aircannonsinc Chapter 1144: Meaningless Negotiations
Chapter 1144: Meaningless Negotiations
At this moment, the "fake" Capitano felt Mavica's pointed gaze.
He adjusted himself and worried about his situation.
"Mavika, I know you want me to stand on Nata's side, but because of my position as an executive officer of the Fatui, I can't do that. This is a shackle that I cannot break free of."
"But I sincerely hope that we can win a peaceful future for Nata before the war begins."
"I don't want to see this land engulfed in war again, and I don't want to see innocent Nata people displaced because of our dispute."
These words expressed both the helplessness of "being unable to control oneself" and the kindness of "caring about Nata", which perfectly matched the image of the real Capitano in Mavica's mind.
An executive who still has a conscience even among a crowd of fools.
Mavica looked at Capitano who was "thinking about Nata", and thought of his situation where he had to stand on the opposite side because of his identity, and she couldn't help but sigh at the unfairness of fate.
Capitano's intentions are real, but so are the Fatui's ambitions.
Mavica took a deep breath, suppressed the emotions in her heart, and tried to calm herself down to deal with the crisis that might arise next.
"Mr. Capitano, I understand your good intentions, and I know you want to prevent the lives of Nata from being harmed."
"But I must tell you that retreat and surrender will not bring true peace. It will only allow the Fatui to become more aggressive and ultimately push Nata into complete destruction."
Having said this, Mavica's fighting spirit ignited like a flame, and she expressed her determination heroically.
"If we want peace, we must fight for it with our own hands! Standing in resistance may lead to sacrifice, or even failure, but at least we are defending the dignity of Natasha."
"But if we kneel down and beg for mercy, we will lose not only our land, but also the backbone of the Nata people, passed down from generation to generation. 'Survival' like that is no different from death."
"You may die standing up, but you will never live if you kneel down!"
"Fake" Capitano listened carefully to Mavica's words, silently comparing them in his mind with the "reaction template" taught to him by Yuan Shang, and then imitated the real Capitano's usual tone.
"You're still so stubborn, Mavica."
When Mavica heard the "fake" Capitano call her persistence "stubbornness", she suddenly felt unhappy.
"This isn't stubbornness! I represent the will of all the people of Nata! With their support, I will be invincible!"
……
In the distance, the boat carrying Alechino, Dottore and Tartaglia had already docked and was heading towards this side.
The waves gently hit the beach, rolling up fine foam.
As the boat landed steadily, Alechino was the first to step down from the deck, followed by Dottore.
Tartaglia walked at the end, his hands in his pockets, his eyes looking back and forth between Mavica and the "fake" Capitano.
Behind them followed a group of Fatui soldiers, wearing neat uniforms and holding weapons, looking very majestic, but Alechino knew that these people were only brought there to support the occasion and put on an act.
If these soldiers could defeat Mavica, haha, I wouldn't even dare to dream of that.
As the "fake" Capitano saw the three people coming ashore, he immediately took two steps in their direction, and Mavica followed suit. The two stood side by side on the beach, forming a brief "united front."
But just a few seconds later, the "fake" Capitano walked towards Arecino again, and finally stood side by side with her, silently indicating that he was on the side of the Fatui.
The entire action of "Frost Descent" is smooth and natural, and the transition from "neutral" to "returning to the team" is flawless, which perfectly fits the real Capitano's "helpless" position setting.
Mavica watched the "fake" Capitano walk towards the Fatui camp, without any surprise on her face.
She gently adjusted her breathing, kept calm, and spoke first, with a dagger hidden in her words, directly giving the Fatui who came to negotiate a warning.
"Welcome to Nata, 'friend' from Solstice... or 'enemy'?"
She emphasized the words "friend" and "enemy"
Upon hearing this charged question, Alechino slowly raised his hand and took an exquisite wooden box from the follower behind him.
After opening it, a set of winter-style amber jewelry shining with warm light comes into view.
An amber necklace named "Dawn of the Sea", the pendant is a piece of clear blue amber wrapped with tiny ice crystals.
A pair of "Birch Teardrop" amber earrings, the texture of the birch tree can be vaguely seen in the teardrop-shaped amber, paired with silver ear hooks, exuding a somewhat cool beauty.
There is also a "Troika" bracelet, with three small silver bells strung on an amber bead chain, which make crisp sounds when shaken gently.
A "Queen's Flame" amber ring, the orange-red amber is like a burning flame.
The last one is a brooch also inlaid with amber. The outer shape is the national flower of winter, "sunflower", which is so exquisite that people can't take their eyes off it.
It is no exaggeration to say that if this set of Winter National Gifts were sold to places like Fontaine or Liyue, it would definitely be sold at a sky-high price.
"Hello, respected Miss Vulcan. Out of diplomatic courtesy, I have brought you a gift from the Queen of Winter. Please accept it."
"This is not only the Queen's respect for you, but also Zhidong's wish for friendly communication with Nata."
Alechino handed the diplomatic gift in his hand to Mavica, showing the calmness and discretion of a senior diplomat.
Mavica looked at Alechino's diplomatic gift, which was enough to show sincerity. She was silent for a moment, but finally reached out her hand, gently took the wooden box and put it away.
"I accept the gift. First courtesy, then force. Miss Alechino is a good diplomat. She knows how to use etiquette to pave the way for negotiations."
It was like giving Alechino a way out.
Alechino simply responded, "It's just normal social etiquette. I can't call it a 'good diplomat'."
"After all, the core of negotiation is communication, not confrontation."
She quietly steered the topic towards "friendly communication" in an attempt to soften Mavica's attitude.
Mavica didn't respond, but handed the wooden box to the follower behind her, and her eyes subconsciously turned to the "fake" Capitano standing next to Alechino.
He remained silent from beginning to end, with his hands behind his back, and his subtle expression revealed an imperceptible conflict.
Mavica looked at his helpless appearance and said to Alechino:
"The reason I agreed to the diplomatic talks before the war started was partly because Capitano had fought for Nata many times."
"On the other hand, it's also for those heroes who sacrificed for the peace of Natasha."
"I don't want their efforts to end up in a meaningless fight."
After she finished speaking, she turned sideways, stretched out her hand and made a "please" gesture towards the wooden table beside her.
"Let's sit down and talk. If you have anything to say, just say it slowly."
Following Mavica's gesture, Alechino looked towards the wooden table and nodded slightly.
"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."
Afterwards, Arecino and Mavica sat opposite each other, and both sides maintained basic diplomatic etiquette. There was no Arecino taking off his shoes and slamming the table, or Mavica acting like Zhuge Liang scolding Wang Lang.
……
Alechino sat on a wooden chair, folded his hands on the table, and looked up at Mavica.
"Well, I won't waste any more words. Let's get straight to the point... The Queen needs Nata's Heart of God. This is the last one, and it's crucial to Winter's plan."
"I know that taking the Heart of God from you through negotiation is almost like a pipe dream."
"I've heard a lot about the Nata people's protection of their homeland and their adherence to tradition. But even so, I still want to give it a try. After all, this is our last chance to avoid war."
As soon as the words fell, Alechino threw out the chips of winter.
"In order to obtain the Heart of God, Zhidong is willing to meet all your reasonable requests."
"Whether it's purchasing directly with money, exchanging the most core intelligence on the Teyvat continent, or transferring technology..."
"For example, we can help Nata build an industrial system similar to Solstice."
"Anything you can think of is negotiable."
Mavica listened to the proposal that could be regarded as improving the infrastructure of the entire Nata and just shook her head slightly.
You have industry in Zhidong, and we in Nata have Sinoning.
My son Xinoning can do all the things you mentioned without sleeping for a week!
(The furious Sinoning: You, Mavica, you brag, don't take me with you! No sleep for a week? Do you want to tire me to death?)
"Miss Arlecchino, you may not understand that culture is priceless."
"For Nata, the Heart of God has never been a tradable item."
"It is not only a symbol of the successive fire gods ascending to the throne, but also a key token that carries the memory and power of the fire gods of all generations. It is the spiritual pillar of the Nata people and has irreplaceable cultural and spiritual value."
"What's more, the Heart of God is the final trump card to protect Nata."
"You should be aware of the threat the Abyss poses to Teyvat. If the Abyss invades Nata again in the future..."
"In the event of extreme necessity, the Heart of God can draw upon the souls and memories stored within the 'Night God's Kingdom' and weave it into a 'protective net' that encompasses the entire Nata vein."
Having said this, Mavica left no room for maneuver and said:
"So, no matter how tempting the conditions you offer, I will not give up my trump card to protect Nata!"
"The Heart of God can never be given to Zhidong!"
Alechino wasn't surprised at all. She didn't hold much hope for this negotiation. After all, it was only for the captain's sake...
But the process had to be completed. She slowly raised her head and cast a questioning look at the "fake" Capitano standing next to her, asking for his opinion whether she should continue trying.
"Fake." Capitano received Alechino's gaze and said nothing. He just raised his chin slightly in the direction of Mavica, asking Alechino to try again.