Verse 13 bows

"Keep your hat by your side. The girl reminded. Legends about vampires circulate everywhere, and there are many stories about his domineering, arrogant, and cruel nature. Legend has it that when an envoy met a vampire and did not take off his hat, the vampire said, "It seems that you won't take off your hat," and then ordered his subordinates to nail the hat directly to the messenger's head.

The young man did as he was told, but that didn't change his restlessness. On the table beside him was a drink - a glass of red wine, according to aristocratic tradition. His hand kept reaching for the cup, but the moment he grabbed it, it retracted as if he had been bitten by something.

The sound of footsteps came, it was a small footstep. The young man tried his best to stagger his gaze and pretend to be indifferent, but his eyes were still looking at the entrance as if they were being drawn to a magnet.

A young woman walked out of there.

She wore a pale white dress with no ornamentation other than lilies embroidered on the neckline and cuffs. Her long pale blonde hair draped over her shoulders, and she wore a pale gold belt around her waist in the same color as her hair. She looked young, even young, but the smile on her lips seemed to contain a kind of fortitude that she should not have at this age.

Behind her was a female guard. Aside from the fiery red hair, there was nothing special about it. Several of the guests had already seen a lot of guards before, so they didn't show any surprise. The maiden sat down directly across from them.

It was this mysterious girl who made the guests confused for a while. Vampires are male, there's no doubt about that. But from the girl's look, posture, and attitude, it is clear that she is the master.

"We're here to meet ...... Lord Scarlet's. The young man couldn't bear it anymore and spoke first. The middle-aged man next to him quietly poked him in the ribs with his elbow, but it was too late to stop him from speaking.

"I am his agent. The light-blond-haired girl replied. Her gaze swirled over the four guests, very naturally. Obviously, this wasn't her first time hosting visitors, and it certainly wasn't the last. "Everybody calls me Léa. ”

"You should be Lord O'Connor...... "She said halfway, apparently asking about the origins of the guests.

"We are Lord O'Connor's messengers. A middle-aged man stood up and bowed. The other party is not a vampire, although they don't know why this is happening, but at least they feel a lot more relaxed. "This is Lord O'Connor's eldest son, Lulin. This is her sister......"

"My name is Liz. The female guest replied voluntarily.

"I don't know what you are here for, if the previous thing is to form an alliance against Ryan, then I'm afraid the Duke's reply will be exactly the same as the last time. For the time being, Sivania does not have the strength to wage a war other than self-defense. Our land is under construction, and we are short of money and supplies, so we can't help Master O'Connor in his war against Ryan. Leia said unceremoniously, and the rejection in her voice was very obvious.

Ashruphat stood in his study, looking at the wall in front of him. At this point, the wall seems to become a transparent glass, through which everything that happens in the living room downstairs can be seen clearly.

Carrie has explained to him all sorts of details. O'Connor was the leader of the Portians and one of the many rebels who took advantage of the Ryan's defeat by the vampires. Of course, O'Connor's rebellion soon ran into trouble due to the Ryan's decisive and covert agreement with Ashrufat to redeem the captives.

It should be said that as a rebel force who is not outstanding in his own right, it is a miracle that he has been able to maintain it until now. The rebellion appeared to be on a large scale, but it has now been largely put down. With the exception of the largest rebels, who are still surviving, the rest of the rebels have been largely wiped out. O'Connor has survived until now because he was indeed a very capable leader in his own right, and partly because the Portians were a nomadic people, with a large number of horses and a high degree of mobility, which made them ideal for guerrilla warfare.

"The host, nice opportunity for Léa to hone in on it. In her head, Carrie explained. "It's not appropriate for you to go out of this kind of scene. You must know that the gamblers who lose in the casino and want to borrow money to turn over their books are sorry for themselves if they don't let out usury. Her voice was delighted.

The messengers were still in desperate labor. But their efforts were doomed to be meaningless. Through merchants, rumors, and spies sent out to inquire about the news, Carrie has learned about O'Connor's current situation. To put it mildly, it's "days are numbered". Since their defeat at Purple Stone, the Ryan have learned their lesson. They fought steadily, gradually encroaching on and dividing the rebels with superior forces, and at the same time tried their best to buy traitors and promote civil strife. Although this strategy is slow to work, there is absolutely no possibility of losing. As time went on, O'Connor's situation became worse and worse, and he could no longer hold on.

In the blink of an eye, the negotiations in the living room were at an impasse.

"If that's all you want to say, then leave it at that. I'll pass it on to the Duke, and I can't guarantee anything else. Leia replied coldly. Don't look at her as a fortune teller, she was still blind before, and she didn't know much about anything. But after several years of training (it should also be Carrie's teaching), I have actually practiced a bit of a momentum that looks down on all beings and is high.

"I have heard that the Portians are free by nature and do not bow their heads to anyone. In her mind, Carrie said in a playful voice. "But when they come to a fork in the road, one leads to destruction and the other leads to bending, what will they choose? I believe they will not choose the former, because whoever it is, will not want to die. ”

Information has come from some foreign travelers that the Ryan have suffered a lot of small losses in previous battles, which has caused them to become angry. They had even rejected O'Connor's "conditional surrender" and intended to uproot the rebellion. With the exception of a handful of Portians who have now surrendered to the Ryan (and who are their vanguard and guide), the nation should be completely wiped out after this war is over.

If this rumor is to be believed, then the Portians have no second choice. Of course, even if it is not credible, Ashrufat has nothing to lose.

“...... Our most humble attitude begs the Duke to find a place in Sivania. We will fully obey the laws of the Duke as his loyal subjects......"

The facts seemed to prove Carrie's judgment, and Leia's attitude was tough and did not give in at all, while the conditions offered by O'Connor's messenger were retreating step by step. From the beginning of the alliance to the vassals, and then to the subjects.

"If you are just ordinary travelers, then I can take the place of the Duke. Leia's voice was strong. "But the problem is that you are not. Behind you, the Ryan army is also followed. To provide you with refuge is to go to war with the Ryans. ”

She said it righteously, but fools know that vampires have never been good neighbors of the Ryans. Among other things, Sivania itself is Ryan's land, which has been forcibly taken by vampires by force. The two sides had fought a major battle before, and it was the victory of the vampires that cemented the rule of Sivania. The reason for the current state of peace is entirely due to the fact that the Ryan have not yet regained their strength and the vampires have not expanded outward. Everyone knows that when the Ryan people have licked their wounds, they will definitely use troops against Sivania again.

But the question is, what's the use of knowing the Tao? The thing at the moment is that they have a request for the vampires, not the vampires for them. So vampires can naturally ask for a sky-high price. This time, O'Connor was forced to do so, so he even came with his son and daughter to show that he valued the negotiations.

"With that in mind, I'm sorry I have to refuse your request. Guys, I'm so sorry, please come back. Leia said calmly.

Even Ashrufat, who was watching all this from the study, had to admit that Leia did a good job. Nothing is to be faulted with.

"There is no turning back. Liz interjected suddenly. The two middle-aged men looked at her with surprise, but now it was time for a showdown. In the final analysis, all diplomatic negotiations should be based on strength and the general trend. Everyone knows that vampires are selfish and domineering, and the Portians don't have any money to negotiate with vampires.

"I would like to ask what kind of conditions are required for Lord Duke to be willing to accept us. ”

Léa looked at each other. In terms of appearance, Leia is actually a little younger, but she is in a high position. The words that came out of Leia's mouth actually decided the life and death of the other party's clan.

"Lord Duke's demands are simple, the Portians must surrender all their weapons, and all Portia nobles, including O'Connor, must swear allegiance to Lord Duke. The Duke will have the right to dispose of everything that the Portians have!Finally, as proof of allegiance, all Portia maidens who have reached the age of thirteen in the future must be sent to the castle to be selected by the Duke. ”

"Hey...... Carrie...... This ......" Ashrufat didn't know what to say for a while. This requirement, even from his point of view, feels that it is too harsh. This is all about asking the other party to submit completely and completely to his servitude. Especially the last point. "What does this mean?"

"Leia is a good side room. In her head, Carrie seemed to be talking to herself. "She seems to be able to accept everything, including other women. There are not many people among human beings who have this kind of awareness. Scarlet will definitely not mention the last point. I'm sure what she's seen in the past isn't that simple......"

When Léa was blind, she possessed a certain level of ability to foresee the future. She did divination for Ashrufat. Maybe in those "future clips", she saw some signs.

Léa's attitude towards this "future" is acceptance, not confrontation. It is precisely because of this that she can get along well with Scarlet, because she has long accepted all this in her heart and takes it for granted.

But Ashrufat has always been a self-disciplined man. This is not so much a limitation of acquired conditions as it is a kind of nature, the last trace of spiritual imprint left by his past as a human being. To be able to have Leia and Scarlet, he already feels very satisfied. When it comes to women, he doesn't ask for more.

Ashrufat looked at the negotiations in the study suspiciously. It must be noted that after Léa made this request, almost all four messengers froze. No one expected a vampire to come up with such harsh conditions. To put it mildly, this is a typical robbery while the fire is hot. Or that kind of outright looting.

"But......," said one of the messengers, hesitantly.

"There is a vast grassland in the western part of West Vania. Leia continued. "The Duke may promise to give you that land as your new home. In addition to that, we will provide you with fair and reasonable terms of trade......" Léa paused. "The Duke has said that all conditions cannot be changed, and you can choose to accept them or not. ”