After dealing with the sandstorm outside Rōran, Aizen and his two companions returned to the Rōran council hall.
At this moment, the Queen of Rōran and her ministers all looked at them with serious and focused expressions.
However, Aizen could tell from the fear in the ministers' eyes that their inner selves were not as calm as their expressions suggested.
"Your Majesty, are you satisfied with our sincerity?" Aizen asked calmly, looking at the Queen of Roran sitting on the throne.
He believed that after witnessing their strength, the current Queen of Roran would definitely change her mind. Because the Queen of Roran was a wise woman, she knew the consequences of rejecting his proposal.
The Queen of Roran nodded, but did not immediately reply to Aizen. Instead, she said to her ministers, "You may all return now. I have some matters to discuss with the distinguished guests who have come specifically to help Rōran."
Clearly, the Queen of Roran did not want her ministers to be involved in this matter, because she felt that the more they knew, the more dangerous it might be. After all, the Queen had seen through Aizen and his group's intention to keep things hidden.
It must be said that the Queen of Roran was very thoughtful, taking care of the safety of her ministers. But this alone would not satisfy Aizen and his group's idea of hiding an organization.
Before the ministers could even move, a crisp "snap" rang out from Aizen's fingers. Immediately afterward, the ministers froze, standing motionless in place.
This situation caused the Rōran Queen of Roran's expression to change. Just as she was about to ask a question, she heard Aizen explain, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. They've simply been hypnotized by me. They won't know what we say right now, and after we finish our conversation, they'll forget everything they saw today. Of course, such a small trick won't harm them in any way."
He had no interest in those who harmed Rōran; he simply wanted as few people as possible to know about the organization's activities in Rōran. Hypnotizing the ministers was to prevent them from inadvertently leaking information about the organization in the future.
"So this is also a tactic you used on my people before?" This method of Aizen reminded the Queen of Roran of the strange behavior of the Rōran people earlier, and she continued to question Aizen.
"Your Majesty is indeed knowledgeable and experienced. Yes, those commoners were indeed hypnotized by me. But rest assured, I have no interest in commoners. As long as our exchange is successfully completed, they will naturally break free from my spell."
Aizen wasn't surprised that the Queen of Roran would make such a connection, after all, he had never concealed his methods.
"Alright, Your Majesty, enough of the small talk, let's get straight to the point. I believe you understand why we value Rōran."
"You mean the Dragon Vein, right?"
"That's right, Your Majesty is indeed wise. Our goal is the Dragon Vein. As long as Your Majesty cooperates with us in releasing the Dragon Vein Chakra, we will not harm Rōran; in fact, we will protect Rōran. With our organization, Rōran will not be affected by sandstorms, water shortages, food supplies, and other problems. In this way, Rōran will only become more prosperous and flourishing."
Listening to Aizen's description of the bright future, the Queen of Roran was somewhat tempted. As the Queen of Roran, besides guarding the Dragon Vein, her duty was to lead the people of Rōran towards a happy and prosperous future. If someone could utilize the Dragon Vein to bring wealth to Rōran, she would be overjoyed.
However, this is on the premise that such a person will not cause harm to Rōran.
Now, looking at Aizen and the others' secretive demeanor, she felt worried. She feared that this mysterious and powerful organization would bring unimaginable trouble to Rōran, and that Rōran might be destroyed because of this organization.
For a time, the Queen of Roran was torn, wanting Rōran to prosper but also not wanting Rōran to face the crisis of destruction.
Just as the Queen of Roran was caught in a dilemma, a beautiful red-haired girl burst into the council chamber, "Mom, it's almost lunchtime! Let's eat together, there's lots of delicious food this time..."
Before the girl could finish speaking, she was startled by the scene in the council chamber, and the happy look on her face immediately froze.
The ministers, who stood motionless with blank expressions, the mother with a troubled look on her face, and three strange, mysterious people.
The strange and oppressive atmosphere made her voice lower.
" Sara, why did you come in without knocking? Don't you know I'm discussing important matters with distinguished guests? Get out of here right now!" Upon seeing her daughter barge in so inconsiderately, the Queen of Roran's heart skipped a beat. She quickly reprimanded her and told her to leave.
Unfortunately, Sara's appearance still caught Aizen's attention. He looked at Sara, then glanced at the Queen of Roran, and said, "Queen, is this your child? She is indeed very beautiful. However, as I said before, we will not harm anyone in Rōran, so there is no need to worry about us harming your daughter. Besides, this child will inherit your throne in the future, so it is not unreasonable for her to be exposed to our transactions now. After all, as the future crown prince, she should know some of the country's secrets."
At this point, Sara was older and more mature than in the original story. So, although she was frightened after hearing Aizen's words, she remained calm and perfectly demonstrated the demeanor of a crown princess. She was far superior to the vase in the original story who only knew how to rely on Naruto Uzumaki.
However, it could also be because of the constant guidance from the Queen of Roran, since Sara's mother had been dead for quite some time at this point in the original story.
"Mother, is there anything I need to know?" Sara looked at her mother with a firm gaze. She was no longer a child and could see that there was a strange deal between her mother and the mysterious person. Although it frightened her a little, she would not back down. She also wanted to share the burden with her mother.
"Alright, Sara, you can listen in too."
Seeing her daughter's resolute expression, the Queen of Roran sighed and then said to Aizen, " Rōran can cooperate with your organization. We will provide you with the power of the Dragon Vein, and you will protect Rōran and help Rōran prosper. However, I must warn you, if you harm the people of Rōran, our cooperation will be immediately terminated."
The Queen of Roran knew that the most valuable thing she possessed was the Dragon Vein, and only the Dragon Vein could make Aizen have any reservations.
Seeing that the Queen of Roran had finally agreed, Aizen nodded in satisfaction. As for the Queen of Roran's final threat, Aizen didn't care at all. He had said that Rōran was insignificant except for its Dragon Vein. That's why he didn't have the time to cause trouble for Rōran.
"Alright, then the contract is established. As a gesture of good faith, we will not ask Your Majesty to unlock the power of the Dragon Vein for us now. However, we will officially enter Rōran in a few days. We hope Your Majesty will cooperate with us then."
"Yes, I will keep my promise and open the Dragon Vein for you."