Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 292 Xi Yue's Diplomatic Art: A Brief Suppressive Storm

Chen Mo previously had a very bad impression of Xi Yue, after all, she was capable of doing abstract things like breaching dikes to flood people and driving away civilians, which was a classic case of incompatible values.

but!

Xi Yue vividly taught Chen Mo a lesson: it doesn't matter if your values ​​don't align, as long as you can cater to their preferences.

Xi Yue's decision was extremely resolute, and it had a significant impact on Chen Mo in at least three ways.

First of all, Liu Shuang's sister is not someone to be underestimated.

So far, Liu Shuang has not said a word in support of Xi Yue's delegation, but Chen Mo can tell that Liu Shuang and this older sister have a very good relationship.

What Chen Mo didn't know was that in that real dream woven by the "fluorescent silkworm," it was this relative in Xiyue who brought back the dying Liushuang from the seaside, and later risked great danger to send Liushuang out of the country.

It was already a great deal of restraint for Liu Shuang not to plead with Chen Mo. She was someone who understood the importance of things, but the closeness she felt for her sister was something she couldn't hide no matter what.

Who is Liu Shuang?

She was Chen Mo's earliest angel investor and is definitely a top-tier "old friend of the people of Dongxia"! To put it bluntly, if Chen Mo and Liu Shuang ever had a conflict over trivial matters, something that wouldn't affect the overall situation, the big shots in Dongxia would most likely side with Liu Shuang.

Putting aside the question of infidelity for now, we must consider Liushuang's feelings, both publicly and privately.

Secondly, there is the relationship with Morton's instruction.

Liu Shuang was in the Angel round, so Morton was in the A round. His dedicated teaching, especially his first advancement and the "spiritual energy diversion" instruction, helped Chen Mo get on the right track.

Chen Mo will never forget his learning experience at the Halfa Tower.

Although Morton's letter was merely a reminiscing session and contained no plea for Xiyue, he was, after all, a Xiyue person. The fact that Xiyue's delegation brought this letter indicated, to some extent, his stance.

Who would want to see their country fall? Even if it's currently ruled by a bunch of mediocre guys!

Finally, there was the matter of dealing with the sea creatures' raids.

The culprit's fresh head has arrived; the looted ships are laid out in port as evidence for inspection. The stolen money and goods have been recovered with utmost care, and a full compensation has been paid…

This is enough to make Chen Mo shine in the eyes of the Naga clan.

If the first two incidents were related to emotions, then this last one is absolutely related to Han Hai's interests.

The first small island in the open sea has already obtained navigation rights and temporary residence rights.

If we continue to deepen our cooperation with the Naga, is it possible for the Vast Ocean Territory to take over all the islands, large and small, in the vast ocean in the future?
Even, that legendary continent in the distance.

For Dongxia, who missed the Age of Exploration on Earth, what would it be like to personally embark on an Age of Exploration in another world and explore new continents?
Whenever he thought of this, Chen Mo felt his blood boil.

Sea creatures were the most important link in the opening of the Age of Exploration.

According to the strategic department of Dongxia, unless the entire Dongxia is moved to the Starry Continent and preparations are made for war against the sea race for several years, the Hanhai Territory has no chance of subduing this mysterious and huge sea group by force.

At this time, the gift that Xiyue presented was actually of great significance.

Left with no other option, Chen Mo could only try to lead the organization of the first peace talks.

As for whether or not to cease fire, it doesn't seem to matter much. The "North Wind" Legion of Xiyue is nominally still surrounding Qingze City, but in reality, it hasn't launched a decent attack for a long time.

There wasn't even any harassment.

Both sides are currently locked in a battle of consuming food supplies, seeing who will starve to death first!

Soon, all parties began a series of intensive actions.

As agreed, Chen Mo and the sea tribe personally led their team to the Naga tribe's embassy located at Emerald Bay Wharf.

This is a unique structure built by the Han Hai Territory and the sea tribes, with a significant investment of resources and time. It is half on land and half in the sea, and can be considered one of the minor wonders of the Han Hai Territory.

The main building on land is constructed of pure white granite-like stone. Designed by a master architect from Dongxia, it incorporates numerous design elements such as arches and eaves, giving the entire building a dignified, elegant, and extraordinary presence.

The part that extends into the sea was constructed by the sea creatures themselves, who brought in many huge transparent crystals to create an underwater dome structure.

Azure seawater overflows the dome, sunlight penetrates the water's surface, refracting into countless flowing spots of light within the crystal palace. Glowing coral reefs are planted on both sides of the underwater corridor, and schools of silver fish, attracted by the sea creatures, shuttle among them like ribbons, sometimes forming arrows and sometimes gathering in groups!
Of course, there were also the Naga royal guards who remained motionless like clay sculptures, yet still exuded a fierce aura.

Upon arriving at the embassy, ​​Lin Zhong represented Han Hai, Ze Gen represented Xi Yue, and Cersei, the "Daughter of the Tides," who had received the news, personally came to witness this historic moment.

First, Xiyue issued an apology.

Old Zegen was very sincere, and when he spoke emotionally, his long white beard was covered with tears.

"The misfortune of the nation has dragged down the sea creatures; it is truly shameful, utterly shameful!"

"This is all the information we have verified, including evidence from the on-site investigation, the perpetrator's confession, eyewitness accounts, and images of the ships that attacked the sea creatures that day, as identified by the perpetrator."

Several Xiyue warriors were the first to bring out a large pile of wooden boxes.

This time, Xi Yue went all out. There were more than 600 heads in this row. The moment the box was opened, a bloody smell that was still clearly identifiable after being marinated with medicinal herbs spread out.

The heads were specially treated. The two heads placed at the front were patrol captains from the Xiyue Federation, one of whom had a hideous scar on his face that was quite conspicuous.

Next are images taken from different angles by three large ships, with high clarity, lined up in a row on the stone tabletop.

Then came a large number of case files from Xiyue's investigations, which seemed to have been prepared by professionals and made into a bilingual version using the sea tribe's script.

Finally, the items were placed on dozens of flat trays, filled to the brim with all sorts of dirty things, creating a visually stunning effect.

The Xiyue Federation may not be good at fighting, but it is indeed very shrewd in diplomacy!

Cersei stared wide-eyed, ignoring all other information, her gaze sweeping over the heads.

The Naga guards around him soon let out a series of roars.

"That's right! It's these ships. Those thugs changed their appearance, but I recognize them!"

"I recognize this head too. He's the one who killed Cipolly, my poor sister! Ugh, it's too easy for him to die like this. I'm going to feed his head to the sea dung beetles!"

"This is a short-tailed sea talisman, that's right, the sea talisman that was stolen by them, those damned humans!"

"Uh, I'm not saying that you guys at Hanhai...you're all good people!"

Seeing that the sea creatures had confirmed the success of their handover, Zegen gradually felt relieved.

There were no Federation nobles or bigwigs on the looting ship that day, so sending out some subordinates to report back wasn't too difficult.

As is well known, most sea creatures have a rather simple way of thinking, and Zegen, having made ample preparations, naturally felt that he could explain himself reasonably well.

However, it's hard to say whether the Han Hai Territory, which has such a good relationship with the sea people, might cause trouble and insist on investigating the identity of the "mastermind." Fortunately, the Lord of Han Hai Territory remained serious and slightly mournful throughout, without saying a word, which finally allowed Old Zegen to breathe a sigh of relief.

They quickly came out and sang a song of praise for Han Hai.

"Here, we are truly grateful to Lord Chen Mo of the Vast Ocean. It was because Lord Chen Mo issued a mission to track down the murderers who robbed the sea creatures in all the major mercenary guilds at the first opportunity that these villains became hesitant and went into hiding. In particular, they were unable to dispose of the stolen goods, and this batch of Moonshadow Sea Sprouts, Pearl Coins and Shell Coins was largely kept intact."

"Otherwise, once the stolen goods are distributed to various countries, these people will take the money and disperse, making it extremely difficult for us to track them down!"

This makes sense.

Cersei raised her scepter, its end curving slightly, and bowed slightly to Chen Mo, performing a gesture that was clearly learned from the humans, but which looked very awkward on her slender, serpentine waist.

"Honorable Lord of the Vast Ocean, the Naga race thanks you for your sincere treatment!" "From this day forward, you are the most honored land friend of the Naga race!"

"In the name of the sea god, I declare that wherever my race reaches, the Naga royal guards will be your most reliable companions!"

"Really?" Chen Mo's eyes lit up.

That's right, the Naga are a semi-amphibious sea race, capable of briefly leaving the ocean and entering the land. Usually, including round-trip time, their maximum attack distance is around thirty kilometers.

According to Cersei's promise, Chen Mo could call for reinforcements from the sea creatures at any time from any location within 30 kilometers of the coast.

If some spare seawater is prepared and combined with spells such as water-powered chariots, then elite troops can penetrate to a range of seventy to one hundred kilometers.

Of course, the battle cannot last too long, otherwise they will die of thirst in no time.

Can't we drink plain water? Actually, no!
Not only can't you drink it, you can't even get it into fresh water.

Of the seven great sea creatures, none can enter freshwater systems. On the contrary, those legendary weak fish-men, who are considered useless, can wander freely in freshwater areas and near-shore saltwater areas, which is quite amazing.

According to the explanation given by experts from Dongxia, it seems to be related to cell membranes and osmotic pressure...

Chen Mo didn't quite understand; just knowing wasn't enough.

Although the distance was a little short, for Chen Mo, it was already a precious promise!
Having completed his explanation to the sea creatures and reaped a great harvest, Chen Mo immediately began to take the lead in organizing peace negotiations between the elves and Xiyue.

Both sides responded positively.

For the elves, the tens of thousands of soldiers in Qingze City have become a heavy burden. They are the main force of the elves and cannot be left unrescued. However, to maintain the hope of rescue, they must rely on the support of the vast sea. As a result, they have taken on an even heavier burden of millions of human civilians.

How long will it take for Qingze City to be stagnant? If Xiyue were to wage a war against the entire nation, could the elves win? Even if they did, how much would they have to lose?

War is a long-term endeavor. For the elves at present, they have already gained a portion of the "land under the sun." As long as they don't give it all back, they can consider this war won.

According to the observation squad stationed on the elf side, Iona is already planning the next war. It is said that she plans to first clear out all human forces on the first level of the North Slope River to the east, and then cross the river to enter the next phase.

The elves would be perfectly willing to accept a peaceful negotiation to withdraw their troops first.

Conversely, on Xiyue's side, not only did they lose on the battlefield, but they also lost the hearts of the people. Tribal chiefs and elders in some of the war zones have filed continuous and vehement appeals, demanding severe punishment for the "North Wind" Legion.

Furthermore, the Beilu River is still flowing rapidly. It has already ruined an autumn harvest. If it ruins a spring planting as well, even if the Xiyue Federation is wealthy, it will likely suffer a severe blow.

Since everyone is willing to cooperate, negotiation is a natural course of action.

Major Fungus acted as the mediator in the negotiations, and the representatives of the Stream Moon Federation and the elves quickly reached an agreement on several terms.

The Xiyue Federation ceased its siege of Qingze City, and the elven forces withdrew from Qingze City. The two sides temporarily adopted a seven-month ceasefire, with the actual control line extending from the Beilu River in the south to the Changfeng Hills in the west as the boundary.

Why seven months? Because the autumn harvest ends after seven months...

Other conditions included the mutual release of all prisoners of war;
The Elven faction allows humans in their controlled areas to leave on their own without obstruction, and the Stream Moon Federation does the same, allowing half-elves and humans who aspire to be elves in their controlled areas to head north on their own without obstruction.

The Creek Moon Dynasty has ceased its logging and destruction of the Silver Moon Forest;

Mercenaries are allowed to move freely, and airships are allowed to continue connecting the north and south.
……

Of course, the influence of Han Hai was an important factor that could not be ignored in the fact that these conditions could be negotiated. After receiving instructions from Lord Chen Mo, Major Junzi also put forward two conditions.

The Xiyue Federation needs to immediately seal the breach in the Beilu River to avert this flood.

Both sides should actively provide assistance to refugees, ensure their basic living needs, and strictly prohibit attacks, massacres, looting, and other heinous acts against civilians.

The negotiators from Elf and Stream Moon simultaneously gave Major Fungus a long, uninterrupted stare.

This Lord of the Vast Ocean is far too "saintly." Throughout the entire battle, they spent a lot of money and effort, but didn't kill a single person; they were only focused on rescuing people.

After repeated clashes, adjustments, more clashes, and more adjustments, finally, all parties reached a final agreement.

However, once the agreement was implemented, a host of problems immediately arose.

First, Xiyue did indeed lift the siege of Qingze City, and the elves began to withdraw their troops. However, the nearly one million refugees who had been driven into Qingze City were crying and begging to go with the elves.

The Xiyue Federation immediately lodged a strong protest. Although they treated ordinary people as less than human, these people were still tools of production.

If millions die and another million pass away, who will cultivate this plain along the Beilu River?

The elf pulled out the agreement and pointed to the clauses that allowed the free movement of people within the controlled area.

Well, Xiyue was too arrogant. They hadn't even considered the possibility that their people would follow the elves.

Xi Yue silently swallowed her front tooth, but soon, the elders of the elves also looked furious.

During the evacuation from the flood, Iona assigned her captain of the guard to lead two thousand-man squads as rearguard, allowing them to escape or surrender on their own after completing their mission.

Nearly seven hundred elves were captured by the Stream Moon Federation and fell into the hands of the "North Wind" Legion.

When Iona returned from this prisoner exchange, what she saw were her subordinates who had been tortured beyond recognition.

There were no cheers, no cries of relief, not even the faintest groans of pain; a silence heavier than death itself filled the air.

Almost all the elves had lost the ability to move. They were dragged off the trailer by the soldiers of Xiyue like tattered sacks. Only a very few elves were able to support each other and stagger forward.

Hair that once shimmered with the luster of dew is now either a clump of grime or has been roughly cut off, exposing a scarred scalp.

Iona rushed forward frantically, only when she got close could she see the shocking details.

The elves were hardly wearing any intact military uniforms; beneath the tattered strips of cloth lay countless wounds, some so deep that the bone was visible.

In many places, the wounds had festered, and white maggots wriggled among the rotting flesh. Many of the elves' fingers were twisted at unnatural angles, their nails pulled out, leaving only black, scabbed fingertips.

On some elves, the shackles on their ankles and wrists had grown into their flesh, revealing large patches of blood and flesh when torn, forcing the soldiers of Xiyue to abandon their attempts to remove the shackles.

And their eyes.

Empty, lifeless, and dim, leaving only a deathly grayness. When Aiona touched them, most of the elves instinctively curled up and flinched away, an instinctive reaction to long-term extreme fear and abuse.

Iona saw her captain of the guard.

The once valiant warrior was now almost nothing but a blurry outline. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, resembling a skull, and her left eye was a hollow, rough-edged bloody hole. Her only remaining eye, though still open, was covered by a thick layer of white film, losing all focus.

She seemed to sense Iona's presence, struggling to lift her head. A faint light flashed in her eyes, but she couldn't see anything clearly. She just shook her head from side to side, making a "hoarse" sound like a bellows.

The elven warriors' rage seemed to burn the entire plain red at this moment.

The handover process proceeded slowly amidst the wailing of the elves. With each wounded elf brought back, the chill in the elven ranks intensified.

The sky had darkened at some point, with heavy black clouds covering it.

Seeing this, Chen Mo let out a long sigh.

The seedlings of peace have just sprouted, while the seeds of hatred have already taken deep root.

In the future, this plain is destined to face even more devastating storms.

　I'd like to recommend a friend's new book, which just came out. If you like this kind of book, you should check it out!
　　The protagonist begins at Hogwarts and travels through various worlds including *Life of Pi*, *Peter Pan*, *Jumanji*, *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*, *Night at the Museum*, *The Chronicles of Narnia*, *The BFG*, and *Don Quixote*.
　　

(End of this chapter)