Xiao Chen stood on the top of the bell tower, watching the city guards gathering downstairs. They blocked several roads from the bell tower to other places, but did not get too close. After he left the hut, he waited here for Marquis Baldini's reaction.
About an hour later, a carriage drove towards us from a distance and stopped at the foot of the bell tower. Six people got off the carriage. Four of them were dressed as warriors, one was a mage, and the last one was Marquis Baldini. One of the warriors carried two swords on his back, and it was Marco from before.
However, to Xiao Chen's surprise, after the six people discussed for a while, the Marquis did not choose Marco to follow him upstairs, but asked a middle-aged man in his forties and the mage to accompany him upstairs.
But at this time Xiao Chen spoke up: "Marquis Baldini, my note says that you must go upstairs alone. The guards around you should stay downstairs, otherwise I refuse to continue this conversation."
He stretched out a hand holding a paper roll. The clock tower was about five or six stories high, and people below could see his movements clearly if they looked up from below.
"This is a teleportation scroll. If I see someone else coming in, it means you are not sincere. It is better for me to destroy the city defense barrier as soon as possible. Then I will teleport away directly."
Marquis Baldini felt that the man's voice sounded familiar, but he had never seen that look before. He said, "I have never seen you before, so how do I know you are not an assassin?"
"If we can cooperate, I will not hurt you. If you choose to be hostile, there is no need to come up now. If you want to wait for a price, then we can discuss the details. Hehe, if you don't mind everyone hearing some secrets, then it's fine to talk about it this way."
After Xiao Chen finished saying this, he quietly waited for the other party's reply. For him, this was the advantage of the clock tower. The clock tower widened the distance between the two sides and gave him enough buffer time. Even if the other party wanted to take any action, he could see it all and had enough time to respond in time.
The people below discussed for a while, and Marquis Baldini replied: "As the lord of a city, I must be responsible for the safety of the entire city. I cannot easily enter a dangerous situation. This has nothing to do with courage, but only with responsibility.
Although your request is a bit excessive, I can take a step back now. I will send my adjutant Garriott to talk on my behalf. He will go upstairs alone. Garriott is the person I trust the most and can make many decisions on my behalf. Even if there is something uncertain, he can come down at any time to ask for my opinion.
This is my bottom line. If you don’t agree, then there is nothing more for us to discuss.”
Xiao Chen thought about it and found that the other party's request was reasonable. If it were him, he would not easily agree to go into danger alone.
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you up there. Don't bring any weapons, I want this to be a friendly meeting," he said.
He saw the middle-aged man who had originally planned to accompany the Marquis upstairs took off the sword at his side and walked upstairs alone.
"I feel that Marquis Baldini's attitude is not very clear." Master Kona's voice came from Xiao Chen's soul.
"I noticed that, too. However, as long as we can determine his position, it won't be a wasted trip. Tashia and the others have already found the location and started to infiltrate the core of the city defense barrier. We are not without the ability to fight back now."
While Xiao Chen was talking to Master Kona, footsteps were heard on the spiral staircase downstairs. The middle-aged man named Garriott walked up the stairs.
The top floor of the clock tower is not small, about 10 square meters, a square space. An iron spiral staircase leads up from the middle, forming a circular hole in the middle of the room, and there is an iron fence around the edge of the hole.
Xiao Chen leaned on the windowsill of the clock tower and watched Garriott walk up little by little. From a close distance, the man looked older than from a distance. His skin was rough, and there were many wrinkles on his forehead and eyes, which made him look weathered. However, his eyes were very bright. As soon as he got to the top floor, he looked Xiao Chen up and down, as if he wanted to see through him.
"Patin? This must be a fake name. Your appearance is also fake." Garriott said.
Xiao Chen said: "Mr. Garriott, it doesn't matter, as long as I can represent the Tower of China. I wonder what your attitude is?"
"Well, Patin, or whoever you are. Marquis Baldini wants to know what he can get if he hands the city over to you without resistance?" asked Garriott.
"First, he will gain a corresponding status in the Tower of China system. Although he will no longer be a ruler, the management of the land under our rule will require the participation of important local figures in consultation, and he will have his own say. Secondly, his property will be protected to the greatest extent, and we are willing to provide an additional generous reward. Finally, as the first important official of the kingdom to cooperate with us, he will become a benchmark and a symbol. His reputation will continue to spread throughout the continent as we expand, and finally his name will be recorded in history."
"Is this all you give a Marquis?" Garriott had a strange expression on his face, as if he had heard something funny.
"Marquis Baldini can tell you what he wants. These conditions are not off-limits for discussion," Xiao Chen said.
"I heard that there are no nobles in your territory?" asked Garriott.
"That's right."
"No wonder you don't understand what the nobles want." Garriott sighed, "Marquis Baldini, or any other marquis, wants to become a duke, own more territory, more soldiers and more wealth, and then pass these things on to his son, his son's son, and the next generation to inherit these powers. This is what the nobles value most. And what you said, except for wealth, is meaningless to him."
"Is this what you want in place of the Marquis de Baldini?"
"No." Garriott showed a strange smile: "Marquis Baldini doesn't need these. Because what you can't give, we can give!"
Before he finished speaking, his body rushed towards Xiao Chen like a cannonball. When he was in mid-air, green scales appeared on his arms. These scales started from his upper arms and extended to his palms. His fingers also turned into extremely sharp claws at the tips.
Xiao Chen hurriedly flew back to dodge and summoned an ice shield to block in front of him. However, the ice shield that looked very thick was shattered by a blow from the sharp claws.
"Imperials!" Master Kona shouted.