Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Diplomatic Checkmate
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“Let’s see… To Yoo Seongwon, the ‘Star’s Guardian’ who banished the ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’ from this planet. I’ve received the proposal you sent. I, the ‘Constellation Qin Emperor,’ aim to cleanse this ‘planet’ and ‘universe’ of pollution and make them pure. The ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’ had previously allied with me, agreeing to a pact to minimize and control environmental pollution while sustaining human civilization. If you continue to uphold and extend that contract with the ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King,’ I will maintain our current friendly relations… right?”
“Oh… that’s good news.”
“Exactly. If you play along with these terms, we couldn’t ask for more. We’re practically praying for it. What a relief.”
By sheer luck, the Constellation Qin Emperor had given the green light as long as they stuck to the ‘environmental treaty’ he’d made with the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King.
With one major worry off their plate, Yoo Seongwon’s side breathed a collective sigh of relief. First Guard Captain Jang Beom let out a cheer of his own.
“But man, don’t constellations have any camaraderie among themselves? Weren’t they at least on friendly terms?”
“They’re gods, aren’t they? Cases like Olympus, where they all hang out together, are the exceptions. They’re competitors from the start. If that weren’t the case, the Constellation Slaughter King and the Constellation 66 Heavenly Demons would’ve teamed up ages ago. The Slaughter King only craves human flesh, and the 66 Heavenly Demons aim to wipe out civilization.”
“Ah… yeah, that makes sense. Those two joining forces would’ve been a nightmare in its own right.”
Putting the horrifying thought aside, Yoo Seongwon immediately began preparing responses for the other countries and China.
First up were Russia and Mongolia, who shared borders with them. Mongolia was already too crippled to wield any influence, and for the distant nations, it was just a matter of compiling all the corruption and atrocities the Chinese Communist Party had committed and handing it over.
“Honestly, no one’s cheering for those guys to take back China anyway.”
“R-right.”
From a diplomatic standpoint, no country except China itself wanted the Communist Party to rise again.
Between the massacres of civilians, the Belt and Road Initiative, territorial disputes with neighbors, cultural and historical subjugation projects, the genocide of the Uyghurs, human experimentation, bioweapon development, and more—their accumulated karma was endless, breeding resentment across the globe.
“The Uyghurs who’ve joined the Constellation Qin Emperor’s ranks are still gnashing their teeth over it. It’s chaos. Anyway, we need to send them some documents that’ll really piss them off, right? Yoo Cheong.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ve killed with declarations before. Hahaha!”
“That’s a brag that’s kinda scary, but… yeah, hit them with fact-based verbal violence. Perfect.”
He hadn’t seen the contents, but judging by Yoo Cheong’s confidence, it was a masterpiece of a diplomatic document.
Either way, they needed to make their refusal crystal clear—and be ready for war if it came to that. Yoo Seongwon issued orders to thoroughly monitor the southern borders and the Chinese Communist Party’s key military bases.
“Hmm, they probably won’t nuke their own future territory… but it’s human nature at play. We should prepare for the worst-case scenario. Emotions could make them lash out…”
Factoring in the risk of a desperate Chinese outburst, they completed all preemptive preparations before conveying their stance through diplomatic channels to the Chinese Communist Party government.
The message was unmistakably a rejection, but the same words could enrage, soothe, or even guilt-trip depending on delivery.
And Yoo Seongwon’s side chose the method guaranteed to ignite their fury.
“To the Chairman and his government officials, still drunk on past glories and blind to their place…”
The Chairman felt his blood pressure spike the moment he read the opening line.
It was decked out in flamboyant provocation from the start—practically a declaration of war.
Swallowing his anger, he read on to grasp the contents.
[We have carefully reviewed the document you sent. You demand the return of the ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s’ territory and citizens, but the people here have long shed their identity as citizens of the ‘People’s Republic of China’ and reject it outright. Our citizen survey shows that 87.9% of the population identifies as subjects of the ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King,’ not the ‘People’s Republic of China.’ Roughly 10% abstained, and only 2.1% still claim citizenship in the PRC.]
“W-what is this nonsense? Fabricated lies! All of it!”
[Thus, since the ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’ vanished, the prevailing opinion via the ‘National Reconstruction Committee’ is to form a new government. Reunification with the ‘People’s Republic of China’ is nearly impossible due to internal backlash.]
“You bastards!”
[That said, our roots are still one China, and merging with your existing government structure might yield better results than starting a whole new system from scratch.]
“Hm?”
After starting with provocations and feigning public consultation, it suddenly swerved into a proposal, leaving the Chairman’s eyes wide.
But it was Yoo Cheong’s trap. Having already stoked rage with the opening salvo and rattled their emotions, it dangled something sweet.
[However, the citizens harbor grave doubts about whether the ‘People’s Republic of China government’ can function as a normal regime, compounded by your long history of misdeeds. Thus, certain conditions must be met.]
“Conditions?”
[First, abandon your now-nominal socialist and communist systems.]
A sucker punch to the solar plexus after lulling them into complacency. They were already steeped in capitalism, with communism reduced to a hollow shell—but it remained efficient for controlling the populace and was still the nation’s core ideology.
Denying it outright from the jump made the Chairman’s head spin.
“Y-you… youuuu!”
[Second, establish a democratic and rational government.]
“You’re saying we’re not?!”
[Third, from the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident to the present, apologize and make reparations for the ‘People’s Republic of China government’s’ ‘inhuman acts,’ ‘human rights abuses,’ ‘international terrorist crimes,’ and ‘acts of aggression’…]
There was more, but by the third point, the Chairman realized this letter meant rejection. He crumpled it up.
Had he read to the end just to see how far they’d go, he might’ve died of rage, as Yoo Cheong predicted.
Either way, provoked beyond endurance, the Chairman vowed to seize the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s China no matter what—and was about to make his decision when urgent news arrived.
“Ch-Chairman! Disaster! The western front, where we thought it was safe… The Constellation Qin Emperor’s army is mobilizing. Looks like they’ve allied.”
“So that’s your ace in the hole. Damn it…!”
“And intel from our agents in Russia and the US—while they’re in meetings, they’re all backing the National Reconstruction Committee. They… they don’t want a return to G2 days either… Whew.”
Decades of global resentment were finally closing in.
Europe, Africa, India, the US, Russia—the world opposed the People’s Republic of China’s resurgence. Though a puppet under Yoo Seongwon, First Guard Captain Jang Beom was collaborating with them, conducting formal votes and surveys on governance through the ‘National Reconstruction Committee’—peaceful, democratic processes that gave Yoo Seongwon’s side solid legitimacy.
“W-what do we do?”
“Urgh!”
A perfect pincer. He wanted to appeal to the international community, but there was no point. The Chairman’s vision went dark.
If a ‘democratic government’ elected legitimately took over the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s China, who would the world recognize?
Torn by conflict, he debated just hitting the nuclear button or starting a war.
But he and the elite had stashed most assets overseas, with families abroad. World war meant losing it all—and possibly marking him as the starter of humanity’s end.
‘…Can’t do that.’
The ship had already sunk; better to grab what he could and bow out gracefully. He resolved to avoid the absolute worst.
Concluding that China was finished, he prepared a reply.
***
One week later. Forbidden City, Dragon’s Palace.
The Chinese government’s response finally arrived. Laden with diplomatic phrasing, it partially acknowledged the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s China.
Still clinging to pride, the tone was arrogant and overbearing—but replying to Yoo Cheong’s provocative masterpiece like this was tantamount to admitting humiliating defeat.
“Phew~ What a relief. Russia’s not pushing either, and their border troops are pulling back.”
“Yes. Peaceful resolution is always best. The alliance with the Constellation Qin Emperor was the clincher.”
“But… we’ve got another problem now. Sigh. What a mess.”
Solving one issue just birthed the next.
A single letter to Yoo Seongwon—from the UN, an invitation.
Politely in Korean, it requested an explanation of the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King incident.
Yoo Seongwon grimaced as he skimmed it. Normally, he’d ignore it, but the veiled threat left no choice.
“…Gotta go explain that I’m the ‘Star’s Guardian’ too?”
“Best to avoid that if possible.”
“You think so too?”
“Yes. Luckily, since the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King struck first, we can skip the Star’s Guardian bit.”
“…Gotta brainstorm what to say.”
If it were just him, he’d blow it off. But this involved the former Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s China. Their recognition had leveraged international pressure to thwart the Communists’ ambitions, incurring a debt.
Refusing risked unrest here boiling over again. Fate decreed he attend the international conference and explain in detail.
“Haaa~ Banish one constellation, and it’s this much headache. But… if more keep coming even after this, it’ll never end. Fight till I die?”
In the constellation era spanning decades, new ones appeared yearly, while many left this planet.
Banish one by one, but if two or more hit at once, all his efforts went to waste.
End up fighting and politicking till death?
“That’s why we need a speed run. Fortunately, Your Majesty grows stronger with every win. From four knights to the Thousand Sword Army, Death Spirit Legion… and now New China?”
“Oh, the country name’s not set yet? Come to think of it, it was always just ‘Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King’s China’ before…”
“At that level, they don’t bother with such details once they claim the ‘planet.’”
“Jang Beom’ll handle it. Anyway… nail the UN meeting, and this wraps up. Let’s prep for that.”
And so, Yoo Seongwon began preparations for the UN with Yoo Cheong.
Goal: Hide his Star’s Guardian status as much as possible, gloss over the clash with the Constellation Dragon-Phoenix King.
The UN now hosted not just world leaders but major hunter guilds and constellation apostles—thorough prep was essential.