Obviously, this "waiting for a long time" is just a polite word.
When entering the lord's room, the ruler of Azure Castle was sitting at the table writing something. There were only two chairs and a small coffee table with snacks on the table facing each other. Other than that, there was no other sign of hospitality.
Olina frowned slightly.
A meeting of this caliber is clearly inconsistent with the status of an ambassador. No matter how remote Qi Guo is, it is still a serious dynasty, and the ambassadors of the dynasty should be entertained according to the standards of great nobles.
Seeing the expression of protest from the Dragon Goddess, Xia Fan quietly pulled her and signaled her that there was no need for etiquette surgery for the time being. The Earl of Cleveland he saw was an old man in his fifties. His hair on his temples had turned gray, with only the tuft on the top of his head still retaining some tan. According to Long's age, he is far from approaching the end of his life, and his physical complexion is not bad, but there is a strong look of worry in the corners of his eyebrows, as if he is worried about something.
If you find fault with each other at this time, I'm afraid it will only have the opposite effect.
"Your Excellency, the ambassador has arrived." The butler handed the book to the Earl of Azure Castle.
"I understand, you can go down." The Earl put down his pen, scanned the identity document, and then looked at Xia Fan and Olina, "I heard from Baron Lassein that you want to go to the Royal Capital by water?"
There was almost no greeting, and she went straight to the topic. This behavior surprised Olina, and she didn't know what to say.
Xia Fan was not unhappy at all. It would be great if he could go to the royal capital as early as possible, so he replied succinctly, "Exactly. We only have one ship, and it doesn't carry artillery."
All those broadside guns were removed and used by the land army.
"Are you going to stay in the royal capital? As far as I know, the embassy area there is already occupied by envoys from all over the world."
“Can’t we visit without an embassy?”
"There is no way to establish a relationship on an equal footing." The Earl glanced at Olina. "It seems that this lady did not explain the diplomatic regulations clearly. To put it simply, you must first own an embassy before the upper class will treat you. It’s open, and if it’s full, you just have to wait, or find a way to get one yourself.”
Xia Fan was dumbfounded by such a simple and crude diplomatic concept, "Can it be that the land in the capital cannot be evenly divided?"
"What good will that do to the Holy Wing Islands?" the Earl asked, "raising a group of privileged people who eat and drink freely and cause trouble in the territory when they have nothing to do? Of course, I am not talking about you. This is the current situation of the royal capital. So. If you have the strength, you can naturally manage an embassy; if you don’t have the strength, you will save each other’s energy.”
The other party's straightforwardness was a little beyond Xia Fan's expectations.
It seems that the bureaucracy of the feudal lords era was far less intense than that of later generations, and each person in power had a distinct personal style.
"Then what if it's normal traffic that has nothing to do with diplomacy?"
"I won't approve it." Cleveland said without hesitation, "There has been some trouble recently, and I don't want to see any more accidents. If you want to go to Gila City, just transfer to other ships. But you'd better pay attention. Don't cause any trouble, you are also a Gentile, and without the protection of your emissary status, you will still be the subject of strict scrutiny by the church."
When the count mentioned the trouble, his face became a little darker, as if just mentioning it would make him depressed.
"What happened to Azure Castle?" Olina also noticed something strange about the other party.
"You really didn't hear anything?"
"Before yesterday, we were still on the endless sea."
"Really? It seems that I should keep you company for a few more days." Cleveland rubbed his forehead, "But it doesn't hurt to tell you that the church's patrol was attacked by unknown enemies when it crossed the border of Azure Castle. The convoy escort No one survived, and the whereabouts of the two Sons of the Holy Spirit are unknown.”
"Pfft" Xia Fan almost choked on his tea.
What's going on
The person he was looking for happened to be robbed
"When did it happen?" Olina asked in surprise.
"Three days ago. So you two understand why I can't agree to your application, right?"
"Is the Son of the Holy Spirit still alive?"
"I'm afraid only Hera knows." The count stared at Xia Fan playfully, "Honestly, you should feel lucky. If you come here for another three days, he must be a suspect on the list. Let alone the church, I will take you first Lock him up."
"Your Excellency, the ambassador has immunity." Olina reminded.
"Indeed, but who says that the place of detention must be a prison? Inviting people as guests is not included in the immunity regulations."
The dragon girl was speechless for a moment.
The Earl of Azure Castle's understanding of diplomacy is undoubtedly higher than that of the eldest daughter of the Okan family.
"In short, the church has reacted greatly to this matter. It has already set up a trial team to investigate the matter. It is estimated that it will arrive tomorrow. I will also be very busy next time, so I won't accompany you." After speaking, Cleveland knocked on the table. The bell rang, signaling the butler to come in and see off the guests.
The first meeting ended hastily.
When the two walked out of the castle, it was not even noon.
"This is troublesome." Xia Fan sighed. If the Baisha cannot get to the royal capital, that's it. At worst, you can find another way to get there. But if something goes wrong with the Son of the Holy Spirit, the situation becomes completely different. It can be said that the trip to the West Pole has not yet begun, and the plan is facing a crisis of destruction. "What will happen if the Holy Son is gone?"
"Usually there will be a new selection." Olina also frowned, "First select believers of suitable age from various places, and then train the best step by step, and a new Holy Son will be born in almost a year."
This is three times more than planned in one year!
And it is still unclear whether Ning Wanjun can wait until that time.
"Why does this matter cause Cleveland a headache? He is an earl, and he is not suspected of doing anything. Logically speaking, he only needs to cooperate with the church to investigate the case, right?" Xia Fan suddenly thought of a question.
"Because it's related to the Judgment Group." Dragon Girl lowered her voice a little, "In the Holy Wing Islands, anyone who has anything to do with the Judgment Group will not fare well. It's normal that you don't understand. Here, the Judgment The regiment is equivalent to the headquarters of the Privy Council, but it has greater authority and more punishment methods than the headquarters. It often causes a bloody storm by pursuing cases. Naturally, the earl will not be threatened, but the Azure Castle Council is equivalent to having If outsiders break into your home and rummage through the cabinets, if you can't stop them, they will definitely feel a huge headache."
That's it, Xia Fan suddenly realized.
I have to say that Olina’s metaphor is very appropriate.
The enfeoffment here was far more thorough than that in Qi State. Ning Wanjun's enfeoffment of Jinxia was essentially a demotion, sending her to another place to live out her life. The actual control of Jinxia was still in the hands of the six ministries of the court. But the enfeoffment here is in China. The lord is the actual controller of the territory, and all officials are appointed and dismissed by him. Under such circumstances, there is no difference between the territory and his own real estate. If the Tribunal's actions were too large and affected local trade and production, the losses would still fall on the lords in the end.
"What to do next?" Olina showed a little confusion. She still missed her younger brother in the college, but she couldn't go to Shila City alone.
"You can go to the royal capital first." Xia Fan saw what she was thinking. "Anyway, being an envoy doesn't mean much in Azure Castle. You don't need to be with me all the time."
"What about you?" she asked.
"It's absolutely not okay to just sit and wait. That's not in line with my nature." Xia Fan smiled, "How about I become an explorer again. Bounty hunting should be considered a type of adventure, right?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Trace the criminal and find the Son of the Holy Spirit before the church does," he replied.