Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

”I wouldn’t say I had high hopes, I just had a few questions to ask the giant dragon, and incidentally, I wanted to pick out my own troops, which is why I came here.”

Yang Yu was modest when he needed to be, without any ambiguity,

”Moreover, I have some doubts about the prisoner exchange that I need to consult about.”

”Let’s not discuss the questions you want to ask for now,” Qing Zhu stared straight at Yang Yu, his gaze seemingly amused, ”Could you first tell me what you just did? Why did it cause a riot?”

”I wouldn’t call it a riot, I just got here and felt that the atmosphere was deathly dull, so I took the liberty of dancing a little to liven things up.

The people in the prisoner camp, seeing my approachable demeanor, couldn’t help but join in the dance with me.

I’m sorry that I danced without consulting you first.

I just thought it was just a dance, no need for a big fuss…

Who knew that these humans were really too enthusiastic.

If you don’t believe me, just ask the soldiers who were dancing with me just now, they all joined in on their own initiative.”

At this point, those Luoze prisoners who joined in the dance dared not admit in front of the other Luoze prisoners who didn’t join in the revelry that they were actively involved in it.

Once the truth was out, it would be disgraceful for the troops of the Luo Ze Empire.

Many Luoze soldiers, ignorant of the truth, were influenced by the crowd and joined in, hoping to get away with it.

Even if there were people who intended to tell the truth, they would certainly be accused of talking nonsense by the large number of hopefuls, turning ”active” participants into ”passive” ones.

Frankly, Yang Yu hadn’t expected it to turn out this way; he merely wanted to show off his equipment.

Who knew that this song would be so effective with the Luoze prisoners, that the promotion worked twice as well with half the effort.

Seeing this, Yang Yu was delighted, a broad smile on his face.

Sensing that Yang Yu truly had no ill intentions, Qing Zhu glanced toward the not-too-distant shelters, where many Luoze prisoners nervously lowered their heads.

”Since it’s already happened and you stopped in a timely manner, I won’t pursue this matter. Come with me, I’ll take you to meet the other members of the Envoy Team.”

After saying that, Qing Zhu led Yang Yu and his group into the city.

Upon arrival at the conference room, Qing Zhu called for his subordinates to serve Yang Yu and his group a bowl of tea each, and at the same time, Qing Zhu handed over his own materials to Yang Yu.

Initially, Qing Zhu didn’t expect Yang Yu and his group to come and hadn’t prepared extra materials, so the four of them had to share one set.

Of course, not everyone welcomed the sudden visitation of Yang Yu and his group.

The negotiating Envoy Team consisted of twelve members, all trusted by Emperor Wan Zhangshi and Minister Ming Dalak, having been responsible for prisoner exchanges for many years, with rich experience in negotiating with humans.

For an outsider who knew nothing about their field of expertise to want to get involved was seen as a great irony to their work.

Yang Yu hadn’t even gotten his seat warm when dissent already arose.

”I’ve heard Mr. Potato Thorn just rushed over from the Sailuomen Plain, so you must be quite skilled in combat. This kind of work, which requires using your brains and grasping people’s hearts, should be left to us!”

A wolf-shaped Beastman lightly stroked his large handlebar mustache and said with a hint of sarcasm.

A nearby deer-shaped Beastman chimed in:

”Lord Tu Fen, don’t put it like that, he means well.

Sadly, negotiating isn’t as simple as knocking down an enemy on the battlefield.

The details can be mind-boggling, and it’s not something that can be solved with a sudden burst of inspiration.”

”I fully agree with what Lord Se Ling said. Officer, they have already put it quite tactfully, so I’ll just tell you straight up, we don’t need anyone else to intervene. We will take care of this matter properly. Please trust us.”

”Mm-hmm, that’s right.”

In just a few minutes, without uttering a word, Yang Yu faced opposition from half of the envoys.

Meanwhile, Yang Yu just sat calmly, sipping his tea while briefly glancing over the list Qing Zhu handed to him, looking over the names of the officers.

Yang Yu could see their levels but couldn’t see their specific attributes.

If there was a situation of disability, it would be noted additionally on the list.

Officers like that would require a significantly reduced number of soldiers for exchange.

Slowly setting down his teacup, Yang Yu simply said,

”The other side hasn’t made an offer yet, so this list is currently of no value to discuss.

Can I see your pricing tables from the past few years and the one you intend to use for this year?”

This dismissive attitude instantly infuriated the envoys who had just opposed Yang Yu’s participation in the discussion.

”Making demands so self-servingly and then claiming our discussion is meaningless! You insolent wretch, don’t be so shameless here.”

”While I have some understanding, I know very little about the current situation and am just taking the most efficient way to get informed.

That’s far better than those who have always adhered to one way of thinking, without any ambition, using so-called ’experience’ to bully someone who tries to understand and improve.

And if those people are lazy due to their spoiled attitude, even less can be expected from them.”

Yang Yu smiled slightly and looked at Qing Zhu, who helplessly let out a bitter smile,

”All of those records should be kept, they haven’t been burned, have they? Could this gentleman provide me with those archives?”

”It’s possible, but...”

No sooner had he started speaking than pairs of eyes fell on Qing Zhu, but he did not change his decision because of those looks,

”Those archives are stored in the warehouse, and there is an astonishing amount of them; it’s not something that can be finished in a short time.”

”Well, that will take some extra time. Time is of the essence, there isn’t much time left before the first negotiation, is there? Before then, we need to set the real price for our chips.”

Equally indifferent to the stares of others, Yang Yu stood up. He’d been in the meeting room only for a few minutes, and now he intended to leave.

The Envoy Team’s attitude was clear; staying there would only result in more obstacles thrown his way, making the meeting unpleasant and drawn out. It was better to investigate in his manner.

Qing Zhu’s face showed utter helplessness, and he could only show a ”I’ll be back soon” expression to all the envoys present and shuffled towards the door, following the footsteps of Yang Yu and his group out of the meeting room.

Tu Fen clenched his fists and lightly pounded the conference table, venting his dissatisfaction, ”That obscure upstart, just because he’s made a few achievements, he dares to be so arrogant, not even considering us at all!”

Tu Fen had hardly finished speaking when Yang Yu, who was outside the conference room door, leaned back and poked his head back into the room,

”If you seriously look into my achievements, perhaps your initial attitude could have been a bit better.

It was you who refused to give me face; I didn’t need to curry favor with you either.

If you have any complaints, go to Minister Ming Dalak.

It was with his agreement that I came to meddle in the first place.”