"This is our plan. As part of the alliance, we hope to obtain the market price purchase rights for the thirty commodities on this list. We also hope that the elf merchants can freely enter your city."
In the spacious conference hall, the decoration style of the elves is still so luxurious that even the table corners are carved with elven sword dance. Listening to the negotiations between the two parties, I almost dozed off.
"Anne talks about military and political affairs, and Margaret is assisting me in business, and it's none of my business. I'm just idle, so let's have some fun."
"...The market prices of twenty-three common commodities are of course acceptable, but seven commodities, including mercury, dragon poison, and secondary-processed liquid sulfur, are all officially controlled or prohibited from sale.
It is impossible to allow external sales unless you agree to a reciprocal transaction for the special goods on our list. Moreover, as long as your dark elf merchants are really serious businessmen and not spies and killers disguised as businessmen, why should you be afraid of us?
Check." Eliza said as she pushed her eyes.
"...Sister, if you want to bargain with me on the price of these cucumbers, okay, I'll take them all for $2.50, but I have to bring these tomatoes with me. Don't worry, they're all fresh and good."
"Haha, little girl, let's be open one-on-one. To be honest, these economic and trade exchanges are just the appetizer to deepen the relationship. Maybe we should talk about the main topic. For example, about your power of law
." Kaya smiled.
"Haha, young man, let's do this. Auntie doesn't care about this little money. By the way, how do you sell your little yellow croaker?"
This time, Eliza frowned slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Anne.
"Well, Annie can decide this matter. If you dark elves are interested in the power of law, you can send people to Sulfur Mountain City to learn it, but you must swear an oath in the name of the Spider Queen not to cause harm to the citizens. At the same time,
, we must also declare to give up the pursuit of the dark elves in Sulfur Mountain City."
"Well, if you want the small yellow croaker, I'll give it to you at a low price of twelve yuan per catty. This small yellow croaker is so fresh, it's best eaten cooked. However, if you accept the small yellow croaker, don't worry about the potato debt from before.
Account settled."
After hearing Annie's answer, Kaya shook her head.
"The will of the Spider Queen cannot be slackened. The traitors must be eliminated. We elves have plenty of time to wait. Let these traitors patiently wait for the end of the day... Okay, let's not talk about these spoilers. Perhaps, we can
Let’s talk about deeper topics, such as a military alliance against a certain party, which of course will not be written on paper.”
"That won't work. The boss of our cafeteria is the one who settles the accounts. Sooner or later, the potato payment will have to be paid off... But let's talk about other things, such as when we can go together to take down that big guy who always bullies others.
I'll beat him up, of course, if he discovers it in advance, I won't admit it."
Obviously, everything before was just an appetizer, and now the private military alliance is the reason for the secret agreement today. Anne hesitated, but Eliza's eyebrows were tightened, and her face was covered with frost, as if she was troubled.
Oh, it should be very troublesome, of course it will be very troublesome. This decision represents countless lives and futures. However, it takes a lot of pressure to grow and progress. I am optimistic about you, Eliza, Anne.
"...Please wait a moment." Finally, she made up her mind, stood up straight, and then...walked in front of me.
"Master! Have you had enough? Stop playing those boring grocery shopping jokes in my head and stop hindering our negotiations!!!"
"Ah, did I accidentally say it? Sorry, sorry." He apologized without sincerity in his words, then lowered his head and lowered his sense of presence... Of course you have to have someone to complain about, you can't just talk to yourself.
It becomes a neurosis.
Well, in the eyes of outsiders, Eliza stood silently in front of me and looked at me, and then I remained silent, seemingly handing over the decision-making power to the other party by default.
"I'm sorry." After apologizing, Eliza sat down again.
"Actually, what I said is correct. Negotiation is not about bargaining and haggling. Is it any different from buying vegetables in the market?"
"I'm thinking about a problem, please be quiet."
Okay, okay, you just know how to bully Old Bones. If you feel annoyed with Old Bones, Old Bones should go out for a walk at the head office.
It just so happened that I was tired of the boring atmosphere in the negotiation room, so I got up and left...
"Please be careful along the way, return to the station early, don't pick up food on the ground, don't make the children cry too much, lest their parents come to your door, and don't get caught doing bad things. I'm not familiar with the security bureau here, and I don't want to
Go get people again."
Well, stay away from the nagging behind my back like an old child, and generally reflect on whether I have made any mistakes. What happened to that cute little girl who was afraid of the dark and lonely, and would pull me by the hem of my clothes to sleep when the weather was stormy?
Under my education, he became more and more vicious and twisted.
Along the way, under the cold gaze of Eliza, she pretended to ignore the ambiguous looks and vague invitations from the elf matrons... What a pity, the adult arts and various skills of the dark elves,
But they are also their world-renowned "art treasures" and what every man dreams of...
Well, even without that sharp-tongued maid, I can't do much, but think about the head office, as a man, it's not a crime to imagine!!...... Eliza! Don't sing in my head
"My father-in-law has a migraine!!" I really shouldn't have taught you how to sing pop songs! I shouldn't have told you what your father-in-law is!
"Huh, wait until I'm resurrected..."
Before leaving, I took one last look at Annie who was chatting away, hoping that she would soon be on her own so that I could be resurrected...
But I had no way of knowing that after I left, all the dark elf matrons breathed a sigh of relief almost at the same time.
"The robe and mask seem to be artifacts, and their true appearance and strength are completely undetectable."
"There is no change in emotion, and the heartbeat cannot be felt. If you close your eyes, it doesn't exist at all. What kind of existence is this?"
"Is it a demon? A human? An elf? An undead? It's completely unknown. The two little girl representatives obviously rely on his judgment. Why are they destined to leave at this time? Is there any conspiracy?"
In a sense, the only obstacle to this negotiation is the sleepless man.
In the eyes of the dark elf matrons who have experienced countless years, being powerful is not scary. What is scary is always the unknown, and the Sleepless Man is really too weird and dangerous.
"As the discoverer of a new power of order, any overestimation of the Sleepless Man cannot be overestimated. If the power of law is destined to become a powerful order like the Holy Light, maybe we will face a future
God. But no matter what, his departure is a good thing for the negotiations...or, he should let the 'shadow' follow him, if there is a chance..."
Resina, the first mistress of Menzoberranzan, is still a neighbor of Brimstone Mountain City in a sense. Although those defecting dark elves who are so weird that they believe in the Holy Light have caused the original first family to lose the Spider Queen.
Trust and favor also allowed Resina's Sphinx family to rise to power.
But no matter what, Diana Yixin, who defected and lived an increasingly prosperous life, will always be the shame of Menzoberranzan. If this shame cannot be erased in time... The Spider Queen has never been
A true god who is reasonable, the tragic situation of the former first mistress who was turned into a spider elf and howled in agony is still vivid in her mind.
But at the same time, Kaya, who was talking to Annie, suddenly glanced at her, seeming to see through her selfishness.
"...If there is a chance, I will give you a small gift, deepen my emotional communication with an adult, and form an alliance with the emerging overlord of Sulfur Mountain City to compete for the dominance of the entire underground alliance, but this is a major event that affects the entire dark elf race.
, no one would be so short-sighted as to influence the overall situation for personal selfish desires."
Even if Resina changed her tune quickly enough, the moment Kaya's eyes rested on her, her heart felt like it had stopped beating, and her vest was instantly soaked in cold sweat.
Kaya was able to control a small half of the Dark Elf race. Rose's care was not enough. Among the ruthless Dark Elves, the highest priestess who always had a smile on her face also made the rebels fearful with her bloody suppression.
Otherwise, how could the dark elves, who were proud of their rebellion, obey this nominal supreme leader.
"Then, the gift is prepared by you, the distinguished Mother Sphinx. Now we really need a trustworthy ally."
"Yes, it is my honor, and I will do it perfectly."
There is no time left for other mistresses to snicker, and Rishina Sphink can only be happy for the rest of her life.
"Then, let's confirm the communication channels between each other..."
The alliance between the two major forces, even if it is an alliance with different agendas, has too many details to discuss one by one. This meeting is destined to take a long time.
But I don't care much, no, I should say there is no need to care.
As I said to Eliza, negotiations between countries and forces are actually no different from buying vegetables in the market. It's just that if you give me two cents, I will give you an extra carrot and potato.
When the market price is fixed, no matter how superb your negotiation skills are, it will just fluctuate slightly on the price level.
To put it bluntly, the outcome of a negotiation is often determined before the negotiation. What you can't get on the battlefield can't be obtained at the negotiation table... Okay, I know there are exceptions, so let's not get it.
Let's talk about that uncomfortable history. If the ruler is that stupid, no matter how much we talk about it, no matter how much we fight, it will be meaningless.
The "market price that dominates the market transaction results" is the situation faced by both parties before the negotiation, and the chips they have and can exchange. The more pressing the party, the easier it is to lose the initiative in the negotiation, and the party with more chips will lose the initiative in the negotiation.
On the contrary, it is easier to trade small for big and make big profits.
Due to our efforts during this period, the initiative in negotiations has already been in the hands of Sulfur Mountain City. Moriel and Tao have been taking actions recently. Estner Ellul is as cunning and changeable as the devil behind him. It is obvious that
She is two-faced and cannot be relied upon, and coupled with the dark elf matrons who never know what loyalty is, Kaya should be under a lot of pressure.
I remember that in the original "history", during the epic battle of the Underground Covenant's counterattack on the ground ten years later, the supreme leader of the Dark Elves was the Dark Elf Matron named Victoria... The Dark Elves came to power.
The abdication of a leader has never been peaceful, and it is even less likely to be a voluntary abdication. After all, it often represents an outcome worse than death.
So, both she and the dark elf forces she represents are in need of allies now.
As for Sulfur Mountain City, this negotiation and even the application to join the underground covenant can be completely ended and left. At least, before my little jokes and little arrangements that are inconvenient to tell are exposed, Sulfur Mountain City is indeed
There is no reason not to wade into this muddy water.
Since we have the initiative in the negotiation, and the other party has made demands without telling us, and has made up its mind to form an alliance with Sulfur Mountain City, then the dark elves must negotiate, but we don't care about the outcome of the negotiation and have a lot of chips. No matter what happens in this negotiation
If we talk, the winner will be us.
This is also the reason why I have been delaying contact with Kaya and Esterna. I just want to make them anxious, worried that our reconciliation with Thao and Moriel will tilt the internal balance of the covenant again.
This is also the reason why I would say that the outcome of the negotiation was determined long before the negotiation, and after I was sure that Anne and Eliza's negotiation skills were above the level and they were not timid or panicked, I left with peace of mind.
But now, walking on the streets of Wetan, looking at this alternative prosperity, I also plan to start my own plan.
"I, Roland the Sleepless, am not a magnanimous person. Since you dared to sneak attack on Sulfur Mountain City, you should also have thought about the issue of retaliation. Tao, Moriel, owe me, and it's time to pay back."