The gray-robed warlock turned against the guest and acted as the host of the negotiations. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

The flames at the exit had been extinguished, and the tavern was still scorching, but the atmosphere at the negotiating table was as cold as frost. The three forces have their own ideas, which is destined to make this cooperation difficult.

Justice Nikolai shook the golden spring in his wine glass, and his movements were graceful, even if the situation was not easy, could not make him let go of his upbringing. He took a sip to show respect for the tavern's owner, but not greedy, and immediately put down his glass, his gaze sharpened.

"The deep valley and the ice soul have invited me, but I have not seen any sincerity on your part. If a single letterhead and a secret envoy were to involve Whitewood in a coup plot, I think it must have been the people of the Hall family who had lead water in their heads—or did you think the people of the Gluck family were fools like the kings of today?"

Nikolai has a gentle and graceful voice, but his words are not ambiguous at all.

Odin took the half-drunk silver wine glass, touched it with the silver cup placed in front of the justice, and said with a smile: "It is not unreasonable--Lord Hall, you must at least show a little sincerity, so that the adults of Bailin City will feel that they are not props, but members of the alliance of interests! Even we vulgar villains know that we can't help people and pay for them." ”

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency. You know, the greater the risk, the greater the benefit, for you, and for Deep Valley City. The more sincere and deep, the more it should not be taken lightly. In the practice of the deep valley, the first two items of treasure trading are inferior fakes, and priceless things are not displayed at the beginning. ”

At this point, Evan Hall showed the tact of a businessman, as if the plan to imprison Nikolai had never existed. His face softened, his mustache turned up along with the corners of his mouth, and his smile looked a little funny, like a piece of paper on his face.

He stretched out his hand and greeted the Chancellor, who returned the salute politely, but his words were still sharp: "But, Sir Hall, until now, I have not seen what your so-called value is?"

"Once the conspiracy is revealed, we will embrace the new monarch and rightful heir to the Empire, Arthur Stanley. At that time, the power of the empire will be divided equally between the ice soul, the deep valley and the white forest, and the families involved in the conspiracy will be expelled from the empire forever. The Gluck family will enjoy the supreme glory......"

Evan Hall, like all businessmen, paints a picture of the prospects, but his rhetoric arouses Nikolai's disgust.

The justice's mild tone became gloomy again, and he listened to Evan's statement with annoyance, and said, "Bai Lin is fed up with these meaningless lies. When they joined the Silver Eagle faction, the Parton family made as many promises as you do. ”

The gray-robed warlock smiled and patted Nikolai on the shoulder, and the courtier, who had always paid attention to etiquette, looked disgusted. Odin's smile was even stronger, as if he was observing something interesting, and he took Nikolai's words and made a round: "Expelling the usurpers, the city of Cisse belongs to the Gluck family." ”

This time, Evan Hall's face was gloomy, and Nikolai laughed and said jokingly: "Sir, do you want to use the reckless men of the traitors as a guarantee to promise the territory of Bailin?

"Ah—these are all jokes, with the Hale family or the Easter family, or the Lord Arthur Stanley, of course. Odin said in an exaggerated tone, as if it was really just a joke.

"I can vouch for it. Evan Hall's face was frosty, and he stared at the glass, his fingers folded tighter, as if he were making a great deal of determination—in fact it was a little lower than he and his father had previously decided. But he was very unhappy, and this unidentified renegade seemed to really see himself as an agent of the United Forces.

"It's too long-term. Let's be realistic. Suppose that I help you recover from the murder of the former king, what benefit will you give me?"

Nikolai's clarity of thought and his unbridled and vague plan gave the Chancellor of the Exchequer a headache, like a merchant who likes to boast about Haikou, and meets a calculating customer.

"The purchase price of the Iron Mine in Bailin City has increased by ten percent, and the purchase price of weapons made from the deep valley is five percent lower than that of other city-states. "Evan Hall threw out a huge profit, which is equivalent to a reduction of more than 200,000 silver coins per year, but if the Nikolai family can be involved in the dead heart, what are these losses?

"Be more realistic, Sir Hall. The Chief Justice straightened his collar and spoke softly, but with a serious face. A veteran negotiator doesn't easily let people know what he's thinking, and now Evan can't guess where the Sir Gluck has a reserve price in mind.

So, he said tentatively, "No, Your Excellency, that's all the concessions that Deep Valley can make—perhaps you can meet with the Duke of Easter further, and he will be able to give you a more satisfactory answer." ”

In this way, it not only made Nikolai unable to refuse, but also avoided the fall of Deep Valley City, and took a step back, and he didn't know when he would meet with the Lord of Ice Soul City.

As if to figure out Evan's thinking, Nikolai's deep and serious facial features became gentle-not to violate the other party's bottom line, but also to maximize the benefits, he tried to make a price: "Give me the eyeliner around the three queen mothers, and the commercial tax exemption in Bailin City within the deep valley." ”

"There is no problem with eyeliner - commercial tax cannot be exempted, and we can talk about the margin of reduction later, then, ...... next"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was vaguely dissatisfied with the other party's lion opening his mouth, if all taxes were exempted, Fukaya's annual losses would increase by at least another 200,000 silver coins, but if Bai Lin did not participate, then the feasibility of the plan would be greatly reduced, at least tonight, Nikolai had too many deadly clues, and if he walked away, maybe he should really consider sending someone to assassinate him......

As the Imperial Justice, his judgment of the situation is not insignificant, and Nikolai showed a rare smile and answered: "Next, we are allies. ”

"So, let's discuss the feasibility of the plan, and after revealing the truth, how are you going to defend against the forces of the remaining three city-states and the Imperial army?"

Nikolai put the key issues on the table and seemed to really start to care keenly about what was to come.

"In a few days, the coalition forces will march to Paliva. Apostate will make them lose their armor. Odin's tone was light-hearted, not at all taking the Imperial allies seriously.

"With all due respect—" The Chancellor couldn't help but interrupt the warlock's speech, "May I ask how many troops are you going to use against at least 20,000 Imperial troops?"

"Free people, peasant households, renegades, scattered family knights, plus the hundred elites promised by the Duke of Hall—" Odin seemed to be really calculating, "There should be three thousand." ”

Nikolai's expression froze on his face: "Sir, do you regard war as child's play? Do you think that by showing your cleverness, victory will fall from the sky? Do you intend to use two thousand untrained civilians to defeat ten times the number of Imperial troops, armed to the teeth?"

"Wars are not won by numbers. Odin ignored the judge's ridicule, and took a sip of ice wine, but he could not taste the appeal of this priceless wine.

"Well, suppose - you can really win the war, though I can guarantee with my head that you won't - but we might as well suppose that the Imperial army is 'in the flow,' and then?" said the Chancellor, jokingly.

"Then it's up to you to see what you do - Bailin borders the imperial capital, and the armies of the Ice Soul and the Deep Valley are secretly stationed in Bailin, and the three cities will join forces and rush into the imperial capital, and when the alliance army arrives, Arthur Stanley will already sit on the golden throne. The warlock spoke as if he had won the battle.

"Don't forget the existence of the Sanctuary, no one can sit on the throne without the crown of the Imperial Holy Priest. They have just recognized Repon Stanley, will they blaspheme the reputation of the true god and recognize a new king?" Nikolai snapped.

"They don't care about that—if admitting a seven-year-old with a brain problem would not blaspheme, would it not be embarrassing to admit a rightful heir of sound mind and good character?" Odin retorted.

Then, in order to appease the disappointed Judge, the Warlock explained, "The details, Lord Evan will take care of - there is nothing that money can't solve." ”

Next, Nikolai Gluck had no interest in the plan and was almost gone. He didn't understand how two old foxes in the northwest who held the throat of the empire could be deceived by a charlatan. Maybe it's all just the idea that the young and aggressive Chancellor of the Exchequer came up with in the head.

He endured it and finally sat down: "Your plan is simply ridiculous, but the people of the Gluck family will not break their promises. Bai Lin can leave the Four-City Alliance, but there are three prerequisites. ”

"First, the city of Bailin will not support any organization that is contrary to the Sanctuary, second, if the south is defeated, Bailin will immediately withdraw from the plan, but the benefits you promised will still be fulfilled, and third, only recognize the crowned king of the Sanctuary. ”

"As a sign of sincerity, I can swear that if the coup fails, I will never know anyone or anything related to it. ”

This speech was extremely tactful, and in the eyes of the justice, it was a fool's dream to achieve a change of throne with these rabble. But in any case, the meat that is brought to the mouth must be swallowed, of course, provided that it is preserved.

Then, in his pocket, Nikolai took out a small medicine bottle with a crumpled piece of paper attached to it. He opened the cap of the bottle, and inside was some crystal clear powder like grains of salt.

He poured a pinch of powder into the ice wine—the golden wine became cloudy, and gushed with fine foam, dense like a frog's egg, bulging and cracking. Eventually, the wine returned to calm, the colour remained unchanged, and the white grains disappeared without a trace.

"This is the elixir that poisoned the first king, and what is written on the paper is the raw material for the preparation of the potion. No one knows how the court dispenser got the recipe, but the wine here—"

Nikolai paused, and raised his glass for Evan to discern the color and smell: "A single drop can kill a man - like falling asleep, silently, for less than a quarter of an hour, and then he will stop breathing forever." ”

"That dispenser died mysteriously, and now in the empire, there are probably no more than three people who have this prescription. That's my sincerity. ”