"We all thought that it was because the Greeks had changed their opinion of us that they temporarily increased the size of the welcoming party for us, and that our accommodations were full of signs of haste."
As Lin Ke listened to the succubus's words, she also turned her head to look around.
He simply smiled and continued, "That's exactly what I wanted to say."
"The appearance of our Holy Egyptian fleet was clearly unexpected by the other side, which surprised the organizers of the World Conference, as it was beyond their expectations."
"They upgraded our reception at the last minute to avoid offending a potentially powerful rival, and also to maintain appearances of courtesy."
"But such a last-minute decision, which might be seen as a good thing by leaders of other civilizations, seems to us to be far too hasty and perfunctory."
"Therefore, all these signs indicate that the other side still does not take us seriously."
“Even if our Holy Egypt had such a fleet, it would not be worthy of their respect.”
"This is the most serious problem in my opinion."
That's right. This means that even though Holy Egypt is now the strongest kingdom on their continent, it still doesn't have the strength to compete with the strongest kingdoms on other continents.
After hearing Lin Ke's words, everyone remained silent for a long time.
After a while, Nan Tong spoke softly again.
"Your Majesty, so our true situation might be even worse than it is now?"
Lin Ke nodded.
"That's right."
"However, on the bright side, everyone we've met since leaving Holy Egypt has thought of it as a backward kingdom and civilization."
"This is actually a good thing for us."
Seeing that everyone looked puzzled again, Lin Ke continued to speak.
"Because this reflects a key message: most of the participants seem to know nothing about Holy Egypt."
"They do not understand our true strength and level of development, and therefore adopt a conservative and dismissive attitude."
"Therefore, once we show something more assertive, we will be able to gain something that other civilizations cannot."
"It's like we brought the fleet and got a little respect in return."
"If it were any other civilization leader, they probably wouldn't be able to obtain such treatment even with just a fleet."
"This is one of the ways their stereotypes are helpful to us."
"But the difficulty is that we have entered the central area of Delos, where there is neither the fleet nor the army of Holy Egypt."
"I also cannot use the power of the supreme god here, so it will be difficult for us to let others know that Holy Egypt is not a poor and weak country, just as we have shown our fleet to others before."
Lin Ke's words deepened the furrows on their brows, and Nan Tong's voice became much more urgent.
After all, this isn't Holy Egypt; this is a Greek island, a gathering place for numerous civilizations and leaders.
Although there is no overt danger, it is fraught with peril.
If they are not careful, they will be relegated to the "lowest level," which may attract the attention of other kingdoms and civilizations to Holy Egypt.
If that's the case, it would be quite different from what Lin Ke had previously thought.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?"
"Are we just supposed to stand by and watch them insult you and our country with their words?"
Lin Ke shook her head: "Of course not."
"Of course we have to respond."
"Of course, we can't protest directly, because that would have limited effect and might even backfire, making us seem petty."
“A better approach is to change their perception of Holy Egypt through concrete actions.”
Upon hearing this, the succubus leaned forward, her tail swaying gently; she seemed quite interested as well.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
Lin Ke looked at the succubus, then glanced at the crowd, and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
"First, we need to gather as much intelligence as possible to understand the strength, relationships, and interests of all participating parties."
“Every leader who comes to the World Conference must have his own purpose.”
"If we can master these things, it will be very beneficial to our Holy Egypt."
"Secondly, selectively establish connections with other civilizations, especially those that are also marginalized, such as Holy Egypt, or preferably civilizations that are even less prominent than Holy Egypt."
At this moment, someone else looked puzzled: "But Your Majesty, what use is it for us to search for those civilizations of even lower status?"
"Aren't they less influential and more likely to be looked down upon by other civilizations?"
Lin Ke nodded: "That's right, that's the key. It's precisely because their situation is similar to ours, or even worse, that they can empathize with us."
"Of course, establishing contact with one such civilization wouldn't be of much help, but what if we could bring together most of these civilizations?"
Upon hearing Lin Ke's words, the eyes of the person who had previously expressed doubt immediately lit up: "So that's how it is! His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh is wise!"
Lin Ke continued speaking from where she left off.
"After establishing contact, that's our final and most crucial step."
“These civilizations and kingdoms are able to participate in the voting at the conference, and we must take advantage of that.”
"So in the end, we will demonstrate our wisdom and vision through proposals and debates, and gradually build up the influence of Holy Egypt."
"This is my plan."
After Lin Ke said this, there was another moment of silence.
Those around him gaped, utterly shocked by the Pharaoh's words.
After a short while, Nan Tong finally spoke again, albeit haltingly.
"Your Majesty, what about the Persian Empire and Sparta?"
“Although you have helped them, they are clearly one of our main competitors here.”
Will they still choose to help us?
Lin Ke listened to Nan Tong's words and only narrowed her eyes slightly.
Whether or not I help depends on my proposal.
“But we have had contact before, so the King of Persia will at least not continue to oppose us with the same preconceived notions he had before.”
"We don't need to worry too much about Leonidas; the main concern is Nadir Shah."
"But in short, at this stage we should not confront them head-on, but we also should not be overly friendly. We should just maintain the status quo."
"Although Persia held a high position, it also had its weaknesses and enemies."
"We just need to look for opportunities in it."
Everyone nodded, and then they exclaimed, "His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh is wise!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
