This seemed like a normal gesture of respect, but for Zhang Bo, Zhang Song, and Yang Di, it was actually a signal—a signal that both sides wanted to meet secretly.
However, at this moment, Zhang Bo spoke up, “After we finish eating, I hope we can have a small room to ourselves for internal team discussions, and I also need to send our guards to Deherim to report the progress of the negotiations.”
“No problem,” Yang Di nodded in agreement.
This was only natural, as Yang Di understood that Zhang Bo couldn’t make the final decisions in this negotiation; the true decision-maker in Deherim was the Spiritual Realm Lord named Shen Mu.
But Yang Di couldn't help but sigh when he thought about his own age, as he was already over 40 and almost 50.
According to the rumors he had heard, Shen Mu was only a young man in his early twenties, the same age as Zhang Bo and Zhang Song.
Through a series of coincidences, he had grown so much in such a short time that Yang Di felt envious just thinking about it.
Especially when the other party held an absolute advantage, almost like a whale swallowing its prey, ready to devour his Green Leaf Group.
A sense of old age and weariness suddenly arose in his heart.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m already old? When I think of your Deherim’s Spiritual Realm Lord, Shen Mu, looking so young, I truly envy him.
He is indeed talented at a young age,” Yang Di slowly spoke, looking at Zhang Bo, then shifting his gaze to Sun Zhiru and the negotiation experts behind him, a bitter smile on his face.
“If possible, please convey my respect to him.”
“Of course, I will convey it.” Zhang Bo nodded; he had naturally seen the weariness in Yang Di’s eyes and the bitterness on his face.
This made Zhang Bo feel very uneasy.
Because he knew why things had turned out this way—it was entirely due to a small mistake he made during his grand plan, which brought a hint of guilt to his eyes.
If he hadn’t spoken carelessly at that time, perhaps Yang Di’s Wood Elf assault team might have truly reached the castle’s main tower and beheaded Shen Mu.
But now, there was no point in dwelling on the past; what was done was done, and thinking too much wouldn't change anything.
After a brief chat, Zhang Bo, Sun Zhiru, the ten negotiation experts, and the twenty human guards behind them excused themselves and left the tent, moving into a small tent specially prepared for them.
This was their temporary private meeting room.
And there was open space all around it.
This indicated that the Green Leaf Group had indeed provided them with a relatively secluded environment where no one else could eavesdrop.
Of course, the Green Leaf Group didn't need to eavesdrop at all, as Zhang Bo himself was their spy, and Zhang Bo was the overall person in charge; as long as there was an opportunity for private communication, they would surely get the relevant information.
Even so, upon entering the private small tent, Zhang Bo glanced at the twenty human guards, who were Kujit Veteran Horse Archers, following him.
He spoke to them politely, “Please have five people stand guard outside to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.”
“Understood,” they replied.
As the captain of the Kujit Veteran Horse Archers turned to his five trusted subordinates, these five Kujit Veteran Horse Archers immediately stepped forward, nodded at them, and then turned to go outside the small tent, guarding the entrance and the four corners of the tent.
Their eyes were sharp and watchful, openly showing that they were there to prevent others from approaching.
“Good, now that we have people standing guard, what do you all think of this negotiation?” Zhang Bo then looked at Sun Zhiru and the ten negotiation experts, asking them to report their insights from this negotiation.
This was also a time for brainstorming.
“I think it’s going very well; those senior managers of the Green Leaf Group should agree to negotiate with us, as they also know that the initiative is in our hands now.
Even if some details can’t be agreed upon, they’ve tried their best to make concessions to us.”
Sun Zhiru, as the number two person, naturally spoke at this moment, and what he said was what he saw, his tone very relaxed: “I think we can perfectly report back to Lord Shen Mu this time; this task will definitely be easy.” He himself smiled as he spoke.
Things were indeed as he said; although there were some minor hiccups in the details, they were all negotiable, and as long as they were negotiable, it meant the mission would surely be completed.
And regarding Sun Zhiru’s statement, the negotiation experts also smiled and nodded, their tone and faces showing the same relaxed demeanor.
“That’s right, Mr. Zhang Bo, this negotiation is truly very easy.
As long as we return to Deherim this time, we will surely receive Lord Shen Mu’s reward.”
“We can pop the champagne already; let’s just say that when we arrived at the Green Leaf Group, it already meant we had completed the mission.”
“Exactly, this was originally a very easy task; it’s just that we overthought it before.
The other side has absolutely no power to resist now.”
“Now, as long as we propose the conditions, they only need to accept them; at most, they’ll just discuss the details a little.”
All the negotiation experts said this.
In response, Zhang Bo smiled, “So, according to what everyone said, this time we just need to slowly negotiate, treating this negotiation like a tea party, and once we return, the mission will be considered complete, right?”
“Of course, Mr. Zhang Bo, this is a very easy matter to begin with.” Sun Zhiru and the other negotiation experts all smiled and nodded.
They had no hesitation or doubt whatsoever.
As they said, this negotiation was truly too easy; when they communicated, the Green Leaf Group directly agreed to everything, and just as they said, only the details required some adjustments and negotiation.
And the details that needed to be negotiated posed no threat at all.
Nor would they be delayed by the negotiation itself.
They even had full authority to negotiate terms; they could completely influence these terms, make their own decisions, and agree to those small details of the Green Leaf Group.
There was only one reason: the Green Leaf Group had indeed approved their negotiation plan.
It was merely a conditional surrender.
One could even say that even if there were conditions, they were only minor, subtle ones.
Isn’t that easy enough?
“Since that’s the case, please have someone relay the current negotiation progress to Mr. Bandak’s side.” Zhang Bo nodded at this, then looked up at the Kujit Veteran Horse Archer’s captain and said to him, “We will arrange for someone to provide further updates on related matters in the evening.”
“Understood, I will also arrange for someone to go.” The Kujit Veteran Horse Archer’s captain nodded, then turned to a subordinate beside him, whispered a few words, and sent him out of the tent to inform Bandak.
This had been pre-arranged: if Bandak had any disagreements, the Kujit Veteran Horse Archer would act as a messenger to relay the orders back.
After all, Bandak also had Steppe Bandits serving as messengers, who would then relay the news to Shen Mu, who was hidden behind them.
Therefore, this method of transmitting messages was quite efficient.
“What should we do now, Mr. Zhang Bo?” The negotiation experts were all sitting in the small tent, somewhat idly stretching their bodies.
“Let’s rest for a while. Since we’ve come to Green Leaf Group, there’s no rush. Why not treat it like a visit and have a good rest?” Zhang Bo’s face broke into a smile, especially seeing the bored expressions of the negotiation experts and Sun Zhiru. He couldn’t help but show an even brighter smile: “It’s not often that those guys from Green Leaf Group treat us like esteemed guests. Why not flaunt our authority for a bit? It can be considered a privilege granted to us by Lord Shen Mu.”
“Hahahahahahaha.” Instantly, the negotiation experts and Sun Zhiru also burst into laughter, and with that laughter, everyone smiled brightly and nodded in agreement.
Just as Zhang Bo said, back in Deherim, they were just ordinary people. It was better to stay here at Green Leaf Group and be treated as superiors.
At least the treatment they could enjoy here was simply too good.
Moreover, all the food they enjoyed was Spiritual Realm food, which was far more precious than the food in Deherim, which needed to be mixed with Blue Star food.
After all, these people were all ordinary individuals, not Spiritual Realm Commanders; they were only good at negotiation, but in terms of actual combat power, they basically had none.
It was better to stay here and enjoy themselves thoroughly.
The feeling of borrowing power was truly wonderful.
“In that case, let’s resume negotiations around three o’clock this afternoon, and have dinner together here tonight.” Zhang Bo also said with a smile, “In a while, I’ll ask Green Leaf Group to provide us with a good, hearty dinner, preferably with meat. Although the fruits and pastries for lunch today tasted quite good, I feel that some meat makes eating more enjoyable. Oh, and it seems Green Leaf Group also has fruit wine; let’s ask them to provide some of that too.”
“That’s absolutely wonderful, Mr. Zhang Bo, we’ll listen to you.” All the experts, including Sun Zhiru, laughed.
This was truly a wonderful and enjoyable travel experience.
While they were conversing,
Inside the large tent,
Yang Di, Zhang Song, and the senior managers were also communicating.
“President Yang, did we agree too hastily this time? We agreed to everything they said, with only minor differences in details. Won’t we be at a disadvantage this way?” A manager asked at this time.
Compared to the relaxed demeanor of Zhang Bo and the negotiation experts in the small tent, the senior managers of Green Leaf Group in this large tent now looked somewhat solemn.
This was unavoidable, as they were the defeated party, and they had to agree to whatever terms the other side proposed.
It was like performing a ritual in a snail shell.
Dancing on the tip of a knife.
They had to be extremely cautious in proposing their own small conditions based on the other party’s terms, only then could they secure better conditions for Green Leaf Group.
It sounded a bit convoluted, but it was indeed the case.
“There’s no other way. If the other party insists strongly that we agree, what else can we do? We cannot only look at immediate benefits; we must also consider the future. Although we agreed to their terms, we also put forward some of our own conditions to maximize our interests, didn’t we?” Yang Di wearily pinched the bridge of his nose at this point. He understood what these senior managers meant, but as a Spiritual Realm Lord, he considered much more.
Looking at these managers, he waved his hand and said to them, “You all go back and rest. I estimate there will be another difficult negotiation this afternoon. Everyone should get enough rest; we might have to play a game of wits with them tonight.”
“Understood, President Yang. If anything comes up, we’ll be here anytime.” These managers understood that Yang Di was telling them to leave first so they could discuss something privately, so they nodded, stood up, and took their leave.
At this moment, it was important to be perceptive.
As they all left, only Yang Di and Zhang Song remained in the large tent.
“What do you think?” Yang Di looked at Zhang Song.
“I think it’s alright; there’s nothing special happening, and Zhang Bo is still on our side.” Zhang Song, of course, knew that Yang Di was actually asking about Zhang Bo’s stance on the negotiations, so he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “From Zhang Bo’s performance, he definitely hasn’t betrayed us, and some of the conditions he proposed subtly leaned towards our favor.”
“Exactly, that’s what I’m very satisfied with.” Yang Di’s lips curved into a smile, and he said with a tone of emotion, “I was really afraid things would turn out for the worst, but it seems Zhang Bo is still the same kid we remember.”
“Indeed, that’s something to be relieved about.” Zhang Song also smiled.
However, Zhang Song then slowly asked, “In that case, shouldn’t we meet with Zhang Bo privately to discuss some more confidential matters? After all, regarding this afternoon’s negotiations, it would be good to exchange information. Communicating face-to-face is clearly much better than relaying messages.”
“Hmm, let’s do that then.” Yang Di thought for a moment and agreed with him. (End of Chapter)
