Chapter 249: A Win-Win Proposal; I Refuse

Unexpected!

Princess Lana's mind flashed with this thought.

She had originally intended to casually reveal, during the upcoming conversation, that she already knew Reynas was the man's subordinate.

This would have allowed her to seize the initiative and determine the true purpose of this Mr. Tang.

But now... that path was no longer viable.

Why?

Unless... this Mr. Tang had already deduced that she had guessed the truth about Reynas.

How did he reach that conclusion?

Princess Lana's mind raced through several possibilities, yet her face remained fixed in a cheerful, innocent smile. Her fair fingers, pinching the sides of her dress, relaxed.

Facing the puzzled gazes in the room.

"I happened to meet Miss Reynas once by chance while I was in the Imperial Capital," Tang Zheng said, offering a casual explanation.

A flash of realization crossed the faces of the members of Blue Rose.

Currently, "Free Will" was still wanted by the Empire.

Compared to the trivial matter of him knowing Reynas, they were actually more curious about how Tang Zheng had managed to get himself wanted in the first place.

This was not an appropriate question to ask in such a setting.

Tina's deliberate attempt to stir the pot with the "who is prettier" question had been bluntly deflected by Tang Zheng, and she found no opening to continue.

"Let's sit and talk, Lakyus, Mr. Tang."

Princess Lana, as the host, spoke in a voice clear and melodious.

Throughout this, she never once mentioned the issue of the formal attire, which caused Anri, standing at the very back, to breathe a sigh of relief.

She noticed that the members of Blue Rose across from them, with the exception of their captain Lakyus, were not wearing formal gowns either.

As everyone took their seats.

Princess Lana sat on the central sofa, with the members of Blue Rose and the members of "Free Will" sitting on the sofas to her left and right, respectively.

Tang Zheng sat directly across from Lakyus.

Since Tang Zheng was positioned closer to Princess Lana, he had the Evil Spirit Dog lie down at the other end of the sofa, near Anri.

The small, circular tea table in the center could only accommodate Princess Lana, Tang Zheng, and Lakyus.

For the others, a series of smaller, exquisite tea tables were quickly brought over by the maids who had been prepared for this.

Plates of fragrant palace pastries and steaming black tea were soon placed before everyone.

"This scene reminds me of the hero tales I've read," Princess Lana said, a playful smile touching her lips.

"Spare us, Your Highness."

Gagaran's rough, hearty voice rang out. Her square face swept quickly over the Witch of the Miss Cuiye and Tang Zheng.

"I really don't like this kind of tedious, cramped environment."

Tia and Tina sat quietly on the sofa, though one kept her eyes fixed on Anri, while the other stared at the Witch of the Miss Cuiye.

Only the "Landfall" Evileye remained silent throughout, her face hidden behind a mask and her body draped in a red robe, making it impossible to know what she was thinking or where she was looking.

Their casual tone and relaxed attitude revealed that the relationship between Blue Rose and Princess Lana was far from ordinary.

Such classified information.

If other adventurer teams knew of this, they would be shocked beyond measure.

And yet.

The members of "Free Will" could discern nothing useful.

Anri was just an ordinary person; she couldn't hide her emotions in front of others, and she clearly understood nothing, leaving her with nothing worth observing.

The Witch of the Miss Cuiye was a demi-human who had kept a cold, expressionless face from the start.

Only Tang Zheng was truly intriguing, but with his gentle demeanor, he was not the type to easily reveal his own emotions.

Reynas, standing behind Princess Lana, felt her nerves tighten.

She did not understand why Princess Lana had summoned "Free Will" through Blue Rose; she had been shocked when she first heard the news.

"I wasn't present when the incident occurred a while ago, so I haven't been able to express my apologies. I had originally intended to invite you, Mr. Tang, for a private meeting after the Prayer Day festivities,"

Lakyus said, her emerald eyes fixed on Tang Zheng. A look of embarrassment appeared on her fair cheeks.

"Her Highness the Princess also heard about this matter... and so, she issued the invitations to everyone. It is a great honor that the members of 'Free Will' were able to accept."

"Lakyus, you silly girl." Lana suddenly spoke up.

"There are outsiders present, Your Highness."

Lakyus blinked, shaking her head helplessly, her golden curls swaying.

This kind of banter between close friends, while puzzling to some, served to dissipate the subtle, tense atmosphere in the room, making it feel much lighter.

"It was just a small matter."

Tang Zheng didn't mind.

"Both Blue Rose and Princess Lana have extremely high reputations in the Royal Capital. Receiving an invitation from the two of you is our honor."

Having said that.

Tang Zheng felt a slight tightening in his chest. He was ill-suited for this kind of flattering exchange, and furthermore, he still couldn't determine Princess Lana's true objective. If he let these two women continue to lead the conversation, he feared things would become troublesome.

"Please forgive my rudeness."

Tang Zheng pondered for a moment before choosing to get straight to the point.

"If this were the only matter, there would hardly be a need for Her Highness and Captain Lakyus to issue formal invitations."

Princess Lana blinked, her deep blue eyes turning serious. She turned her head to look at Lakyus beside her.

"It is like this."

Lakyus also became serious, reaching into the magic pouch at her side to retrieve a blue potion.

"This is... a Minor Healing Potion, the low-rank 'Soul-Returning Potion' that sells for five copper coins."

Tang Zheng's eyes flashed; he could naturally recognize the potion he had crafted himself.

"It is like this," Lakyus began. "The low-rank 'Soul-Returning Potion' crafted by you, Mr. Tang, is far cheaper than the cheapest healing potions on the market."

"And its healing effects are even stronger than those of standard recovery potions."

"Cheaper, and with better effects."

!

"What I mean is, could the production cost be compressed even further?"

By the time she finished, Lakyus felt a bit embarrassed; this touched upon the other party's trade secrets, and five copper coins was already an incredibly low price.

Hearing this.

Tang Zheng already had a guess, but his expression remained unchanged. He pondered for a moment before nodding. "If produced in large quantities, the cost can indeed be lowered further."

Lakyus's eyes lit up. Seeing that Tang Zheng wasn't angry, she let out a slow breath with her healthy, pale pink lips.

Princess Lana placed her hands on the tea table and leaned forward. As her fair, flawless earlobes were revealed by her swaying golden hair, a delicate, elegant fragrance wafted toward him.

"Mr. Tang, the Empire and the Kingdom are at war every year. I don't know how many soldiers die on the battlefield or are left permanently disabled."

Princess Lana's eyes dimmed, then sparkled as she looked at Tang Zheng, her hands leaving the table and clasping together at her chest, filled with anticipation and hope.

"The situation at the border cannot be changed, but if low-rank Soul-Returning Potions, which are cheap and effective, could be provided in large quantities to the soldiers in the border wars, I believe many lives could be saved."

"If you don't mind, I intend to propose this to my father the King. Since it benefits the nation, the border, and the soldiers, he should not refuse."

"The state would fund the purchase, and the price could be negotiated. The soldiers would surely be grateful to you, Mr. Tang."

Her clear, crisp voice, like a breeze over a lake, echoed slowly through the hall.

For a time, the air grew still.

Aside from the Witch of the Miss Cuiye, who remained cold-faced throughout, everyone else showed varying degrees of contemplation.

Even Anri, who understood nothing, wore a look of realization and admiration.

The members of "Blue Rose" did not find the Princess's words abrupt; after all, the "Gold" in "Golden Princess" was a testament to her wisdom.

Before this.

Princess Lana had frequently proposed measures to the King that benefited the nation and the commoners.

Climb, standing at the edge of the room, stood even straighter, his chin lifted slightly, a fire burning in his heart.

As expected of the goddess-like Princess.

A spirit worthy of admiration; only a Princess who considers the commoners in all things could have saved him from the hell he lived in.

Facing Princess Lana's innocent, hopeful eyes and her "jewel-like" radiant face, most men would likely find it impossible to refuse.

Moreover!

On the surface, this was a win-win situation.

No!

It was indeed a win-win situation.

Tang Zheng's expression remained gentle, but his face fell into thought, and he did not respond immediately.

Lakyus and Princess Lana had clearly discussed this beforehand, but judging by their words, Lakyus was clearly less adept at understanding human nature than Princess Lana.

Lakyus's intention was to purchase large quantities of Soul-Returning Potions and drive the price down.

But Princess Lana's words, while not explicitly stated, actually implied an opportunity to raise the price under the guise of "negotiating."

Furthermore, "the soldiers' gratitude" represented prestige—not just at the adventurer level, but at the national level.

There was no need for deduction.

Such a situation, with only benefits and no drawbacks, supported by Lakyus's backing among the high nobility, would likely not be refused by the King, the Royalist faction, or even the Noble faction.

In fact.

Princess Lana's plan was highly compatible with Tang Zheng's own plan to convert "fame" into "influence."

Truly remarkable.

Tang Zheng felt a sense of admiration. It wasn't that he was praising the brilliance of the proposal itself, as many clever people would have thought of it.

In fact, when Tang Zheng had caused such a stir with Soul-Returning Potions in the Imperial Capital of the Baharuth Empire, his plan had been much the same.

It was merely to attract the attention of the Bloody Emperor and initiate a series of collaborations to gain an audience with Fluder.

But the Bloody Emperor, aside from some initial probing, had never taken the next step.

In this regard, he was indeed inferior to Princess Lana, who dared to make such a bold move!

Tang Zheng recovered from his thoughts and looked at the beautiful Princess Lana. "I'm sorry, but I refuse."