"Territorial expansion!"
These four words made everything clear to everyone present.
A young man slapped his thigh: "Damn, the Atlantic Federation actually did this? No wonder they couldn't resist the temptation back then."
Someone asked doubtfully: "Didn't Japan and Korea have any objections? Just let themselves be sold out like that?"
The old man laughed heartily: "Of course they noticed. Do you know how Orb came to be? It was founded by those who saw through the scheme but couldn't stop it, so they left."
"The remaining scraps still dreamt of swallowing China instead."
"Hahaha."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"We Chinese," the old man shook his head with emotion, "always care about both face and substance. That's why these clowns can still jump around—it's actually..."
Before finishing, the old man gave a knowing look.
People in the teahouse exchanged glances, understanding dawning on their faces.
Zhou Tianming also realized—when someone's home is occupied, shouldn't they be allowed to vent? We Chinese are very "reasonable" after all.
Someone asked curiously: "Then what did the Atlantic Federation gain from this?"
"Right!"
"Old man, tell us more!"
"Alright, I'll elaborate." The old man beamed, sipping his tea. "When the Atlantic Federation gave this grand gift, we naturally had to reciprocate. Back then, the [Council Member Cooperation Agreement] was our return gift."
"This agreement stipulated that the Three Council Nations must advance and retreat together in space development, and not attack each other."
"Since the agreement lacked enforcement clauses, and everyone was eager to develop space—the new frontier—no one wanted infighting, so they signed."
"As the agreement's initiator, the Atlantic Federation naturally became something like an alliance leader."
"You know the old East Asian saying—'the bird that sticks its head out gets shot.' Having someone else take the lead in exploring the unknown dangers of space suited us just fine."
Hearing this, Zhou Tianming recalled the East Asian Republic's approach in the original story—more or less letting the Atlantic Federation take point.
Unfortunately, while covering the front, they ended up becoming someone else's subordinate.
At this point, the old man sighed: "But no matter how we calculated, we never anticipated the Coordinators."
There were Coordinators in the teahouse who looked displeased. Noticing this, the old man apologized: "My apologies, this isn't directed at you. Please understand."
After apologizing, the old man sighed again: "I was just a teenager when the Coordinator issue blew up. Don't be fooled by how many Coordinators East Asia has now—back then, we were the most opposed and exclusionary."
"Eh? Why?"
Even the Coordinators in the teahouse looked puzzled.
"Our East Asian tradition has always held that 'our bodies, to every hair and bit of skin, are received from our parents.' Though such notions aren't emphasized nowadays, performing surgery directly on fertilized eggs still crosses the line of acceptability."
The crowd showed expressions of sudden realization.
"Now you understand why we were the most resistant back then. In that sense, we were actually aligned with the Atlantic Federation in strongly opposing Coordinators."
A young Coordinator asked curiously, "Why don't we feel that way now?"
Zhou Tianming turned his head slightly and murmured the answer, "The original intentions were different."
The elderly man explained, "The divergence lies in the original purpose. We adjusted embryos hoping the next generation would be better, while the Atlantic side adjusted them to be more useful. They went astray from the very beginning, which is the root of today's discriminatory attitudes."
"However, our country's social climate has shifted again over the past decade or so."
A Coordinator sighed, "I know—the fertility issues."
The old man nodded, "Exactly. That's why the new marriage law suggests it's best if both partners aren't Coordinators."
"I'm a Natural! I can marry a Coordinator wife!"
A young man jumped up and shouted triumphantly.
Another nearby mocked, "You might want to marry one, but would she even have you? Could you handle a Coordinator wife in a fight?"
"Ha ha ha—"
The crowd burst into laughter.
It seemed Coordinators and Naturals in East Asia got along quite well.
Zhou Tianming nodded approvingly.
Yet his thoughts drifted elsewhere. In the original timeline, while the conflict mainly stemmed from the Council of Nations exploiting Coordinators, Plant's later actions also carried elements of ingratitude.
After all, the Council had funded the construction of Plant's many satellites. No doubt this was part of why East Asia hadn't opposed the Atlantic Federation's Plant initiative.
Coupled with this "cooperation" agreement, everything was perfectly justified—no one could pin any blame on East Asia.
Advance to attack, retreat to defend.
After finishing his tea, Zhou Tianming continued on his way.
He had walked quite a distance and was nearing the library when shouts suddenly reached his ears: "The Blue Cosmos recruitment station is just ahead!"
Blue Cosmos?!
A recruitment station?
So bold as to advertise openly on the streets?
Where were the police?
Looking up, he saw a crowd of elderly men and women thundering past.
Seeing this familiar scene, Zhou Tianming froze.
Could it be...?
Following them, he arrived at a building near the street. A large sign reading "Blue Cosmos Recruitment Office" blared in neon colors, impossible to miss.
Beneath the sign was a long table piled with cartons of eggs. The elderly lined up orderly to collect eggs, then took a flyer and entered the building.
Just as I thought!
Zhou Tianming sighed inwardly. How the mighty Blue Cosmos has fallen.
Just then, a man emerged from the building and grabbed the person distributing eggs: "You're a Coordinator, right?"
"Yes."
"Quick, we need your help!"
He dragged the Coordinator inside.
Zhou Tianming gaped.
Wait—did Blue Cosmos just pull a Coordinator into their building?!
Glancing around, he saw no one reacting.
Realizing he might have misunderstood something, Zhou Tianming curiously took a flyer.
Stepping aside to read it, he expected condemnations of Coordinator misdeeds. Instead, the first line read: "Plant trees, stabilize soil, prevent desertification—do your part for Mother Earth."
Looking down, the content turned out to be about environmental protection.
If not for the final line on the leaflet—"For a blue and pure world"—
Zhou Tianming would have thought this was some environmental charity organization.
No wonder they could enter East Asia—they were actually the rare [Original Blue Cosmos].
He couldn't help but sigh in admiration: East Asia truly lived up to its reputation, managing to steer faith back on track.
Seeing it wasn't the bad news he'd feared, Zhou Tianming continued on his way.
Stopping and starting, looking around everywhere, he finally reached his destination.
However, it was already noon by then, so he ate nearby before entering.
The capital's library boasted an extensive collection, and Zhou Tianming darted through the shelves like a mouse in a rice barrel.
The abundance of miscellaneous books broadened his horizons, clearing his thoughts and sparking many novel ideas.
It wasn't until past 6 p.m. that he left. After dinner outside, he returned to the hospital room.
Inside, Zhou Junguo and Gao Jing were both present. The moment she saw him, Gao Jing rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"What did little Tianming do all day? Come see the toys Grandma bought you!"
Zhou Tianming shot a pleading look at Zhou Hanxiang and Zhou Junguo.
At that moment, Zhou Junguo spoke up: "Are you still planning to stay here overnight?"
Just as Zhou Tianming was about to nod, Zhou Hanxiang interjected, "Take him home. Staying here isn't comfortable anyway."
She finished with a glare at him.
Resigned, Zhou Tianming could only nod.
Gao Jing scooped him up into her arms, leaving Zhou Tianming with an utterly defeated expression.
That night, after the usual clamor, the family villa settled into quiet.
Zhou Tianming lay on a bed covered in cartoon patterns, chuckling at the childish decorations around him.
"So this is my home."
He rolled over, wrapped himself in the blanket, and fell asleep.
In the early hours of the morning, faint noises came from the hallway outside.
Zhou Tianming's eyes snapped open in bed, and he flipped over alertly.
Only as he reached the door, ready to peer outside, did he remember he was at home.
He exhaled. "Guess I'm still not used to it."
Opening the door, he peered down the dark corridor. A sliver of white light seeped from under a door further down.
After scanning the rest of the area and finding nothing amiss, Zhou Tianming gently closed the door and went back to sleep.
In the study, Zhou Junguo, clad in pajamas, wore a displeased expression. "Wei Jun! Did you really have to call in the middle of the night?"
On the other end, Wei Jun sounded apologetic. "Just bad timing. It's hard to keep track of time out in space."
"Space?" Zhou Junguo's face darkened instantly. "Wei Jun! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Instead of resting properly in the hospital—"
"Alright, alright," Wei Jun brushed him off casually. "I know my own body. I'm not dying that easily. Did you get in touch with the people I asked about?"
"Hmph!" Zhou Junguo snorted in annoyance. "They're all contacted. The Master Craftsmen are still in good health. The moment they heard about the Black Tortoise, they agreed to come immediately."
"Perfect. I've brought the wreckage back. Find me a place to store it."
"I've arranged for a shipyard in Kaohsiung. Head straight there. The Master Craftsmen will start arriving over the next couple of days."
"OK."