Chapter 64: On the eve of the battle, Rivia sent people.
Half a month has passed since the matters were discussed, and during this time, everything has been progressing smoothly.
The 100,000 new players have integrated well into the ranks of those striving for success. Those aspiring to become top players are frantically leveling up in the "Little Abyss"; casual players have found their hobbies, such as firing kilns to make porcelain, cooking tea and snacks, and developing culinary skills; and there are also fearless adventurers who dare to be pioneers, venturing into mountains, dense forests, and turbulent seas—there is nowhere they dare not go; of course, this also includes infrastructure enthusiasts who build houses and mine for iron.
While the players' side was developing smoothly and thriving, the situation on the human side was quite different. They had long been aware of Esther's ambitious plans, and recently, having confirmed that he possessed the power to match those ambitions, they began to openly and secretly cause trouble for Esther, and also secretly contacted the next group they had chosen.
Everything they did was reported to East by the diligent system. East was speechless. Was following him peacefully really less valuable than the uncertain path they were taking?
East thought they would at least have some brains, but it turns out they really have none at all.
If he were still that powerless and weak king, he could understand the reasons behind their actions, but isn't this different now?
No matter how much he disperses the players through the system, the base number is still there. As long as one is willing to put in the effort to investigate, it is not difficult to find out the approximate number. Isn't this power enough to make them repent and start anew?
In this mixed state of mind, where things were half pleasant and half incredibly frustrating, Ister received Pearl's message: in two days, the retaliatory actions of the elves and merfolk against the Kingdom of Ramon would be over.
Why did it take so long? The various races have signed a pact, prohibiting wars without cause. The elves and merfolk had legitimate reasons, but annihilation was unrealistic. The strong among humans wouldn't allow it. This isn't about favoring the Kingdom of Ramon; there's only one reason: no matter how much internal strife exists among humans, they are one race and won't allow other races to oppress them.
Therefore, the elves and merfolk could only retaliate against those who colluded with the dark magician. It would take time to wipe them all out. Finding the people was not difficult; the difficulty lay in the struggle of executing them.
In any case, judging from Pearl's message, the elves and merfolk were extremely frustrated by their revenge this time, and they felt even more disgusted with the Kingdom of Ramon, as well as the human race.
East had just finished reading Pearl's letter, which instructed him to seize the opportune moment to act. The letter also included a list, meaning that when he made his move, he should not let anyone slip by. The people on the list were all connected to the dark magician, but the connection was minor. They couldn't kill them under the current circumstances, so they had no choice but to entrust this important task to him.
Before Easter could even utter a few words of complaint, he heard a knock on the door from the outside.
Easter put away the letter and got up to open the door.
Outside the door was Meimei, who said, "Your Majesty, there is a letter here, from an envoy of the Kingdom of Rivia."
East took the letter from Memebe without showing much emotion. The system had informed him when people from the Kingdom of Rivia contacted Memebe.
Otherwise, how could players who don't have system-issued missions and can't communicate with local residents possibly come to him with letters? He naturally wasn't too surprised by this.
Ister could probably guess the reason for the letter from the Kingdom of Rivia. After reading it, it was not surprising; it was about discussing cooperation to divide up the Kingdom of Ramon.
Without the intervention of the elves and merfolk, Ister, after weighing the pros and cons upon receiving this letter, might have reached a cooperation agreement with the Kingdom of Rivia. However, with the involvement of the elves and merfolk, things are different. Without cooperating with others, his own strength alone can pose a threat to the current Kingdom of Ramon, and he can also plot against other countries. Given the right opportunity, he can take action without hesitation. He believes that he is not the only one who thinks this way. With the different circumstances, what he plans will naturally change.
"Your Majesty, what does it say?"
When Meimei spoke up, East realized that she hadn't left yet and replied, "They want to cooperate with us."
After thinking it over, Meimei said, "Should we pretend to agree to their cooperation first, and then take action after we conquer the Ramon Kingdom together?"
East suddenly laughed out loud, "Do you think they might have the same thoughts as us?"
Meimei isn't unlucky; she thinks the possibility is quite high.
"Isn't it possible to make contracts in this world?" Mei Mei realized immediately after saying that contracts bind both parties and do not favor one side.
“There are loopholes in contracts,” East didn’t explain further. “You can go and meet with them first.”
“They’re right there at the workshop,” Meimei said, curious about what Easter would do next.
East boarded the carriage and headed towards the workshop. This time, the carriage was driven by players. This was not East's request; it was simply that there were players who enjoyed this activity, and there were quite a few of them.
For East, this was a good thing. He had no reason to refuse, so he included driving the carriage in his daily tasks, and the rewards for the task were quite substantial.
They arrived at the workshop quickly. East walked into the meeting room and couldn't help but laugh. The palace was clearly his proper place to conduct business, but the last two important meetings had been held here. It seemed that those people back home couldn't stay any longer.
Easter pushed open the door to the conference room, where six humans and two small fire people were sitting.
The six humans stood up when they saw Ist enter through the door. "Your Majesty King Felix, good day."
"Good day," Ist replied. "I am aware of your purpose in coming, but I wonder what kind of cooperation terms the Kingdom of Rivia can offer."
East calmly sat down in the main seat, looking at the six humans with amusement. "Leaving aside whether the Kingdom of Rivia has a legitimate reason to send troops, let's just talk about how the benefits should be distributed in the end."
“Your Majesty King Felix, we have come with the utmost sincerity to discuss cooperation with you,” said Callum, the leader of the group. “Or, Your Majesty, you may first take a look at the contract we have drafted.”
East took the contract handed over by Callum and glanced at the conditions listed on it. To be honest, the conditions were quite generous, roughly a 40/60 split, with the Kingdom of Felix taking 60%.
East, “Your country doesn’t seem like a charitable institution.”
If the conditions are too favorable, and there is no prior relationship between the parties involved, there is an 80% chance that the person has ulterior motives, and those motives are quite substantial.
“King Felix, you should know that with monsters rampant, we have no chance of winning against the Kingdom of Ramon on our own. But with you by our side, it’s different. We will only take what we want.”
East didn't believe a word Callum said. "But I have enough power to take action against the Kingdom of Ramon." After saying this slowly, East looked at Callum with a casual gaze, observing the changes in his expression.
“Your Majesty, you are right, but what if other forces unite?” Callum seemed to have anticipated Ister’s words and responded with ease.
Easter laughed. "Are you threatening me?"
Callum: "Your Majesty, I did not mean that; I was merely stating the facts."
“King, please agree,” the man sitting to the side, Ru Bu Kao Di Gua, suddenly interjected.
East said coldly, "We can win without them."
"Your Majesty, our strength is still too weak; we may not be able to deal with everyone," Butterfly added, trying to persuade us.
“Your Majesty, we have a contract as proof, so we are not afraid of them playing tricks,” Meimei said.
East's expression changed, and he said reluctantly, "Since my summoned creatures want me to agree, that's fine, but the final profit will have to be increased by another 50%."
While Ister was talking to the players, Callum and his group remained silent, their eyes darting between the two sides. Upon hearing Ister's reply, Callum's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. It seemed that the rumors weren't entirely unfounded. King Felix did indeed rely heavily on his summoned creatures; without them, he was nothing.
“Your Majesty, this is not a good idea,” Callum said, regaining his composure. “We also have to take risks. You can’t expect us to make no profit at all.”
Easter disagreed, saying, "The risks I'm taking are clearly much greater. If you don't agree, then there's no point in talking."
Callum cursed inwardly, then, thinking of their later plans, swallowed the anger rising in his throat and said through gritted teeth, "Fine." He smiled, but the two words were spoken with a strained expression.
Easter's expression didn't change much as he waited for them to revise the contract.
After reviewing the newly drafted contract, Easter didn't say anything more and simply signed his name.
Seeing East sign the contract, Callum visibly relaxed and said with a smile, "I wish us success in our cooperation."
Easter nodded. "I hope so."
Callum and his group left quickly. East had Pearl tipping them off, and the others had their own connections. The operation was scheduled for two days later, and the timing of the cooperation agreement was rather rushed.
"Your Majesty, you're so cunning," Meimei teased.
East looked helpless. "They're not really here to discuss cooperation. If I go along with them too much, wouldn't I look like I'm brainless?"
“But your behavior just now didn’t seem like you were very smart,” said Cai Die.
“Arrogant, haughty, and brainless—there’s no one easier to manipulate than him.” East blinked his left eye.
"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Rivia may have already reached an agreement with other forces. This move may be harboring malicious intentions," said Ru Bu Kao Di Gua with concern.
"There are also unrest factors within the country. If war breaks out, we may find ourselves in a situation where we are attacked from both sides." Cai Die's joking demeanor was gone.
“The highest level a player can reach right now is only level 15. If a few high-level mages or swordsmen arrive, they probably won’t fare well,” Meimei said.
When the real war was upon them, they realized that they might have been too naive.
“Don’t be afraid. You must believe in me, and you must believe in yourselves.” Easter’s words had a deeper meaning.
The three players still had some concerns, but they were no longer as worried as before.
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