It's the cyber age now, and you're still playing traditional villains?

"Hey, silly girl, do you think we've gone too far?"

Xu Shi was already accustomed to this, and he just asked Pan Ling who was following him with great interest.

"Maybe...some?"

The silly apprentice thought about it and answered hesitantly.

In fact, she had never thought about it this way before. After all, she was just working behind the scenes with her master and had not witnessed the development of this farce with her own eyes.

But now that she had come to the main city, she could clearly feel that it was a lot more desolate than the last time she came. It wasn't even as prosperous as the main city should be. The gathering on Silver Pine Island was even more lively.

After Xu Shi asked this question, she finally realized what she had done.

Every deployment and every adjustment I make may cause more people to lose their fortunes, become homeless, or even die? This question seems to have been answered long ago.

Thinking this way, it would be a lie to say that she didn't feel any guilt.

"Is that what you think?"

Xu Shi stretched lazily, "That only proves that you still have a lot to learn... After all, in my opinion, this is just the beginning."

"Hey?"

He said this lightly, but it was a wake-up call to Pan Ling. What else should the master do?

"You'll find out soon enough."

Xu Shichang kept it a secret, "But you must never forget the other lesson that your teacher taught you."

“Whatever you do, make sure you have the ability to back it up.”

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to his apprentice whose hair was disheveled in the wind, and waved his hand for everyone to get off the boat.

Someone had already come to pick them up at the port - unlike last time, this time they came here nominally at the invitation of the Queen or the royal family, and were actually guests. Naturally, the other party would not make things difficult for them over such a small matter, and the arrangements were quite appropriate.

The carriage that came to pick them up was rimmed with gold, representing the highest standards of the royal family.

Xu Shi did not bring many people with him to the main city this time, including Xia Ke'an, Pan Ling, Shen Qin, Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan. But even so, they were greeted by a neat and tidy convoy.

"Messenger Xu, please get in the car."

As the leader of the delegation, Xu Shi enjoyed the treatment of one person per car. The elegant maid opened the curtain and respectfully invited him to get in.

"Brother Xu, long time no see."

There was already someone waiting in the car. Cheng Gujian was sitting upright inside, staring at him with a calm face.

"It's Brother Cheng, indeed, long time no see."

Xu Shi was stunned for a moment, but was not too surprised. He had expected that Cheng Gujian would definitely talk to him alone before meeting the Queen. He just didn't expect the other party to be so anxious. He had just got off the boat and hadn't even stood firmly.

"Brother Xu is really generous. He is on Silver Pine Island and can stir up the whole main city."

Cheng Gujian went straight to the point and got to the point with his fingers crossed.

"No, it's not as generous as Brother Cheng's."

Xu Shi, however, looked indifferent and didn't even look at him. Instead, he examined the interior of the carriage with great interest.

Just now, when he looked at it from the outside, he felt that the carriage was too wide. It turned out to be a different world inside - it was simply a mobile simple mansion. In addition to the living room, it was also equipped with a special kitchen and bedroom. The windows also had additional designs. The scenery from inside was excellent, but it was pitch black from the outside.

Obviously, this should be Cheng Gujian's private car, which is more luxurious than the ordinary executive cars... He even thought of a famous ancient person for no reason, whose sedan chair when he went out seemed to be carried by thirty-two people?

Wow, that’s incredible.

"I am usually very busy with official duties, so I got a carriage like this to make it easier for me to get things done."

Cheng Gujian brushed it off and continued to ask directly, "Brother Xu, the purpose of making the Sea God Stone is probably to take revenge on me and the Church?"

This is not a question, but it has a questioning tone.

It can be seen that he was also somewhat unhappy with Xu Shi's actions.

"How could that be? I've heard about what happened at the time, and I understand what Brother Cheng did."

Xu Shi then became more serious, sat opposite him and said with a smile, "If our roles were reversed, I would do it even more ruthlessly than you, believe me."

After all, you've known for a long time that it's a superficial cooperation. It's naive to expect the other party to risk his life to save you when you're in trouble.

"So you said revenge is meaningless."

He spread his hands with emotion, "I also paid real money, and you didn't stop me, and you also participated in it, didn't you?"

The meaning of this statement is very straightforward. What were you doing before this?

You can't just wait until something happens before you think about settling the score...When there is an avalanche, which snowflake is innocent?

"Yes, there is a saying that goes, 'You don't know how much money you can't buy. Brother Xu has taught us a good lesson."

Cheng Gujian's expression remained calm, but a little more gloomy. "But don't forget the purpose of our cooperation."

"Brother Cheng, don't worry. My desire to bring down the Church is no less than yours."

Xu Shi waved his hand to reassure him, "The weapons I promised to give you are all on the ship. Didn't I come to see Her Majesty the Queen myself?"

"Of course. Then again, I was the first to defeat the Sea God. Just because I don't fight for it doesn't mean I don't care."

"What do you mean?"

Cheng Gujian asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's simple, just a small request."

Xu Shi held up a finger and said, "When we meet the Queen downstairs, I want to meet her alone. How about that?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 258 I am the one who made the conditions, Your Majesty

2023-09-08

"Meet Her Majesty the Queen."

In the imperial study, looking at Dongfang Xiao who had been waiting for a long time, Xu Shi politely bowed to her like a gentleman.

That’s right, the seemingly excessive request of “meeting the Queen alone” is actually not that excessive.

At least in Cheng Gujian's consideration, it is still within an acceptable range.

Because in his eyes, Xu Shi's threat alone was not that big - his combat power was not high, and he had already seen his abilities. He happened to be restrained by the holy light inherited from the royal family. Even if he was allowed to meet with Dongfang Xiao, he could not do anything out of line.

Moreover, this is just a face-to-face interview, not an elopement. He will be waiting outside, so if he really notices anything wrong, he can respond immediately.

The most important thing is that this time the royal family and Xu Shi are negotiating, and they want to get him to work together to eliminate the negative impact of the Poseidon Stone transaction as much as possible. The original intention is not just to have a simple chat.

To put it bluntly, this is called asking for help... They were already not fair when they attacked the Sea God before, and Xu Shi's dissatisfaction was written on his face. If they still don't make some concessions, then they really don't understand the situation clearly.

By then, he will have made a fortune and returned home, and the huge deficit will have to be filled by the royal family alone - anyway, the Vatican can completely shirk the responsibility, we are not a power institution.

By then, if they could set up some soup kitchens or charity centers, they would be able to restore a lot of their reputation and the pressure would be much less.

In comparison, the royal family really doesn't have it that easy... But since it's a private meeting, the location certainly can't be the main palace hall. The imperial study is a good choice.

The fact is that when Cheng Gu Jian and Dongfang Xiao report the situation on weekdays, they usually choose this place, where it is quiet and undisturbed.

But today, the person sitting in his seat was Xu Shi.

"Mr. Xu."

Dongfang Xiao stood up and returned the greeting with a smile. Even the address was no longer the stiff and unfamiliar "Envoy Xu" as before. The word "Sir" subtly narrowed the distance between them.

Even if it is just a mascot, for the head of a country, this gesture is quite generous.

"I only saw you from a distance a few times before, and I thought you were handsome and talented. Now that I see you up close, I am even more amazed."

She even took the initiative to say some nice words, trying to bring the two of them closer together.

"right?"

Xu Shi sat back and nodded indifferently, "I think so too. People around me have always said that I am handsome since I was a child."

"..."

I have to say, such a shameless answer really made the little queen feel a little embarrassed.

Normally, shouldn't you also say a few nice words to compliment each other? Do you really think that politeness is a tonic?

Even if you are really handsome, you shouldn't be like this... Am I really that ugly? Am I not worthy of your praise?

Tsk, he is indeed a monster.

"Of course, it is also an honor for Xu to receive the praise of such a beauty as Her Majesty the Queen."

Just when she was feeling quite unhappy, Xu Shi slowly said what she wanted to hear.

To be honest, when facing the king of a country, such words are definitely not respectful, but rather have a bit of a mocking tone.

If it were an ordinary minister who said such words, Dongfang Xiao had no doubt that he would be severely punished, or at least slapped in the face. How dare you talk to me like this? Are you trying to kill yourself?

But she was just complaining about why he didn't praise her, and since Xu Shi was a foreigner himself, her displeasure disappeared a lot, and she instead felt that "this is pretty good".

This shows that some people have really mastered the art of using language to perfection.

"People always like to reconcile. I really am trying to make peace. If you don't believe me, watch the video."

"Haha."

With this thought in mind, the little queen couldn't help but cover her face and chuckle, and said teasingly, "You are so smooth-talking, no wonder you have so many wives and concubines around you."

"But I am more amazed at your ability... How did you come up with the idea of ​​trading for the Seagod Stone?"

Joking aside, she did not forget to get to the point, which was the real thing she came to discuss with him today.

"Is this difficult?"

The teasing on Xu Shi's face also subsided a bit, and he said seriously, "In my city-state, this is just a very basic operation."

Even such an era has passed... For major conglomerates, if they really want to make money, there are more efficient means than this.

And this is exactly what he wanted to express. I have more tricks up my sleeve than you can imagine, and this is just the beginning.

"Is it……"

Dongfang Xiao muttered, his smile gone, "Should I thank Mr. Xu for using only some basic operations to disrupt the empire's market?"

"It should."

Xu Shi nodded, "After all, you were the ones who acted unjustly first, almost completely erasing our achievements in conquering the Sea God."

"I still remember clearly that before setting out to fight the Sea God, His Majesty once said that he wanted the two states to be at peace forever."

He cleared his throat and added, "But now I can't see any sincerity, so it's reasonable to retaliate."

"After all, I am a very careful person."

"..."

After listening to his frank speech, Dongfang Xiao once again stayed in Bengbu.

This person...what's wrong with this person?

To be honest, through the previous negotiation, she had come to understand that Xu Shi's character could definitely be described as strong - if he did not have such a character, their city-state would probably not have allowed him to lead the team out to sea as an envoy.

But isn’t this a bit too strong?

You really don't beat around the bush when you talk to people, right?

She even had an inexplicable feeling of frustration in her heart - sweet words to you don't work, and my kingly attitude can't intimidate you, so what else can I do?

In Dongfang Xiao's opinion, although the empress felt frustrated, she still had the basic qualities of a king. At least she could suppress ordinary ministers. It was not entirely the case that "the world only knows the Grand Duke but not the Empress."

But when facing Xu Shi, it seemed that all the tricks were ineffective.

Tsk.

"...Since Mr. Xu said so, I can understand your feelings."

Even though she felt aggrieved, the conversation still had to go on, so she thought for a moment and said, "But some things cannot represent my opinion... I wonder if you feel better now, sir?"

"well enough?"

Xu Shi's answer was ambiguous. "In the final analysis, I didn't get anything good. I don't care what the people of the empire think of me. I invested real money."

"I don't think so."

The little queen shook her head and said, "I still know something about what Mr. Xu did... It seems that from the beginning, you have opened a lot of stations to trade houses and livestock with my people?"