After Reid activated the "Golden Legend" equipment for the Akatsuki Gundam, he bid farewell to Mina, handed over command of the twenty-ship fleet to her, and boarded the Argama-class battleship under Hoshino Ruri's command. Accompanied by an Antietam-class freighter carrying the Psycommu Gundam MKⅢ, he returned to Australia.
Upon arriving in Australia, Reid naturally prioritized delivering the Akatsuki Gundam to Star Palace City, which was covered in construction tarps. After feeding it into the Factory Module, he immediately headed to Canberra.
The envoys from the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation had been kept waiting for nearly three days, and by now, they should have received news of the battle in Orb. It was time for serious discussions.
In Canberra, at the former state guesthouse of the Oceania Union, Reid met with the two envoys.
The envoy from the East Asian Republic was an old acquaintance—Ambassador Zhao Zhongjian, who had been recalled from Star Palace to Earth specifically for this visit to the New Misurugi Republic.
The Eurasian Federation, however, had sent an unfamiliar middle-aged man named Guilherme von Capelle. Judging by his name, he was clearly of standard European noble descent. Fortunately, his demeanor lacked the usual aristocratic pretensions, and he conducted himself professionally as a diplomat.
Since this was not a public meeting, the three men were relatively informal. After taking their seats, Reid cut straight to the point:
"Ambassador Zhao, Ambassador Capelle, you've both been in Canberra for several days now. I assume your respective governments have provided you with new instructions?"
As the host and the one holding the initiative, Reid could afford to be blunt. However, Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle couldn't respond in the same manner.
After exchanging glances, Zhao Zhongjian—the more familiar of the two with Reid—spoke first:
"Mr. Reid, you jest. My purpose here, on behalf of the East Asian Republic, is primarily to congratulate the New Misurugi Republic on its successful strike against the Oceania Union, which has long supported PLANT and opposed Earth's nations. There are no other special tasks at hand."
Reid's eyes narrowed slightly at Zhao's words. There was clearly more beneath the surface, and it was unusual for the East Asian Republic to take the lead like this.
With exceptional seriousness, Reid corrected Zhao's phrasing:
"Ambassador Zhao, we're old friends, so I must remind you: the New Misurugi Republic didn't merely 'strike' the Oceania Union—we annihilated it.
"Please don't make that mistake again in the future. Otherwise, even as an old friend, I might have to reconsider my stance.
"After all, our nation went to great lengths to defeat the Oceania Union, which declared war on us first. If someone now seeks to revive it, I can't help but suspect that such a country might be trying to curry favor with PLANT, aiming to become Earth's third collaborator with them."
Reid's accusation was no small matter, and Zhao Zhongjian dared not accept it. He quickly clarified:
"Of course, the Oceania Union has been annihilated. My country has no objections to that."
At the same time, Guilherme von Capelle, who had remained silent until now, spoke up:
"Indeed, my country also acknowledges that the Oceania Union has been destroyed. However, the question remains—Mr. Reid, my nation has some concerns. Is Princess Angelise planning to reestablish her nation on Australian soil?"
Here, Guilherme von Capelle specifically mentioned Ange's restoration of the nation, making it clear that the Eurasian Federation did not recognize anyone else as the legitimate restorer of the New Misurugi Republic.
Reid guessed that Guilherme von Capelle was somewhat suspicious that he might abandon Ange and act alone, given that she still hadn't descended to Earth yet.
However, Reid wouldn't dare entertain such thoughts. Ange was the eldest sister of his harem, the undisputed head of the household.
When it came to domestic matters, Reid's say was so minimal that he could only visit Noin and Murrue when Ange didn't require his company at night.
Of course, Ange was adept at managing Reid's time, ensuring that whenever he wasn't out handling official business, his ammunition was always spent.
So on this matter, Reid could confidently give a definitive reply, saying:
"Of course, Princess Angelise is already on her way. Since this land in Australia has already been conquered by our nation, it's naturally the best place to restore the country.
Oh, my apologies—that was a slip of the tongue. Not 'restore,' but to 'rebuild' the nation, establishing a kingdom."
The moment Reid said this, Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle immediately fell into deep thought.
The implications behind Reid's words were significant. The difference between "restoring" and "rebuilding" a nation was vast.
If it were restoration, the New Misurugi Republic would still retain its "citizenship" in Europe—that enclave would legally remain part of the New Misurugi Republic. However, its institutions and governance would have to follow the original nation's framework.
But if it were a complete rebuild, it would mean Princess Angelise was cutting ties with the previous state, abandoning the European enclave entirely. The advantage was that everything—laws, policies, and systems—could be constructed from scratch. They could even discard the name "New Misurugi Republic" if they wished. As for establishing a kingdom, that was a minor detail—they could call it an empire if they wanted.
Moreover, if it were restoration, the international community might still have grounds to meddle—urging the New Misurugi Republic to return to Europe, invoking rhetoric like "ancestral laws must not be broken" or "ancestral lands must not be abandoned."
But if it were a new nation, Princess Angelise and Reid could truly ignore all outside opinions. After all, they were building a country from nothing—no one else had the right to criticize.
From this, Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle could see just how determined Reid was to hold onto this land in Australia. It seemed any suggestion for the New Misurugi Republic to relocate or claim less territory for restoration was out of the question.
As for opposition from other nations, the Atlantic Federation—the most vocal—had already had its teeth knocked out by Reid and certainly wouldn't dare speak up now.
Meanwhile, the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation both leaned toward limiting the New Misurugi Republic's development through economic and political struggles rather than direct conflict.
So Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle exchanged another glance before Guilherme spoke up:
"I understand Mr. Reid's position. I will relay the New Misurugi Republic's intentions to my government."
Once Guilherme finished, Zhao Zhongjian naturally followed up:
"Mr. Reid, I will also convey your exact words to my government without omission."
Reid understood that Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme couldn't give a definitive answer here.
Frankly, neither the East Asian Republic nor the Eurasian Federation wanted to see him establish a nation in Australia.
So, Reid prepared to use the most efficient means to force their recognition—namely, an exchange of interests. Deliberately, he added:
"Good. As long as you both understand our nation's stance."
By the way, as an aside, has your country received any classified intelligence from within the Atlantic Federation recently? It seems they've obtained Anti-Neutron Jammer technology."
Truthfully, Reid wasn't entirely certain whether the Atlantic Federation had acquired the Anti-Neutron Jammer technology. After all, in the original timeline, Flay—who had helped Creuset deliver the technology—was now under his command, busy piloting giant Mobile Suits for fun.
However, Reid was absolutely convinced that Creuset, that madman, would stop at nothing to get the Anti-Neutron Jammers into the hands of Blue Cosmos.
And even if they hadn't delivered it yet, it didn't matter. He could simply declare that the Atlantic Federation already had the technology. Given the Atlantic Federation's abysmal credibility, no one would believe their protests of innocence.
The moment Reid brought this up, Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle's eyes lit up.
The Atlantic Federation's secrecy measures were far from airtight—or perhaps they had intended for the Eurasian Federation and the East Asian Republic to catch wind of it for political leverage. In any case, the fact that the Atlantic Federation had obtained Anti-Neutron Jammers was hardly a secret within the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation.
The reality was that both nations were agonizing over whether to engage in political negotiations with the greedy Atlantic Federation. The moment they showed interest, the Federation would undoubtedly demand an exorbitant price.
Now that Reid had broached the subject, he might as well have outright stated that he possessed Anti-Neutron Jammer technology.
Both Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle believed Reid had it. After all, the Balkis's absurdly massive Planet Destroyer Cannon couldn't possibly be powered by anything less than multiple Large Laser Nuclear Furnaces.
And that 40-meter-tall Mobile Suit? No one would buy the idea that it ran on compact batteries. If it were battery-powered, the entire frame would have to be packed with battery cells—or at least one enormous one. Even ten standard MS batteries wouldn't sustain it through a single battle.
Reliable intelligence confirmed that during the conflict in Orb against the Atlantic Federation, this Mobile Suit had remained active for an entire day under surveillance, showing no signs of power depletion.
So Zhao Zhongjian immediately responded, "Of course, we've also received intelligence about the Atlantic Federation acquiring Anti-Neutron Jammer technology. Mr. Reid, do you have more detailed information?"
Reid made it clear that he did indeed possess the technology.
Back when he had told Kira and Athrun that he used nuclear fusion and didn't need Anti-Neutron Jammers, Kira—no longer burdened by constant vigilance—had promptly succumbed to laziness and enlisted Star Palace's technical team to help fine-tune the Freedom Gundam.
Naturally, Athrun followed suit, having the Justice Gundam adjusted as well.
So before Lacus even arrived at the Star Palace Colony Satellite, her two assistants had already leaked all the technical data for the Freedom and Justice Gundams to Reid.
Reid, of course, fed it straight into the Factory Module to advance their tech tree.
Now, Reid felt that merely establishing a nation wasn't enough to justify exposing the Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor. Instead, he could let the three nations of the Earth Alliance waste even more resources scrambling for information about the new particle technology.
This would not only deplete their spy networks in Australia but also force them to activate any sleeper agents embedded among the Star Palace Colony Satellite's immigrants.
As for the promise to establish his own nation, it would be better to use the Anti-Neutron Jammer—which was completely useless to him and would lose most of its functionality once the Minovsky Particle Fusion Reactor was made public—as a bargaining chip.
Thus, Reid immediately flashed a cunning smile and said:
"The Anti-Neutron Jammer—it's not hard to obtain, but it's extremely valuable. I believe it should only be shown to friends of our nation. What do you think, Ambassadors?"
Reid's words practically spelled out that the Anti-Neutron Jammer would be traded for the two nations' recognition of the New Misurugi Republic's establishment in Australia.
However, the matter was of such significance that neither Zhao Zhongjian nor Guilherme von Capelle could make any promises on the spot, even if they believed their governments would agree without hesitation.
After exchanging a few polite words, the two ambassadors began making excuses to end the meeting, eager to report the situation to their respective governments.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Reid didn't detain Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle any longer and concluded the meeting as they wished.
Given the involvement of the Anti-Neutron Jammer, the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation—both suffering deeply from the energy crisis—responded swiftly. (They physically transmitted voice messages via supersonic aircraft.)
The East Asian Republic still hadn't fully resolved its northern heating issues. A massive dam in the southwest, which had nearly been demolished over two hundred years ago and later turned into a tourist attraction, had been repurposed for power generation. The "South-to-North Electricity Transfer" plan had been revived, yet it still failed to address the winter power shortages in the north. (After the energy crisis, it was assumed that coal, oil, natural gas, and other resources had been completely depleted.)
After all, even with a year's time, Laser Fusion Reactors couldn't replace all the nation's nuclear power facilities. Transitioning from traditional nuclear plants to military-grade nuclear facilities required overhauling nearly all power transmission lines.
If even the East Asian Republic—with its robust infrastructure—struggled this much, the situation in the Eurasian Federation was far worse. Power outages in major cities like Paris had become routine, and electricity prices had soared beyond the reach of the average middle class.
Fortunately, there was someone to blame for this. The Eurasian Federation's hatred for PLANT wasn't unfounded—PLANT bore significant responsibility for the current shortages of electricity, food, and supplies (ZAFT had blockaded the Mediterranean's key shipping routes).
Moreover, the think tanks of both the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation had already anticipated Reid's next move.
If they continued haggling over whether to recognize the new nation, Reid would likely hint publicly to their citizens that recognizing his statehood would grant them access to Anti-Neutron Jammer technology, allowing the revival of civilian nuclear power.
At that point, even the East Asian Republic's reputation among its people wouldn't be enough to silence public outcry. After all, Reid was only asking for recognition—no tangible sacrifices from their nations.
Most citizens, when faced with such immediate personal interests, wouldn't rationally consider national perspectives. Unrest was inevitable.
Especially in the Eurasian Federation—Reid wouldn't even be surprised if civilians and police stormed the parliament building together.
Thus, early the next morning, Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle arrived at the government building to meet Reid as soon as work began.
At the time, Reid was still enjoying Noin's lovingly prepared breakfast at her temporary residence when a phone call summoned him to the government building.
Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle brought consistent news—both the East Asian Republic and the Eurasian Federation were willing to recognize the New Misurugi Republic's establishment in Australia.
Seeing this, Reid no longer kept Zhao Zhongjian and Guilherme von Capelle in suspense. He retrieved a USB drive containing the Anti-Neutron Jammer from the system store, pretending to pull it out of his pocket, then plugged it directly into the office computer to show them the data.
Neither Zhao Zhongjian nor Guilherme von Capelle possessed any photographic memory abilities, and many of the specialized terms and jargon in the files were completely beyond their comprehension.
Reid's goal was simply to confirm that he indeed possessed the Anti-Neutron Jammer.
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