Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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Even if the child can tell that he and "Ronan" are not the same person, wouldn't he be instinctively afraid?

Ronan looked over expectantly, hoping that Dinia would bring the little girl over.

To Ronan's surprise, the little girl glanced at Dinia, shook her head, and then, running and swimming through the water, pounced on Ronan and grabbed his leg.

"Wow," Ronan was also taken aback.

Little did he know that the little girl was following the middle-aged man's last instructions before he disappeared. Moreover, in her eyes, the white-haired, red-eyed Dinia was simply a monster, with no sense of friendliness whatsoever. The only person present who seemed reassuring was the black-haired, black-eyed Ronan.

What he didn't know was that this middle-aged man had become the little girl's older brother.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright now. The bad guys have been chased away by your uncle, oh no, your brother," Ronan comforted her. He wanted to call himself uncle, but when the words came out, he felt it was a bit inappropriate to call a little girl uncle, so he decided against it.

"Mmm," the little girl hummed in agreement.

Seeing this, the others could only sigh helplessly. Well, now this little girl is completely stuck in the Kingdom of Phos.

If it were another country, or even another person, or even if several seventh-tier cultivators hadn't left, they would never have accepted defeat so easily. But now there's no other way but to accept it.

"Since there are more of us, we'll take the seashells away. We can discuss how to distribute them once we get back to the surface."

Emperor Antolo spoke first. He couldn't take the little girl with him. He could only tell himself that she wasn't the one he wanted in the first place. The key was the seashell and the beads inside.

Ronan looked at the seashell.

The rough, frosted shell looked very much like, or rather, made of, the white sand of the celestial realm. As for the beads inside, he didn't know what they were, but could only guess from their aura that they were related to magic. Judging from Emperor Antoro's attitude, the real thing was very important.

What was important to this ambitious emperor was nothing more than anything that could enhance military strength.

High-ranking mages don't participate in wars, so this thing must be related to low-ranking mages.

However, since he had already taken the little girl with him, it wasn't convenient to argue about it anymore. "I think it's fine," Ronan said.

Ronan has said there are no problems, so there's nothing anyone else can say about the issues.

Afterwards, Faith and the hunchbacked old man Hyman led the way, and the group left the underground ruins.

In fact, Ronan knew that this water world was not a real relic left by otherworldly beings. The reason was simple: how could a real relic not have any "advanced technology"? Real relic would either be on the water or underground, definitely not here.

However, with so many people around, time is tight, and we have a child with us, it's really not the right time to go on an exploration.

Before long, the group returned to the pyramid and soon walked out.

The thousands of kneeling undead outside have turned into sand and stone statues. Many of the outermost ones have been completely blown away by the wind, turning into bluish-gray sand grains floating on the surface of the surrounding sand. Only the innermost layer, where the pyramids block the wind, still retains its incomplete form. It has not been completely weathered, but it is a fragile existence that will be blown away by the wind.

These living dead are completely dead.

Without a doubt, this was done by that "Ronan," but we don't know what his purpose was in doing such a thing.

The group did not intend to leave immediately, but instead planned to go to Cairo first.

Soon, they arrived in Cairo, where order had been initially restored.

But outside the city, the atmosphere was even more tense than when the undead were wandering around.

The armies of Biria and Suleiman were facing off not far away. The Papacy's Knights of the Apostolic had also arrived, as had Suleiman's own elite forces, and the people of Weyland who had carried out the arrangements were also there.

Further north, at the port, there were fleets from various countries.

It is foreseeable that a negotiation involving multiple countries, two religions, and impacting the entire Mediterranean situation will inevitably take place.

"Everyone, you must be tired. How about we go into the city and rest?"

The Egyptian governor came over and said.

With such a big incident, if Pasha doesn't handle the aftermath properly, it won't be as simple as just losing his position.

"Yes," Emperor Antoro was the first to respond.

Since he had already expressed his opinion, the others naturally agreed.

The leading group temporarily moved into Cairo, while their respective factions temporarily stationed themselves outside the city. Everything depended on the outcome of negotiations before a decision could be made on the next steps.

Chapter 507: The Green Party Still Scolds People, Diplomatic Strategies, and the Little Girl's Background

The Suleiman Empire, putting aside everything else, was absolutely the leader among the Western Continent countries in the field of slave training, exterminating these scoundrels until not a trace remained.

On Ronan's side, there were two women, an old man, a man, and a child, a total of five people, who were given a very large and luxurious villa. They even arranged for eight male servants and twelve female servants to come. Three of the male servants and two of the female servants could speak fluent French.

Their quality alone is off the charts.

As for their skills in serving others, let's not even talk about it. Just their eyesight alone is far superior to that of the court servants in the Kingdom of Phos. Ronan couldn't help but sigh that the people in the capital were all unruly and had such poor service awareness.

Have you ever seen a maid who sleeps in late in the morning and sneaks out to play in the garden during work hours? Have you ever seen a male servant who dares to complain to the king about his poor treatment and demands tips for doing favors? Ronan has seen it all, not just once, and not just one.

All I can say is that old-fashioned feudal countries like Suleiman were better. Kings and emperors were nothing compared to the sultan.

If the Sultanate succession hadn't been so "involutionary," it would truly be a case of not trading it for any emperor.

To be honest, Ronan even wanted to bring a few people back to provide some technical assistance to the kingdom's court.

After a slightly greasy dinner with various flatbreads, roasted meats, and plenty of spices, Ronan called Dinia aside to discuss the upcoming negotiations.

The little girl was also there, and she was now completely clinging to Ronan.

"If there are no unforeseen circumstances, the negotiations will mainly focus on two issues: first, the ceasefire between Bilia and Suleiman, and second, how the shell will be distributed."

Ronan began to analyze.

"The issue of a ceasefire can be discussed in a way that is easy to resolve, or it can be discussed in a way that is difficult to resolve. The war itself is beyond fighting, and both sides can simply withdraw their troops and that would be the end of it. But the fear is that both sides will use this as a bargaining chip and insist on getting involved in the distribution of the shells."

“‘The City of Victory’ is Cairo, which is, after all, Suleiman’s territory. If the things dug up from his territory were just ordinary things, he wouldn’t care. After all, Suleiman’s current focus is on the struggle with the Empire in the Balkans. Stirring things up here is just to make things difficult for Villa, and he doesn’t want a full-scale conflict with these filial sons of God the Father.”

“But those beads inside the shell are connected to the magician, and Suleiman can’t possibly do without them.”

"If we can unite the filial sons, that would be fine. The problem is we're not united, heh heh."

As Ronan was talking, he started laughing at himself.

There's no way around it; heretics are more hateful than pagans. The conflict between Catholic and Protestant countries is irreconcilable.

Ronan continued, "Unsurprisingly, based on my analysis..." Before he could finish, Dinia kicked him, interrupting him.

“Are you crazy? Speak like a human being,” Dinia said.

“Alright, to put it simply, this time we have to stand with the Weylanders, and to some extent, we also have to take care of the Suleimans, and stand on the opposite side of that emperor and Villa.” Ronan said it directly.

The reason it is said to be on the opposite side of the emperor is because the emperor cannot represent the empire, just as the Holy Roman Emperor of the Harburg family in another timeline cannot represent the Holy Roman Empire.

This round of negotiations has a hint of a "thirty years' war" in it.

“Hmm…” Dinia did not give a direct answer.

This was within Ronan's expectations. Dinya didn't take the church seriously and didn't act like a believer at all. All of Ronan's women were like that, but apart from Elena, who was a heretic, everyone else was actually religious, and Dinya was no exception.

Moreover, he is more faithful than most people, unlike those in the church who are all "hypocrites".

The "Seven Saints' Teaching" is just like Christianity. Christianity is the "Way" of Europe, while other philosophies and sciences are just "techniques." It's the same as Confucianism being the Way of Seres, something that many intellectuals superficially disregard but which is actually ingrained in their very being.

If Seris were released, Dinia would be considered a "true Confucian." Could a true Confucian allow a barbarian to have their own "Way"? Impossible. Therefore, in Dinia's mind, Suleiman, a barbarian who claimed to have his own "Way," was unforgivable and had to be destroyed.

"Didi, the Empire is our enemy, and an irreconcilable one at that."

Ronan said.

He wasn't just making things up; there was evidence to support his claims.

This is another historical issue. Simply put, the founder of the dynasty more than 300 years ago, Hollande, was a "German," but he not only did not completely "de-Germanize," he also did not truly "Frenchize" himself, because he changed the "French Code," which is the "Sacley Code" of this world.

One very important clause in the code was that women had no right to inherit land. Oranus changed this clause, but did not delete it; he simply made it ambiguous.

It was precisely because he changed this rule that Ambrina was able to become queen; otherwise, she would not have been able to inherit the throne.

Interestingly, the Empire and Villa still implemented such laws, just like Austria and Spain in another timeline, where conflicts between male heirs from collateral branches and female heirs from direct branches of the throne also led to wars.

Returning to reality, neither Villa nor the Empire of Will has officially recognized Ambrina as the legitimate queen, nor has it denied it.

This is absolutely unforgivable for Ronan.

Damn it, how dare you make sarcastic remarks about my wife not being a legitimate queen? I'll get you sooner or later.

"Alright, then what do you suggest we do?"

After some consideration, Dinia agreed with Ronan's opinion.

“We’ll say we don’t want those beads, but we support Willand. Suleiman wants them, it’s that simple,” Ronan replied.

Only by becoming someone "unrelated to interests" can one be qualified to be a "rational and objective person," and only a "rational and objective person" can easily "take sides."

"Really not?"

"Dinia asked."

Ronan smiled slightly, "Ha, just have Willand distribute some of it afterward."

Dinia nodded, stood up, and said goodbye, "That's all for now, I'll head back first."

With the business concluded, Ronan looked at the little girl beside him and said, "I'm sorry, I was so busy with my own things that I haven't even asked your name yet."

The little girl, dressed in a Suleiman-style long robe with a headscarf, replied, "My name is Zhao Yingqi, Ying as in hero and Qi as in unicorn."

"How old? Where are you from?" Ronan asked again.

"Seven years old, from the capital, but I came to the Eastern India Military Camp when I was three," the little girl replied.

The Xingyingfu was a concession, a colony of the Celestial Empire's unique characteristics.

"Oh, I know. It's getting late, you should go to sleep," Ronan said.

"Aren't you going to ask me who I am?" Zhao Yingqi retorted to Ronan.

“The middle-aged man who came to your rescue was very strong, and you, a young girl, encountered such an unbelievable situation, yet you didn’t scream or shout at all. You calmed down in just half a day and were even able to speak clearly with me, a Western barbarian. It’s obvious that your background is quite extraordinary.”

To be honest, this young lady Zhao is much better than Ronan's two unruly kids. I don't know how panicked those two would be in this situation.

Chapter 508 Some people made a fortune while others lost money; returning home and making arrangements.

The negotiations did not drag on for long; they ended in a day.

The final result was that both Villa and Suleiman agreed to an unconditional ceasefire and withdrawal of their troops.

The beads inside the shell were divided among Willand, the Empire, and Suleiman, each owning one-third. The Empire took the shell, arguing that Willand was the guide, the Empire contributed the most, and the beads were dug out on Suleiman's territory.

Of course, all these reasons are nonsense; it's the result of a power struggle and an exchange of interests.

None of the three parties actually made a profit; in fact, they could even be said to have lost money.

The Wieland people themselves have invested a tremendous amount of effort in this place. If they hadn't poured more than a decade of hard work into it, would the Wieland people have been able to act as guides? Moreover, they secretly promised to give the Kingdom of Phos a share of the beads, but in reality, they didn't even receive a third of them.

We lost a lot of money.

The empire didn't make any money; he had to give some to the Papacy, some to Villa, and some to Venaya.

It was a small loss, but the emperor felt he had lost a lot.

He, the emperor himself, came here, and this is the result?

Antoro's resolve to unify the empire, achieve great things, and then ruthlessly punish the French traitors and the Weyland pirates only grew stronger. One day, he would stain the Seine with blood, bombard London, and send Ronan and Gene, the two worst of the worst, to the guillotine and the gallows, respectively.

Suleiman didn't make any money either. It's simple: the military operation failed, Alexandria was half-destroyed, and Cairo suffered heavy losses due to the undead.

Although we were given beads, it's still uncertain whether we can research anything with them.

Then there's Villa, which was a small loss.

The fact that they could get a share of the beads also achieved their strategic objective: curbing Suleiman's expansion of power in the Mediterranean and ensuring national defense security.

However, they did not gain any advantage in this negotiation, especially being slightly outmaneuvered by their maritime rival, Wieland, and their land rival, the Kingdom of Fas, which was quite frustrating.

Venaya and the Vatican didn't lose out at all; they came all this way and took some beads back with them.

The only ones who really made money were the French.

Ronan took Zhao Yingqi, the only possible person in the know, and was also able to get some beads from Wieland to take back for research. Moreover, he secretly reached an agreement with Suleiman that Suleiman would purchase bone china and porcelain from the Kingdom of Fas in the future, and sell tea from the East to the Kingdom of Fas at preferential prices.

Following the principle of winning and running away quickly to avoid any unforeseen complications, Ronan and his group fled the next morning.

Anyway, with Ronan and Dinia's magic combined, they could fly back to the capital from here in half a day at full speed.

Stefan didn't leave immediately. He had promised the others that he would share his insights on extending lifespan with them.

As evening fell, they returned to the capital, and Kate left the group on her own.

Ronan took Zhao Yingqi back to the palace to report the situation to Ambrina. Dinia first went to give some instructions to the ministers of other departments, and then returned to give the bead to the Technical Research Department of the Ministry of the Interior so that they could begin to study it.

Inside the palace, Ronan quickly finished recounting his adventure inside the pyramids and began talking about the water world inside the gate.

"Another you?" Ambrina looked incredulous.