Chapter 668: Vandal's Messenger (Part 2)
The team ahead was not as long as expected, and the frequency of each person entering and exiting was much faster than expected.
This humiliating scene must have been hard for Kessel to forget. He stood behind the crowd. The courtiers beside him apologized to him and then said nothing else. He was left alone standing there with his head lowered.
Not to mention the anger caused by the humiliation, the most important thing is that he is about to face Augustus, Gaiseric's mortal enemy, what should he say?
In short, the various random events along the way have seriously disrupted his plans. He now needs to reorganize his thoughts, so as not to make a fool of himself in front of Augustus of Rome, as he has become completely unprepared.
Of course, as mentioned before, all of this was deliberately arranged by Augustus Flavius Luca. To sum up, any deployment and actions mentioned by the senior officers present were nonsense and did not exist.
The team in front of them was finished very quickly, and when the last officer walked out of the door of the meeting hall, he did not forget to give Kessel a cold look before walking away angrily.
"Sorry, sir, I kept you waiting!"
Standing in front of the door, the courtier apologized to Katerl again, but judging from his expression, this apology did not have much value.
Before Kessel could respond, the guards had already opened the door, and the summoned official inside saw the parchment in the courtier's hand and shouted in his unique voice: "The Vandal envoy from the province of Africa!"
After that, two fully armed palace guards came over. They came in front of Kessel and nodded slightly to the courtier beside them. The courtier nodded in response and took a step back to give up his power.
"Please follow us." The guard glanced at Kaiser in front of him and said coldly, without giving Kaiser any chance to speak, he grabbed Kaiser with both hands like a prisoner.
After walking forward for more than twenty steps, he came to a staircase with a red carpet on the ground. Under the escort of two guards, Katerl stepped carefully on the soft red carpet and walked up step by step. Finally, at the top of the stairs, Katerl saw a scene he had never seen in his life.
On the tall throne, there was a lion's head fixed by some unknown means. The lion's bloody mouth was deliberately opened in decoration, and its hollow eyes stared at Kessel who was getting closer and closer.
On the left and right sides of the main hall stood nobles wearing gorgeous togas, including some generals with outstanding military achievements, who wore purple and white togas.
Flavius Luca sat on the throne at the top of their group. He lowered his head and looked down at the Vandal envoy who was slowly walking towards him. Everyone followed his gaze and looked in the direction of Cather.
In the hall, only the sound of heavy footsteps approaching was heard, and everyone followed Flavius Luca's gaze and looked towards Kessel who was not far away.
Until the guards on the left and right stopped in front of the outermost courtiers, it seemed that this was a dividing line, although it was still more than thirty meters away from Luga in front of them.
"tread!"
When Kessel saw the guards on both sides stop, he also stood up involuntarily, staring at Luga not far away with a pair of frightened eyes.
He was wearing a purple robe and a golden crown as he sat on the throne. Behind him stood more than a dozen court etiquette officers on both sides. They stood there with their heads held high and their chests puffed out, which made Luga look quite imposing.
Luca stretched out his hand and waved slightly at Kessel.
The leading ceremonial officer stepped forward and shouted to Cather: "Messenger from the Vandals, come forward."
Kaiser was confused. He looked around and found that the guards beside him had no intention of moving. He looked left and right, and after thinking about it, he concluded that the guards had no right to approach. Then, he mustered up his courage and walked forward.
He was still very worried in the first few steps. He looked left and right, observing the expressions of the courtiers on both sides. Seeing that there was nothing serious, he took a step forward with confidence until he was only ten meters away from Luca.
"Stop, this is your last distance!"
The Minister of the Interior, Demisiu, who was standing nearby, stopped Cather who was about to move forward. Hearing this scolding, Cather was frightened and shook on the spot.
"Hahaha"
Cather's funny appearance caused the other courtiers present to laugh. They looked at Cather as if they were watching a monkey playing, and Cather was so ashamed that he stood there, feeling embarrassed.
"Enough, everyone. He is a guest from afar!" Luca waved his hands to the left and right, signaling them to push it down.
His courtiers all saluted Luca and then left, leaving only the ceremonial officer, Demisius, and John Antiochus, who needed to record the meeting in order to compile the Roman history.
"I'm very sorry, guest who has come from afar." Luca smiled apologetically at Kessel who was not far away.
Kessel quickly bowed and said to Luca, "It is my honor to be here before your Highness Caesar."
"Let's get back to the point, Vandal envoy." Luca put his hands on his thighs naturally, looked at Kessel, and said with a half-smile on his face: "You come here with the will of your king Gaiseric. Tell me, what does Gaiseric want you to bring me?"
"First, some gifts. My king wants me to give them to you personally." Kessel said, taking out a small box from his toga. He carefully placed the box on the ground, then opened the box and took out a spear supported by gold.
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When they saw the tip of the spear, the guards on both sides became very nervous. They were about to step forward but were stopped by Luga's wave.
Luca was certain that nothing unpleasant would happen. After all, Gaiseric did not have the courage to do so. He was just a small vassal of the powerful Roman Empire. How could he have the courage to assassinate Augustus, the suzerain state?
Kessel took out a spear head supported by gold from the box, and the tail was decorated with various gems unearthed from the African desert.
"This is the gift from my king Gaiseric to celebrate Caesar's victory over Attila, the Scourge of God. There are many more on the carriages outside the city."
"Oh, thank you, I like it very much." Luga nodded continuously. A guard came out and took the box from Kate's hand, and showed it to Luga. Luga just nodded slightly and glanced at the items in the box with his peripheral vision.
"Such a valuable gift, so what does Gaiseric want from me?" Luga asked.
"Peace, Caesar, peace." Caesar tried to organize his words, but he couldn't calm himself in front of Luca. After all, this was Augustus of Rome, the most powerful man in the world. "Gaiseric hopes to be forgiven by you, Caesar, and to make peace between both parties, and to guarantee to be a subject of Rome forever."
"What about the tribute?" Luca asked. "This is a big deal. After all, the province of Africa is Rome's grain-producing area. Now Augustus in the west, as a great power, is lending Africa to you, not giving it away."
“It’s available every year, and the specified amount is guaranteed.”
"to whom?"
"this"
Who would have thought that Luca's question would make Kessel stunned? To whom? What does this mean?
(End of this chapter)