Chapter 281

There's nothing we can do about that.

Who told the Earth Goddess to remain silent?

If the gods were willing to lend a hand, then everything would be much easier to solve.

Hmm... wait a minute, the Earth Goddess isn't exactly silent either.

Kachia suddenly thought of Ryan.

"Since Rider is the Chosen of the Gods, why not have him talk to that Saintess ... Yes, that's what we should do! The Gate of Janus abhors disobeying the gods' commands, and they've always proclaimed their opposition to the Outer Gods. As the representative of the Earth Goddess's will, they'll definitely try to befriend Rider. Perhaps Rider can really reach an agreement with them..."

Kachia's eyes lit up.

It seems she's found the right way to use Ryan!

If the twins merged into one and were then assaulted by Ryan, would Kakia still be considered Kachia they separated?

Chapter 170 Ryan negotiates with Lin Qi, proposing a twin fusion to replenish mana [1w1]

"You want Rider to talk to the people at Gate of Janus? Are you crazy!"

Inside the room.

Kachina was called over by Kachia to have a private conversation.

Since the Gate of Janus has publicly expressed its hope that everyone will prioritize peace, Kachia will definitely seize this opportunity to back down. Kachina knows this, so naturally, she will talk to the people of the Gate of Janus in order to gain some benefits when Augustus and the Northern Federation agree to reconciliation negotiations.

In fact, everyone is used to Gate of Janus's frequent role as a peacemaker. Once their people arrive in Arcadia, they will definitely have to go to Augustus and the Northern Federation. Only after confirming that the three parties have the intention to reconcile will they convene everyone for a formal meeting, so as not only to avoid wasting time, but also to avoid the possibility of fighting on the international stage.

So.

Since it involves negotiating with the people of Gate of Janus, the one they're sending is naturally that Saintess. Although Kachina was also puzzled as to why a Saintess who carries divine pronouncements would be running around all the time, who cares? As long as they stick to their bottom line, that's fine.

The problem is...

Kachia, are you kidding me? Sending Rider to negotiate? Seriously?!

"What's wrong? Is Rider not good enough?" Kachia crossed her arms and said with a half-smile, "Didn't you always say he was excellent? If he's that excellent, it's only natural that he represents Arcadia in negotiations, right?"

"But Rider has never done anything like that."

"Have we ever done such a thing? Those people at the Gate of Janus, I wouldn't want to meet them if it weren't for the circumstances." Kachia sighed softly. "Kachina, things are different now. Arcadia needs most right now is to recuperate and buy enough time to recover its strength."

Even so...

"This is also an opportunity. If Rider really succeeds in negotiating, it will be a great service to the empire. Then, when you recruit him Prince, no one will gossip anymore. Moreover, if he succeeds, he can come and go as he pleases at the Earth Temple."

"Hmph~ If I were to recruit Rider as Prince, the people in the Empire would be overjoyed and wouldn't dare to say anything... Anyway, fine."

Her recruitment of Prince went from being a bustling affair to everyone avoiding her like the Outer Gods. If she were to get married, wouldn't there be a huge celebration with drums and gongs lining the streets?

However, it's good that Kachia agreed to let Ryan enter the temple, and if he does it well, it will indeed be a great achievement, giving Ryan a place within the empire in the future.

The negotiations didn't work out? No problem, we'll just keep her in the castle and raise her like a heartless... hehe~ The family needs to grow and multiply!

Kachina went and told Ryan about it.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, as citizens of the Empire, it is the duty of every citizen of Arcadia to go through fire and water and die for the Empire!" Ryan agreed without hesitation.

Your Majesty, I'd go through fire and water for Your Majesty!

Although he didn't know what Kachia was up to, he wasn't going to lose out anyway. 'Lin Qi'? Hmph! He'd make sure she didn't leave alive!

Two days later, the Saintess 'Lin Qi', representing the Gate of Janus, arrived in the Imperial Capital Arcadia with her confidants.

"Saintess, it seems the people of Arcadia aren't very welcoming to us."

High Priestess Lia lowered the curtain and spoke to 'Lin Qi' beside her.

As the person who initially recommended Lin Qi to participate in the Saintess Assessment, Lia naturally became her confidante after Lin Qi wanted to develop the Saintess Faction.

Although Lia is only at the Fourth Tier so far, as a core member of the Gate of Janus, the High Priestess class undoubtedly makes Lia one of the best, and she is also very young with great potential.

Furthermore, Lia knows more about the inner workings of the Gate of Janus than the current 'Lin Qi' does.

"That's normal. Arcadia has always been the country of faith of the Earth Goddess, so it's difficult for the Church to develop its influence here. Everyone knows why we're here," Lin Qi said calmly.

Even peacemakers need something in return. If the Gate of Janus facilitates this peace talks, Arcadia will definitely have to concede some benefits.

The Gate of Janus asks for neither money nor land, only the right to spread the faith. While it may seem like there is no substantial investment involved, in the long run, it is clearly detrimental to the Arcadia Empire.

"Sigh, this kind of thing should have been done by the cardinals, but I didn't expect His Holiness the Pope to send you, Saintess ..." Lia paused, then whispered, "Saintess, the Pope is probably doing this to prevent the Cardinal Bishop's influence from expanding further, and at the same time, he wants to take this opportunity to suppress you. If you fail to complete the task he assigned..."

Cardinal Bishop and popes are the two major factions within the Gate of Janus.

The Pope is undoubtedly the most powerful, but Cardinal Bishop equally formidable, and it's perfectly normal for the Pope to want to suppress them.

As for the Saintess Cult, although it is still in its rising stage, because of Lin Qi's outstanding talent and the fact that she has accomplished two major tasks in succession, she has quite a few supporters in the cult, especially talented people like Lia who have difficulty climbing the ranks.

There are only so many positions. If a cardinal doesn't die, a regular bishop can't rise to the rank of bishop, and if a bishop doesn't die, High Priestess can't be promoted.

Although the hope is slim, because of the special status of the Saintess, perhaps Janus will send down an oracle one day.

"It's alright, as long as I complete the mission, there's nothing to worry about."

That being said...

Lia pursed her lips, still feeling uncertain. Everyone said that the twin Empress of Arcadia were extremely domineering and difficult to communicate with. Although Arcadia was currently at a disadvantage, the Northern Continent was not of one mind. As long as the twins lived, the Northern Continent could not possibly conquer Arcadia.

So essentially, it's just a question of how much Arcadia lost.

Da da da da da.

The carriage drove through the streets, heading straight towards the castle.

Half an hour later, 'Lin Qi' entered the castle and arrived at the palace.

The accompanying knights were left outside the castle, leaving only Lia with 'Lin Qi'. She kept her head slightly lowered, carefully observing her surroundings. Although the probability of an assassination attempt on the Saintess was almost zero, she was still somewhat nervous about entering this place.

Once inside the palace, Lia glanced up and saw two Empress, one blonde and one silver-haired, sitting on either side. They were beautiful, elegant, and noble, and both were Seventh Tier Transcendent. It was said that they could use a fusion power, making their strength approach that of the legendary Eighth Tier.

Lia, still amazed, glanced at the others. She already knew a great deal about the most powerful nobles in Arcadia, the most representative of whom was undoubtedly General Sesia, who had grown up with the twins. But Cecia wasn't there. The others... hmm? Hmm???

When Lia saw the familiar figure standing in the upper left corner, she froze on the spot, even forgetting to bow to the Twin Empress.

"Your Excellency the Saintess, your attendant seems rather disrespectful," Kachina said in an annoyed tone. "He keeps staring at my Prince. While Rider is indeed very charming, isn't it rather impolite to look at him like that?"

"Prince???"

Countless question marks filled Lia's mind.

Wait, wait, what? Rider? Isn't it Ryan? Isn't Ryan a count of the Augustus Empire?

It's so similar, it's almost identical... Pshaw! How could such a thing exist? It's either an imposter, or...

Lia snapped out of her reverie, not daring to think any further. Seeing 'Lin Qi's' gaze fall upon her, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"You two know each other?"

Kachia felt that Lia's gaze was a little strange just now.

"No..." Lia thought for a moment, then could only bite the bullet and say, "It's just that this gentleman has an extraordinary air about him, and I couldn't help but take a second look."

Whether it's an act or the real thing, Lia feels it's not something she should get involved in. Besides, judging from the Saintess's reaction, maybe this is part of the plan!

Isn't the Saintess far more familiar with Ryan than she is?

Therefore, sacrificing one's reputation is nothing in order to avoid disrupting the Saintess's plans.

Kachia didn't care. She had long thought that Ryan looked like Desire Cultists. Look at those sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he could easily deceive countless women. She really didn't know why the Earth Goddess had chosen Ryan.

"Saintess, what brings you to Arcadia this time?" Kachia asked, feigning ignorance.

"The power of the Outer Gods is growing stronger, and the Pope hopes that the Northern Continent Plates can live in harmony, quell the war, and jointly resist the invasion of the Outer Gods."

"Oh? His Holiness the Pope is truly kind-hearted," Kachia said sarcastically. The Pope is a great philanthropist; he doesn't intervene during the fighting, but instead acts as a peacemaker afterward.

But there was nothing they could do; the Gate of Janus was simply too powerful.

"I want to know, how can the Northern Continent plates coexist peacefully? Right now, the Augustus Empire's army is in Arcadia, and the Northern Federation and the Wilder's army have also advanced over the Kazar Plain. Even the Gate of Janus can't make them retreat with just a word, can it?"

Lin Qi calmly said, "Therefore, I propose peace talks."

How do we negotiate?

"Arcadia will pay compensation, and Augustus and the Northern Federation will withdraw their troops."

Kachia: "..."

Very good, you understand negotiation.

Kachia thought this Saintess's rhetoric skills were completely lacking, but her ability to annoy people was off the charts. Did Janus Path have a profession dedicated to being annoying? Is this how you talk to people?

Generally speaking, if someone comes to someone else's territory with that purpose in mind, they should phrase it more tactfully to make it easier for others to accept.

"What the Saintess means is that Arcadia is currently at a disadvantage, and continuing the war would be a waste of resources and manpower. Perhaps Your Majesty could consider providing some compensation to the Northern Continent within their means. The Gate of Janus would also have a reason to persuade both countries to withdraw their troops, since the Arcadia Empire was the one who started this war," Lia quickly said.

Kachia narrowed her eyes slightly. "Then tell me, how much should Arcadia compensate Augustus and the Northern Federation?"

"This..."

Lia looked at 'Lin Qi'.

Only Saintess can discuss such matters.

"To the southeast of the Kazar Plain, three city-states will belong to the Northern Federation, and in addition, the Augustus Empire will be compensated with 50 million gold coins." Lin Qi's words were astonishing.

"Impossible!"

Just as Kachia was about to explode, Ryan stepped forward and shouted, "Your Excellency the Saintess, don't push your luck!"

Lin Qi tilted her head slightly. "How did I bully anyone?"

"Isn't that right? You keep saying it's for reconciliation, but you're clearly sucking the blood of the people of the Arcadia Empire! Three city-states came from the Kazar Plain. That place is already sparsely populated. How big is the area covered by those three city-states? Besides, what ability does the Northern Federation have to make us cede territory and pay reparations? If it weren't for Augustus backing us up, the Northern Federation would have been wiped out by us long ago!"

"As for compensation in gold coins, I'll assume you're Saintess and don't know how much fifty million gold coins is. Our Your Majesty is a wise ruler throughout the ages, and he uses all his wealth to govern the empire and help the poor. If you ask us to compensate you with fifty million gold coins, wouldn't that be forcing His Your Majesty to exploit the people of the empire and bleed them dry?"

Ryan said righteously, "Or is it that you, Saintess, have connections with Augustus and the Northern Federation, and are using the pretext of peace talks to deliberately make things difficult for us? If so, then give up on that idea. We, the valiant Arcadia, will only die standing, not live kneeling!"

"..."

"..."

After he finished speaking, the entire hall remained silent for a long while.

Kachina's eyes gleamed, and Kachia was also astonished. She hadn't expected that Cricket Rider would have such unwavering loyalty!

If all the people of the Empire were like Rider, how could the Arcadia Empire not be powerful!

Lia felt a little panicked; she didn't know whether this Ryan was real or fake.

"Saintess, this..."

"Rider Ryder is right, these conditions are indeed a bit harsh." 'Lin Qi' thought seriously for a moment and said, "However, these were not my proposals, but rather those of Vainay Your Majesty and Your Majesty Motis. I was merely relaying their suggestions. Since the Arcadia Empire does not agree, then let's just forget about it. Perhaps if you fight for a while longer, you will come up with a new idea... Lia, let's go."

Lia: "???"

Kachia: "???"

No, you're leaving already?

Kachia had just recovered from Ryan's impassioned speech when she saw 'Lin Qi' turn to leave.

Kachina was also taken aback for a moment, and wanted to remind Kachia, but Kachia suddenly thought of something and silently shook her head at her.

"Saintess, I have arranged accommodations. The people of Gate of Janus can stay here for a few more days. Perhaps you will change your minds," Kachia said to Lin Qi.

Lin Qi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly.

After she and Lia walked out of the palace, Ryan scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly. "Your Majesty Kachia, did I say something wrong?"

"No, what you said is very good." Even though Kachia didn't like Ryan very much, what Ryan just said really struck a chord with her. The people of the Empire can only die standing, not live on their knees... That's so true, that's how the Arcadia Empire should be!

"But judging from that Saintess's attitude, she's clearly siding with Augustus and the Northern Federation." Ryan sighed. "We're currently at a disadvantage, and nominally we were the ones who started the war. The Northern Continent is in the right, so even if we say the Saintess is biased, it won't make a difference."

"Yes, so there's no need to think about such meaningless things." Kachia waved her hand. "Whichever she wants to favor is simply based on self-interest. If she feels that favoring Arcadia would be more beneficial, then there's naturally no problem."

"Is such a thing possible?" Kachina asked doubtfully. "I heard that Saintess Lin Qi was originally from the Augustus Empire, and that she recently cooperated with the Northern Federation."

Kachia smiled faintly, "So what? This Saintess has quite the ambition, and ambition is a good thing."

"So what do you plan to do?"