"How outrageous!"
Before the knight could finish reading the official letter, the Eagle King rudely cut him off. The contents were simple: Liszt had used the Sapphire Grand Duchy's official channels to send a ransom negotiation letter, asking the Eagle King to forward it to the Gray Cast Iron Family and dispatch someone to negotiate payment of the ransom.
There were no diplomatic channels between the Sapphire Grand Duchy and the Gray Iron Grand Duchy, and the Gray Iron Grand Duchy was too remote for a negotiation letter to be delivered directly.
So Liszt had come up with the wild idea of having the Eagle King forward it on his behalf.
It was also a small humiliation.
They had dared to launch a dragon-slaying battle. Liszt would not let such hatred go lightly. First, he would disgust the Eagle King a little; when the Pioneer Order began, there would be plenty of time to carve off flesh.
"Your Majesty, this official letter..." a noble minister reminded him.
The Eagle King glared, grinding his teeth fiercely for a while before finally saying coldly, "Seal the letter and send it to the Gray Iron Grand Duchy immediately... Gentlemen, you are ministers of the kingdom. The Gray Iron Grand Duchy lost the Gray Cast Iron Dragon because of the dragon-slaying battle launched by our kingdom. How should this matter be resolved?"
After a moment, one minister answered, "Your Majesty, the loss of the Gray Cast Iron Dragon is an enormous blow to the Gray Iron Grand Duchy, but Duke Piero cannot be left unredeemed. The kingdom ought to step forward and preside over this ransom transaction, perhaps even compensate the Gray Cast Iron Family generously for its losses."
By his meaning, the Eagle Kingdom ought to pay the ransom on its behalf.
But