News of the peace talks quickly spread throughout the entire Aolei Empire, but they were nowhere near as easy as imagined. Instead, they sank into a storm of tug-of-war.
The most contentious issue was Dragon Mountain Range.
The Aolei Empire demanded that the All Nations Alliance withdraw from Dragon Mountain Range, declaring that it would become territory of the Aolei Empire.
The All Nations Alliance, meanwhile, insisted that the Aolei Empire withdraw from Dragon Mountain Range and return every occupied part of it.
This condition naturally sparked outrage among the people of the Aolei Empire. If they were going to negotiate peace under such terms, then there was no need to negotiate at all. They might as well keep fighting.
After all, the Aolei Empire had paid so much, only to gain not even a single hair, and would even have to return the land it had occupied.
Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought the Aolei Empire had initiated the peace talks, or that it had lost and been forced to cede territory.
Because of Lu Xingshi's demands, the Empire's higher-ups stood exceptionally firm. Especially after Gatu returned and repeated Lu Xingshi's words, the Empire's higher-ups became even more resolute about the ownership of Dragon Mountain Range.
The entire Dragon Mountain Range had to belong to the Aolei Empire. That was the bottom line; otherwise, there would be no talks.
Yet Lu Xingshi's words also made the Empire's higher-ups dissatisfied with him. His rebellious remarks made them deeply uncomfortable.
In truth, they knew how important Dragon Mountain Range was, but they also understood that it was a hot potato, one that would bring endless trouble once they got their hands on it.
But if they did not hold onto that hot potato, they would have to face Lu