721: Chapter 721 Appropriate Concessions

Minister Kaluo's tone betrayed no emotion, carrying a hint of deliberate coldness, as if he were stating an unexpected fact that was completely contrary to their expectations.

Hearing the underlying sarcasm, Li Yang understood clearly.

He knew all too well the meaning behind such a display.

The entire Lipugong Supercluster Administrative Center was inherently resistant to the establishment of the Independent Military Region, viewing this force directly under the Imperial Military Department as "invaders" and "resource looters."

As the Minister of the Ministry of Finance and the first to greet him, Minister Kaluo was clearly trying to give him a show of strength to test his attitude.

He wanted to see if Li Yang would rely on his military power to boss the local administration around, and whether he would treat the entire Lipugong Supercluster as a "power bank" for the military region, taking without giving.

Faced with Minister Kaluo's coldness and testing, Li Yang remained composed, showing not a hint of displeasure.

He walked down the gangway, proactively reaching out his hand with a calm, sincere, and thoroughly well-intentioned tone.

“comrade Kaluo, from now on, I am a member of the Lipugong Supercluster Administrative Center Department and a part of this Star Domain. It is only natural for me to report to the Administrative Center Department and pay my respects to my colleagues. Why should it be a surprise?”

His words both established his sense of belonging and proactively signaled great goodwill and concession.

In Li Yang's view, this was by no means a sign of weakness, but a necessary strategic layout.

The construction of the Independent Military Region could not succeed without the cooperation of the local administration.

Financial approvals, resource scheduling, infrastructure support, and livelihood coordination—every aspect required the endorsement of the Administrative Center.

If things were hostile and confrontational from the start, future work would be nearly impossible, and the development of the military region would be hindered at every turn.

To allow the Independent Military Region to gain a firm foothold in the Lipugong Supercluster and to pave the way for subsequent expansion and exploration, he was willing to lower himself and take the initiative to show goodwill.

This was the vision and wisdom he had to possess as a Commander of a military region burdened with heavy responsibilities.

Sure enough, seeing the sincere and gentle smile that remained on Li Yang's face, combined with his proactive lowering of status and a tone full of concession and cooperation, Minister Kaluo's originally tense expression instantly softened, and a flash of obvious surprise crossed his eyes.

He had thought this young Commander, who held heavy troops and reported directly to the Imperial center, would surely be arrogant and condescending, perhaps even using orders from the military department to apply pressure right away. But the reality was the exact opposite; Li Yang's humility and clarity completely shattered his preconceptions.

Minister Kaluo was silent for a moment before the layer of formulaic coldness on his face finally faded, replaced by a more genuine attitude as he nodded slightly.

“Comrade Li Yang, you're joking. Since you have arrived, please follow me. Speaker Pudel has been waiting in his office for a long time.”

He made a respectful gesture to lead the way, his attitude significantly more relaxed than before.

In fact, before Li Yang arrived at the Lipugong Supercluster, the Administrative Center had already held several secret meetings to specifically devise a series of tests for him.

Everyone had agreed to intentionally give him the cold shoulder and neglect him, sending only the Finance Minister to greet him. This was intended to give the new Commander a real show of strength—ostensibly a welcome, but secretly meant to annoy him and suppress his arrogance to observe his truest attitude.

The high-level Officials of the Administrative Center had already decided on two sets of response plans.

If Li Yang behaved humbly and politely, showed respect for the local system, took the initiative to make concessions, and acknowledged his identity as an Official of the Lipugong Supercluster, they would follow the regular process and take him to see the Speaker to sit down and seriously discuss the construction of the military region and local cooperation.

But if Li Yang put on a tyrannical posture as if he were second only to God, constantly citing Imperial orders and forcing the Lipugong Supercluster to unconditionally support the military region as a free "power bank," the Administrative Center would simply leave him in the hollow position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Finance. Every financial approval would be delayed or blocked, and even mandatory matters would be met with all sorts of difficulties and zero cooperation.

After all, anyone would feel resentment and resistance if asked to use the limited tax revenue, resources, and manpower of an entire Galaxy cluster to support a directly-controlled unit that had no benefit to them. Speaker Pudel and the various ministers felt the same.

Li Yang was completely unaware of this; he had simply made the most rational and pragmatic choice out of consideration for future development.

Yet it was precisely this calm, proactive attitude of goodwill that allowed him to invisibly win the preliminary recognition of all the high-level Officials in the Lipugong Supercluster Administrative Center, clearing the first and most critical obstacle for himself and the entire Independent Military Region.

Inside the Speaker's office, the air was already filled with a faint sense of serious professionalism.

After Minister Kaluo escorted Li Yang to the office door, he bowed slightly and turned to leave the core area, leaving the space entirely to Li Yang and Speaker Pudel.

Pudel stood up almost the moment Minister Kaluo left.

He was dressed in a well-tailored Body Integration suit, wearing the administrative badge of the Lipugong Supercluster on his chest, with his hair combed meticulously. His steady figure, which had been sitting in the primary seat, instantly gained a touch of proactive enthusiasm upon seeing Li Yang.

He walked forward quickly, extending his right hand to firmly grasp Li Yang's palm.

As their hands met, Pudel's grip was steady and sincere, without any of the dismissive superficiality of officialdom, instead projecting a deliberately released goodwill.

“Comrade Li Yang, a warm welcome to the Lipugong Supercluster! To be honest, I am truly happy to know that your first stop was the Administrative Center.”

Pudel's tone was frank and natural, lacking the gravity and fatigue usually seen in meetings.

The reason he was genuinely happy was that Minister Kaluo, as the Minister of Finance, had proactively greeted Li Yang and brought him to see him, which was an extremely clear signal in itself.

It showed that Li Yang did not rely on his military status to treat this place as a mere "resource supply point," but instead understood how to respect the local administrative system and was willing to integrate himself into the governance framework of the Lipugong Supercluster.

This was precisely the attitude Pudel and the Administrative Center valued most, and the shift they had most hoped to see among all their previous concerns.

Li Yang naturally understood the deeper meaning behind the words and responded immediately, a similarly sincere and friendly smile on his face as he gripped Pudel's hand and bowed slightly in greeting.

“Speaker Pudel, I am also very happy to officially take up my post in the Lipugong Supercluster. This will be the Foundation where my Independent Military Region takes root and develops, and it is also where I will primarily perform my duties for a long time to come.”

His words were clear and firm, with every word carrying a distinct statement of intent.