Qin Ran had seen far too many negotiation tactics.
They were present everywhere: in the haggling over every penny in ordinary real-world transactions, in the deceit among natives of dungeon worlds, and in the scheming among players in Giant City.
Of all those tactics, the one Qin Ran knew best was the Royal Family envoy's attempt to seize the initiative through intimidation.
Or, more precisely, scare tactics and threats.
As long as an imposing enough name frightened the other party, everything would proceed smoothly.
But there was one prerequisite: that name had to be backed by facts and substance, not lies!
That meant Raulley was probably telling the truth.
But how much of it was true?
That was for Qin Ran to judge.
So Qin Ran acted as though he paid the man no mind at all.
He even pressed him step by step, searching for holes in his words.
"Save me?"
"Save the Burning Family?"
"This isn't our first meeting, is it?"
"The last time you met me in Gravel Town, you presented yourself as an honest, simple guard without revealing your true intentions. Now you're saying this. Given the current situation, I see only one possibility: you need Burning Dawn!"
As he spoke, Qin Ran looked at Raulley, who nodded with a bitter smile.
"That's right. I need Burning Dawn."
"But saving you and saving the Burning Family are also genuine intentions."
Raulley spoke as sincerely as he could.
"Has something happened in Dawn City?"
"Can the Royal Family of Saint Seanda no longer protect even Dawn City?"
Qin Ran did not believe his explanation.
As he had already said, Burning Dawn and the Saint Seanda Royal Family were hardly on friendly terms.
In some respects, they were enemies.
They simply had not openly broken with each other.