I alone have my own laws; I start by fabricating myths and legends of mountains and seas.

Chapter 98 Diplomatic Relations

Chapter 98 Diplomatic Relations

The leading diplomat stiffened slightly, and for the first time, a hint of undisguised astonishment and confusion flashed in his rigorously trained, usually calm, eyes.

Kneeling? In modern international diplomatic settings, even when facing the head of state of a monarchy, the act of kneeling has long ceased to be a customary form of worship.

Although they kept their trip a secret and adopted a humble attitude, they never expected to encounter such a blatant and almost insulting medieval demand.

"Your Majesty, the Great King of Xia," he spoke again, his voice even more humble than before, carrying a perfectly measured hint of trepidation, "the nation we represent holds the deepest respect for the great extraordinary beings, for the pioneers and founders of all civilizations. But as diplomatic envoys, we also represent the sovereignty and national dignity behind us. Our protocol is already the highest respect we can offer you."

"We come from a distant land and are here for the first time to pay our respects. Please forgive any rudeness we may have shown. Although our country is thousands of miles away from Your Majesty's homeland and our cultures and customs may differ, our respect for the strong and the monarch is universal."

The two people behind him immediately followed suit, adopting a respectful posture.

Xia Jie paused his tapping on the armrest, his dark red eyes sweeping over them.

"So you're planning to be my enemy?" Xia Jie snorted softly, his domineering and unrestrained manner increasing as he intensified his oppressive aura!

The leading diplomat gritted his teeth and knelt heavily on both knees with a thud, his forehead touching the ground. Seeing this, the two men behind him did not hesitate any longer and knelt down as well.

"Your Majesty, we have been impolite! Please forgive us!" The diplomat's voice trembled slightly, but he spoke clearly, "We, your humble servants, are ignorant and have failed to grasp the imposing majesty of His Majesty the King of Xia, and the strictness of his etiquette. Now that we have come to pay our respects, we should naturally follow His Majesty's protocol!"

Xia Jie looked at the three men prostrate on the ground, his face showing little pride, as if this was simply a natural outcome. He waved his hand lightly, and the killing intent of the Yin soldiers and officers subsided slightly.

"Stand up and answer!" Xia Jie said calmly, as if the previous intimidation was just a small test. "Speak, what brings you all from afar? If it's just empty words of respect, then there's no need to waste your breath."

The diplomat observed Xia Jie's expression and said humbly, "Your Majesty, upon your arrival in this world, you have re-established the Xia dynasty with incredible power, your might shaking the four corners of the earth. However, the situation in this world is complex. The false king of Japan and the Yin-Yang Masters behind him occupy the three islands, eyeing us covetously. Although Your Majesty is strong, dealing with the entire situation on your own will likely be mentally taxing. Our British Empire is willing to provide assistance to Your Majesty."

It can only be said that Great Britain truly lives up to its reputation as a global troublemaker. No one expected that, while most other powers were observing, Great Britain would be the first to contact the Xia Kingdom.

The diplomat took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his kneeling posture, and said humbly, "Your Majesty, the assistance our nation is willing to provide is not empty talk. It mainly involves three aspects."

"Firstly, intelligence sharing." He raised his head, his eyes sincere. "We possess the world's most advanced intelligence network and surveillance system. We can continuously provide His Majesty with information on military movements, material reserves, and public morale in Honshu, Hokkaido, and Kyushu, including details of the movements of that Onmyoji Abe Gentoki and his forces."

This is undoubtedly a great gift, directly targeting Xia Jie's most pressing enemy. If Xia Jie isn't using a pseudonym, then it's incredibly tempting; this clearly indicates an intention to actively integrate.

"Secondly, Your Majesty's reign is newly established, and there must be a shortage of resources in the country. Our country is not only unparalleled in the shipping industry, but it is also among the top. We are willing to present a gift to Your Majesty."

"Thirdly," the diplomat lowered his voice, adding a hint of ambiguity, "we will use our influence at the United Nations and other international forums to secure a certain 'space of presence' and 'special status' for the Xia Kingdom. At the very least, this can restrain other countries that might take more radical and hostile actions against His Majesty, buying him more time to consolidate his power."

These three points are comprehensive, covering everything from intelligence and supplies to the international environment, encompassing almost all soft assistance except for direct military support, and adopting an extremely humble posture, appearing entirely as a loyal servant sharing your burdens.

Xia Jie listened, his face remaining expressionless, his fingers resuming their rhythmic tapping of the armrest. He didn't respond immediately, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question: "You nations, so eager for this, what do you seek? Perhaps you see my power and want to pave the way for my future?"

The diplomat's heart skipped a beat; he knew the most crucial moment had arrived. He quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise. Our country's requests are actually quite simple. First, we hope to establish a stable and confidential high-level communication channel with Your Majesty to avoid unnecessary conflicts arising from misunderstandings. Second, we hope that Your Majesty will consider our country's interests in future actions to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control and harming innocent bystanders. Third," he paused, carefully choosing his words, "if possible, we hope to have some informal and frank exchanges with Your Majesty at an appropriate time in the future regarding strategic issues such as the rules for the coexistence of different civilizational power systems."

To put it bluntly: "Don't hit me, don't mess up my business, and secretly team up to bully others."

Xia Jie stopped tapping, his dark red eyes, like bottomless ancient wells, silently watching the humble diplomats below.

"Establish diplomatic relations? Consider interests? Exchange and cooperation?" Xia Jie slowly repeated these words, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, yet making the diplomats' hearts leap into their throats.

"It sounds like," Xia Jie's lips curled into a faint, yet sarcastic smile, "that you all regard me as a weak, incompetent ruler? Or a three-year-old child?"

The diplomat's heart sank, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty misunderstands! This foreign subject has no such intention! Our country knows that Your Majesty is the chosen one of Heaven. What our country seeks is merely to find a place to settle down and make a living in the new era Your Majesty has created, so as to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Your Majesty has keen insight and should know our country's sincerity."

"I accept your offer of assistance. I established my nation through military might, and since your country is willing, you shall become my subjects." As for your requests? Xia Jie's smile deepened. "I will consider them."

The diplomat took a deep breath, suppressing his humiliation, and kowtowed deeply: "Your Majesty's decree will be obeyed! I will convey Your Majesty's will to the country in its entirety."

During this mission, the other party forcibly assigned me the status of a subject, and they didn't give me any clear answer as to what I was supposed to ask.

But these are not things that a mere diplomat like him should be concerned with; let the bigwigs in the country make the decisions!

The person on the other side is a complete tyrant, and a very powerful one at that. We can't possibly reason with him for the sake of the empire's interests and glory!

"Very good." Xia Jie seemed satisfied with his tact and waved his hand. "You may leave."

"Your humble servants take their leave!" The three envoys, as if granted a pardon, kowtowed again and then fled in haste.