Zhang Mengyao stared at the man who proposed the idea and smiled. Not because she was interested or agreed with the proposal, but because she knew how the oath worked right now. Not long ago, Tang Shaoyang sent her a message about an item called Feather of Oathbreaker. It was an item to break the oath without facing the consequences. He reminded her strongly not to believe in the Divine Church, the Federation of Allurion, and the Giteron Dynasty's oath. An old faction like them who had experienced multiple Dimensional Towers must have the item. She was glad that Tang Shaoyang informed her about the item, or else, she might get tricked.
"If that's not enough. The Giteron Dynasty will help the Tang Empire to face the Federation of Allurion and the Divine Church. We can include that in the oath!" The Legend Rank was confident in his proposal. That was an extremely tempting proposal with the Tang Empire's current situation.
"Who will take the oath? The Emperor of The Giteron Dynasty? Or Augusto Thamsen?" Zhang Mengyao asked as if she was about to agree depending on who took the oath.
The two Legend Ranks exchanged glances before one of them replied, "We will take the oath, both of us. We will convince Lord Augusto to take back our army from Earth."
"Your proposal is too tempting to be refused, but that's not enough to trick me," Zhang Mengyao smirked, "You two take the oath? It seems Reinar Thamsen's life is more important than two Legend Ranks, huh? You make the oath, and Reinar will return for the Tang Empire one more time at the cost of your lives!" Her expression turned somber, coming closer to the two Legend Ranks.
"Don't take me as a fool. Do you think I don't know there's an item that could nullify the oath? I will not be here, standing in front of you if you can easily trick me!"
Herman immediately mediated the situation, standing between the two, "Please wait, Sir." He noticed the Legend Rank was at the edge. If the Legend Rank attacked Zhang Mengyao impulsively, they would be kicked out of the city. Outside the city, they would be an easy target for the Tang Empire. He believed Zhang Mengyao's words that The Tang Empire had killed dozens of Legend Ranks. He did not want these two Legend Ranks dead because the two were the ones who controlled over two hundred thousand armies in his territory.
He came closer to the Legend Rank and whispered, "We can't anger her if we want them to return Lord Reinar, Sir. Can you let me talk with Lady Zhang privately, Sir?" There were a lot of things in his mind right now. About the oath that could be nullified. He realized that the oath was not as reliable as he thought it would be anymore. However, that was for later; he needed to get Reinar Thamsen before over two hundred thousand armies ran over his territory.
Zhang Mengyao glanced at Herman for a moment as she suddenly thought of something in her head, "Alright, let's talk." She turned around, motioning to Herman to follow her.
The two Legend Ranks were about to follow Herman, but Zhang Mengyao's words stopped them, "The talk is over if you two follow me." That left the two Legend Ranks with no choice but to stay in the lobby, under the intense gaze of the guard.
Zhang Mengyao brought Herman to the room, and she did not waste any time with Herman, "First, I will never release Reinar!" The First Order Guild's Guild Leader furrowed his brow. If she did not want to release Reinar, then why did she bring him here?
"Second, I see you are in distress because of the Giteron Dynasty's army in your territory. I will be kind enough for you to offer you a choice! Lead us to the Giteron Dynasty's army, and we will take care of them."
"What do I get from that? Am I just making an enemy out of the Giteron Dynasty?" Herman could not believe to hear that from Zhang Mengyao.
"What do you get? A truce from the Tang Empire, and we will get rid of the headless army in your territory. That's what you get," Zhang Mengyao leaned back on her chair, "The choice is yours to make."
That was her plan, wiping out the Giteron Dynasty's army. She regarded the Giteron Dynasty's army as the source of levels. Those two Legend Ranks were enough to help Marshal Alton and Moonsong to get closer to Demi-God Rank. It was worth the risk before the World Government made their move. She needed to improve the Tang Empire's army before the big fight broke out. On top of that, this was revenge for Virion. If not for the Giteron Dynasty's intervention, Virion would still be alive right now. She would not forget about that, of course, The First Order Guild was partially at fault too for bringing the Giteron Dynasty onto Earth.
"Truce? For how long? What will happen after the truce?" Herman Bonivido picked up the word of truce instead of an alliance.
"Until The Tang Empire kicks out the invaders! You have that much time to prepare," Zhang Mengyao replied confidently as if The Tang Empire would win the war against the federation and the church.
"You want me to make an enemy of the Giteron Dynasty only to be attacked by you in the future? Do you take me as a joke, Lady Zhang?" Herman Bonivido was furious with how the Tang Empire treated him this time to be offered such a stupid proposal.
"As I said, the choice is yours. I can deliver Reinar's head right now, and you will face the fury of the Giteron Dynasty because you get him killed. At least, that's what they will perceive for receiving Reinar's head after our discussion no?" Zhang Mengyao shrugged, "And I never said anything about attacking the First Order Guild. The decision is not mine to make."
"You!" Herman Bonivido did not have any words to say to the threat. It was basically a threat, not an offer or an option. If he did not agree, he would bring back Reinar's head with him from this trip, and then he would face over two hundred thousand elite armies that the First Order Guild could never match up with. If the Giteron Dynasty was reasonable enough, they would spare the First Order Guild and focus on the Tang Empire instead. However, it was not likely the case if two Legend Ranks were ready to sacrifice themselves for Reinar. That just showed how important Reinar's position was. If he chose to listen to Zhang Mengyao's offer, then The First Order Guild still might have to fight the Tang Empire. If the Tang Empire could survive and win against the federation and church, the First Order Guild was nothing to The Tang Empire. Regardless of what choice he made, the result was the same with just time differences.
'Dying later is still better than dying right now,' Herman was amused by his own thoughts. He did not know where it went wrong, but things never turned in his favor ever since he entered the eleventh floor, "What should I do to assist you?"
"You make the wise choice. I want to know their numbers, their strongest people, and their ranks in detail," The first thing she asked was information for about the Giteron Dynasty. Information was the most important thing in a war.
*** ***
Herman Bonivido met the two Legend Ranks in the lobby. The two were walking back and forth, waiting for the news from Herman. The two darted toward The First Order's Guild Leader as soon as they sensed him, "How's the talk!?" The urgency in their tone was obvious, demanding Herman to give them the answer they wanted.
"The Tang Empire will bring Reinar to my territory tonight, but we must prepare the ransom. Hefty ransom, Twenty Unique Classes of their choice, and a hundred bloodlines, a strong bloodline. If you fail to fulfill your promise, then the agreement is off, and you will receive Lord Reinar's head instead. They will determine if the bloodline is strong or not."
The two Legend Ranks exchanged glances. One hundred bloodlines was a lot, but they still could afford it to get Reinar back, "Can we do the exchange right now?" The two felt uneasy as long as Reinar was not in their sight.
"I have done my best, Sir. Let's follow their terms for the rest," Herman shook his head.
"What about letting us see Young Lord Reinar? How are we supposed to know that Young Lord Reinar is still alive?"
"We will find out tonight, no? We have no choice but to follow their terms if we want them to release Lord Reinar. We are not in the position to make a demand, Sir," Herman shook his head.
That left the two Legend Ranks with no choice but to follow the terms. They did not ask anything further after that and left the building.
*** ***
After meeting with Herman, Zhang Mengyao returned to the room where Yury Semenov was. There were three more people with him, two were gagged and tied, "These are the traitors. Their names are Babusev and Ludomir."
Zhang Mengyao nodded, "You have made the right decision. Does that mean you are ready to follow me?"
Yury Semenov nodded his head. His determination not to be the Federation of Allurion's dog was too strong not to take the risk of following Zhang Mengyao. This was a stupid decision because he could get killed anytime once he entered the Tang Empire's territory, but he still took the gamble.
"Is he coming with you too?" Zhang Mengyao looked at the third foreign face aside from the two traitors.
"No. He will be in charge of The Polar Guild until I return," Yury Semenov shook his head and told the third person to leave.
"I don't have that much time, let's go!" Yury Semenov and Mikhailovich pulled the two traitors, following Zhang Mengyao. Outside the room, Viona and Yeon Hee were waiting for them. The dark look on Viona's face told Zhang Mengyao that she was right about someone from their side tipping off the First Order Guild about her arrival, "I will listen to the details later. We need to deliver them to their room."
It would have been a lie if Yury Semenov was not nervous. He was about to enter the Tang Empire's territory, the capital. The thought of the worst scenario kept appearing in his head that he would be killed once he reached the other side. However, the anxiousness remained as anxiousness as if the worst never happened. They were led to their room. It was a smaller room compared to what they had in their territory, but it was still decent for a hostage to stay; two bedrooms with a bathroom inside, a living room, and a kitchen.
"If you need anything or have an emergency, don't try to barge out of the room. You just need to say what you need inside the room, and I will have people come for you. I hope you enjoy your stay," Zhang Mengyao left the two men and called out a meeting. It was a meeting about annihilating the Giteron Dynasty's army, the chance for the Elven Kingdom to get their vengeance on the people who were responsible for their King's death.
The meeting did not take long as everyone agreed to Zhang Mengyao's plan, especially the Elven Kingdom. They first expressed gratitude for the chance even though they had not gotten in their hands for the actual killer. For Revalor and Arbane's sentences, everyone also agreed to wait for Tang Shaoyang's return.
*** ***
First Order Guild's military base
This was where the Giteron Dynasty's army stayed, and tonight, everyone was standing in a line on the open field outside the base, over two hundred thousand soldiers and knights. The actual meeting happened on the balcony on the second floor under the watch of the two hundred thousand army.
Zhang Mengyao was not alone of course. Marshal Alton and Legion Commander Moonsong were with her along with the others, almost everyone, including all the girls. She was holding Reinar Thamsen with her left hand, and the three Legend Ranks stood five meters away from them, "Let me see the item first!"
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