The Right to Negotiate

When Li Lin entered the palace, almost all the ministers stopped talking and focused their attention on the young man with black hair before them. They exchanged glances with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, engaging in discussions and conversations that were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. As key ministers close to the king, they naturally knew of the prince's return, which relieved them. Although the king had finalized the military plan along with a plan for rescuing the prince, and had even sent away the family heirloom, the Mask of Transformation, before leaving, they couldn't operate openly in another country, thus wasting considerable time. Now, not only had the prince returned, but he had also brought back the heads of the two escaped hostages, which made the ministers and the king extremely happy. However, another piece of news he brought back caused everyone to frown deeply.

According to His Highness, the Dark Elf who control the Black Road have completely submitted to a certain human, a knowledgeable scholar and a formidable advisor mage. The former title is unremarkable, but the latter is highly suspicious. After all, everyone knows that advisor mages rarely receive much magical knowledge. Aside from the strict control exerted by the Five-Nation Alliance, even mages themselves rarely impart profound magical secrets to these "temporary personnel" who merely treat spells as mere tricks. However, the man before them is certainly an exception.

In the past, people might have suspected that the man had simply found some elven slaves and darkened their skin to make up the numbers. However, a letter they received before the prince's arrival played a crucial role. Just before, the king had received a letter through his spies in City of Ten Thousand Stones from the matriarch of the first new Dark Elf family. The letter stated that due to a "minor problem" with the Dark Elf, they were unable to fulfill their promises according to the previous contracts—this made the king extremely nervous. Fortunately, the matriarch added that their "new ruler" would be traveling to Kudel soon, and therefore the king should discuss the details with him before making a decision.

Of course, at first the king also suspected this might be a scheme by the notoriously cunning Dark Elf to extort money from the book, but the news brought back by his spies refuted his idea. Recently, it seemed there were indeed problems within the Dark Elf, and reports had surfaced of Li Lin's feat of blasting Dark Elf away on the spot. Even if it were a conspiracy, those proud, dark-skinned races would not allow others to treat their people in such a way. Moreover, even after doing such a thing, the human mage had not been arrested by the Dark Elf; on the contrary, they treated him with great respect.

The king had initially thought it was impossible, but now it seemed he had to revise his mind.

"Hello."

Led by the prince, Li Lin walked steadily to the king. The king did not kneel like the prince, but instead nodded slightly as a greeting.

It must be said that this etiquette was highly improper. For a commoner to dare to face the king directly was itself a breach of etiquette. Therefore, Li Lin's actions naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of many people.

"Insolence! You rude wretch!"

A middle-aged man in light armor stepped out from the side, his voice booming like thunder, echoing throughout the entire hall.

"You haven't knelt before His Majesty the King?"

Li Lin's answer was simple. He snapped his fingers, and the resulting burst of air sent the unfortunate creature sprawling to the ground. Its hard shell collided with the ground with a loud bang, no less than an explosion. The middle-aged man lay on the ground in a strange position, and judging from the unnatural movements of his limbs, he seemed to have broken several bones.

From Li Lin's perspective, he would never kneel before the culprits who destroyed his country. Moreover, Li Lin was no ordinary person. After all, he was once one of the twelve Arcane Mage of the Magic Empire. Neither his stance nor his pride would allow him to do so. On the contrary, seeing this group of people kneeling before him was a normal sight for Li Lin.

Of course, his actions quickly caused a commotion and chaos. The high-ranking officials involuntarily retreated, while fully armed soldiers immediately stepped forward and surrounded Li Lin. If the king hadn't ordered them to stop in time, a scene of carnage would likely have unfolded right there. Although Li Lin preferred order and disliked unnecessary chaos and conflict, there were some things Li Lin would do even if it violated his own principles.

"Mr. Li Lin... may I address you that way?"

"Please go ahead."

Facing the king who was scrutinizing him with a meaningful gaze, Li Lin raised an eyebrow and replied calmly.

"I've heard some things about you from my children and other places... I think we all understand why we're standing here right now, don't we?"

As the king spoke, he waved his hand, and soon the soldiers surrounding Li Lin retreated once again.

"Certainly."

Li Lin's gaze swept across the crowd, immediately silencing the previously noisy group. Just moments before, this young man in black had given them the impression of a bookworm who buried himself in books all day and knew nothing else. But now, a hint of terrifying killing intent flashed across his expression, successfully silencing everyone.

If Angela were here, she probably would have already started a killing spree.

"I don't want to doubt my judgment. Therefore, I only want to ask you one thing, Mr. Li Lin."

"If you're asking some rather private questions, then I can only say I have no comment. As for the purpose of my visit, I assumed you already knew it perfectly well."

Although Li Lin's tone was somewhat cold and even arrogant, the king wasn't angered. After all, if the intelligence was accurate, this man who controlled all the Dark Elf underground certainly had the right to speak like that, not to mention he was the benefactor who saved his son. King Kudel had already done everything in his power regarding the Dark Elf plan; he intended to seize the disputed territory completely before Lalia discovered it. Once that was done, even the Five-Nation Alliance wouldn't have any particular objections to his actions.

If this man truly becomes the ruler of the Dark Elf, things will be much easier. Although the king doesn't believe that a single person could subdue the entire Dark Elf race, his own son's confident assurances and his own experience of safely traversing the Black Road are undeniable. Even if he doesn't entirely believe it, there are still some things he can't ignore.

According to the prince, this mage was a powerful spellcaster. His immense strength had forced the Dark Elf to bow their proud heads and become his slaves. The king, harboring doubts, naturally took the opportunity during his invitation to Li Lin to inquire with the president of the Kudel Magic Association in Dragon Cry City. He received a vehemently negative answer. The powerful Mages' Association president assured His Majesty that no mage within the Magic Association possessed such power as to subjugate the entire Dark Elf race.

Of course, mages from the Magic Empire era are an exception...

Due to his concerns and his own inability to confirm the truth, the president of the Kudel Mages' Association hesitated and became evasive towards the end. The king misinterpreted this as meaning that the Magic Association might indeed possess someone with such power, but was keeping it secret to avoid arousing suspicion from the Five-Nation Alliance. Although the Magic Association was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Five-Nation Alliance, after so much time, there were still aspects of them that the Five-Nation Alliance couldn't fully understand. After all, magic is ever-changing, and sometimes even with detailed information and intelligence, it's impossible to decipher its contents without the help of powerful mages.

This king, however, possessed a stubborn streak—once he set his mind on something, he would never change it. Thus, in his imagination, several powerful mages might be lurking within the Magic Association, but the Mages' Association concealed their existence for fear of attracting the attention and vigilance of the Five-Nation Alliance. The young man before him might also be a powerful mage, but he was clearly not satisfied with his current position and desired greater power and influence—otherwise, why would a sane person venture into the Underdark to tame those terrifying Dark Elf?

You make a good point.

Once caught up in his own judgment, the king, who was prone to mistaking reason for truth, spoke up.

"Well then, Mr. Li Lin, you must be tired from your long journey. I have prepared comfortable rooms for you and the other ladies in the palace (he emphasized the word deliberately). You can go and rest. As for what comes next, I think we need a better place to meet."

I think so too.

Unsure of the king's thoughts, Li Lin was somewhat surprised by the answer. However, since he had already come this far, he had no choice but to continue. Judging from the king's demeanor, things seemed more complicated than they appeared, or perhaps there was some information he was unaware of.

"Then, I shall take my leave."

With that, Li Lin turned around without making a sound and, led by the prince, left the hall that he had made a complete mess of.