Chapter 2019: Young People and Dialogue Cooperation Mechanisms

However, unlike Kuke, whose thoughts and concepts were already set and difficult to change, these eighteen Apprentices were still very young and had almost completely experienced the development process of Daxia Territory, as well as the subsequent New Life Movement in the Territory.

Regarding the Elf, they might harbor a trace of yearning, yet they were not unfamiliar with them; breaking the inherent impression the territory's residents had of the Elf had always been something Xia Duo worked hard to do, and the results were quite good.

But they were Elf after all; these dozen or so young people started chattering away as soon as they arrived at the Floating City, and it was only after their master, who held old-fashioned views but was more composed, pulled a long face that they quieted down for a while.

It wasn't until they saw Jieyi, whom Kuke held in some awe, that this group of young people became active again; many of these dozen or so Apprentices had grown up playing with Jieyi.

Previously, when Jieyi served as the Magic Affairs Officer in the Territory researching Magic Civilianization, he had also asked them for help with references or to provide suggestions for improvement.

There were actually not many barriers or class distinctions among the young people; Kuke's dozen or so Apprentices were only a few years older than Jieyi, causing them to miss the reforms of the Tower of Time and the subsequent rounds of expansion.

But it is foreseeable that with the appearance of the Floating City, the scope of Magic Education will become even broader, and a Magic Divine Chef is not unimaginable.

Even at this very moment, there are already quite a few Mage Apprentices and even Official Mages showing a tendency to change professions.

Having had more contact with Spellcasters, a few among these dozen Chef Apprentices have picked up the Magic Training they had when they were Apprentices at the Tower of Time.

Coupled with Kuke's careful cultivation in culinary arts, if nothing goes wrong, the name of Magic Divine Chef will surely have a place for them in the future.

"Jieyi, it's really great to see you! Last time I went to your house, your mother said you were taken as a student by Lord Xia Duo. It's spread all over the neighborhood; is this true?"

"It's true. I didn't expect that I would be the teacher's first student either, hehe!"

Speaking of this, Jieyi's grinning mouth had not closed, and those dozen or so Chef Apprentices were also asking one after another; in the end, Kuke couldn't stand it anymore, patted several Apprentices on the head in succession, and reminded them:

"Lord Xia Duo told us to come over to prepare dinner; don't keep the Lord waiting too long."

He didn't dare to hit Jieyi, but it didn't matter how he hit his own Apprentices; this was a remnant of old concepts, though in reality, it was not allowed within the Territory—as long as the Apprentices reported it to the Security Office, they would be right every time.

Of course, that was on the condition of a real beating; if it were only a slight disciplinary corporal punishment, the Apprentice might even get a beating from the security officer if they went to the Security Office to complain.

In fact, among these dozen or so Apprentices, some had family members who were security officers; if they really made a scene, the force used by family members and the force used by a master were completely different things.

Reminded by their master, the Apprentices knew the gravity of the situation, but they still winked at Jieyi behind their master's back.

Soon, Jieyi had set up a stove for Kuke and the others in a rough-finished building near Hengchun Square; with the help of people from the Seven Towers, the speed was quite fast.

As for the ingredients and seasonings, apart from a few live Yaoyue beasts restrained by Magic, most of the rest were brought by Kuke and the others from the Territory.

……

Just as Kuke was instructing the Apprentices to prepare dinner, Xia Duo and Badijiaer finally found an opportunity to meet in private; this was also the first time the two had met privately since their last cooperation in capturing Prince Saier.

"Lord Xia Duo, this Floating Fortress of yours—it is truly breathtaking!"

As soon as they met, Badijiaer went straight to the point. Xia Duo had long anticipated this and brought out the "official response" he had prepared: "It is but a small trick. If Your Excellency Badijiaer wishes to know more, you might as well ask my teacher, Iolum."

Xia Duo did not know which aspect of the Floating City Badijiaer was referring to, but pushing it onto Iolum was never wrong. He himself was worried about not being able to grasp the measure when negotiating terms with Badijiaer, but Iolum would not be.

"As expected of Master Iolum! I will certainly have a good talk with him when I return this time," Badijiaer said in a relaxed tone.

Although there was a generation gap and a difference in age, his personal friendship with Iolum was still quite good. If it was confirmed to be related to Iolum, then there was indeed no need to make things difficult for the other party's student.

"By the way, Lord Xia Duo, you previously had Bulundesi convey your opinion on the disposal of the southern region of Sluwen; you want that area to be independent, right?"

"Yes."

Having understood the negotiation process between the various countries just now, Xia Duo was even more certain of the feasibility of this idea of his, "At present, it is obviously impossible for the various countries to let Yierlan swallow that area, but it is also difficult for Yierlan to accept returning it directly to Sluwen, so why not adopt a compromise approach—"

"Didn't Yierlan say that some cities voluntarily abandoned their Sluwen identity and defected to them? Then let that part of the region become independent, and the areas subsequently conquered by them shall be returned to Sluwen."

"This should be a solution that can be barely accepted by all parties."

"For Sluwen, Yierlan did not gain any advantage, and the occupied areas have been recovered. As for those that voluntarily broke away, they were not of one mind to begin with, and there is not much point in forcing them back, especially given that Sluwen will be supervised or even placed under trusteeship by various countries in the future."

"For Yierlan, this situation can be considered as retaining a final shred of dignity. The various countries will not interfere with that independent region, and it will basically remain under their actual control, just with a different name."

"And for the various countries, it is impossible to really let Yierlan gain nothing. As of now, Yierlan is still a major power and still needs to be respected; achieving this level can already be considered the limit."

After Xia Duo finished speaking, Badijiaer pondered for a moment, but said something else: "So, Lord Xia Duo also does not approve of the Northland Alliance conducting a review of the Demon Descendant issue within Yierlan?"

"Yes, I do not approve. To build a stable Northland order, one can never bypass Yierlan. Yierlan needs the Northland Alliance, but the Northland Alliance needs Yierlan even more. If one pushes too hard, it may not necessarily be a good thing."

If Yierlan were just an ordinary small country, then the resolution of the Northland Alliance would be law, and it would have no room for resistance. But the actual situation is that Yierlan is one of the five major powers in the Northland Alliance.

Other countries can occasionally target it—this is considered playing within the rules of the game—but they cannot forcibly and aggressively interfere in its internal affairs. Otherwise, if Yierlan stops playing with you, is the Northland Alliance going to wage a 'Protective Dharma War'?"

Xia Duo directly pointed out the essence of the Northland Alliance, and then continued:

"But this does not mean that the Northland Alliance cannot have any interference in Yierlan's Demon Descendant issue. Demon Descendants—how should I put it—at least for now, are still the biggest destabilizing factor in the Northland besides the Drow. It is indeed necessary to impose restrictions, and Yierlan, as a major power, has even more responsibility and obligation to demonstrate its determination to maintain the stability of the Northland."

Badijiaer's eyes suddenly lit up, "Does Lord Xia Duo mean—establishing a brand-new dialogue and cooperation mechanism, allowing various countries to actively communicate the review process of Demon Descendants?"

If such a mechanism truly existed, the various countries would increase communication and mutual trust, and the Northland might truly move toward long-term stability as a result.

"Yes."

Xia Duo nodded with extreme seriousness, "This brand-new dialogue and cooperation mechanism is not only for Demon Descendant reviews, but can also be used for exchanges in other fields, such as jointly combating transnational crime, cultural and artistic exchanges, trade consultations, and so on."