Save the simulator and make Sarkaz great again!

Thinking of this, Theresa's displeasure grew even stronger.

The atmosphere in the entire hall instantly became tense, as if an invisible pressure was spreading in the air, making it hard to breathe.

Azmar felt a chill run down his spine from that gaze, and his smile froze completely on his face.

He immediately understood that this flattery was not just hitting the horse's leg, it was practically hitting the donkey's hoof.

He turned and glared at the fortune teller who had given him the bad advice, only to find him pretending to look around at the scenery and even whistling.

"No, no, no! This is a misunderstanding; it's simply Sargon's highest level of diplomatic protocol!"

Azmar was in a panic; he didn't even care about the overturned fruit plate and hurriedly stood up to drive the dancers away.

"Get out of the way! Can't you see that Lady Theresa hates the smell of perfume?!"

It was only when the last maidservant hurriedly knocked over the screen and fled that Theresa realized she had lost her composure.

"I was rude just now, please forgive me. I am quite sensitive to smells, and Sargon's etiquette has its own meaning. Please forgive me."

She took out a cone-shaped token from her waist pouch—a token that Shen Lin had instructed her to give to the country willing to provide assistance to Kazdel.

"Entrusted by our Demon King, I present you with this Heart of Covenant, wishing our friendship to last as long as amber."

"Friendship...is it as eternal as amber?"

Azmar accepted the token in a daze, still somewhat incredulous, and asked again tentatively.

Theresa paused for a moment, then nodded.

"As eternal as amber."

At this moment, Azmar finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, and all he wanted to do was get rid of this old lady as soon as possible.

He grabbed the contract and, with trembling hands, added a line.

"Add another three thousand tons of gems! No, five thousand tons! May our friendship... last forever!"

"I will definitely cooperate fully with Kazdel on all matters related to cooperation thereafter."

……

When Theresa left, Azmar seemed to have lost all his strength. He slumped onto his throne, his back soaked with cold sweat.

Since he was born, he had never worked so hard in his life. He felt like a hero today!

"Pasha, are we really going to hand over so much stuff?"

His confidant coughed a few times.

While those things might not mean much to a Pasha, to be honest, Azmar's performance today was quite embarrassing.

"Shut up! I saved Sargon!!"

"Do you want the Sarkaz chariots to drive into the palace and use our skulls as teacups?!"

Outside the window, Theresa's camel caravan kicked up a light dust, and she hadn't expected the journey to be so smooth.

She stroked the obsidian brooch that Shen Lin had given her before he left, and sighed softly.

"The Sargons... are really rich, and they're also quite nice people."

Chapter 84 The Elector's Visit

“A delegation from Siesta has come to visit.”

“A delegation from Rembiton has come to visit.”

……

Shen Lin felt very busy; he even dragged Lamana along to handle government affairs.

As for the handling of certain stubborn prisoners of war, he entrusted the matter entirely to Quesatushta and Ducarre, believing they would give him a satisfactory answer.

Since conquering Lateran, he has had to deal with the problems left over from the change of regimes—because it takes at least a week for the twenty-odd mobile cities in Kazdel to be activated and to border Lateran.

If all the diplomatic correspondence accumulated today were piled up on the table, they would take up most of the table's space.

Laterano is located in the center of Terra's core area, and is the route for most trade routes. Moreover, Laterano has always been a major importer of Originium Refined Products and Electronic Components for other countries.

During the month-long war between Lateran and Kazdel, many cargo shipments had to take more expensive routes or were simply suspended.

Now that everything has settled down, Kazdel has become the master here, and envoys from most of the surrounding countries have come to test the waters and seek new trade agreements and cooperation opportunities.

The envoy from Siesta wore a beaming smile and spoke words of support for the new order, while subtly probing Kazdel's plans for the coastal trade routes.

They are all too aware that Siesta's tourism industry is inextricably linked to maritime trade, and any policy change could affect its economic lifeline.

The Rembitox envoy was more direct. After offering his congratulations, he went straight to the point, inquiring about the new regime's attitude towards controlling Originium mining and trade, given that Rembitox's mining economy was of paramount importance in Terra.

As Shen Lin dealt with these envoys, he pondered to himself. These countries had different demands, but they all revolved around interests.

No one cares who the former owner of this place was, nor does anyone care whether the person sitting in this position is the Demon Lord or the Pope.

This situation is just like Kazdel back then, and just like Laterano now.

After seeing off one group of envoy after another, Shen Lin rubbed his temples.

"I can finally take a break."

Sensing the message from Theresa, Shen Lin smiled slightly and stretched.

"Sargon reached an agreement so quickly? Theresa did a pretty good job too."

Now that Kazdel's military trade lines for most raw materials are largely complete, all that remains is to continue adjusting production scale step by step.

His next task is to analyze the industrial and economic situation in Laterano and develop a suitable production plan for Kazdel's continued development.

Before he could fully relax, a series of urgent knocks suddenly sounded at the door. Just as he was about to ask the person outside to wait a moment, he heard Therese's anxious voice coming through the door.

"Your Highness, an Elector from Letania has suddenly arrived. He claims to have come on behalf of all the Electors, saying he has urgent matters to discuss!"

Shen Lin sighed helplessly, his previously relaxed body tensing up again. He straightened his clothes and spoke loudly.

"Bring him into the study."

……

Today, the Elector of Shitongling, accompanied by his assistant, arrived in Laterano in a flying vehicle.

He wore a long cloak made of the finest silk from Letania. It shimmered with a soft, noble sheen and swayed gently in the breeze like a flowing golden river.

They stood there on Lateran soil, their splendid attire standing out starkly against the backdrop of their somewhat rustic surroundings. However, all that greeted them was an empty tarmac; there was no sign of the people Shen Lin had sent to meet them.

Feeling the desolate emptiness around him, his assistant couldn't help but complain.

"I apologize for my previous expectations. I don't think they can understand our letter at all. It's really terrible. These barbarians have absolutely no manners."

The Elector also had a gloomy expression and was quite displeased, but he knew that he had come here with an important mission and could not lose his composure because of such a small matter.

The assistant took out a handkerchief to wipe away non-existent sweat stains, then suddenly changed the subject.

"The other electors do not have a high opinion of your visit to Kazdel. They cannot fully understand your far-sighted strategic vision."

"But this also proves the wisdom of your personal visit, sir—just like last year when you used ten boxes of red gold to make those Ursus bears dismantle the border outposts, this time you're crushing the demons' crudeness with your noble demeanor—that's the most elegant strategic deterrence!"

Feeling the admiring gaze of his assistant, Shi Tongling, the Elector, couldn't help but straighten his back.

Who exactly said that honest advice is hard to hear? Listening to this assistant's heartfelt words of advice, isn't it quite pleasant to hear?

They slowly observed Laterano after Kazdel had taken over, following the road.

In their view, Lateran had just experienced war and a change of regime, and the occupants were barbarians, so the streets must be in chaos and devastation.

After all, a group of unsophisticated natives suddenly encountering such immense wealth that even Letania envies, will inevitably get bogged down in the quagmire of how to divide the spoils, and there is even a possibility that they will split up again.

However, along the way, they saw Kazdel soldiers helping Lateran civilians repair their homes everywhere on the streets.

Contrary to their expectations of a depressing and chaotic situation, Lateran is gradually returning to order, and some shops have even reopened.

The further they went, the more incredible it seemed. The Elector saw that people of different races of Sarkaz were getting along very well, which was completely different from what they had always thought of as a disorganized group in Kazdel.

It was as if the war was just a dream.

He was struck by their organization and discipline; they were busy on almost every street he passed.

When he first conquered Gaul, he learned that the Leitanian soldiers had done many dirty things while the city was breached, and their discipline was simply impossible to control effectively.

The Sarkaz people gave them a completely different feeling from the soldiers they faced in Letania. This not only meant the strict discipline of the Sarkaz army, but also demonstrated the absolute control this Demon Lord had over the army.

"Could these demons have known we were coming and deliberately arranged for us to see these things?"

The assistant muttered under his breath, somewhat skeptical.

As they continued on their way, a low, muffled conversation reached their ears.

Several Sarkaz soldiers stood on the street corner, talking in hushed tones. Their voices were filled with resentment and disdain.

"We caught a few Letanian nobles who were vacationing here, but that's not enough. When are we going to teach those Letanian parasites a lesson?"

The young soldier's goggles reflected a mocking light.

"Those nobles are holding some kind of electoral council again, it's ridiculous."

"They think they are the masters of Terra, but they are nothing but a bunch of parasites."

"When they captured our compatriots and hung them on the city walls for public display, did they ever imagine that today they would have to beg us like dogs?"

"If it weren't for His Highness's order, I would have loved to go to Letania myself and twist their heads off to use as footballs!"

"Shh——"

The older soldier suddenly stopped wiping his halberd, his sharp gaze sweeping across the street corner.

The Elector's assistant hurriedly hid the leather suitcase bearing the coat of arms of Letania behind his back, his silk scarf soaked with cold sweat.

"How vulgar! How dare they insult our Elector Marquis like this!"

The assistant didn't dare to catch his breath until they had turned three corners.

The Lateran prisoners of war being escorted on the road were slightly taken aback when they saw the two Caprini figures. One of them recognized the Elector and his face lit up with joy.

"Great! It's the Elector of Letania! We're saved!"

"Our messengers from all nations have arrived to aid us! That tyrant will surely be brought to justice!!"

"See! I told you, the righteous Letanians would never abandon us!"

Back when the Sarkaz invaded Lateran, Cardinal Fideil instructed the Pope to send messengers from all nations to seek aid.

Now, when they met the Elector, they all believed he had come to hold the devil accountable for his atrocities.

The elector and his assistant felt a chill run down their spines, for after that shout, all the Sarkaz soldiers in the street were now looking at them.

"..."

The assistant and the elector looked at each other in bewilderment. The assistant quickly hid the briefcase bearing the emblem of Letania behind his back.

At this moment, they were cursing inwardly, but faced with the cold, piercing gaze from the other side, they could only manage an awkward smile.

"I...we were actually...just passing by."

……

After a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived at the political center, escorted by the enthusiastic Sarkaz army.

Let's not dwell on that awkward moment.

The Elector of Shi Tongling coughed a few times.

His personal visit was not unprepared; he came with the plans of all the electors except for the Vase territory.

The fall of Lateran shattered the balance that had been maintained between Letania and Victoria for many years.

Especially during the Four Emperors' War, the economic losses caused by the Gallic invasion of Letania were incalculable, although Letania later managed to gain a foothold in Terra Forest by relying on the legacy of Gaul.

However, this was far less than what Victoria gained in the war. Victoria acquired not only advanced artillery from Gaul but also high-speed warship manufacturing technology.

Meanwhile, the Victorians annexed most of Gaul's territory, and their colonies far exceeded those of Letania, whose population was already far ahead of Letania's.

Rich Victoria, Great Victoria, Invincible Victoria.

Letania borders Vittoria, and after annexing Gaul, their mobile cities were almost adjacent, and disputes over the waterways have persisted.

Now that Lateran has fallen and the Witch King has not made any move, if Victoria puts pressure on Letania at this time, there will be no way to restrain them. They can't rely on those greedy Ursus bears, can they?

For Letania, a "Latland" is necessary to counterbalance Victoria's expansion.