Chapter 555: The Negotiation Begins

? This is Border Town... No, Neverwinter?

Edith walked down the gangway, looking at the busy and orderly scene in front of her, she couldn't help being dumbfounded. Even though she had made various guesses before arriving, she found that she had underestimated the city—the area of ​​the dock area was more than three times larger than that of the capital, and it was crowded with unloading sailboats and cement ships. The ore and coal placed on the stockyard were fully piled up into a small mountain.

On the other side, a dozen paddle steamers were slowly leaving the trestle bridge in a column, and many people were standing by the embankment to see them off. The people on the ship were all wearing uniforms, standing straight along the sides of the ship, even Edith could feel the fighting spirit displayed - in the past, this kind of look would only appear on knights returning from victory, and these people had no Doubt is not aristocratic.

In the center of the pier is a gathering place for merchants, refugees, and migrants, mainly sailing boats of various types. After people disembark, they are separated by a group of men in black, and they are required to pass the checkpoint in a long line. In the entire dock area alone, there are no less than a thousand people floating around. Such a prosperous scene is even dwarfed by the capital.

"The pier has become longer again," Victor said in shock. "Is Your Majesty planning to turn the entire river bank into a pier area?"

"Again?" Edith noticed the words used by the other party.

"At least the pier here was not so wide last autumn," he spread his hands, "of course, there were not so many people."

"What are those checkpoints doing, are they collecting taxes?"

"There is no city entry tax here, you only have to pay the tax if you sell something," Victor explained enthusiastically, "And you are not allowed to set up stalls in the city, all sales must be in the convenience market in the square area Proceed. Those men in black are equivalent to patrols in other cities, and they set up checkpoints to register their identities and eliminate evil plagues."

Not blackmail and blackmail? Edith winked at her younger brother, who nodded and pulled out the money from his pocket.

"No no, Miss Conrad, I mean the patrol," said the gem dealer, smiling and waving his hands. "Actually, they never charge extra fees—I know it's hard to believe, but it's true, and the first time I I was as surprised as you when I passed the inspection. Come with me, the merchant passage is much faster."

As he said, after the man in black verified Victor's identity, he let the group pass the checkpoint without asking for a single bronze eagle.

"Next, I have to find a clean and comfortable hotel, and then go to the convenience market." He turned his head, "What is your plan, Miss Conrad? If you are not familiar with this place, I can help you."

"Thank you," Edith pretended to be grateful, pinching the corners of her skirt and kneeling slightly, "You helped me a lot along the way, this is enough... I will go to the city hall for help, and I should be able to find my relatives there news."

"It's just a little effort... It's my honor to meet such an outstanding noble lady like you, please don't be polite."

After a lot of evasion, Edith managed to get rid of Victor's entanglement. Finally, when the businessman said goodbye, he kept waving to her, saying that if he was in trouble, he could go to the Holy Mountain Hotel to find him at any time.

"Sister, you are really welcome," Cole smacked his lips.

"Huh?" Edith glanced at him. "What should you call me?"

"Uh...ahem, Ms. Edith," the second son of the duke couldn't help trembling, "shall we also find a hotel to stay?"

"No, first go to the castle to submit the documents," she said without hesitation, "get in touch with His Majesty as soon as possible."

"But we have no heads..." Cole reminded in a low voice.

"Then take the one without a head," Edith shrugged. "Remember the things I told you? Show your sincerity. The loyalty of the Kant family is not only represented by two heads."

And even if there was, it would probably be stink long ago—it is not a good idea to present two corrupted heads to His Majesty, she thought, since the other party left the capital, everything has deviated from the plan track.

How to do it depends on the specific situation. Ultimately, the ability of the negotiator is the key factor in determining the outcome of the negotiation.

*******************

"Your Majesty, a group of envoys from the North is waiting outside the castle, hoping to be received by you," personal guard Xiao En walked into the office and reported, "The team leader claims to be the second son of Calvin Kant, the current Duke of the North, Mr. Cole Kant Barov has checked the documents and family crest, so it should not be forged."

"Northern land?" Roland put down the blueprint unexpectedly, "Isn't that Timothy's territory? Did they explain their purpose?"

"Yes," the guard said excitedly, "Sir Cole said that His Excellency the Duke is willing to pledge his allegiance to you."

Take the initiative... to work, he frowned, this is really troublesome. From the original intention, he does not need the allegiance of a feudal lord. Not only will it not help the development of the kingdom, but it will also have an impact on the current centralized system. Roland hoped that the other party would have a chance to stay in the territory and wait for him to sweep over. Only when the old forces are thoroughly crushed can a centralized power be established smoothly.

However, it doesn’t matter if you don’t see it, the other party sent an envoy to negotiate a peace, but it was deliberately left aside. If the news spread, it might make other nobles lose their luck, so they decided to join forces to fight. This is not a problem in the military. He is mainly worried that it will affect the people of the East and the North - Roland has already regarded the people of the kingdom as his wealth, and naturally wants to keep as many people as possible.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded slowly and said, "Take them to the living room, and call Barov together."

"Yes." Sean replied excitedly.

Looking at the guard's expression, he probably thought that in this way, only the east side of the kingdom would be left without his own rule... Roland thought to himself, it's just that sometimes things are not as simple as they seem on the surface.

And at the same time he made a decision.

No matter what, it is an unshakable principle to take back the rights of the fief nobles. This point must be accurately expressed to all nobles to show their determination for the reform of the New Deal. If the rebel nobles dare to attack the people, they will definitely pay a heavy price for it.

...

Walking into the living room, there were only two people in the envoy group sitting at the end of the long table. One of them should be the Duke's second son, Cole Kant, and the other made Roland's eyes light up—it was a beautiful woman. The appearance should be Sir Cole's deputy, but the momentum is more eye-catching than Sir Cole himself.

Of course, when it comes to appearance alone, the witch is the most dazzling pearl, so Roland didn't pay too much attention to it. After all, assistants in this era are likely to play roles such as lovers or maids.

"Your Majesty, I greet you on behalf of my father," Cole respectfully got up and saluted, and quickly expressed his intention of coming, "The Duke of the North has a gift for you."