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Dressed in a crisp official uniform, Pan Weihan, the permanent representative of the Zhao Empire to the Human Union headquarters, slowly stepped into the conference room with an attendant.
Upon entering, he discreetly surveyed the meeting room. There were six people present, mostly familiar faces to Pan Weihan: Baron Sean Bernie, Resident Representative of the United Kingdom of Rune to the United Nations Headquarters; Lord Bonova Antoine, Resident Representative of the Republic of Grande to the United Nations Headquarters; and Baron Conrad Adenauer, Resident Representative of the Holstein Empire to the United Nations Headquarters. The remaining three were likely their entourage.
(Note: The naming of noble surnames in the West is relatively complex, such as "Auras François Bastian Sebastiani de la Porta". "Sebastiani" is his surname, while "La Porta" is his birthplace. The naming style "de la Porta" reflects his noble status, that is, he comes from a certain place.)
The remaining part, "Auras François Bastian," is his name, but part of it may have been inherited from his ancestors.
Here, "Auras" is his real name, while "François Bastien" may refer to one or more of his ancestors. By convention, he can be simply referred to as "Auras Sebastiani".
If we assume that the ancestor here is his father, "Auras François Bastian Sebastian de la Porta" can be translated as: Aulas, son of François Bastian from the Sebastian family of La Porta.
Therefore, for ease of description and to save the author from racking their brains for names, all Western names in this article will be abbreviated.
Rune, Grand, and Holstein are arguably the three most powerful nations in the Western Continent, with Rune being the most powerful. If the Great Zhao Empire in the East did not exist, then Rune would undoubtedly be the most powerful nation in the world.
Even now, with its huge population, Da Zhao doesn't dare to say it can surpass Lu En in overall national strength.
The three kingdoms of Rune, Grande, and Holstein differ greatly in culture, religion, and ethnicity, and have a history of intertwined grievances and numerous large-scale wars. Therefore, even though they are all nations of the Western Continent, their interests are often not aligned.
However, just last night, representatives from the three countries suddenly extended an invitation to Pan Weihan through unofficial channels, requesting a small, closed-door meeting to be held today, and specifically demanding that Pan Weihan, the highest-ranking diplomat of the Zhao Empire's delegation to the People's Union, attend in person. They also presented a document that the Imperial diplomatic corps took very seriously, and they immediately engaged in in-depth discussions with their home countries overnight.
Avoiding potential military or economic alliances among the Western Continent nations has always been a core aspect of the Great Zhao's diplomacy, even having a specific term within the empire's upper echelons: the "Western Continent Balance of Power Policy." Therefore, Pan Weihan was somewhat wary before attending this conference; any coordinated action by the Western Continent nations posed a potential threat to the Great Zhao. In particular, the topics of this conference were indeed quite sensitive.
Upon entering the meeting room, Pan Weihan flashed a smile befitting diplomatic protocol and exchanged pleasantries and shook hands with the representatives of the three countries who also rose and smiled.
After a series of pointless, polite exchanges, everyone sat down again, and the meeting room door was closed.
“Mr. Pan, we hope this will be an open and honest communication,” Baron Sean Bernie began.
"of course."
“However, this invitation came a bit hastily, so there are some issues I haven’t fully understood yet.” Pan Weihan shrugged, his unspoken message being that this was not in accordance with diplomatic protocol.
"Please forgive me, but we believe that these important events require the major powers to coordinate their positions as soon as possible..." Baron Sean Bernie was a stern old gentleman, and his true thoughts could not be discerned from his face.
Pan Weihan nodded slightly, which was taken as tacit agreement with Baron Sean Bernie's words.
“I presume you have already read the previous documents,” Sean Bernie asked.
Pan Weihan nodded calmly.
“We have noticed some unusual events in certain parts of the world, some of which seem to exceed the mainstream academic understanding of the world,” Baron Sean Bernie continued. “These events are highly dangerous, and some have even caused considerable casualties.”
Chapter 402 Diplomatic Undercurrents
“Just last week, a supernatural event occurred in a village in our country, located in Strasbourg, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than ten people. Due to the sensitivity of the event, our country has imposed news control on it,” Lord Bonois Antoine added from the side.
"That document contains information related to some important events."
“From a humanitarian perspective, I express my sincere condolences for the events that have occurred in your country.” Pan Weihan bowed solemnly to Lord Bonois Antoine.
As the highest-ranking official of the Zhao Empire's headquarters at the Human Alliance, Pan Weihan, in addition to his official diplomatic identity, also held another role: the Empire's highest-ranking intelligence officer stationed in Gaomenbao. As a renowned spy capital on Earth, Gaomenbao has always been a key focus for intelligence agencies worldwide, where the undercurrents of competition and intrigue have never ceased.
Therefore, Pan Weihan was not entirely unaware of certain recent events in various countries. He was already aware of most of the events described in the document, and some of them were even learned and reported back to China through his own channels. However, he still maintained a solemn expression.
“Thank you.” Lord Bonois Antoine placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly in response to Pan Weihan’s words of condolence. He then glanced at the diplomats from both countries beside him and added, “We believe that these unusual events will have unpredictable impacts and risks on all nations, their peoples, and indeed, on human civilization as a whole. We are currently assessing the extent of these impacts and risks.”
Baron Sean Bernie observed Pan Weihan's expression and, seeing his composed demeanor, added, "Your Excellency, we would like to know the Zhao Empire's attitude towards these events?"
Pan Weihan silently observed the expressions of the group, quickly weighing the situation in his mind. Such an eagerness to meet suggested that the three kingdoms had already reached some degree of tacit understanding; however, it was unclear how this understanding had been formed…
Furthermore, it can be seen that the three kingdoms did indeed feel pressured by the development of the situation.
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