'This is not compensation to the Yan Kingdom, but a ransom we are offering to rescue the hostages.'

'Of course, paying a ransom does not mean we have compromised with robbers. We will never compromise with a robber nation, that's for sure.'

"This is simply a necessary measure to protect the hostages. Life is priceless; we can bear some losses."

"We will recoup all these losses in the future, but that requires a suitable opportunity, which I believe will come soon."

"A war is raging between the Yan Kingdom and the Delta Federation Empire. While the Delta Federation Empire's navy may not be able to contend with the Yan Kingdom's, their army is extremely powerful. Von Palen once swept across the entire continent of Salisno in just twelve years with his army. Therefore, I have reason to believe that as the war escalates, the Yan Kingdom will pay a heavy price for their arrogance."

'As the Yan Kingdom commits more and more troops to this war, the opportunity we need will inevitably arrive.'

Ultimately, Isabella's words convinced everyone to agree to the compensation plan, but whether it was compensation or ransom, the five thousand tons of gold could not be paid for by the Kingdom of Saar alone.

Therefore, the day after the meeting, Isabella sent letters to the neighboring countries of Shenglu and Hunli, informing them that they must, together with their own country, gather the five thousand tons of gold and send it to the Yan Kingdom's fleet within the stipulated time.

At that time, a conflict was taking place between the Kingdom of Shenglu and the Kingdom of Hunli, and even small-scale bloodshed had occurred.

The cause was entirely due to the aftermath of the naval defeat. In that naval battle, all countries suffered heavy losses, but the Rose Fleet of the Kingdom of Shenglu remained unscathed, which made the Grand Duke of Saint Ister of the Kingdom of Hunli particularly angry.

The information he received was that the naval defeat was largely due to the escape and subsequent surrender of the Rose Fleet, a claim made in a letter Isabella had previously sent him.

Whether this claim is true or not, the Grand Duke of Saint-Ist believed that the Kingdom of Shenglu bore an unshirkable responsibility. Not only was his own Sea Lion Fleet defeated, but the fleet commander, his brother-in-law Augustus, also died at sea, which enraged him.

Subsequently, during correspondence with Emperor Figus of the Kingdom of Sun-Lu regarding this matter, tensions escalated, and Figus wrote in his letter:

"I cannot accept your unfounded accusations. We did nothing wrong in that military operation and will not bear any responsibility for it. Like your country, we are also victims. So stop your baseless accusations and instead reflect on why this disaster occurred."

'Furthermore, I deeply sympathize with the losses suffered by your country...'

It was these words from Figus in the letter that fueled Saint-Ister's rage, but he had not lost his mind. He knew that his country's fleet could not prepare for a new round of war in a short time, so he turned his attention to the Kingdom of Shenglu, which had "betrayed the alliance."

There had been friction between the two countries before this incident, and after this incident, the friction gradually escalated into armed conflict, and eventually even turned into a bloody incident.

After Isabella sent the letter of notification to both countries, the three parties naturally engaged in several heated negotiations regarding the ransom of the five thousand tons of gold.

At this point, the Kingdom of Shenglu had adopted a "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude. According to Emperor Figues, none of the prisoners held on the coral island were from Shenglu, and the Rose Fleet had not participated in the previous naval battle, so he had no reason to pay reparations.

Figueir's attitude not only enraged Saint Ister, but also made Isabella blush with anger.

In a subsequent letter to Figus, she sternly demanded that he take responsibility for this, or else face the wrath of the Kingdom of Saturn!

Not long after, under Isabella's leadership, representatives from both Hunnic and Sinhala came to Garnat and finalized the ransom issue in the final round of negotiations.

The Hunli Kingdom and the Sari Kingdom each contributed two thousand tons of gold, and the Shenglu Kingdom contributed one thousand tons of gold, totaling five thousand tons, which were delivered to the Yan Kingdom before the deadline set by the Yan Kingdom.

But this result did not satisfy anyone.

Isabella was even more furious. Although she had put tremendous pressure on Shenglu Kingdom, Figus seemed to be really going all out. He was only willing to hand over this thousand tons of gold to settle the matter and made his position clear, saying that Shenglu Kingdom would not participate in any military operations against Yan Kingdom in the future.

Figueir's stance undoubtedly signaled the complete breakdown of the united front.

This was by no means the outcome Isabella wanted, but she had no choice but to accept it. If she continued to put pressure on the Kingdom of Shenglu, it could eventually lead to an armed conflict between the two countries.

At this time when the Yan Kingdom is rising in power, Isabella does not want to see her country go to war with its neighbors. That would not benefit the country at all, but would only make the people of the Yan Kingdom laugh. Therefore, she could only accept this outcome helplessly.

Similarly, Isabella was angered by the attitude of the Hunnic Kingdom. Although the compensation had been agreed upon, the Grand Duke of Saint-Ister kept pressing the issue of the Kingdom of Shenglu, even saying that if Figues did not compensate for the losses suffered by the Hunnic Kingdom, there would be no possibility of future cooperation between the two countries.

Figus, of course, would not offer any compensation. Therefore, not long after, after not receiving a reply from Figus, the enraged Grand Duke Saint-Ister unilaterally announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Shenglu.

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