As expected, Lin Ke soon discovered that after the other party tested him, their attitude towards Holy Egypt immediately changed.
The other party didn't even want to continue the conversation, not even about trivial matters.
Just as a merchant discovers that a customer who comes to his door actually has no desire to buy anything, Lin Ke could clearly sense this obvious change in the other party's attitude.
"Our Holy Egypt is currently looking to expand trade routes. What are your thoughts on this?"
"If you're willing, why not cooperate with Holy Egypt?"
When Lin Ke tried to steer the conversation toward the possibility of cooperation, the other party showed a clear lack of interest.
“We do not have that image at the moment, the Holy Pharaoh of Holy Egypt.”
"Please forgive us, as you are new to this country and we are not very familiar with it."
"If you are still interested after the World Conference, you can come to our kingdom and contact our diplomatic envoys."
“Perhaps we will consider cooperating with Holy Egypt at that time.”
Hearing this, Lin Ke was only relieved that Nan Tong and his group hadn't followed him in.
Otherwise, Nan Tong might actually use magic to teach this arrogant fool a lesson.
Of course, Lin Ke, being new to the place, wouldn't be too rude, at least not for now.
Therefore, he remained calm throughout, even responding with a smile.
“Every civilization has its own characteristics and strengths, and Holy Egypt is willing to share our accumulated wisdom and experience with other countries.”
"Then, if there is an opportunity, we can discuss the cooperation in more detail."
Throughout the visit, Lin Ke felt as if she were participating in a covert contest.
The other party wanted to both demonstrate its superior status and test the bottom line and intentions of Holy Egypt.
After confirming that Saint Egypt had not "taken sides," the other party's attitude towards Saint Egypt changed completely.
Lin Ke, on the other hand, was trying her best to maintain proper etiquette while collecting every possible detail and piece of information.
After visiting five or six leaders of different civilizations, Lin Ke discovered something interesting.
That is, the smaller the civilization, the tougher its attitude towards outsiders.
Those civilizations with a little more standing, on the other hand, showed normal courtesy and were able to have normal conversations with Lin Ke.
This contrast made Lin Ke ponder the reasons behind it.
After noon, Lin Ke and his group returned to their temporary residence.
Now, they have only one residence left to visit, and that is where the leader of the civilization whose gifts are of the highest overall value resides.
Therefore, Lin Ke planned to spend more time with this leader in the afternoon, hoping to establish at least a friendly diplomatic relationship with one leader today.
It is not simply "neutral".
Nan Tong immediately came forward, still looking puzzled.
Once Lin Ke sat down, he bowed forward.
“Your Majesty, this old minister does not understand.”
“Those guys are clearly hostile to our country, so why are you being so polite to them?”
"Most of them are just testing you. In my opinion, perhaps you should reconsider whether you should go to see this person this afternoon in person?"
"Why don't you rest here and recover your strength for tomorrow's World Conference? This afternoon, I can go on your behalf to convey the greetings of Holy Egypt."
Lin Ke sat on a stone bench in the courtyard and gestured for Nan Tong to sit down.
“They’re not hostile to us, Nantong, they’re just uncertain.”
Nan Tong's doubt deepened: "Unsure?"
Lin Ke nodded: "Yes, we are unsure of our position and intentions."
“You should remember what the Inca king said to us last night, right? Most of the leaders here have already established ‘alliances’ with powerful civilizations.”
"Although there are no actual terms or explicit statements, they have indeed formed a union similar to the Holy Egyptian League."
"Therefore, when they discovered that Holy Egypt did not belong to either side, they lost the desire to establish a relationship."
"Unless we join one of their alliances, they'll probably have a hard time taking us seriously."
"Of course, if we join one of these alliances, we will also have strained relations with some of the civilizations within it."
"Right now, they're just not interested in us, which isn't a big deal."
As Lin Ke finished speaking, she gazed thoughtfully at the distant sea in the twilight and took a deep breath.
"However, this visit made me realize one thing: this world conference is probably just a facade."
"It's more dangerous here than I expected."
Upon hearing this, Nan Tong's eyes widened slightly.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?"
Lin Ke continued, "Have you noticed that soldiers wearing the same clothes often appear near the dwellings of those small civilizations?"
Nan Tong frowned, recalling, "Yes, Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh, they seemed to have some kind of star pattern on their bodies..."
Lin Ke then lowered her voice slightly: "That's right, it's a constellation pattern."
"This pattern probably represents a powerful civilization here."
"Although these small countries are independent on the surface, they have long since become the assistants or helpers of this large country."
Nan Tong suddenly realized what Lin Ke meant.
"So their coldness towards His Majesty the Holy Pharaoh is because..."
Lin Ke nodded: "Because they have already chosen a side."
“On Delos, civilizations that have not joined the union are likely to be seen as dangerous and destabilizing factors.”
Lin Ke stood up and paced back and forth, continuing her analysis: "Think again about the reactions of the leaders of those civilizations whose residences are not much different from ours."
"They neither want to be completely subservient to it nor are they afraid of offending it, so their attitude towards us is completely different."
"What they are doing is taking an ambiguous approach in an attempt to mediate and profit from it."
"This is the most important intelligence for us today, because it is these civilizations, not the smaller ones, that can truly help us."
"Once we gain status, those smaller civilizations will naturally become our allies."
Nan Tong nodded: "I see! Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh!"
"So, should we shift our focus to these leaders of civilizations?"
"After all, they are the most important to us."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke simply waved her hand and said, "Don't rush to conclusions."
"I still have some things to confirm."
"However, we'll have to wait until after we've visited the last leader of the civilization."
After saying that, Lin Ke simply narrowed her eyes and glanced at the sky.
High up, misty clouds drifted in slowly, greatly diminishing the golden hue of the sun.
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