Starting With an SSS-Rank Goddess Summon!

Chapter 243: Negotiation Between Lords [II / Bonus Chapter]

A momentary spark of pleasant surprise flashed in her dark eyes.

”Mmm,” Tasmin murmured softly.

She looked at Sky and his surrounding troops, delivering a deadpan, backhanded compliment without dropping her dignified posture.

”Even if your soldiers do not know how to fight properly... your chefs certainly know how to cook.”

”PUFFT—!”

Several of Sky’s surrounding infantrymen choked on their own spit, while a few archers glared at her with twitching eyebrows.

Vespera went bright red in an instant, waving her single hand frantically at her Shadow Commander in adorable panic.

”Tasmin~!” Vespera squeaked out. ”Be polite!”

Seeing her Lord react with such cute flustered embarrassment, Tasmin’s cool composure instantly shattered.

A bright rosy flush erupted across Tasmin’s cheeks, spreading rapidly all the way to the tips of her ears.

’It doesn’t matter if Lord Graves is a man or woman... he’s cute either way.’

”A-Ah! Forgive me, My Lord!” Tasmin stammered hastily, bowing her head in flustered panic. ”I did not mean to cause offense!”

Trying to make amends, Tasmin hurriedly unwrapped another biscuit, turning to Thora, who was sitting nearby resting her thick arms on her blacksmith hammer.

Tasmin offered the biscuit to the dwarf forge-mistress’s mouth.

”Here, Thora. Taste this,” Tasmin offered quickly.

Thora didn’t hesitate for a single second. She leaned her heavy head forward and snapped her jaws down on the biscuit, taking half of it in a loud, crunchy bite.

CRUNCH!

Thora chewed rapidly, her broad soot-stained face lighting up with wild boisterous delight as she slapped her knee.

”BY THE ANCESTORS!” Thora boomed loudly with her hearty laugh echoing across the mud clearing. ”That’s bloody fantastic! Buttery as hell! Hey, big girls, try some of this!”

Thora unwrapped two more biscuits from the package and held them out to the two massive direwolves resting beside them.

Valkyrie and Luna sniffed the golden pastries for a brief second before gently taking them from Thora’s palm, crunching down on the butter cookies with satisfied rumbling huffs.

Hovering right above the meeting table, Sky’s five floating camera drones captured every single second of the interaction in crystal-clear, high-definition resolution.

The live-stream broadcast which was currently sitting at over twenty million active concurrent viewers globally went into a frenzy.

The comment overlay on Sky’s HUD exploded into a blinding white wall of light speed text.

[@GamerGod99: AHHHHHH SHE’S SO CUTE!]

[@SovereignWatcher: LORD VESPERA SCOLDING HER HERO IS THE GREATEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN!]

[@NoobMaster69: ”Tasmin~” BRO MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THIS!]

[@PVP_Legend: She’s an absolute angel! Look at how she cares for her troops!]

[@ValoriaFan: Feed the direwolves! Look at them crunching the cookies!]

[@StreamLover: The brutal shadow commander getting embarrassed is peak content!]

[@DarkKnight_00: Blessed Land isn’t a dark domain, it’s a paradise!]

[@AnimeFanatic: PROTECT THAT SMILE AT ALL COSTS!]

[@TacticalNuke: Sky, if you hurt her in the Lord War, we are unsubscribing!]

[@ProGamer_22: She’s so shy and gentle... how is she running a high-tier territory?!]

Lord Sky himself stood frozen behind his alloy mask, staring at Vespera in complete speechless bewilderment.

He had met dozens of territory leaders during his travels across the Sovereign Realm.

Most Lords were arrogant, power-hungry, stern, or cold-blooded tyrants who treated their subordinates like disposable pawns and spoke with inflated self-important hubris.

He had fully expected the mysterious Lord of Blessed Land... a domain currently skyrocketing up the regional rankings to be a ruthless iron-fisted ice queen.

Sky cleared his throat awkwardly behind his silver mask, running a hand through his short dark hair as he looked at her with genuine amazement.

”Are you... are you truly the Lord of Blessed Land?” Sky asked, his voice filled with gentle disbelief. ”I have to admit... I expected someone far more strict and intimidating.”

Vespera pulled her single hand back, resting her elbow on the table and slumping her shoulders slightly with a casual, indifferent shrug.

”I really am the Lord of Blessed Land,” Vespera replied plainly, her glowing purple eyes looking into his mask. ”And honestly... this is just how I am. I don’t really see the point in putting on a fake, arrogant act.”

She took another small, graceful sip of her herbal tea, setting the delicate cup down before continuing.

”Before I awakened my Core and anchored myself to the Sovereign Realm,” Vespera explained with a quiet nostalgic smile, ”I was a complete, hopeless introvert back on Earth. I barely talked to people, I stayed indoors, and I preferred my own quiet space... Just because I became a Lord doesn’t mean my personality is suddenly going to change overnight.”

Hearing her soft, honest confession, Sky felt an unexpected sudden warmth rising into his cheeks beneath his silver alloy mask.

His heart gave a subtle strange flutter in his chest.

’An introverted, gentle woman who was forced into leadership, yet cares deeply for her people...’ Sky thought, his eyes softening behind his eye-slots. ’She’s remarkably charming...’

Sky adjusted his posture, looking down at her empty left sleeve, which was rolling gently in the afternoon breeze.

His curiosity finally got the better of him.

”If you don’t mind me asking, Lord Vespera...” Sky began hesitantly, gesturing toward her empty shoulder. ”Your left arm... what happened to it? Was it a permanent territorial sacrifice?”

Inside her mind, Silas Graves let out a heavy, impatient internal groan.

’For fuck’s sake,’ Silas complained bitterly behind his female disguise. ’Why are you asking about my missing hand?! Can we please get to the main part already?! Is this supposed to be an official Lord War pre-negotiation, or are you trying to take me out on a fucking date?!’

Despite his internal annoyance, Vespera maintained her soft delicate demeanor on the outside.

She looked down at her rolling black sleeve, letting out a small, self-deprecating chuckle.

”Ah, this?” Vespera replied smoothly, waving her single hand dismissively. ”It’s nothing noble or heroic, I’m afraid... During the very first battle I ever fought after awakening... I was so wildly excited and inexperienced that I charged straight out of the Novice Barrier without checking my surroundings. A high-tier beast ambushed me from the tree line, ripped my left arm clean off, and devoured it right in front of me before I managed to slay it.”

Sky gasped, then burst into a warm, booming laugh.

”Hahaha!” Sky laughed heartily, slapping his hand against the mahogany table. ”Oh, man! Don’t feel bad about that at all! On my very first day out of the Novice Barrier, I got so overly excited that I sprinted right into a giant spider nest and spent four hours hanging upside down in a web screaming for help until my first summoned hero saved me!”

Vespera let out a melodic laugh, nodding in sympathetic agreement.

”We all make foolish mistakes when we first start out,” Vespera chuckled softly.

Sky leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his tea as he looked at her with growing rapport.

”Where are you from back home on Earth, if you don’t mind my asking? Which city sector do you reside in?”

Vespera paused, her violet eyes narrowing slightly with subtle caution.

She didn’t want to give away her exact location or reveal that she was a student living in a modest apartment.

She kept her answer deliberately vague and ambiguous.

”I live in one of the central metropolitan districts,” Vespera answered smoothly, tilting her cup. ”It’s a fairly quiet area. What about you, Lord Sky?”

Sky didn’t notice her subtle vagueness, assuming she was simply being shy about her personal privacy in front of millions of stream viewers.

”I’m stationed out in Valoria City,” Sky shared freely, tapping his chest plate. ”Born and raised near the central commercial hub of Silverleaf.”

He set his teacup down, his tone shifting into a slightly more serious, intriguing rhythm.

”By the way, Lord Vespera... have you checked the global news feeds back on Earth recently? Do you know about the massive bounty the government and the World Council have placed on your head?”

Vespera blinked her purple eyes in genuine surprise, tilting her head. ”A bounty? Seriously?”

”Oh, absolutely,” Sky nodded firmly, leaning forward. ”The World Council officially raised the reward for your confirmed real-world identity to Ten Billion Spirit Credits! They’ve dubbed you the ’Hero of Humanity,’ and the top government officials are practically breaking down doors trying to secure an immediate, high-priority meeting with you.”

Vespera’s eyes went wide as saucers, her mouth opening slightly in dramatic shock.

”Ten Billion?!” Vespera gasped out, pressing her hand against her chest. ”I... I don’t even know the first thing about corporate or government meetings! High-society politics sounds utterly terrifying!”

’Lord Silas is being too natural as a woman... Has he had experience in this too?’ Thora looked at him suspiciously, why was he so good at acting all of a sudden?

Sky laughed warmly at her flustered reaction.

”If you ever need advice on how to handle government bureaucrats or corporate headhunters, just let me know! I’ve been dealing with those suits for years.”

Sky’s masked face leaned in a fraction closer, his eyes gleaming with intense curiosity.

”The main reason the World Council is going so insane over you,” Sky revealed in a low, quiet voice, ”is because of the rumors surrounding your Core class. The global media and the higher academies are convinced that you are a Gold Core Lord... seeing as humanity’s very last recorded Gold Core Lord was born centuries ago.”

Sky looked straight into her deep violet eyes, probing for a reaction. ”So... tell me, Lord Vespera. Are the rumors true? Are you truly a Gold Core?”

Vespera didn’t flinch.

A sly captivating and mysterious smile slowly curved her lips. She rested her chin on her single palm, her purple eyes twinkling with playful arrogance.

”Well...” Vespera purred softly, her raspy voice dripping with tantalizing tease. ”I’ll tell you... if you win the war.”

Sky’s lips quirked violently upward behind his silver-and-black alloy mask.

’A challenge?!’ Sky thought, an electric surge of competitive adrenaline shooting straight through his veins.

Meanwhile, inside her mind, Silas Graves let out a massive triumphant sigh of relief!

’FINALLY!’ Silas cheered internally, pumping his metaphorical fists. ’Finally! I can finally turn this absurd conversation toward the actual Lord War! I was getting so damn tired of this small talk... is this supposed to be a date or a Lord negotiation?!’

Sky straightened his spine, sitting up tall in his padded chair as his demeanor shifted from a friendly, relaxed chat partner into a serious veteran Warlord.

”A tempting prize,” Sky admitted smoothly, his eyes burning with battle-hungry excitement. ”Alright then. Let’s talk about the Lord War. After all... that is the primary reason my mobile fortress entered the Umbral Basin.”

Vespera sat up straight as well, setting her teacup aside. ”I’m listening, Lord Sky.”

Sky looked at her, then looked over at Tasmin and Thora standing nearby.

”Before we set the parameters,” Sky began thoughtfully, ”I need to gauge your military scale. How large is the standing army of Blessed Land currently?”

Vespera didn’t see any reason to lie about her numbers. She looked Sky dead in his mask and answered plainly:

”I currently have less than one hundred total troops in my territory.”

The second those words left her lips—

Sky’s entire body went completely rigid.

His jaw dropped open behind his alloy mask, his eyes bulging in shock.

”Less... less than a hundred?!” Sky gasped out loud, completely failing to hide his utter disbelief! ”Are you serious?!”

His mind raced at light speed, calculating the impossibility of what she had just said.

Blessed Land was currently sitting in the Top one on the Newbie Charts and a Top 100 All time territory too, and Asgard as well as other mythical places were in top hundred too.

Their territory points were astronomical... For a territory to achieve that level of global ranking with a total population of fewer than one hundred people meant one terrifying mind-boggling thing:

Every single individual living inside the Blessed Land was an superhuman monster.

If every single one of her seventy-plus troops possessed physical stats, speed, and combat capabilities comparable to Tasmin... who had just single-handedly butchered twenty armed scouts in three minutes without breaking a sweat, then this wasn’t going to be an easy skirmish.

’Fuck...’

Sky realized with chilling clarity that if he didn’t take this Lord War seriously and unleash his full military power, his undefeated streak was going to be brutally shattered live on stream.

Vespera took a calm sip of her tea, looking at his shocked expression with a faint, humble smile.

”We really train very hard,” Vespera explained casually. ”That’s all there is to it.”

Sky took a slow, deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and regain his tactical composure.

He rested his hands flat on the white tablecloth, looking at her with absolute seriousness.

”Alright,” Sky spoke, his voice deep and focused. ”When would you be available to execute the official Lord War? You know that is why I’m here.”

Vespera tilted her head, entering deep thought.

Inside her mind, Silas was rapidly weighing his options.

’I still haven’t gathered enough experience to trigger the Second Stage of Core Ascension for myself,’ Silas analyzed. ’And gaining that massive 30,000-point mana boost before fighting an undefeated Classic Lord would be extremely helpful... I need a bit of time.’

Before Vespera could state a timeframe, Sky raised his hand, offering his own proposal first.

”If it suits you, Lord Vespera,” Sky proposed smoothly, ”I would prefer to wait one full week before launching the war.”