When the Heaven Frost Grand Duke had just been born, the Star Luo Empire's army had crossed the sea, skirted the eastern foothills of the Star Dou Great Mountain Range, and entered the Lower Hekem Plain to wage war.
At the time, the Gulei Kingdom had requested reinforcements from the Heaven Dou Empire while sending troops to confront the Star Luo Empire.
A general of the Star Luo Empire had crossed the river in one sweeping push, defeated the Gulei Kingdom on the banks of the South Gold Blue River, and seized control of a vast territory centered on Longxing City.
From that point onward, the military pressure on the Heaven Dou Empire's eastern territories had increased sharply.
Di'ao Province, the Gulei Kingdom, the Heaven Frost Principality, and the Haagen-Dazs Kingdom all bordered the Star Luo Empire and faced its military threat.
Now, the Gulei Kingdom had already begun leaning toward the Star Luo Empire politically.
Along the Heaven Dou Empire's eastern coast, only its vassal, the Heaven Frost Principality, remained-and it was an exclave. The Gulei Kingdom lay squarely between the principality and the Heaven Dou Empire, severing their connection.
That tiger, the Star Luo Empire, can't wait any longer. It means to swallow the principality whole, the Heaven Frost Grand Duke thought, his heart filled with desolation.
The Heaven Dou Empire was already weaker than the Star Luo Empire. It certainly would not be able to rescue the principality in time.
"Send a small boat," the Heaven Frost Grand Duke ordered. "Fly a white flag. See what the Star Luo Empire wants."
The Star Luo Empire had not immediately landed troops and opened fire, which meant it might not be here to start a war.
If that was the case, everything was still open to negotiation.
Even if the Heaven Frost Principality was small and weak, even if it would have to submit to the Star Luo Empire in the future, the grand duke still had to preserve its dignity for now.
The Heaven Frost Grand Duke's orders were swiftly passed down.
Everyone in the city held their breath as they watched the principality's little boat sail toward that enormous behemoth. The disparity was so immense that it looked like a fallen leaf drifting toward a sea monster.
"Hoooo! Hoooo!"
Those aboard the White Tiger had no idea that the Heaven Frost Grand Duke had already mistaken them for the Star Luo Empire's fleet. They cheerfully prepared to enter the harbor, sounding two long blasts of the ship's horn.
The little fishing boats all hurriedly rowed toward shore at the sight of the approaching giant warship.
"Someone from the Sun Moon Federation once said our empire's architecture looked quite old-fashioned. Now we've had a taste of how they felt."
Long Yue was filled with emotion. The Douluo Continent was still at the level of a medieval fantasy world, and a raw, rugged atmosphere, untainted by Soul Tools, washed over him.
"There's a sense of 'civilized' superiority in your words. The Douluo Continent's civilization is hardly undeveloped. Spirit Hall has over a dozen Titled Douluos," said Foreign Minister Sima Lanxiao.
Sima Lanxiao knew Long Yue, who had been slipped into the delegation by State Preceptor En Ci, but he had never spoken with him before.
"A Seven-Ring Soul Sage equipped with Two-Word Battle Armor can handle a Titled Douluo of this era. Don't forget, the Soul Masters of this age haven't yet worked out how to cultivate a soul core."
Long Yue assessed the Douluo Continent's strength and felt that nothing here could threaten the Divine Realm Empire.
Sima Lanxiao shook his head. "Our purpose on this journey is not to conquer the nations of the Douluo Continent. We're here for friendly exchanges and to maintain peace between both sides."
Then what about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?
Long Yue merely smiled without saying a word.
Lord Sima says one thing and means another. No matter how prettily he talks about peace and friendship... at heart, the empire's people still look down on the Douluo Continent of this era.
Sima Lanxiao's arrogance was plain to see from the way the White Tiger had brazenly sailed into Skyfrost City's harbor.
If Sima Lanxiao intended to treat the nations of the Douluo Continent as equals, why would he behave so rudely?
Would the Divine Realm Empire dare do this to the Sun Moon Federation?
It was simply because they considered the people of the Douluo Continent backward, barely better than natives. Weak nations had no voice in diplomacy, after all. Naturally, the Divine Realm Empire could use gunboats to force the Douluo Continent to open its doors.
You lecture me for looking down on the Douluo Continent, but the one who truly looks down on it is you, Lord Sima!
As dozens of the Heaven Frost Principality's "warships" watched the Divine Realm Empire's warships enter the harbor with hostile vigilance, the scene resembled a school of sardines threatening three sharks.
A single small boat flying a white flag broke away from the "school of sardines" and approached.
"Stop your ships!"
"Stop your ships!"
Long Yue and the others examined the approaching boat as though they were looking at an antique.
On its small foredeck stood two Soul Masters in formal attire, shouting up at the warship.
After studying it for a while, Sima Lanxiao said in surprise, "It's actually a steel warship? And it isn't powered by Soul Tools?"
The corner of Long Yue's mouth twitched. Sure enough, in Foreign Minister Sima's eyes, the people of the Douluo Continent were only capable of scraping out an existence in little wooden boats along the coast.
"The Douluo Continent of this era actually has steel warships like this? Incredible!" exclaimed several scholars who studied the continent's history.
The other scholars freely offered their thoughts as well. "How do they power steel ships without Soul Tools?"
The empire's people marveled that the ancients from twenty thousand years ago possessed such "advanced" shipbuilding technology, while the people of the Douluo Continent likewise marveled at the power and magnificence of the Divine Realm Empire's warships.
"How can it be so huge? It's practically the Sea God's treasure ship." Aboard the warship dispatched by the Heaven Frost Grand Duke, the two Soul Masters clicked their tongues in wonder as they gazed at the White Tiger's hull, which towered before them like a city wall.
One of the Soul Masters was more conscientious and still remembered the duke's orders. He cleared his throat, raised his head, and shouted in an official tone, "People of the Star Luo Empire, listen! You have entered Heaven Frost Harbor without permission. Leave the harbor immediately!"
"The Star Luo Empire?" Many people's pupils contracted. The empire had clearly changed its name to the Divine Realm Empire, so how had the people of the Douluo Continent recognized them at a glance?
"It's because we're flying the white tiger flag," Sima Lanxiao said, calming everyone. "Our empire's predecessor was the Star Luo Empire, after all."
It was not that the people of the Douluo Continent could foresee the future and had seen through the truth. This was simply a misunderstanding.
"Bring them aboard." Sima Lanxiao sent a diplomat of equivalent standing to negotiate with the two Soul Masters.
As the Divine Realm Empire's foreign minister, Sima Lanxiao had no reason to personally receive two ordinary Soul Masters from the Douluo Continent. Doing so would instead make them look down on the empire.
Long Yue held no official position and did not need to consider diplomatic parity between the two nations, so he remained on deck to watch the spectacle.
The harbor officials were named Xie Sen and Liu Wei. The crew soon brought them onto the deck.
At a glance, neither official appeared to hold a high rank. They were most likely a pair of unlucky men who had been pushed forward to take on this assignment.
Xie Sen and Liu Wei did their utmost to maintain their dignity, but their slightly trembling fingers and the way their eyes kept darting around betrayed their inner shock.
A table and chairs had already been arranged on the White Tiger's deck for the talks. The empire's diplomatic officer sat behind a long table covered with a snow-white tablecloth.
Long Yue mingled with the military photographers behind a row of photography and filming Soul Tools, staring at the two men from the Douluo Continent as though they had stepped out of an ancient mural.
"Please, sit."
The diplomatic officer gestured for the two men to take their seats, while an attendant behind him brought over two cups of tea.
However much the empire's people looked down on the people of the Douluo Continent from twenty thousand years ago, the empire had indeed come with goodwill this time.
Since they intended to show goodwill, they certainly could not treat the people of the Douluo Continent as they treated the natives of the Green Scale Tribe.
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