In a magnificent, gold-adorned hall, high-ranking officials from various nations had gathered for the White Eagle Summit: the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Great Britain, the Chairman of the European Union's Superhuman Association, the Deputy Director of the Dragon Nation's Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, and the Second Group General of Bear Nation.
As a courtesy before the summit began, Baldy Burke provided Elysia with detailed information about each attendee.
For instance, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs was also a high-ranking mage with considerable power. At 35 years old, he was a lifelong bachelor, known for his cunning and diplomatic skills. His flawless smile rarely wavered, making him the quintessential "smiling tiger"—someone to be wary of.
Upon hearing this assessment, Elysia couldn't help but think, Why do they even have information like "lifelong bachelor" on file?!
She wondered, Could being a lifelong virgin actually enhance a mage's power?
Next was the Chairman of the European Union's Superhuman Association. Resembling a scholar, he was also a research-oriented figure. However, unlike the Scholar's focus on "black tech" inventions, this man pursued legitimate scientific fields: energy studies, materials science, and cosmology.
The Chairman's most remarkable creation was an automated mechanical colony ship, resembling the base vehicle from the game Red Alert. Upon landing on Mars, the ship would automatically deploy and expand into a fully functional Martian base.
The Deputy Director of the Dragon Nation's Bureau of Anomalous Investigations needed no introduction. Elysia recognized her immediately as Xuehua, the maid-turned-wife of Director-General Kong Zhiwang. She was, of course, not wearing her maid uniform but a formal women's business suit.
Finally, there was the Second Group General from the Bear Nation. Despite his impressive-sounding title, his actual strength was mediocre; in a one-on-one fight, he might even lose to one of the Seven Sins from the Eldritch Concord.
This highlighted a fundamental aspect of the Bear Nation: while they lacked high-level combatants comparable to the White Eagle Eight, they prioritized collective strength over individual prowess. As a result, the nation boasted the largest number of Evolvers in the world—not just a slight lead, but a staggering, landslide advantage.
While the Dragon Nation and Great Britain vied for second place in Evolver numbers (510,000 and 490,000 respectively), the Bear Nation's Evolver population was estimated at a staggering seven to eight million.
As the White Eagle Summit commenced, Elysia struck up a casual conversation with the other attendees. The scene was undeniably peculiar.
On one side stood Elysia, dressed in an exceptionally cute and endearing outfit that made her look like the girl next door.
On the other side were four individuals: a cunning and duplicitous schemer with a smile that didn't reach his eyes (Great Britain); a completely white-haired elder in his fifties or sixties (European Union); a sharply dressed and assertive businesswoman (Dragon Nation); and a towering, two-meter-tall behemoth of a man from the Bear Nation, his massive frame overflowing with muscles.
Anyone witnessing this scene would surely question whether Elysia and these four individuals truly belonged to the same world.
Yet the reality was quite different. Elysia engaged in a lively and effortless conversation with them, effortlessly steering the discussion and maintaining the upper hand.
Her exceptional social skills were only part of the explanation. More importantly, this was her home turf. As invited guests, the others naturally deferred to her, refraining from interruptions or attempts to trip her up.
As the conversation progressed, the others gradually formed several impressions of the newly appointed member of the White Eagle Eight:
-Young, beautiful, and approachable—simply looking at her made people feel an instinctive fondness.
-She seemed naive and guileless.
-Outgoing, a social butterfly, and genuinely kind-hearted—a good person through and through.
It's worth noting that "kind-hearted" wasn't necessarily a compliment in this context. For instance, the British diplomat was already contemplating how to exploit her good nature to gain some advantage from the White Eagle Eight.
One example would be falsely claiming that his country was facing severe food shortages and starvation, and asking if White Eagle could sell them grain at a discounted price.
Of course, if he were to actually attempt such a scheme, the practical execution would require far more complexity and meticulous planning.
Elysia remained blissfully unaware that someone had already set their sights on her. Even if she knew, she likely wouldn't care. After all, any actual diplomatic matters would inevitably be dumped straight into Baldy Burke's lap.
Talk about reaping the benefits of being a hands-off manager!
If that British diplomat tried any underhanded tricks, Baldy Burke would give him a taste of his ultimate salaryman experience, seeing right through his schemes instantly. There was no way he'd fall for them!
It wasn't until Elysia had finished chatting with the initial four representatives that the others could barely squeeze in a few words.
The White Eagle Summit wasn't limited to the Five Great Powers. High-ranking officials from second- and third-tier nations were also in attendance, including representatives from the Nordic Council, the Iberian People's Federation, the Greater Colombian Empire, and the United Egyptian States—Elysia vaguely recognized these. But when the leaders of the third-tier nations introduced their countries, she wore a blank expression, completely unaware of their geographical locations.
Nevertheless, her exceptional social skills allowed her to maintain a polite smile and engage in conversation.
Unbeknownst to her, the mere fact that she was acknowledging them sent these officials into a state of elation.
Elysia: Where on earth are these places? I need to ask Robin to look them up online immediately.
The President of the Small Nation was beside himself with excitement. "Miss Elysia is actually willing to talk to me?! I absolutely must make a good impression! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to curry favor!"
In reality, before the White Eagle Summit began, Baldy Burke had specifically instructed Elysia not to waste too much energy on the leaders of small nations, saying she could even ignore them completely.
But Elysia wasn't a politician at heart. Her outgoing personality meant she instinctively responded to anyone who struck up a conversation with her. After all, responding to others was the most basic courtesy in any exchange, wasn't it?
Meanwhile, the White Eagle Summit was being live-streamed worldwide. It's understandable if people didn't follow foreign news, but surely they'd pay attention when their own nation's leaders attended international conferences.
As a result, many foreigners saw Elysia for the first time, and the internet erupted in a frenzy.
[Wait, is that pink-haired girl the new member of the White Eagle Eight?]
[Huh???]
[Are you serious?]
[She's so beautiful! My wife!!!]
PS: Among the Five Great Powers, the White Eagle boasts the strongest individual military might, Great Britain excels in mystical magic, the European Union leads in advanced technology, and the Bear Nation has the largest number of Evolvers. The Dragon Nation, however, is the most balanced, ranking second in all four categories with no significant weaknesses.