Envoy from the Sea-Encircled Country

"Waaah..."

Awakening from her slumber, the girl stared blankly at the ceiling before her. She slowly sat up and looked around.

"Here it is..."

What greeted the girl's eyes was an exceptionally luxurious room she had never seen before. Mysterious and elegant peculiar decorations adorned the walls, and fresh air flowed in through the windows, transforming into a gentle breeze. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could easily see the azure sky and white clouds outside. For a moment, the girl even forgot to think; she simply stared blankly at everything, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until an elegant and pleasant voice sounded behind her that the girl's thoughts were pulled back to reality.

"You're finally awake."

"Why?"

Upon hearing the voice, she quickly turned around and saw a beautiful girl dressed in a maid's outfit standing there, looking at her with a warm and composed smile.

"Who are you...? Where is this...?"

"You must be the envoy from the Sea-Encircled Country. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Suoxiate, and I am the head maid here. And where you are now is the central city of our great empire, the Ringwraith City."

"This is... the Magic Empire?!"

Upon hearing this, the girl could no longer suppress her surprise. She stood up and looked around.

"That's right, this is the Magic Empire. It's wonderful that you've regained consciousness. To me, your mind is perfectly clear, and there's nothing wrong with you. This puts my mind at ease. After all, Miss Angela sometimes acts without thinking, and I was really worried that she might do something reckless."

"Why..."

Suoxiate continued talking to herself, completely ignoring the girl's slightly changed expression. Then she reached out, and somehow, a silver plate appeared on the cart beside her—or rather, the girl hadn't even noticed when the cart had appeared there.

"So, would you like to take a shower, change clothes, and have a meal?"

"I..."

The girl looked at herself and realized that her clothes, which had become dirty from the long journey, had been replaced with a silk robe. She instinctively raised her hands, but quickly lowered them after realizing what she had done. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was serious and solemn.

"Greetings, Miss Suoxiate. I am Princess Faris Shirley, the second princess of the Sea-Encircled Country. On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Falisi III of the Sea-Encircled Country, I wish to meet with your esteemed Arcane Mage..."

"The master already knew about this."

Suoxiate interrupted the girl with a smile.

"As long as you are prepared, I will take you to see the Arcane Mage immediately."

No further explanation is needed.

Soon, the princess finished washing up and changed into clean clothes. Then, led by Suoxiate, she left the guest room and headed towards the tower where the Arcane Mage resided.

Along the way, Princess Shirley looked around in astonishment. In her imagination, the Magic Empire should be a terrifying capital, filled with evil creatures, corpses, bones, and blood, with black walls and terrifying buildings like the castles of demon kings in fairy tales. However, the Ringwraith City was completely different from her expectations. Although it was deep winter, beautiful flowers still bloomed on the lush green grass, and golden sunlight filtered through the dense trees, creating a layered and picturesque scene. Every now and then, elves in leather armor could be seen swiftly passing through the forest. And on the city walls not far away, Dark Elf, weapons in hand, surveyed their surroundings with serious expressions. From the islands floating in the sky, clear streams transformed into beautiful waterfalls, cascading onto this beautiful land.

What the princess found most unbelievable was the sight of the pedestrians on the street. Most were half-bloods, yet they were all dressed in mage robes. Looking around, aside from the elven patrols she had encountered earlier, almost everyone was wearing such attire. For someone from a remote, small country like her, seeing so many mages here was truly astonishing. And in this respect, the Magic Empire certainly lived up to its name.

The beautiful scenery along the way soothed Princess Shirley's initial nervousness. However, as she entered the enormous tower led by Suoxiate, the princess gripped her skirt tightly. Although she was not unfamiliar with diplomatic missions and possessed considerable experience, even having dealt with the Five-Nation Alliance, the person she was about to meet was not the arrogant dukes and princes of the Five-Nation Alliance, nor the kings and princes of other small countries, but the rulers of the Magic Empire —the legendary kingdom. In legend, they were the embodiment of powerful, evil demons, possessing unparalleled power, ruling a terrifying and wicked army, and having once attempted to destroy the world.

Princess Shirley never verified, nor did she doubt, the veracity of these rumors. After all, like everyone else, she had little interest in a dynasty that had been destroyed a thousand years ago. However, when the Magic Empire reappeared, their actions imbued the rumors with an extreme sense of reality and fear. Princess Shirley never dreamed she would one day receive such a diplomatic mission. In fact, when she received the mission from her father, the King of the Sea-Encircled Country, even the princess herself wondered if her father had gone mad. Otherwise, why would he request diplomatic relations with the most evil nation in legend?

However, Princess Shirley naturally understood the predicament her country was currently in, and her father seemed indifferent to his daughter's doubts and predicament. Judging from his expression, he seemed completely unconcerned that the Magic Empire would destroy them in the same way it destroyed the Five-Nation Alliance.

Finally, in front of a heavy door, Suoxiate stopped and turned to Princess Shirley, gesturing for her to enter.

Right now.

Princess Shirley took a deep breath, then stepped forward, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The spacious, bright hall, with its solemn atmosphere, made Princess Shirley feel a heavy pressure. She lowered her head, staring at the path before her, and slowly walked forward. Then, she stopped on the steps before the throne, closed her eyes, lifted her skirt, and bowed deeply.

"Your Excellency Arcane Mage, it is an honor to meet you. I am Princess Faris Shirley, the second princess of the Sea-Encircled Country. On behalf of my king, Her Majesty Queen Falisi III, I extend to you my highest respect and greetings."

"Welcome, Princess Shirley."

A gentle, calm male voice came from inside, causing Shirley to look up at the owner of the voice, and then she froze in shock.

If the image of Ringwraith City had shattered Princess Shirley's expectations, then the man before her had similarly overturned her perception of Shirley Arcane Mage. Seated on the throne was not a long-bearded, strangely-looking mage, but a handsome young man, appearing to be only in his early twenties. His refined features and gentle expression made him seem more like a scholar than a mage. However, the robes he wore undeniably declared that he was a true mage. Beside him stood a stunningly beautiful young woman, holding a triangular crystal staff. The woman who had introduced herself as the head maid was also very beautiful, but the moment Shirley saw this young girl, she almost immediately lost her senses. That perfect face, that long golden hair—it was almost inhuman, as if sculpted by a god. Although Princess Shirley, as royalty, was considered a chosen one in the Sea-Encircled Country, compared to this girl, she immediately felt the difference between the ugly duckling and the swan. Before this girl, Princess Shirley, dressed in her finery, felt like a village girl in coarse clothes, spending her days feeding pigs and cattle. At the same time, deep down, she was also curious about this girl's identity.

It seemed this young woman was also a mage, as she too wore magnificent robes. However, the nature of her relationship with the Arcane Mage remained a mystery. Arcane Mage were never known to marry, and this woman was unlikely to be a queen or anything like that. Nevertheless, her presence beside the Arcane Mage proved her high status. Thinking this, Princess Shirley quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head again.

"Don't be so formal."

Looking at the princess before him, Li Lin smiled and said. To be honest, he was quite interested in this princess. According to Angela, even with the Ghoul almost upon her, the princess had managed to suppress her fear and make no move, and didn't seem too terrified to resist. This intrigued him. However, regardless of the era, royalty always maintained strict discipline in educating their children. While there were undoubtedly some decadent and foolish individuals among the nobility, most princes and nobles possessed abilities and resilience befitting their status. Even someone like Princess Shirley... Or women like Catherine, all possessing considerable self-respect and strong personalities. Although their ultimate fate might be to sacrifice their own interests for their country by marrying into another, this doesn't mean the princesses' mission ends after the marriage. Striving to secure benefits for their nation after marriage is another mission for most princesses. Even a saint of Catherine's extraordinary status used her influence within the Temple to influence the paladins, unconsciously drawing them closer to her country to enhance Dideyasi's influence within the Temple.

"Angela has already presented me with your credentials, therefore, I am fully aware of your purpose."

At this point, Li Lin changed his posture.

"However, is your country truly prepared? Establishing diplomatic relations with the Magic Empire requires considerable courage, especially under the current circumstances."

"..."

Li Lin was right. Currently, Angela continues to lead her undead army, indiscriminately killing anyone in sight, spreading death and terror everywhere. Coupled with the rumors, everyone sees the Magic Empire as a ruthless and terrifying empire attempting to destroy the world and humanity. Under these circumstances, if the Sea-Encircled Country were to become entangled with it, the consequences would be unimaginable. The Five-Nation Alliance might not be able to defeat the Magic Empire, but if they couldn't defeat the larger power, they could easily take down a smaller one to vent their anger. The Sea-Encircled Country is merely a small offshore nation; if the Five-Nation Alliance were serious, taking it down would be a piece of cake. The Ringwraith City, currently located in the Federation's center, is thousands of miles away from the Sea-Encircled Country. Relying on the Magic Empire's power for protection is premature.

"His Majesty the King has made his choice, Your Excellency Arcane Mage."

Princess Shirley did not hesitate. At this moment, every word the envoy uttered could affect the course of events and their consequences.

"If you are willing to accept our sincerity, then our Sea-Encircled Country will become your most loyal ally."

"Well said."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin crossed his arms and smiled slightly.

"Besides, I think you don't need to hide it anymore."

"Hide?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Shirley looked up in surprise.

"My esteemed Arcane Mage, I have not concealed anything..."

Nia.

Li Lin ignored Shirley's explanation. Instead, he simply snapped his fingers, and then Nia stretched out her hand. Soon, a book appeared out of thin air in her palm.

Ten days ago, the northern region of the Kingdom of Kudel dispatched an army of approximately 150,000 to the Sea-Encircled Country. They have already captured the Sea-Encircled Country's only two fortresses on the mainland, Moon Bay City and Sunset City. And next...

"They demand a ransom of fifty million gold coins in exchange for the two cities; otherwise, they will sever all trade ties with the Sea-Encircled Country and utterly destroy our nation."

Princess Shirley picked up where Nia left off, her expression somber.

"We are merely a small country, we simply don't have that much funding, and Kudel has no intention of stopping there. Before I left the Sea-Encircled Country, they had already dispatched a fleet towards our capital..."

So that's how it is. A fleet is largely useless on land, so even using it against an undead army would be pointless. Angela wouldn't be foolish enough to take her death legion to the beach for a swim, a stroll, or some kind of life-or-death beach volleyball. But building up a military force is always the most difficult part. It's impossible to disband the entire navy just because it can't fight the undead. Rather than letting them sit idle and waste military funds, it's better to send them out to earn some extra income to supplement the family income. Small countries like the Sea-Encircled Country are definitely no match for one of the major powers in the Five-Nation Alliance. Even if they don't ally with the Magic Empire, they'll eventually be destroyed anyway, so it's better to take a gamble and see if they can find a stronger backer.

While the Magic Empire currently possesses a sufficiently powerful military (with the God of Justice defeated, perhaps no military force is stronger than the Scourge Legion) and considerable wealth (the Federation Treasury could easily support a single city), there is one thing Li Lin cannot achieve: diplomacy. He only intends to destroy the Five-Nation Alliance and restore the Magic Empire to its former status, not to rule the entire continent. Of course, after the cataclysmic event a thousand years ago, Li Lin understands that a repeat of that situation is unacceptable, and he needs to take measures to ensure this. Although complete continent-wide domination would be a highly effective method, Li Lin estimates that if he did, he would likely only be ruling over the dead.

Therefore, aside from the Five-Nation Alliance, Li Lin was unwilling to strain relations with any other countries. Moreover, if he could bring these smaller nations under his control, things would be much easier. Although destroying the Five-Nation Alliance would also result in many deaths, there was still a difference between killing five-fifths of the population and leaving one-fifth alive.

On another front, Li Lin had already learned from Nia that the Five-Nation Alliance had always maintained a rather aggressive foreign policy. Even the weakest of the five nations, Dideyasi, dared to point fingers at other smaller countries, relying on the support of the Temple and the saintess. This had long aroused resentment among many smaller nations, and the alien races did not receive good treatment within the Five-Nation Alliance. Most of them, like the City of a Thousand Towers, were forced to engage in commerce and trade due to the necessities of life, but they were constantly oppressed by the Five-Nation Alliance and had no way to turn their lives around.

Most of these small countries had been outside the Magic Empire for thousands of years and had nothing to do with its destruction, so Li Lin naturally didn't care to help them fight against it. Moreover, if he could use this opportunity to show those small countries the Magic Empire's attitude, and use them to eliminate the people of the Five-Nation Alliance and divide their land, it would be a good option.

However, things are not that simple.

"I understand your predicament, Your Highness."

Li Lin spoke first.

"However, this matter is not so easy, and I think you are not mentally prepared yet."

"Why?"

Hearing this, Princess Shirley looked up in surprise. This time, she truly didn't understand what Li Lin meant. However, facing the princess's questioning gaze, Li Lin didn't answer.

"I think it would be fairer to have you see something first before making a decision."

Meeting the princess's gaze, Li Lin leisurely offered his suggestion.