Tang Wulin nodded with a grim expression. "The Holy Spirit Cult was able to destroy our Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect headquarters, and they definitely have the power to replicate these heinous feats here on the Star Luo Continent." He cast his gaze around the rear palace as he spoke, and it wasn't difficult to read between the lines and see what he was implying.
Dai Yueyan couldn't help but interject, "Aren't you being a little too pessimistic, Sect Master Tang? Even if the Holy Spirit Cult has infiltrated our empire, their main forces should still be in the Douluo Federation."
Tang Wulin replied, "It's much better to be safe than sorry. The Holy Spirit Cult benefits the most from chaos and destruction; can you expect me to believe that they played no role in instigating this war? According to the latest news, the federation has cut off its entire coastline from radar detection, and also began to monitor large areas of the coast. No one knows when the federal fleets will be deployed, so the situation is very urgent, and I implore you to make a decision quickly, Your Majesty."
He had already said everything he needed to say to Dai Yueyan the day before, and now, it was up to the emperor to make his decision, or to propose conditions for the Tang Sect to consider.
The Tang Sect was providing weapons, but it wasn't just a weaponry merchant; the main distinction was that the usage of these weapons had to be approved by the Tang Sect, and they had to be used only when necessary. This meant that they couldn't be used to instigate a war, and in order to enforce these regulations, all of the weapons had passcode locks that only the Tang Sect could unlock.
Thus, the Star Luo Empire was purchasing these weapons, but the usage rights weren't actually in their hands, and that was quite a heavy restriction. Otherwise, if the deal simply consisted of the Tang Sect selling power soul weapons with no strings attached, then both empires would've agreed in a heartbeat.
Dai Tianling appraised Tang Wulin with an intense gaze, and said, "Sect Master Tang, the conditions proposed by your Tang Sect are rather difficult for us to accept, but a potential war is imminent, and we really do need these weapons, so how about we make a bet?"
Dai Tianling maintained a smile as he spoke.
A bet? Tang Wulin was struck by a sense of absurdity upon hearing this. These words were being spoken by the ruler of a major empire, and the empire in question could be in great peril soon!
Despite what he was thinking, Tang Wulin's expression remained calm. "A bet? What would you like to bet, Your Majesty?"
Dai Tianling replied, "I'm sure you know which conditions our empire is reluctant to accept, so we'll make our bet based on that. If we lose, then we'll accept all of your conditions. On top of that, we'll throw in an additional 10% on top of the prices proposed by your Tang Sect. If we win, then you have to remove the restriction clause."
Tang Wulin's brows furrowed tightly upon hearing this. "Your Majesty, this isn't child's play."
Dai Tianling replied, "Of course not, I fully intend to do as I say."
Tang Wulin was rather bemused. "That's not what I mean, Your Majesty; I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to say."
Dai Tianling said in an indifferent manner, "My apologies, Sect Master Tang, but this is my final decision. How about you listen to the conditions of the bet first? Alternatively, there's another option; if you can satisfy a certain condition of mine, not only will we fully accept the deal proposed by your Tang Sect, we'll even throw in an extra 20% on the total price as a present to you."
20%? That didn't sound like much, but one had to realize the total price for such a large batch of soul weapons was already an astronomical sum to begin with. The Tang Sect was preparing to provide the Star Luo Empire with four times the amount of weapons they had supplied to the Dou Spirit Empire, and the total cost was more than enough to fully equip an entire mecha legion.
Even the Smiling Douluo's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. He was quite close with the imperial family, but he didn't know what the imperial family intended to do, either, and only now was he able to hear the imperial family's plan.
This extra 20% could help the Tang Sect purchase an enormous amount of additional resources from the two empires.
"What's your condition, Your Majesty?" Tang Wulin wasn't allowing himself to become overexcited by this prospect. The fact that Dai Tianling was willing to promise an additional 20% was an indication of just how rigorous the condition was going to be.
Dai Tianling smiled, and replied, "It's not a very rigorous condition, and the Tang Sect won't even need to sacrifice anything; the most important thing here is you."
He turned to Dai Yun'er as he spoke, and a sense of foreboding instantly welled up in Tang Wulin's heart. Sure enough, what Dai Tianling said next confirmed his suspicions.
"Yun'er is my only daughter, and I've cherished her for her entire life. She can't inherit the throne from me, but everyone who's close to me knows that she's more important than any of my sons in my heart. Even though she's a princess, I chose to accept her disregard for the rules of the royal family, and I even allowed her to be exempt from entering a political marriage. This is all because she is the most important person in my life. I'm not just an emperor; I'm also a father, and as a father, all I want is for my precious daughter to be happy.
"You two were already acquainted the last time you came to the Star Luo Empire. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know one thing is for sure; my daughter definitely has feelings for you. Sect Master Tang, if you're willing to become my son-in-law, then we'll be a family, and our deal will naturally go ahead without any issues. Furthermore, you don't need to stay in our Star Luo Empire; all that I ask is that you make my daughter your principal wife [rather than a concubine]. After that, wherever you choose to go, the Star Luo Empire will forever be your staunchest supporter."
Tang Wulin was at a complete loss, and Dai Yun'er had turned away to hide the deep blush on her face.
She had sought out Long Yue and En Ci to convince her father together, all for this opportunity.
If Gu Yuena had been by Tang Wulin's side, then perhaps she wouldn't have done this. However, she wasn't, yet Tang Wulin was with all of his other friends, so there was a very good chance that something had happened between them.
Dai Yun'er was well aware that a man as exceptional as Tang Wulin definitely had more than one or two pursuers, so perhaps this was her final chance, and she wasn't going to give up on this chance no matter what.
She had always been very wilful and determined ever since she was a child, and she certainly wasn't going to back down when it came to love. She was determined to find someone she loved, rather than someone who loved her.
Shrek's Six Monsters were also all stunned by this turn of events. They had all witnessed Dai Yun'er's confession to Tang Wulin during the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention, but never did they think that the emperor would propose such an inexplicable condition during such an important and serious meeting.
However, now that they thought about it, this was a brilliant move that was killing multiple birds with one stone.
If Tang Wulin were to marry Dai Yun'er, then that would mean that the Tang Sect Master and Sea God's Pavilion Master had married the princess of the Star Luo Empire. With Tang Wulin's current status, he was definitely a worthy match for the princess.
If this were to eventuate, then the bond between the Star Luo Empire and the Tang Sect would be further strengthened and far outstrip the bond between the Tang Sect and the Dou Spirit Empire.
Even though the Tang Sect had been keeping a low profile in the federation, the Star Luo Empire was well aware of just how much power the Tang Sect still had up its sleeve. If the Tang Sect were willing to unconditionally support the Star Luo Empire, then it certainly wouldn't be impossible for them to catch up to the Douluo Federation in the future. As such, this was a meticulously thought-out plan, and certainly not a spur of the moment decision.
Furthermore, even if Tang Wulin were removed from his position in the Tang Sect following the marriage, he was still someone with the potential to become a Limit Douluo. If his daughter could marry a Limit Douluo, then their empire would have the support of another Limit Douluo; this was already a fantastic arrangement in itself!
Hence, no matter how the situation was looked at, a marriage between Tang Wulin and Dai Yun'er would be brilliant for the Star Luo Empire.
On top of that, Dai Yun'er was also head over heels for Tang Wulin, so his daughter's happiness would also be ensured if this marriage could be arranged. As such, it didn't take much to convince Dai Tianling to propose this condition.
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