Volume 3: Artifacts Chapter 62: Meeting the Clear Sky
Golden Valley Prison.
Because of his special status, even after leaving the World Bank's bad debt processing office, Tan still got a clean single room and a separate bathroom in the prison.
The iron door of the prison was pushed open and Ying walked in from outside.
The Golden Man guarding the prison said, "I think Tan is right. The World Bank was supposed to be a tool of the Golden Civilization, but now it seems to be the other way around. Ying, please tell Tan what we think."
Ying looked at Tan in the cell. She was sitting on the bed looking at the opposite wall, wondering what she was thinking.
Ying smiled at the guard and said, "Tan is just not good at communication. If she ignored you, I apologize to you on her behalf. I will pass your words to Tan, but I think we should trust the Council of Elders. This is the law of the Shining Gold Civilization."
"We all trust the Council of Elders, so we all hope that Tan's Council of Elders can restore the authority of the Sparkling Gold Civilization."
"Thank you for your trust in Tan."
"Ying, your visit has been approved by the Council of Elders, so you have plenty of time and can freely decide when to leave..."
The guard closed the cell door.
Ying walked over to Tan and sat down, also looking at the wall that Tan was staring at, and said, "I know you very well, and I am worried about you. Do you really think that the path that the Sparkling Gold Civilization is taking now is wrong?"
"Ying, do you know how much wealth the World Bank controls?"
Ying shook his head: "I don't know."
“Do you know how much debt the World Bank has out there?”
"I have been developing the Difference Machine and have no idea about the workings of the World Bank."
"I don't know, actually. I just know that the amount of debt that the Bad Debt Office needs to collect every month is growing, like a snowball. The World Bank's overseas investment is also growing, like a snowball.
However, the World Bank's share of the world's wealth is getting smaller and smaller, and the human civilization is developing too fast. The Council of Elders wants to use gold coupons to control human civilization, but the hardness of the reins cannot keep up with the growth rate of the beasts. Even if the Sparkling Gold Civilization wins this negotiation, what will happen? According to the development speed of human civilization, the second challenge will come soon. Can the Council of Elders still win?
What about the third and fourth times?
The reins will eventually be broken, and by then the Shining Gold Civilization will probably be swallowed up by the human civilization."
Ying said in disbelief: "Tan, are you thinking too pessimistically?"
Tan looked at Ying and asked, "What percentage of the human race's technology was used in your development of the Divine Difference Machine?"
Ying replied, "About 64 percent."
Tan couldn't help but smile, and then asked: "How many parts of the Divine Art Differential Machine were processed using human machines or technology?"
"Eighty percent... a little more."
"Do you still think I'm pessimistic?" Tan looked at the opposite wall again, as if her eyes could see through the thick wall and see the outside world: "Ying... I don't know if the path I envisioned is right, but the path the Elders' Council is taking now is definitely wrong. How can the Shining Gold People win when they compete in the opponent's advantage zone?"
Ying asked, "What path do you envision? What path?"
"Let the world restart... The heritage of human civilization belongs to the Shining Gold Civilization."
"Although I don't understand, since this is the path you have chosen, I will definitely help you."
"I need the Difference Engine to actually work."
"I see!"
…
After a long night, the news that the Prime Minister of the Golden Shield Empire, Meteorite, had been assassinated had spread throughout the Golden Valley.
It is reasonable for Art County Union Ice Cave agents to participate in the assassination.
It is reasonable for Rio Lookout to participate in the assassination.
But the fact that a Shining Gold Man was involved in the assassination of the Meteorite Prime Minister was beyond everyone's understanding.
Didn't the Elders' Council of the Golden People decide to hold the second round of talks with the Prime Minister of the Golden Shield Empire, Yunxing, at the Golden Hotel today? Why did they send someone to assassinate Yunxing the night before?
What does the Golden Man want to do?
The people of the Golden Shield Empire and the Shining Gold Empire remained silent about the assassination last night, allowing all kinds of speculation and rumors to spread rapidly in the Golden Valley. Some timid people who were afraid of being affected by the war packed up their bags and fled on the boat early.
But no matter what the truth is, the image of the Shuojin people has plummeted in the minds of officials from various countries.
Luke spent the whole morning meeting people who came to express their condolences. He showed the outside world that he was safe and sound in the assassination with a full image. At the same time, he still expressed his full expectations for today's negotiations and did not make any comments on the assassination last night.
It seemed that only a small group of Shining Gold people were acting privately without the permission of the Shining Gold Elders' Council.
There must be something wrong within the Shuojin people!
While Luke was busy meeting people from all walks of life, Qingkong, who had been living in seclusion since arriving on the Golden Island, also welcomed two visitors.
Elder Mu and Elder Lin entered the room and saluted to Qingkong: "Your Majesty, Queen , we have come here specially to apologize for the accident that happened last night."
Qingkong returned the greeting and said, "The one you should really apologize to is the Prime Minister of Meteorite. Please sit down. I think you came to me before the negotiation because you must have something else to discuss.
I'll tell you guys that Miss Saint Theresa is here, I think you guys won't mind."
Qingkong invited the two elders to sit at the table by the window. Theresa, who had come to Qingkong for morning tea early in the morning, held the teacup and said lazily, "I can guess what you are here to talk about, but I still want to remind you not to have too high expectations. Tan's failure to defeat Qingkong has made you lose a very important weight, and also let the other four ancient civilizations see the weakness of the Shining Gold People."
Elder Mu walked over and said, "It's a happy thing that a battle that shouldn't have happened ended in an undefeated outcome. Outsiders' opinions don't represent the true strength of the Shuojin civilization. The Shuojin people never advocate the use of force to resolve disputes, and they will never raid a country's capital without permission."
"It seems that the Golden Man is unwilling to listen to well-intentioned advice."
Qingkong stopped the two civilizations' representatives from confronting each other in time: "Elder Mu, please take a seat... Your meeting with Meteorite will begin soon, so you'd better hurry up and talk about things."
Jennifer brought tea and snacks to the two elders, and then stood behind Qingkong.
Elder Mu did not continue the verbal dispute, but stated his purpose: "I heard from the Dragon Clan's Taotie King that the fire crystals that the Golden Shield Empire collected from the Dragon Kingdom were transferred to the Golden Shield Empire by you?"
"Is that true?" Qingkong replied calmly, "The Fire Crystals are the compensation given by the Dragon Nation to the Moonlight Royal Court, but my subjects are now far away from civilized society, so it is meaningless to ask for Fire Crystals. Later, the Prime Minister of Meteorite found me and asked me to transfer this batch of Fire Crystals to the Golden Shield Empire. The Empire converted the value of the Fire Crystals into investment in the Western Territory to improve the living standards of the barbarians in the Western Territory.
This is a win-win situation, so I agreed. ”
Elder Mu followed up by saying, “Since the World Tree revived and the Moonlight Royal Court was established, the Shining Gold People have been very active in compensating for the past disasters. The World Bank has opened a branch in the Moonlight Royal Court and invested a lot of infrastructure in the Ancestral Grassland.
If Her Majesty the Queen allows the World Bank to increase its investment in the Moonlight Royal Court, we, the Shining Gold People, will certainly be willing to establish a deeper friendship with the World Tree and you."
Qingkong knew that Elder Mu came for Huo Jing. She picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea before saying, "My subjects need a lot of money and materials to quickly integrate into the modern world. If the World Bank wants to increase its investment in the Moonlight Royal Court, it is certainly a good thing that I will not refuse."
Elder Mu said: "The World Bank has endless financial potential and an industrial chain that connects the world. Our managers can formulate a comprehensive development plan for the Moonlight Royal Court, complete the initial industrial construction within five years, and connect to the international market at the same time.
We only have one small request, that 70% of Dragon Country's Fire Crystals be distributed to the World Bank."
Qingkong smiled at the expected request and said, “Elder Mu…when Meteor and I were discussing the transfer of the Fire Crystal Mine, I didn’t know what he was going to do with the Dragon Country’s Fire Crystals, but I know now.
The energy strategy of the Golden Shield Empire is very bold, which can cause such a big reaction from the Golden Man, and even let Tan personally assassinate him, which means that the Imperial Mark has the potential to change the status of the Golden Voucher. If I knew in advance that it would cause such a big turmoil, I would not sign the Fire Crystal Transfer Agreement with the Golden Shield Empire.
But it's too late now. Now that the agreement has been signed, it must be implemented. I cannot tear up the agreement unilaterally.
Please forgive me, elders."
Elder Mu knew that Qingkong had a very close relationship with Meteorite, and simple inducement would not make Qingkong agree to transfer the Fire Crystal. He looked at Theresa and continued, "Your Majesty, you should be able to feel that this world is becoming more and more unstable.
Sky City must have an important purpose in sending angels to Saint Lun City.
Recently we received news that Dragon Nation has sent a group of giant dragons to Saint Lun City. This has triggered a series of chain reactions, with the activities of Hell in Saint Lun City increasing, and the traces of Shadow Clan are also increasing. Our Elders Council has just passed a resolution to strengthen the Saint Lun City branch, and a team of Shining Gold warriors has already set out for Saint Lun City.
This is just the beginning of a military competition among five ancient civilizations. Saint Lun City will become the most dangerous powder keg in the world. A misjudged spark may trigger a new all-out war.
It is extremely unwise for the Golden Shield Empire to provoke a dispute with the Shining Gold People at this sensitive time, as it will harm the Moonlight Court, which is also its ally.
Only Your Majesty can stop this crisis and make the Golden Shield Empire abandon its current energy monetary policy. Resolving the crisis will be beneficial to the Moonlight Royal Court."
Theresa seemed to be enjoying the beautiful view outside the window while eating snacks and drinking tea, but she was actually listening to what Qingkong and Elder Mu were talking about. When talking about the angels forcibly descending on Saint Lun City, Theresa said, "Don't sow discord between me and Miss Qingkong. I led the Holy Judgement Angels to descend on Saint Lun City, but that was a matter between us and the Golden Shield Empire. You are the initiators of the crisis.
Miss Qingkong, the credibility of the Shining Gold Civilization and the control of the Council of Elders over some Shining Gold people are both questionable. Don't offend the Golden Shield Empire and end up not getting the benefits promised by the Shining Gold people."
Elder Mu immediately shouted at Theresa: "Spread the Holy Scripture first. You are the one trying to sow discord between us and the Queen of Clear Sky. The Golden Men who participated in the assassination of the Prime Minister of Meteorite have been detained. We have also promised that such things will not happen again!"
Theresa smiled and said, "I am just reminding my friends. You can continue talking and just pretend I don't exist."
How could Elder Mu pretend that such a great angel did not exist: "Preach the Holy Scriptures first, I think it's best for you to stay away."
Theresa drank her tea, ignored the elder, and didn't move.
Qingkong said at this time : "Elder Mu, my attitude is very clear. Trust is difficult to build, but it is very easy to destroy it. Tan is not an ordinary shining gold person. Her private actions mean that there are problems within your group that cannot be ignored.
The Moonlight Court is located in the western border of the Golden Shield Empire, and most of my subjects are citizens of the Golden Shield Empire. What our two countries need is trust, not stabbing each other in the back for small profits at critical moments.
There is no room for negotiation on the issue of Fire Crystal. If the two elders have nothing else to do, please go back and prepare for the meeting with the Prime Minister of Meteorite. "
Qingkong refused again, thwarting the World Bank's attempt to cut off the Golden Shield Empire's supply of fire crystals.
Elder Mu looked at Elder Lin, who said to Qingkong, "We can discuss the transfer of the Dragon Nation Fire Crystal when we have a chance. I have one more question for Her Majesty the Queen. Did you develop the Ancient Golden Language completely independently?"
Qingkong replied, "Not exactly. I have always had a strong interest in ancient languages. At first, I tried to decipher and learn ancient languages by myself, but the progress was very slow. Later, Pan and Yin came to Nutao City. With their guidance, I made significant progress in learning the ancient Golden Language."
Elder Lin frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, did you learn the ancient Golden Language from Pan Heyin?"
"Yes!" Qingkong said affirmatively, and then asked: "Is it that the ancient Golden Language is not allowed to be spread outside? Will it bring trouble to the two of them... Oh, Pan is dead."
"No, even in ancient times, there is no law that prohibits the spread of the ancient Glittering Golden Language." Elder Lin said, "It's just that if you are not a gifted twin and have no training, it is difficult for ordinary people to master and use the ancient Glittering Golden Language. Her Majesty the Queen not only learned the ancient Glittering Golden Language, but also developed it further, and even cast it independently without twin resonance, which really makes us very curious.
Especially the independent release of the Glowing Gold Magic without Gemini Resonance has extraordinary significance for our Glowing Gold civilization and will also affect the future of Sound.
Could Her Majesty clear this doubt for us?"
Qingkong put down the teacup and said, "Theresa, morning tea time is over, you should go back to your room."
Theresa, who was just hearing the key point, heard Qingkong's order to leave and immediately said in dissatisfaction: "I haven't finished my snacks yet, how can morning tea be over? You guys talk about your own things, just ignore me."
Seeing that Theresa was being so shameless, Qingkong directly ordered: "Jennifer, send Theresa out."
"Yes, Miss Qingkong!" Jennifer walked to Theresa, took away her snacks, and snatched the teacup from her hand: "Miss Theresa, please leave!"
Theresa knew that the next secret was related to the foundation of the Shining Gold Civilization, and she would never be allowed to hear it. She could only stand up and said, "Okay, you guys continue talking. I'll come back at lunch."
