The last time Richard and Neptune met, it was the time when he was invited by the fourth prince Parley to help him. Although it was only a brief meeting, Neptune was still deeply impressed by Richard, who was said to be arrogant and domineering at the time, and he recognized him at a glance.
Richard, it's just that times have changed. The last negotiation between the two parties could be said to be a reciprocal exchange, but this time he can only talk to Richard as a prisoner.
But what puzzled him was that, according to his understanding, the most powerful human being in the south should be the prince of the human kingdom, not the Richard in front of him. Although Richard was powerful enough at the time, in the eyes of Neptune, he should be considered a prince.
Tsukuru is just a subordinate of that human prince. Now looking at the respectful attitudes of several strong human beings around him, the shameless young man in front of him does not look like a high-ranking human general, but more like a lord.
.
The Sea Tribe's understanding of humans is indeed extremely one-sided, and the update of information is also quite backward. Their understanding of humans is only obtained from some human nobles who have some trade relations with them, and what they know about humans is also the southern corner of the human kingdom.
Richard, who dominates the Northland, has almost no understanding.
But soon, Catherine on the side answered Neptune's doubts.
"This is the guardian of the North and the River Valley of the Golden Dragon Kingdom, the King of the North, the double patron of the creation dragon god Asha and the dragon of light Elrath, the only remnant of the North, the River Valley and Erathia.
The object of allegiance is Sir Richard Hunter."
"Jie Jie, there is also the blessing of Namtaru, the Lord God of the Undead."
Catherine introduced Richard's identity to Neptune like she was announcing the name of a dish. Sandro who followed beside him also added Namtaru's name, for fear of losing this great master.
After hearing this long list of titles, Neptune was actually a little confused. Neptune, who had no understanding of the world of Erathia, heard that Asha, Elrath and Namtaru were like ceilings in the world of Heroes.
Shi basically didn't react at all. After all, he didn't know how powerful these gods were.
Moreover, he often claimed to be a subject of Poseidon. After talking for so long, he had never seen Poseidon come out to protect him. He had no idea that the kind of care that Catherine and Sandro mentioned was not the kind of spiritual comfort.
Favor, it's the kind of favor that doesn't brag at all, gives you all the benefits, and even goes out to help in person.
However, Neptune still understood the first few titles. He was the ruler of the northern part of mankind and the king alongside the king. Although it was not clear why this existence traveled through the entire human kingdom to the southernmost point to come to have trouble with him, he vaguely felt that
I seem to have grasped something important.
"King of the Ocean, Gremy Pose, greets the King of the North."
Regardless of whether he knew where the Northland and the River Valley were, after Catherine introduced him, Neptune still bowed his head slightly to Richard and expressed respect, but he still did not kneel down to beg for mercy and maintained a certain dignity.
Richard didn't care about the attitude of the Sea King. He knew that although the Sea Clan suffered a huge defeat this time, they were still far from being convinced. With the population of the Sea Clan, the lost troops could be replenished very quickly.
If Sea King hadn't been captured this time, even if the million-strong army was wiped out, it would be difficult for him to make the Sea Tribe surrender and complete his mission.
The key to the mission still falls on the Sea King in front of him.
"Dear Sir Richard, this time I admit that we failed. I don't know what price my family will have to pay before you can let me go."
Neptune was not complacent. He took the initiative to negotiate with Richard before he could speak. This can be seen from the fact that when he was first captured, he wanted to negotiate terms with Catherine for his release.
The Sea King is somewhat anxious to return to the Sea Tribe. Although his position as Sea King is stable, he cannot disappear for a long time. A defeat costs the lives of a large number of warriors. If he is detained for a long time, he may lose his throne.
Although Neptune's mind is flexible and his methods are not weak, he is still a little impatient. Compared with old silver coins like Prince Pare and King Ren on land, he is more than a step behind in the city.
When Neptune asked this question, Richard felt confident in his heart. As long as you still want to live and are still greedy for your own power, then the conditions are easy to negotiate. He is afraid of meeting someone with a strong backbone who is bent on sacrificing himself for the interests of the Sea Clan.
If he is the kind of ruler who swears not to cooperate with humans, then Richard will probably be caught blind.
"I want the Sea Clan not to harass any ships in the future, nor to interfere with any construction activities in Harbor City. Human beings can move freely in the clam field and are not allowed to enter within fifty miles of Harbor City. They will provide me with a certain number of sea treasures every year..."
"Can!"
Richard made a long list of conditions that sounded very unequal, but Sea King agreed immediately. At worst, he would turn a blind eye to the human city in Bangchang and just return to the previous state. Now he just wants to return to the sea.
, stabilize one's position.
It's just that Richard spent so much effort, how could he only get this little benefit?
He immediately continued:
"Submit to me on behalf of the Sea Clan, and tell me the locations of all the Sea Clan's clam farms. I heard that your Sea Clan has three major clam farms and more than ten small clam farms. Except for this clam farm in the South China Sea, all other clam farms,
I also need my garrison..."
"no!"
As soon as Richard finished speaking, the Sea King immediately shouted. He just wanted not to harass human ships and acquiesced to the existence of humans in the South China Sea clam field. Anyway, that was a fait accompli. Besides, he could completely return to the sea after returning to the sea.
Just go back on your word. Anyway, the treaties signed these days are about the same as toilet paper in the toilet. No one except dwarves, a straight and cute race, will care.
Sending some treasures from the sea is also a trivial matter for the Sea Clan. Pearls and colored corals, which are relatively precious in the human world, are found in many oceans. They are basically easily accessible to the Sea Clan. Give them to Richard.
It’s okay to give some as gifts.
But Richard wanted him to surrender on behalf of the Sea Clan, and also asked him to tell the detailed locations of other clam fields and garrison troops, which was difficult for the Sea King to accept.
Surrendering to humans on behalf of the Sea Clan would greatly damage his prestige as the King of the Sea. Exposing all the locations of the clam field and allowing humans to garrison would be equivalent to humans taking control of all the breeding places of the Sea Clan. This would be equivalent to human beings really
He put a rope around Hai Clan's neck.
When Neptune heard this, he immediately refused excitedly.
"We can add more treasures. We will not interfere with your actions in the South China Sea and ensure that human ships are not attacked on the sea. We can even help rescue humans who are in shipwrecks, but surrender and the Benchang garrison are absolutely unacceptable.
…”
Negotiation should really be a process of demanding high prices and paying back the money, but Neptune made a mistake. This is not a reciprocal negotiation. He is now negotiating with the other party as a prisoner.
Only if Richard is willing to give him dignity can he be qualified to stand and talk to Richard. If Richard doesn't give him dignity, he can have someone hold his head and make him kneel on the ground to talk.
Richard stared at the excited Neptune with a hint of ridicule on his face.
"Your Majesty Neptune, haven't you understood the situation yet?"
"I'm just informing you, just agree. If you want to continue to be your Neptune, I suggest you accept my conditions."
Although Richard did not deliberately humiliate Neptune, his attitude was very tough and he had no intention of accepting Neptune's counter-offer.
The two sides were in a stalemate like this for several minutes, and the atmosphere was slightly tense. Richard just stared at Neptune, his power becoming more and more powerful. The elite swordsmen on both sides unconsciously raised their swords, as if they were just waiting.
Richard was about to kill Neptune at the first command.
In an instant, Neptune's pressure doubled, and his eyes that were originally looking directly at Richard began to dodge unconsciously.
"But…"
"There is nothing wrong with it. There is only one choice before you, and that is to unconditionally agree to my conditions."
"After that, I will hand over all the prisoners to you, as well as the generals around you, so that you will have enough power to continue to control the royal court."
"If you don't want to cooperate, your generals will always find someone who is willing to cooperate. I heard that there are a few people named Bose among the people you brought this time. The most I can do is make it more troublesome. I will interrogate them one by one, and I can always bring them to justice.
Find out the location. As for His Majesty the Sea King, if you don't cooperate, you will only be a prisoner in the future, not a Sea King."
Although that is said, if Neptune really does not cooperate, it will be a troublesome matter for Richard. There are indeed several royal families among the prisoners this time, but whether they are willing to cooperate is one thing. Even if they are willing to cooperate,
Yes, they don't have the prestige of the Sea King. If they are asked to declare their surrender, it's hard to say whether the system will recognize the Sea Clan's surrender.
As for the slow search for the remaining clam farms of the Sea Clan, it is even more troublesome. The current clam farm where Harbor City is located is the only clam farm that humans know the specific location of. The remaining clam farms don’t even have a general direction, and the ocean is extremely vast.
Whether Richard had satellites or reconnaissance planes, it would be quite difficult to find the Hai Clan clam farm in the vast expanse of sea.
Even for the sea tribe themselves, most of them can only find one or two clam farms that they are familiar with. Richard needs to find other sea tribes to lead the way. Other sea tribes may not be able to find all the clam farms and know the detailed locations of all the clam farms.
There are only a few high-level officials of the Sea Tribe, including the Sea King for sure.
Richard doesn't have much time to spend on the sea. Neptune's willingness to cooperate is definitely the easiest way for Richard.
Although Richard spoke in a strong tone, he basically explained the pros and cons to Neptune. To put it bluntly, if Neptune wants to continue to maintain his power and wealth, he has to betray the interests of the Sea Clan a little. Obviously Neptune is not a righteous existence. Looking at the sky
After hesitating for a moment, he asked the first question.
"How many soldiers were captured by you?"
"There should be ten thousand patrol guards wearing armor like that. There are at least fifty or sixty thousand without armor. There are still many scattered around the clam field. My men are clearing them out. If the Sea King cooperates with us earlier,
, maybe their number can be higher.”
"As for the bloodline warriors, more than fifty people have surrendered. There should be quite a few who are still running away and resisting. There are also some surviving priests who are now being detained."
Although there were more lower-level sea warriors captured and scattered, Richard did not even mention ordinary sea warriors. What status they have in the heart of the Sea King. Richard knew very well that even if all these lower-level warriors died, it is estimated that
Neptune wouldn't feel too distressed, but these armored patrol guards and bloodline warriors would be Neptune's heart.
As long as these warriors and trusted generals reunite under the command of the Sea King, other Sea Kings dare not say anything. At least they can guarantee that he will continue to sit in the position of the Sea King and lead the Sea Clan after this defeat. Other tribes and royal families will not dare to do anything.
Other ideas.
"Roar!"
The giant dragon in the sky roared at the right time, attracting Neptune's attention. Looking at the dozen giant dragons in the sky, and thinking about the human warriors who captured him, Neptune finally made a decision.
, opened his mouth and said to Richard:
"I accept your conditions, but I also have one condition."
"Tell me?"
"It was Lord Richard, the King of the North, who defeated me, not the human kingdom. I hope I surrender to you, not the human kingdom."
"hehe"
Richard smiled, with a playful smile on his face.
Neptune's request has only two effects. One is to maintain a bit of dignity like a cover-up, and at least there is room to explain to the inside why he surrenders to the King of the North, not humans. Let's change the concept and give himself a
steps.
Secondly, he does not submit to the human kingdom, but only to Richard. This is somewhat intended to sow discord between Richard and the kingdom.
It's just that he has no idea about the difficulties the kingdom is currently facing, let alone how powerful the North is.
In Richard's eyes, his provocation was just a very boring trick.
"Can."
However, Richard didn't care at all. He basically agreed to the other party's little calculation without any hesitation.
The next step is for very professional people to confirm the location of the clam field with Sea King, and then send the fleet and flying units out to confirm.
At this point, the affairs of the Sea Clan can basically be considered to have been successfully completed. As long as the location of the clam field is investigated and the Sea King prostrates himself on the ground and declares his surrender, the task should be completed...
