Marquis Descartes had originally thought that Xu Yi's unexpectedly hard-line stance was merely a negotiating tactic, intended to force the Candel Empire to offer terms more favorable to them.
Such tactics were fairly common, so after his initial surprise, he had felt little urgency. He reported the initial negotiations to the Candel Empire's leadership while preparing to contact the Xinfei Merchant Guild and the Rulson Kingdom again for the next round of talks.
Yet, to his surprise, both the Rulson Kingdom and the Xinfei Merchant Guild firmly refused his requests for another meeting. He and his delegation spent an entire week in Babrara City without seeing a single person in charge from either side, let alone Xu Yi, who held the deciding authority.
A week later, a piece of news reached Marquis Descartes, leaving him and every member of his delegation speechless with shock.
Two days earlier, on May 3, the allied forces of the Rulson Kingdom and the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guard Corps had captured Mobigan City in southern Talaman Province. They were now approaching the provincial capital.
"My lord Marquis, these people seem... seem to have no intention of negotiating with us at all..." one member of the delegation told Marquis Descartes, dumbfounded.
Marquis Descartes could no longer maintain his usual calm, composed expression. His faint smile was filled with bitterness.
He had never imagined that the Xinfei Merchant Guild and the Rulson Kingdom would actually deny them even a chance at peace talks and simply send their armies onward.
Did they really think they could defeat the mighty Candel Empire?
"My lord Marquis, what do we do now?" another member of the delegation asked.
Marquis Descartes shook his head gently, looking somewhat lost.
The Xinfei Merchant Guild's utterly unexpected intransigence had left even him at a loss.