Negotiations, Triumph, and Rewards
On the train from Fiore to Philiers
The scenery kept flashing past Ogg's pupils, but his central nervous system did not react to it at all, because he was still in the council chamber not long ago.
Thirty minutes ago, in the Magic Council Council's meeting hall...
"Then... those who agree to impose sanctions on King Erus and the Erus Kingdom, please raise your hands! (Chairman)"
After Crawford finished speaking, there were a few scraping sounds in the room, then silence quickly returned.
"Alright! Please lower your hands! Now, those who agree to peace talks with the Erus Kingdom, please raise your hands! (Chairman)"
A rustling sound came out, and then the hall fell silent again.
Just then, a cry of surprise rang out in the hall, drawing everyone's attention.
"Chairman, what's wrong... (Beluno)"
Looking in the direction Beluno pointed, everyone then realized that Crawford, sitting in the main seat, had neither voted for Micahlo and his two companions who supported sanctions, nor for the peace faction represented by Ogg and his group.
"This matter involves too many factors, and I truly don't know how to handle it, so I have no choice but to abstain from voting. I hope everyone can understand!" (Chairman)
Upon hearing Crawford's words, Ogg and the others exchanged glances and then nodded.
After receiving everyone's forgiveness, Crawford cleared his throat and said, "Alright! Since everyone agrees that I abstain, the voting is over. Now, three votes against peace talks, four votes in favor of peace talks, and one abstention, so the final result is that peace talks will be held with King Erus!"
Although Micahlo and his two companions were not satisfied with the result, they had no choice but to accept it reluctantly according to the rules of the Magic Council.
"Now that we've decided to negotiate, who should lead the talks?" (Micahlo)
"Micahlo, you don't need to look at me like that. Since I brought back the news of the peace talks, then this matter will naturally be my responsibility! (Ogg)"
"Chairman, it's too dangerous for Ogg to go alone. Let me go with him!" (Leizhi)
"Alright! I'll leave this matter to you!" (Chairman)
"Smack!"
The warmth and vibration on his shoulder pulled Ogg from his reverie. Looking at Leizhi, who was sitting in front of him with a cup of red tea, Ogg exclaimed, "Leizhi, you scared me to death!"
"Heh! I've called you several times, but you haven't responded, so I have no choice but to take action. (Leizhi)"
Hearing Leizhi's complaint, Ogg breathed a deep sigh of relief and then said apologetically, "Sorry, I was thinking about something and didn't hear you."
"Ogg, worrying about some things is useless; it's better to think more positively!" (Leizhi)
"You're right, some things are beyond our control. We just need to do our best in our part!" (Ogg)
Seeing his old friend regain his energy, Leizhi took out another cup of black tea from behind him and handed it to Ogg.
"We still have some time before arriving in Philiers, so let's enjoy this rare moment of leisure. After all, we'll be quite busy later!" (Leizhi)
Inspired by the red tea and Leizhi, Ogg smiled and began to enjoy the trip with his old friend who had narrowly escaped death.
Philiers
Just as the two peace ambassadors, Leizhi and Ogg, embarked on their journey here, Sordil also led his victorious army back in triumph. However, thanks to the Teleportation Array used by Old Suo and his men, while Leizhi and Ogg were enjoying their leisure time, His Majesty the King had already returned to the capital... well, to be precise, to the outskirts of Philiers.
It wasn't that Old Suo was unwilling to send everyone directly to the palace, but rather that he had to take this measure out of consideration for national prestige and military might.
"You naughty boy, all ready to go! (Hadessta)"
Hearing Hadessta's words, Sordil nodded and then said softly, "Good! Order the guards to form a ceremonial guard and show their spirits. Let's enter the city!"
"Understood, I'll arrange it right away!" (Hadessta)
A moment later, several cannon shots rang out, and then a majestic and victorious army slowly marched toward the capital city not far away.
Royal Palace, Council Hall
"That jerk is really something, running away from home over a joke! (Irene)"
"Sister-in-law, you've known for a while that my brother is unreliable, what's the point of complaining about him now!" (Diphiya)
"And you say that? If you hadn't scared him, he wouldn't have run away from home. (Irene)"
Hearing Irene's complaint, Divine Constable Di said embarrassedly, "How was I supposed to know that my brother was such a coward that he would run away from home over such a small matter?"
"Sigh! It's no use saying all this now, we should just..."
Just as Her Majesty the Queen finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps and excited cheers suddenly echoed down the corridor.
"Your Queen, His Majesty and his entourage have returned in triumph and are now crossing the central square, heading towards the Royal Palace!" (Charlie)
"Heh! This guy really can't stand being talked about. I just finished talking about him and he's back now. (Irene)"
"Hehe! My brother must have missed you, sister-in-law, that's why he rushed back so Huo Huo! (Diphiya)"
Upon hearing Divine Constable Di's teasing, Her Majesty the Queen's face instantly turned into an unidentified glowing object.
"You brat, how dare you flirt with me! I'll teach you a lesson!" (Irene)
Startled by the sight of the two hands reaching towards his armpits, Divine Constable Di cried out and began running around the palace.
"Ah! Sister-in-law, I was wrong, please forgive me this time!"
"Spare you? No way!"
"Squeak"
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
"Boom!"
Because Charlie pushed open the door at such a perfect moment, both the right-side gate of the palace and Charlie, who was standing behind the gate, were smashed into the left-side wall of the palace by the raging Divine Constable Di.
"Splash!"
Having lost speed, Divine Constable Di slid off the surface of the palace. At that moment, Charlie, who was embedded in the wall, finally saw the culprit who had sent him into the wall.
"Lady Diphiya, didn't I explain everything clearly to you before? Didn't you forgive me? Why are you punishing me like this today?" (Charlie)
Looking at Charlie, who was practically skin and bones, Diphiya said apologetically, "Charlie, I didn't mean to bump into you, it's just..."
"Charlie, I testify! Diphiya didn't mean to bump into you. She was just so excited to hear that His Majesty the King was coming back that she lost control and accidentally injured you. (Irene)"
Although Her Highness the Queen's explanation had some flaws, it at least helped her clear herself of derogatory terms such as intentional injury and pettiness. Therefore, Divine Constable Di obediently shut his mouth and tacitly accepted the explanation.
"So that's how it is! Lady Diphiya, I'm so sorry, I misunderstood you!" (Charlie)
Before Divine Constable Di could accept his apology, Her Majesty the Queen spoke first, steer the conversation back to its original course.
"Alright! Enough of that! Charlie, where are His Majesty the King and the others now?"
"Your Queen, His Majesty the King has arrived at the Central Square and should be at the Royal Palace in a quarter of an hour. (Charlie)"
After Charlie finished speaking, Irene immediately used Augmented Magic to soften the wall and free him from it.
"Charlie, Diphiya, time is of the essence. We need to hurry up and prepare for the arrival. We can talk about the rest later!"
"Yes! (Cha, Di)"
When Sordil and his entourage arrived near the palace amidst flowers and cheers, the Queen, the Prime Minister, and the remaining five Palace Guardian Heavenly Kings, along with their ministers, had already set up a grand procession in front of the palace to welcome His Majesty the King and his entourage on their triumphant return.
After Old Suo and his entourage came into view, the band conductor standing in front of the procession immediately shouted:
"Play music!"
The next second, a stirring and heroic melody echoed in the air, celebrating the army's triumphant return.
Heavenly King Guard marched up the steps of the palace, the music was just coming to an end. At that moment, His Majesty the King, dressed in a white ceremonial robe, slowly ascended into the air and finally hovered above everyone's heads.
"All troops, listen up! Assemble in the central square in three days for the awards ceremony. Dismissed!" (Old Suo)
After the king's order was given, the soldiers shouted "Long live the king!" three times, and then dispersed in order.
Philiers, Central Square, Semreko
Three days passed quickly, but Charlie and his ministers felt as if they had endured more than three hundred years of torment, because the capricious His Majesty the King had created an extremely complex project for them, and a project with a time limit.
Looking at the towering platform in front of him, the exhausted Minister of Education complained, "I hope His Majesty the King won't change the location of the award next time, otherwise we'll be busy again!"
Hearing this, Tingmei smiled and said, "Little Charlie, you're probably going to be disappointed. Our Emperor often does things unpredictably, so there will likely be many more large-scale projects like this that are both time-sensitive and demanding in terms of quality in the future!"
"Alright! You two stop complaining! Although our Emperor is a bit willful, his strategic vision is still quite good, otherwise we'd be the ones living in the manor!" (Red)
"That's true! We're a bit tired now, but the benefits are pretty good. I guess that's what they mean by being tired but happy!" (Tingmei)
"Gentlemen, shouldn't we go and inform His Majesty that he has arrived?" (Dalitz)
"Heh heh! You old miser, you really can't hold your temper!" (Raleigh)
"Big guy, our Emperor has brought back an entire kingdom! If we don't quickly implement appropriate measures, their economy will definitely collapse, and we'll have to bail them out. That would create a huge financial crisis. How can I not be anxious?" (Dalitz)
Upon hearing the Finance Minister's words, the Minister of Defense shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Hehe! Actually, I'm even more anxious than you. You know, His Majesty only left a portion of the troops stationed on the eastern border to defend Milantes. Now, that place could be attacked by another country at any moment."
"Well then! Since that's the case, let's not dawdle any longer and hurry to the palace!" (Red)
"Alright!" (Everyone)