weapons and power armor, including some vehicles and aircraft. This contract will include 2 billion US dollars as a collateral fee if we were to breach the contract and not sell to you," Cao Cao continued to explain while Zheng Tianming touched his chin, thinking about the implications of this maneuver.

Then... an idea struck him.

"Mr. Cao... perhaps, are you going to use this contract to blackmail the Qing Empire into not vetoing the recognition of Sector Alpha City as a country? Do you mean that if they don\'t veto, this deal will not happen, but if they do, the deal will go through?" Zheng Tianming asked for confirmation of his thoughts.

Cao Cao smiled at Zheng Tianming\'s conclusion.

"Exactly as you think, Mr. Zheng. If they veto, the deal will go through, and if they don\'t, you get to see Grand Chancellor Yan swallow his own words and become an international laughingstock, along with receiving 2 billion US dollars for your country to use as you wish," Cao Cao said with a cunning smile.

"Oh, so that\'s why you asked me how I would feel if I saw that Qing Empire dog swallow his own words. Hmmm...." Zheng Tianming thought for a moment before continuing.

"Can you make it 5 billion US dollars?" He countered, showing five fingers to indicate the number.

Cao Cao acted as if he was thinking for a bit before saying, "5 billion is fine, but we\'ll pay with 5 billion dollars worth of gold bullion. Is that okay with you?" Cao Cao counter-offered.

"It\'s a deal then," Zheng Tianming agreed and shook hands with Cao Cao, thinking that he should have asked for more if they were agreeing so readily to 5 billion.

But he didn\'t know that Daniel already had a dedicated machine that could transmute other types of inferior metal into gold. Even if he asked for more, he would just receive more transmuted gold bullion from Daniel.

— Several days later - Sweden —

The conference had begun, and even though Sector Alpha City was listed as a participant, there was no seat assigned to them or the Astral Corporation.

Facing looks of mockery as he entered the venue without a designated seat, Daniel refused to play their game and walked out, followed by his entourage.

Daniel knew that the host had initially assigned him a seat, but due to strong protests, lobbying, and threats from the Qing Empire, under the pretext that Sector Alpha City wasn\'t a country, the organizers were forced to remove Astral Corporation\'s seat and send Daniel an apology letter later.

Within the vast and opulent UN conference hall, light streamed through towering windows, illuminating the polished mahogany tables arranged in a horseshoe formation. The walls were adorned with intricate tapestries depicting scenes of international cooperation and diplomacy, while a massive crystal chandelier sparkled overhead.

Each nation\'s flag hung proudly behind their respective delegates, creating a vibrant display of colors and symbols.

The conference was in full swing on its fourth day. There had been a minor hiccup on the first day when the US and Russia inquired about Sector Alpha City\'s seat, causing a bit of drama. However, the host quickly mediated and resolved the conflict.

With this incident, the world and the Qing Empire realized that two of the four major UN countries were already allied with Astral Corporation. The other countries, who were not permanent members of the UN, were divided into two camps. The first supported Sector Alpha City\'s recognition as a country.

This first group consisted of countries that Daniel had sent his people to lobby, as well as some who believed that recognizing Sector Alpha City would be beneficial to them.

The second group opposed Sector Alpha City\'s recognition. This group mainly consisted of countries under the Qing Empire\'s influence, such as the Seraphine Isles, considered a minion state of the Qing Empire in the Southeast Asian region.

While the conference discussed the global warming problem and potential solutions, whispers began to spread among the delegates in the back rows. They nudged those in front, and curious attendees turned around to see less prominent individuals looking at their phones and whispering amongst themselves.

This strange behavior was first noticed by the US delegation, followed by the other permanent members of the UN.

A member of the US delegation approached President John Malcomes and whispered in his ear. Malcomes responded with a cunning smile before glancing at Grand Chancellor Yan of the Qing Empire.