Xiao Chen was dressed in a mage robe, his body sunk in a chair, quietly looking out the window at the firelight reflected on the ground. Tonight's dance party is taking place in the hall next door. The Count summoned the nobles of his nearby realm, large and small, and brought his wife and children with him to cheer the party. Coupled with the more than 30 people brought by Xiao Chen, the atmosphere was very warm. Even through the corridor and the heavy wooden door, Xiao Chen could still faintly hear the music, as well as the sound of people laughing or clapping.

However, for him, leaving the venue early and coming to this dimly lit side hall was something more important.

The negotiations have been going on for two days, and everything that should be said on the surface has been said, and there are some issues, but it is more suitable to talk about them in such a scenario.

Sure enough, after a while, the Count came in alone, dressed in court gown, with his collar and cuffs tied tightly with lace, looking like a goose with his neck tied. He unbuttoned his collar and breathed a long sigh of relief, and then walked unhurriedly to a chair opposite Xiao Chen and sat down, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat beads on his forehead, and said with a smile: "I hate this kind of court attire, that tailor's purpose in designing such clothes must be to take revenge on us nobles." This outfit can take my breath away as soon as I do a circle dance. ”

"Perhaps your Majesty, I hope you nobles don't get too energetic. ”

"Ah, every king wants his kingdom to be made up of a bunch of nobles who keep to themselves, a bunch of ignorant peasants, a bunch of brave and foolish knights, and a bunch of beautiful and beautiful maidens. ”

"There doesn't seem to be a place for a mage here?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Aren't you mages the most feared by kings?" Arias shook his head and laughed, "or is it not the case in the distant country where your home is located?"

"In our place, perhaps the king is more afraid of the power of ordinary people than the magician. Xiao Chen replied vaguely.

"Ordinary people?" the Count muttered, "you must be a place where magic artifacts flourish, and ordinary people will have power that cannot be underestimated. Otherwise, it categorically won't be what you say. ”

Xiao Chen was a little surprised by the earl's acuity, and nodded in response: "In our place, some 'magic devices' controlled by ordinary people even have the power to destroy a city. ”

"That's not a good thing, you people are too forgiving. If power is not concentrated in the hands of people of noble birth and rationality, it will be a terrible disaster. There must be constant conflicts between your countries. ”

Xiao Chen was a little stunned when asked, the earth is really a place of constant conflict. He nodded, "That's true." But as long as there are people, what is not a world of constant conflict? You see, we have only been here for three months, and we have already fought horse thieves, slaughtered goblins, and defeated rebellious slaves. It's not peaceful here. ”

The earl laughed, he stood up, walked to the wine cabinet, took out two school-made glasses, poured the wine from a silver kettle to the glass, and then handed a glass to Xiao Chen and said, "Isn't this proof that you people there are aggressive?"

Xiao Chen took the wine glass, took a sip and said, "But we still love peace." That's why I'm here to negotiate with you. You must also understand that in addition to the force that we can boast of, there are many products, knowledge, things that can be turned into wealth anywhere. ”

The Count leaned back in his chair, clasped his fingers together alternately, and tapped the back of his hand with his fingers. He stared at Xiao Chen, as if he wanted to penetrate his gaze into the other party's heart.

"Cooperation, and wealth. Well, I love those words, but I haven't felt your sincerity yet. Sufficient, guaranteed sincerity. The Earl shook his head slightly in line with what he said, "In the world around us, there is only one very simple rule, and that is to respect power...... And, disrespect for those things other than power. Agreements can be betrayed, hearts and minds can be manipulated, commodities can be plundered, and only power can ensure that these things work the way we want them to. So, if we are going to cooperate, we must first and foremost cooperate on strength. As for the goods, technology, and trade routes you talked about in the past two days, they are too fragile in the face of power. ”

"But aren't these other things necessary?"

"I know, and I know that there are quite a few people, like some guys from Suero, who are willing to cooperate with you in other ways. But you see, I want more, and I can give you more. We're not sitting here to sell more goods to a merchant and make a few small bucks. This is ...... for me Descendants of Berserkers, and you...... For the descendants of the magician, it is too small. ”

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? Ask yourself what you need. In the past two days, I have heard very clearly, you don't know what you want. The terms you mentioned in your negotiations are nothing more than exchanging some worthless goods for the land of my ancestral homestead, and with the help of the local poor ghosts and slaves, you will run that place, and then you will produce all kinds of goods that no one has ever seen, and you will earn back money and materials, and finally you will make Montenegro an enviable territory. There ordinary peasants can eat three meals of white bread a day, a slave can become a petty official, and all people will live according to your new order, which is a paradise on earth! Am I right?"

Xiao Chen had to admit that the earl's foresight was really what many people in the school thought. Although he had already realized that the image of the earl was just a cover, the words he heard in private today made him look at the earl with admiration. Xiao Chen himself did not fully agree with this point of view, but this did not prevent him from admiring the earl, and he replied: "Your Excellency, it seems that you have done a lot of research, and you also understand people's hearts. It was an interesting point of view for us. ”

"But, in my opinion, this is nothing but a foolish dream!" said the Count, who had taken a sip of the wine from his glass, and then placed it heavily on the table, "and if you continue to do so, you will only become an enemy of the public, and you will be drowned in the land." Because you have forgotten who is the true master of this world. ”

He stood up, paced to the window, and looked out the window with his hands behind his back, the light of the lamp illuminating his face, which was quite pointing: "Power brings power, and power controls all beings." Civilians, slaves, they are numerous, but they do not have real power in their hands, so they are pressed under us and feed us with their labor. It is we, the nobles, the warriors, the mages, the priests, the owners of the power, who need to be truly united. It is only with the approval of these people that you will be able to gain a foothold in this world. Otherwise, no matter how many farmers you control, no matter how many slaves you have, they will be nothing more than sheds made of leaves, and they will be scattered when the wind blows. ”

Xiao Chen showed an imperceptible smile, and he said calmly, "We are seeking their acceptance. Win-win with the owners of these forces is our goal. ”

"But here's the question, why should they accept you? Why should they allow you to show up and take away their land, trade routes, slaves and wealth? The wealth of the world is limited, and the more you possess it, the less they will occupy it, why should they allow you to do this, let them lead the people to exchange the food and materials they produce for your flashy things?" Count Arias turned his head to look at Xiao Chen, there was a bit of compassion in his eyes, and he said in a deep tone, " I don't have to think too much to know that your weapons and armor will put their blacksmiths out of work, your glass and porcelain will shut down their workshops, and your soaps and perfumes will make them obediently put all the gold coins they have accumulated over the years. As time goes by, you will become richer and more dangerous. Wait until someone can't resist doing it to you...... Whether it's out of greed or jealousy, or because you feel threatened...... That's an infinite number of times more powerful than the horse thieves, can you really withstand it?"

"It's not what I want to see. Because I don't want to play my hole cards, it's going to be a disaster, a disaster for everybody. Xiao Chen still said calmly, "However, if you say this, you should have already thought of a way out for us." ”

The Earl nodded appreciatively and said, "You are a calm and intelligent person, Master Xiao Chen. Yes. My solution is simple, military alliances. Your and my alliance, a real alliance of back-to-back to each other. It would be an alliance of swords and magic, an alliance of strength and knowledge, or an alliance of outsiders joining local forces. If so, I and my other allies will see you as our partners. Business can be unimpeded and safety can be guaranteed. Your enemies will be my enemies. ”

"More importantly, however, your enemies will also become our enemies. Xiao Chen said slowly.

"It's going to be a price worth paying. Because of the geographical location and familiarity, there is no one in the Iberian Kingdom who is more suitable to be your ally than me. The Count laughed, a little grimly.

Xiao Chen knew that he still had half a sentence to say: In the Iberian Kingdom, no one is a more threatening enemy than me. Xiao Chen laughed, stood up, also stood in front of the window, looked at the earl seriously and said: "My country has a long, long history, and anyone who has simply read through history knows that there are countless military alliances that have ended in betrayal. That's why we don't want to make a covenant lightly. ”

"However, that is better than not even being qualified to be betrayed. Moreover, I am willing to use my utmost sincerity to provide a guarantee. ”

"What guarantees?"

"Marriage, everyone in the kingdom knows that my lovely and beautiful only daughter is my heart. ”

"You mean, Selinda and Li Jia?"

"No, I mean, Selinda and you!"