Chapter 1087 — Closed Loop

"He won't occupy those islands, and he won't demand any free, unrestricted navigation rights," Royan's expression had turned gravely serious at some point. He furrowed his brow in thought and sat in silent contemplation for a long time, but at last his brow smoothed, and the stern look on his face became a faintly complex smile. "And to think I believed I had already determined his intentions when he made his second 'concession'..."

"...We've only signed an internal memorandum now. The real negotiations haven't begun yet," Matilda said at once. "We still have some room..."

"No," Royan cut Matilda off, and the smile on his face seemed even more complex than before. "If he hadn't mentioned Tarronde and the Theocratic Council, I wouldn't have minded losing some face. But now... he has shown me a future that is even harder to refuse. The price he has named is high, but it is worth the challenge."

Then he gradually wiped the complex smile from his face, turned to Matilda, and spoke with unusual severity and speed: "Contact the ambassadors of the Highland Kingdom and the Silver Empire immediately. Nail down those trade and port-opening proposals. If necessary, we can lower our terms. No matter what, before the Circumcontinental Route agreement takes effect, we must preserve as much of our market and voice at the southern end of the continent as possible."

"Is there still time? The Cecilians have probably been preparing for this for ages. Gao Yang Cecil even met with the Silver Empress as early as yesterday afternoon... They have personal ties."

"Ties dating back seven hundred years..." Royan's expression was momentarily complicated. He instinctively glanced at the red fruits on the tea table nearby, once again keenly feeling the helplessness of dealing with a figure who had stepped out of history. But he quickly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "We do what we can—save as much as we can. Cecil may be ahead of us, but they are ultimately too far from the southern continent. Such a vast feast—they can't possibly swallow it all."

......

In the elven-styled town, a lively atmosphere pervaded everywhere. Magic-powered carriages bearing the Cecil emblem drove along the main avenues, and members of various nations' delegations or elven affairs officers responsible for maintaining order and receiving guests could be seen at every turn. Gao Yang and Amber sat in the back of a magic-powered carriage, admiring the architecture and scenery of this foreign land while relaxing their somewhat taut nerves.

In the corners of the carriage's interior walls, some inconspicuous runes glowed, and a small soundproofing barrier screened out the clamor outside quite effectively, making the carriage seem especially quiet and comfortable.

How long the silence lasted, she did not know, but at last Amber suddenly broke it: "You never intended to take those islands from the start?"

"...Not exactly," Gao Rong smiled. "If they were truly being handed over for free, I wouldn't refuse—if Typhon couldn't recognize the value of a foothold on the ocean, why should I fret over their future for them?"

Amber scratched the back of her head. Though an outstanding talent in intelligence, she was clearly not so expert in other fields: "...Is a circumcontinental route really worth that much?"

Gao Yang glanced at the half-elf who was striving to think the problem through: "At least more valuable than those few islands. A circumcontinental route is, in itself, merely a 'route,' but add one precondition and the situation becomes far from simple—at this stage, Cecil is the only nation capable of assembling a large-scale trade fleet and a blue-water combat fleet."

Amber unconsciously repeated Gao Song's words: "The only..."

"If our fleet can circle the continent, and every nation along the route must depend on us to maintain their maritime trade lines—if their modern trade systems themselves are built with our assistance—then every coastal region of the entire Loren Continent will become our coastline. Those nations that depend on the circumcontinental route and reap enormous profits from the maritime trade routes will even proactively help us maintain this route, because we are both their provider and their protector at sea. The logic in all this is really not hard to understand."

Amber finally reacted: "...Whoever is the first to step forward and shake Cecil's maritime authority is threatening the economic lifeline of every coastal nation."

Gao Yun nodded slightly, but there was one thing he did not actually say.

Though his plan for the Circumcontinental Route was laid out with far-reaching strategy, there remained on the Loren Continent one nation he could hardly bring under his influence: the Argent Empire, situated at the continent's far south, with more than half its territory resting upon a vast island. The elves had declined for many years, yet their ancestral legacy was still not to be taken lightly, and their profound national strength was likewise hard to shake. Holding such formidable capital, the silver elves would naturally command a greater voice before this route.

Yet he was not worried about this—the silver elves' deep foundations were also their shackles. Their mighty ancestral legacy granted them formidable national power, but it also bound them fast within the "fortress" woven from the Radiant Vault Hall and the various ancient factories, just as the Deep Blue Well had bound them in years past. This constraint had shaped the Argent Empire's "non-expansionist" character, and at least for the stage Gao Yang could foresee, such a character would not easily change.

That meant the Argent Empire would fully enjoy the profits brought by the Circumcontinental Route, and would also do its part to keep the route running. As far as Gao Yang was concerned, that already achieved his aim.

Of course, the Violet Kingdom in the continent's north was also a problem... but as for this "hermit nation" hidden behind layer upon layer of mist, he had no great designs on it for now. In any case, during their limited prior contact, those mages had already acknowledged the existence of North Port and opened the strait between the Violet Kingdom and the northern coast, and that was enough.

Gao Yang rubbed his somewhat taut brow, letting his mind, which had been racing at full tilt for so long, slowly cool down.

Just then, a figure appeared by the roadside, and the magic-drive car abruptly slowed.

Amber casually opened the window a crack, and the figure by the road handed in a slip of paper. An instant later, the figure melted into the nearby pedestrians, while Amber unfolded the note and scanned it swiftly.

"Two groups have left the lodging house where the Typhon delegation is staying. One has gone to the quarters of the Highridge Kingdom's delegation, and the other is headed east of the city."

"They've gone to see the Silver Empress," Gao Lan said.

"Seems they're quick to react," Amber blinked. "Should we do something?"

"Do what? Intercept and kill another nation's ambassador?" Gao Yang glanced at the half-elf, then closed his eyes slightly and leaned back against the seat to rest. "Let them go. This is the 'acceptable margin.' As we said before—if we eat the meat, we must at least leave the others some broth, and perhaps even a bite of meat."