Audience

In the study, Gefra's Minister of Finance and Mr. He Bosi sat facing each other, neither of them speaking.

The room was filled with a very special atmosphere, an atmosphere that could only be created by wealth, status, and power—an atmosphere of nobility, an atmosphere of extravagance.

Expensive is not a misused word. The lives of the nobility are hard for people to imagine. The wealth accumulated by these families over hundreds of years is itself a huge and astonishing figure.

This wealth allows them to live an extremely refined life, so refined that every tiny detail of their lives exudes an air of extravagance.

Pick any picture frame, and the oil painting hanging inside might be a masterpiece from the peak of a certain master's career, with astonishing value.

If you randomly pick a handwritten copy from the bookshelf, you might find a series of historical figures signing their names on the cover as soon as you open it, indicating that they have read the book.

Even the carpet that Mr. He Bosi is currently stepping on has a price that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

This was the most infuriating yet helpless moment in Mr. He Bosi' life, and it was more than just feeling frustrated.

The Minister of Finance glanced at him, pursed his lips, and made a soft "hmm," then said with a half-smile, "It's still about what happened last time, isn't it?"

The last time Mr. He Bosi met with him, they talked about Lin Qi's bonds. At first, the Minister of Finance didn't realize what was going on, but later he connected it to the betting agreement between Mr. He Bosi and Lin Qi and guessed some inside information.

For example, the "gambling" aspect of this betting agreement is when the bonds that Lin Qi pledged can be redeemed.

Mr. He Bosi expressed his sincerity on several occasions, and given that the Empire was indeed not in a position to release too many reserves in the near future, he accomplished the task with ease.

Now, things seemed to have changed somewhat, and Mr. He Bosi nodded. "Yes, I beg you!"

The Minister of Finance leaned back, sighed, and his gaze swept over Mr. He Bosi before finally nodding noncommittally. "I will do my best to help you, but you should also be prepared that the Imperial Emperor's will supersedes my personal will. If he changes his mind and is resolute, even if you put all the treasures in the world before me, I cannot change the outcome."

"Of course, I understand..."

After the conversation ended, Mr. He Bosi quickly left the Minister of Finance's residence. He had done his best, and all that was left was to pray that the gods would not abandon him.

Two days later, the business negotiations between the Federal and Gefra were almost completely concluded. To be honest, neither the Gefra people, nor the Federal people, nor people from other countries expected the negotiations to go so smoothly.

Neither side wasted much time or energy on any of the negotiation items, and neither side displayed strong aggression during the negotiation process; there were even very few instances of banging on the table.

This is probably the most typical, standard, and formal negotiation case, and it may be written into some diplomatic books or world history.

This negotiation fully embodies the core of negotiation—working towards the same goal and making appropriate concessions to ultimately reach a result acceptable to both sides.

No one insisted too much on their own ideas and demands. Through quick and friendly probing, solutions were found rapidly, and agreements were reached on one project after another. Some Federal merchants also began to prepare to participate in the bidding conference held by the Gefra Empire government.

At that very moment, Gefra Emperor wanted to meet Lin Qi.

"This request... did you do something I don't know about?" the Vice Minister asked in a low voice on the way to the palace with Lin Qi.

The Gefra are proud, and so is their emperor. A proud emperor will not easily request to meet a foreign envoy unless there is something that compels him to do so.

This is what the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs curious about. "You can tell me briefly so I can write up the report when I get back. Otherwise, the National Security Committee will cause you trouble when you return."

Such a thing as Gefra Emperor summoning foreign diplomats alone is not a simple matter in any country. The National Security Committee will definitely review it, ask Lin Qi to talk about the purpose of the emperor's summons and what they talked about, and use this as one of the factors in the assessment to determine whether Lin Qi might betray the country's interests.

There are no trivial matters in diplomacy. Despite the advanced technology we have today, many times when a country wants to understand another country, it still has to do so through human interaction.

All forms of external propaganda by any country conceal key information. If we truly believed everything people said, the world would probably have been unified long ago.

When the Federal was conquering Nagaril, it also coerced and bribed their Diplomatic Ambassador, Diplomatic Ambassador then conveyed incorrect information to their country. This, along with other efforts, ultimately led to the current situation.

However, Lin Qi wasn't too worried. "As long as the president knows about this, I won't be in any trouble, but I still appreciate your concern, sir."

As the two were talking, they stopped outside the palace. The Vice Minister looked at the magnificent palace with a different kind of light in his eyes.

A few years ago, the Federal people lacked confidence, believing they were no match for the Gefra, or even for most countries in the world. The people were content with pleasure and afraid of death. At that time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was like a punching bag, a mere decoration.

Most of the belligerent nations at the time were able to demand more from the Federal in diplomatic matters, such as requesting the Federal to provide ports for the King's warships to dock, requesting the Federal to export some valuable raw materials, or intercepting or even plundering Federal merchant ships.

People feared war and fled from reality.

But now, all of that has changed. They can stand on the territory of the Gefra and, without losing their bottom line, demand that the Gefra agree to their diplomatic demands. They can also stand here, at the very heart of this country, and observe the center of power up close.

"I'll wait for you here. If anything happens, remember to be patient and don't put yourself in a dangerous situation!" He patiently explained these matters to Lin Qi, even though he knew very well that Lin Qi might know and understand just as much as he did.

But whenever he saw Lin Qi's young face, he always felt an urge to give him some advice. Youth was Lin Qi's greatest asset, but it was also perhaps his most uncontrollable side.

"Don't worry, I know what to do!" With that, he walked into the palace with his head held high, led by the Gefra people, until his figure completely disappeared.

Ten minutes later, Lin Qi met the Emperor of Gefra.

This was the second time Lin Qi had seen the emperor. They had met once before when they first arrived, but the meeting ended quickly, and they hadn't gotten this close this time.

Emperor of Gefra looked very young, probably in his forties or fifties, with a ruddy complexion. However, this ruddy complexion was not ordinary; it was a complexion with both white and red hues. His entire face had a glowing red appearance, which was a sign of high blood pressure.

"You've got some nerve!" Gefra Emperor looked at Lin Qi, his face showing little smile. His status and profession made him exude an aura of authority that was difficult for ordinary people to attain.

He was sitting slightly higher than Lin Qi was standing, which allowed him to look down at Lin Qi with a slightly superior gaze. "You don't seem like Federal person. I've heard that Federal people are as timid as a pinhead. I've seen it before."

"Our warships have only fired one shot, and some of your people are so scared they wet their pants..." He couldn't help but laugh, and some of the ministers around him also smiled.

Lin Qi was also laughing, which amused the emperor even more. "So you agree with my point of view?"

Lin Qi shook his head at this moment, "No, I was thinking about a previous naval battle where the supposedly invincible fleet was almost completely wiped out. If they hadn't temporarily reassigned some ships, people might only be able to see those numbers in history books in the future."

"I find it laughable that those who should be thanking God for not making them lose face are now mocking the victors for seeking psychological comfort."

The laughter in the room suddenly stopped, and the emperor's expression became dangerous. He felt uncomfortable all over, and his temples throbbed with every heartbeat.

"You're very brave!"

Lin Qi bowed slightly, "You've already praised me like that once!"

The emperor wanted to say something, but Lin Qi didn't give him a chance to speak. Instead, he continued, "I'm here hoping we can resolve some of our problems, not to showcase your so-called imperial grandeur."

"Gentlemen, please note that the Federal is not afraid of anyone. We will not force anyone to submit by force, but we will not give up the use of force to defend our rights when faced with challenges and threats."

"If you want to bring me here, then intimidate and ridicule me for your own amusement, I suggest we don't waste each other's time."

Instead of trying to embarrass me here, you should consider how to solve the problems in the Amelia Region!

"That's what's more meaningful!"

Lin Qi's composure and sharp words infuriated the emperor, yet he remained remarkably rational. Anyone who wasn't a foolish ruler would know that Lin Qi was right.

Although the emperor disliked Lin Qi, he still had to agree with his views.

"I've heard you claim to be able to solve the problems in the Amelia Region. I'm curious, how would you do it?"