Anbaixiu chatted with Sares all through the night. Only when the old man grew so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open did Anbaixiu finally let him go back to sleep. By then, dawn was already breaking across the sky.
A whole night of idle conversation had done more than just safely steer clear of that mysterious dark power—it had also allowed Anbaixiu to glean quite a few details regarding the dream ritual.
By now, he could basically confirm that the Dream Barrier and the dream ritual were fundamentally the same thing. More precisely, they belonged to the same magical system, merely tweaked to alter certain effects.
Even so, he had failed to pry out the prayer used to enter Nature's Dream. Anbaixiu had not dared press too deliberately, lest he arouse Sares's suspicions. The next morning, word arrived from the Druid Council: an Archdruid would come in person to discuss cooperation between the two nations.
Ariel was thrilled upon hearing the news, thinking they would finally get to negotiate with the druids.
Anbaixiu, however, merely sighed upon hearing it. "Don't hold your breath. These druids clearly have no desire to talk with us."
Ariel asked in confusion, "Huh? Why do you say that? Didn't they send someone to negotiate?"
"We came representing the Raging Tide Kingdom to discuss cooperation, and you are a royal princess, the heir to the next king. Yet they only sent a single druid out to meet us instead of inviting us into the Emerald Dream High Tower to face all the members of the Druid Council. That borders on an outright insult."
Ariel simply lacked experience. Unlike an old fox of several centuries like Anbaixiu, she could not read the druids' attitude from such subtle details. The rift between the Raging Tide Kingdom and the Emerald Dream Forest was even deeper than Anbaixiu had imagined; despite arriving with such fanfare, they couldn't even secure an ordinary audience.
Still, Anbaixiu did not care all that much. His mission was just an excuse anyway; whether the talks succeeded or fell through hardly affected him.
It was Ariel who grew anxious. She desperately wanted to make these peace talks happen. If they could reconcile with the druids and open up cooperation between the two nations, it would bring immense benefits to a destitute place like the Raging Tide Kingdom. Moreover, after the "smooth" cooperation with the Silent Night Pirates last time, Ariel had developed quite a taste for conquering the world with words alone.
"Then what do we do now? The druids aren't willing to cooperate—are we supposed to just give up?" Ariel looked into Anbaixiu's eyes, her face full of anticipation.
Surely this commander-in-chief, who had suddenly turned so clever, had a way. Over the past few days, he had seemed practically like an omnipotent deity.
Anbaixiu comforted her, "There's no point in worrying about it now. First let's see who comes and what their attitude is; only then can we play it by ear. The worst that can happen is that we simply pack up and leave. With bilateral cooperation, you can never expect to settle everything in a single sitting. Our visit this time is merely to show our stance. The next time we meet, the druids will remember this encounter, and naturally there will be a chance to continue talking."
Ariel gasped in surprise. "Is that how it works? Does that mean just stepping into the Emerald Dream Forest counts as a success?"
"Pretty much. At least it won't be a wasted effort."
Anbaixiu was telling the absolute truth. When ordinary merchants negotiated a major deal, it took multiple rounds of discussions, and being turned away at the door was an everyday occurrence. The same applied between nations; political negotiations were never settled in a single day, and decades of maneuvering were par for the course.
Yet the situation proved far worse than Anbaixiu had anticipated.
When the Archdruid named Brandir Sanda appeared, he did not even bother offering the most basic polite smile. Instead, open contempt was written plainly across his face.
The moment he laid eyes on Anbaixiu and Ariel, he spat out cold, blunt words: "Your Raging Tide Kingdom constantly whips up storms and tsunamis, wreaking havoc on the natural environment. Our forest has suffered bitterly because of you, and yet you have the gall to seek our cooperation?"
Even Anbaixiu was stunned by the outburst.
That tone, that attitude—this wasn't a negotiation; this was practically a declaration of war!
Ariel had a fiery temper as well. Hearing the druid speak so rudely, she snapped back at the top of her lungs, "Not everyone has to abide by your druidic dogmas! The natural laws in your eyes have no dominion over us!"
*Great, both of them are prickly hedgehogs.*
With tensions flaring so violently, they might well declare war on the spot.
This wasn't right. The druids were already besieged with troubles; why would they want to completely antagonize the Raging Tide Kingdom right now?
Anbaixiu carefully studied the young druid before him. He had golden hair, blue eyes, and a tall, sturdy build—the archetypal handsome man. Judging by his appearance, he looked under forty, yet he had already attained the rank of legend. Calling him a genius was no exaggeration.
*Wait... a young legendary druid?*
*Could this guy be the one Naomi mentioned, the druid passionately pursuing Catherine?*
Was he deliberately picking a fight the second he arrived? There had to be an underlying reason.
Though Anbaixiu didn't guess the precise motive, his intuition pointed in the right direction: Brandir had indeed come specifically to pick a fight.
He had never wanted to meet any envoys from the Raging Tide Kingdom in the first place.
Just moments ago, he had learned from Naomi that Catherine wasn't sleeping well. How could Brandir bear to see the goddess of his heart suffer? He had immediately petitioned the other Archdruids, requesting to craft a flawless dreamscape for Catherine so she could enjoy a peaceful slumber.
Doing so undoubtedly required invoking the druids' greatest secret art: the dream ritual.
Elven wills were not naturally affected by the Dream Barrier, but that only applied when an elf resisted—their free will could ward off any hypnotic or charming effects. If the person consented, however, that was another matter entirely.
Brandir's plan was simple: once the other Archdruids agreed, he would share the dream ritual's prayer with Catherine, allowing the Elven Queen to enter Nature's Dream whenever she fell asleep at night.
Nature's Dream offered the dreamer the most comforting sanctuary possible, granting complete relaxation to body and mind. Catherine would finally be able to sleep soundly.
Yet the other Archdruids had rejected his petition without a second thought.
They all thought Brandir had lost his mind. Pursuing her was one thing, but giving away the Emerald Dream Forest's greatest secret as a courtship gift? Before he had even wed the Elven Queen, the druids would already be bled dry.
Matters were spiraling out of hand; Brandir was hopelessly blinded by love.
Sensing danger, the other Archdruids had hastily shoved the envoys from the Raging Tide Kingdom into Brandir's hands, sending him off to handle the negotiations. They had to keep him far away from Catherine; otherwise, he might well bundle up the entire Emerald Dream Forest and sell it off.
Though Brandir was the most gifted druid in the Emerald Dream Forest, he was still young and simply could not sway so many venerable elders. He had been forced, grudgingly, to negotiate with the envoys from the Raging Tide Kingdom.
Negotiate? What was there to talk about? All he wanted was to wrap things up as quickly as possible so he could return and continue persuading the Archdruids.
A single day was so short. If he couldn't resolve this, wouldn't his beloved goddess suffer another sleepless night?
The mere thought pierced Brandir's heart like a dagger.
Because of that, he had come into these talks aiming to sabotage them from the start, putting on an overbearing, arrogant front in the hope of driving these envoys away as fast as possible.
Ariel could not stomach such insolence and was already itching to strike.
Yet she had already experienced the Dream Barrier firsthand. Picking a fight with a druid on his home turf would only end in disaster for her. So she could only grit her teeth, bear it, and turn to Anbaixiu, hoping he could resolve the matter.
*Still, can he really resolve this?*
The presence of the Dream Barrier stripped them of their combat prowess, and this was druid territory. Expecting him to salvage her pride seemed asking far too much.
While Ariel fretted, Anbaixiu had already pieced together Brandir's identity. He was almost certainly that infatuated suitor. Though Anbaixiu wasn't sure what courting Catherine had to do with their present encounter, it was something he could exploit.
Anbaixiu said to Brandir, "Master Sanda, being so discourteous to a princess... if word of this gets out, what will other ladies think of you?"
Brandir had been ready to lash out at Anbaixiu as well, but hearing those words, his expression froze.
*He's right... if my goddess finds out that I shouted and screamed at a young maiden, won't she think I have no manners at all?*
*Curses, I almost made a terrible mistake!*
Reading the shift in his face, Anbaixiu knew he had struck a raw nerve.
Striking while the iron was hot, Anbaixiu pressed on before Brandir could recover his wits: "Her Highness Ariel is a princess of the Raging Tide Kingdom. Is this how you treat royalty from other realms? If you refuse to apologize, I will certainly report this matter upward and ensure that everyone across both the Raging Tide Kingdom and the Emerald Dream Forest learns of your conduct."
Brandir was taken aback and hastily stammered, "No, please don't do that! I apologize. My attitude just now was uncalled for. I offer my apologies to Her Highness Ariel. Please forgive me."
Pride was nothing; making sure his goddess never heard that he had acted disrespectfully toward a woman was paramount.
Ariel stared at Anbaixiu in utter astonishment. She could not comprehend how a few simple words had brought this arrogant druid bowing in apology.
It defied all common sense. How could two sentences carry such lethal weight? With Anbaixiu's earlier tricks, she had at least understood seventy to eighty percent of his schemes, but this time, while she understood every single word, she couldn't make heads or tails of the outcome.
Ariel didn't even pay attention to Brandir's apology, thinking anxiously to herself, *Good heavens, is the gap in our intellect truly this vast? If he ever decided to deceive me, I'd probably let him run circles around me without ever realizing it.*
Watching Brandir pull a complete one-eighty, Anbaixiu felt nothing but disdain. Such was the fate of a lovesick fool—this druid was still far too green.
Anbaixiu said to Brandir, "Now then, can we sit down and properly discuss cooperation?"
Brandir breathed a sigh of relief. He had been too hasty just now and nearly ruined his own reputation; fortunately, he had salvaged it in time. As for Anbaixiu's request, no matter how reluctant Brandir felt, he had no choice now but to sit and talk.
And so, amidst the fragrant flowers and singing birds of the valley, the three began their first bilateral meeting. As the representative of the Raging Tide Kingdom, Anbaixiu briefly outlined their interest in cooperation. In essence, Ryan was simply too terrifying; any nation at odds with Ryan ought to join forces against that colossal menace.
In broad strokes, the Raging Tide Kingdom could promise never to threaten the coast of the Emerald Dream Forest while opening commercial trade so both realms could exchange goods according to their needs.
These were all very rough concepts. Specific details could never be hammered out by three people on the spot; they would require subsequent envoys to deliberate over every single clause. The primary purpose of this meeting was merely to gauge whether both sides possessed an intention to cooperate. If they did, talks would continue; if not, they could revisit the matter down the line.
Brandir listened with growing impatience. Even setting aside Catherine, he harbored no desire for deeper cooperation between their realms.
The core issue lay in the Raging Tide Kingdom's faith.
The Lord of Storms championed violent plunder and the destruction of all enemies. The Oak Father, on the other hand, revered balance and the natural cycle of life.
Their dogmas were fundamentally incompatible, and the ways the two nations operated were night and day.
The druids cared about the natural environment in all things, strictly regulating even their diet so as not to overexploit or damage the forest.
The Raging Tide Kingdom, by contrast, took everything they could get their hands on, frequently summoning colossal tsunamis just to sweep all the fish ashore in one fell swoop for easy harvesting.
Such practices had driven several coastal fish species to extinction, an act the druids had once openly and vehemently condemned.
The Raging Tide Kingdom, of course, couldn't care less. What did the extinction of a few fish have to do with them?
From that point on, the Emerald Dream Forest no longer welcomed the Children of the Storm, and the Raging Tide Kingdom grew thoroughly disgusted with these druids who were always pointing fingers at them.
The people of the Raging Tide Kingdom lived by the sea and ate from the sea; if they placed all sorts of restrictions on fishing, how were they supposed to feed themselves?
Both sides had their reasons, and both had their stances.
This was a conflict of faith, which was far messier than a mere clash of interests. Interests could be conceded, negotiated, and turned into win-win scenarios, but faith could not. Sacrilege invited divine wrath—a consequence far more terrifying than Ryan knocking on their door.
Brandir looked at Anbaixiu and said solemnly, "The Emerald Dream Forest's stance has always been unwavering. If you cannot alter your crude destruction of the natural balance, there can be no cooperation between us."
Anbaixiu was not discouraged in the slightest. He pressed on, "What if it is merely a military non-aggression pact? Surely cooperation at that level does not violate your tenets?"
Brandir frowned. While that sounded reasonable, he could not agree to it lightly. Setting aside Catherine's influence and calming his mind, Brandir finally displayed the intellect expected of him.
The Raging Tide Kingdom sending an envoy so abruptly was highly abnormal.
Granted, the grudge between the Raging Tide Kingdom and Ryan ran deep, but if Ryan wanted to march on them, it would first have to cross the Emerald Dream Forest. In other words, the Raging Tide Kingdom could easily wait for the Emerald Dream Forest and Ryan to clash, enjoy the show, and then approach the druids with threats and inducements, which would yield a much higher chance of success.
Yet the Raging Tide Kingdom had not done that. Instead, before Ryan even made a move, they had dispatched a high-ranking envoy, adopting an attitude of utmost sincerity.
Brandir didn't buy that sincerity for a second. He began wondering what trouble the Raging Tide Kingdom had run into that made them so desperate for peace talks. If he could seize upon that weakness, he might gain more leverage at the negotiating table and extract greater concessions from them.
Thus, Brandir patiently began talking in circles with Anbaixiu. He would touch on official business for half a sentence before steering the topic toward the customs and scenery of the Raging Tide Kingdom, feigning curiosity while subtly probing to uncover what had occurred there. Anbaixiu parried every move, spouting nonsense off the top of his head.
He barely knew anything about the Raging Tide Kingdom anyway, so he made up details on the fly, leaving Brandir more and more muddled. As for Ariel, she hadn't uttered a single word since Brandir's apology, listening intently to their exchange and committing every word to memory.
Even when Anbaixiu's claims were riddled with glaring holes, Ariel assumed he was doing it deliberately with some profound hidden agenda.
Sure enough, after circling around for half the day, Brandir failed to pry out a single shred of useful intelligence. Instead, a few counter-questions from Anbaixiu exposed quite a lot of information. For instance, the Druid Council consisted of thirty-six members, thirty of whom were druids, while the remaining six represented races such as goblins, centaurs, orcs, and giants.
Because the druids held an overwhelming majority, they had the final say on all matters across the Emerald Dream Forest. The other races lived under druidic protection, but to some extent, they were governed by them.
Those goblins Anbaixiu had encountered earlier had been banished to the periphery of the Emerald Dream Forest, beyond the Dream Barrier, precisely because they could not tolerate the druids' increasingly strict enforcement of natural laws.
At the same time, Anbaixiu pieced together a theory from scattered fragments of information.
The druids did not seem to have discovered that hidden dark power yet. At the very least, Brandir was entirely unaware of it, and the Emerald Dream Forest had suffered no apparent disruptions from it.
While this information was valuable, he hadn't managed to learn a thing about the crucial dream ritual. The man's lips were quite tight on that front, which meant Anbaixiu would have to resort to less honorable means.
Having just concluded a discussion on the continental geopolitical landscape, Anbaixiu shifted the topic smoothly. "I hear that Her Majesty the Elven Queen of the Silvermoon High Court is currently a guest in the Emerald Dream Forest. Our princess wishes to pay Her Majesty a visit. Might I trouble Master Sanda to pass along the word?"
At the mention of Catherine, Brandir instantly tensed.
Had Anbaixiu asked to visit Catherine himself, Brandir would have refused flatly—he wished all men in the world would stay far away from her. But since it was Ariel requesting the audience, Brandir could hardly refuse outright.
A princess of a nation paying her respects to an Elven Queen was entirely customary. If he interfered and Catherine found out, what would she think of him?
Still, Brandir couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this Child of the Storm. There was an aura about him that made Brandir deeply uncomfortable. Did this sudden request for a visit conceal some conspiracy?
Just as Brandir was searching for an excuse to stall, Anbaixiu seemed to see right through him and chuckled. "Rest easy, Master Sanda. I harbor no improper intentions toward Her Majesty Catherine. You needn't treat me as a rival in love."
Brandir flushed crimson and stammered excitedly, "What did you say?! Where did you hear such nonsense?"
Anbaixiu feigned surprise. "What, do you not admire Her Majesty Catherine? Could I have fallen for baseless rumors?"
Brandir ground his teeth, unable to deny it yet unwilling to admit it. He knew he hadn't hidden his pursuit of Catherine in the slightest, so rumors were bound to spread, but he hadn't expected them to travel so fast that even foreign envoys had heard.
Anbaixiu continued, "Master Sanda, I haven't just heard that you're pursuing Her Majesty Catherine; I've also heard you were rejected and haven't been able to see the Elven Queen for days. Am I right?"
Brandir scoffed coldly. "A flawless goddess like Catherine—how could her heart be swayed so easily? This is merely a small test she has set for me."
"Tsk, tsk. Spoken like a true novice. Is this your first time courting a woman, Master Sanda?" Anbaixiu spoke with the air of an experienced veteran, leaving Brandir blushing with embarrassment and guilt.
Finally, Brandir could only grit his teeth and demand, "You! How do you know all this?!"
Though he was in his late thirties, his romantic history was an absolute blank. He had previously poured all his energy into communing with nature and training his powers; otherwise, he never would have attained legendary status in such a short time.
In the past, he had believed that women would only hinder the speed of his cultivation.
Yet the moment he laid eyes on Catherine, this pure-hearted druid had fallen head over heels.
With Anbaixiu laying bare his innermost feelings in a single stroke, Brandir was on the verge of cracking.
"One glance was all it took. Though I'm not much older than you, I certainly have far more experience in matters of the heart. Let me guess: the very first time you met Her Majesty Catherine, you passionately confessed your feelings and showered her with a mountain of gifts, only for her to start avoiding you entirely?"
Brandir's eyes went wide. How could this man describe it as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes? Not even rumors could be so precise!
"H-How could you possibly guess that too?"
Anbaixiu chuckled softly and continued, "Take my sincere advice: if you truly wish to court a queen, doing what you're doing now is utterly useless. If you keep up these futile efforts, Her Majesty Catherine will eventually lodge a formal protest with the Emerald Dream Forest, demanding you stay as far away as possible."
"How could that be..." Brandir wanted to protest, but thinking it over, it seemed entirely true. During their first meeting, Catherine had still carried a gentle smile, but after his public confession of love, her demeanor had turned icy.
*Was I wrong?*
*Does courting a queen require some special approach?*
Seeing Brandir's expression, Anbaixiu knew the fish had taken the bait. He said, "Techniques that are too complicated are beyond your reach for now anyway. How about this: if you arrange a meeting between us and Queen Catherine, I promise to help you close the distance between you and the Elven Queen. At the very least, I can help you find out what she likes and dislikes."
"Just by yourself?" Brandir looked skeptical. Calling Anbaixiu's current appearance plain was being overly polite; Mengge Grayriver was a weathered old sea dog who could hardly be called handsome.
Yet Brandir's gaze drifted to Ariel sitting beside him. This princess was undeniably gorgeous, yet from the very start, she had sat obediently beside Anbaixiu like a little attendant, to the point where one could hardly tell who was the royal and who was the retainer.
*This Child of the Storm... really seems to know how to handle women.*
Brandir reasoned that envoys from the Raging Tide Kingdom requesting an audience with the Elven Queen was reasonable enough anyway, so what harm could come from granting them a meeting? If this man could truly help him learn Catherine's preferences, it would be an immense help.
"Fine. I will arrange it for you. You should be able to see Her Majesty Catherine by tonight at the latest. But..." Brandir stared intently into Anbaixiu's eyes.
Anbaixiu pointed straight to the heavens and swore, "I, Mengge Grayriver, swear on my life: if I fail to deliver on my promise to you, may I, Mengge Grayriver, die without a whole corpse!"
Brandir quickly said, "There's no need to go that far... fine, I believe you!"
Since he had sworn such a vile oath, he couldn't be lying.
Chapter 196