The delegation
The delegation from the Hizuru arrived in a giant ship. The enormous ship couldn't even dock at the port on Paradis Island because the port was too small. However, the delegation couldn't be delayed, so the Parliament urgently dispatched craftsmen to expand the port and sent several newly launched steamships to welcome the delegation.
Onboard the steamship, several bodyguards in black suits whispered among themselves, occasionally pointing and commenting on the vessel. Indeed, in their eyes, this outdated steamship was quite poor.
But a woman standing at the bow of the ship had a calm expression. She wore a simple yet elegant light green women's suit and a white long skirt. The wrinkles on her face indicated that she was not young, but her deep eyes made everyone dare not ignore her.
Kiyomi Azumabito is the Hizuru and the head of the Azumabito, the largest conglomerate in Hizuru.
The bodyguards' disdain for Paradis Island did not affect Higashiki Kiyomi's calm judgment in the slightest. If the intelligence obtained from the Marleyan warrior Jek was confirmed to be correct, then this trip to Paradis Island would be the hope for the resurgence of the once-fallen Kingdom of Hizil.
A unique light shone in Kiyomi Azumabito's eyes. At the same time, she reached out and opened her exquisite watch. Below the watch on her wrist was a small tattoo of three intertwined samurai swords, the Family Crest of the Azumabito.
However, although Zeke Jaeger acted as the intermediary between Paradis Island and the Hizuru, neither Paradis Island nor the Hizuru knew Zeke's true intentions.
According to Yelena, Zeke Jaeger actually inherited his father Grisha's belief in liberating the Eldians. He was only pretending to serve the Marley Government. If there was any ulterior motive, Zeke wanted to meet his younger Younger Brother Eren Jaeger, whom he had never met.
Paradis Island and the Hizuru had no choice but to believe this explanation. Paradis Island needed to develop, and the Hizuru needed an opportunity to rise. Everything was like an iron chain, with each link connected to the next, and none of them could be missing.
The unfamiliar delegation from the Hizuru entered the interior of the Wall Maria amidst the curious gazes of countless people.
Upon first seeing the fifty-meter-high Wall Maria, Kiyomi Azumabito was also shocked and stared wide-eyed. Thinking of Zeke's the Rumbling threat plan, she immediately felt that the chances of success were extremely high.
"If there are truly thousands upon thousands of Colossal Titan the Walls, then the entire world should be groveling at Titan feet." Kiyomi Azumabito thought to herself, head bowed, while simultaneously recalculating the potential of Paradis Island.
Soon, under the protection of the Garrison Regiment, the delegation from the Hizuru entered the Wall Sina and headed straight for the Royal Palace.
Meanwhile, inside the Royal Palace, Prime Minister Zackly also selected numerous representatives from Parliament to prepare for talks with the Hizuru.
Inside the conference room, Historia, wearing a crown, rested her chin on her hand, gazing listlessly at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.
Poor Historia was furious because the Survey Corps hadn't taken Her Majesty the Queen on their last expedition to the coast, which made Historia very unhappy.
The military's explanation was roughly. "It's not that we don't want to include Her Majesty the Queen, it's just that this happened so suddenly. We originally just wanted to clear out the Titan outside Wall Maria, but hey, the Titan are really tough, they've gone all the way to the sea."
"Uh, Yago, what happened to your face?" Eren asked curiously, looking at the bruises on Yago's face that hadn't completely faded.
Yago rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, and said, "Why bother with all that? This is the price of love, Eren, you don't understand."
Eren retorted without hesitation, "What? Ha, so you just got beaten up by Annie? You're still not going to admit it? I've heard it all these past few days, Yago, you were yelling 'Annie, have mercy!' at the training ground."
Yago, his sore spot touched, immediately changed his expression and grabbed Eren's neck, putting a tight grip on his throat. He warned, "Eren, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! We're friends, you can't slander me behind my back. Of course, I also believe Eren wouldn't slander me, right, Eren?"
Eren, his face flushed and neck bulging from being choked, quickly said, "I know, I know, I was just joking. That story about Yago being beaten up and begging for mercy on the training field is completely untrue."
Yago then released Eren, but then he thought, something's not right? Why did those words sound so strange?
But before Yago could make another move, Erwin coughed a few times, indicating that the delegation from the Hizuru had arrived.
So Yago let Eren off the hook for the time being, planning to settle accounts with Eren after the meeting.
Commander Pyxis both Yago and Eren's little antics, but he didn't care. He was more focused on settling things down and getting Erwin to take over so he could enjoy a comfortable retirement.
As Kiyomi Azumabito entered the conference room with several bodyguards, the meeting officially began.
First, Kiyomi Azumabito stood up from her chair and bowed solemnly to the representatives of Paradis Island. This gesture made the Paradis Island side quite uncomfortable; did other countries in the outside world treat each other with such courtesy?
"Gentlemen of Paradis Island, it is a great honor to have this meeting with you. I believe that our talks will bring lasting friendship and exchange between our two countries, just like they did a hundred years ago." Kiyomi Azumabito said very sincerely and kindly, but the content of her words shocked the people on Paradis Island.
"A hundred years ago? Ambassador Qingmei, could you tell me more about it?" Erwin asked first, Historia also looked at the Kiyomi Azumabito with curiosity.
Kiyomi Azumabito was somewhat surprised. Didn't these Eldians know about the relationship between the Hizuru and the former Eldia Empire?
With Kiyomi Azumabito's explanation, everyone present roughly understood what happened a hundred years ago.
The relationship between the Eldia Empire and the Hizuru is like that of sworn brothers. Relying on the strength of the Eldia Empire, the Hizuru has also prospered for countless years.
Even the royal families of the Eldia Empire and the Kingdom of Hizuru have deep connections, and the king of Hizuru is also called a general.
However, with the sudden internal strife within the Eldia Empire and the outbreak of the Titan Civil War, King Fritz the 145th led a large number of Eldians away from the mainland to Paradis Island. The Hizuru, as a former supporter of the Eldia Empire, also suffered a crushing defeat in the war.
Not only has the national economy suffered heavy losses, but the royal generals have almost all perished, and the army has suffered countless casualties. Furthermore, under sanctions from other countries, the current Hizuru cannot even muster a decent army group.
Although the Hizuru has experienced rapid technological development and economic recovery over the past century, it is no longer as powerful as it was a hundred years ago, and has even declined further in recent years.
Having learned about the history, the conversation returned to the main topic. A glint of light flashed in Kiyomi Azumabito's eyes as she pulled a crystalline mineral from her bodyguard's bag. Looking at the people of Paradis Island, she asked the question that had been on her mind most, "Is this mineral from your island?"
Erwin stared at the familiar stone, sighed, and said, "Iceburst Stone..."
Commander Pyxis reached into his robes, but then realized he hadn't brought any wine, so he reluctantly put his hand down, muttering to himself, "Just as I thought, Yelena wasn't lying."
Yago and Eren sat together. Yago was also very clear about the purpose of the Kiyomi Azumabito. The resource-poor, even resource-poor, Hizuru had an unparalleled thirst for energy.
Kiyomi Azumabito represents the Hizuru, and she also represents the Azumabito. If they control the Iceburst Stone resources, the Azumabito's position in the Hizuru will reach its peak and become unshakeable.