Chapter 1088 — The Day of the Conference
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 5
The envoys from Typhon had departed, and the reception room in the Oak Hall fell quiet. Berlantiya, the Silver Empress, walked to the broad floor-to-ceiling window and gazed through the clear crystal glass toward the town—the lush roadside plants were being gilded by the slanting light of the setting sun, pedestrians and vehicles on the main road were dwindling bit by bit, the ranger guards in gleaming armor were marching in formation past the sentry post before the main gate, and two giant-eagle riders were sweeping over the northern city wall, their cast shadows falling upon the distant bell tower.
"The Typhonians seem eager to push through the port-opening and trade projects along the Reflux Coast and the Grey Eye Coast. They have been talking about these matters for the past half year as well, but back then they did not seem quite so impatient," said Valendian Goldenvale, tall and lean and stern in his long robe of red with gold trim, standing not far behind the Empress with his hands respectfully at his sides. "Though this works in our favor, might there be something suspicious behind it?"
"The greatest suspicion likely lies in those two private talks between Gao Yang Cecil and Luo Yan Augustus," Berlantiya said mildly, without turning her head. "Now I really am a little curious what they discussed..."
Valendian answered at once: "Understood. I will make the arrangements."
"No need. Elaine will be back very soon," Berlantiya said, and almost as the words left her lips, a faint, barely perceptible breeze stirred in a corner of the room, and a slender figure emerged from near the ivy-wreathed corner.
Elaine Vanna, the high elf handmaiden, stepped out of the air and came quickly to stand behind the Silver Empress. "I have returned, Your Majesty."
"How did it go? Did you learn anything?"
Elaine lowered her head. "As you expected, the Cecil side deliberately let slip a small portion of the news—Typhon and Cecil will jointly relaunch the circumcontinental shipping routes, and the nations of the continent may take part as well."
"Relaunch the circumcontinental routes? Typhon and Cecil, 'jointly'?" Berlantiya finally turned around. She fixed her eyes on Elaine. "The news has already been released... which means Luo Yan Augustus agreed?"
"As it appears... yes," Elaine paused, then continued with her head still lowered, "and it seems their consensus goes beyond just that."
"...The Council had originally predicted that Typhon and Cecil would carry out some manner of 'handover' of territory or resources in the course of concluding their pact," Valendian said. He too was astonished, but he quickly composed his expression and looked to the Empress he served. "Your Majesty, our predictions have deviated severely. What Gao Yang Cecil seeks is more than we imagined."
"He actually chose this moment to force through the relaunch of the circumcontinental routes..." Berlantiya seemed not to have heard Valendian at all; she merely murmured to herself in thought. "Is he worried about the speed of Typhon's recovery..."
"It may also be that he fears the Silver Empire will tilt entirely toward the Typhon settlement zone," Valendian said from the side. "Since the dispute over Blue Rock Hills was resolved, the Highridge Kingdom has reconciled with Typhon, and the scale of our trade with Typhon has been expanding rapidly. This has likely already drawn Cecil's vigilance. With land routes costly and air transport impossible to popularize, opening the eastern routes is their best means of preventing the Typhon settlement zone from maturing further."