Colonia Storm Tour

"They are both very nice and to my liking, so before we begin negotiations, I'd like to ask Mr. Craig if you could help me contact the manager of Huaxiao Tower. I'm willing to pay a high price for these two wandering swordswomen and take them back with me, is that alright?"

Lin Haiyuan, just like a lecher, wrapped his arms around their bodies from the waist up to the chest, sat cross-legged on the prepared cushions, and said that Chun and He Ye, who did not speak and acted shy, remained in the same close-up position and knelt on the tatami facing him.

[The people sent by this Azur Lane organization are really generous; they actually dared to directly redeem two novice women from a brothel. Is that considered rich and brainless, or just kind-hearted?]

"Of course, no problem, sir. If we can reach a friendly cooperation agreement with Azur Lane, you can take them back for free. As for the ransom, we'll pay for it, hahaha."

Soshal Craig then laughed heartily, and the two fox negotiators next to him also laughed awkwardly.

"That's good. As for the confidentiality of the meeting, there's no need to worry. They're all my women now. What's the use of a man if he can't even control his own woman's mouth? There's no need to let them leave."

Lin Haiyuan's words were also a response to their concerns about secrecy, and also an attempt to ensure that Chun and He Ye were always under his protection and within his sight, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

"Since this gentleman has put it this way, then let's not worry about that and get straight to the point of this meeting. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Bradris, representing the Astoria Empire to negotiate with the Azur Lane organization behind you."

"This is how the male fox-type demi-human, Bradris, introduces himself."

“My name is Ravenclaw, and like Bradris, I represent the Astora Empire in negotiations with the Azur Lane organization behind you.”

The male fox-type demi-human Ravenclaw introduced himself politely, but the fact that they did not give their surnames raises questions about whether they were giving their real names.

"My name is Lin Haiyuan. As a negotiator for Azur Lane, I am here to negotiate cooperation with your country. I would like to ask the Empire, what kind of price are you offering to recruit us as your pawns in the Qubi Islands and Fenggou Strait?"

Lin Haiyuan became quite blunt when he got to this point, showing absolutely no tact.

Faced with this blunt and bold question, Bradris and Ravenclaw were both taken aback. This was different from the negotiation plan they had prepared in advance. Shouldn't they have exchanged pleasantries after the self-introduction? Why were they getting straight to the point? However, since they were there to represent the Astoria Empire as negotiators, they couldn't just stand there dumbfounded.

"Since Mr. Lin speaks so readily, we won't drag things out. If you want the Empire to support you regardless of past grievances, the first condition is that you sign a contract promising never to accept offers from other countries and serve them. In exchange, the Empire will provide you with diplomatic, economic, and military support, offering practical assistance for your dominance and occupation of the Fenggou Strait and the Qubi Islands. The second condition is that you must establish a friendly cooperative relationship with the Imperial Royal Navy and designate one of its ports for the exclusive use of the Royal Navy fleet."

Bradris believed he had made his point clear and that the other party could see the pros and cons, but Ravenclaw's performance was yet to come.

"However, since you exist only as a separatist warlord force in the Crested Arms Islands and the Fiery Cross Strait, you will definitely be treated as pirates by other countries. At that time, it will be difficult for the Empire to support an organization that is indeed very similar to pirates on the international stage. Therefore, we hope that you will end your image as pirates and illegal separatist forces in the eyes of others as soon as possible. In this way, the Empire can better support the Azur Lane organization. If the Azur Lane organization is willing to declare independence, we can declare you as our protectorate. Violating you is equivalent to violating the territory of the Astoria Empire. If you do not want to establish an independent nation, all members of the Azur Lane organization can choose to swear allegiance to His Majesty the Supreme King. His Majesty the Supreme King is willing to grant you the title of Marquis and a legitimate and legally recognized Earl's territory to keep you firmly on this route. At that time, everyone will receive rewards and official positions."

Ravenclaw has already made all the necessary hints, encouragement, and benefits mentioned, which are not much different from the promises and benefits promised in the letter.

Some mind-reading content that has no practical significance will not be marked with 【】.

Chapter Forty: Trip to the Cherry Blossom Islands (15)

Ordinary or exceptional transmigrators would be immediately tempted by these seemingly generous conditions and would readily agree. However, there are far too many hidden tricks involved. First, designating a port specifically for the Royal Navy fleet of the Astoria Empire is tantamount to directly establishing an exclave within their controlled territory, with a fleet stationed there. Furthermore, the operation, maintenance, and service of this fleet will inevitably require the establishment of numerous related facilities, making diplomatic, intelligence, and military deployments inconvenient. Moreover, while they do have a cooperative relationship with the Astoria Empire, this doesn't mean neither side is without its own agenda. In addition, there are only a few strategically valuable ports along the Qubi Islands and the Fenggou Strait shipping route. Their navy will inevitably have to contend with a maritime power, a feeling of walking on thin ice – a situation that is unpleasant for transmigrators, both militarily and psychologically.

This would make them feel like they were becoming an alternate Japan or a different kind of Singapore. As for swearing allegiance to the monarch of the Astoria Empire, once they became marquises, not to mention the legal obligations and regulations they would have to abide by, whether their fleet would be subject to imperial control, even the safety of their fiefdoms, their personal safety, and the morale of the people within the empire would become very problematic. Everyone knows that no monarch would like a powerful, self-reliant maritime marquis who occupies a key shipping route. Besides, who doesn't know about the tactic of infiltrating enemy forces? Therefore, the proposals all sound very appealing, but how much sincerity the Astoria Empire would actually fulfill is a question, and the transmigrators don't want to be lapdogs to any country.

However, the dilemma is that they cannot immediately break ties with the Astoria Empire, because they are completely unprepared to deal with an imperial naval fleet. The Azur Lane organization is too close to the Astoria Empire, and other countries that can support them are too far away. Furthermore, apart from the Icchino Republic Alliance, other countries have similar intentions, which makes things difficult. If they still want to safely navigate through the high seas controlled by the Astoria Empire to explore the northern islands in the Northern Hemisphere where Exile is located, they must not afford to escalate the conflict now.

"Astoria is very sincere, and I can see your eagerness to cooperate with Azur Lane. However, enthusiasm is one thing, but the practical issues are not so easy to resolve. You must understand that your navy is a sea lion. With a sea lion right next to you, it's hard to ignore it, even for your partners. Security is of utmost importance."

Lin Haiyuan initiated the bargaining process, with the first and most obvious reason being the safety issue.

"Security issues? What do you mean by that, sir? Our Royal Navy fleet needs a port to be stationed there, but it's for fighting alongside our allies, not for intimidation or backstabbing. Furthermore, we have different approaches to port management, fleet maintenance, and sailor placement. If the Azur Lane organization wants to interfere in port affairs, can you guarantee that the Imperial Navy fleet will receive sufficient supplies, that the sailors and officers on the warships will be properly housed, and that the safety of the warships and personnel in the port will be guaranteed?"

When Bradris saw Lin Haiyuan raise a security issue, he returned the question with the same security question to see how Lin Haiyuan would respond.

“Mr. Lin, you and the powerful figures behind you seem to distrust His Majesty the Supreme King’s sincerity, credibility, and the Empire’s strength? You doubt that we can fulfill our promises.”

Ravenclaw continued to question Lin Haiyuan, who seemed ungrateful, following up on his colleague's words.

"No, the strength of the Astoria Empire is evident to all, and no one doubts your power. However, since there has been no actual contact between the two sides, we do not know the credibility of your country. Therefore, we naturally doubt whether Astoria can fulfill its promises or just give us an empty check. We will not believe empty words, and treaties are just pieces of paper that can be torn up at any time. Without real evidence, I cannot convince myself and others to agree to cooperate with the Astoria Empire. Trust is the biggest issue, gentlemen."

Lin Haiyuan's words can be summarized as follows: you're just making empty promises, offering empty promises that may never actually be fulfilled, merely expressing verbal sincerity. There's not a shred of real benefit or goodwill to show anyone in the Azur Lane organization, so nobody would believe your sincerity.

"You are free to threaten us with your Royal Navy fleet in the upcoming talks, but I think you need to understand that we are not powerless against the Astoria Empire's naval fleet, and it's not just the Astoria Empire that's showing us goodwill. If you don't believe me, you're welcome to try. Besides, threatening the Azur Lane organization with me won't work. Before I left, I wrote a will stating that as long as I don't contact them for a period of time, the Azur Lane organization will never have the possibility of making peace with the Astoria Empire."

Lin Haiyuan warned them that using those methods to threaten his life was useless, and that they had the confidence and ability to find allies to fight against their Royal Navy fleet.

[Hiss... This Azur Lane negotiator is completely unpredictable. He wants to get benefits from His Majesty the Supreme King even if he doesn't agree to cooperate. Although it can be partial, I don't have the ability to make decisions on my own. Those benefits are related to national policy and the national treasury.]

[This guy, who looks like a playboy, is really something else. He even wrote his will and left it there before he left. It seems impossible to threaten him with our lives. But thankfully, we didn't plan to threaten him with our lives either. He probably doesn't know that we already have the footage of him doing those filthy things.]

After Bradris and Ravenclaw exchanged a glance to confirm each other's thoughts, they turned back to each other, with Bradris continuing to speak.

"I admire your courage and that of your Azur Lane organization. You are indeed very capable. His Majesty the Supreme King's decree hopes that we can achieve a successful cooperation with the Azur Lane group instead of breaking off the talks and creating an adversary. We will report the courageous words of the Azur Lane organization and your demands to His Majesty. After all, these are not things that we can decide."

After Bradris finished speaking, Ravenclaw stroked his chin and continued.

"But I hope Mr. Lin and the Azur Lane organization behind you understand that the Imperial Navy fleet is very close to you. If you dare to side with other countries, you have to consider the consequences. Mr. Craig, the rest is up to you. We'll take our leave. Mr. Lin of Azur Lane."

After Bradris and Ravenclaw took their luggage and left the Japanese-style room, they left behind only the head of the intelligence station, Chief Soshal Craig. At this moment, Tsubaki and Kazuha, who were pretending to be delirious and shy, were hugging Lin Haiyuan. Their bodies, ears, and tails were visibly trembling. This conversation was completely beyond their imagination. They had heard the name of His Majesty the Supreme King and the representative of the envoy. Lin Haiyuan represented a maritime power that was unknown but had to be taken seriously by the Empire. No matter how they heard it, it was enough to make the relatively ordinary people like them feel terrified.

In a world with magic and spells, contracts possess magical power, making it much harder to break them than in the modern world…

While writing this chapter, my computer crashed with a blue screen, which is rare for me, so I had to rewrite a section...

Chapter 41 Trip to the Cherry Blossom Islands (Sixteen)

"It is truly a great pity, Mr. Lin. The first meeting between the Empire and the Azur Lane organization ended in such an unpleasant manner. This will affect the Empire's attitude in the subsequent negotiations."

Soshal Craig stroked the delicate teacup with both hands and spoke slowly, then picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Both sides can agree to have a just person bring them together for talks. Even if we don't believe the Astoria Empire doubts your trust, we will trust the credibility of the just person to cooperate with the Empire. We can reach an agreement quickly by slightly modifying some conditions. But the problem is, as I just said, trust. Trust is the most important issue."

Lin Haiyuan casually embraced Chun and He Ye, the two fox and cat girls, on his left and right, stroking their heads to comfort them.

"Hehe, it seems Mr. Lin is not as simple as he appears. Since the first round of negotiations is over, would you like me to arrange a place for you to stay at Huaxiao Tower so that you and the two girls you have taken a liking to can live together? Of course, you'll have to pay first if you want to take them with you."

Soshar's laughter just now didn't contain any real emotion befitting laughter; it was just a seasoned, insincere smile, and his words eventually returned to reality.

[Living at Huaxiao Tower?! Oh no! Wouldn't that lead to a complete misunderstanding and prevent me from leaving?! And having to sleep in the same place as him?! This is utterly shameless!]

Although I don't know what kind of organization he's backed, that the Empire would treat him with such respect, if I were to live with him at Huaxiao Tower, I would be utterly disgraced and never be able to go back.

Upon hearing Soshar's invitation to stay, Tsubaki and Kazuha immediately gathered their thoughts and subtly patted his back with their tails, signaling him not to accept.

"It's a very tempting offer... but I refuse."

Lin Haiyuan imitated Rohan on the shore, first bowing his head and then raising it while speaking sideways. This unique and abrupt way of refusing left Soshar stunned.

He was clearly not a fool to agree to this seemingly well-intentioned arrangement, which actually placed him in a cage of confinement, making it easy to monitor him or find his weaknesses. Since this place was their intelligence station and a brothel full of all sorts of people with many eyes and ears, it would be very easy for them to arrange for surveillance personnel and intelligence agents to check his every move and detail. Although Lin Hai had the ability to resolve such problems with his mind, he had no interest in living in a cunning fox den surrounded by lurking wolves.

Chun and He Ye were delighted to hear Lin Haiyuan's irrefutable answer and stopped patting his back with their tails.

“Mr. Kelin, you are new to this city of Dongtai Prefecture, right? If you, as a distinguished guest, were to stay at some cheap inn, it would put us in a difficult position. We might be reprimanded by our superiors who don’t know the situation, as this is how the Empire treats its guests. Moreover, your safety is not absolute. You should know that the security in Dongtai Prefecture is not as good as in the capital. It would be difficult for us to send more people to protect you.”

Soshar tried to persuade him to stay in the specially prepared surveillance room with high-sounding reasons and irrefutable moral justifications.

"If any of your superiors ask you such a question, you may pass this message on to me: I do not like living in such noisy and unsettling places. I prefer peace and quiet, understand? As for my safety and my residence in the Eastern Governor's residence, Mr. Craig, you need not trouble yourself with that. I will handle it myself. I am a man of military background, and I am not ignorant of such methods."

Lin Hai was not a very worldly person to begin with, so he was able to retort with words that would be considered very disrespectful in the eyes of the world.

"May I know where you plan to stay, Mr. Lin, when our Mr. Bradris and Mr. Ravenclaw request to negotiate again?"

Soshar could also instruct other intelligence personnel to keep an eye on Lin Haiyuan's every move.

"No, this method is far too inefficient, and we don't really trust your ability to keep things confidential. So I'll come to Huaxiao Tower to find you again at the same time tomorrow. Is that alright? We can always expect efficiency from your country, can't we?"

Lin Hai knew what Soshar was thinking, so he not only reasonably and forcefully rejected his request, but also took the opportunity to annoy Soshar.

"Of course, the efficiency of the Astora Empire is unmatched by any other country in the world. I will inform Bradris and Mr. Ravenclaw who are leaving. But it seems that you, Mr. Lin, are not planning to spend a night at Huaxiao Tower?"

Soshar was curious about where Lin Hai originally intended to take this fox girl and cat girl so late at night. As for whether he was a womanizer, judging from his behavior just now, he was not at all.

"These two are enough for today. I'm not interested in any other women for now. Remember you said you'd have to pay to take them out? Since you can't say the price, then ask the people in charge. Ask me how much it will cost to take them. Hurry up, time is precious."

Lin Haiyuan didn't want to waste any more time talking to Soshar. He urged him to give him a price so he could pay and leave with the two beast-eared girls, Tsubaki and Kazuha.

"Okay, okay, I'll go ask the female boss in charge right away. Please wait patiently."

[That monkey guy should have already compiled the secretly filmed video. Bring it over when you ask about the price, so we can use it during tomorrow's negotiations.]

Thinking this, Soshar rose from the cushion and strode to the sliding door. The two kimono-clad fox-fur female attendants opened the door, helped Soshar put on his leather shoes, and then left with him.

[I order you to prevent Soshar from seeing the contents of the recorded video. Just make him believe that it was recorded truthfully.]

After Lin Haiyuan issued a mandatory order to the monkey-like paparazzi who was far away through telepathic communication, he loosened his grip slightly so that Chun and He Ye, whom he had been holding, could relax a little.

At this moment, after learning that Soshar had left with two female fox servants in kimonos, Tsubaki and Kazuha immediately looked up at Rinkaihara.

"Lin Haiyuan, I remember that the price for redeeming prostitutes in places like this is extremely high. Can you really afford it?"

Kazuha cautiously inquired of Lin Haiyuan.

"If you really paid a lot of money for this, neither Kazuha nor I can come up with that much money to pay you back all at once..."

Chun didn't think that her meager income as a wandering knight would be enough to pay back the money others paid for them; they were already struggling to make ends meet.

A fox rubs itself, and life becomes more fun! But I'm just looking at the related illustrations.

I bought the Valentine's Day "Flying Together" gift pack this year. I've been working hard with Belfast since we got married, and now I'm only missing Sirius. The last person I need to choose for my all-white-haired wife lineup is Aurora.

Chapter 42 Trip to the Cherry Blossom Islands (17)

Oh my, these two girls are surprisingly reasonable. I thought they would use their feminine privileges, their arrogance, or their sweet talk to subtly ask me not to care about the money I paid to "redeem" them, or use the flimsy excuse that it was all my fault to avoid repaying the redemption money. I didn't expect them to honestly talk about this issue. But I didn't ask you to repay it anyway, so it doesn't matter.

“I never expected you to pay this money back. Actually, it doesn’t matter whether you pay it back or not.”

Lin Haiyuan waved his hand in front of them and said that if he wanted to get back part of the unexpected expenses, he could easily do so by using his mental abilities to do a little trick.

"We never even considered whether we should repay this money or not; it didn't matter whether we did or not?"

Chun suddenly felt herself being suppressed by the dazzling aura of a tycoon, making her unable to lift her head.

"Hey, hey, it can't be true, right? The cost of redeeming a prostitute in a place like this is no small amount. This is not the time to be modest."

Kazuha wiped away non-existent sweat from her face, glancing at him with an expression of utter disbelief at his tycoon-like demeanor.

"This is not modesty, but I have the ability to earn back that money, so I don't care. I also bear some responsibility for bringing you into this dangerous situation, and there are some reluctant reasons for me to pay for your money. However, since you still care, I have a request. Can you grant it?"

Lin Haiyuan had come up with a good idea about where to stay for tonight, but whether this good idea could be put into practice depended on whether one of the two girls would agree.

"Please tell me. If it is within my ability, I will do my best to do it."

Kazuha looked up with a curious expression and gaze at the upper half of Lin Haiyuan's face, which was always shrouded in light and shadow.

"Just like Kazuha, I will definitely agree as long as it's within my power."

Chun nodded and said that their words were watertight. Even if Lin Haiyuan made an embarrassing or impossible request, they would not refuse because they would lose face by patting their chests and agreeing without thinking.

“I just told that cunning old man that I wouldn’t stay in the room he provided, and that I would find a place to stay. But actually, I can’t find a place to stay in this unfamiliar place of the Eastern Prefect. The only locals I’m familiar with right now are the two of you. So… can I stay at one of your houses for a while?”

Lin Haiyuan had no desire for these two fox girls and cat girls to recommend an inn for him to stay in. Going to an inn, a place with many people and eyes, was not much different from staying at Huaxiao Tower.

[Let him stay at my and Kazuha's house for a while?! This...this is utterly shameless!]