On the Seven Towers

Xiao Chen was wearing a mage's robe, sinking into a back chair, quietly looking out the window at the firelight reflected on the ground. Tonight's dance is taking place in the hall next door. The earl summoned the nobles and nobles from his nearby territories, bringing their wives and children to support him. Together with the thirty or so people brought by Xiao Chen, the atmosphere was very lively. Even through the corridor and the heavy wooden door, Xiao Chen could still vaguely hear music and the sound of people laughing or applauding.

But for him, leaving early and coming to this dim side hall had more important things.

Negotiations have been going on for two days, and everything that needs to be said has been said. There are some issues, but it is more suitable to talk about them in such a scenario.

Sure enough, after a while, the earl pushed the door open and came in alone. He was wearing a palace dress today, and his collar and cuffs were tightly tied with lace. He looked like a goose with its neck tied. He untied his collar and breathed a long sigh of relief. Then he walked slowly to a chair opposite Xiao Chen and sat down. He took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat on his forehead, and said with a smile: "I hate this." It’s a royal attire. The tailor’s purpose in designing such clothes must be to take revenge on us nobles. This outfit can make me breathless when I dance in circles.”

"Perhaps your Majesty the King, I hope you nobles will not be too energetic."

"Ah, every king hopes that his country will be composed of a group of peaceful nobles, a group of ignorant farmers, a group of brave and loyal knights, and a group of beautiful girls."

"There seems to be no place for a mage here?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Aren't you mages the people that kings are most afraid of?" Arias shook his head and laughed, "Or is this not the case in the distant country where your hometown is?"

"In our place, the king may be more afraid of the power of ordinary people than the magician." Xiao Chen answered vaguely.

"Ordinary people?" The Earl pondered for a moment, "Your place must be a place where magical artifacts are particularly prosperous, which will give ordinary people a power that cannot be underestimated. Otherwise, it will definitely not be like what you said."

Xiao Chen was a little surprised at the earl's sensitivity, and nodded in response: "Where we are, some 'magic devices' controlled by ordinary people can even have the power to destroy a city."

"This is not a good thing. You people are too tolerant and careless. If power is not concentrated in the hands of people with noble birth and rationality, it will be a terrible disaster. There must be constant conflicts between countries in your country."

Xiao Chen was a little stunned by the question. The earth is really a place full of conflicts. He nodded and said, "That's true. However, as long as there are people in the world, there will be constant conflicts. You see, we have only been here for three months, and we have already fought against the horse thieves, suppressed the goblins, and defeated the rebellion. Slaves. It’s not peaceful here either.”

The earl laughed. He stood up, walked to the wine cabinet, took out two glasses made by the school, poured the wine from a silver pot into the cups, then handed a glass to Xiao Chen and said, "This is not what you are doing." Is it proof that the people there are aggressive?”

Xiao Chen took the glass, took a sip and said, "But we still love peace. This is why I came to negotiate with you. You must also understand that in addition to the force we can brag about, we can also provide many products. , knowledge, these things can be converted into wealth anywhere.”

The Count leaned back in his chair, clasped his fingers together alternately, and then tapped his fingers on the back of his hand. He stared at Xiao Chen, as if he wanted to penetrate into the other person's heart.

"Cooperation, and wealth. Well, I like these words, but I haven't felt your sincerity yet. Enough, guaranteed sincerity." The earl matched his words and shook his head slightly, "This one around us There is only one very simple rule in this world, and that is to respect power... and not to respect things other than power. Agreements can be betrayed, people's hearts can be manipulated, and goods can be plundered. Only power can ensure that these things operate in the way we want. . Therefore, if we cooperate, we must first cooperate based on strength. As for the goods, technology, and trade routes you mentioned in the past two days, they are too fragile in the face of strength."

"But aren't these other things also essential?"

"I know, and I know that there are many people, such as some guys in Suero, who are willing to cooperate with you in other aspects. But you have to understand that I want more, and I can give you more. . We are not sitting here to sell more goods to merchants and make a few small profits. This is too small for me...the descendant of the Berserker, and you...the descendant of the magician."

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? Ask yourself what you need first. In the past two days, I have heard very clearly that you don't know what you want. The terms you mentioned in the negotiation are nothing more than goods of little value. Switch to the land of my ancestral home, use the power of the local poor people and slaves to run that land, and then produce various goods that no one has ever seen before, earn back money and materials, and finally manage Montenegro into a piece of land. It is an enviable territory where ordinary farmers can eat three meals of white bread a day, and a slave can become a small official. Everyone will live according to your new order. Am I right? "

Xiao Chen had to admit the earl's foresight, which was really the idea of ​​many people in the school. Although he had long discovered that the earl's image of a playboy was just a cover-up, the words he heard in private today made him look at the earl with new eyes. Xiao Chen himself did not completely agree with this point of view, but this did not prevent him from admiring the earl. He replied: "Your Excellency, you seem to have done a lot of research and understand people's hearts. You actually have such an interesting view on us."

"But, in my opinion, this is just a stupid dream!" The earl drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, and then put the glass heavily on the table, "If you continue like this, you will only become a public enemy and be drowned in this land. Because you have forgotten who is the real master of this world."

He stood up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back and looked out the window. The light of the lamp illuminated his face, and he had a bit of the meaning of pointing out the world: "Strength brings power, and power controls all living beings. Civilians, slaves, they are numerous, but they do not have the true They are the real power, so they are suppressed by us and use their labor to support us. You need to unite with us, the nobles, warriors, mages, priests, the owners of power. Only with the recognition of these people can you gain a foothold in this world. Otherwise, no matter how many farmers you control or how many slaves you have, they are just sheds made of leaves, which will disappear in the wind. "

Xiao Chen showed an imperceptible smile, and he said calmly: "We are seeking their acceptance. Win-win with the owners of these powers is our goal. "

"But there is a question here, why should they accept you? Why should they allow you to appear and take away their land, trade routes, slaves and wealth? The wealth in the world is limited, and the more you occupy, the more you will lose. The more you have, the less they will occupy. Why should they allow you to do this and let their subjects use the food and supplies they produce to exchange for your flashy things? "Count Arias turned his head to look at Xiao Chen, with a look of compassion in his eyes. He said in a deep tone, "I don't need to think too much to know that your weapons and armor will make their blacksmiths unemployed, your glass and porcelain will make their workshops bankrupt, and your soaps and perfumes will make them put all the gold coins they have worked hard to accumulate for many years into your pockets. As time goes by, you will become richer and richer, but also more and more dangerous. When someone can't help but take action against you... whether it's because of greed or jealousy, or because they feel threatened by you... that person is countless times more powerful than the horse thieves. times the power, can you really withstand it? "

"This is not what I want to see. Because I don't want to play the trump card in my hand, it will be a disaster, a disaster for everyone. "Xiao Chen still said calmly, "However, you will say this, you should have thought of a way out for us."

The count nodded in appreciation and said, "You are a calm and smart person, Master Xiao Chen. Yes. My method is very simple, military alliance. Your alliance with me is a real back-to-back alliance. It will be an alliance of swords and magic, an alliance of power and knowledge, and an alliance of outsiders joining local forces. If so, I and my other allies will regard you as our partners. Business can be unimpeded and safety can be guaranteed. Your enemies will become my enemies. "

"However, more importantly, your enemies will also become our enemies. "Xiao Chen said slowly.

"This must be a price worth paying. Because of the geographical location and familiarity, no one in the Iberian Kingdom is more suitable to be your ally than me. "The Earl laughed, and his smile was a little cold.

Xiao Chen knew that he hadn't said half of the sentence: In the Kingdom of Iberia, no one is a more threatening enemy than me. Xiao Chen laughed, stood up, and also stood in front of the window, looking at the Earl seriously and said: "My country has a very long history. Anyone who has simply read the history knows that countless military alliances have ended in betrayal. This is also the reason why we are reluctant to make a covenant easily. "

"However, that is better than not even being qualified to be betrayed. Moreover, I am willing to provide a guarantee with my greatest sincerity. "

"What guarantee?"

"Marriage, everyone in the kingdom knows that my lovely and beautiful only daughter is the flesh and blood of my heart. "

"You mean, Serinda and Li Jia?"

"No, I mean, Serinda and you!"