Chapter 541: 541
The Best Speaker
“Speak.”
It was deathly silent.
The hall was silent.
A moment ago, the righteous pillars of the country were heartbroken for Goethe. They were either beating around the bush, insinuating, or shouting loudly, reprimanding the conspirators of Aurora, the demons who could not be called by their names, the evil Easterners who used forbidden spells to blackmail and bully countries, and the evil Easterners who had other schemes.
But now, they were silently staring at the Sword of Intimidation, the Dragon of Aurora, the Guardian of Chang ‘an, the old friend of the people of Goethe, the enemy of Sunset Moon, and the great Prince Kant.
The good brothers who fought alongside Count Cassat all shut their mouths.
The opinion leader, who was suddenly drenched in sweat, was left at the forefront of the charge.
“You motherf * cker.” Kant said calmly,” I told you to speak.”
“I… You…”
After receiving the Empire’s promise and being guided by the light of hope, he fought for the dignity of the people and true prosperity. He also received funding and rewards from friendly international forces. Count Cassat had once spoken generously, but at this moment, many of his passionate words were stuck in his throat.
There might be tough bones in the world, but they would definitely not charge money.
The earl’s expression changed rapidly, from disbelief to fear, from fear to despair. He subconsciously turned his head and looked at the ruler on the throne whom he had once fiercely reprimanded.
“Big… Grand Duke…” He begged,” Say something.”
Archduke Rechnos opened his eyes. His eyes, which were as calm as the lake, suddenly emitted a murderous aura. The sleeping lion had woken up.
“Count, please finish what you were about to say,” he said.
Count Cassatt looked around. His ” comrades ” and the nobles who shared the same interests with him all looked away at this moment. They even quietly took two steps back to draw a clear line.
In an instant, the opinion leader was reduced to a lone rebel. He was terrified, and his blood boiled. When he became hysterical, people would lose their minds. He suddenly looked flustered and exasperated. He glared fiercely at Kant and roared,” Kant! Do you think you can win like this?!”
Everyone was shocked. Then, they saw Count Casat spread his arms and roared,”Everyone here is against you!” The archduke had placed Princess Tina under house arrest! The generals are uneasy about your interference in Goethe’s national strategy! The administrative bureaucrats are angry that you brought Goethe back to the abyss of war!”
” You insulted the envoy of the council. The Spell Casters of Lucerne are all dissatisfied!”
“You have shown absolute hostility to the Empire, but half of the nobles here are related to the Empire’s large aristocratic family! This was not the main point! The point is that you tied Goethe to your chariot! You helped us temporarily repel the elves! But you offended the dragon race!
Empire! Council! The entire world!”
“It wasn’t easy for us to protect our family and business, but you want to put us in danger again!”
“Even the commoners are against you! They only wanted to live a peaceful and stable life! That’s all!”
“So let’s see! Kant! Everyone is against you, everyone is afraid of you! A person who could raze this city to the ground at any time! A person who can impose his will on us at any time!”
“You think you can win?” he said, pointing at the crowd like a madman. Other than using a forbidden spell to make both parties perish together, what other methods do you have? The emissary of the empire was here! The representatives of the council were there! The representatives of the great nobles in the north of the Empire were here!
They came up with a plan that satisfied everyone! As long as the mysterious substance was shared with the world, there would be no war! No more danger!”
“And this is what we want! What everyone wanted! It was even something that the commoners outside the square wanted! Other than your equally cruel and bloodthirsty fiancée, no one else is standing with you! Do you think you can win after you come back?
No! You’re just one person! Forever!”
The Earl shouted crazily, his voice twisted and filled with hatred.
At first, he was still stumbling, but the more he spoke, the more he spoke.
The people who were pointed at and dragged out by him all frowned and were extremely dissatisfied. However, when they heard Count Cassat’s roar and his words, no one came out to refute or argue.
That was because…Indeed.
No one wanted to fight anymore.
Everyone had experienced the risks, cruelty, and consequences of war.
In the silent hall, only Count Cassat’s heavy breathing could be heard after venting his anger.
Kant’s expression remained unchanged. He looked from left to right, then from right to left.
After a few seconds, the people from Aurora raised their hands.
With a loud bang, almost everyone was so scared that they took a few steps back.
“Don’t be afraid, scratch it.” Kant scratched his head and nodded.” Everyone is indeed peace-loving.”
” Then,” he continued without waiting for Goethe to be embarrassed.” If you have a different opinion about what Count Cassatt said, please come out and say something.”
Everyone looked at each other.
Today’s court meeting is intended to force the abdication.
Most of the people present were the compromising party. The real Hawk Faction and the radical party had already been held back by the resourceful lords. They either blocked the news, incited civilians to block the door and petition, or created unexpected government affairs to prevent them from getting away. There were very few die-hard supporters of Tedarell present.
Furthermore, the so-called hardcore support was only because of the deep relationship between the two parties. Kant’s actions could be considered as a standard reversal of behavior. He had disrupted everyone’s cake and peaceful days. How could there be any supporters?
Therefore, they had already reached a tacit strategic consensus. Today, they would succeed in this battle and force the archduke to sign an open treaty to achieve the established facts. They would not allow the evil people of Aurora to coerce the peace-loving people of Goethe. After all, Goethe was the Goethe of the Goethe people, not the people of Aurora!
.. Then, it became awkward.
The intense battle had reached the most critical moment. Seeing that the archduke’s stance had been shaken, Kant was like a divine weapon descending from the heavens. He was riding on everyone’s faces.
Furthermore, he openly asked who was supporting him and who was opposing him.
Embroiding the red flag in the middle of the night still required a process of thought building. Everyone was a respectable noble. Under the watchful eyes of the public, how could they do something so embarrassing?
No one spoke. After about thirty seconds of silence, Kant said,” Silence is a sin. If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it that you’ve all agreed. Very well.”
Count Cassatt had already given it his all. Under extreme fear and despair, some people were immediately scared out of their wits and went limp like mud, while others were desperate and did not care. At the very least, he could not be the only one who died.
“What?” he snapped.”The honorable Skyquaking Dragon wants to use a forbidden spell to kill all those who oppose you?” There are representatives of the Empire here, representatives of the Council, and countless citizens of Goethe outside. If you want to use force to make us submit, then give it a try! The elves can’t do it, and neither can you! We…”
Kant said calmly,” If you say another word, I’ll agree to your conditions. I’ll open up the right to mine the element of contradiction and share it with the other countries. I’ll set a quota and make a fortune together. The only condition is to cut your family into pieces in front of you, cut them into minced meat, and then feed them all into your stomach until you die. Aren’t you patriotic? Don’t you want a small and dignified country? Do you agree to my conditions?”
He leaned forward and revealed a warm smile.
“Guess, did your comrades agree? Did your master agree?”
The earl’s face turned as pale as a dead man. He took a few steps back, and all his excitement and hysteria disappeared in an instant. Usually, the public and opinion leaders fought against the heavens and earth, calling for all kinds of demands and struggles. The reason why they were so spirited was that they would never be the ones fighting and bleeding.
Kant looked at him, his smile as gentle as ever.
“Don’t be afraid.” He said,” I will let you live well.”
The Earthling straightened his body and looked at the clay puppets present. This is Goethe’s audience hall. I heard that there are foreign guests. Great, let’s entertain the foreign guests first, then talk about our family matters!”
The foreign emissaries in the crowd were filled with regret.
Damn it, they should have acted a day earlier, but all of these Goethe’s were so timid. After imprisoning Princess Tina, they waited for three whole days. When they saw that Kant still did not move, they mustered up their courage again.
And now? Are you stupid? F * ck.
Although he was cursing these Goethe people in his heart for being such a troublemaker, he still had to bite the bullet and step forward. This was the self-cultivation of a diplomat. He could act cool like the wind, but he could also be slapped in the face in silence.
Their hearts thumped as they heard Kant call out his number.
“Empire!”
The crowd automatically turned around and pointed at Kant.
Damn Goethe Barbarian.
The emissary squeezed out a smile and walked out.
He was not the Empire’s ambassador to Goethe. That man had sent a few letters to the Emperor as Kant had requested. Accompanied by a forbidden spell from the Shattered Islands, he had slapped the Emperor’s face. A few days later, the news that Kant was trapped underground had spread. Goethe was under international pressure from all sides. The envoy had rushed west from the Imperial Capital. Other than the Emperor’s secret order to stir up trouble, he had also brought along an order to dismiss the original ambassador to Goethe.
He didn’t expect this.
He bowed politely with his hands on his chest, ready to pay his respects to the Skyquaking Dragon from the Empire. Before he could use his exquisite diplomatic language to negotiate, Kant’s voice rang out.
” I don’t know how slow news spreads in your empire, but I don’t think you have faxes. The important information should be illustrated with pictures and texts. Now, I’ll help you make it up.”
– What do you mean?
The bowed envoy had yet to straighten his back when he heard the whistling of the wind.
He looked up instinctively and saw Hong San, who was beside Kant, raise his hand. A white cloud flew in front of his eyes and hit his face. The force was not too strong, but it hurt a little.
In the next moment, the emissary of the dynasty realized that he had been hit in the face by a stack of white papers. A large number of papers flew in the air and landed on the ground. This was a complete humiliation and contempt.
Blood surged and anger rose. Before the messenger could protest, his face suddenly turned pale because the white paper flipped over and revealed a colorful picture on the other side.
Exquisite, realistic, and lifelike. If he had seen it in normal times, he would have been amazed. Only the most brilliant painter could paint such realistic waves, blue sky, and…Fanlun Battleship.
Broken.
A huge uneasiness emerged. He reached out to grab the paper that was flying like a butterfly, and his face became paler. He saw a twisted monster spread its wings and clamped down on a battleship like a demon. Purple veins spread like blood vessels, like parasitic endless evil.
What was this?
One after another.
Battleships that were on fire, battleships that were fleeing in panic, battleships controlled by monsters that were firing at other dynasty battleships, and people who kept falling into the water.
There was also a silver-white super warship that could cut through the waves.
What was this?
One picture after another showed the exploded battleships and the battleships that were cut in half. They were all battleships of the dynasty. He even saw a picture like this.
In the picture was the flagship of the Fourth Division, the Black Pine Forest. It was covered in purple flesh and sticky flesh, and was now shining with raging flames. Closer to it, it should be seen from the perspective of the silver warship. Many long, tube-shaped magic devices were spewing terrifying flames and breath. The picture was fixed at a blazing moment, with flames erupting, air currents surging, splinters of wood, and burning flesh flying everywhere.
Yes, he recognized the Black Forest, the flagship of the Fourth Division.
Because the captain and fleet commander… It was his younger brother.
His second son was his younger brother’s adjutant.
” Go back and inform your emperor that this afternoon, your country’s fourth squadron, including the flagship, sank. I don’t remember the other small boats, but about two-thirds of them died. The rest have surrendered to me. Most of the naval officers are dead. The highest rank is a coward who can’t even speak properly. Before I send them underground to mine, you’d better send someone to tell me the numbers.”
There was an uproar.
Almost all the silent Goethe people cried out in surprise.
The people nearby bent over to pick up the photos on the ground, passing them around in fear.
The war started?
The emissary’s hands trembled, and his eyes were red. He suddenly raised his head and said sternly,” This is a complete declaration of war! Kang De from Aurora! The Empire would not remain silent! You will…”
“Idiot.”
” It seems that you don’t know me well enough,” Kant said scornfully.” Those who do know me know that if there is really an all-out war, what you see in the picture should be your capital.”
The other party revealed a furious expression, but he was also stunned.
Kant sighed and waved at Hong San.
Hong San bowed slightly and said in a gentle tone,” Emissary, what His Highness means is that a mere envoy is not worthy of listening to his explanation. I believe that the spies in Faraway Harbor City have already reported the encounter of the Imperium’s fleet to your emperor. However, what you hear is false, and what you see is true. For the sake of your country’s national security and to prevent your emperor from making irrational decisions due to his personal ability, His Highness hereby sends the scene below to your emperor as a warning.”
Kant’s expression did not change. He was very satisfied.
Hong San continued,” Please go on your way. If your emperor still has doubts, please send a princess with sufficient weight, a clear mind, and a sense of humility to ask.”
???????
F * ck you, what?
Kant almost jumped up. Fortunately, he had an amazing self-control. He had been acting tough for a long time, so he was very good at controlling his expression. He did not give himself away. After all, he had been very successful in acting tough this time. His emotional preparation and control of the atmosphere were perfect. He could not afford to suddenly fail here.
Even though he had a hundred question marks in his heart, Kant still sat there proudly with a calm expression.
But Goethe was already in an uproar.
Even the silent archduke looked over in shock, and killing intent gradually appeared in his eyes. The other Goethe people were also extremely shocked, and there was even a little fear that arose spontaneously.
Bringing in the princess meant breaking the monopoly.
What a terrifying thing.
The emissary, who was frozen on the spot, looked at Kant in confusion. He seemed to be pleasantly surprised.
.. Fuck.
Kant immediately stripped Hong San of his right to explain. He ended the conversation with the dynasty’s envoy with a straightforward statement.” You can leave now. People of the dynasty, bring these photos to your emperor. Tell him to prepare the money and face to come and talk to me…” Remind him, it will hurt.”
The envoy’s heart was in a mess. This was beyond his authority. He bent down silently and picked up the photos on the ground one by one. He took the ones from the Goethe woman and bowed to Kant and the archduke one by one. Then, he left the audience hall dejectedly. The Valentan soldiers did not stop him.
Kant called out his number again.
“Council.”
Amidst the deathly silence, the representatives of the Council walked out. They were the same two representatives as before. During the previous negotiation, they had suffered the humiliation of Kant and maintained the dignity of the Council by being neither servile nor overbearing. This time, the Council members had granted them special permission to go out again as a reward. They were rewarded for regaining their dignity as the victors.
There were two messengers, and they were still the same two. Hong San raised his hand and took out two stacks of photos.
The middle-aged mage stood there blankly, allowing the photo to hit his face.
However, beside him, the Atmospheric Shield suddenly unfolded, blocking the paper that was dancing in the air. The spellcaster, who was young and arrogant, could not bear such humiliation.
The expression of the elderly messenger suddenly changed as he cried out involuntarily,”Wait…”
With a loud bang, half of the young envoy’s body was sent flying upside down, and the lower half staggered a few steps. Blood spurted out as he fell limply to the ground. The atmospheric shield, which had extremely low power and was only used to block the flying photos, could not withstand the large caliber bullets enchanted with the element of contradiction. The proud mage was blown into two with a single shot.
Hong San withdrew his great spear and said coldly,” It is His Highness’s grace to hit you. It is your honor. Use your face to receive it. Your rude words and actions of entering this place without permission will be forgiven. If you want to block it, you can block it.”
The smell of blood spread, and the charred flesh emitted a disgusting smell. The sound of retching could be vaguely heard. Those who had seen the world were fine, but the elegant nobles covered their mouths and noses and closed their eyes tightly.
But no one dared to say anything.
Kant said calmly,” The Canglan Fleet didn’t sink, but a few of them were destroyed. They were tortured by the mutated dragons, and many of them died. They all surrendered. Take these photos and this idiot with you. Go back and tell your council. Ask them if they want to be like him or you.”
The other party silently picked up the photo and used a spell to roll up the two broken pieces of the body and seal them with solid ice. Even the blood on the ground and the stench in the air were dispelled by the spell.
The envoy of the council left silently.
Kant called out to the last person.” The northerners from the Empire are here as well, aren’t they?”
The poor debt collector was already trembling.
He wasn’t a full-fledged envoy under the Holy Empire’s Emperor who had a diplomatic mission, nor was he an envoy who represented the dignity of the Land of Arcane Arts with the backing of the Council. He was just an errand boy who was pushed out to take advantage of Goethe being besieged from all sides to repay the foreign debt Princess Tina had borrowed to support Goethe’s war. It was best to use the shares of the mining rights of that mysterious substance as compensation. He was here to take advantage of the situation.
He had never seen such a big scene before.
He was very short and had very small eyes. The shrewdness he had in the past was now replaced by cowardice. In the face of power, his little tricks and tricks were useless. He had already made up his mind. Even if Kant wanted to renege on his debt and step on him and spit, he would lie flat and not resist. He would nod in agreement.
” Don’t be afraid,” Kant said with a pleasant expression.
“..”
Kant said,” When Tina needed help, you provided her with the food, soldiers, and armaments that she wanted the most. Although it was a loan, I’m still very grateful. But ultimately, this loan was borrowed for the Songmoon War. It should be repaid by all the Goethe people who benefited from the war…”
Every time he said a word, the debt collection representative would nod his head like he was pounding garlic.
So that’s how it is. The short representative suddenly understood. He was trying to teach Goethe a lesson by transferring the huge debt directly to Goethe. Kant, on the other hand, was not doing anything to Princess Tina so that these idiots who stood on the wrong side could enjoy themselves. However, what did this have to do with him?
“Understood, then we…” He nodded.
Kant raised his hand, and the other party immediately shut up.
” I haven’t finished yet. That was my original plan, but if Goethe were to bear this huge loan, Tina would definitely be worried and sad. She wouldn’t sit idly by. I don’t want to put her in a dilemma, so I changed my mind. Then…”
The Fire Stealer’s voice instantly rose.
” Then I announce that during the Songmoon War, Princess Goethe Tina Tedarell borrowed money from the nobles and wealthy merchants in the north of the Empire…”
His voice carried an inviolable will.
” I’ll pay the Empire and the Council back!” Kant said resolutely.
“..”
“..”
A suppressed but violent cough came out of the debt collection representative’s mouth, and he almost choked.
“They will return it.” ” Go back and discuss with the debt holders. We’ll convert all the loans into figures and report them to the emperor’s cabinet and the council. We can give them a little more,” Kant said in a pleasant tone.
[So, during the Songmoon War, His Majesty the Emperor watched from the sidelines and even plotted against Goethe, while we secretly borrowed money from Princess Tina for the sake of benefits. Now, we want to collect the debt, and we actually want to ask His Majesty for money?]
“Your Highness, Your Highness, we’re willing to…”the debt collection representative whispered.
Kant said,” When I do things, I always distinguish between kindness and resentment. I will return the money that Tina borrowed to you because what she borrowed is what she borrowed. However, you took advantage of the situation and got caught by me. I’ll teach you a lesson. Leave, people of the Empire. Or do you insist on collecting your debts from me?”
In the end, the other party left dejectedly. This was not something he could decide.
The emissaries of the dynasty, the representatives of the council, and the representatives of the northern nobles all left.
Kant leaned against his chair and looked around.
” The people of the Empire are gone, the council is gone, and the debt collectors are gone. Now, only you are left.”
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[PS 1: 6,000 words…] Yesterday, he had seen a joke. Lighting grass was indeed beneficial to one’s physical and mental health.