Chapter 1364: Dealing with O'mir
Chapter 1364: Dealing with O'mir
"Let me think about this..." Commander Dalanto lowered his head in contemplation.
After a few seconds, he looked up and said, "Here's what I propose: O'mir will publicly apologize to the citizens of the Hub and return all the stolen goods to their rightful owners. If he and his subordinates caused any casualties during their raids, they will compensate the families of the victims. As for other punishments... given the current need for manpower, I suggest stripping him of his general title and having him serve as a regular soldier on the front lines, where he can atone for his crimes through his actions. What do you all think?"
"I suppose that's reasonable," Banker Soren mused.
"Agreed. This seems like a fair resolution," Councilor Lemor said.
"I don't have any issues with it."
"Sure, that works."
The others also voiced their agreement. After all, with a major war on the horizon, they couldn't afford to be too harsh on O'mir. They couldn't lock him up for decades, could they?
"What about Su Yu's side?" Banker Soren glanced at Ashley and then focused on Dalanto.
Ashley had remained silent, her arms crossed and a cold expression on her face.
"Regarding Su Yu," Dalanto said solemnly, "I will personally visit Su Yu and seek his forgiveness on O'mir's behalf. Su Yu has always been friendly with our Guard Corps, especially with the former logistics officer, Luman Greed. This incident is our fault, and we hope he can understand."
Hearing this, Ashley spoke up. She crossed her arms and said coolly, "Dalanto, since you're going to see Su Yu, I'll go with you as a witness."
Dalanto's face darkened. Ashley wanted to come along? Was she trying to make him look bad?
If he went alone, his status would ensure Su Yu wouldn't dare say no. A bit of pressure, some incentives, and Su Yu would easily be swayed. But now that Ashley was coming, how could he use such tactics? He couldn't really humble himself and apologize on O'mir's behalf, could he?
The other Star-Grade officials also noticed the tension in the room.
Considering the importance of unity before the war, Councilor Lemor said, "Since both of you are going to see Su Yu, why don't we all go together?"
"Go together?" Dalanto and Ashley, along with everyone else, were taken aback.
"Yes, all of us," Lemor nodded. "Don't forget, our top priority for the next ten days is to protect AI Blue Whale. Su Yu is the former owner of AI Blue Whale, and it's crucial that we inform him and involve him in the protection efforts. This is a matter of great importance and must not be mishandled!"
"Agreed, let's all go," Banker Soren was the first to concur.
Soren understood that Lemor was trying to smooth things over with Dalanto, and it was indeed necessary to maintain unity at this time.
Soren added with a chuckle, "I didn't expect we'd all be going to Sector 170 again. The last time we all went there was a month ago, also because of AI Blue Whale. Now we're going to see Councilor Su Yu."
Grenden, whose true form was a massive brown plant, rustled his leaves and said, "Councilor Su Yu is just a Star-Grade, yet he's causing such a stir. But this isn't the norm, right? He reminds me of Jared, who faded into obscurity after a while."
The "Jared" Grenden referred to was the Chief Scientist of the Hub. The first Level 2 AI in the Hub was developed by his team, and when Su Yu transferred AI Blue Whale to the Hub, it was to the Chief Scientist.
Jared used to be a prominent figure in the Hub, causing as much of a stir as Su Yu does now. However, being a Star-Grade, no matter how famous, only lasted a few years. Jared eventually faded into obscurity.
Of course, "faded into obscurity" was from the perspective of Star-Grade officials. To the average citizen, Jared remained the most famous Star-Grade, bar none.
Ruby Dragon Lucia chimed in, "True, Su Yu's fame won't last long, given that he's just a Star-Grade. But his future prospects are likely exceptional, considering he's under 30!"
Councilor Lemor shook his head. "Who knows why the Hymn would promote someone so young to Star-Grade?"
"It's not unprecedented," Ruby Dragon Lucia interjected. "If someone excelled during the First Civilizational Ascension, they might be promoted to Star-Grade by the Hymn as an exception."
"But there haven't been such cases in the past few thousand years, right?" Banker Soren rubbed his chin.
"Not in the past few thousand years," Lemor recalled. "The last time was around eight or nine thousand years ago. But the Hymn was near disappearing recently, so anything was possible."
Mentioning the Hymn, the conversation was about to turn grim. Banker Soren waved his hand. "Let's not dwell on this. Let's head out."
"Let's go."
With that, the Star-Grade officials ended the discussion and each used their abilities to travel to Sector 170.
A few elegant arcs traced the sky over Sector 1, and the officials vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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