Chapter 300: Simple and Effective Negotiation Skills

This time, Yae Miko asked Luo De to do something very simple.

She wanted to ask Luo De to go to Eight Brew Island to help out.

The reason is what Luo De mentioned when he earlier chatted with Shenli Lingren.

Jiutiao Suoluo now faces dual pressure from inside and outside, and for the moment cannot achieve the desired results at the negotiating table.

"If you have a problem, go find the Three Magistrates; what do you want an outsider like me to do?"

Luo De felt somewhat bewildered.

Inazuma's internal affairs.

Lei Dianying, this Electro Archon, remains silent; Yae Miko, this shrine priestess, does not show up, leaving me—an outsider with no connection to Inazuma, not even known on Sea Deity Island—to help with the negotiations.

What the hell is this?

Luo De indeed feels some guilt over destroying Eight Brew Island, but that doesn't mean he wants to involve himself in Inazuma's internal affairs.

But Yae Miko obviously doesn't think that way.

"You can't really be considered an outsider now—look, Huasanli is with you, truly with you, and Ying personally made you an Evil-Aspect Eye, even spending time and effort to help set it into your crown; if you were an outsider, do you think Ying would do this for you?"

"Don't drag her into this."

Luo De gazed at the distant sea view, without turning his head, and said: "Those things she did are rewards I earned through my own efforts, having nothing to do with whether I'm an outsider."

"Tsk."

"You speak so nicely, little guy."

Yae Miko wasn't angry, still smiling, and said: "But what you say also makes sense; then how about I give you corresponding compensation this time?"

"What compensation?"

Upon hearing this, Luo De swept away his earlier listlessness, sat up straight, and was no longer that lazy demeanor.

The previous transaction.

It had already let him obtain a fragment of Archon power from Aoluobasi, using it as a fulcrum to shatter all of his Visions, successfully breaking free from the Vision system's constraints, and completely liberating his constitution as a descender.

Later, he even obtained an Evil-Aspect Eye personally crafted by Lei Dianying, whose quality reached Divine Gear level.

This, compared to what he has done,

The recompense can be considered quite substantial.

So when Luo De heard Yae Miko say she could also give compensation this time, he immediately perked up, and a smile appeared on his face.

"You're really a greedy human."

Yae Miko's light remark, which hardly counts as a complaint, was followed by her promptly producing something.

It was a crimson butterfly.

Luo De had seen it before.

"Luosalín's Hellfire Butterfly?"

"What use is this to me?"

Luo De, who had been full of anticipation, was greatly disappointed, waving his hands repeatedly and saying: "She died at the general's hands; if you want to explain things to Snezhnaya, just send her relics over yourselves—what does that have to do with me?"

"Don't get worked up."

"This is indeed the relic left by that lady."

"Besides this, there are also these two."

Yae Miko this time displayed a stone heart with intricate flame patterns on its surface, as well as a crimson flower.

When these three things appear together,

The surrounding temperature instantly surged, and even the wooden skiff beneath their feet gave off a faint wisp of white smoke.

"You've kept all of her relics?"

Luo De frowned and snapped his fingers.

As Ice Elemental Power surged, the high temperature caused by the resonance of the lady's relics quickly subsided.

"After all, he is an Executor of Snezhnaya, dying here in Inazuma, so we owe them an explanation."

Yae Miko spoke with righteous confidence.

"Then you go explain it yourself; what's that got to do with me?"

Luo De grumbled unhappily: "Still counting as compensation? What kind of compensation is this? I think you're just taking revenge."

"Because I've already taken on all the trouble for you."

Yae Miko crossed her arms, speaking meaningfully: "An Executor named Choujue came by, asking me about the lady and that trouble's cause of death; I told him they actively challenged you and the Traveler."

Choujue?

Upon hearing that name,

Luo De's expression slightly changed: "Did he come to demand an explanation?"

Choujue is the coordinator among the Executors of the Foolish Crowd, not counted among the Executor seats, and is also the first Executor and the strongest Executor; according to Luo De's understanding of those few deities, Choujue is not merely an Executor blindly obeying the Empress's orders, but a collaborator of the Ice Empress, and his status among the Executors of Snezhnaya is hardly different from the Empress herself being present.

If it is him coming to demand an explanation,

then the pressure to face would not be ordinary.

"Huh."

"You don't know, that guy is fierce; right off the bat he demanded an explanation from me, insisting I clarify why two Executors died together in Inazuma."

Yae Miko again feigned understanding of Choujue's attitude, saying: "But come to think of it, after all there are only eleven Executors; losing two at once would make even the Empress of Snezhnaya feel heartbroken."

"So you've been dealing with him all this time?"

Recalling Yae Miko's mysterious one-month disappearance, Luo De furrowed his brows and said.

If what she said is not false.

Indeed, Choujue came in person.

I really should go thank her.

Although the audience challenge was arranged by Yae Miko, the arrival of such a forceful figure as the clown clearly shows they are not prepared to reason.

If Yae Miko cannot withstand the pressure while dealing with him,

Then Luo De wouldn't necessarily suffer badly, but at least it wouldn't be too pleasant.

Especially since Luo De still has a promise to become an executive officer with the Snezhnaya Empress; if Yae Miko falters here, that Empress might very well use this opportunity to threaten me to fulfill the promise early.

Hehe.

Yae Miko did not answer Luo De, merely smiled smugly, then continued to place the lady's relic into Luo De's hands.

This time.

Luo De no longer refused.

No matter how you say it.

Yae Miko helped me withstand the pressure from Snezhnaya, and moreover did not hand over the lady's relic and the clown's relic to Snezhnaya, which amounts to completely breaking face with Snezhnaya.

If we still act pretentiously here, that would be somewhat too excessive.

These three items contain strong residual fire elemental energy.

You should be able to feel it; the residual elemental energy inside is especially strong.

Yae Miko pointed at that already petrified heart and said: "This is the key to driving that lady's immortality; besides elemental energy, it contains a very strong longing, or what is called obsession; you have been researching will-related matters lately, you should know what this means."

Luo De sighed and said frankly: "It means she hasn't completely died."

Exactly that.

Yae Miko stared at the three relics in Luo De's hands: "That lady's obsession is something I've seen, a will as strong as a deity; her mortal body died long ago, and she survived solely by that obsession; what you hold now is the same as the method taught by the Fox Shrine Lord to store consciousness in an object."

Without waiting for her to finish.

Luo De then interrupted: "Sending these to Snezhnaya, she still has a chance to revive; you mean to say this, right?" No need for Yae Miko to say more.

Luo De already understood her meaning.

The clown is completely dead, even his parts were reclaimed by Raiden Shogun.

But the lady is different.

She still has a chance to revive with the help of obsession and her own elemental energy.

The clown coming to Inazuma is very likely to demand these things.

And Yae Miko did not give them to him; instead, Luo De took them to give to Snezhnaya, letting Snezhnaya owe Luo De a favor.

This can indeed be taken as compensation for helping out at Eight Brews Island.

'No wonder she's a five-hundred-year-old old fox; she's got the worldly affairs handled tightly.'

After muttering a complaint, Luo De and Yae Miko reached an agreement to go help at Eight Brews Island.

As for the content of the negotiation.

Yae Miko's tendency is the same as Luo De's.

Unlike the benevolent Raiden Makoto and the clueless Raiden Shogun in handling these matters.

Yae Miko is obviously more decisive and resolute in handling matters, and her methods are also more ruthless.

Just as when Raiden Shogun abandoned the clown, her advice was to kill the clown directly, rather than use sealing methods that could cause hidden dangers, including later personally setting up a deadly trap for the clown.

These are all things she can do.

Regarding the plan for dealing with Watatsumi Island.

She, who consistently acts without mercy, fully agrees with Luo De's statement that Watatsumi Island must be severely punished, so they completely lose any chance to resist again.

Confirming that Yae Miko's idea is the will of Raiden Shogun.

Luo De then understood what he should do.

Suddenly there was this matter.

He also had no heart to go sightseeing in Inazuma City anymore; after the boat docked, Luo De found a corner for himself and began preparing for the matter of communicating with the Watatsumi Island people when the time came.

Just like that.

Luo De prepared for a total of three days.

Three days later.

He then boarded, as a specially invited consultant, the ship prepared for him by the Heavenly Domain Magistracy.

The negotiation site was set on the buffer zone of the war on Eight Brews Island.

To the east is the rebel army's garrison on Eight Brews Island; to the west is the shogunate army's garrison on Godless Mound Island.

Both sides can mobilize troops at any time.

This means that if the negotiation breaks down, this battle will still have to continue.

After experiencing a half-day boat journey.

Luo De arrived at the Jiutiao Camp, which is the military camp set up by the Jiutiao family on Godless Mound Island.

Jiutiao Suoluo, who had already received orders, personally came outside the tent to greet him; thereafter the two entered the command hall of the Jiutiao Town Hall together amidst many puzzled or secretly dubious gazes.

After all the generals withdrew.

Although the situation is very difficult, Jiutiao Suoluo can still maintain her usual calm and composure and said to Luo De: "The shrine master and I have corresponded; they said you would act as intermediary for this negotiation, responsible for helping us negotiate with Watatsumi Island; if there is anything you need my help with, you may speak up."

Good.

Luo De nodded and said directly: "First arrest the envoys sent by the Three Commissions, then also arrest the Watatsumi Island spies here; as a shogunate general, you should be able to tell who they are."

Indeed possible.

Just that.

How do you plan to do it?

Jiutiao Suoluo has never had contact with Luo De; she merely heard that this young man before her had once defeated the Electro Shogun she most revered, causing the Shogun to decide to lift the sakoku decree and the Vision Hunt Decree.

Therefore, she was still very polite toward Luo De.

Kill—

Luo De's reply was very simple.

But this simple word made Kujo Sara frown involuntarily: "Mr. Luo De, the undercover agents of Watatsumi Island can be killed, and the people in the three magistrates' households."

Kill them without mistake.

Luo De's voice was icy, with no room for mercy in his words.

This was the only solution he could think of after three days of thought.

In his view.

Watatsumi Island dares not submit.

One is the backing of the three magistrates; the other is that they are certain the Thunderbolt Shogun will not overdo the reckoning, at least not to the point of slaughtering the island.

So they dare to keep negotiating with Kujo Sara, refusing to submit to Narukami Island's arrangements.

Yae Miko's meaning was to have Luo De establish authority, to make him Kujo Sara's backing through force.

But Luo De thought back and forth.

He felt that this was not enough.

He wanted to achieve the outcome Yae Miko desired: Watatsumi Island's complete submission, to atone for the rebellion's island-slaughtering act.

Only the word 'kill' is useful.

This was the experience he gained when integrating the desert in Sumeru.

Some people are born base, innately the type who fear power but not virtue.

The more you reason with him, the more he gets cocky.

In this situation.

Flexing muscles is useless; only by beating them into submission, making them fear you, so they never dare to raise their heads and meet your gaze for a lifetime is the most effective.

So how can we beat such people into submission?

Kill!

This word is the most effective.

Moreover, killing one is not enough, killing two is not enough, even saying killing one hundred eighty is not enough.

Only like in Sumeru then: if killing, kill the strongest mercenary group, kill the tribe with the greatest scale and strength, so those still harboring resistance know that you truly have the ability and dare to exterminate them.

Let these people understand what fear is.

Only then will they truly obey.

This is Luo De's negotiation tactic toward Watatsumi Island.

Simple.

But it is definitely effective.

Kujo Sara looked at Luo De, whose killing intent was fierce and whose words were firm and unquestionable, recalling what Yae Miko wrote in her letter: no matter what Luo De says, just do it all, even if it seems unreasonable, you must still do it.

And the saying 'Luo De's will represents the general's thoughts' makes Kujo Sara feel a gasp of cold air each time she recalls it.

"I understand."

Whether considering the stance of a soldier or the words Yae Miko said to her, Kujo Sara now will no longer question Luo De's words, and will quickly lead people to start counting those Luo De named.

Not long after.

All kinds of curses, wails, pleas for mercy, and screams rang out continuously in the military camp at Kujo Residence, while Luo De, the instigator, stood calmly in Kujo Sara's tent, his face showing not the slightest change.

(End of chapter)