"Far Eastern...... Customs Union? ”

“…… That's a good idea, indeed, Morgan. ”

A smile appeared on the face of the Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds, but it was not a sincere joy, but a tired perfunctory to hide the sigh in his heart.

"It's just that you haven't thought about a question, my trusted blood relative."

Stroking the inexplicably heavy document in his hand, Killiman walked through the austere but dignified cloister of the Hera Fortress, slightly half a position ahead of his two guests: behind them, even the nearest guard, was ten meters away.

In this relatively private situation, the three genogens could naturally discuss things that needed to be kept secret for the time being: so secret that even their most trusted heirs could not hear them, so secret that Killiman needed to solemnly swear to his two blood relatives before the conversation began, that there were no eavesdropping devices or similar devices in the corridor they were in.

And considering that Conrad, as one of the distinguished guests, was now only falling behind his two bloodies, holding a stack of Ortrama propaganda leaflets that Gilliman considered useless to the current conversation, he watched it with relish, and laughed a few times from time to time: therefore, the only ones who were really discussing things were Killiman and his Avalon sisters.

Well, at least, it wasn't the same as he had in mind, and Conrad probably just felt inexperienced and didn't want to participate in the discussion: the Lord of the Ultramarines could only comfort himself in his heart.

Although he really couldn't understand it, it was just an ordinary welcome speech, just a simple praise of the development of Cowes in the industrial world, and the friendship and welcome of several legions that happened above, at most it was just a writing about the sun of Cowes: why did Conrad laugh to the point of convulsion?

“……”

Forget it, whatever.

Killiman never minded using the greatest kindness to figure out his blood brothers, as long as they could give back even the slightest positive expression to the people of Macullag: and Conrad's gift and Conrad's expression were enough for Killiman to temporarily place him in the ranks of the "welcome and relatively tolerant" brothers.

As long as Conrad doesn't paint the statue of Lady Judon outside the window dark green, he can do whatever he wants.

That's what Killeman thought.

And for Conrad, who has just shown a slightly humanoid posture, is so tolerant, then the attitude of the Lord of Macullag towards Morgan can also be seen: after all, on the scale in Killiman's heart, Morgan weighs ten or even nine times as much as Conrad.

Because of this, although the Lord of the Ultramarines instinctively felt that this memorandum about the [Far Eastern Customs Union] was not a proposal with more advantages than disadvantages, he still believed from the bottom of his heart, or rather, at the first time, he acquiesced that this was just a small mistake by Morgan at work.

Who can be infallible?

Presumably, his Avalonian blood relatives were only too anxious for the prosperity of the Far Eastern Frontier and Otlama, so they blindly optimistically proposed this relatively wrong plan: this is not something to be doubted, and what Killiman has to do now is to help Morgan realize this mistake, and then correct or erase it together.

In less than an instant, this decision took root in the heart of the primordial.

And so Killyman laughed.

He first glanced at Conrad, who was still lacking in interest, and then slowly closed the memo in his hand, his fingers gently brushed over the gilded Gothic words printed with [Customs Union], and then turned his gaze to Morgan: the Lord of Avalon, who was walking side by side with Killiman, had already cast his gaze and confusion because of the previous question of the original body.

[Question?] 】

The Spider Queen's lips touched, and she simply spat out two syllables.

"Yes."

Killeman nodded, pointing to the few words on the cover and continuing to his blood relatives.

"I've taken a cursory look, Morgan, and it's a very good meal plan, both in terms of content and feasibility: but the problem is that the proposal itself is a mistake, a big mistake."

The original took a deep breath.

"I have never doubted your political prowess, my dear blood relative, so I think you should be well aware of one thing: when two, or more relatively independent political entities, declare that they are seeking to establish a customs union that includes each other, or some similar body, then any mature politician will know what is going to happen next?"

The people of Macullag try to make their smiles kind.

"If you have really forgotten, Morgan, then I can remind you a little: in the library of Makurag, there are treasures depicting the history of Guterra, on which I have seen a few words about the Customs Union."

"And the oldest customs union depicted in that book was formed by dozens of relatively independent political entities in a region called [Germany] on the upper part of Gutera: and according to historical records, in less than half a century, these political entities were able to unite and form an independent state called [Germany]."

Speaking of this, the Lord of Maculag coughed a little awkwardly.

"Of course, I'm not alluding to anything here, there are many more customs unions recorded in the history books of Terra, including that Germany later built an organization similar to the Customs Union with other countries, but did they eventually form a united independent state, so they formed a loose political entity that transcended the state."

"Hmm...... I just wanted to say ......"

Just as Killiman found himself struggling with how to speak, Morgan spread his palms upright, shook them, and politely interrupted his brother's words.

[Do you want to say that when the Five Hundred World and the Far Eastern Frontier, two powerful political sectors within the empire, openly declare that they want to build a customs union, it is easy for people to think that they want to unite, establish a state, or seek independence in the preliminary preparations? 】

“…… Yes. ”

After a few pauses, Killyman nodded apologetically.

"Actually, I'm sure that's not what you originally intended, but in the minds of others, things will inevitably turn out like this: don't think I'm being alarmist, Morgan, if I publish a similar memo in the name of the Five Hundred Worlds. Or just showing some tendencies in public can have a devastating effect on my reputation. ”

"Perhaps many people, including our blood brothers, will think that I am no longer the master of the Lords who are content with this, and that the germ of ambition has been multiplied in my comfortable heart."

"Maybe one day in the future, they'll call me a careerist."

"And you, too, Morgan."

【……】

For a moment, Morgan's expression changed subtly because of Killiman's self-evaluation, but the Lord of Avalon did a good job of hiding the change, and even withstood the midnight ghost who was eavesdropping on their conversation and smiling with a vague look: fortunately, Conrad also knew to put up the leaflet to cover his face a little.

The Maculag, unaware of this, smiled and shoved the memo back into Morgan's hand

"So, let's forget about it, I believe it was just an oversight, isn't it?"

——————

Not an oversight, of course.

——————

Morgan's blue-blue pupils reflected the cold shadow of the lake, and she responded to her brother with a relentless symphony of gears in her heart, but on the surface, she blinked, her pupils narrowed slightly, and her gaze deliberately turned in the other direction: this slightly ashamed look succeeded in deceiving the Lord of Maculag, and received Killiman's innocent laughter.

And when Morgan took the memo, in turn extracted a few pages from it, and stuffed it back into Killiman's hands, the face of the Lord of the Ultramarines couldn't help but be slightly confused.

"What is this?"

[As you say, my brother Otrama: it is true that we cannot sign a tariff agreement, at least not at this time, but that does not mean that everything in this memorandum is useless, especially the pages I have given you, which are the important things I want to talk about this time.] 】

Morgan shook the memo in her hand, her tone relaxed, and then, unsurprisingly, she saw Killiman's gaze sweep over the pages of the papers, and then solemnly put it away: none of this exceeded the Spider Queen's expectations.

That's what she had planned, whether it was the Makurags' stern rejection of the Customs Union, or the careful custody of the bills now: on her way to Makullag, the protogens had been rehearsed a thousand times in her throne room.

Morgan's pupils twinkled.

After all, as Gilliman just said, it would be too shocking to ask the Far Eastern frontier and the five hundred worlds to openly sign a customs union now.

It is important to remember that the Customs Union is not a commercial institution: it means that all the political entities involved in it may have a unified market in their own right, as well as a long history of mutual exchange and a high level of identification with each other.

and, most importantly, that these political entities are capable of forming a central body that transcends themselves and is capable of setting the fundamental element of finance, the tariff, and thus exercising state power in disguise: after all, tariff itself is a higher tax which can only be established and designated by the highest administrative unit of the state.

When these elements are complete, the so-called customs union and an independent country are only a drop in the door: the same market is a distinct national border, the union itself is the prototype of the government, and for more important values or centripetal force, the birth of the customs union is its best embodiment.

After all, the Customs Union is not a one-sided thing: internally, individual members will eliminate tariffs and trade barriers with each other, but externally, non-union members will face uniform tariffs and relative trade barriers.

In other words, if the inhabitants of the Five Hundred Worlds were willing to form a Customs Union with the Far Eastern Frontier, it would mean that the majority of the elite among the people of Killiman would already regard Avalon as their own people, while the rest of the Human Empire, especially Holy Terra, would become outsiders in the eyes of the Five Hundred Worlds.

This surging public opinion is both the cause and effect of the Customs Union, and any politician with a little maturity knows this, which is why Killeman is so frightened: in his opinion, the big men in Terra will definitely exert a thunderous anger at the establishment of the Customs Union, because, in a sense, it is equivalent to the two easternmost regions of the human empire in their open independence.

It is no wonder that the Lord of Maculag was genuinely terrified of this memo.

It's just that this Ultramarines Legion gene protonator may have been thinking about one thing wrongly: that is, in his eyes, those [big men] on the Holy Terra are actually unworthy of mention in the political system of the entire human empire, and the so-called supreme lords and Terra bureaucrats, at least for now, can't decide anything important.

The actual power of the Human Empire is in the hands of the Emperor, the Sealers, and the various Genetic Primors: this will not change until the Return of the Lord of Humanity to Terra.

The emperor is the core and only core of the human empire, and Machado is just the emperor who does not want to involve his energy in the great expedition because of other trivial matters, and pushes the imperial seal to the front of the stage, as for those high lords and Terra bureaucrats, those Terra [big men] in the eyes of Killiman are the tools used by the sealers to straighten out the imperial politics: the emperor may not even remember the names of these guys, and their rise and prosperity, or prosperity and decline, are just the consequences of a thought of the palm sealer.

Morgan could even pat herself on the chest and say that if she wanted to, she only needed to say a few words in front of Machado to make any powerful supreme lord completely disappear from the political arena of the empire: never underestimate the invisible power of the leaders of the imperial army.

In other words, if Killeman or Morgan could get the permission of the emperor, or even just the bearer of the seal, then they could have set up a Far Eastern Customs Union, and with great fanfare: what about the high lords? Without the support of the Emperor or Machado, what could they do with the two Legion Masters?

It's a pity that Killiman doesn't understand such a truth for the time being, and it's not to blame him, even Morgan, it was only after experiencing that not long Terra travels that he realized how fragile mortals are in today's imperial system, and the Terra bigwigs that Killiman fears are a group of jokes, and they in turn have to use all means to ask the Lord of Avalon to listen to their advice.

But Morgan wasn't going to tell Gilliman about that.

After all, her Marcurag brother was the most exotic of the primordials: Killyman was probably the only Genetrogen who truly had a reverence for the mortal lords, and by using this awe that shouldn't exist, Morgan could do more good for himself when it came to matters concerning Killiman.

So, just like the [Terra bigwigs] in Killiman's mind, let's exist for a little longer.

At the very least, these bigwigs should not disappear until Morgan actually builds this Far Eastern Customs Union, but when they disappear from Killiman's mind, it will be the bell for the real establishment of this Customs Union.

Thinking of this, Morgan laughed, and she glanced at the papers that Killiman had placed in her arms, and felt a little smug: those were all proposals that Morgan had specially selected and were sure that the Lord of Maculag could not refuse.

[Just like that, Robert.] 】

When Morgan spoke again, there was a different kind of seduction in her voice.

[It is true that we cannot blatantly sign the Customs Union, but that does not mean that I do not need it, take a look at these documents in my hand, Robert, one thing you cannot deny: in today's increasingly frequent exchanges between the Far Eastern frontier and the five hundred worlds, even for the sake of our people, we do need a more relaxed market environment, and a myriad of corresponding policies. 】

[The paper in your hand is just a representation of this. 】

[After all, whether it is a customs union or an economic community, a unified market that needs to be loosened is a necessary condition for their emergence, and the desire of our people for this more liquid market is a big thing that we cannot ignore. 】

[It is about the well-being of the Far Eastern frontiers, and also about the development of Maculag. 】

“……”

The Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds was silent, but nodded: of course he knew that Morgan's words made perfect sense, and he could also realize that the benefits of establishing a Customs Union for the Far Eastern Frontier and the Five Hundred Worlds were only political considerations, which made Killiman hesitate.

"But, Morgan, even if we had secretly formed such a customs union, as soon as all the proposals in these memoranda were presented, the more experienced people would realize what it meant: they would just think that we had formed a [nameless customs union] and that's it."

The words of the Makullag people are undoubtedly melancholy, but even Gilliman himself is not aware of one thing: when Morgan associated the Customs Union with the well-being of the five hundred worlds, the attitude of the Makullag people towards the Customs Union has changed from the beginning of the explicit resistance to the present [full of worry].

And this kind of transformation was clearly seen by Queen Avalon, which is why Morgan dared to discuss this kind of thing with Killman: Morgan knows very well that although on the whole, Killiman is undoubtedly loyal to the great dream of the human empire, and he can even be said to be the most loyal to the empire in the entire Otrama region, but the deep-rooted Atlasma doctrine will still affect the heart of this genetic prototype all the time.

As long as it was beneficial to Otlama, he would not refuse stiffly, and would always leave room for hesitation or ambiguity: and this space itself was Morgan's convenient passage to pry open Gilliman's mind.

She had already prepared her words.

Why are you in such a hurry? 】

The Spider Queen's eyebrows are crooked.

[Look, Robert, this memo in my hand is as thick as armor. But I am only struggling with you a few pages now, because these pages record the problems that we need to solve most at present, and the problems that must be solved, and which are the important purpose of my trip: these are the problems that can be solved in the future. 】

“……”

The primordial body's pupils lit up.

"What do you mean......"

[Yes.] 】

Morgan laughed.

[My dear Robert, I never imagined that I would be able to establish a customs union in the Far East tomorrow, after all, although the Far Eastern frontier and the five hundred worlds have established a close relationship after more than 20 years of trade exchanges, but the foundation of this relationship is not thick enough, it still needs a long time to accumulate, and it still needs several generations of mutual recognition, all of which may take decades. 】

[And we can promote the establishment of these clauses in the memorandum in batches in these decades, we will sign a few documents this time, and a few more documents in a few years, to observe what our kingdom needs most, to solve the most difficult problems, and to let the impact of time dissipate in the long river of time.] 】

"But when they're all out ......"

[That's at least fifty years later.] 】

On the face of the Lord of Avalon, a smile flew that Killiman couldn't refuse.

[Believe me, Robert, at that time, what we want to do, the big names on Holy Terra can't control: it involves a lot of things, including the Emperor's plans for the later stages of the Great Expedition, as well as the tax of the Palm Seal, and the gifts that the Emperor has entrusted me to bring you, etc.] 】

[Anyway, there's so much going on that we can't finish it in the hallway: let's go to your office, or the conference hall, and have a good talk, and I don't want to make Miss Judon wait for us too much.] 】

"Well, follow me, sister."

Genogen laughed, and instead of dwelling on these political matters, he took a step forward and led the way for his two blood brothers: except that Morgan did not immediately follow after Killiman walked a little further, for Conrad rubbed into her side.

"I'm a little curious."

The Midnight Lord tucked the welcome speech under his arm, not forgetting to skim the title: The Newborn Sun of Couss.

"What are you trying to do to trick this guy Killiman into establishing a customs union with you?"

【……】

“……”

【……】

Morgan stepped along, and the Midnight Ghost followed, and after determining that Killiman couldn't hear them, the Spider Queen lowered her tone and smiled at her blood brother.

[If I say that it is to prepare for an independent rebellion, do you believe it? 】

“……”

Conrad was silent.

His face contorted at first, his brow furrowed, and he thought to himself: then, I don't know what he remembered, a smile appeared on the Midnight Wraith's face that made goosebumps tremble all over Morgan's body.

"Ah......h

"An organization prepared to create an emperor......

“……”

"Sounds promising."

"Can I join?"

【……】

[Huh?! 】

Morgan raised an eyebrow, and she realized that, unlike her own half-jokes, Conrad's attitude was really serious a few times.

【……】

What do you mean, Conrad. 】

“……”

Midnight Wraith grinned and grinned.

"Literally."

——————

"Your Excellency the Queen Regent."

(End of chapter)