67 Negotiation (1/2)
The next afternoon in the Westminster Palace, the atmosphere was serious and suffocating. Security kept all of the outsiders away.
Usually, this place was full of people. Known as the capitol, the senators of the Upper and Lower House would play the game of politics here. But now, it was silent because a more important discussion was happening in secrecy.
It was already the third day of conferences between Anglo and Yunlou City. It was an important event between the two nations, but the conference hall was empty. There were no government officials, no judges, and no military personnel participating.
At the left of the long table, Yunlou officials clad in long robes clustered around a silent white-haired girl. At the right, other than the secretary for recording the meeting and the necessary representatives, there were only two men leading the talks.
One of them sat in the chair casually. His eyes were not open fully, as if he had just been dragged out of bed. Not only was his white beard messy, but a button on his sleeve had been buttoned incorrectly too. He sat there spacing out, as if he was not listening to the talk at all. The smell of alcohol radiated from him.
A few minutes earlier, the man, Maxwell, had even been snoring. Now, his eyes were open, and it was an impressive feat. No one understood why the Queen would give such an important task to him, and the ”insane” guy wearing a white coat beside him.
The old man was silent and had not said a word the entire time. As if he had just been let out of the asylum, he stared at the princess with wild and enthusiastic eyes. His hands shook as if he wanted to reach out and strangle the girl!
Everyone in Avalon knew that the Royal Institute of Research was right next to Arkham Asylum. Even more ironic was that both places were full of crazy and insane people. If the officials went crazy, they would use up the nation’s budget, while the patients would use up all the taxpayer’s money. In short, they were nothing good!
It was fortunate that Princess Yunlou did not lose her temper as she was faced with these two unreliable guys. But sadly, the discussion still had to go on. For international matters, arguing about every inch of land was basic. Arguing over every little pebble was expected.
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”The welcoming ceremony, the state guesthouse, the royal banquet hall. The attacks have not stopped since you entered the city. Until today, there have already been six attacks.” Maxwell pounded the table, his old face filled with pain. ”Terrorist attacks because of your presence have already killed and wounded dozens. Of these, one earl was slightly wounded, two viscounts were wounded heavily, and six barons suffered emotional trauma. Even now, they are bedridden and suffer from insomnia.
”They were all talents who were the pillars of our nation’s future. But now they are useless things who hide under their servants’ skirts. Is there nothing that Yunlou City has to say?”
”Ridiculous!” Without waiting for the girl to speak, the official beside her laughed coldly. ”We traveled to Anglo as ambassadors. Shouldn’t it be your duty to ensure the safety of the ambassadors? And if the Princess had been hurt, it would be even more embarrassing for you, would it not?”
”Of course, but…” Maxwell arched an eyebrow and laughed softly. ”If the reason lies with Yunlou City itself, then it’s a different matter.”
”My apologies, but please explain.”
”According to our research, the assassins should be related to Yunlou’s exiled regime, correct?” Maxwell threw a pile of resources onto the table. ”They’ve entered Avalon and caused chaos. According to others, they’re even performing human trafficking. The police are in a terrible situation.
Maxwell continued, ”According to our research, their leader is an Easterner named Yunlou Qingxi. He calls himself the true leader of Yunlou, and announced that he is just trying to find justice. What does Yunlou City have to say in regard to this?”
”Absurd,” the main official scoffed. ”There is only one leader of Yunlou City and that is the Princess’s father—His Majesty, Yunlou Qingshu. How is there an exiled regime? We hope that the royalty of Anglo won’t be fooled by some hooligans.”
”Really? Then maybe we have a misunderstanding.” Maxwell nodded as his eyes turned cold. ”As everyone knows, Her Highness’s father, Yunlou Qingshu, is not the legitimate heir of the Yunlou title. He has always been criticized. As the leader, the ruler of the Eastern Aurora Empire has failed to recognize Yunlou Qingshu’s rule over Yunlou City. This has resulted in Yunlou’s endless chaos.”
Maxwell’s eyes were heavy with pain, he shook his head and sighed. ”If Yunlou City wants to leave the Eastern camp, despite being riddled with inner chaos, make alliances with Western nations and become independent. Even Her Highness, the Queen, will find it difficult to support Yunlou.”
”If that is Anglo’s opinion, then what is the point of this conference?” The silent girl sitting primly in the middle finally looked up. As if sensing something interesting, she took in Maxwell’s appearance. Her tone was gentle, but her soft voice somehow stopped the commotion.
The white-haired girl said quietly, ”My father once taught me that there are all sorts of lessons in life, but in the end, it is all about two things: accepting and rejecting.” She continued, ”Nothing in the world is full of benefits, with no consequences to worry about. And even if we did give you the technology for creating the Bloodline of the Dragon, would Anglo dare to accept it?”
”Really?” The crazed man in the white cloak beside Maxwell suddenly burst out in joy. ”Accept it! Why not?”
Maxwell rolled his eyes and kicked him. ”Newton, don’t forget that you’re here just as an observer and have no right to speak. We do not need to support technology now.”
Newton pursed his lips and sat back down.
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”According to Yunlou City’s terms, you will exchange the purification technology of the Bloodline of the Dragon for Anglo’s support of Yunlou City’s independence. This is beneficial for both parties. After all, Yunlou City is alone overseas and the tribute relationship with the East only survives in theory.” Maxwell spoke again, but this time, he spoke in fluent Aurorian Mandarin. His accent was native and flawless. ”But there is still something I don’t understand.”
He paused, gazing at the girl’s neutral expression. ”The purification technology of the East is a byproduct created during the research for the Bloodline of the Dragon. No, it is more accurate to say that the medium for this technology is Dragon blood.”
”If you are to give us this technology, you are essentially giving us a Deva with the Bloodline of the Dragon. Or to put it more bluntly, the only one from Yunlou City who qualifies is Your Highness. Even the king’s blood is not pure enough. Is it as the rumors say, that you are planning on marrying our Prince?”
”That is not impossible,” the girl replied softly. ”If there is marriage, the relationship between our two nations would be more stable.”
”Yes! Good!” Newton became excited. ”And if Your Highness is interested, you can come visit the research institute. I’ll sweep, sweep that thing to welcome you!”