Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 737

Chapter 734, Appointed Me as the Grand Mentor?

“Your Excellency, Governor, you’re incredibly responsive and have handled the situation well.”

Inside the Holy Terra Palace, Salihovich was reporting to Gu Hang. Mentioning the events of the triumphal ceremony, he couldn’t help but compliment Gu Hang.

Gu Hang waved his hand, not responding.

Indeed, his reaction on the scene wasn’t slow.

But how well he handled

the situation was unclear. He’d managed to get by, but upon realizing the problem, Gu Hang’s impromptu response and improvisation, driven by his urgency, made it difficult to articulate his words.

He wanted to praise the Prime Minister and avoid an awkward situation. But his words were blunt and perhaps a bit too focused. It’s

hard to say whether Prime Minister Qi Bodu was truly relieved afterward.

After all, Gu Hang fundamentally didn’t want Qi Bodu to be wary of him, to view him, or the entire Alliance, as a threat.

Whether he could fully achieve this goal was unclear.

He felt quite helpless in this matter.

Ambassador Salihovich had indeed been active in Holy Terra for a considerable period, with Gallardo as his backer. However, Prime Minister Zibodu’s position was too high, and he wasn’t part of the same circle, beyond Salihovich’s easy reach. He did have occasional public encounters with the Prime Minister, but naturally, communication with him was impossible. Private interactions were even rarer.

He did consider placing some Foreign Intelligence agents close to the Prime Minister,

but he didn’t dare go too far. He only placed a few outsiders, content to receive more peripheral intelligence.

Otherwise, wouldn’t being a member of the Ministry of Justice or the Inquisition be more powerful?

Even with the current state of the Alliance Foreign Intelligence Agency’s intelligence activities in Holy Terra, many institutions within the Empire might be aware of them.

But firstly, the Alliance is an Imperial power with a strong background, and since they haven’t done anything out of the ordinary, it’s difficult to target them. Secondly

, the Foreign Intelligence Agency’s actions are registered with the Ministry of Justice, and they’re applied for under the guise of normal Alliance ambassadorial activities. While some of the Foreign Intelligence Agency’s actions teetered on the edge, having official documents provided a slight degree of security.

But that was all. Trying to infiltrate the Prime Minister’s inner circle through such tactics was unrealistic. They also didn’t dare resort to more extreme, more forceful tactics, fearing disaster if caught.

So, this was the only option.

Neither the Alliance nor Salihovic had any means of influencing the Prime Minister.

Even thoroughly probing his thoughts was difficult.

Gallardo was the only one left for this task.

When Gu Hang asked to probe the Prime Minister’s inner thoughts, Gallardo accepted, but he also explained that he could only help as much as possible, with no guarantee of the outcome.

Gallardo had indeed joined the Prime Minister’s political faction, but he was certainly not a direct descendant.

He wanted to!

However, he hadn’t grown up in the Prime Minister’s faction, but had switched from Ou Juren’s. With the notoriety of backstabbing his former boss, he couldn’t be trusted completely. Being considered one of their own would, at best, be considered a joining or a defection.

Gallardo even suspected that after a period of time, the Prime Minister would eventually replace him.

The Ministry of Military Affairs was a crucial department; how could he let a traitor take control?

Even if he couldn’t be taken down outright, he would at least have to prove himself.

But that day hadn’t come yet.

In this regard, he had to rely on Gu Hang’s support from outside. Otherwise, a rootless Prime Minister like him would be removed with just a word from Qi Bodu.

The two of them supported each other.

…

After the triumphal ceremony, most of the attendees left gradually over the next month.

They generally received what they wanted.

Gu Hang, of course, hadn’t left yet.

He hadn’t yet secured what he wanted.

Gu Hang didn’t really want to stay in Holy Terra for too long. There were still many matters waiting for him back home at the Alliance.

But… even at this point, he couldn’t help but rant bitterly about the Empire’s inefficient administration.

The “Alliance Plan” was still under discussion within the Empire.

Gu Hang had submitted multiple requests, hoping for at least a formal meeting. Even if no results were forthcoming, at least a face-to-face discussion would be necessary to push things forward.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if the “Alliance Plan” failed to pass, or even if both sides resorted to war, that would still be a conclusion.

However, if that were to happen, Gu Hang’s return to the Alliance would be difficult.

This was, in fact, the fundamental reason the Imperial Central Government insisted on Gu Hang’s presence: if he didn’t even dare to come, it would prove he had rebellious intentions. The “Alliance Plan” would definitely not be approved, and they would even have to prepare military forces to quell the rebellion.

If he came, the “Alliance Plan” could be discussed—just that. If the negotiations failed, then Gu Hang wouldn’t be able to return.

But Gu Hang had to come anyway.

Faced with this delay, with no clear explanation, he felt helpless. He was furious, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He could only constantly exert force in various other directions, hoping to speed things up.

He couldn’t express these emotions, so he could only maintain a calm demeanor.

Walls have ears.

His psychic abilities allowed him to clearly sense the constant presence of numerous Imperial spies, constantly monitoring him, his family, and the many important Alliance figures he had brought with him.

The surveillance of others was less severe, but the monitoring of Gu Hang was particularly intense.

With Gu Hang’s psychic abilities, he could easily eliminate these spies.

But it was clear that Gu Hang would not do so.

Instead, he openly shared his life and work in Holy Terra. This even included every contact he made with the Alliance and his guidance of their work.

He unreservedly demonstrated his harmlessness, trying to gain the favor of the Imperial high command.

Of course, there are some true secrets that cannot be revealed. But Gu Hang had already explained to the Alliance Mainland that while he was still in Holy Terra, all decisions would be made independently by the “Big Three” structure of Ossena, Thaddeus, and Lambert.

He had some special psychic means that could bypass surveillance and contact the Alliance Mainland.

But there was no need to do so.

If anyone noticed that he was using these special psychic means, even if the Empire couldn’t track him, it would only increase suspicion.

Now that everyone was here, the priority was to be honest.

However, the tree wants to be still, but the wind does not stop.

The imperial central administration is slow—or perhaps it’s deliberately giving him the cold shoulder.

But there are those who are impatient, eager to meet him, to establish a relationship.

That’s the Imperial Psychic Order.

The current Chief Master of the Psychic Order came to visit.

Gu Hang met them openly, and also allowed his spies to investigate.

…

Dou Zhao is already very old.

Taking into account the rejuvenation surgeries that the imperial elite have access to year-round, he is now 349 years old. Logically, he still has many years left to live.

But for him, that’s not the case.

The normal person usually has the opportunity for five rejuvenation surgeries, and the lifespan is 500 years.

But he has already completed all five rejuvenation surgeries. Now, he can already feel that his end is approaching.

This is because he is an S-level psychic.

For most people, possessing psychic talent and, after receiving orthodox training, gaining stable control over psychic powers is a blessing. Psionic energy is a powerful force. Mastered, it can change destiny.

However, no one can deny the devastating effects of psychic energy on the human body and soul.

The constant whispers of the Warp say that when unleashing psychic energy, the body is harmed, the personality gradually changes, and lifespan is shortened…

Dou Zhao, who originally expected to live to 500 years after five rejuvenation surgeries, now clearly feels that he won’t make it past his 360th birthday.

In other words, he only has eleven years left to live.

But he has nothing to regret.

If it weren’t for his mastery of psychic energy, how could he have risen from the son of an ordinary company employee to one of the most powerful figures in the empire?

President of the Psionic Order, S-Class Psychic… Without these identities, he wouldn’t even be qualified for a single rejuvenation surgery and would have long since become a skeleton.

And now…

“I have nothing to worry about anymore,” Dou Zhao, sitting in front of Gu Hang, said calmly. “If the Emperor summons me, I shall go. But before I go, I must leave something behind for the place where I have fought for three hundred years.”

“What exactly does the Order of Psychic Power need?”

“I’ve thought about it, and I always feel that the Order of Psychic Power needs a leader who is powerful enough to truly unite countless psychics.”

“I can’t think of anyone else other than you.”

“So, accept my invitation, Mr. Gu Hang. You will be the next Chief Grand Master of the Order of Psychic Power.”

“This is not just my decision, but the unanimous decision of all nine Grand Masters of the Order.”

Gu Hang pondered for a moment.

This Dou Zhao was the current supreme leader of the Order of Psychic Power, the Chief Grand Master.

Before he even arrived to express his intentions, Gu Hang had a rough idea of his purpose.

But he was still somewhat surprised by the Order’s urgency and directness.

At the same time, he worried that there might be some hidden agenda.

He asked cautiously, “I’m neither a psychic from the Order nor have I ever made any contributions to it. What qualifications do I have…” He

declined for a moment to see what was going on.

Dou Zhao shook his head slightly and said, “This has nothing to do with your contributions to the Order; it’s all about your strength. Your psychic power is beyond imagination. The so-called S-class, S+-class, and even the Alpha-class, which humans simply can’t stably control, can’t even measure your strength. Such great psychic power is…extremely rare in the entire history of the Empire.”

Dou Zhao had originally intended to say ‘only the Emperor surpasses this,’ but he decided it wasn’t appropriate and swallowed the words back.

He changed the subject: “Besides, if you become the Chief Grand Master, what’s there to worry about not being able to contribute? In the future, you’ll have ample opportunities to contribute to the Psychic Order. At the same time, the Psychic Order will be a support to you.”

Even at this point, Gu Hang still shook his head slightly: “This is still too sudden, and the matter is too serious. Please allow me some time to think about it.”

“I understand.” Dou Zhao stood up. “But before that, could you please come to the Psychic Order? We have a special venue where you can fully unleash your power. Let’s see it for ourselves. Some younger generations don’t understand the power of psychic energy, and they need to be exposed to it. Some people outside also need to be exposed to it.”

At this point, he added: “Perhaps this can be of some help in your current predicament.”

Gu Hang’s heart moved, and he roughly understood what he meant.

But he was still cautious and did not agree directly. Instead, he said he would consider it and inform the Psychic Order of his decision before sunset tomorrow.

After politely seeing Dou Zhao off, Gu Hang immediately summoned Salihovic.

Nor did they conceal it from the observers.

After informing the Ambassador to Terra of the Psychic Order’s intentions, Salihovich was somewhat surprised.

“During my time here, they never contacted me. Such a major event is too sudden…”

He sighed, then continued, “But, this is consistent with the characteristics of those psychic masters.”

“How do you say it?” Gu Hang asked.

“They are self-righteous, arrogant, and look down on others; yet they are also down and out, without real power, often at the mercy of others, forced to swallow their frustrations. The more this is the case, the more they try to maintain that aloofness and highlight their value…”

Gu Hang was quite surprised. “I don’t sense any aloofness or arrogance from them. Isn’t Mr. Dou quite kind and sincere?”

“That’s because he’s speaking to you, Your Excellency the Governor.”

At this point, Salihovich recounted the history and current situation of the Psychic Order to Gu Hang.

After listening, Gu Hang probably had some understanding of everything Salihovich had said.

The Psychic Order was an institution established by the Empire to govern all psychics within the Empire. Their supreme leader, the Chief Grand Master, is even qualified to be selected as a High Lord.

This is the source of their arrogance.

However, if they were truly so powerful, there would be no such descriptions as follows.

(End of this chapter)