Silad looked at True Lord Qingshui's faint smile, and a sliver of unease rose in his heart.
Previously, the Tianli Sect had opened its lion's maw wide, demanding an exorbitant sum and threatening all-out war if they received no compensation. Yet since Silad's party arrived, their attitude had changed considerably. They had allowed them to see the captives, for instance, and asked for only a billion.
They had expected the other side to seize the chance to raise the price and had braced themselves for the butcher's knife, only for that knife to be gently lowered.
Now their attitude was even stranger. They actually wanted to discuss releasing the captives.
Watching Silad's reaction, True Lord Qingshui found it amusing. Sure enough, they did not truly intend to ransom anyone. Fang Mo had guessed correctly. He smiled and said, "As a gesture of sincerity, and for the sake of peaceful coexistence between our two sides, the Sect Master has instructed us to let you ransom one person!"
This is bad!
Silad's heart lurched. He looked toward Leiya and the other two, and sure enough, all three had grown excited.
What a clever move!
He gritted his teeth. They were trying to sow discord. No matter whom he chose to ransom, the other two would likely bear a grudge over it, and might even betray the Empire.
"One person? Surely that isn't appropriate! We want to ransom all of them!"
Though Silad seethed inwardly, he had no choice but to say this. He could not let resentment take root in their hearts. Being forced into betrayal and choosing it willingly were two different things.
Clear Water smiled faintly and said:
"You can ransom them all! Just meet all the conditions we proposed before, and you can take them away right now!"
Shameless!