However, the Emperor of Harmony also recognized that simply incentives were not enough. It was a simple fact of the matter that the Panamic Alliance had caused a lot of harm to the very nations that he was trying to woo, and that was something that they couldn't afford to look past.

It wasn't that the ruling class and the politicians of these nations were truly aggrieved by the lost submarines, mining and storage vessels, and other aquatic mining capital such that they couldn't find it in their heart to forgive the Emperor of Harmony.

No, the real reason they couldn't overlook this transgression was purely due to strategic reasons founded in game theory. If they simply agreed to this agreement without any reckoning of the transgression that their nation had endured, then they would essentially convey to the world that they were willing to tolerate any attack without retaliating as long as they got a sweet deal.

That was not a good message to send.

And the Emperor of Harmony was wisely and keenly aware of that.

"I also recognize, however, that the recent successes of the Panamic Alliance in the Great Void Ocean have caused great damage to these very nations that we seek to form bonds with," the Emperor of Harmony remarked. "And thus, as a gesture of goodwill, not only will we release all captured hostages belonging to these nations entirely without strings, regardless of whether these nations intend to pursue the agreements or not."

The reporters and journalists gushed at the important news that the Emperor of Harmony was conveying to the entire world with his announcement. While he didn't apologize, he did accept the transgressions that his alliance had engaged in upon the nations in question and vowed to return their hostages without any strings attached as an implicit token of apology.

It was hardly the best way to seek forgiveness, but given how sweet the deal was and how great the gains to be made were, most nations were inclined to accept this and move on.

The political ramifications of this move left everybody who heard his announcement reeling from shock. Not a single person could bring themselves to fully comprehend the magnitude of the impact this would have on the geopolitical landscape of the true world.

The most immediate prediction that many made was that the nations and organizations eligible for this proposal would leap to compete for it, most likely making bids beyond just the security deal that they needed to sign in return.

After all, gaining access to lots of negatron matter was a boon that had unimaginable value and was worth even heavy concessions. If they had to wage a war to protect the Panamic Alliance from the many angry powers out there, then it was worth it.

"We live in a changing era that will define the future for eons to come," the Emperor of Harmony mused with a profound tone. "We live in an era of miracles that exceed anything that even our continent has seen. The stars will soon come within our reach, and a new era unprecedented by anything that has ever happened in the past will unfold."

His words were heavy.

They bore down on the atmosphere with a grave edge to them.

"Negatron matter is the key to the future," Emperor Rael declared with a steely tone. "Those who have it will be the winners of the future. Perhaps this was inevitable, the very moment the cracks at the bottom of the Great Void Ocean allowed negatron matter to start flowing through."

He closed his eyes. "This may be the very last time that I come out in the open to speak. With negatron matter, space anchor technology has been rendered useless and a paranoid era of teleported assassinations, assaults, and invasions will soon return. And so…"

He opened his eyes, directing a deep gaze at the cameras that captured his every moment. "Let it be known that we will survive and overcome any and everything that seeks to inflict harm upon us. We will not allow those who let their envy and greed get the best of them to take from us what rightfully belongs to us. We will fight with every last breath to protect our homeland from those who seek its miracles and treasures."

His golden eyes blazed with determination.

"We will be the winners of the future."

It was a bold declaration to make in a press conference and a message to the world.

"The rest of the world must decide if it will follow us or… perish trying to oppose us." He spoke with a tone of finality. "That is my message to the world. To the true world. I am a man known for my harmony, but I am more than able to destroy it should I be forced to."

He closed his eyes.

"Choose wisely."

He directed his gaze to the journalists and the reporters with a slight nod. "I will take only a few questions. No more. No less."

Hands flew up like the coordinated launching of an array of ballistic missiles, waving with desperation to gather his attention. His gaze shifted across the ocean of flailing journalists and reporters, spotting one of the most prominent press media corporations in the Kandrian Empire.

"You." He nodded at the middle-aged woman at the very forefront of the press, prompting one of the assistants to put a microphone.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Your Majesty," the woman began with a highly grateful tone. "I think I speak for everybody when I ask you the following question… Is a world war inevitable?"

Her question caused a lot of the chatter in the crowd to die down.

Their attention converged upon Emperor Rael, eager to capture everything they could.

His powerful golden eyes bore deep into hers before closing.

"I do not seek out war, but I am always prepared for it. I was prepared for it in the East Panamic Wars, in the Beast Incursion, and now in the true world," Emperor Rael began with a heavy tone. "I do not know whether war is inevitable, but rest assured that we will emerge victorious if it is."

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