Chapter 872: Chapter 564, 5th Negotiation_3
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He nodded in agreement, “Sure, when will the payment be made?”
“Tomorrow, same place, just arrange for someone to come and collect it,” Fang Hao instructed.
It was apparent that the Fairy Clan was lacking in equipment and funds.
This was the first collaboration; both parties were trying to gauge each other.
Fang Hao believed that gradually, as the Fairy Clan noticed significant development through working with him, they would send more people to help with his farming.
...
“Agreed.”
Thus, a transaction was struck between the two parties.
Fang Hao was unconcerned about them reneging after receiving the money, considering his current military strength, the Dreamy Forest would not dare to breach the agreement.
It gave Fang Hao a reason to incorporate them under his command.
After discussing some subsequent details, the group also saw off the fairies.
Fang Hao glanced out the window across the street from the second floor; the gathering crowd had grown even larger.
He activated the teleportation screen and left from the second floor directly.
…
The Human Federation, the eastern border.
Fort Santé.
Being at the border with the Undead, the Federation had also expended considerable resources to fortify this city into a formidable fortress.
A level twelve fortress city.
The massing of troops by both sides at the border had turned the city into a ghost town within a matter of months.
Initially, the city’s nobles and wealthy merchants were the first to leave.
Later came the city’s residents, who, carrying their belongings and whatever else they could take, began to flee westward.
Anyone who could leave had left.
Even some city officials and guards started to desert.
Many were caught by the commanders of the Hall of Justice and executed, before the organization took over command of the city.
That action restored a semblance of stability to the fortress city.
The City Lord’s mansion.
The City Lord, Fulbin, sat at the head of the room, visibly anxious.
He, an inherited City Lord, had begun to dread coming to the mansion, fearing the news from the border.
Because every message filled him with terror.
Fear that today’s news would be of the Undead’s onslaught.
Winter had just passed; there were hordes of refugees, and the granaries were empty.
Any one of these could be a cause for defeat on the battlefield, but now all three conditions were ominously present.
Through various channels and information, it was clear that war seemed inevitable.
Those with connections and wealth had already left long ago.
Yet only he had been left behind, under the daily surveillance of the Hall of Justice, with the mansion’s guards replaced by others.
“Ahem, Lord City Lord, let us begin!” Below, a man clad in the armored chainmail of the Hall of Justice spoke up.
The man in chainmail was the commander sent by the Hall of Justice this time, named Nidam.
Over forty, burly, with an emblem of a valiant horn stitched on his chest and one hand on the hilt of his sword, he emanated an intimidating presence.
Fulbin’s face tightened, and he promptly said, “Coming up next is the fifth negotiation with the Undead, what are your thoughts, everyone?”
During this period, negotiations had been going back and forth repeatedly.
But the outcome was that the situation had become even more tense.
A woman below, dressed in an embroidered robe of waves and clouds, spoke up first: “After such a long delay, the Undead are not retreating. These repetitive negotiations, in my opinion, are deliberate stalling tactics. We should strike first and eliminate a bunch of Undead.”
This person was named ‘Mapel,’ a representative of the Mage Association.
Behind her were several accompanying mages, and Li Rong, who pretended to listen earnestly but kept her gaze on the Book of City Lord.
No sooner had Mapel finished speaking than someone stood to object, “Mage Lord, that sounds like a lofty statement made from high in the clouds, doesn’t it?”
This individual was a local commander, in charge of the city’s military strength.
City Lord Fulbin had tried to flee several times, but the Hall of Justice didn’t execute him because the commanders here were supported by the local city lords.
“Oh? And what does this commander think?” Mapel retorted.
Stepping forward, the commander glanced up at the City Lord and declared loudly: “Winter has just passed, and the granaries are depleted. Going to war now would put us at a clear disadvantage. We should prioritize negotiating peace, even if it means making some concessions.”
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