by Zhuang Bifan
The leaders of the forces of the Breezy Plains were overjoyed to see the Gilded Kingdom in trouble. Why would they jeopardize it, and do something that wasn't beneficial to them at all? They were not fools, and knew that the Gilded Kingdom's team had a real Sanctuary powerhouse, yet they were still in such a terrible state. Even if there were treasures on Cage Island, they would probably die before they could enjoy them.
However, they did not want their relationship with the Gilded Kingdom to become too stiff, as that wouldn't be beneficial to them, either. Hence, after getting the news, they also sent some representatives to the Cartia Family. Of course, before they set out, the representatives were instructed to just go over and go through the motions, and perhaps see how the arrogant members of the Gilded Kingdom swallowed their pride.
Looking at the representatives of the forces with a sullen expression, Cantory wished he could rip them into pieces. They were speaking to him respectfully and giving him endless compliments, but when he got to the main topic, they immediately began patronizing him, causing the entire discussion to end up being just a waste of time.
Given Cantory's usual temper, he would have long lost his temper in the past, but now he had to suppress the anger in his heart. Although he had always been arrogant, he had clear priorities and knew that it was not the time to cause trouble, since Elder Zumar and the rest were still waiting for reinforcements on Cage Island.
According to his usual way of handling matters, Cantory even tried to use some sophistry to convince the representatives of the forces at the beginning of the discussion. However, he soon came to his senses, and realized that they were not in the Gilded Kingdom, but the Breezy Plains where no one would be convinced by him.
Hence, after realizing the truth, Cantory immediately began trying to tempt them with interests. Knowing that the forces of the Breezy Plains were driven by profits, he thought that they would give everything they had to help as long as he offered them enough. However, despite being full of greed, the representatives of the forces of the Breezy Plains did not agree to Cantory's offers this time.
They were not fools. Even if the Gilded Kingdom offered them a massive benefit, they would have to be alive in order to enjoy it. Although they did not know about the situation on Cage Island, they could tell that it was not simple. Even the powerful Gilded Kingdom ended up in such a terrible state. If they intervened, they would only end up being cannon fodder, which would usually end up with nothing.
"Don't forget, Cage Island belongs to the Breezy Plains, not the Gilded Kingdom. If the things inside escape, the first to suffer will be the Breezy Plains." Seeing that the plan to tempt them had failed, Cantory tried to threaten them, which indeed made the representatives of the various forces below suddenly panic.
During this period of time, the forces of the Breezy Plains had also searched everywhere for information related to the legend of the Cage Island, but in addition to the legend of the ancient dragon that had been imprisoned by a Titan, there wasn't any other information that seemed reliable. Hence, no one except the people of the Gilded Kingdom knew what was below Cage Island.
Hearing Cantory's threat, the people of the Breezy Plains dared not take it too lightly despite suspecting something. In the past, the Retribution Knight ravaged the Breezy Plains, and subjected it to a devastating disaster which caused countless factions to disappear. The ones that were lucky to survive had also suffered major losses.
Looking at the commotion caused by the Gilded Kingdom on Cage Island, they reckoned that there had to be something impressive in there. Even if it was not as impressive as Rodhart, it would definitely cause a bloodbath in the Breezy Plains.
Of course, that was only one possibility. Another possibility could be that the Gilded Kingdom was just making an exaggeration to implicate the forces of the Breezy Plains. After all, even if these forces finally figured out what happened, they could not really do anything to the Gilded Kingdom.
The news immediately made the representatives of the forces below talk to each other, which was to Cantory's relief. Although the benefits he offered were not enough to attract them, they probably would not refuse when their interests were concerned.
However, while Cantory was waiting for the crowd to take a stand, Joseph, who represented the Mithril Alliance, suddenly said, "Envoy Cantory, I think we can't give you an answer immediately. Well, you should know that we have always been at the mercy of the Ashen Warlock Roland when it comes to making arrangements for the Breezy Plains. Now, President Felic of the Tower of Ashes can be considered Lord Roland's spokesperson. Hence, we have to seek his opinion. As long as you can convince President Felic, we won't have an opinion."
Joseph did not want to fall out with the Gilded Kingdom or get involved in this matter. Hence, he thought of putting the blame on the Tower of Dusk. Of course, he was too embarrassed to tell Cantory that the forces had once submitted to the Tower of Dusk, and thus said that Lin Li was the spokesman of the Ashen Warlock.
According to Joseph's idea, the entry of the Gilded Kingdom into the Breezy Plains had undoubtedly caused considerable damage to the interests of the Tower of Dusk. Although the two sides reached an agreement in the negotiations, everyone knew that two tigers couldn't share one mountain. Thus, it was only a matter of time before a war broke out between the two top forces. The Tower of Dusk would gloat over the Gilded Kingdom's predicament, and obviously wouldn't step forth to help.
Not only could the other faction decline to help the Gilded Kingdom, they would not have to fall out with them, either. Such a perfect solution where they could have the best of both worlds had always been the favorite of the forces of the Breezy Plains. Hence, after hearing Joseph's words, the representatives of the other forces also immediately chimed in to support his idea.
However, Cantory did not think so much. After all, when they had come to the Breezy Plains, they had gone to the Ashen Warlock, only to be told that they had to speak to President Felic of the Tower of Dusk regarding all the issues in the Breezy Plains. Hence, in their opinion, it would not be wrong to say that the president of the Tower of Dusk was the spokesman of the Ashen Warlock.
However, what made Cantory feel troubled was the fact that he knew how difficult it was to deal with President Felic of the Tower of Dusk after the previous negotiations. Although the negotiations were finally settled, the process and outcome were unsatisfactory.
Initially, Cantory had felt that he might never have to deal with the Tower of Dusk again, and perhaps the next time they met would be when the Gilded Kingdom took over the Breezy Plains. However, the people of the Breezy Plains actually told him now to talk to the damned Felic of the Tower of Dusk. Cantory immediately felt a headache coming on.
At this time, Cantory even felt regretful for not enjoying life well in the Gilded Kingdom, and insisting on going to the Breezy Plains to suffer. However, it was too late for regrets now, and he knew that if he failed to handle this well, even his teacher wouldn't forgive him. He would also end up losing his status, glory, wealth, and so on.
Glaring at the people who were seated nearby, Cantory knew that they were using the Tower of Dusk as a shield, and thus there was no longer any point in trying to tempt or threaten them. However, at the thought of his previous negotiation experience, he couldn't help but feel a headache. In the past, he had been extorted of all his kingdom's maritime information for the sake of entering the Breezy Plains. What price would he have to pay this time!?
To be frank, Cantory felt some fear towards the young president of the Tower of Dusk, which was a fact that might shock everyone. Cantory would rather stay on Cage Island than swallow his pride to beg the young president of the Tower of Dusk to help.
However, Cantory no longer had a choice now. Not only did he have to face the damned Felic, he had to make sure that he got the matter done. In other words, no matter how Lin Li made things difficult for him and how outrageous his requests were, he had to give in, even if Lin Li wanted to slap him
.
At this point, Cantory knew that there was no point in saying anything else to these forces. As long as he could convince Lin Li, they would have no more excuses. If he couldn't, they wouldn't agree even if he threatened them with a knife.
Although he couldn't bring himself to do it, Cantory immediately left the crowd in the conference hall, and used the Power of Flight to fly towards the Tower of Dusk without delay.
At the beginning, Cantory's flight speed was very fast, but when he saw the huge Sky Castle in the sky—or perhaps it was because he had been flying too fast, and hadn't thought about how to face Lin Li, the president of the Tower of Dusk, and how to persuade him to intervene—he slowed down.
However, no matter how slow Cantory was, the journey could not be extended. He watched as the Tower of Dusk became larger in sight while the surrounding Magic Towers became clearer. However, he was incredibly confused, and was at a loss for what to do.
While hesitating, Cantory flew close to the Tower of Dusk and descended at the gate of the Magic City. In the past, he would have just flown directly to the Tower of Dusk. Of course, he didn't do so now—not out of courtesy, but purely because he needed more time.
There weren't any strict entry requirements at the Magic City of the Tower of Dusk, so Cantory, who was wearing a magic robe, had already reached the gate before he even realized it.
Chapter 1059 - Aid
At this moment, someone finally went forth to stop him and question him. After all, even the mages were not allowed to enter and leave the tower freely, let alone Cantory, an obvious outsider.
Cantory, who had snapped out of his trance, subconsciously wanted to fly into a rage, but fortunately he reacted fast enough. As soon as he started glaring, he remembered where he was, and quickly put on a calmer expression. He said to the mage who came to question him, "I'm an envoy of the Gilded Kingdom, and I would like to see your president for something urgent."
The envoy of the Gilded Kingdom? As soon as he heard Cantory report his identity, the expression of that mage from the Tower of Dusk immediately became sullen. In fact, many people, including some mages of the Tower of Dusk, felt that the Gilded Kingdom's entry to the Breezy Plains would affect the Tower of Dusk the most.
Before the Gilded Kingdom arrived, the Tower of Dusk had reached a level where all the forces in the Breezy Plains had to stoop low and submit to them. However, once the Gilded Kingdom arrived, there were two authoritative forces that the factions had to subdue to. Besides, it was obvious that the Tower of Dusk and Gilded Kingdom would clash sooner or later.
Therefore, in the view of the majority of people, the Tower of Dusk and the Gilded Kingdom were still at odds with each other even though they had reached a consensus for their negotiations—they had merely compromised with each other on the surface, so there just seemed to be less animosity and hostility between the two.
Now that the enemy was standing right in front of him, the mage of the Tower of Dusk naturally wouldn't be nice to him. However, this mage didn't have a high status. Those in the Sky Castle who liked battles would probably have chased Cantory out.
"So you're an envoy of the Gilded Kingdom. Please wait here for a moment, I will go to report to our president." The mage did not lead Cantory to the guest hall, and instead left without him after bringing him to the main hall.
Cantory had never been treated that way all his life. If not for what had happened on Cage Island, he would have probably turned around to leave angrily. However, he now had no choice but to hold his anger back and stay there. He even looked for a place to sit down in the hall.
Besides, what made Cantory feel terrible was the vast number of people who were passing by in the hall. The mage did not speak softly just now, and almost everyone in the hall heard him. Hence, they were all looking at Cantory with a hostile expression.
If Cantory had come because of other things, he would have definitely raised his chin high to express his disdain for them. However, he was there to request help from the president of the Tower of Dusk. To put it bluntly, he was there to plead with Lin Li. Although the mages should not know this, he had a guilty conscience, and felt that they were aware.
After a period of time, which Cantory felt was centuries long, the mage who had received him finally came out, and brought him to a meeting room. Without those intense gazes, Cantory finally felt better. However, when he thought about how he was going to face someone who was much harder to deal with, and even had to ask him for help, he immediately felt that his disaster had just begun.
"I heard that the Gilded Kingdom has recently launched a huge operation on Cage Island. How can you have the time to visit our tiny force, Envoy Cantory? When I heard the report from the people downstairs just now, I thought that someone was assuming your identity. My apologies," said Lin Li, who didn't deliberately make Cantory wait longer. At his current level, he wouldn't bother doing something so petty.
Although Cantory was there to ask for help, he had never begged all his life. Others were always the ones to beg him. Even if he wanted to beg, he couldn't seem the part so easily. Seeing Lin Li enter the guest hall, Cantory sat still, and disdainfully said, "It's really hard to see you, President Felic. Is this how the Tower of Dusk treats its guests?"
Although it might not be considered hard for others, Cantory obviously thought differently. Given his status in the Gilded Kingdom, the people he wanted to see would be waiting for him way before he arrived. Almost no one would dare to make him wait.
However, at the Tower of Dusk today, he was first made to wait outside in the hall where everyone cast peculiar gazes at him, and then, when he reached the guest hall, no one came to receive or entertain him. Cantory was long infuriated. He didn't forget what his agenda was, though. Otherwise, he would have long stomped off in a fury.
Of course, Cantory was not just venting his frustration and disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, but rather wanted to pave the foundation for their conversation. Simply put, if he took control of the flow earlier, he wouldn't be in a passive position when requesting help later.
Lin Li smiled faintly, and didn't care about Cantory's complaint. Instead, he walked towards a seat and sat down. "Envoy Cantory, you and I both know what the relationship between the Tower of Dusk and the Gilded Kingdom is. Besides, we have our own way of hosting guests, and it varies depending on the guest. Okay, just cut straight to the chase. Surely you didn't come here to declare war this time, did you?"
Cantory originally wanted to wait for Lin Li to apologize so that he could start talking about the matter of Cage Island, but he did not expect Lin Li to answer so bluntly. Besides, those words reminded him of the previous negotiation he had with Lin Li when his fleet was attacked.
What's the relationship between the Gilded Kingdom and the Tower of Dusk? We're enemies, of course! Thinking about the pressing issue at hand, Cantory's heart sank. Asking one's enemy for help was probably the greatest joke ever. Cantory felt that if he was in Lin Li's place, he definitely wouldn't help his enemy, either. He would even kick him down further, and leave him with no means of survival.
As he thought about it, Cantory subconsciously broke out in a cold sweat, and even hesitated to tell Lin Li his agenda. If Lin Li chose not to help, and even added insult to his injury, the Gilded Kingdom's dream of dominating the Breezy Plains would burst like a bubble.
"Envoy Cantory, the Tower of Dusk may be small, but we have a lot to handle every day. If you're really here just to be a guest, I'll get someone to take you around. I won't entertain you longer then," Lin Li said, not standing on ceremony after seeing how hesitant Cantory was. He stood up and got ready to leave.
"Um… President Felic, please wait a moment," Cantory said as he frantically stood up. Despite feeling infuriated, he put on a sincere expression, and said, "President Felic, I'm here this time for a very important matter. I was appointed by Elder Zumar of the Illuminati, and I hope to cooperate with you in the matter on Cage Island, President Felic."
Cant
ory also figured out that there was no one in the entire Breezy Plains who didn't know about the disaster on Cage Island. If the Tower of Dusk had really wanted to kick them while they were down, they would have done so long ago. However, he did not directly ask for help, and instead said that he was interested in a cooperation with the Tower of Dusk.
If he requested help, the Gilded Kingdom would definitely be in a vulnerable position, being tantamount to meat that was waiting to be sliced, and they would have to comply with the Tower of Dusk's requests. If it was a cooperation, the two parties would be of equal status. There would be no negotiation then. Now, if the Tower of Dusk demanded a high price, the Gilded Kingdom could bargain.
Cantory's idea was good, but Lin Li was not the type to be taken advantage of easily. Hearing that Cantory wanted to cooperate, Lin Li immediately stood up and shook his head smilingly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in Cage Island, so there's no need to say anything about cooperation."
"Wait, President Felic, if you have any conditions, we can talk things over slowly." Cantory panicked a little. If the Tower of Dusk was just the Tower of Dusk, he wouldn't have to be too nervous. The problem was that the other forces in the Breezy Plains were all acting according to the Tower of Dusk's decision. If he could not persuade the president of the Tower of Dusk, the Gilded Kingdom might really not get any help in the Breezy Plains.
"Envoy Cantory, this is not a matter of conditions. Cage Island is not included in the Tower of Dusk's development plan, so no matter what you've discovered on Cage Island, the Tower of Dusk would not be interested in intervening, so don't worry," Lin Li said righteously, making Cantory feel like he was facing an immovable mountain.
Hearing Lin Li's words, Cantory felt like crying. Previously, the leaders of the Gilded Kingdom had not announced the purpose of this operation to the outside world, because they were worried that other forces would covet the secret treasures of Cage Island. However, he really wished that they would be interested in Cage Island now so that he wouldn't have to swallow his pride and ask for help.
