534 Mortimer's Idea
No matter how frustrated Mortimer and his group felt regarding the Holy Knight Empire's treatment, Vaan was the wrong person for them to vent their frustration. Even if they were the Great Ratholos Empire's representatives, their positions were far beneath Vaan's.
If they want to complain to someone, it could only be minister-level officials like Minister Mistral or below.
They could not do the same to the ruler of the country, let alone the country's god. The country's ruler had to be respected, and its god had to be absolutely respected!
Unfortunately, Mortimer's group made the mistake of disrespecting Vaan at the start of their meeting by directing their frustration at him.
Of course, this was something Vaan planned and intended to happen.
Whether it was diplomacy or trade negotiations, they had to be conducted calmly. Becoming emotionally aggressive and irrational would only put the party at a significant disadvantage.
Thanks to Mortimer making two critical errors upon their meeting, Vaan gained great leverage in their talk and could control its flow.
Under the oppressive suppression of his Peak Demigod-rank soul, the envoys' faces started to swell with redness from lack of oxygen as blood rushed to their heads.
Mortimer and his people wanted to overcome the soul suppression with the sheer force of their will to restore their respiration and not die from asphyxiation. But they couldn't muster the slightest strength.
In front of an absolute existence, their meager will to resist meant nothing.
Mortimer and their men had their fair share of extreme dangers and life-or-death situations training in the Great Ratholos Empire. Thus, they thought they had already conquered their fear of death long ago.
However, under Vaan's cold, suppressive gaze that made them feel like pitiful, insignificant insects, unknown fear sprouted in their hearts - one, unlike anything they felt before.
Not even Emperor Varan and the Wyvern Lord could instill such fear that they were unable to think, act, or breathe.
Just when Mortimer and his men thought they would suffocate to death, Vaan removed the oppressive suppression by glancing elsewhere. The overwhelming intimidation simply came from the intent in his gaze.
But under the vast difference in their soul rank, a powerful effect was produced.
If the same intimidating intent had been directed at ordinary, untrained people, their hearts would simply stop beating.
Nevertheless, once the oppressive suppression disappeared, Mortimer and his men desperately gasped for air.
It was strange, considering extremely trained warriors like them could hold their breaths for at least half an hour. And yet, what appeared to be a few dozen breaths felt like an eternity. Perhaps their body didn't actually need the sudden large intake of air; their minds just made them naturally react that way due to the intense fear of death by asphyxiation.
Mortimer was immediately humbled before they could discuss the purpose of their visit.
Unfortunately, not everyone would have greater self-awareness of the situation after such an experience. Some combat their fears with aggression and false bravado.
"Your Excellency! You may be the Holy Knight Empire's Sun God, but we are not your believers! We are representatives of the Great Ratholos Empire! You have no right to treat us this way!"
Mortimer's fear-recovering eyes trembled with greater fear when a Peak-level Rank 3 warrior behind him criticized the Sun God. In that instant, blood rushed to his head as his heart boiled with rage. He wanted to turn about and scold the foolish warrior immediately.
However, Vaan's oppressive intent once again suppressed Mortimer and his men, silencing their movements, voice, and breathing.
"I have no right?" Vaan calmly glanced at the furious yet scared warrior and asked increasingly coldly, "Who decided that? You? Your emperor? Only the strong gets to decide what is right and wrong!"
Boom...!
Vaan's aura exploded outward.
At the same time, the surrounding space was seemingly locked as a newfound pressure weighed down on Mortimer's group. Their knees slammed into the ground as the heavy pressure forcefully made them kneel and grovel on the floor.
Even the marbled floor couldn't withstand the pressure and cracked under the impact.
"And you are not one of them!" Vaan firmly said to the hot-headed Peak-level Rank 3 warrior.
Just when Mortimer's group thought they had landed into deep trouble due to Marc's, the hot-headed Peak-level Rank 3 warrior's thoughtless remarks, Vaan freed them from his pressure and sank back into his seat lazily.
"Not only do you not have respect for another country's revered deity, but your group also has neither patience nor sincerity. You only waited three days, not three months. What right do you have to complain?" Vaan mentioned.
"I think we are done here. You're not welcome in this country. Go back and explain truthfully to your emperor what you did here without a hint of falsehood."
"Then, tell him I said to choose qualified representatives next time. Otherwise, he may risk his country declining," Vaan advised Mortimer shortly after.
The Sun God's decision was like dropping a hammer on Mortimer's heart. Before they could negotiate anything, they were already getting shooed out of the country.
However, since the Sun God had already made his decision, Mortimer couldn't say anything to change it.
Now, his only worst fear was Marc being unrepentant and saying something else to aggravate the situation.
Marc...
This person wasn't one of his guards but the subordinate of another lord with whom he was acquainted and on friendly terms. He wouldn't have agreed if the lord had not requested to add the person to his group as a favor.
He wondered if his acquaintance specifically sent the person to sabotage his mission.
Just when Mortimer thought about threatening Marc with a glare to warn him not to say anything else, he suddenly had an idea.
The person wasn't one of his, so there was no need to care about the person's life or death. Instead, he should use the person's brashness to test the Sun God's bottom line.
As long as he claimed to have nothing to do with Marc's choice of words and conduct, the Sun God would most likely let them go beside the person in question.
At the end of the day, they were still representatives of the Great Ratholos Empire.
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