CH 342

Originally, the Kingdom of Del, the host country, would be the one to entertain the visiting party. However, Ploiss has been saying that they would like to serve food at the dinner party before the diplomatic negotiations were to be held. Del had refused until they were shown today’s “demonstration,” since there was no way they could come out with a strong stance after seeing all that.

With no choice but to accept the request from Ploiss’s side, Del entered the event hall where preparations had been completed.

“Ooh……”

“So many things I’ve never seen before…”

The Delian attendees couldn’t hide their surprise when they saw the dishes already on display. A smell they’ve never inhaled before. The food they’ve never seen before. And…….

“What a beautiful plate.”

“This is… a transparent glass!?”

They look at the tableware lined up and be amazed. Even if you don’t know Hexen White Porcelain or glass cups, you can tell at a glance what the tableware is like. If these were to be sold in Del, the royal family and high-ranking nobles would all buy them, even if they had to gouge out their treasuries to do so.

It was an unreasonable advice to not have high expectations of tonight’s dinner party, just because of this. There were some who were not happy with Ploiss and their envoys, but the majority of them had greater expectations for the banquet than such things.

What do those dishes taste like? What kind of drink is the liquid being poured into these transparent vessels?

Expectations were high, and everyone entered the venue, and everything was ready for them. Drinks are distributed to everyone. A clear liquid is poured into the clear glass. Those who saw it thought it was water at first. A toast cannot be made with water. Some thought it was a little disappointing.

However… the high-ranking nobles and officials had other thoughts. “Sake” is only brought in small amounts from the Demon Country, which even they rarely drink. It’s very similar to that. If you check the scent a little, it’s obvious that it’s not water.

“I am grateful to have this opportunity today,” Flora said. “Unfortunately, the Kingdoms of Del and Ploiss have clashed with each other countless times in the past, but in this negotiation, we hope to change that conflict to a dialog, to overcome the weight of history, and from now on, hold hands in mutual benefit.”

So opens the head representative of the Ploissian delegation. Everyone listened to it, and then…

“Then let’s toast to the future friendship and prosperity of our two countries.”

“””””Cheers!”””””

Everyone picks up a glass and gently knocks them with each other.

“So good!”

“This is… that ‘alcohol’ of the Demon Country!”

“I can’t believe they can serve alcohol like this… What is the Kingdom of Ploiss like…?”

The people who finally noticed after having a drink started to talk. The secret liquor handed down from the Demon Country. This must be “sake”…

However, why is there such a large amount of alcohol in the Demon Country, isn’t it rarely circulated even in Del? They wonder if Ploiss has been doing so much trade with the Demon Country. But then Del should notice it at the border. If you trade in such a large amount, you should not notice it. What does it mean to say that they’ve never heard of such a thing?

“This is the liquor we made in our House,” Flora said. “The method of making it is very similar to the liquor of the Demon Country, no, it is almost the same, and it was made to remake it like the original product. So for tonight, please enjoy our sake to your heart’s content.”

The words add to the confusion. Ploiss makes alcohol from the Demon Country in their borders? Is that possible? They think so but have no choice but to believe as long as the evidence is right before them and in their hands.

“Ah, well then, I suppose I’ll have some of the dishes.”

“U-Umu. Indeed…”

If this alcohol originates from the Demon Country, does this food as well? However, the resident officers and diplomats of the Demon Country who were invited to this event were also surprised by the sake and looked at the offerings with curiosity. Perhaps these strange dishes are different from those of the Demon Country.

“What is this!? It stretches? Cheese? Pizza? … Delicious! I’ve never eaten anything like this before!”

So loudly cried one of the first who ate the dishes lined up on the banquet table. Hearing that, the other people suddenly became interested, too.

“What about this thin one? Potato Chips? … So crispy and addictive! It goes well with sake, too!”

“What about these brown lumps? Fried chicken? Uu! It’s soft on the inside, and the more you chew it, the more flavorful the meat becomes!”

Everyone started flocking to the food. The ministers and high-ranking nobles looked at them with cold eyes, but those who were not directly involved in the negotiations with Ploiss this time, and those who had already given up after seeing the demonstration of that ship were all just genuinely and casually enjoying the offered spread.

“The sake is certainly good, but… but the food tastes a little too strong. Do you eat something like this in Ploiss?”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take your fried chicken.”

“I, I didn’t say I didn’t want it!”

Even those who were critical of it ensured they managed to get their share.

“Does that mean that if we establish diplomatic relations with Ploiss, these items will come in…?”

As intended by Flora, those who were given the whip of the Caan Cannon Demonstration earlier that day were now filling their hearts with anticipation that things like these foods, alcohol, and tableware might be imported.

The next day, a table was immediately set up for negotiations with the delegation. At first, they were just going to tell them the conditions of Del as usual, and either have them silently pay the money or tell them to give up if they had no money to pay.

However, they can’t say that after seeing yesterday’s demonstration. The King and representatives of Del also understood that the country could tilt if they made a mistake here.

“So, let’s negotiate…”

“Please wait. Everyone seems a little nervous, so let’s have some tea before we start,” Flora said.

When Flora said so, wara, wara, and Ploissian servers poured in and started preparing tea. However, they noticed that the procedure and the aroma of the tea prepared were different from the usual green tea they were familiar with.

“This is……”

“This tea is called ‘black tea’, which is cultivated in our House and made with a new processing method. Please do try it,” Flora said.

At that, Flora confirmed the scent before taking a sip. The Delians also tried to imitate her.

“Thi-This is tea?!”

“A scent you’ve never smelled, a taste you’ve never tasted…”

“Once you have checked the aroma and taste and enjoyed it, you can change the flavor by adding these things to your liking. Honey, milk, sugar, and so on,” Flora said.

Hearing that, everyone is at a loss for words. None of these are so easily served. Honey and sugar are valuables even in Del. And milk is hard to come by.

The common sense and values of Del had completely collapsed, whether it was the drink called black tea or the things that were put into it. They can’t keep up with everything Flora does and says.

This is not a good opponent to compete with or oppose. It means the end of the country and themselves. They couldn’t believe the information that the Demon Country had “equal diplomatic standing” with them. Even Del themselves are not treated as equals to the Demon Country. They thought that a small country like Ploiss would not be treated any better than them.

But it was not so. They don’t know how Ploiss got something like this. Did the Demon Country support them? It may have been the flow of technology and supplies, nurturing it, and making it such a country of magnitude. It’s too mysterious unless you think so.

However…the only thing they know for sure…is that Ploiss is a country with national power that far surpasses Del, and that the Demon Country recognizes it as an equal state. In that case……, there is only one choice for Del. They bow their heads according to the orders of the demon liaisons. That was all there was to it.

Negotiations were concluded quickly. Ploiss’ demands are simple. In the future, they will set up a forum for regular diplomatic negotiations between the two countries, and ask for permission for Ploissian ships to pass through the Strait of Del.

When it comes to diplomatic negotiations, neither country can skip the Demon Country and decide things on its own. Del is practically a protectorate of the Demon Country. It is not permissible to conduct diplomacy with other countries over the Heads of the Demon Country

So, first of all, they will talk with Ploiss and the Demon Country, and then talk to Del with the result. In reality, rather than discussing with Del, they would probably only receive reports and orders, but even so, it would not be complete with just Ploiss and the Demon Kingdom, and Del would also be considered as part of it and be given consideration.

And regarding the right of passage through the strait, Ploiss has agreed to pay the passage fee itself. This has been consistent since the pre-negotiation stage. The problem was that Del was free to impose tariffs on ships that just passed through its waterways.

If a ship that neither landed nor unloaded and only passed through the strait, it was still subject to customs duties, so the costs would be absurd. In addition, paying multiple tariffs along the way will put you at a disadvantage in price competition and you will not be able to compete. Therefore, Ploiss insisted that tariffs should be imposed only on the products that are unloaded in Del.

Before this negotiation, Del was bullish, but thinking about what happened yesterday, they had no choice but to accept this condition. However, this condition only applies to ships and cargo belonging to Ploiss, so even if the ships belonging to other affiliations are subject to tariffs as before, it has nothing to do with Ploiss.

In reality, Del will only gain more income from Ploissian ships that have not passed through until now, but they will not actually lose anything. Others may want the tariffs to be abolished, but it would be easy for Del to suppress them.

That’s why the negotiations that reached an agreement in no time ended in the morning. Del, who was terrified of what kind of demands they would make, was almost appalled.

The negotiations are over, and the meal that was very popular last night will be served by Ploiss for today’s lunch as well. While the high-ranking officials and King Knut were relaxing in relief, they heard voices in the waiting room. It looks like it wasn’t closed properly and left ajar.

In the waiting room of the Ploissian delegation, they were attended by two soldiers, one male and one female, who were asked to entertain them. That male soldier, Bengt, is casually asking Flora something.

“If Del had not conceded at today’s meeting, would you have reduced Cobenhaven to ashes with those ships?”

“We won’t go that far,” Flora said. “We don’t want to involve the general public, either.”

As Flora didn’t know the structure of the meeting room and the waiting room beside it, she thought that the Delian representatives could no longer hear, so she answered honestly. The upper echelons of Del listened to his words.

“Then what were you going to do? Breaking through the strait while destroying any coastline settlements in your way?”

At Bengt’s question, the heads of office swallowed their spit and listened intently. After watching yesterday’s demonstration, it seems possible. No, it’s definitely possible. They can invade by force and pass through the strait while destroying the coastline. They have that much power.

“Absolutely not…….Even if we pass through like that, if we can’t resupply on the Hermann Sea side, we can’t do much. If that was the case, once we destroy the coastal area and the Royal Navy of Del, we’ll have to go back, resupply, and break through the strait again.”

“””””…”””””

At those words, everyone looked at each other. As for the words just now, the enemy’s supply lines is the weak point! But that’s not the important part. From what she said just now, Flora said that with those ten ships, she could annihilate Del’s navy, destroy the coastal areas, and secure safe passage. Moreover, she said, even without resupply, some operations are possible on the Hermann Sea’s side.

They took her too lightly. Even if there were ten of those ships, it would still be possible to fight if the Delian Navy used all its strength to fight… However, according to Flora, those ten ships would completely destroy them and the coastal areas of Del, and on top of that, she judged that there was still a surplus.

When they saw the attack that destroyed that derelict, they certainly trembled at its power. However, they also decided that there would be a limit to that attack. Then, if you keep fighting until the enemy’s attack runs out of supplies, you can sink that huge ship. In fact, the navy is now doing everything in its power to create a strategy to fight the Royal Navy of Ploiss based on that strategy.

However…, someone who knows the inner workings of that gigantic galleon ship has decided that even if Del’s navy is annihilated, even the coastal area will still be destroyed. That means their estimates of their strength were still too naive.

Flora doesn’t notice this. That’s why she can’t help but speak frankly.

The remaining Heads of Del left the place without being noticed by the Ploissian envoys. Then, after going down to the king’s waiting room, they finally released the breaths they were holding.

“I’m glad we didn’t choose to fight…”

“I wish it was all at least a bluff…”

Flora never threatened or threatened force at the negotiating table. In consideration of Del, the words were odd, but she responded in a “gentlemanly” fashion. And yet those words are behind it. Flora refrained from hardline negotiating because she thought that if she said something poorly, it would be taken as a threat or intimidation.

In other words, even that wasn’t serious yet. That’s why the negotiations were over, and when she thought that there was no one there anymore, her true intentions came out. They could clearly see that she was careful not to frighten them carelessly, just like an adult gently treats a baby so as not to hurt it.

“Fuu~… The Kamaal Alliance… will it end in my generation…?” King Knut said.

He stared into the void. There was no negative emotion such as hatred or anger, just a look of resignation.