Chapter 209 Negotiation
When Xiao Ling heard what Medusa said, he raised his eyebrows slightly and thought to himself. He had indeed heard about the Tripartite Alliance from Hai Bodong before, and he had a certain understanding of this matter.
Because in the original work, the Mulan Empire, Luoyan Empire and Izumo Empire joined forces to invade the Gama Empire three or four years later, but he didn't pay too much attention to it before.
However, Xiao Ling thought about it carefully and realized that the Soul Palace was also behind this matter. The guardian Wu was captured by him before, and now he has been refined into a demon puppet. Maybe it was because he could not contact the guardian Wu that the three countries' joint invasion of the Jiama Empire happened ahead of schedule.
Faced with the potential threat of the Triple Alliance, the Gama Empire will indeed face considerable difficulties.
Although the top forces among the three kingdoms were not a threat in Xiao Ling's eyes, it was undoubtedly a severe test for the Gama Empire.
Xiao Ling knew that he couldn't stay in the Gama Empire forever, so it would be beneficial for both parties to promote an alliance between the Snake People and the Gama Empire.
At this time, Zi Yan gently pulled Xiao Ling's sleeve and whispered in his ear: "Xiao Ling, please help Sister Medusa. She is also helpless."
Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly and responded softly: "Don't worry, Zi Yan, even if it's just for your sake, I will naturally help you with this."
Then, Xiao Ling turned to Medusa and said in a relaxed and sincere tone: "Medusa, I will personally take you to the royal family of the Gama Empire later. As for the details of the negotiation, it depends on how you discuss it with the Gama Empire."
Queen Medusa also felt relieved. She knew what Xiao Ling's promise meant. With Xiao Ling's introduction, the alliance between the Snake People and the Gama Empire had greater hope.
Although Medusa's voice was still emotionless, it sounded a little more relaxed. She said, "Thank you very much, Master Xiao Ling. After the matter is accomplished, my snake people will definitely reward you handsomely."
Xiao Ling waved his hand gently and replied calmly, "No need to thank me. If you want to be grateful, thank Zi Yan."
The few resources of the snake people were not very attractive to him.
In Xiao Ling's opinion, the only one among the snake people that could arouse his interest was Medusa's potential. If she could evolve into a seven-colored swallowing python, or even a nine-colored swallowing python, then she would have real potential and was worth cultivating.
Then, Xiao Ling said, "Time is running out, let's go to the palace now."
Queen Medusa nodded slightly, then gave Zi Yan a gentle smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ling's figure flashed, like a gust of wind, and disappeared in the courtyard. Seeing this, Medusa immediately followed him, her posture was agile, like a swimming snake, and she quickly caught up with Xiao Ling.
……
Not long after, two figures, a man and a woman, appeared in front of the gate of the Gama Empire Palace.
Seeing someone suddenly appear, the guards were alert at first, but when they recognized that the leader was Xiao Ling, they immediately straightened their bodies and saluted, "Master Xiao Ling."
Xiao Ling's face is very recognizable in the capital of Jiama.
The eyes of these guards were full of awe, and they obviously had great respect for the young master alchemist.
Xiao Ling nodded slightly to show his gratitude to the guards. He looked calm and spoke in a calm tone: "My sudden visit may have disturbed your work, but I do have something important to discuss with Mr. Jia, so please let me know."
As soon as Xiao Ling finished speaking, the captain of the guards stepped forward and responded respectfully: "Master Xiao Ling, you are too polite. Your visit is our honor. Master Jia has already instructed that you can come and go freely in the palace without notifying him. You can meet him at any time."
The captain of the guard answered respectfully, and then added hesitantly: "Master Xiao Ling, do you need me to send someone to lead the way for you?"
Xiao Ling smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he was familiar with the layout of the palace. "No need to bother, Captain. I remember the way to Jia Lao's place very clearly."
After hearing this, the captain of the guard did not ask any more questions. Instead, he bowed again and stepped aside to make way for Xiao Ling and Medusa. "In that case, Master, please do as you please. If you need anything, please let us know at any time."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly and expressed his gratitude again, then led Medusa and moved forward steadily along the familiar palace road.
The two of them passed through the palace gates one after another. When the palace maids and guards along the way saw Xiao Ling, they all bowed their heads and saluted, not daring to look directly at him. Xiao Ling's name had long been a household name in the Jiama Empire, and his arrival naturally caused quite a stir.
After ten minutes of walking, Xiao Ling brought Medusa to the courtyard where Jia Xingtian lived.
It seemed that someone in the palace had already informed them of their arrival, so before Xiao Ling went forward to knock on the door, a girl with a cold and beautiful temperament had slowly pushed the door open from inside. Xiao Ling recognized her identity at a glance, she was the eldest princess of the Jiama Empire, Yao Ye.
When Yao Ye first saw Xiao Ling, there was a gentle smile on her face. However, when her eyes inadvertently fell on Medusa behind Xiao Ling, that gentle smile froze instantly.
As the eldest princess of the Jiama Empire, she naturally knew what Medusa really looked like. Although she had heard from her subordinates that Xiao Ling had come with a woman, she had never expected that it was the famous Medusa.
After a careful look, Yao Ye discovered that Medusa no longer had a snake tail. This showed that Medusa had obviously broken through to the Dou Zong realm.
In the present Jia Ma Empire, no one can achieve the Dou Zong level.
Medusa, the queen of the snake people who has always had friction with the Gama Empire, has now reached the level of Dou Zong. How could she not be surprised by such a thing?
Although she was thinking about a lot of things, Yao Ye, as the eldest princess of the Jia Ma Empire, was very polite and quickly regained her composure. She gracefully made a gesture of invitation and said to Xiao Ling: "Master Xiao Ling, my great grandfather has been waiting inside for a long time."
Xiao Ling felt Yao Ye's subtle changes, but did not say much. He just smiled slightly in response, and then walked into the courtyard first.
Medusa glanced at Yao Ye indifferently, and then followed Xiao Ling's steps.
As they stepped into the courtyard, Xiao Ling and Medusa's eyes fell on Jia Xingtian.
The head of the family, Xing Tian, also showed a look of surprise when he saw Medusa.
However, after Xiao Ling briefly explained the purpose of their visit, Jia Xingtian quickly regained his composure.
After in-depth negotiations, the two sides finally reached a consensus and agreed to form an alliance.
The Gama Empire agreed to allocate an area of the Monster Mountains for the Serpent People to live in, but on the condition that if any other country launched an attack on the Gama Empire, the Serpent People must also provide support.
Under the current circumstances, Jia Xingtian knew that Medusa had broken through to the Dou Zong realm and he could not offend her too much. Although Xiao Ling did not explicitly express his support for Medusa, from his attitude, Jia Xingtian could feel his approval of the alliance between the two sides.
Moreover, forming an alliance with the Snake People would undoubtedly strengthen the Gama Empire and provide an additional safeguard against the threat of the Three Kingdoms alliance. However, after this incident, Jia Xingtian became even more determined to break through to Dou Zong as soon as possible.
He thought to himself, "I must gather the medicinal materials for refining the Po Zong Dan before Xiao Ling leaves the Jia Ma Empire, and ask him to refine another Po Zong Dan."
With the final details finalized, Jia Xingtian and Medusa finally concluded their consultations and reached a consensus.
Seeing that the discussion between the two sides had come to an end, Xiao Ling said softly: "Since the two of you have finished discussing, I will not stay any longer and will take my leave first."
Seeing that Xiao Ling was about to leave, Medusa also indicated that she had no intention of staying here, and said softly: "In that case, I will leave with you."
Hearing this, Xiao Ling just nodded slightly and didn't say much.
Immediately, Xiao Ling turned to Jia Xingtian and Princess Yaoye and said hello: "Master Jia, Princess Yaoye, it's getting late, and it's time for me to go back. See you at the meeting tomorrow."
Princess Yao Ye watched Xiao Ling leave, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. She suggested in a soft voice with a hint of expectation: "Master Xiao Ling, let Ye Er see you off."
Jia Xingtian also echoed and added with some meaning in his tone, "Yes, Master Xiao Ling and Ye'er are of similar age, so it's suitable for them to communicate more."
When Medusa heard Jia Xingtian's words, a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes. She had heard Zi Yan mention before that Xiao Ling was not a loyal person.
Xiao Ling naturally also caught the implication of Jia Xingtian's words, as if he was trying to bring together himself and Yao Ye.
Although Yao Ye's beauty was indeed outstanding, she could be described as a beauty of nature, no less than Xiao Yixian and Han Yue, and only half as beautiful as Xiao Xun'er, her noble and cold temperament added a bit of charm to her.
However, Xiao Ling is not the kind of person who can't walk when seeing a beautiful woman.
In his opinion, love requires not only mutual attraction but also a deep emotional foundation. He and Yao Ye did not have much in common, and there was not much emotional bond between them.
Moreover, I don’t know whether the other party really appreciates me or has other purposes.
Xiao Ling smiled slightly and declined Yao Ye's kindness: "Thank you, Princess Yao Ye, but you don't have to bother me. I still know how to get around in the palace."
Then, without waiting for Yao Ye to react, he left alone.
Seeing this, Medusa immediately followed Xiao Ling's steps and left the courtyard together.
Watching Xiao Ling and Medusa's backs gradually walking away, Yao Ye couldn't help but reveal a trace of loss that was hard to conceal on his face.
From childhood to adulthood, she has always been the focus of everyone's attention. Countless young talents have fallen at her feet, and everything she desires is always within her reach.
However, today, facing Xiao Ling's indifference, she couldn't help but feel an unprecedented sense of frustration in her heart.
Yao Ye knew that Xiao Ling was so outstanding that he was favored by many women. Even if she was willing to lower her status, she could not guarantee that she would be favored by Xiao Ling. However, when Xiao Ling's rejection was really in front of her, the bitter feeling still spread in her heart.
Although it was Jia Xingtian who arranged for her to get close to Xiao Ling, Yao Ye found that her heart could not help but waver when faced with such a talented and handsome man like Xiao Ling. After all, how could a young woman not admire such an outstanding man?
Jia Xingtian witnessed Yao Ye's emotional changes and could only express his mood with a sigh and a helpless shake of his head.
He originally hoped that Yao Ye could get closer to Xiao Ling, and if they could get married, it would be the ideal result. But now it seems that this road is not smooth.
In this case, he could only place his hopes on another princess, Yaoyue.
As far as he knew, Yaoyue and Xiao Yan had always had a very harmonious relationship. If their marriage could be facilitated, it would undoubtedly add a closer bond between the royal family and the Xiao family.
Jia Xingtian knew that although political marriage was a temporary expedient, it was also a clever way to consolidate power in the complex chess game of power.
The talent and potential displayed by Xiao Ling indicate that his stage is far more than just the Gama Empire. The vast Central Continent is where he can spread his wings and soar.
If a deeper connection can be established with the Xiao family, the Gama Empire will be able to gain greater rewards.
On the contrary, if the Xiao family continues to grow stronger under the leadership of Xiao Ling, even if they have no intention of coveting the Gama Empire, the status and influence of the Gama Empire will be unsustainable and will eventually end up in a state of existence in name only.
……
In Xiao Ling's courtyard, Xiao Yixian, Qing Lin and Zi Yan were sitting around talking. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Suddenly, there was a subtle spatial fluctuation in the air, and then two figures gradually solidified. They were Xiao Ling and Medusa who had just returned.
The appearance of the two interrupted the original conversation, and the three people's eyes turned to them at the same time.
Zi Yan jumped up from her seat lightly, and flew between Xiao Ling and Medusa like a happy little bird. She held one of them by the hand and asked expectantly, "Xiao Ling, Sister Medusa, how is the negotiation with the royal family going?"
Xiao Ling was somewhat helpless, but with a hint of curiosity, he asked Zi Yan, "Is there any special benefit for you in reaching an agreement between the Snake People and the Jia Ma Empire?"
Zi Yan was stunned by the question. She really hadn't thought deeply about this question. She just instinctively wanted to provide help out of her friendship for Medusa.
But then, her eyes rolled, as if she had thought of something, and she said with a hint of playfulness: "This way, it will be more convenient for me to go see Sister Medusa. In the future, I can go to play with Sister Medusa during the day, and come to you to refine pills at night."
After hearing Zi Yan's answer, Xiao Ling couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly, and said with a smile and anger: "We won't stay in the Jia Ma Empire forever. Do you think we will live here for a long time?"
Zi Yan stuck out her tongue, realizing her own naivety, but still said stubbornly, "One day is better than the other. Hey, just tell me. I'm just a little curious."
Xiao Ling chuckled and rubbed Zi Yan's head, with a hint of teasing in his tone: "I am not the protagonist of this matter, you should ask your sister Medusa yourself."
Upon hearing this, Zi Yan turned to Medusa with eyes full of curiosity, waiting for her answer.
(End of this chapter)