"These greedy and shameless bastards … Even the goblins are more generous than them!"
Royal Magician Gary's cursing voice echoed in the hall. Standing in front of him was Charles II, who had just finished the second round of negotiations in the morning.
Gary was not as powerful as the magicians, and his magic skills were average. The only praiseworthy thing about him was his political ability and "ideological awareness".
To put it bluntly, the reason he could curse in front of Charles II was because of his absolute "loyalty" to the royal family all these years.
After the preliminary negotiations with Houdini of the Lachiman Kingdom, Charles II finally understood the other party's intention. In fact, before Houdini spoke, he had almost guessed the reason why the Magic Kingdom came to him.
In a word: benefits.
There was no such thing as friendship or hatred between nations. There was only mutual benefit. Charles II was a standard politician. He understood this very well, so he was not surprised by the other party's request. Gary was also not stupid, but as a 'close vassal' of the monarch, he was very clear about his role and position. Therefore, his complaints and curses at this time were in fact entirely to vent the frustrations in Charles II's heart …
"Forget it. This plan is a win-win situation for both sides."
Sunlight shone into the room from the side window on the top of the palace, but Charles II's expression seemed to blend into the shadows. Half of his body was leaning on the throne, so no one could see his face clearly. However, his tone was much gentler than earlier today. Apparently, Gary's risky scolding had worked.
Fifteen application-type spell formations, twenty-seven teaching materials on improved spells, and one hundred and thirty-seven manuals on the creation of magical tools … These things could not be seen or touched, but the magicians understood that this was an insurmountable gap between the magic standards of the Cullen Kingdom and the Lassiman Kingdom.
Houdini asked for a large amount of wealth and the right to enter the port and trade with the royal family for these things.
The "bomb" thrown by the Lachiman Kingdom left the Karen mages dumbfounded. Most of the mages who knew magic thought that this was not a good deal. But after seeing the pictures of the magic circles, they also understood that if these things could be exchanged with benefits, it was actually not a bad deal.
If Roddy were here, he would definitely say, "Magic technology is the primary productivity."
It couldn't be helped. Their level of magic was not as good as theirs, and they didn't have any outstanding achievements in magic. In the face of magic technology that could greatly enhance the strength of a country, and the other party didn't have any intention of invading, they had to squeeze out this money no matter what!
If it had been two years ago, Charles II might not have been very interested. However, the relationship between Efta and the kingdom was tense now, and the Orcs were restless. These magic techniques could reduce the loss of logistics during war, improve the ability to respond to head-on battles, and so on. From any point of view, Charles II couldn't just watch from the sidelines, so from the beginning of this negotiation, he knew that he would have to agree sooner or later. The only difference was how much he would have to pay.
"The basic intention is almost reached. Tomorrow, bring some people to deal with the final negotiations and sign the contract."
There was no need for Charles II to handle these matters personally. It was enough for him to be in charge of the direction. Although he was not in a good mood, there was nothing he could complain about. After making his decision, he asked another question, "By the way, the few magisters agreed to have a magic competition with Houdini yesterday. Gary, what do you think? Can we make a comeback? "
"Well …"
Gary, who was about to give an affirmative answer, hesitated for a moment and was completely speechless.
Charles II also understood what this meant. He sighed and no longer had any illusions about the outcome.
Three hours later, the "friendly competition" between the Lassiman Kingdom and the Kingdom of Karen ended without any suspense.
There were a total of ten competitions, and each side chose ten young Magisters to participate. Each side proposed five competition topics to show fairness. The topics included understanding of magic, spell-casting speed, spell-casting accuracy, ability to resist interference, accuracy of attacking targets, strength of defensive spells, and so on. It sounded good, but the result almost embarrassed the Magisters of the Kingdom of Karen.
Among the ten contestants, only Merinsera won the competition with an overwhelming advantage. The other contestants were completely defeated by their opponents. They didn't even have a chance to refute!
The geniuses of Karen, who were secretly unconvinced before the competition, were now like frozen eggplants. They lowered their heads and didn't say a word. Their mentors all had different expressions. Some of them were hot-tempered and even scolded their students on the spot. The only one who seemed normal was Merinsera's nominal mentor, "Crown of Ice" Crohn.
After all, only his student had won back the Kingdom of Karen's reputation in the ten competitions. However, he wasn't in the mood to be complacent. As one of the top Magisters in the kingdom, he was thinking about the same thing as the other magisters. How strong was the Lassiman Kingdom?
Houdini was the absolute winner, and his face was flushed. However, he was more interested in the Magisters who had performed well in the last competition. "Ah … Magisters Merinsera, you are destined to become one of the most powerful Magisters in the Kingdom of Karen in the future."
Facing Houdini's flattery, Merinsera didn't act cold like the Dragons. Instead, she showed a standard aristocratic smile and said, "Thank you for your compliment. I also admire the performance of your Magisters."
Merinsera's experience in the human world had taught her a more "tactful" way of dealing with people. She knew when to advance and when to retreat. Just these two points alone made her much better than the arrogant "geniuses" around her.
However, Houdini didn't just compliment her. He had a deeper view.
Although he was an "envoy" in name, Houdini was also one of the top Magisters in the Lassiman Kingdom. He didn't study the powerful "Elemental School", but the extremely unpopular "Prophecy School".
In most people's eyes, a "Prophet" was equivalent to a "liar" because more than half of the words spoken by a Prophet could not be verified. People would scoff at such "prophecies", such as "I think you're going to change your luck", "You're going to have a bloody disaster". But in fact, the ability of a Senior Prophet was not limited to seeing the future.
Like Houdini, he had actually used "Ability Detection" to confirm Merinsera's "potential" during the competition. He had also confirmed one fact: she was a unique anomaly among this group of Magisters!
Houdini realized that he couldn't predict the upper limit of her growth, which meant that Merinsera would undoubtedly be much stronger than him in the future. This meant that she would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the leaders of the Lassiman Kingdom's Supreme Law City Council!
Therefore, Houdini immediately had some ideas in his mind and put them into practice …
"Today's competition was an eye-opener for me. Although the Magisters of your kingdom weren't in good condition, their performance was commendable." Houdini didn't continue to ridicule or belittle the Magisters of the Kingdom of Karen. Instead, he chose to maintain their dignity. His concession made the Magisters look a little better.
Houdini knew that this wasn't enough, so he sincerely took out his "personal knowledge" to give these juniors some pointers and guidance. This time, not only the youngsters, but the Magisters also couldn't help but join in the discussion because Houdini's words were really effective. After chatting for more than ten minutes, the previously awkward and tense atmosphere was no longer there. Finally, it looked like a "friendly discussion".
After all, the Magisters weren't fanatics. They were generally more inclined to pursue knowledge and power. They weren't sensitive to things like "loyalty to the royal family". Therefore, when Houdini brought up the concept, almost all the youngsters were interested.
"Although my students are better at some aspects, the magic of the Kingdom of Karen has its own uniqueness. This is the inevitable result of cultural differences." Houdini now spoke to Crohn and the other Magisters. At the same time, he also spoke to Gary who was standing at the back.
"Therefore, I hope that my students can study here for a year to experience a different magic culture and use it to perfect their understanding of magic. In exchange, I also hope that there can be outstanding young Magisters from your kingdom who can return to Lassiman with me to experience the charm of the 'Kingdom of Magic'! "
As soon as these words were spoken, all the youngsters were extremely excited!
The achievements and strength of the Lassiman Kingdom in magic had been fully proven in the past few days. In the eyes of the Magisters from the Kingdom of Karen, the country on the other side of the sea had become a "Holy Land of Magic" worthy of a pilgrimage. If they could communicate and improve their skills every day like just now, the temptation was almost irresistible.
However, these people weren't stupid. Those who could go to Lassiman were definitely not mediocre, especially the "outstanding" Magisters that Houdini mentioned … Everyone knew that he was referring to Merinsera.
Due to the geographical relationship between the Lassiman Kingdom and the Kingdom of Karen, there was no way the Kingdom of Rassiman would have a direct conflict with the Kingdom of Karen. Therefore, now was the "honeymoon period" for the friendly cooperation between the two countries. With this premise, Crohn and the others couldn't wait to send a few more people back to learn some advanced spells. Seeing that Houdini had made this request, they naturally began to ask for his opinion. However, to their surprise, Merinsera, who was the first to be asked and who everyone thought would definitely be chosen, didn't agree immediately.
"The Lassiman Kingdom is very willing to help outstanding Magisters. We have a sufficiently systematic publishing organization for spell research. Every day, countless Magisters publish their insights and experiences. Even ordinary people who don't know magic can learn about the latest spell research in the Kingdom … Every day in Lassiman, you will be able to witness the process of the improvement of the spell system!"
If the genius Merinsera couldn't be taken away, Houdini would suffer a great loss. He had no interest in the other incompetent Magisters. The only thing he wanted to do was to make use of the resources of the Lassiman Kingdom to keep Merinsera!
What Magisters sought was power, no matter where they sought it. The word "treason" would never apply to Magisters. In his mind, Houdini had even found a good reason for Merinsera to "stay abroad for a long time" …
It would be a waste to give such a genius to the Kingdom of Karen.
"I am very honored to accept your invitation." Of course, it wasn't that Merinsera didn't want to go. She actually wanted to experience the more advanced spell system, but after hearing Charles II's words yesterday, she had some other ideas. "However, I hope you can give me a day to think about whether I can leave the Kingdom of Karen to study in your country. I hope you can forgive me, Lord Houdini."
Houdini was about to agree when he heard that there was a chance. However, before he could open his mouth, he suddenly saw a line of words appear in front of him!
He was stunned for half a second before he realized that the words weren't floating in the air. Instead, it was an imperceptible beam of light that shone on her right eye. Houdini realized that Merlinsera hadn't even raised her hand from the beginning to the end, and her expression was extremely natural. But even so, she still managed to silently send a message to him in front of the group of Magisters!
Or rather, it was a condition.
Merinsera asked Houdini to sell the magic information to Elsen City at a 50% discount. Otherwise, she would refuse to go to Lassiman.
She could have boarded the ship to Lassiman without saying a word. But what about Roddy? Would he have been annihilated in the dust of history by the time he returned?
After Merinsera learned of Elsen's predicament, she had been looking for an opportunity to do something. Her life was saved by Roddy. If she chose to ignore it so coldly, she might as well have died on the Glacier Plain.
So, after seizing the opportunity in front of her, Merinsera made the gamble without hesitation!
Houdini narrowed his eyes. He was also a Magician, so after a short moment of surprise, he regained his composure and replied, "Of course. Lassiman welcomes outstanding Magicians like you at any time!"
The rest of the conversation was just a formality. Not long after, Houdini and the others returned to the dormitory that the Royal Family had arranged for them to rest. Houdini sat in the armchair and pondered for a long time. In the end, he sighed and said, "Forget it. Lassiman has no shortage of geniuses. There's no need to offend the Royal Family for this …"
Obviously, he had given up on the idea of "bringing in" Merinsera. After all, the most important thing for an "envoy" was not to get involved in the political whirlpool of other countries. If he caused trouble, it would definitely end badly for both sides.
After making the decision, Houdini felt much more relaxed. He flipped through the stack of documents that he had brought with him in front of the door and began his daily meditation.
However, today's meditation didn't go well. Not long after it began, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He was very curious about what urgent matter could there be at this time. But the news that he received made him jump out of his chair!
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