Chapter 148: The Disrupted Negotiation

The moment he said this, the crowd erupted.

The infamous reputation of the Hailan Empire might not have spread to the town of Fromm, north of the Delusional Land, but for these young scions from Rose City and the Adventurers among them, it was a name synonymous with pure evil! In academy textbooks and the tales spun by Bards in taverns, the real and fabricated crimes committed by the Hailan Empire were too numerous to count.

Combine that with Carolina’s "flattering" nickname—"the Hailan of the West"—the fact that they were now entertaining a remnant of the Hailan Empire, and the similarity in their methods, and onlookers would easily arrive at one conclusion: Carolina was planning to restore the Hailan Empire?!

"H-How did you know?!" the middle-aged man stammered, stunned. ’Ming Datiss is one of our biggest benefactors, but he’s never appeared in public. How could this young man be so certain he’s with us?’

"Do I need to report my sources to you?" Ron said with a sneer. "Go ask the dead. The Death Squad, Black-Eyes, or perhaps Bakoyannis?"

"Do any of those names ring a bell?"

"So it was her!" The middle-aged man had a sudden realization. ’No wonder I didn’t see Bakoyannis and the bandits she’d rounded up when I got here. They must have failed, too!’

"Anything else you want to ask?" Ron had no desire to waste any more time on this guy. "If not, then leave. You’re not welcome here."

"I have all these fine young men and women waiting to throw me a welcome feast. If you don’t have any real business, I have nothing to say to a bunch of insects like you."

"Real business? Ah, right! Please, wait!" The middle-aged man hurriedly blocked Ron’s path. He knew his initial plan—arriving to condemn Ron, only to then "magnanimously" offer peace—was dead in the water. But his superiors had given him a direct order: get Ron to withdraw his troops, no matter the cost. Their trade was being severely disrupted, and the higher-ups were losing so much money they were about to lose their shirts.

The problem was, they wanted Ron to withdraw his troops, but they didn’t want to spend any money, nor did they want to lose face. This demand to have their cake and eat it too had left the envoy with virtually no options, which was what led to the previous scene.

’Getting everything I want is clearly impossible now,’ he thought. ’But I have to at least accomplish the primary objective.’

"Mr. Ron, I admit, we were the ones who made the first move. But that was a business matter; we were simply fulfilling an agreement," the middle-aged man said, his whole demeanor changing. "However, we’ve now cut all ties with that individual. The deal is over."

"We would like to make another deal with you."

"Still want Klade to withdraw his army? Then go talk to him. It’s not my call," Ron said, looking at him nonchalantly. ’One of us is in a hurry,’ he thought, ’and it certainly isn’t me.’

"That’s what the Earth Goblin Warlord said, too," the middle-aged man replied, his face darkening. "We admit we misjudged you. We were at fault. But haven’t you had enough of your revenge? It’s time to stop!"

"What good will it do you, sir, if this matter is brought before the City-State Alliance?"

"The City-State Alliance has already rejected your appeal. Stop bluffing with borrowed authority," Constance interjected. She had come to pledge her allegiance to Ron, so she had no qualms about kicking the Carolinians while they were down.

"If you hadn’t gone to Rose City first, how could you have ended up traveling the same path as us?"

"You—" The middle-aged man grew frantic. "Didn’t we agree on the road—"

"Agree on what?" Carlos grinned. "You made an agreement with *me*, which is why I kept my mouth shut."

"They don’t answer to me. Did you make a deal with them, too?"

"Nope!" A group of young people, who loved nothing more than a good spectacle, burst into laughter. They couldn’t care less about political considerations, benefits, or negotiations. Most of them were second sons or illegitimate children with no hope of inheriting their family estates, sent out to fend for themselves. Why would they bother with such things?

They had come to the Delusional Land to join Ron, and they liked his style, so they were on his side. It was as simple as that!

"Alright, that’s enough. Settle down," Ron said, motioning for the young people to quiet down. He then turned back to the envoy from Carolina. "It’s not that I’m completely unwilling to make a deal. Name your price. If it’s right, we can talk."

"Th... One hundred thousand Gold Coins!" The envoy gritted his teeth. This was the bottom line his superiors had authorized before he left.

He had no other cards left to play. "You’re still in the early stages of building your power, sir. Surely you have a great need for this capital?"

"A hundred thousand? Are you shooing away a beggar?" Delaford leaped up. "It should be at least one million Gold Coins!"

Although the goblin was making an exorbitant demand, a surprising number of people in the crowd supported him.

The envoy tried to argue with the short fellow, thinking that if he could get Ron’s companion to soften his stance even a little, there might still be room for negotiation.

But are goblins known for being reasonable? Before they had exchanged more than a few words, cold sweat was already trickling down the envoy’s temples.

"Sir!" Left with no choice, he turned to Ron for help. "Surely, *you* are a man of reason?!"

’One million Gold Coins... the lords back home would rather use that money to fight Klade to the death! That’s not a price, it’s extortion!’

"Of course I’m reasonable," Ron said with a glance at him. "How about this: I don’t want your money. Instead, I’ll propose a trade. The kind you’re best at."

"That remnant of the Hailan Empire, the Elf Mingdatis Laine. Deliver him to me, and we’ll wipe the slate clean. How about it?"

"Impossible!" Before the envoy could speak, a woman accompanying him cut in. "We cannot possibly obey that command!"

The woman’s face and figure were hidden beneath a wide robe, so Ron couldn’t get a good look at her, but she clearly held a higher rank than the envoy.

"Well, you see, sir," the envoy quickly said, forcing a smile. "It’s not that we’re unwilling to make this deal. It’s just that Ming Datiss... is no longer in our custody."

"You’re harboring a remnant of the old empire!" the young people began to shout again.

"We’re not!" Cornered, the envoy unfolded the white, flower-shaped handkerchief from his chest and began frantically wiping the cold sweat from his temples. "In fact, it’s precisely because we were unwilling to harbor, er, a remnant of the empire! That’s why he was expelled. We have nowhere to go to capture him now."

Ron noticed that as the envoy spoke, his eyes kept darting toward the woman behind him. ’Don’t tell me...’ he thought, ’is this woman also a surviving Elf from the time of the Hailan Empire?’

The young spectators, of course, refused to accept this explanation. The more reserved among them began to curse Carolina, while the more radical ones started threatening to write to their family members in the Rose Council.

A city-state like Carolina should be kicked out of the Alliance!