Pausing for a moment, Ye Cangtian continued, "With such significant losses, do you think what I'm asking for is excessive?"
These casualty figures were, of course, fabricated by Ye Cangtian. He had no idea what the actual casualties were!
It was likely that even Xingyuan hadn't tallied these losses yet.
However, none of that mattered. If the Dark Association hadn't figured it out, the Light Hall certainly wouldn't. Using these numbers to fool them was perfect.
"This..."
At his words, Leon's expression froze, his gaze flickering.
Eugene truly was his right-hand man.
With such a small contingent, he had wreaked havoc in the Dark Ruins, inflicting such heavy losses on the Dark Association. It was truly remarkable!
Leon didn't doubt the casualty figures Ye Cangtian reported. After all, the elites of the Silver Armor Knights had been dispatched to the Dark Ruins, and they were expected to achieve such results.
He sighed, lamenting that these brothers had already met their demise.
With this thought, the anger on Leon's face subsided slightly. Given such immense losses, the proposed terms were somewhat acceptable.
After all, these medicinal pills could not possibly compensate for such losses.
Even so, this was not a small sum. Even if he agreed, the Light Hall would never consent.
The next moment, his gaze flickered towards Ye Cangtian, and he spoke slowly, "Dawn, as I said before, if the Dark Association suffered losses, so did the Light Hall!"
As his voice fell, Leon saw the other's gaze darken and quickly reached out to stop him from speaking.
"Don't rush. For the sake of both parties to cease hostilities and resume cooperation, the Light Hall is still willing to show some sincerity."
"We can offer two Dao Comprehension Pills, plus a thousand purple spirit stones!"
"This is our bottom line!"
Leon quickly blurted out after a moment's thought.
Heh.
Hearing Leon's terms, Ye Cangtian chuckled inwardly. He saw through Leon's calculations at a glance.
The other party said nothing about the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, assuming the Dark Association's Earth-level deacons were all lost, hence the willingness to offer two Dao Comprehension Pills directly.
After all, Dao Comprehension Pills were most effective for Earth-level experts. While cultivators at other stages would gain some cultivation by taking them, the effects were not significant.
Therefore, even if Leon offered two Dao Comprehension Pills, it would not significantly enhance the Dark Association's strength.
With this thought, Ye Cangtian glanced dismissively at the other party and said, "Since the Light Hall lacks sincerity, our negotiation ends here for today. Coincidentally, Huaxia has also contacted us and wishes to meet me!"
With that, Ye Cangtian stood up, leading Lan Yue and Xuan Liu, the two women, towards the banquet hall doors.
"This..."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Leon's expression instantly changed.
If the other party were merely making outrageous demands, he would not have tolerated it. Let him leave! It would be the same as continuing the war!
At worst, a single Eugene team had almost put a hole in the Dark Association. Sending two more teams would surely bring the Dark Association to its senses. After all, they couldn't afford such losses.
However, what he heard at the end, that Huaxia forces had also contacted the Dark Association, was a major problem!
Now that the Light Hall had attacked both sides, the Light Hall had a basic understanding of the Dark Association's foundation, but it had seen nothing of Huaxia forces.
They hadn't even passed the initial entry hurdle to the Huaxia Ruins.
If Huaxia forces and the Dark Association were to join forces, the Light Hall's objectives would be even harder to achieve, and there might even be a risk of their downfall.
"Wait!"
With this thought, he quickly reached out and called out to him.
Ye Cangtian turned his head, glanced back, and said teasingly, "Leon, is there anything else?"
Hearing this, Leon quickly replied, "Dawn, what you're asking for is truly astonishing. I cannot agree to it. I must report it to my superiors! It will take a few days."
"That's fine. Huaxia will likely not be able to complete negotiations in one go, so you should have plenty of time."
Ye Cangtian nodded. He had ample time to play with them now and didn't mind delaying for a few days.
This scoundrel!
Leon felt a tightening in his chest due to the pressure from Ye Cangtian. It seemed this matter needed to be resolved quickly.
Otherwise, if Huaxia forces truly allied with the Dark Association, it would be troublesome!
With this in mind, Leon spoke, "Dawn, I will handle this matter as quickly as possible. However, I must warn you, don't think about playing both sides!"
"Of course."
Ye Cangtian nodded heavily, then waved his hand and left the banquet hall.
Leaving the VIP building, Ye Cangtian went directly to the family compound. He knew Old Master Xu would surely be waiting for news.
As expected, when Old Master Xu saw him, he immediately began to inquire.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian briefly explained the situation of the meeting. Old Master Xu's brow furrowed upon hearing it.
He glared at Ye Cangtian, displeased, and said, "Kid, did you forget the main point! What exactly are their intentions?"
After listening for so long, the two sides hadn't discussed cooperation at all. Wasn't this a wasted trip?
Feeling his grandfather's gaze, Ye Cangtian chuckled and said, "Don't rush! Although we don't know their specific objectives, we can guess the general direction."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Old Master Xu looked at him doubtfully and said, "Tell me!"
"When Leon heard that Huaxia forces were also contacting the Dark Association, his expression and attitude immediately changed."
"This proves that their ultimate goal must be to deal with our Huaxia forces!"
Ye Cangtian said slowly. In fact, he had mentioned Huaxia forces to gauge Leon's reaction and thus determine the other party's intentions.
The result was obvious; Leon had indeed exposed himself.
Old Master Xu's eyes flickered. It seemed to make some sense, so he nodded and said, "Continue!"
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian continued, "The person who came now is the commander of the Silver Armor Knights, whose strength is likely quasi-Heavenly level. Therefore, their objective should not be the Dragon Group or the capital, which leaves only the Huaxia Ruins!"
Hmm?
Old Master Xu's eyes flickered again.
Although Ye Cangtian's words belittled the Dragon Group somewhat, they held a certain logic.
If their sole intention was to deal with the Dragon Group, there would be no need to dispatch the commander of the Silver Armor Knights; it would be an over-exaggeration of resources.
With this thought, Old Master Xu looked at Ye Cangtian and asked, "Since their objective has been guessed, how do you plan to handle it?"
Ye Cangtian smiled slightly upon hearing this and said, "No rush. We should at least get some benefits first. Those medicinal pills are free, so why not take them..."
...
The Light Hall.
The Pope was resting with his eyes closed in the great hall. Recently, all matters concerning Huaxia forces and the Dark Association had been handed over to the inner court, making him much more relaxed.
His current role was merely to relay some messages in between.
Although such days were a bit boring, for him, they were quite good and leisurely.
"Report!"
Just then, a voice announcing the arrival broke the tranquility. In an instant, Hassan scurried into the hall.
The Pope glanced over and saw Hassan holding a phone, his brows immediately furrowed.
Hassan was always responsible for liaising with the front-line teams. For regular messages, he could handle them himself. Now that he was bringing the phone, it clearly meant something had happened.
"Your Holiness, Leon from the front line is on the phone. There are some matters that require your approval."
Hassan said, presenting the phone.
The Pope nodded, took the phone, and said, "This is the Pope. Leon, what is it, you may speak."
"Greetings, Your Holiness!"
"Your subordinate has encountered some problems. Currently, the Dark Association is making outrageous demands. If we want to cooperate, the Light Hall must provide some war compensation! Otherwise, they refuse to cooperate with us..."
The next moment, Leon's voice came through the phone.
Upon hearing this, the Pope was about to say that they should agree directly.
In his opinion, since the other party went to the meeting, they had the intention to cooperate. Thus, they would not make such exorbitant demands.
However, upon hearing the latter part of the sentence, rage instantly ignited in the Pope's eyes.