Take the entire Chiba Prefecture?
Lacus looked at Luo Shu in confusion upon hearing this.
She was aware of Luo Shu's demand to Japan's authorities for Chiba Port.
A single port? If Luo Shu wanted to play with it, she had no objections. Let him have his fun.
Yet now Luo Shu's appetite had suddenly grown to encompass all of Chiba Prefecture, piquing her curiosity.
Among Japan's administrative divisions of one metropolis, one circuit, two urban prefectures and forty-three counties, Chiba Prefecture was a major region in the Kanto Plain, closest to Tokyo, consistently ranking in the top eight economically.
Administratively, it equated to a Chinese province or an American state.
For such an area to fall under a secret organisation's control was no trivial matter.
Put politely, it meant carving out national territory. Put bluntly, it struck at the international order maintained by the Five Great Powers.
To some extent, this would undoubtedly intensify tensions between the SDS and the Union.
Yet Lacus currently saw no issue with this.
If Luo Shu wanted Chiba Prefecture, then they'd find a way to take it.
"Though no official correspondence has arrived yet, there should be a Union summit meeting in the capital around May 7th, in two days' time. I'll try to include Chiba Prefecture as one of the negotiation terms."
Hearing Lacus immediately start making arrangements without even questioning him, Luo Shu was momentarily stunned:
"Aren't you going to ask why I want Chiba Prefecture?"
Lacus actually took a moment to think seriously at this point, then tentatively asked:
"Should I ask?"
Luo Shu suddenly began to suspect whether the pink-haired cutie in his arms had become a bit dim-witted.
'She wasn't usually this slow!'
Thinking this, Luo Shu said with a mix of amusement and exasperation:
"Do you think, after this incident, the Twin Towers are still suitable as SDS headquarters?"
The SDS had revealed too many of their cards this time - probing was absolutely inevitable.
As for the Twin Towers, they were likely to become a disaster zone.
Fortunately, Lacus had begun relocating core assets early, moving many things to the Abyss Warring States World and Copernicus City, so the losses probably wouldn't be too severe.
But the key issue was the Twin Towers' headquarters function—it was bound to be significantly diminished.
After all, high-level meetings couldn't very well be held in a place crawling with spies, could they?
Hearing this, Lacus hesitated slightly:
"While it's not ideal, the regions in Central America effectively controlled by the Patch Tribe, and some countries in South America under SDS control, do have suitable locations for building a headquarters."
"Besides, Copernicus could also be considered as an alternative."
"But Chiba Prefecture... in terms of logistics and geographical factors... isn't particularly suitable, is it?"
Japan was a resource-poor country, entirely dependent on maritime transport for supplies.
And many of the SDS's research experiments required substantial basic resources.
Though Star Gates could be used, it was obviously impractical to transport low-cost materials that way.
So Lacus couldn't help but consider the increased costs of resource allocation if the headquarters were established in Japan.
Moreover, there was one blunt truth Lacus held back:
The Five Great Powers might hesitate to deploy nuclear weapons within their own territories, but when it came to Japan... Well, it wasn't like it hadn't happened before, right?
So, realistically speaking, any major coastal city in a third-world country would be more convenient and suitable as SDS headquarters than Chiba Prefecture in Japan.
Understanding her concerns, Luo Shu spoke frankly again:
"That is indeed a troublesome issue. But my thought is, even if it's not the main headquarters, it could still serve as the garrison for the Hidden Management Department."
"On one hand, it allows us to openly conduct dangerous projects in Japan. On the other hand, it's also a gesture of goodwill towards the Union."
Placing the SDS's hazardous experiments outside the Five Great Powers' actual control zones would benefit both the SDS and the Union.
As for Japan? Neither the Union nor the SDS cared to consult its opinion.
"Besides, my garrison in Akihabara is just too small, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid it won't be enough space..."
Hearing this, Lacus looked up at Luo Shu, her gaze piercing and serious.
Her reaction took him by surprise:
"Did I say something wrong?"
At that, Lacus murmured:
"Luo Shu, you don't seem to like Japan, do you?"
"But there are so many Japanese girls in the Familia... Don't you think that might create contradictions?"
"Is that a contradiction?"
Luo Shu played dumb. Disliking Japan and falling for Japanese beauties—was there really any conflict?
As far as he was concerned, there wasn't.
"The Familia doesn't have any so-called patriots, does it?"
Lacus was well aware of this. Half a month ago, she and Utaha had conducted a personality assessment of the Familia members:
"Well..."
"...It seems they all hold the attitude that the authorities aren't trustworthy. So in that sense... your statement is quite accurate."
A resource-scarce nation with exorbitant taxes, opaque taxation systems, rigid class stratification, widespread gender discrimination, and a socially oppressive environment could hardly expect to cultivate patriotic women—it would be nothing short of a pipe dream.
"Then there's no contradiction." Luo Shu chuckled with amusement.
Who the Familia sided with—wasn't that something he, as the master of the Divine Pantheon, already knew?
Besides, he was only bullying Japan's officials, riding roughshod over them to elevate himself, without really mistreating the common people, right?
Seeing Luo Shu's grin brimming with mischief, Lacus wore an expression both resigned and faintly doting.
She finally understood: Luo Shu's plan this time was likely to annoy the Union, forcing them to cede territory, while simultaneously using the Five Great Powers to spite Japan's officials.
At this thought, Lacus couldn't help sighing inwardly:
If it's just Chiba, it shouldn't be an uncompromisable condition for the Union's higher-ups. It probably won't be a significant issue.
After all, it was Japan's territory being split, not the homelands of the Five Great Powers.
The Ryukyu region was already under the de facto control of the American Union anyway.
Now it was just a matter of adding Chiba to the list.
One more 'daddy' wouldn't hurt—could Japan's officials even dare to object?
So if Luo Shu wanted it, she might as well give it to him~
"Then it's settled. Perfect timing—I can relocate the VR tech company and some miscellaneous assets to Chiba as well."
"As you wish, whatever you say~"