Shadow of Deep Space

Chapter 466 Peace Talks
Tidal star sea.

God Fortress·Light Conference Hall.

Edrig, Archbishop Desir, Limi, Bairut and others sat around the round conference table.

A detailed star map of the Tidal Star Sea was presented in the center of the conference table.

"The plunder of the Republic of Anxes has been completed, and a large amount of supplies have been successfully harvested."

"The Momeon Kingdom has secretly compromised and is willing to offer protection money."

Many generals present reported excitedly to Edrig and others.

"well done."

Deputy Master Edrig was very satisfied.

However, at this moment, a virtual prompt projection box suddenly popped up.

"Alert: Received a remote communication request from the Star Destroyer Corona."

Everyone was slightly startled, and they all quieted down and looked at Edrig.

Edrig raised his hand and waved, picking up the remote communication.

The virtual images of Archbishop McKenwa and Admiral Solenk suddenly appeared, and they spoke with unnatural expressions.

"Lord Edrig."

"whats the matter?"

Edrig looked at the expressions of the two men, his heart suddenly sank slightly, and he asked calmly.

The muscles on Archbishop McKenwa's old face twitched, and he spoke guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Lord Edrig! It was our incompetence that caused the Skylight Shield transit fortress to be sunk by the Federation's Thirteenth Legion, and all the supplies on board were destroyed. In addition, the support forces from Rain City broke through the blockade and transported the supplies to the Tidal Star Sea."

"What happened? You actually lost the fight?"

"How can it be?"

"It's just, it's ridiculous."

Many generals at the scene discussed this in shock.

"Humph, a bunch of trash."

Byruto sneered sarcastically.

At this time, Archbishop Dehill said helplessly to McKenwa and Solenk.

"I warned you all long ago that the Thirteenth Legion is not like the other legions. You must be careful. Be extra careful! But you didn't listen. Now look what happened. You've ruined everything."

Admiral Solenk gritted his teeth when he heard this.

"We messed up this matter, and we are willing to bear any punishment."

"Alright, there's no point in saying that now. Let's put your punishment on hold for now. After the Tidal Star Sea incident is over, you can go and apologize to the Divine Emperor Vanluo."

Edrig's eyes flickered as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Yes."

McKenwa and Solenk replied with gloomy expressions.

"Everyone, the Federation's support has arrived. Do you have any good ideas?"

Edrig turned his head and looked at everyone present.

As a result, when everyone heard Edrig's words, everyone kept silent. No one wanted to be the first to speak out.

The scene suddenly became silent.

At this time, Archbishop De Hill saw that no one spoke, sighed slightly and said.

"Lord Edrig, I think now is the time to consider activating the backup plan."

When Edrig heard Desir's words, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and then he said with a smile.

"Desir, let me think about this matter. You can get in touch with it first."

"it is good!"

Desir nodded and then cut off the projection.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

Edrig stood up and spoke to everyone.

Poseidon Fortress.

In a long corridor.

An old woman with wrinkles on her face, a hunched body and white eyes walked in with two figures wearing gray windbreakers and hoods.

Soon she brought the two of them to the door of an inconspicuous room.

The old woman in front of him reached out to open the door and led the two of them in.

The space inside the room is not large, and the furniture on display is very simple, but very textured.

At this moment, there was a figure standing in the room with his back to them.

The old woman bowed respectfully and said.

"Miss, the person has been brought here."

"Bihan, you go down first!"

City Lord Alicia turned around and spoke to the old woman.

"Yes!"

Bi Han retreated respectfully and closed the door again.

"Okay, you don't have to hide anymore, there are no outsiders here."

Alicia looked at the two of them and said coldly.

The two men reached out and took off their hoods, revealing their faces. These two people were none other than Archbishop Deshir and Limi.

"Lord Alysia, long time no see."

Archbishop Dehill said with a smile.

"Don't say those hypocritical polite words. What do you want to see me about?"

Alicia didn't treat Dexier and Limi very well.

"Lady Alicia, we actually come here today with friendly goodwill."

"Friendly goodwill? Don't you think it's ridiculous to say that? Stop beating around the bush and just say what you want to say."

"Lady Alicia, you misunderstood. We are here to negotiate."

"Negotiation? Would you be so kind? Tell me what conditions you have."

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Lady Alicia. As long as Lady Alicia is willing to pay us 10 billion federal coins for supplies, our Apocalypse Kingdom will withdraw its troops immediately."

Archbishop De Hill made his demands directly.

In fact, the reason why Desir negotiated with Alicia was because the federal support had successfully broken through, and it would not be so easy for them to take over the Tidal Star Sea.

Of course, the most important reason is that the Rain City is easy to control, but the Federation is not so easy to control.

Therefore, instead of continuing to fight, it is more cost-effective to blackmail someone.

These women in Rain City are not good at fighting, but they are first-rate at making money. They can shell out 10 billion.

After listening to Desir's words, Alicia was also somewhat moved. 10 billion in exchange for peace was actually not unacceptable to them. After all, the number of ships and mechas sunk was more than that.

But Alicia did not agree, but said coldly,
"If you had asked me for this amount before the war, I might have agreed without hesitation. But now that you've killed so many of my people, do you think I will still give it to you?"

Desir naturally knew that Lord Alicia was still brooding over Annabeth's death, so he said with a smile.

"Lady Alicia, I'm deeply sorry for General Annabeth's death. But I hope you can put aside your personal feelings and think carefully about the overall situation. You have no chance of winning this war. The reason you haven't been completely defeated is that we, the Kingdom of Apocalypse, showed mercy. Once a full-scale war really breaks out, your losses will not be just a little bit."

Although Archbishop De Hill spoke very tactfully, the threat in his words was self-evident.

When Alicia heard this, her expression became even more gloomy. Although she had received supplies now, the situation was still very grim.

Desir stood there quietly waiting, without any intention of urging them. Peace talks were not so easy to reach. And even if Alicia was willing to negotiate, she would not pay them 10 billion so readily, and would definitely bargain.

Not long after, Alicia said with a slightly moved expression.

"Desir, I am very interested in your peace proposal. After all, I don't want the soldiers below to die in vain, but the price you offer is too high."

"Lady Alicia, this price is very low. There is no room for negotiation."

Desir smiled back.

Seeing Desir's firm attitude, Alicia frowned.

dong dong~
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in."

Alicia shouted casually.

Bihan walked in and said to Alicia respectfully.

"Sorry! Lady Alicia, I have an urgent matter to report."

"whats the matter?"

Alicia raised her head and looked at Bihan, and asked lightly.

"The Thirteenth Legion is here and will soon reach Poseidon Fortress!"

Bihan reported respectfully.

When Archbishop Deshir heard Bihan's words, his brows slightly frowned. He did not expect that the Thirteenth Legion would arrive at this critical moment.

Alicia then gave Bihan an order.

"Let Xiluo welcome them with the highest standards and lead them to see me."

"Yes!"

Bi Han retreated respectfully.

Alicia turned her head and looked at Archbishop Desir and said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I have something important to do. As for the peace talks, we can talk about it later. During this period, Archbishop Deshier, as envoys, you can move freely in non-controlled areas."

"it is good!"

Desir responded with a smile.
-
Inside the command room of the Lei Ji.

Su Ming, Firion and Jon stood in front of the operating table, looking at the starry sky projection presented by the optical imaging device.

"This is weird. We have arrived at the coordinate area, so why is there no one in front of us? Where are the people from Yuzhidu?"

Jon said with some confusion.

Su Ming looked at the abnormal scene and was a little curious.

Firion said calmly.

"They are right in front of us, they are just invisible."

"I see. How do we get in then?"

Jon then asked.

At this moment, a communication request popped up, and Filion raised his hand and waved to answer it.

A soft female voice was heard in the communication channel.

"Hello, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Lin Yutong."

"I'm Admiral Firion!"

Filion replied in a deep voice.

"General Firion, welcome to Poseidon's Fortress. We will now guide you into Poseidon's Fortress through virtual guidance."

"it is good!"

Filion replied in a deep voice.

The next second, the guidance route and flight parameters appeared on the virtual operation screen.

The three ships of the Lei Ji moved forward according to the guided route. When they flew for a distance, the scene in front of them suddenly changed, as if they had suddenly entered another world.

Three ships appeared out of nowhere in the dock inside Poseidon Fortress.

click!
At this time, mechanical fixing devices extended from all sides, locking the Lei Ji and other ships.

The entire dock is super large, with ships docked inside and patrolling mechas everywhere. The scene is very shocking.

"Wow, that's good!"

Su Ming looked at the inner dock and replied with some surprise.

"Su Ming, let me tell you, although the fighting power of these women is very poor, their equipment and weapons are not bad. They were all made and purchased with real money, and their performance is very good! If their equipment was given to us, we would have taken off long ago."

Firion said to Su Ming with great emotion.

"hehe!"

Su Ming smiled helplessly when he heard this.

At this time, the wall of the dock cracked, and a mechanical passage extended out to connect to the No. 1 boarding exit of the Lei Ji.

Firion took a deep breath and spoke to Su Ming and Jon with a serious expression.

"Okay, let's stop talking about this and go."

"it is good!"

Su Ming and Jon nodded in response.

After a while.

Su Ming and the other two walked to the Lei Ji's disembarkation passage and saw three fair-skinned, pretty women in captain's uniforms who had been standing there holding trays and waiting for a long time.

On top of each tray sat a luxurious military cloak.

Su Ming and the other two immediately stopped.

Three female officers stepped forward, picked up military cloaks and put them on Su Ming and the others.

click!
The gate to the exit opened.

Su Ming and the other two walked straight into the connecting passage.

When they walked to the end of the connecting passage and arrived at the waiting hall, they were immediately shocked by the scene before them.

The floor of the waiting hall was covered with expensive red carpet. The commander of the Eighth Legion, Xiluo, led Allura, Finny, Bootsley, Greyly, Timmy and hundreds of other officers, standing in two rows to welcome Su Ming and his party.

In addition, hundreds of reporters gathered at the scene.

Click!

Countless flashes of light lit up, almost blinding Su Ming and the other two.

Su Ming was a little confused when he saw this scene. When he and Sinrad were escorting the supplies back, the Federation welcomed them with the highest standards, but it was not as good as this scene now.

The people in Rain City are not good at fighting, but they are really good in other aspects.

At this time, Commander Xiluo stepped forward and shook hands enthusiastically with Firion, Su Ming and Jon.

"Finally you are here. Thank you for your hard work on the journey!"

"You're welcome."

Su Ming and the other two responded politely.

"With the support of your Thirteenth Army, everything will be safe this time. The guys from the Apocalypse Kingdom will never be able to act so arrogant again."

Xiluo said with joy.

"That's right, General Su Ming, you are really amazing. We are convinced!"

"Yes, with your Thirteenth Legion here, we can definitely defeat the Kingdom of Apocalypse."

General Greyly and others continued to flatter and praise.

When Su Ming and the other two heard what Qian Luo and the others said, they suddenly looked a little unnatural, as if something was wrong.

Even though their Thirteenth Legion is very powerful, it is impossible for them to defeat the Kingdom of Apocalypse!
Isn’t this an exaggeration?
However, with so many reporters taking pictures at the scene, Su Ming and the other two didn't know what to say and could only smile awkwardly.

"hehe!"

At this time, many reporters heard what Qianluo and others said, and they uploaded photos and videos excitedly as if they had eaten a big melon, trying to grab the headlines of today.

In fact, the reason why Xiluo and the others invited so many reporters was to spread the news that the Thirteenth Legion supported them to every corner of the Tidal Star Sea.

On the one hand, it is to intimidate the Kingdom of Apocalypse, and on the other hand, it is to appease those neutral countries.

At this time, on the observation deck in the distance, Archbishop Deshier and Limi were wearing hoods, looking at Firion and others who were the center of attention.

At this time, Limi saw Su Ming next to Firion and was immediately surprised.

"Lord Desir, that Su Ming is here."

Desir also frowned and said in a somewhat tricky tone.

"This is trouble. The Federation sent him here. I guess they are going to take real action."

"What should we do now? City Lord Alicia obviously has no choice but to negotiate with us. And even if we negotiate, I guess he won't pay so much money." Limi frowned and spoke.

"Let's wait and see. Although the Thirteenth Legion has arrived, we still have the upper hand overall. It won't be easy to defeat us. In comparison, the peace talks will only result in the loss of some supplies. I think City Lord Alicia should know how to make the trade-offs."

Desir said calmly.

Hearing this, Limi fell silent.

At this time, after Qianluo and others exchanged greetings with Su Ming and the other two, they said with a smile.

"Please follow me, all three of you. Lady Alicia is already waiting for you."

"it is good!"

Su Ming and the other two nodded.

Qianluo and others led Su Ming and the other two away.

Soon they arrived at the parking lot, where they saw a number of brand new black hover cars, including an extended one in the middle.

Su Ming and the other two got on the extended hovercraft.

Soon the convoy drove out of the parking lot and entered a passage.

When the vehicle drove out of the passage, the view suddenly became clear and a huge circular city came into view.

The whole city is surrounded by greenery and tall trees are everywhere. The buildings here are very beautiful, revealing a beautiful sense of art.

In the center of the city, stands a white castle, which is very dazzling.

At this time, the vehicle entered the main road and drove towards the castle. Along the way, many young and beautiful women on both sides waved excitedly at the convoy.

Su Ming looked at the bustling street scene in front of him and spoke to Filion in a low voice.

"Filion, do you feel something is wrong?"

"You felt it too?"

Firion replied with a frown on his face.

"Ah."

Su Ming nodded.

At this time, Jon also echoed with great confusion.

"I feel weird too. Aren't they praising us too much? Aren't we here to assist them on the right wing? They're making it seem like we're the main force?"

"In fact, their actions, to put it nicely, are to promote our reputation and use our reputation to intimidate the enemy. To put it bluntly, they are using us as pawns."

Su Ming sighed and replied.

"Yes, you are right, what should we do now?"

Jon replied in full agreement.

"What else can we do? We can only talk about it when we meet City Lord Alicia."

Filion replied in a deep voice.

"Ah."

Su Ming and Jon nodded. This was the only thing they could do now.

Filion leaned back in his chair, thinking about what Xiluo and the others had just said. His expression changed for a while, and then he raised his bracelet to edit a message and sent it out.

Soon after, the convoy arrived at the gate of Poseidon Castle in the center.

A female non-commissioned officer stepped forward and respectfully opened the car door.

Su Ming and the other two got out of the car.

At this time, Qianluo came over and said to Su Ming and the other two.

"plz follow me."

"Good work."

Su Ming and the other two followed Qian Luo into the castle.

The ceremonial soldiers standing at the castle gate saluted and shouted in unison.

"Welcome General."

Su Ming watched the scene and pondered silently.

The Rain City gives them such high standards, which seems to show that they are valued very much, but it also indirectly shows that the situation in the Rain City must be very bleak.

Soon, Su Ming and the other two, led by Qian Luo and others, entered the main hall of Poseidon Castle.

The entire hall is extremely luxurious, with a dome that is hundreds of meters high and inlaid with countless sparkling gems, emitting a mysterious and dazzling light.

The walls on both sides are carved with exquisite reliefs, and the floor is paved with sky blue gemstone tiles.

At the front of the hall sat a throne, on which was a throne sat a woman wearing a luxurious blue lace dress, with an exquisite and beautiful face, skin as smooth as mutton fat, a high nose bridge, rosy lips, a tear-shaped gem necklace on her slender neck, and long golden hair draped over her shoulders, revealing her nobility and majesty. She held her chin with one hand.

This woman was none other than City Lord Alysia.

At this time, Alicia's lazy eyes swept over the three people, and when her eyes fell on Su Ming, her bright eyes revealed a hint of surprise.

She remembered that when she first met Su Ming, she felt that Su Ming was somewhat extraordinary and might achieve something in the future.

But no one expected that in such a short time, Su Ming had already been promoted to general and had completely risen to prominence.

Alicia suddenly felt a little regretful. She should have lured Su Ming to the Rain City.

At this time, Su Ming and the other two walked forward and greeted respectfully.

"Lady Alicia."

"Thank you for your hard work, generals. Thanks to you, our support was able to reach the Tidal Star Sea and solve our urgent problem."

Alicia said with a smile.

"This is our duty. We are here on the orders of the parliament to assist and support you."

Filion said in a deep voice.

"Well, with the help of your Thirteenth Legion, we will surely be able to win the battle."

Alicia said with a smile.

"Great!"

"It will definitely be okay this time. We can finally fight back."

"This time, we will definitely teach those guys from the Kingdom of Apocalypse a lesson."

When Xiluo and the others heard this, they all smiled happily.

However, just when everyone was very excited, Filion cleared his throat and said.

"Lady Alicia, I have something else to tell you.

"Say!"

"Although we are here to support you under the order of the parliament, the parliament is in financial difficulty, so you need to pay for the military expenses this time."

"How much military expenditure do you need?"

Alicia looked at Firion with a smile.

Firion then held up two fingers.

“2 trillion, no problem.”

Alicia agreed readily.

After listening to Alicia's words, Filion shook his head and replied in a deep voice.

“It’s not 2 trillion, it’s 20 trillion!”

Su Ming was also stunned when he heard what Filion said. He turned his head and looked at Filion in surprise. He didn't expect Filion to suddenly do this and ask for so much money.

When Alicia heard what Firion said, the smile on her face gradually faded.

Qianluo and the others were all shocked and spoke in great shock.

"Are you kidding? 20 trillion federal dollars?"

"Robbery?"

"If we had 20 trillion federal dollars, would we still need your help? We can do it ourselves."

"That's right, even a lion wouldn't open his mouth like this!"

"Everyone please be quiet, I haven't finished yet."

Filion said calmly to everyone present.

"you say!"

Finny asked with a dark face.

"I'm not talking about 20 trillion federal coins, I'm talking about 20 trillion in supplies!"

Filion came straight to the point.

When these words came out, Finny and the others felt as if they were slapped hard in the face.

They accused with great anger.

"Are you kidding me? We can't even come up with 20 trillion federal coins, and you want supplies?"

"Yeah, that's not the way to cheat people, right? Supplies are so expensive nowadays!"

"Exactly, where can I get it for you?"

"Why don't you go and grab it!"

Su Ming was a little confused. 20 trillion supplies and 20 trillion federal coins are not the same concept.

The prices of supplies are now rising rapidly, but the federal government is putting a lot of pressure on them.

But even so, it would be easy for the price of materials to increase by one or two times.

At this time, Blitzcrank stood up and made a sarcastic accusation.

"Filion, do you have any shame in the Thirteenth Legion? When you supported Sky City, I didn't hear that you had to pay. Why do you want so many supplies from us? Aren't we from the Rain City part of the Federation?"

"Yeah, this is too much."

Finny and others asked for accountability.

Filion glanced at everyone and replied with a serious expression.

"Everyone, we are all from the Federation, and we, the Thirteenth Army, have no intention of discriminating against you. But you should all be aware that the Federation's finances are in trouble and it is unable to allocate military funds, so we have let Rain City take charge. We have no intention of making things difficult for you. As long as you provide these 20 trillion in supplies, I guarantee on behalf of the Thirteenth Army that we will definitely help you win the battle on the right wing."

When Finny and the others heard this, they all turned to look at City Lord Alicia.

City Lord Alicia's eyes flickered slightly, and she stood up from the throne with a brilliant smile, then slowly walked up to Filion and the other two and spoke.

"General Firion, I understand what you said. The military expenses must be paid, but it is impossible for the amount to be exactly what you said, so we need to discuss this military expenditure. I see that you are tired from the journey, go and rest first."

"Okay, let's take our leave now."

Filion did not expect Alicia to agree immediately, so he took Su Ming and left.

After Su Ming and the other two walked away, Finny and the others all surrounded City Lord Alicia and spoke angrily.

"My Lord City Lord, the Thirteenth Legion is going too far!"

"This is clearly taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"

"They actually asked us for so many supplies."

"You must not agree to them."

"That's enough, stop talking."

Alicia said in a cold voice.

Seeing that City Lord Alicia was a little angry, Finny and the others shut their mouths.

"I know how to handle this matter. You all can go down."

Alicia said to Finny and the others.

"Yes!"

Finny and the others lowered their heads and retreated.

Soon, Alicia was the only one left in the hall. She took a deep breath, her expression changing constantly. She didn't expect that Firion would ask for such a high price.

For a moment, Alicia was in a dilemma.

Outside Poseidon's Castle.

Su Ming and the other two walked out from the gate.

"Old Fei, what are you up to? You didn't even tell me in advance. You came right up to Yu Zhi and asked for money. It's fine if you just asked for money, but you want so much more?"

Su Ming said with a rather interesting expression.

He was a little worried that City Lord Alicia would turn against him.

"Oh, I have no choice. You should know about the federal fiscal deficit problem, right?"

Firion asked helplessly.

"You know?"

"Right now, in the Federation, only Yuzhi City has money. Not only is their financial report healthy, but they don't have a single deficit. If I don't ask her for money, who else can I ask?"

"Then you can't ask for so much, right?"

"Not much. Don't underestimate these women. They are really good at business, so they are super rich!"

"If that's the case, why doesn't the parliament just discuss it with them and ask them for money? Why make it seem like we're taking advantage of someone else's misfortune?"

Su Ming asked with some confusion.

"Oh, you don't know this. When the chairman of the parliament was here, everyone ate from the same pot. Yu Zhidu would still reluctantly pay out of respect for the chairman of the parliament. Now the chairman of the parliament doesn't care about things, and everyone is doing their own thing! Will Yu Zhidu easily pay out the money he worked so hard to earn? If you were her, would you be willing to pay?"

Firion replied with a sigh.

"Then I definitely don't want to."

Su Ming thought about it and replied.

"Isn't that right?"

Filion replied helplessly.

"But I still have a question. Rain City is so good at business and logistics, why don't they let them be fully responsible for production in the rear instead of fighting on the front line?"

Su Ming asked thoughtfully.

"The Rain City used to be a logistics company with very few troops. But they only have money but no military power, which is no different from fish on the chopping board. In order to change this situation, they spent a lot of money on areas they are not good at and established their own army."

"So that's it, what should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Wait for the second negotiation? Alicia is not that easy to convince."

"So what's our reserve price?"

"20 trillion, of course it would be even better if it could be more."

Firion hesitated and replied.

When Su Ming heard what Firion said, the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Just pretend I didn't ask."
-
The Lei Ji corridor.

Filion walked to the door of his room, opened it with his hand, walked in, and then closed the door.

He took a deep breath and raised his bracelet to make a communication request.

Soon the communication was connected, and a virtual projection of Long Bai wearing a mask appeared.

"Lord Long Bai."

Firion saluted respectfully.

"How did things go?"

Long Bai asked coldly.

"I have already asked Lord Alysia for 20 billion in supplies as military expenses as you instructed, but something feels a little off."

"What's wrong?"

"When City Lord Alysia heard that I was asking for so many supplies, her reaction was not very strong. Moreover, Rain City has been using us for publicity and constantly building momentum for us."

Filion told Long Bai the details of the situation.

After hearing what Filion said, Long Bai's purple eyes flickered, and he spoke immediately.

"It's not easy to see through the old fox that City Lord Alicia is. They pay their taxes in full every year. You are asking them for so many supplies now. Although they won't say it, they must be very reluctant in their hearts and unwilling to give it. But now the federal fiscal deficit is very serious, and they need to get this amount of supplies from them urgently. Conventional requests will definitely not work, so we can only ask them for it under the pretext of war."

"understood."

"This matter is very important. You must follow up in real time and reach an agreement with City Lord Alicia as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Firion replied respectfully.

(End of this chapter)