Many people might recall that previously, Thanos invited trouble by endorsing Nick for a position within the Interstellar Security Committee. Unluckily, during the Multiverse War, a ship sent by the Interstellar Security Committee to Market Star lost control, fired its main cannon towards the ground, and ultimately destroyed a planet. Although everyone evacuated swiftly and there were minimal casualties, that place was a hub for all sorts of people, making it impossible to contain the news. In an effort to provide an explanation to the many civilizations, the interstellar council had no choice but to relieve Thanos of his position.
The saying "When the mountain is void of tigers, the monkey becomes king" applies here, but more accurately, Nick is the real tiger. And now there's not even a proper monkey to be found, leaving no one in the entire Interstellar Security Committee who can challenge him. So, the first human being to establish a foothold in the interstellar council wasn't Strange; it was Nick Fury.
As for any good deeds he accomplished since taking office, you couldn't name any; he made no contributions to interstellar security whatsoever; nor did his department achieve any progress under his leadership. Yet this very department consumed 80% of the Security Department's budget, and still managed to maintain a splendid appearance on the books.
Coincidentally, the newly appointed Minister of Security knows nothing about security, nor about finance; he doesn't even look at the books, letting Nick easily muddle through.
No one knows exactly how much he took, but it's known that the construction speed of the human race's second star ship in the Solar System is at 320% of its original pace, and it's likely to begin trials in three months.
Nick had just hung up one call when he picked up Star-Lord's call. Slowly, he said to the slightly exasperated Star-Lord on the other end, "Don't worry. You know who I am; do you think I'll let you suffer any losses? If you have time, come to the Interstellar Security Committee for a chat. Yes, right now. Some things must be said face to face."
Star-Lord didn't stand on ceremony, probably too angry to care. Unlike before, he didn't scrimp on flying his ship here but instead paid to use a Teleportation Portal, arriving at the Star Area soon after.
Nick sent him coordinates, and he navigated through public transport ships, making many twists and turns before finally reaching a bustling outer rim planet. Looking at the lavish decorations along the road, Star-Lord asked, "Where is this? This looks like Shi'ar Empire territory."
"It is Shi'ar Empire territory." Nick led him into a café. It was similar to a human café, but possibly due to work hours, there weren't many people around. They found a secluded corner to sit down.
"What on earth is going on?" Star-Lord asked, "There's no way Yondu could have taken that much money. Twenty trillion? That's absurd!"
"Of course, there's no way he could have taken that much money. Frankly, the interstellar council doesn't even have that kind of money." Nick shook his head and said, "A quarterly budget is only eighty million; you do the math, how many quarters would it take to accumulate such a sum? It's simply unrealistic."
"Then what the hell is going on?" Star-Lord looked puzzled.
"The specific principles are a bit too complex to explain. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Why don't we be direct and make a deal?"
Star-Lord thought for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, as long as we can settle this matter, I'm open to anything."
"Have Yondu take responsibility for this amount."
"What?!" Star-Lord nearly jumped out of his chair.
"Don't worry." Nick took the tray from the server, placing the drinks in front of them, saying, "I didn't say he should take the full responsibility. Even if he dared claim so, no one would believe it."
"You've really confused me," Star-Lord said, "If Yondu admits to taking the money, he'll be targeted by everyone, whether it's the interstellar council or other interstellar pirates; they won't let him off."
"You're mistaken on one point: right now, if he doesn't admit it, others won't let him off. Because this 'official' news wasn't announced publicly, but leaked by insiders, giving it quite high credibility. Denying it won't help Yondu."
"So what do you suggest?"
Nick replied somewhat helplessly, "When faced with something inexplicable, what would you do?"
"Of course, I'd try to explain it as best as I can. I refuse to believe that there are things in this world that can't be explained. I'll definitely find the evidence."
"That's a good thought, but we usually take a simpler approach." Nick took a sip of water and said, "When you're faced with fabricated accusations and no evidence can back you up, there are several rules to help you escape the dilemma of public opinion."
"What are they?" Star-Lord leaned forward and asked.
"First, control your emotions. Don't lose your head; don't let extreme emotions drive you to excessively deny the incident. The more you deny, the more you appear guilty."
"But this is not something I did, so why shouldn't I deny it?"
"I didn't say not to deny it at all. Just hear me out," Nick stated, "The first step is to avoid absolute denial because it will make others think you lack objectivity. By maintaining a neutral stance, you gain people's trust."
"Oh, I get it. It's like putting on an act."
"You could put it that way. If you erupt with extreme emotions and vigorously deny, people will think your subsequent statements lack objectivity, reducing your credibility. So it's important to stay calm."
"What about the next step then?"
"Confirm the parts of his words that can be affirmed."
"I don't understand. They're completely lying. What parts are worth affirming?"
"Let me ask you, are you very sure that all interstellar pirates have never taken any money?"
Star Lord opened his mouth wide, took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "To be honest, I don't deal much with interstellar pirates, other than Ravagers, I don't really know any pirates."
"Do you think Yondu would dare make this guarantee?"
Star Lord didn't answer, but he knew in his heart that probably wasn't the case. Because Yondu had hinted before that the Three Great Empires are capable of wiping out interstellar pirates, but they keep them around to maintain control. Even if they don't pay them, they've certainly provided conveniences in many ways.
The Ravager Team is almost the only group among interstellar pirates with some lower limits, making them difficult to sway, but other pirates aren't as picky. If a little money can manage them, the Three Great Empires would be very willing to do so, after all, at worst, they could launch a crackdown and reclaim the money.
"So it's possible," Nick continued, "it's possible some pirates took money from the Three Great Empires, right? Then affirm that part."
"You mean, let Yondu admit some interstellar pirates accepted money."
"Exactly. And without our reminder, he'll definitely say that. He'll tell those reporters that his peers are a bunch of money-grubbing bastards, and no one can guarantee they haven't taken money from the interstellar council."
"But what if the reporters persist? They'll surely press to find out if Yondu took money."
"That's the second point," Nick said, rubbing the rim of his cup, "after neutrally affirming a part of the other's viewpoint, next you express your own viewpoint. You need to continue maintaining an apparently objective attitude, but through tactics like muddying the waters or shifting concepts to extricate yourself."
"How to do that?" Star Lord asked.
"First, question the authenticity of the message. You could say, for instance, 'I really wonder where you heard such a thing,' or 'This message is amazing, I wonder who spread it.' Remember, never outright claim it's false, instead keep things ambiguous while showing doubt."
Star Lord nodded and then asked, "What's next?"
"Start questioning the person behind the source of information." Nick extended several fingers and began giving examples, "But use a tone of exonerating them, like 'I know government workers have it tough, and gossiping a bit is nothing, I don't mind,' or 'the interstellar internet is getting more developed, everyone's chasing the headlines, after all, if a video goes viral, one might earn dozens of thousands from it.' In this way, you not only question the source person but also endow them with motives without cause. There are many useful motives, the ones I often use include 'making up rumors to relieve stress,' 'wanting to attract attention with sensational remarks,' or 'because of a good deed I did before, it affected their interests, and they retaliate by suppressing me.'
Star Lord showed an expression of sudden realization and said, "I feel these could apply: government employees made up an outrageous lie due to work stress, posted it online to gain traffic, while also disgust the Ravagers. I'll go discuss this with Yondu!"
He stood up to leave. Nick grabbed him and sighed, "What's the point of just learning surface skills? You're far worse than your foster father. Do you think he doesn't know these?"
Star Lord seemed confused. Nick shook his head and said, "If he didn't know how to deal with politicians, he'd have died hundreds of times. He can think of and do all these things. But what I'm about to tell you is the key point."
"What?"
"The part about questioning others' motives must be done appropriately. Know when to stop. And after that, the key point is to pinpoint accurately, discovering who would benefit after someone is harmed by rumors—especially tell those whose interests are related."
"For example: if a subordinate is framed and embarrassed, it disgraces their leader; a person makes a work error, possibly causing the department to be scolded; if theft is not clarified, everyone could be suspected as thieves; being slandered for saying things never said aims to sow discord and ruin team harmony."
"Social interaction involves many complex techniques, but at its core, it's about 'how to make others listen to you.' People will listen carefully when related to their own interests."
"Since there's no room for positive defense, pulling more people into the matter is the only option to evoke a willingness to listen. Only by listening sincerely do they possibly get persuaded, which is key to turning the situation around."
"I understand," Star Lord said, "If everyone believes the Ravagers took the money, who would become the biggest winner?"
Star Lord asked himself and answered. Originally, he thought it would be the interstellar pirates because most civilizations, knowing the interstellar pirates took so much money, would surely find them threatening and think of ways to eliminate them; or perhaps they might covet the money these people took and try to plunder from their corpses. In short, pirates would be the ones facing dire consequences first.
But on second thought, he felt wrong because he remembered what Yondu told him before: interstellar pirates can roam freely among the stars largely due to the indulgence of the Three Great Empires. If other civilizations dared to provoke the Three Great Empires by taking out interstellar pirates, they would have done so long ago, and a mere group of pirates less advanced than third-rate civilizations wouldn't be so rampant.
The backers of interstellar pirates are the Three Great Empires, hence no one dares touch them. Nobody dared before, and nobody will after the news breaks, likely won't lead to their extinction either.
Star Lord tightly grasped his head, unable to figure it out. Then Nick smiled at him and said, "I've said before, the amount is exaggerated, absolutely impossible. So why such an exaggerated amount?"