Lord of the Sky City-Chapter 822 - 804: A Different Demand

Athena had put a great deal of thought into the negotiations with the Magic Energy Research Institute. The technologies she sought were, in some sense, priceless and could not simply be bought with money. Thus, when Orton and the others drafted the list, they carefully ensured that all the requested technologies were directly tied to Simonuo himself. Whether he had spearheaded the research, contributed to the design, or, at the very least, approved the developments—this strategy gave Athena valuable room for negotiation.

Since all these technologies were developed with the involvement of Great Elder Simonuo, exchanging them for his release didn’t seem like an unreasonable demand, did it?

Athena also realized one thing: compared to others, Great Elder Simonuo was far more critical to the Magic Energy Research Institute.

It was akin to Gandalf from the Sky Alliance. Although Gandalf and Simonuo both held the title of Great Elder, their significance within their respective powers was entirely different. Simonuo was not just a Great Elder of the Magic Energy Research Institute; he was also a top-tier genius in the field of research, on par with Aniye. Figures like him were vital to the Institute—they were indispensable.

Therefore, despite Elder Ouli’s outwardly aggressive demeanor, he was, without question, determined to bring Great Elder Simonuo back. In fact, he was far more resolute than the other two Great Alliances in this regard.

Under such circumstances, the advantage in negotiation already shifted firmly to Athena. Her singular goal was to reach an agreement without escalating the conflict needlessly. Of course, if push came to shove, she wouldn’t mind letting tensions rise—after all, there was already no room for reconciliation between the Magic Energy Research Institute and Rocky.

Thus, after this, Athena didn’t just pick up the list that Elder Ouli had thrown to the ground but handed it back to him and then left with Aileen.

Just like that, a day passed. Athena had completed one-on-one negotiations with two of the Great Alliances. By the second day, she turned her attention to meeting with the representative from the Kafka Empire.

This time, the Kafka Empire had sent Vice Chancellor Martin as their representative. Being primarily in charge of diplomatic affairs for the Empire, Martin could be considered simultaneously the hardest and easiest person to deal with.

He was hard to deal with because Martin, as the Imperial Vice Chancellor, possessed remarkably adept diplomatic skills and was by no means an easy person to handle. Conversely, he was easy to deal with precisely because of this—Martin clearly understood what price he needed to pay to bring Ludwig back.

So, when he met Athena, their exchange immediately became a battle of wits.

"Athena, His Majesty the Emperor is extremely displeased with City Lord Rocky’s actions of abducting the Imperial Chancellor," Martin said directly as Athena had barely seated herself. "Were it not for the looming outbreak of the Third Anti-Demon War, the Imperial Army would already be encamped in Backhill Village."

Right off the bat, Martin delivered a sharp opening move. He understood perfectly the reason Athena was here; he had to seize the initiative or risk being led by the nose.

Yet upon hearing this, Athena merely smiled faintly and replied calmly, "Lord Martin, the Heavenly Ancestor Church has visited Backhill Village before, and so have the demons. City Lord Rocky would warmly welcome the arrival of the Imperial Army."

"City Lord Rocky often tells us that back in the Tulip Battle Zone, the Imperial Army demonstrated unparalleled courage. Each time City Lord Rocky repelled an Imperial Army attack, he couldn’t help but marvel at their valor. He would urge the troops of Thunderhawk City to learn from the Imperial Army’s bravery."

With a serene smile, Athena’s remarks pierced like needles, causing Martin’s complexion to change repeatedly.

It was evident that, while others might view the Imperial Army as a formidable giant, Rocky clearly did not. He wasn’t afraid of them, and it wasn’t arrogance—it was strength. Given Rocky’s current momentum and combat prowess, even if the Imperial Army were to truly march into Backhill Village, they might not be able to accomplish much. Not to mention, Thunderhawk City’s devastating power alone left Sky City utterly helpless, let alone Rocky’s unmatched individual combat skills. During the war between the Sky Alliance and the Kafka Empire, Rocky had emerged as a war hero, personally taking out thousands of Imperial soldiers.

Trying to pressure Athena with the Imperial Army? Certainly not a viable tactic.

"Athena, the Empire does not take kindly to being threatened!"

"Lord Martin, we dare not threaten the Kafka Empire. All we seek is peaceful coexistence and even collaboration with the Empire." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Athena chuckled softly before continuing, "To my understanding, the Empire possesses vast land-based industries—all of which rely on our tank-type armor for protection. Therefore, we’ve already established a cooperative foundation, haven’t we?"

As soon as Athena voiced this, Martin’s face became even darker.

On the surface, there had been absolutely no transactions regarding tank-type armor between Rocky and the Three Great Alliances. The alliances had too much pride to stoop to buying from him, and Rocky had no intention of selling to them. However, the reality was quite different.

In truth, aside from the Sky Alliance, which could independently produce tank armor, both the Kafka Empire and the Magic Energy Research Institute frequently leveraged proxies, such as trade chambers, to purchase tank armor from Rocky. Among them, the Kafka Empire was undoubtedly the largest buyer.

Just as Athena had stated, as the sole nation with substantial land-based industries in the skies, the Kafka Empire depended heavily on the latest tank-type armor for defense amidst increasing demon activity and frequent attacks. Whether they liked it or not, they had to buy from Rocky.

Some might wonder, didn’t the companies Sigma and Uranus already produce their own imitation tank armor? Why did the Kafka Empire insist on buying from Rocky?

Indeed, when tank armor was first introduced, Sigma and Uranus tried replicating it. However, Rocky swiftly launched the next-gen Tank 3 Armor featuring core runes to suppress their market encroachment. With the Empire’s high standards and financial resources, it naturally gravitated toward purchasing the superior product. Additionally, the Empire harbored a hidden agenda—to reverse-engineer the rune tank armor and unlock rune technology. Unfortunately, they had failed.

Ultimately, while the Kafka Empire outwardly severed ties with Rocky, it remained a covert buyer of his tank armor—a fact both parties were well aware of but chose not to disclose.

Now, Athena brought these dealings into the spotlight. Her intent wasn’t to embarrass Martin but rather to achieve a different goal. She followed up with, "Lord Martin, since the Empire and we already have cooperation, why not deepen that collaboration further?"

"Oh?"

Martin froze upon hearing this, suddenly realizing Athena’s visit might not be about mere negotiations. Or rather, what she sought was entirely different from what others aimed for…