176 Chapter 176: Business Discussion

After recovering from his initial shock and disbelief, Roland couldn't help but burst out laughing. Cecilia patiently waited for him to stop, watching as he clutched his sides and doubled over, unable to prevent himself from erupting into guffaws.

"YOU got rejected?! The stellar princess of the Global Federation? One of the most beautiful women in the world? The most competent, talented, strongest and skillful woman, rejected by a commoner? How in the world…?!"

"He had someone else he loved," Cecilia replied guardedly, but there was a tinge of grief in her eyes. She had heard of Alicia's death, and was heartbroken by it. More than anyone else, she probably understood the emotional pain I was going through.

"Ah, I see…he must really love that lucky girl a lot, if he was able to resist your charm and beauty to stay true to her. Not many men can do that."

"Richard is certainly exceptional," Cecilia agreed with a shrug. "And what he has achieved over the last few months are nothing short of impressive. But he's not the most talented or charismatic. We are not short on competent and powerful young men in the Global Federation." She smiled slyly. "Or the world. You are one such example, even if you're not part of the Federation."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me."

"You deserve the praise," Cecilia said mildly. "Now, shall we proceed to business?"

In actual fact, they didn't. They ended up first proceeding to a sumptuous dinner that was prepared by the finest chefs in Southampton City. After their meal, Cecilia invited Roland toward her garden, where they slowly strolled across the lawn and into a patio. Maids were already preparing tea and sweet desserts, laying them across the pristine table under the majestic, umbrella-shaped shelter. The two of them took their seats, with Roland lounging back in a relaxed manner while Cecilia sipped her cup of tea in a dignified posture.

"That was a great meal!" Roland exclaimed, rubbing his stomach and grinning. "The Global Federation really has the most delicious foods in the world!"

"I am glad that our family chef's menu was able to suit your palate," Cecilia said with a smile. "I can ask him to pass your chef the recipe if you so desire."

"Nah, no need for that. My family doesn't have a chef. My mother…the empress, cooks her own meals for us."

"Oh?" Cecilia raised an eyebrow in surprise. That wasn't something she expected. She had imagined the imperial family of Amazerian Empire to have their own army of servants, chefs and staff. "She must be an excellent chef."

"Good enough for me," Roland replied with a grin, and then dropped his voice into a whisper. "Just between you and me, she's nowhere as good as your family chef."

"Is that so?" Cecilia maintained her polite smile.

"Yeah. Anyway, enough about my family. Let's proceed to the main topic. I want to get this done and over with, so that I can return to exploring the Federation during my limited stay here." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

"I can assign a tour guide," Cecilia began, but Roland shook his head.

"Nah, I prefer to explore the Federation by myself. It's more fun and less restrictive that way. I don't want anyone telling me where I should go."

"I see. But if there is any place in particular that you want to go to, please let me know."

Anyone else would be thrown off by Roland's seemingly random pace and constant sidetracking from the main point, but Cecilia played the political game evenly, entertaining him at every turn and staying absolutely patient.

Recognizing that he wouldn't be able to wear down Cecilia's guard, Roland decided to just tackle her straight-on.

"All right…you probably already know what I want."

Cecilia nodded, not denying it. Trade and commerce was a warfare on its own. It was vital to gather intelligence on the opponent, review one's own assets and limits, and conceal one's hand for as long as possible. Just like in a match, the two participants in a negotiation would circle around each other at first, probing for any gaps in defense, any lapse in attention, before attempting an attack. Even though she couldn't know for sure what Roland was talking about, Cecilia had to at least put on the appearance that she did, or the opponent would sense a weakness and exploit it. In any case, she had been well prepared and thus she highly suspected that she knew what Roland was looking for.

"The Empire will definitely pay a good price for it," Roland continued with a brilliant grin. "As we always do."

"Yes, you have been an outstanding trade partner," Cecilia agreed noncommittedly. "We have no worries regarding that front. I have absolute trust that you will be fair again."

"Ah, of course."

The two of them began to spar verbally, and obviously I wasn't going to launch into the details. What, you want me to waste an entire chapter on trade negotiations? Why should I care if Roland wanted the mana cannons or whatever technology that the Federation possessed? It had absolutely nothing to do with me or the story, not unless I was dragged into some stupid global conspiracy later, and even then it mattered not whether the Empire bought the technology from the Federation or not. Instead of wasting the readers' time on boring dialogue, I was going to use my protagonist's privilege to skip straight to the actual plot.

"Thank you for indulging my selfish request."

Roland was saying that almost an hour later, after the two conducted a lengthy negotiation regarding trade of technology in return for raw materials and resources. Cecilia shook her head, meeting his gaze evenly.

"Not at all. I think it's very reasonable. I will talk to my uncle and make the arrangements as soon as possible. We should be able to ship the cannons in less than a week."

"Amazing. As expected of the Stuart clan…you really are fast and efficient." Roland grinned in a charming fashion. "Even in the Empire, we've heard legends of your beauty, Cecilia. But now that I've personally met you, I think your intelligence is even more impressive than your appearance. Frankly, I've never met an outstanding woman like you."

"Surely you jest," Cecilia giggled, certain that Roland was exaggerating. Even so, she was inwardly delighted. She was honestly sick of people complimenting her on nothing but her beauty, and it was refreshing when someone held one of her other characteristics in high regard. "But I'm happy to hear your praise all the same."

"Just saying the truth." Roland was also satisfied, especially since he had achieved the objective that he came here for. Not that he ever doubted for a second that he wouldn't. Roland was an experienced politician, if anything.

Cecilia nodded before she smoothly diverted the attention away from herself.

"You are also pretty amazing yourself, your excellency." She studied him. "I see that you're a warrior, and the power you exude is extremely potent. I presume that your Excellency also practices some form of martial arts? Perhaps we should exchange a few pointers. I hope that I'll be able to learn something from the Amazerian Empire's combat style."

"I'm afraid there's nothing that we can teach you." Roland laughed. "Even from so far away, we of the Empire have heard of the reputation of the Stuart Clan. The Franklin family is number one in swordsmanship, the Solomon Clan is number one in magic, but the Stuart Clan combines the best of both worlds. Many of our warriors are envious of your legendary Stuart Sword style that combines wood magic with deadly blade work. It is us who have to learn from you."

"Not at all."

Cecilia lowered her head humbly, but Roland was not buying it. Instead he turned toward his men, who were shadowing him from a distance away.

"Alas, as much as I wish to fight, I don't think it's appropriate." Inwardly, he didn't want to be responsible for injuring the princess and successor of the Stuart clan, which would cause all sorts of political and diplomatic trouble, so he found an excellent way of deflecting it while still allowing both parties to save face as well as display the combat skills that he wanted to see. "Among my bodyguards, Elem is the best at close combat. If possible, I would like you to personally offer him some pointers."

Before Cecilia could reply, one of her subordinates spoke up. A middle-aged man who had served as one of the Stuart Security agency's guards, formerly a subordinate of the currently missing Yuan Dao Yue Guang, rose to his feet.

"If I may…"

Cecilia nodded to show her consent. The man bowed gratefully before continuing.

"I might not be the strongest among Miss Cecilia's subordinates, but I have a little experience with the sword. If you do not mind, I wish to receive several pointers from the best of the Amazerian Empire."

Cecilia originally intended on trying to find out how strong the Empire was, an intention that was dashed when Roland rejected her request. The crown prince had seen through her thinly veiled intentions and refused to play the game with her. Even if they were trusted trade partners, they weren't exactly buddies. Therefore it would be stupid to show one's hand and demonstrate the full extent of one's military might before an outsider.

Still, the chance to witness the prowess of one of Roland's elite bodyguards would still be beneficial. No doubt this Elem was among the best that they had, and witnessing his might would enable a relatively accurate estimation of the Empire's strength. After all, surely the Empire wouldn't send their weakest warriors to protect their crown prince in a foreign land.

Therefore Cecilia nodded in agreement.

As everyone was already in the garden, there were no objections to holding the match in the courtyard. Cecilia and Roland remained where they were, in the garden patio, while their subordinates spread out and created a large space for the match to be held in.

Daniel Edwards took a deep breath as he stepped forward, loosening his tie and shrugging off his business jacket. He reached for his device and activated it, transforming the originally tiny machine into a massive sword that was almost as long as he was tall. Despite its sheer bulk and immense weight, Daniel held it aloft effortlessly, as if it weighed no more than a feather. Rolling his shoulders back, Daniel eased the tension in his body and raised his head to study his opponent.

Elem was also wearing a suit like him, but unlike Daniel, he had disregarded the use of a tie, having left the top button of his white shirt unbuttoned and his jacket hanging wildly on his shoulders. It figured. With a prince who dressed in little more than casual summer clothing frequently seen on a tropical island rather than a formal business conference, the bodyguards were pretty relaxed with their attire as well.

Unlike Daniel, Elem didn't have such a hi-tech device. Instead, he possessed a slender sword that was about half his height. Compared to the grizzled appearance of an experienced veteran like Daniel, Elem resembled a child, looking no older than twenty. An innocent smile was plastered into his face as he scrutinized his much larger opponent excitedly.

…no need to read the next chapter. We already all know who was going to win this fight. And surely some reader was going to complain about me using a common and frankly lazy trope in this sort of stories.

Why do I even bother?