Chapter 681: I Plan to Attend

As if to add insult to injury, Minister of Finance, Ilman Baas also warned, "All of that isn’t even taking into consideration the possibility those big chambers of commerce send representatives to the Rockwell Kingdom’s conference."

"Given the fact that Ariana Rockwell is an Elder of the Vast Ocean Trade Company, it’s pretty much guaranteed they will send a high-level delegation to attend, and if high-ranking steward, or Heavens forbid, an Elder from the Rising Sun Merchant Guild also shows up and we are the only nation not there to greet them..."

This was a truly terrifying thought.

Although commercial organizations like the Vast Ocean Trade Company all ’claimed’ to be neutral entities, they were still made up of people, and people always have agendas.

Take the Rising Sun Merchant Guild as an example, publicly they never got involved in politics or wars, selling their products to whoever was willing to pay for them regardless who they were, but everyone understood that if you had friends or connections with the right person in the guild’s leadership, you could get some special ’discounts’ or have your orders be given ’priority’ over others.

Such advantages might not be enough to determine the winner of a full-scale war between nations, but it was certainly a big advantage that could help tip the scales at critical moments.

Then, of course, there were the reputational concerns one needed to take into account when dealing with some of the largest and most powerful forces on the Blue Sky Continent, ones that were directly by hegemonic powers that commanded armies capable of wiping out small kingdoms all on their own.

Any slight, real or simply perceived, to the Rising Sun Merchant Guild could be taken as a sign of disrespect towards its owner, the Rising Sun Empire’s Imperial Family, and if there was one rule everyone on the Blue Sky Continent was forced to obey, it was that you don’t antagonize the Helion Family.

Now, the Rising Sun Merchant Guild might not attend, or they might not send anyone of importance to represent them, but by definition, that meant there was a chance they would attend and that someone of great importance would appear.

Sweeping her eyes around the hall, glaring at all those who had been clamouring to boycott the conference just moments ago but who were now lowering their heads, trying to hid their faces, Talia declared in an unequivocal tone, "We must attend! If we don’t, we won’t be able to defend our interests and may very well wind up as the sole outsider among the nations of the South-Central Region!"

"Bahahaha! That brat really knows how to stir shit up!" King Darian, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly burst into a raucous fit of laughter, "I was under the impression that he was as boring and cowardly as his father, but it turns out he’s much more interesting!"

"Fath... Your Majesty!" Talia, in an unusual breach of decorum, shouted angrily, "Is this really the time to be making jokes!?"

"This is the perfect time to be making jokes!" King Darian rose from his throne and sneered, "After all, we’ve all just been made fools of by a boy, so we can either sit here and fume, or find a way to laugh it off!"

The hall instantly fell silent, with no one being able to offer any kind of counter-argument despite the King’s words being so outrageous and insulting.

Almost everyone in the hall believed that Darian was referring to Nathanial Rockwell when he mentioned a ’boy’, as the Rockwell King really was quite young by comparison, but there was a handful among them, like Princess Talia and General Gino Tabor, who thought differently.

There was another ’boy’ in the Rockwell Kingdom that they had been warned about, one who was much younger, much less famous, but potentially far more dangerous.

Why?

Because this whole trade conference didn’t really seem like something the current Rockwell King would come up with, but if it was that ’unusual’ boy, the one Prince Landon often described with a wry grin as an ’anomaly’...

In any case, seeing how the room was reacting to his words, King Darian actually grinned even wider. It wasn’t often that he was able to shut up this crowd of self-interested bitches and bastards.

Of course, that didn’t mean Darian Darr wasn’t disappointed in his ’loyal’ subjects. The fact that they were acting so stupidly, hesitantly, and anxiously before anything had even started was, in his opinion, a pitiful sign of weakness.

Snorting loudly, King Darain declared in his usual, booming voice, "Our Darr Kingdom has never been afraid of anything, not war, nor hardship, so we certainly won’t be cowering in the face of mere ’talks’!"

"Yes, this is a trap, a brilliantly laid trap we have no choice but to walk into, but since that’s the case, we’ll do this the Darr Kingdom way! Boldly, and without holding back!"

Whether they were from the Royalists or the Noble Faction, everyone present in the Darr Kingdom’s Royal Council Chambers today would agree that Darian wasn’t the most eloquent, or the most strategic of rulers, but if there was one thing he excelled at, it was leading the charge.

Just seeing him stand before them, full of pride and confidence, somehow reassured them that everything was going to be alright.

That said, inspirational words alone wouldn’t be enough to deal with the Rockwell Kingdom’s latest scheme.

They needed a plan, a good one, a comprehensive one, and that was something the current King was incredibly bad at.

Thus, everyone’s eyes slowly began shifting away from Darian’s imposing figure to the 2 people in the hall who were the real brains of the Darr Kingdom.

First Minister Kolton Hamra and Crown Princess Talia Darr.

Normally, these two were at odds with one another, with Kolton essentially being the spokesperson for the Noble Faction and Talia naturally representing the Royalists; however, given the circumstances, it seemed they would have no choice but to cooperate.

This reality was not lost on the First Minister or the Crown Princess, both of whom exchanged a quick glance and nod before turning to their own advisors to consult with them.

For a moment, it seemed like the hall had regained a semblance of calm.

It was still tense, mind you, and there was no shortage of people who were fretting about the future, but, at least on the surface, order had been restored.

That is, until King Darian made a shocking announcement, "Right, I don’t care who else participates in this conference, you can decide that amongst yourselves, but you should know that I plan to attend it in person."