Oh my god!
I blurted out a random sentence, and who would have thought it would actually come true?
Looking at the Empress of the Hualan Empire, who was joking with him in exactly the same way, Xu Shi wondered for a moment if he was born with the dual superpower of making his words come true.
No wonder the girls are looking at him like that. He even described the clothes perfectly. Can you honestly say you've never been here before?
I'm innocent! If I really had that ability, I would wish that all the people who believe in "heavenly justice" would turn into velvet balls when they go out... Xu Shi muttered to himself, but he couldn't show it on his face, so he still bowed slightly politely.
“Xu Shi, the envoy of the City of Night Sin, on behalf of my nation, greets Her Majesty the Empress.”
His manners were quite impeccable—he had consulted Pan Cheng beforehand, and the others followed suit.
It's always good to be friendly when you first meet someone.
Of course, judging from the way the whole family was munching on candied apples when they came in, it's hard to really sense that...
"The City of Night Sin...?"
The empress on the throne blinked and revealed a cute and sweet smile, "I've heard Grand Duke Gujian mention it before!"
“No outsiders have ever come to the Hualan Empire before; you are the first group.”
The Empress's youthful energy dispelled the somber atmosphere surrounding the ministers, making them look around like curious children. "I've been looking forward to this for days! Now that I see, you all look pretty much the same as us, except for these clothes..."
"His Majesty."
The resolute middle-aged man with a sword whispered a reminder: "If we don't stop you now, you might jump off the throne..."
"Hmm?...Oh, cough cough!"
Upon hearing this, the Empress realized that she had been somewhat impolite. She quickly cleared her throat and adopted a majestic and regal posture, saying, "I am Dongfang Xiao, the twenty-sixth emperor of the Hualan Empire. Envoys, there is no need for such formalities."
Dongfang Xiao? He really does live up to his name, he's quite young... Xu Shi thought to himself.
Small in every sense.
As for the person next to her, that should be the "Grand Duke of Gujian" she mentioned.
He had done his homework while on Silver Pine Island and had a certain understanding of the political forces of the Hualan Empire.
The royal family practices a feudal monarchy, so under the emperor, there are naturally princes and dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, barons, and so on.
And this Grand Duke of Gujian is the most powerful among them. His real name is Cheng Gujian. He comes from a family of military generals. In his generation, it is no exaggeration to say that he can control everything.
It's obvious to everyone that this guy can clear his throat and no one else dares to utter a sound. He can even wear armor and carry a sword in the imperial court. In this kind of system, these are extraordinary privileges. Otherwise, why don't others have them?
Even he could see that even this little empress had to listen to him to some extent.
A classic case of a young ruler and a suspicious minister...
"What brings Envoy Xu here?"
As he was pondering this, Dongfang Xiao, sitting on the throne, spoke up. His serious demeanor was completely different from his previous naivety, and his eyes even carried a hint of scrutiny.
"We have come here for two reasons: to establish diplomatic relations and to establish trade."
Xu Shi responded calmly. To be honest, he was also not used to this kind of half-classical speech, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. He had to change his words. "We did not know that there were other countries overseas. This voyage was ordered by the governor of our city."
"The Governor?"
Dongfang Xiao was a little curious. Xu Shi knew them, but they didn't know much about Xu Shi and his group.
"Isn't your status similar to that of Your Majesty the Queen?"
Xu Shi explained, "We are all under her command."
Well, yes, that's true in name only, and the girls behind him were just trying not to laugh when they heard that.
"oh……"
The young empress nodded thoughtfully, but before she could say anything more, one of the ministers in the audience spoke first.
"You claim to be establishing diplomatic relations, but we have heard that you injured a Papal Knight when you were on Silverpine Island?"
The old man's words were sharp: "Such an attitude is not friendly and makes us suspicious."
Not knowing much about Xu Shi and the others doesn't mean they don't know anything about it. At least the matter has already spread in the upper echelons of the empire—it can't be kept quiet even if they want to. Luo Yu returned a few days before them, and no matter how well it was covered up, the news was bound to leak out.
The fact that a bloody conflict broke out so soon after their arrival is hardly a good thing. It's understandable that they were on guard; otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
To be honest, the palace was quite somber and oppressive today. Everyone was dressed in black armor, and the guards were on high alert. It was only because the little empress Dongfang Xiao's words and actions had enlivened things a bit that it didn't seem so obvious.
Of course, this wasn't entirely on behalf of the Papacy; the royal family's relationship with them might not be that good... but in front of outsiders, they had to put on an act, and it also carried a subtle, condescending warning.
"They sound a lot like the people of Silver Pine Island, a bunch of barbarians."
Some immediately mocked and echoed this sentiment, showing that the old minister was not the only one who held this view; the majority of people were wary of them.
"Who are you calling a barbarian?!"
Pan Feng, standing behind Xia Wuyou, couldn't bear to hear this and couldn't help but shout it out.
If it weren't for her master guiding her, she wouldn't want to deal with the people of the Empire, especially these officials and ministers—after all, she was the daughter of the island lord. She had come to the main city with her father to broaden her horizons before, and she could sense then that the people of the Hualan Empire had always looked down on the people of Silver Pine Island.
Not to mention that they had just forced her father to go to sea and take risks; the fact that she didn't directly get involved shows that she had exercised some restraint.
The people of Night City remained calm; they were all seasoned veterans and wouldn't be provoked by a few words. However, they were certainly unhappy, as no one wanted to be labeled like that right from the start.
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