The place where I received Tucker's undead envoys was an empty area outside of the Forest of Dreams. Sometimes, diplomatic envoys were no different from spies. Even if many things weren't confidential, I didn't want them to see them.
"… Halu the Twelve? That's a strange name. "
"Your Majesty, we have our own way of naming things. Perhaps it's strange for other species to use it, but it represents our lives."
The envoy was a vampire marquis. He was fair, handsome, tall, and tall. He wore ancient black formal attire and held a black cane. He spoke slowly and logically, but his grammar was rather outdated. Although he appeared quite young, he still seemed like an ancient noble.
As for why he called me "Your Majesty," it didn't seem like there was any hierarchy between us. Actually, it was just a respectful title that the undead used for SemiGod undead … It seemed that he had long since seen through me. Actually, I had long since realized that some things were difficult to hide from the observant. If I were an Undead Emperor who had been exiled from the Tark Empire, I would also be quite interested in this sole descendant of the current generation and try to obtain all of his information.
Even though he was deep in enemy territory, the envoy, Halu the Twelve, still had an elegant demeanor. His well-practiced diplomatic language was filled with passion, and his actions revealed an elegance that only time could create. However, Halu the Twelve's etiquette was impeccable. In contrast, we were the ones who were lacking in manners. We didn't even allow him to enter the door, and instead had him sit on a random wooden stool.
"Just tell me directly what you're here for. I don't have time to play games with you."
Even though I was being so rude, this undead marquis, who was at least a Saint-ranked Blood Tribe member, still smiled and nodded slightly.
"That's right. We won't waste Your Majesty's time with such trifling matters. Apart from bringing greetings from the Undead Emperors, I truly do have some small matters that I'd like to ask Lady Gria …"
He wasn't looking for me, but was looking for Gria instead? I could pretty much guess what he wanted, and soon, he told me his goal, which proved my guess correct.
"Ally with the Xiluo Empire?"
From a certain standpoint, the Xiluo Empire, which was also an undead country, was the only possible ally of the Tark Republic in this world.
Even though Gria seems unreliable in front of me, as the former Fourth Senator, after the First and Second Senators were deposed and the Third Senator Heloise "disappeared", she is indeed the number one person under Omar. Even Lionheart, who has become the Prime Minister of the Empire, has to take her opinion seriously.
I turned around to look at Gria who was standing behind me. She glanced at me lightly before continuing to stand behind me with her head slightly lowered. It was obvious that she had passed the authority to me.
"Being able to talk to you personally is even better." Seeing this situation, Halu still had a smile on his face. He was not surprised in the slightest, as if he had already known this would happen.
There was already a tacit understanding that something was going on. From a certain standpoint, the Xiluo Empire had already become the most important part of the Mist Alliance's future power map. It would be impossible to hide who truly stood behind the Xiluo Empire.
But from a certain standpoint, this was also a diplomatic probe to see if the Xiluo Empire was still under Emperor Yongye's control. However, in front of a sly diplomatic veteran, Gria, who was used to thinking in terms of war, instantly revealed her true intentions.
"Ally? Do you think that's possible? "
It wasn't easy for the Northlands to accept the Xiluo Empire, and now that the Tark Republic was a dimensional invader, they were basically public enemy number one. As an undead country, if the Tark Republic allied with the Tark Republic, they would likely be viewed as one of their own, and all the hard work they had done would go to waste.
"As old undead who have left their homeland for quite some time, we're quite fortunate to be able to see another undead country in our homeland. We're even more delighted to see that the Xiluo Empire has achieved a harmonious relationship with the living. We can understand how difficult it is for the Xiluo Empire to be surrounded by enemies from all over the world, but at the very least, we have a way to express our goodwill in order to preserve a seed of hope for the future. "
Haru's words were quite mystifying, making it difficult for me to understand. But to put it simply, he was expressing his attitude of "Even if business doesn't work out, we can't come to an agreement right now, so I'm here to try and improve our relationship."
It would seem that Halu was indeed an expert at diplomacy. From the moment we met, he didn't say anything stupid like "We won't start a war with the wood spirits," nor did he say something stupid like "We'll pretend that Undead Emperor Aso's death never happened." Instead, he went straight to the point.
His honesty actually gave me a good impression of him. After all, due to the unique geographical location of the Xiluo Empire, conflict between the wood spirits and the undead was inevitable. And the wood spirits definitely viewed Undead Emperor Aso's death as no small matter, so it was only natural that they would blame it on us.
Since conflict and even war between the wood spirits and the undead were inevitable, saying something like "We won't start a war" would be an insult to both our intellect. And it just so happened that many modern diplomats loved to play all sorts of tricks and lie through their teeth. Not only did they fail to fool their master, they even made him feel even more disgusted.
But if it was only to express his goodwill to the undead, there would be no need for this vampire marquis to personally come here. I didn't ask any questions and simply sipped my tea in silence as I waited for him to speak.
Finally, Halu was unable to restrain himself any longer. His words contained a hint of disgust and disgust.
"… Gricasio, as long as we have his head, our Tark Republic will be willing to pay a great price. We're even willing to give up this forest and the surrounding area."
Alright then, he should have guessed it long ago. This was the main problem.
I could understand Gricasio's anger. For the greater good of the Tark Republic, Emperor Aso had chosen to sacrifice himself in front of a powerful enemy. This was also a warrior's honor. Insulting a powerful enemy would be the same as tainting Aso himself. Halu was still able to show me sufficient respect. However, there was one type of person that would never be forgiven no matter what — traitors!
Gricasio had already received gifts from the various Undead Emperors. He had opened the path to becoming a SemiGod undead, which meant that it was time for Gricasio to fulfill his promise. The Undead Emperors hadn't placed too many restrictions on him, mainly because they trusted in his power level.
The undead were the incarnation of stubbornness. All top-level undead had their own pride, and their power level was their best calling card. All top-level undead with stubbornness had their own pride and dignity. SemiGod undead might be crazy, foolish, or despicable, but it was impossible for them not to have their own pride and principles. From a certain standpoint, this was the common understanding among the undead.
But this time, the undead just happened to meet an exception … Perhaps Gricasio's stubbornness to begin with was the pursuit of immortality. As long as he could survive, he was willing to do anything.
Although Gricasio's request seemed to be reasonable, I didn't even consider it and directly shook my head. There was no need to consider it from the very start.
Halu nodded as if he had expected this.
"We can understand that you want to protect Gricasio, but please tell him that we won't stop until he's dead. The day that he leaves this forest will be the day that he dies."
Halu's meaning was quite obvious. Although it wasn't an all-out war, as long as Gricasio appeared, he would be surrounded and killed. It was likely that the Tark undead were prepared to pay a tremendous price in order to fight against a Myth-ranked bone dragon.
"You won't be able to do it."
"Hmph, even if it's you, Your Majesty, don't underestimate our determination to seek justice for Emperor Aso …"
I rudely interrupted Halu halfway through his sentence. After all, no matter what they said, no matter how tempting their promises were, it was already meaningless.
"Your vow to kill Gricasio has already failed. It's not that I'm protecting him, it's that he's not even in the Forest of Dreams right now!"
Alright, in an instant, Halu's handsome face contorted in disbelief. His expression of disbelief was quite creative.
"How is that possible? Isn't he under your protection? Where could he possibly go!? "
"No, no. He directly returned to Xiluo on the same day and even left a note behind. 'Your Majesty, I suddenly feel like my stomach isn't feeling well. Please allow me to return to the Xiluo Empire first and wait for your good news.' Ha, undead would actually have stomachaches. That's why, Halu the Twelfth, in a way, I want to kill that sly old fox even more than you do. As long as you catch him, go ahead and beat him to death. Don't give me any face. "
How could that sly old fox Gricasio not know that the Tark Republic would never let him go? How could he possibly entrust his own safety to my protection? He unhesitatingly left a note after the battle ended. In order to avoid being ambushed, the Bone Dragon Lord, who was at the peak of Myth rank, actually snuck into the sea at night to escape. That was shameless to the extreme.
As for whether or not he would return to the Xiluo Empire, I felt that it was most likely the case. After all, that was the safest place right now. It would be nice to be under a large tree. Indeed, Gricasio was now relying on a large tree like me. Of course, just like in the past, he was an untrustworthy subordinate, a complete opportunist.
"That's why he escaped long ago. There's no meaning in telling me all this."
Alright then, I was pleasantly surprised to see Halu the Twelfth's twisted expression as he left. Although I didn't know what to say about the process, from a certain standpoint, the relationship between the Tark Republic and Halu the Twelfth's was already set.
At the very least, we would be enemies with the Tark Republic for quite a long period of time.
As I watched Halu the Twelfth disappear into the horizon, I received an unexpected visitor.
"You want to hitch a ride?"
The Veji merchant group was still in Nightrain City. Due to our existence, as well as the change in the situation, the Nightrain City officials didn't make things too difficult for them. However, it was quite uncomfortable for them to stay in an enemy country like this. That was why they requested to leave with us through the Dragon Knight.
I hesitated for a moment. I felt that I could accept such a favor. Perhaps I would even need their help in the future, so I agreed. Now that all the projects in the Forest of Dreams were on the right track, it was time to prepare to leave.
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