Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 579 - 572: Switching between Offense and Defense

Chapter 579: Chapter 572: Switching between Offense and Defense

"Mom, remember, never trust any promises made by the headquarters without a signed agreement. An agreement without signatures is as worthless as toilet paper. Don’t pay attention to these people trying to get close to you, or even using me as an excuse. Whatever Ilanadale wants, ask for it. Don’t let them decide for Ilanadale’s future!" Luo’er lowered his voice and seriously told Nina.

Nina looked at Luo’er incredulously. He was from headquarters, yet he didn’t mince words when speaking ill of them.

"It... it feels a bit strange." Nina said, reaching out to rub Luo’er’s head.

Luo’er laughed, then said: "I grew up under the framework of the headquarters, which makes me understand these people better than you do. They are all nationalists, willing to do anything for the interest of the country. You think they are kinder than other earthlings. In part, that is because you feel fondness towards them since I was brought up by the headquarters. On the other hand, it’s because other, similar Earth organizations are far worse than them. This world is a competition to see who’s worse, so they appear relatively friendly because others are worse."

After a slight hesitation, Luo’er continued: "Twenty years ago, when genetic modification of humans still posed ethical issues, these people dared to start the Origin Project to secretly breed subspecies. For their own country, they might appear honorable and great, but for other countries, for humans from other worlds, their image is not necessarily good."

"Hmm, Mom will remember." Nina nodded and said with a smile.

With a small sigh, Luo’er added: "In fact, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come back. I find their method of playing the emotional card on you by using me quite despicable. They keep talking about being in-laws, but when it comes to negotiation, they always speak with inexplicable superiority and cruelty, and never intend to communicate with Ilanadale on an equal footing."

"Thank you, Luo’er, Mom knows what to do now." Nina said with a smile. Luo’er’s words enlightened Nina, making her reconsider her performance in yesterday’s meeting.

Just as Luo’er said, when negotiating with the headquarters, one must not involve any emotional factors. They used Luo’er as an emotional card, causing Nina to have a favorable impression towards them and hence, she was always in a passive position during the meeting. So as soon as she sheds this relationship, Nina can immediately become more assertive.

Luo’er provided Nina with the vital information about the headquarters’ bottom line. Once she knew that, dealing with them became much easier.

The domestic military industry sector urgently needed to increase the purchase of Kedal metal, so they put pressure on the headquarters through higher-ups. Therefore, even though these people seemed calm, they were actually sitting on a lit rocket. As long as Nina kept stalling, these people would explode on their own.

"That’s great, really great, Luo’er, mom thanks you on behalf of Ilanadale." Nina exclaimed, unable to resist hugging Luo’er.

But after calming down a bit, she voiced another concern: "But is it really okay for you to do this, after all you can be considered... Isn’t this betraying your country?"

"Only if unable to ensure national security and territorial integrity would I withhold this information. Ilanadale’s current power cannot threaten national security, so what I’m doing cannot be considered betrayal. If we emphasize friendly relations between the two countries, there should be no attempt to outsmart each other. In this regard, the actions of the headquarters are clearly contrary to the will of the nation, these people are accustomed to superiority in the Otherworld, so they always show arrogance in their dialogues, completely contradicting the principle of equal mutual benefit proposed by our nation."

"The nation hopes to establish friendly, mutually beneficial, and equal relations with every Otherworld country, but the headquarters dominates all affairs of the nation in the Otherworld. These people deceive the superior and inferior, claiming to have established good relationships with each country in the Otherworld, but in the end, the Otherworld countries are cheated, the higher authorities are unaware, and the only ones who profit are the middlemen." Luo’er calmly explained.

"I know what I should do now. Thank you so much, Luo’er, thank you." said Nina passionately.

"After all, I am also a member of Ilanadale, am I not?" Luo’er answered with a smile.

Upon hearing his response, Nina’s expressions changed drastically. After remaining silent for a moment, she raised her head and asserted forcefully, "Mom is surely going to make Ilanadale admit your sibling relationship. You don’t need to worry about it."

"Just do your best." Luo’er replied with a gentle laugh.

Nina had made up her mind. No matter the cost, accepting half-elves was the only way out for Ilanadale. Therefore accepting Luo’er and his sister as high-level members of Ilanadale was just going along with the tide of history. Once this became a precedent, Ilanadale could usher in a top-down reform.

"I want to go home. Mom, take care of yourself, don’t overexert yourself, and don’t forget the words I told you," Luo’er said as he got ready to leave the room.

"Let me escort you," Nina stepped forward, holding Luo’er’s hand, and express reluctance to let him go, "Luo’er, your sister is about to go to Earth. Have a good chat with her. Otherwise, I’m afraid she will not adapt to the situation there."

"I know, I will go find her." Luo’er nodded.

Watching Luo’er disappear down the hallway, Nina finally made up her mind. She went back to her desk and picked up her pen to continue drafting documents required for the meeting.

In the upcoming meeting, Nina, deviating from her usual approach, demonstrated a tough stance, which caught Lin Wei and others off guard. She demanded that the headquarters assist Ilanadale in establishing a modern military force and related military industries. Also, she agreed to the plan for a half-elf governed area. However, she added a caveat that if there was a conflict between the half-elf forces and the native elves of Ilanadale, the headquarters must unequivocally stand with the native elf regime and assist Ilanadale in quelling the conflict.

Nina’s change was something that Lin Wei hadn’t expected; she seemed to know the bottom line of the headquarters, and hence began to dictate terms, turning the tables in her favor. The state military department urgently needed Ilanadale to boost Kedal metal imports, so helping Ilanadale establish an industrial system was an urgent task. However, if Nina continued to drag matters out, Lin Wei was having a very tough time.

He tried to play the emotional card with Nina, actively mentioning Luo’er’s life on Earth, emphasizing their shared relationship. However, Nina remained unmoved. Indeed, it was ironic that although Luo Chuan was a member of headquarters, he was actually a soldier in the army. Now, the headquarters itself belonged to the Ministry of Defense, which technically had little to do with the army. As such, Nina could only claim to have a relationship with the army - what relation did she have with the headquarters?

Lin Wei was now getting on in years and could not stay in the Otherworld for much longer, so he needed to conclude the meeting as quickly as possible. If Nina were to keep dragging this out, not to mention the prospect of industrialization, even merely holding the meeting might become impossible.

The afternoon meeting, which lasted about three hours, ended with Lin Wei’s hands still trembling, and he was aided while leaving. He was filled with resentment that he did not know where to vent, and his mood had become quite irritable. After leaving the meeting room, he began to mutter a string of curses under his breath.

Wang Xu stayed behind to collect the papers. He glanced at Lin Wei’s retreating figure, then turned his gaze to sneak a peek at Nina. It seemed he had understood something. However, he did not say anything, and after packing up the documents, he quickly left the room.