"There will be a formal engagement ceremony tomorrow morning..."

In the hotel room, the delegation from the Federation was discussing the procedure for tomorrow's ceremony.

When it comes to international affairs like diplomacy, all countries maintain a relatively serious and formal demeanor. Gafura also has its own special ceremonies, from the reception at the beginning to the farewell at the end, the entire process follows a set protocol.

Since it was late today, everyone checked into the hotel first. Tomorrow morning, officials from the port city will come to represent Emperor Gafura to welcome the delegation for the first time, and then everyone will say something pleasant in front of the reporters, like "encouraging and promoting the success of this commercial negotiation" and the like.

Then they will take the train to the Imperial Capital of Gafura to have an audience with the Emperor.

It is worth mentioning that they will meet the Emperor, but the Emperor will not directly discuss all the matters related to this cooperation. As the symbol of the highest power of a country, to make him appear, at least the Vice President of the Federation must be sent, and it must be a diplomatic visit focused on political and military matters.

The meeting is limited to an audience only, which is also a kind of respect for Emperor Gafura. After all, this is a "backward" monarchical state, and you have to adhere to their outdated traditions.

Federation people always carry an inexplicable sense of superiority when talking about monarchical states.

The schedule is very full and tight, as the delegation members gather to make final confirmations, and then it's time for high-intensity work.

At this time, the door to the room was knocked.

They were staying on the highest floor of the hotel, the entire floor was booked for the Federation delegation, besides their civil personnel, there were also some military officers accompanying them to protect the delegation members.

The knock on the door did not make anyone inside think the person outside was unrelated, as unrelated people couldn't enter, let alone knock on this door.

An individual with the lowest status walked to the door and opened it, Lynch stepped inside in one stride.

"Good evening, gentlemen!" His face always carried a confident, sunny, and clean smile, making it difficult for those without a dark mind to dislike him.

The people in the room took about more than two seconds to realize it was Lynch.

They couldn't be blamed; they did see Lynch on the final list, but Lynch didn't depart with them, as Mr. Truman mentioned they would see Lynch over here.

They initially thought that Lynch had already gone to the Imperial Capital and they would meet him there—after all, with such a serious diplomatic visit, if someone arrived in advance, it must be to better serve the visit, like going to the Imperial Capital first to gather some information.

They never thought they would encounter Lynch here; after a brief moment of surprise, the group leader immediately stood up, "Mr. Lynch, I thought we would meet in the Imperial Capital."

The original plan for the visit was to be led by Mr. Truman, but the President couldn't do without him. The just-concluded state election did not settle the people, as the upcoming general election was looming.

This period is the most atmospheric in the Federation. Right after the state elections follows the general election. People haven't fully disengaged from the confrontations of the state election before diving into the more fervent presidential election.

Some experts claim that this approach has its benefits, as the results of the state elections often predict the results of the general election. The state election essentially paves the way for the year-end general election.

States already in hand can have their ideologies reinforced, thereby reducing the possibility of wavering.

Those states lost will become the major focus for the two... no, three parties to tackle key challenges. They can concentrate more funds and energy on these states, making resource use more efficient.

In such a crucial moment already entering the early campaign stage, Mr. Truman, as the President's most relied upon deputy, cannot be allowed to leave the Federation or leave his side.

Even if this diplomatic visit fails, it doesn't matter to him. It's just a small episode in the development process of a country, but the President is his all.

After several rounds of consideration and changes, the choice of team leader eventually fell on the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who happened to know Lynch, having met during previous negotiations concerning Nagariel.

Upon meeting Lynch here, he felt a kind of... inexplicable sense of stability.

He proactively stepped forward and shook hands with Lynch, making the others in the room realize the changing ranks among them.

Under the introduction of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lynch finally met the key members of the delegation.

Besides the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, there is also the chief officer of the Federation's International Trade Office, the highest officer.

The International Trade Office was originally the International Trade Approval Office. After the former president stepped down and the current president came to power, to distinguish himself from his predecessor, he removed the word "approval."

It is said that the International Trade Office will soon be expanded into a new administrative department, not just a simple office, but until the actual expansion comes true, the chief officer of this office, the future first minister, doesn't have a too high level, just fitting the visit's specifications.

Then there is the third chief officer of the International Affairs/Policy Office, also Mr. Truman's subordinate, as well as the second or third chief officer from domestic departments like the Department of Industry, the Department of Education and Science Development, and other relevant departments.

Overall, the specifications aren't very high. In Lynch's view, this looks more like an exploratory visit that might not have many substantive cooperation discussion projects.

That is actually quite normal; the Federation had just annihilated Gafura's invincible fleet, and now they turn around to discuss cooperation, there would definitely be some domestic concerns, some speculations, not to mention that Gafura is a "backward" monarchical state. What if the Emperor gets mad and beheads them?

These people's minds are still trapped in the "face-saving issue," which intelligent beings care about, without realizing deeply that, internationally, between countries, interests are the eternal topic.

Not to mention annihilating their First Fleet, even if all their fleets were wiped out, even if the President went to the Imperial Palace's front gate to brazenly urinate, as long as the benefits given were sufficient, the Emperor would still smile brightly.

After getting acquainted with everyone, Lynch sat next to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. His role was that of a delegation member and also a consultant.

"Mr. Lynch, I heard you would arrive earlier than us." At this moment, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs thought Lynch had just arrived as well.

Lynch nodded, "I arrived two days ago."

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs thought, "The way you speak leaves one in bafflement, you know?" However, his response was quick, after all, the Foreign Ministry wasn't the Transportation Department, "Mr. Lynch had two more days to get familiar with this place than we did, as we just arrived. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Fearing Lynch might not understand his intention, he kindly added a few words, "Maybe something we should pay attention to, such as certain customs in Gafura?"

"The neighboring Hundred Flowers Street is quite fun, it has many good drinks, and some girls who need help are waiting for a helping hand." Lynch said this seriously at first as if people weren't thinking in that direction.

This was a kind of preconceived stereotype; they didn't expect the "billion-dollar man" to say something so plain and mundane until a young man couldn't help but laugh.

Perhaps he found Lynch's words amusing, or perhaps he found Lynch amusing, in any case, he laughed, causing everyone's expression to become somewhat odd.

As the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs wondered if Lynch had gone crazy, saying such frivolous words at such a solemn time, Lynch spoke again.

"I know some of you think I'm not steady, to be going to...," he smirked a bit, "I just want to frankly tell you, don't think too highly of Gafura."

"Before the naval battle outcome, we might have been intimidated by the Gafura's undefeated fleet and worry about our stance in bilateral relations."

"But, gentlemen, the victor of the naval battle was us, and Gafura's Eldest Princess Fleet was almost completely annihilated by us, we directly broke their courage!"

"Now, those guessing the stance of the opponent should be Gafura, not us, we are the victors."

"If you conduct yourselves so cautiously, solemnly, even timidly, it will create a lot of trouble for our upcoming negotiations."

"They will incrementally test our bottom line, attempting to propose excessive demands because you act not like a delegation of a strong Federation but like those humbled delegations from defeated countries that were once beaten by Gafura."

"This will make them think our victory in the naval battle is unreliable, even considering that if fought again, we might lose to them, so gentlemen, we must showcase a sense of confidence, not hiding in a hotel!"

"I believe inside, outside the hotel, countless eyes are watching us, analyzing what attitude and method to adopt in the upcoming engagement with us. All this is determined by what they observe now."

"While showing the influence our naval victory brought us over Gafura, not caring, we will also secretly contemplate all forthcoming countermeasures and methods!"

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stroked his beard, "Sounds kind of reasonable, what's your idea?"

Ten minutes later, Lynch, with some unimportant delegation members, headed for Hundred Flowers Street. They lavishly waved money around to assist those needing help and indulged in drinking and merrymaking.

The news quickly reached Emperor Gafura's ears, he first roared a bit, and then all dissatisfaction transformed into a helpless "outrageous."

Unable to beat others, he could only endure such grievances, now feeling what those small countries felt when facing Gafura, very unpleasant indeed.

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