In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

The Empress's youthful energy dispelled the somber atmosphere surrounding the ministers, making them look around like curious children. "I've been looking forward to this for days! Now that I see, you all look pretty much the same as us, except for these clothes..."

"His Majesty."

The resolute middle-aged man with a sword whispered a reminder: "If you don't stop him now, he might jump off the throne..."

"Hmm?...Oh, cough cough!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress realized that she had been somewhat impolite. She quickly cleared her throat and adopted a majestic and regal posture, saying, "I am Dongfang Xiao, the twenty-sixth emperor of the Hualan Empire. Envoys, there is no need for such formalities."

Dongfang Xiao? He really does live up to his name; he's quite young... Xu Shi thought to himself.

Small in every sense.

As for the person next to her, that should be the "Grand Duke of Gujian" she mentioned.

He had done his homework while on Silver Pine Island and had a certain understanding of the political forces of the Hualan Empire.

The royal family practices a feudal monarchy, so under the emperor, there are naturally princes and dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, barons, and so on.

And this Grand Duke of Gujian is the most powerful among them. His real name is Cheng Gujian. He comes from a family of military generals. In his generation, it is no exaggeration to say that he can control everything.

It's obvious to everyone that this guy can clear his throat and no one else dares to utter a sound. He can even wear armor and carry a sword in the imperial court. In this kind of system, these are extraordinary privileges. Otherwise, why don't others have them?

Even he could see that even this little empress had to listen to him to some extent.

A classic case of a young ruler and a suspicious minister...

"What brings Envoy Xu here?"

As he was pondering this, Dongfang Xiao, sitting on the throne, spoke up. His serious demeanor was completely different from his previous naivety, and his eyes even carried a hint of scrutiny.

"We have come here for two reasons: to establish diplomatic relations and to establish trade."

Xu Shi responded calmly. To be honest, he was also not used to this kind of half-classical speech, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. He had to change his words. "We did not know that there were other countries overseas. This voyage was ordered by the governor of our city."

"Governor?"

Dongfang Xiao was a little curious. Xu Shi knew them, but they didn't know much about Xu Shi and his group.

"Isn't your status similar to that of Your Majesty the Queen?"

Xu Shi explained, "We are all under her command."

Well, yes, that's true in name only, and the girls behind him could only suppress their laughter.

"Oh……"

The young empress nodded thoughtfully, but before she could say anything more, one of the ministers in the audience spoke first.

"You claim to be establishing diplomatic relations, but we have heard that you injured a Papal Knight when you were on Silverpine Island?"

The old man's words were sharp: "Such an attitude is not friendly and makes us suspicious."

Not knowing much about Xu Shi and the others doesn't mean they don't know anything about it. At least the matter has already spread in the upper echelons of the empire—it can't be kept quiet even if they want to. Luo Yu returned a few days before them, and no matter how well it was covered up, the news was bound to leak out.

The fact that a bloody conflict broke out so soon after their arrival is hardly a good thing. It's understandable that they were on guard; otherwise, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

To be honest, the palace was quite somber and oppressive today. Everyone was dressed in black armor, and the guards were on high alert. It was only because the little empress Dongfang Xiao's words and actions had enlivened things a bit that it didn't seem so obvious.

Of course, this wasn't entirely on behalf of the Papacy; the royal family's relationship with them might not be that good... but in front of outsiders, they had to put on an act, and it also carried a subtle, condescending warning.

"They sound a lot like the people of Silver Pine Island, a bunch of barbarians."

Some immediately mocked and echoed this sentiment, showing that the old minister was not the only one who held this view; the majority of people were wary of them.

"Who are you calling a barbarian?!"

Pan Feng, standing behind Xia Wuyou, couldn't bear to hear this and couldn't help but shout it out.

If it weren't for her master guiding her, she wouldn't want to deal with the people of the Empire, especially these officials and ministers—after all, she was the daughter of the island lord. She had come to the main city with her father to broaden her horizons before, and she could sense then that the people of the Hualan Empire had always looked down on the people of Silver Pine Island.

Not to mention that they had just forced her father to go to sea and take risks; the fact that she didn't directly get involved shows that she had exercised some restraint.

The people of Night City remained calm; they were all seasoned veterans and wouldn't be provoked by a few words. However, they were certainly unhappy, as no one wanted to be labeled like that right from the start.

"That's a really hurtful thing to say."

Xu Shi's eyes turned cold, but he still had a smile on his face. "There was a reason why I took action. Your Templar Knights tried to detain me without explanation. If I didn't resist, I would be a coward."

"I don't know who's being rude... Old man, no, sir, let me ask you this: if the Templars were to arrest you and put you in jail simply because of suspicion, would you resist or not?"

He walked slowly toward the old minister and asked with great interest.

"I……"

The old man was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.

To talk about resistance is to contradict your own questioning. You can't even do it yourself, yet you expect others to?

But if we say we don't resist, wouldn't we become the turtle that Xu Shi is talking about?

Of course, being subtly mocked is a minor matter. Even if he stubbornly insists on not resisting, the two on the stage won't agree. They are merely using the Vatican's affairs as an opportunity to launch an attack. Essentially, he needs to maintain a proper balance. If he really acts too friendly with the Vatican, he will be suspected... The issue of his position is not to be underestimated; saying the wrong thing can lead to trouble.

He was the ringleader, so the others dared not say anything. The more timid ones even turned their heads away, not daring to look at him for a moment.

"OK OK."

Just then, Cheng Gujian tapped the beam with his sword sheath, saying, "This matter is indeed difficult to define. It would be wrong of you, Old Man Zhang, to bring it up."

"Whether or not to establish diplomatic relations cannot be decided by arguing... What I am more interested in is, since Envoy Xu said he wanted to trade, what new and interesting things did he bring?"

“Our city-state is martial, so we brought mostly weapons, as well as some medicines and everyday items.”

Xu Shi patiently explained, "However, considering that there are weapons involved, it's not appropriate to bring them in; they're still kept outside the palace."

"Then bring it in quickly, I grant your permission."

Dongfang Xiao urged him on hastily, eagerly anticipating the event.

With her permission, it wasn't long before boxes were carried in.

"This is?"

When the box was opened, everyone from the Hualan Empire was quite curious. The box was strangely shaped and they had never seen anything like it before... They could tell that some of the items inside were probably firearms, but they were quite different from their matchlock guns.

What to use for trade was all carefully selected and confirmed by Xu Shi beforehand. These were all things that the Hua Lan Empire did not have, such as the best-selling "Far-Rapid" rifle in Night Sin City, the "Panacia" healing medicine, etc. If you use things that others have to trade, you will only make a fool of yourself.

As for the explanation, Jiang Chengcheng and Xie Qingyan will do it. Their professionalism speaks for itself. Anyway, Xiao Xu has no intention of making a fool of herself or showing her ignorance.

But this seems to be an overreaction, because even the people of the Hualan Empire wouldn't understand something that's too technical...

Fortunately, Jiang Chengcheng had brought along Xiaomei as a helper. She had a lot of conversations with her on the island, and Xiaomei was able to translate many things into the Empire's vocabulary. In addition, there were mechanics and other officials present, so it wasn't too difficult for them to understand.

Of course, the most intuitive way is to demonstrate it directly. Just fire two shots in the open space outside the palace gate, and everyone will know what it's for.

"Your things are all very interesting."

The young empress, Dongfang Xiao, made no attempt to hide her praise, saying, "These are all new things that I have never seen before."

More importantly, these things are quite useful, which makes them even more attractive to her.

Someone raised a more technical question: "These weapons and medicines... don't contain a strong 'divine aura'?"

"Is such that."

Xie Qingyan nodded slightly. "These guns can fire without 'Rust Mist,' ah, that is, your 'Divine Breath.' Some of it is added to the medicine, but the proportion won't be very high."

After all, this isn't exclusive to "Ascended Ones." Most non-"Ascended Ones" are the target of major conglomerates. On the contrary, weapons and medicines that rely on "Rust Fog" are a minority. The last large-scale research and development only occurred after the "Forsaken" brought high-concentration "Rust Fog" ore.

This undoubtedly surprised everyone in the empire.

Xu Shi had anticipated their reaction, because when he arrived he discovered that the people here relied on "Rust Fog" technology far more than those in Night City, to the point that they had even abandoned the proper path of technology for it.

The compass in Pan Cheng's hand at the time was a good example. Even the small snack stall selling candied apples used "rust mist" technology for lighting, which required the addition of a liquid "rust mist" fuel to keep the lights running.

The sword formation that surrounded him by the Templars, and the swords they used, were a kind of display of force that broadened Xu Shi's horizons.

This is equivalent to manufacturing most things according to the standards of "twin" and "sublimation"... but they are surprisingly backward in some aspects. Not to mention ships, they still use horse-drawn carriages for daily travel.

It can only be said that it fits Xu Shi's impression of a slightly fantastical medieval world. Not to mention nanotechnology, internal combustion engines and steam engines are all novelties to them.

"It looks promising, but I don't know if it's just for show."

However, there were also dissenting voices. Among the opposition group, there were still discordant notes: "These are barbarians; they don't use 'divine breath.' Perhaps they lack divine grace and don't know how to use it?"

Although this group of people quieted down for a while after Cheng Gujian's reprimand, they were still harboring resentment. This was not a prejudice that Xu Shi could dispel with just a few words.

Xu Shi expressed his understanding of this, saying that when people encounter the unknown, in addition to curiosity, they are mostly skeptical.

Moreover, there is a sense of "our empire is the best" here, so people will subconsciously deny outsiders and things. Just think about the "Forgotten Ones" before. Even if they brought good things, they were still suppressed and couldn't lift their heads.

He may have sabotaged things, but if people didn't have such intentions to begin with, even if he were to go to the very core of the earth, he wouldn't have such a good effect.

but.

As he himself said, understanding and acceptance are often two different things.

"This gentleman is absolutely right."

So he sighed, walked straight to the other party, and extended a sincere invitation, "As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, but it's useless for us to explain and demonstrate, no matter how eloquent we are... I see that you are a military general, so why don't you practice with real swords and spears?"

That's easy to tell. The clothes worn by civil and military officials are different. And look at those bulging muscles and calluses on their hands. No one would believe they aren't military officers.

"it's here?"

The muscular man was taken aback, then looked at Dongfang Xiao on the throne, "Your Majesty, this..."

"Okay, okay, I think that's a good idea."

Dongfang Xiao nodded vigorously, with an expression of watching a show unfold. "This Envoy Xu is right. How will we know if we don't try?"

"...Then let's give it a try."

Cheng Gujian made the final decision, "If I remember correctly, your name is Fan Shigui? You used to work in the Royal Knights, and you were only promoted in the last two months... You're strong enough to be a 'Chosen One' of the 'Rock Solid' level, so you'll have to give it a try."

"……Yes!"

Fan Shigui took a deep breath. The Grand Duke had spoken, so even if he didn't want to be the one to stick his neck out, he had to bite the bullet and do it.

"So you're the one who's going to fight me?"

He gritted his teeth and looked at Xu Shi, asking a question.

"It would be bullying you if I fought with you."

Xu Shi chuckled and shook his head. "Many people in our delegation are just bullying you when they fight you... Ah, how about this, Xiao Feng, you go?"

He waved to Pan Feng, who was still sulking, and said, "Let me introduce you. This Miss Pan Feng is my wife's apprentice. She's from Silver Pine Island. How long has she been an apprentice? Two weeks?"