Galaxy Domination Guide

Chapter 184 177 Spratly Island

Six people sat around a table as the hot pot boiled, emitting steam, surrounded by various ingredients, with several large buckets of beverages placed beside Nan Ma.

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Nan Ma, with a blissful expression, used his chopsticks to dip a slice of lamb into the broth for a few seconds, dipped it into some sauce, and put it into his mouth, his eyes filled with contentment as he said, "If you ask me, Iridium Star just picked the wrong tech tree. Despite creating so much technology, they still can't beat Earth people when it comes to food.

Hot pot may seem simple, but it's wonderfully tasty and it's fun to eat it together with a group."

With blinking eyes full of curiosity, Han Jiaxue asked Bai Zhongqi, "Doesn't the Iridium Star have anything similar in their cuisine?"

Having a deep understanding of Iridium Star's culture, Bai Zhongqi explained, "Traditional Iridium Star cuisine does include hot pot, but like Seafood Haidilao on Earth, it is individually served. Here, hot pot focuses more on the quality of the ingredients and the original taste of the broth, not giving much importance to spices and dipping sauces, but it too has its own flavor."

At the dinner table, especially at a hot pot table, there's no need to be reserved, the most important thing is to have a joyful meal. Nan Ma clearly was the most relaxed among them, Linyin was also quite at ease, whereas Xu Lanzhou was somewhat restrained, but she gradually loosened up halfway through the meal.

Given that both Nan Ma and Linyin were big eaters, food quickly disappeared once it hit the pot. Xu Lanzhou, holding a bit of a grudge for this, joined the playful competition for food as Bai Zhongqi was also laid-back.

As they neared the end of the meal, Nan Ma still showed no sign of defeat despite his now bulging stomach. Han Jiaxue, having finished eating earlier, sat beside them, joining in the conversation. Bai Zhongqi received a message, it was from the Star Alliance Council.

With a brief glance, he smiled and said, "It's about inquiries from Country C regarding Mars's Administrative Star and the issue of the Homeland Stone I raised."

Xu Lanzhou, slightly serious, asked, "Your Majesty, Mars is as important as Emerald Sea Star. Are you really certain the Empire should not declare Mars as directly governed territory?"

Before Bai Zhongqi could respond, Nan Ma laughed and said, "The Chancellor has special plans. Strictly speaking, all direct territories of the United Iridium Empire are in the First Universe. Our operations in the Second Universe are carried out under the name of the Star Alliance. But in reality, there's no difference between the Star Alliance and the Empire, the Chancellor holds absolute control.

Be it Mars or Emerald Sea Star, these administrative stars are effectively under our management. While Country C has some say, and we consider their opinions, at the end of the day, the Star Alliance is Iridium Star."

Bai Zhongqi acknowledged, "I'm not without ulterior motives, but I just find this more interesting."

Indeed, as the Chancellor of Iridium Star, Bai Zhongqi acted at his whim. If he thought transforming the South China Sea archipelagos into one island was a good idea, he could just do so without opposition.

Keenly, Xu Lanzhou raised, "Wouldn't the jurisdiction of Spratly Island be contested by Country C, considering it falls within their claimed scope?"

Linyin added, "Yeah, your action is not much different from their own land reclamation."

Yet, Bai Zhongqi was unconcerned about this point, stating, "When Spratly Island remains within the South China Sea, it doesn't really matter who holds the civil jurisdiction. The way I propose is more complex, but also effective.

Sovereignty over the South China Sea belongs to Country C, but the land of Spratly Island comes from the Homeland Stone, hence the island itself and the space above it belong to the Iridium Star Chancellor, which is me.

Spratly Island will also become a directly governed administrative region of the Star Alliance, so essentially, there will be two sets of governance teams on the island—one from Country C's civil governance, and another as the Star Alliance's central governance."

Nan Ma shook his head, "This sounds incredibly cryptic and hard to understand."

"Well, to put it another way, Spratly Island will have a dual administrative setup. One layer will be Country C's Spratly Special Administrative Region, and the other will be the Star Alliance's Capital Administrative Special District, effectively setting up one region with two governments. Country C's Spratly government will be local, while the Star Alliance's structures will be higher-level.

Of course, if one day I take Spratly Island out of Earth, this arrangement will also be canceled."

"That's really complicated," Linyin commented.

Bai Zhongqi smiled subtly; establishing Spratly Island came with many benefits. He could start by setting up various advanced facilities here, making it easier to attract large numbers of people to migrate and settle. New immigrants would establish a lifestyle similar to the Iridians in Ruyi City, enjoying higher welfare and life quality.

Once Spratly Island was fully established, the Star Alliance would definitively transform the Capital Star into Earth.