Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 309 Agreement Reached (Third Update)
In a solemn and elegant conference room at the headquarters of the Interstellar Federation Fleet, Chen Yu's massive, dark red mechanical body contrasted sharply with the surrounding soft human architectural style.

On the other side of the long table sat several senior officials and senior scientists representing the Federal Parliament, with Kirk and Carroll also present.

At the start of the meeting, the representative of the Federal Council, a composed and wise-looking older woman, took the lead in expressing the official position: "Sage Mr. Chen Yu, on behalf of the Interstellar Federal Council, I welcome you and your team."

This cross-dimensional contact is an unprecedented experience for us. We cherish this opportunity for exchange between different civilizations and hope that this meeting will serve as a cornerstone for building understanding and trust between the two sides.

Her wording was precise and friendly, maintaining the dignity of the Union while expressing a willingness to be open.

Chen Yu nodded slightly and responded in a calm tone befitting her manners: "Thank you for the Federation's acceptance and goodwill. Exploring the unknown and seeking knowledge are the core driving forces behind my existence."

The technological achievements and social structure displayed by your civilization have left a deep impression on me.

He cut straight to the point, making no attempt to hide his goal: "I hope to engage in in-depth technical exchanges with the Federation, so as to learn from each other and jointly expand the boundaries of knowledge."

I have a very high interest in your warp drive technology.

It represents a safe, reliable, and efficient faster-than-light path, the value of which is immeasurable.

He did not come empty-handed, and he was well aware of the principle of equivalent exchange.

“Of course, I do not intend to take it for free,” Chen Yu continued, his crimson optical lens sweeping over every member of parliament and scientist present. “I, and the ‘Sage’ identity that I represent, also possess some technologies that may be of some benefit to the Federation.”

For example, we have unique insights and mature application solutions in the fields of high-density energy storage, special material synthesis, and deep bio-mechanical integration, and even in the time domain.

I am willing to use this as a basis for reciprocal and mutually beneficial technology sharing with the federal government.

He proposed a collaborative framework, rather than a one-sided demand.

A brief exchange and silence ensued in the meeting room.

The lawmakers and scientists exchanged views in hushed tones, assessing the value and risks of Chen Yu's proposal.

Kirk remained silent, but his very presence endorsed Chen Yu's "controllability" to some extent.

Dr. Carroll then added, from a scientific perspective, the potential breakthroughs in fundamental physics and life sciences that could result from communicating with Chen Yu.

Finally, after careful deliberation, the older female representative spoke again, her voice clear and firm: "Sir, after discussion, the Federal Parliament agrees in principle to your proposal. We acknowledge the idea that knowledge can be more vibrant through exchange."

Based on the principles of mutual benefit and trust, the Federation is willing to engage in technical exchanges with you, which may include the fundamental theories and engineering principles of warp drives.

Her tone carried the characteristic formality and caution of the federal government: "The specific scope, depth, and level of technical confidentiality of the exchanges need to be further defined in detail by a team of experts from both sides."

And, as you said, this will be based on a strict reciprocal exchange.

The value of the technology you provide will directly determine the level and content of federal technology you can obtain.

This is not unconditional openness, but a controlled and managed model of technology sharing, consistent with the practices of a mature interstellar civilization.

“Acceptable.” Chen Yu’s synthesized voice remained completely calm; this result was within his calculations.

He didn't need to obtain the entire blueprint immediately. Once he opened the door and established channels of communication, it was only a matter of time before he gradually acquired the core details of warp technology, leveraging the equally attractive technological bargaining chips he possessed. He had even begun planning within the Logic Core which relatively "safe" and non-taboo technologies from the Warhammer universe or cyberpunk worlds, and which the Federation might be interested in, could serve as the first bargaining chips in the exchange.

In this meeting room, a preliminary agreement was reached amidst a seemingly peaceful and friendly atmosphere, but in reality, each party was calculating meticulously. A technology trade that transcends dimensions was reached.

For Chen Yu, the grand goal of acquiring warp drive technology has finally taken its first substantial and crucial step.
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After the agreement was reached, Chen Yu was respectfully led by federal staff to a hotel specifically used to receive envoys and important visitors from extraterrestrial civilizations.

The design here is highly inclusive. The environmental control system can simulate various atmospheric components and gravity conditions. The public areas are spacious and bright. The decoration style blends human art with aesthetic elements from many alien civilizations. Everywhere you can see alien visitors of all shapes and sizes exchanging friendly greetings.

Faced with this scene of "stars dancing together," Chen Yu's massive mechanical body stood still at the entrance of the hall, his scarlet optical lens calmly scanning the bizarre alien life forms.

There were Andorians with deep blue skin and elaborate hairstyles, Betaso people with short stature and kind faces, and several other races that he could not yet identify, who were communicating with complex tentacle gestures.

This scene was not entirely unfamiliar to him.

In the glorious era when emperors launched great expeditions, the expeditionary fleets of human empires encountered countless alien civilizations in the process of recovering lost territories and expanding their borders.

The strangeness and sheer number of those civilizations far exceeded what I was seeing in the hotel at this moment.

However, the Empire's policy toward the aliens was simple and extreme: either unconditionally submit to the human Empire, accept a near-slavery status and pass extremely harsh "demi-human" scrutiny, or... be completely purged.

Countless alien races, along with their homeworlds and cultures, were reduced to statistics in the galactic dust by the Imperial Expeditionary Force's bombs, flames, and destructive weapons.

During his time as a low-ranking priest accompanying the army on expeditions, Chen Yu witnessed firsthand the annihilation of more than one alien civilization with unique technology or biological characteristics by the Emperor's death angels, either because they refused to submit or simply because they were "not of our kind."

The scene of relative equality and peaceful coexistence among different races in the Federal Hotel before him formed an extremely sharp contrast with the tragic fate of the aliens under the iron heel of the Empire in his memory.

“…In a sense,” Chen Yu couldn’t help but sigh, “humanity and the empire ultimately became that desperate and twisted state in the future, and the mummified corpse on the golden throne that held up the crumbling empire but also imprisoned the future of all humanity…does indeed bear the primary responsibility.”

It was the emperor's unquestionable concept of "human purity," and his domineering attempt to unify everything with absolute power and exclude dissidents, that ultimately dragged humanity into an endless abyss of darkness.

The prosperity and inclusiveness of this Federation Earth before us seem to be a silent denial of the imperial path.

This realization did not cause him to have any dramatic emotional fluctuations; it was more like a cold, hard fact being recalibrated.

He quickly put this "reflection" out of his mind and returned his attention to the present moment.

He observed these alien visitors no longer with the empire's annihilationist gaze, but with the perspective of an exploratory sage, assessing their physiology, possible technological paths, and... whether they possessed knowledge worth trading or studying.

After all, in this universe, he doesn't need to follow the Empire's creed.

Acquiring knowledge and improving himself are his only principles at this moment.

In his eyes, these diverse "alien" creatures have become potential, mobile "treasure troves of knowledge."

This communication platform established by the federal government may bring him some unexpected benefits.

(End of this chapter)