It was already 20 minutes later when Di Lun and the others emerged from the Council chamber.
Though brief, that 20-minute meeting was more exhausting and agonizing for Di Lun than meetings that routinely ran 2 to 3 hours.
“Father!” Di Lisha quickly stood up as soon as Di Lun came out. She had just been talking with Kashan at length.
“Hmm.” Di Lun nodded slightly at Di Lisha, and she could sense a hint of anxiety from her father. Then Di Lun said to Kashan:
“Chief Priest Kashan, please provide us with a room. We need to hold some important impromptu discussions.”
“No problem. Please follow me.” Kashan didn’t say much and directly led Di Lun and the others to a room on the second floor furnished with a few plain desks.
This room had been prepared long ago at Truth’s request, because she had anticipated that Di Lun and the others would need to discuss things privately.
After all, her condition was somewhat difficult to meet…
After thanking Kashan, Di Lun gestured for Di Lisha to enter as well, then quickly closed the door.
Then several subordinates who had been following Di Lun immediately took out some strange crystals and devices from their bags, fiddled with them, and placed them in the four corners of the room. After about a minute more of adjustment, one subordinate reported:
“City Lord, the anti-eavesdropping measures are ready. We can begin the formal discussion at any time!”
“Very good.” Di Lun gestured for everyone to take their seats. Di Lisha, sitting to the side, asked curiously:
“Father, wasn’t the conversation with the Ninth Saintess… going well?” Di Lisha asked.
After talking with Kashan for nearly 20 minutes, she already had a general understanding of the Ninth Saintess.
If the Ninth Saintess’s personality really was as Kashan had described, then Di Lisha believed this meeting would definitely not go smoothly!
However, Di Lun shook his head. “It went smoothly, almost too smoothly. It’s just the Ninth Saintess’s requirement… that was truly unexpected.”
Di Lun sighed and continued, “Now then, we need to seriously discuss the conditions the Ninth Saintess proposed, as well as what she promised us. First, what do you all think of the Ninth Saintess’s requirement?”
A heavily armored subordinate with long chestnut-brown hair said, “No way! This requirement is far too excessive! And I think she’s deliberately making things difficult for us!”
“Indeed…” A slightly stout subordinate chimed in. “Even though we made many speculations before coming here, we still failed to predict that the Ninth Saintess’s condition would actually be this. Truly unexpected.”
“Wangsheng City cannot possibly do it—no, it cannot possibly agree to this condition.”
“Perhaps we can try a different approach?” …
The discussion among Di Lun and the others immediately heated up. Di Lisha pricked up her ears and listened carefully from the side, but she remained completely in the dark…
“Seriously, what exactly is the Ninth Saintess’s condition? Can’t you all just say it first?!”
Although Di Lisha was very anxious, she couldn’t easily interject right now, so she could only quietly listen to everyone’s discussion.
All she could gather so far was that the Ninth Saintess’s requirement was extremely unexpected, and it would be very difficult for Wangsheng City to bear.
So what kind of condition could make Father and the others look so troubled? Was it a direct demand for a huge amount of funds to construct Deya City?
Or was it something like allowing the teachings of the Church of the Goddess of Life to spread within Wangsheng City?
Finally, just as everyone was getting parched from discussion and about to take a sip of water to relieve their throats, Di Lisha seized the chance to ask quietly:
“Father, if I may ask… what exactly is the Ninth Saintess’s requirement?”
Di Lun pondered for a moment, then replied:
“Di Lisha, do you still remember our purpose in coming to Deya City?”
“I do! We came to attempt to formally establish diplomatic relations with Deya City, then try to build a good relationship with the Ninth Saintess, laying the foundation for all kinds of future cooperation!”
“That’s right. That was our purpose in coming to Deya City this time. Unfortunately, reality had some discrepancies from our expectations.
“We didn’t act according to plan; instead, we came here secretly at the Ninth Saintess’s request for this meeting. Even now, those Radical Faction members still think we’re camped outside the city.”
“However, the negotiation with the Ninth Saintess went quite smoothly—no, it went extremely smoothly, so smoothly that it’s excessive…”
Di Lun’s original plan had been to prepare a pile of priceless gifts, swagger into Deya City for a formal meeting with the Ninth Saintess, exchange gifts with each other, and then formally announce the establishment of diplomatic relations.
After that, they would make a big deal of spreading the news of the formal diplomatic relations between Deya City and Wangsheng City throughout the entire Wangsheng City and the Sylvia Kingdom.
Di Lun paused for a moment, then continued:
“The Ninth Saintess agreed very readily to establishing diplomatic relations with Wangsheng City. She didn’t seem to care at all about our identity as blasphemers—and that’s not all! Not only did she agree to establish relations, but she also said, ‘Since you’re already here, why not discuss future cooperation?’ Then she began giving us a detailed introduction to the Mist of Calamity.”
“The Mist of Calamity?” Di Lisha was a bit baffled. How did they end up talking about the Disaster? What did this meeting have to do with the Mist of Calamity?
“Yes, the Mist of Calamity. Suffice it to say, the Ninth Saintess is extremely eager to cooperate with us. She even proposed several mutually beneficial cooperation plans that are very attractive to us! It’s just that her condition is really…”
“Oh, stop being so mysterious, Father! Just tell me what the condition is already!”
Di Lisha pressed urgently. She hated people who only said half of what they meant!
Di Lun slowly extended one index finger in front of Di Lisha.
“The Ninth Saintess has only one requirement, and that is… to provide her with a Legendary Weapon. No matter the type, as long as it’s Legendary-tier!”
“A Legendary Weapon?!” Di Lisha was greatly shocked. “That’s too… too much to ask of someone!”
Even in Wangsheng City, there was only one Legendary Weapon, and that was the City-Protecting Treasure that ensured the entire city wouldn’t be washed away by the Wangsheng River!
Damn it! Didn’t Uncle Roland say that the Ninth Saintess was young, had little cunning, and was excessively innocent?
How could she make such an exorbitant demand and cause trouble for others right off the bat?
“By the way, Di Lisha, while you were waiting outside, did you manage to pry any information about the Ninth Saintess out of Chief Priest Kashan?” Di Lun suddenly asked.
“Yes! According to what Chief Priest Kashan described, the Ninth Saintess doesn’t seem to care much about studying. She doesn’t know any Priest Etiquette or Saintess Ritual—she’s like… that kind of bottom-of-the-class student? And she’s also quite fickle, liking to toy with people’s feelings.”
“Toying with people’s feelings?!” Di Lun and the others were stunned.
Wait—they could understand the Ninth Saintess being a poor student, but what was this about “toying with other people’s feelings”?
She clearly looked so young…
Di Lun was momentarily dumbfounded with anger.
“Damn it! Everything Roland gave us was false intelligence! He even had the nerve to tell us over and over that the Ninth Saintess was just an innocent little kid through and through!” …
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