In general, negotiation is, of course, a complex technical exercise.

In this kind of activity, which is closely related to the political field, there will always be a variety of complex knowledge and skills, such as etiquette, interpersonal relations, and the choice and use of words......

Stuff like this can always be a big problem for negotiators who are not well-versed in this way.

When the person in charge of the sword-wielding hermitage spoke, Xiuge was ready to take on all kinds of troublesome challenges, but the sword-wielding hermit did not make it difficult for Xiuge in his words, but used the most crisp and brutal negotiation methods like those dwarves who like to turn the negotiation table into a wine table and a fist ring.

There is no superfluous conversation, and there is no polite courtesy, and when you come up, you will directly ask about the purpose, conditions, and ideas......

It's as if if you can't talk, you can turn the reception room into a battlefield.

Faced with this situation, Xiuge was very calm, and he glanced at Richard, who immediately took two steps back, took out his notebook, and began to take minutes, while Xiuge himself smiled at the retreat.

"The idea and goal of our visit to the retreat was mentioned in the documents submitted to the Legislative Committee."

He looked directly at the special female sword-wielder in front of him, and his tone was flat: "The Dawn Society has completed the actual declaration of war against the Black Sun Society, but the battle will never only happen on the front, and the Dawn Society hopes to make up for its own shortcomings, especially in the confrontation with the Black Sun Society mage." ”

The sword-wielder looked at Xiuge silently, then nodded slightly, "I've already read that document...... I personally agree with the things you mentioned in the document, but ......"

She turned and walked to the side of the reception room, raised her palm and tapped it twice on the empty flat wall, and a ceremony hidden in the reception room was quickly initiated, and the color that had been obscured on the wall quickly faded, and a large hidden oil painting was revealed.

The painting, obscured by a magical ritual, covered the entire wall, and when he turned his head to look at it, he saw that the interior of the large painting depicted a myriad of different battle scenes—it was actually a patchwork of many scenes of comparable size.

In the first image, a tall figure in heavy armor holds a heavy shield, battling the different magical lights, and the sword-wielding hermit's silver sword has broken off, and only half of it is still in his hand.

In the second scene, a number of robed spellcasters are gathered in a barn-like building to discuss something, and above their heads, a relatively slender sword-wielder in light armor is already hiding in the shadows, and Shug sees that in the palm of the sword-wielder's hand, a alchemy bomb that glows dangerously bright.

In the third scene, a sword-wielding hermit is clearly captured, his armor removed, his body fixed to a heavy metal prison, his strong body covered in hideous wounds and bloodstains, his head bowed, as if he is dead, but in the palm of his hand hidden behind him, a sharp metal blade is tightly clenched.

The composition of the fourth image is classical, in the middle of an empty battlefield, where many figures have fallen down, including stumps in heavy armor and tormented by magic and blades, and in the center of this terrible battlefield, a bloodied sword-wielding hermit has cut off the head of the last enemy with his weapon and is holding it high in demonstration......

"In the history of Vann, with the exception of the great war that has just been suspended, the Legislature has not really participated in any war...... There has never been a head-on conflict with any country. ”

The female sword-wielder's voice finally fluctuated emotionally at this moment, and she recounted in a low voice: "With magic and scholarship alone, the Legislature has no way to establish itself in Van En , so there is us, a group of emotionless and hostile wild mages, extremely bloodthirsty madmen and monsters. ”

"Eliminate all threats in the beginning, drown all hidden dangers in pools of blood, and crucify the true control of magic to Merlinle and ...... Do you know what we have done to achieve these goals? ”

Neither Hug nor Richard spoke, and it was clearly not the right time to express their opinions.

So the person in charge said slowly: "Every year, every month, the number of candidates who have completely collapsed their bodies and wills because of taking those potions has far exceeded the imagination of the outside world...... When necessary, we will even secretly list some mage apprentices as candidates. ”

"But even if we were able to provide armor and weapons to fight magic, and to use a variety of expensive potions to give powerful bodies, there would still be countless sword-wielders dying in the mission."

Speaking of this, she glanced at Xiuge deeply: "I don't know much about the Dawn Society, but at present, the people you can devote yourself to fighting against the Black Sun Society are probably ordinary soldiers or mages, right?" ”

She raised her voice, "If the Dawn Society wants to use these people to fight the Black Sun Society, then you should go to the Waters instead of us...... Asking them to train your young men to be spies and spies, rather than into battle with those spellcasters, will only turn them into worthless pieces of minced meat! ”

These words can be said to be merciless, and for Richard, who has personally experienced the disparity in combat effectiveness between the two sides, the persuasiveness of these words is self-evident.

However, Xiuge smiled and shook his head, and this action made the sword-wielder in front of him a little unhappy.

"It seems that Mr. Ernst does not approve of my advice?"

"Misunderstanding."

Xiuge kept a smile: "I don't want to refute your point of view, on the contrary, I agree with your statement, and letting someone who does not have the corresponding strength join the battle is in itself an extremely irresponsible and arrogant risk, but...... The Dawn Society's ideas and plans are not exactly the same as what you understand to be 'fighting'. ”

"Oh? Let's hear it. ”

If other people said this, the person in charge would definitely not be gullible, after all, there are too many people who like to brag in Fan'en, but Xiuge's identity and experience are too special, as the person in charge of the retreat, she also wants to hear what kind of "high opinion" this young man who once killed his colleagues as a weak wild mage will have.

"The factors that make up confrontation and fighting are extremely complex...... As depicted in these paintings, both sides may either kill or crush their opponents on a frontal battlefield, or they may infiltrate each other's meeting places and use other tools and means to achieve great results. ”

Richard's eyes lit up as he sat on the sidelines, recording at breakneck speed, and he realized that this meeting, which didn't seem so formal, could play a huge role in the future for both the Dawn Society and the Sword of Dawn.

"When I was still on the run in the city of Seren, I had no more than two magic...... The only thing I have that can do damage to the sword-wielder who is chasing me is an alchemy bomb that doesn't quite work. ”

Hearing this, the brow of the person in charge of the sword-wielder furrowed: "Is it just 'not normal'?" ”

"Well, maybe it's a little weird in its power and form...... But it is undeniable that if in the open field, a sudden explosion of 'hair' can exert a limited lethality after all, the most fundamental reason why the pursuer died is because he underestimated me too much, and desperately wanted to crush me in a small shop with his own strength. ”

"Mr. Ernst, are you going out of your way to brag to me about your glorious achievements?"

"Of course not, ma'am."

Xiuge shook his head: "The reason why I used this unpleasant case is to illustrate one of the most important points - the strength of the strength does not directly determine the outcome of the confrontation, the acquisition of intelligence, the understanding of the environment, and the use of external forces...... Factors such as these can have an impact on the outcome of an event. ”

He raised his hand and pointed to the new firearm at the sword-wielder's waist, "I have noticed that the sword-wielders in the Ashram have changed their equipment on a large scale, and I think you have all felt the impact of these new products, and the magic, steam, and metal machinery have been perfectly fused in them, and the fusion continues. ”

"So what if we could apply the same ideas to something else?"

"Think about it, ma'am, if in the future, the sword-wielder no longer needs to appear at the first time when he takes action, but can rely on those professionals who have mastered the skills of secret agents, carry dangerous weapons with them, and can use some magic tools to deal with the enemy to create a huge hunting ground, and after successfully surround and lock the prey, the sword-wielding hermits with extremely strong combat power will take action......"

Perhaps because of the "bad habits" he had developed before, Xiuge's voice involuntarily carried a tone of guidance and temptation.

Richard, who was sitting on the side, could hear very clearly, so his expression became subtle.

However, the person in charge of the retreat, who had always been extremely serious, had some new expressions at this moment.

She didn't pay much attention to the tone of Shuge's tone, because the picture that Xiuge painted did seem to be effective in helping the Legislature and the sword-wielding hermits deal with some of the troubles that had been difficult to deal with in the past.

Then she spoke, "I confess, Mr. Ernst, what you say is tempting, but it is not enough to achieve this by means of the retreat itself...... The Waters are the people who invest the most in spies and spies......"

"Easy to do."

Xiuge raised his eyebrows: "Her Royal Highness Sophia, the princess of Waterl, is also in Merlin now, and I will discuss this matter with her." ”

……

The morning of Merlin Lehe passed little by little in peace.

Holding the magic book, Wei Lin slowly walked down the long steps of the academy area, and along the way, she had already met many familiar faces, most of whom had studied and advanced in the same classroom in the past, and most of them cast mixed glances at her.

Similar stares were met by Vilyn when she visited her former teachers and professors.

Probably because they had been notified in advance, these proud mages who had always regarded themselves as orthodox Merlin Lehe did not show much hostility towards Wei Lin, the "renegade", but the sense of alienation hidden in their expressions and words was not so easy to hide.

She's in a bad mood right now.

However, it was not the strange gazes of the mages that caused this situation, nor the inquiries and inquiries about the Dawn Society and Shug Ernst that were thrown out from time to time in the conversation.

What really saddened Wei Lin was the situation of one of her mentors.

This mentor was the magician who had helped her overcome lake-level magic and introduced her to the special field of "sorcery magic".

What Wei Lin didn't expect was that when she saw him this time, he would be in the ward of Merlin Le and the Healing Mage Academy.

He's crazy.

Completely insane.

The cause and effect had not yet been clarified, and the healer who was in charge of the mentor who cared for Verin told her with some embarrassment that the mentor had been normal the night before, and that night he had a brief celebration with the other professors - to celebrate some new breakthroughs and advances in the field of "sorcery".

"He had bought expensive wine from the outskirts, and in the morning the apprentice noticed smoke coming out of his room."

"When the others arrived, they found that he had gone crazy...... All the notes and documents he used to record the progress of his project were incinerated by himself with fire magic, and that's where the smoke came from. ”

"The walls and floors of his bedroom are full of strange symbols and patterns randomly smeared with magic ink, which do not conform to any known magic."

"We have made many rounds of judgment, and basically concluded that in the process of studying 'evil magic', some inappropriate operation caused a violent magical shock, and finally caused irreversible damage to his spirit."

Verin finally finished the long staircase, and she sat down on the bench next to the staircase, her eyes slightly raised, and then fell back to the ground.

In the history of Van Eng, there have been countless spellcasters who have fallen into madness because of the study of witchcraft, and most of the opinions of these researchers have been negative.

However, in the face of the dark shadows hanging in the sky today, it seems that this issue, which has been resisted by people in the past, has finally come to the forefront.

(End of chapter)