Chapter 56 050 Delegation Departs
The competition for the thirty slots Earth had for the trip to Ruyi City on Iridium Star was fierce. In the end, the five major rogues still managed to secure a third of these slots by sheer force, allowing each of the permanent members of the Security Council to send one diplomat and one scientist. The remaining twenty slots were also significantly influenced by these five powers.
On this day, diplomats and scientists from various countries who were preparing to join the delegation hurriedly boarded planes to New York. During this process, the United States had initially attempted to restrict the entry of foreign diplomats and scientists, hoping to create numerous vacancies that could be filled by their own personnel.
However, this move met with unanimous protests from other countries, and Bai Zhongqi immediately condemned the Americans' actions, forcing the United States to send only two representatives to the delegation.
At two in the afternoon, Eastern Time, the 30 members of the visiting delegation eagerly awaited outside the United Nations headquarters.
Zhong Zhiyan, the C country's delegate to the United Nations, joined as a diplomat, and another was a high-level national scientist who rushed overnight from his home country: an academician of the Academy of Sciences and a senior consultant for the Office for Extraterrestrial Contact.
Zhong Zhiyan quietly discussed with Academician Ding, "Academician Ding, this trip to the space city of the Iridium Star people serves two purposes. On one hand, we aim to gain a more direct understanding of the scientific and technological achievements of Iridium Star. On the other hand, we should seek to deepen relations with the Iridium Star Chancellor, Bai Zhongqi. Enjoy new tales from empire
Domestic investigations indicate that Bai Zhongqi's political stance tends to favor our country. If we can secure his support for our country, we will have the opportunity to acquire technology far beyond Earth's current level, which is crucial for our country to leapfrog in development or even achieve exponential national advancement."
Although Academician Ding was not particularly interested in politics, reaching such a high position as an academician meant he could not be entirely unaware of political dynamics. He thought for a moment and said, "Aren't we being somewhat presumptuous here?
It's true that this alien chancellor is a native of our country, but after all, he was reborn in our country with his previous memories intact. In terms of national identity, he might still identify more with his alien motherland, especially since he is the chancellor of that empire. We cannot be certain of what Bai Zhongqi's intentions are; all we can do is make contact and see how things develop."
Zhong Zhiyan nodded and responded, "Yes, that is why during this visit, we need to create opportunities to meet with Bai Zhongqi or other representatives from Iridium Star privately."
Before long, an Iridium Star landing craft appeared in the sky, growing from small to large. The Iridium Star spacecraft had not employed optical camouflage, so it was clearly visible to those on the ground. Not only did the delegation at the United Nations headquarters see it, but also people who had received the news yesterday came to the vicinity of the headquarters to watch the spectacle.
Some even traveled long distances from other regions and countries to New York, just to catch a glimpse of the alien spacecraft.
Although this landing craft was not considered advanced within the United Empire of Iridium Star, its sci-fi aspect still made the spectacle worthwhile for many spectators. Unlike the Bioboat, this landing craft was essentially a civilian transport, used specifically for planetary orbital infrastructure to surface transport, akin to long-distance buses on Earth.
This "long-distance bus," unlike the rugby-shaped Bioboat, was a disc-shaped vessel, making it look very much like a flying saucer. However, its flight principle was not that of a flying saucer but continued to be based on Iridium Star's anti-gravity system.
The disc-shaped design allowed for substantially more interior space, providing a better traveling experience for passengers, who would not feel cramped as they might in a real long-distance bus.
The orbital transit craft had a standard capacity of up to a thousand people, with three levels: the first level being the cockpit and machinery bays, and the lower two levels for passengers, offering much more space than first-class cabins on planes. Passengers could even lie flat on their chairs, with ample space between chairs. Those who preferred not to sit could freely walk around in the cabin.
The ultra-stable flight made it almost imperceptible that the craft was moving, keeping everyone confidently on their feet without fear of falling.
After the orbital transit craft landed smoothly, the gangway was lowered, and a very dignified-looking woman disembarked. She was actually the flight attendant for this craft. Of course, she was not a real person but a bionic human.
"Welcome, members of the visiting delegation, to this flight operated by 'Iridium Star Rapid Transport Company.' I am your chief flight attendant and will serve you with dedication. According to the list of delegation members provided by the United Nations, we will verify the identities of all members.
Once verification is complete, you may board the ship." The demeanor of this bionic flight attendant was quite similar to that of flight attendants on Earth-based airlines, which intrigued the Earthlings and made them find their experience rather interesting.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
An English diplomat raised his hand and asked, "Miss, it's a great honor to participate in this visit. I have a question. Does your side allow us to bring Chinese translators, as it seems you do not provide such services?"
The Englishman's plan was not unique, as several countries had the same idea.
The Iridium Star bionic flight attendant responded with a smile, "I'm sorry, sir, we cannot alter the number of members in the visiting group, but regarding the language barrier, we will provide each of you with an instant translation device to satisfy this need."
Several equally good-looking, slender female flight attendants descended from the craft, holding a small box that contained items resembling Bluetooth earpieces.
The chief flight attendant demonstratively taught the delegation members how to wear the instant translation devices on their ears, saying, "Once you set the target translation language, no matter what language the other person uses, the translator will be able to complete the translation instantly."
Some diplomats and scientists, who were at least in their forties or fifties, were as delighted as children with new toys, given that the instant translation devices already appeared extremely sophisticated, and the material was indiscernible in terms of what it was made of.
Once set up and worn on the ears, they could amazingly synchronize and translate every language spoken by others in real time with a level of accuracy nearly absolute, a stark difference from Earth's existing technologies like Google Translate, capable of contextually analyzing the meanings.
It was just a small device, yet the visiting members could already glimpse the formidable technology of the Iridium Star; a technology Earthlings had spent many years unable to perfect seemed to be a trivial thing for the people of the Iridium Star, easily created with a flick of the wrist.
A Japanese scientist, Hiroji Maruyama, asked excitedly, "May I ask, will this instant translation device be taken back after the visit concludes?"
The chief flight attendant smiled gracefully and said, "Consider it a small gift from the United Empire to the visiting delegation."
Everyone felt a surge of excitement, as perhaps by analyzing this small instant translation device, their countries could achieve a breakthrough in technology.
However, Bai Zhongqi showed contempt for this, knowing that once they dismantled the device, they would find none of the integrated circuits or wires they were familiar with, and without dismantling it, the device was doomed. Without the relevant knowledge, it was impossible for Earthlings to gain any technology about the device through disassembly or reverse engineering.
It was like asking a group of monkeys to dismantle a smartphone; even if they managed to open it, they wouldn't understand what was inside, let alone be able to recreate it.