“Just a stroke of luck!” Billy chuckled lightly.
“Lord Dragon is being modest. Such luck is unprecedented in Glavale’s millennia-old heritage!” Caruno exclaimed with a hint of admiration.
“Glavale is truly blessed by the heavens to have a hero like Lord Dragon!”
His words weren’t merely flattery. On the day when the national fortune descended upon Glavale, although Aquilandia didn’t send anyone to Kun Lun Mountains, the final result reached the halls of Aquilandia at the earliest possible moment. At that time, Caruno and the ruler of Aquilandia, Fecocci, were discussing matters in the halls. After hearing the news, the two couldn’t help but exchange a glance, silently celebrating in their hearts.
Over the past year, Aquilandia had shown goodwill towards Glavale in various places. On one hand, they were pressured by the Western nations and urgently needed to find an alliance. On the other hand, the high-ranking officials of Aquilandia, led by Fecocci, had conducted in-depth analysis of Glavale’s current leadership. They firmly believed that under the guidance of the current leader, Glavale would rise and restore the glorious era of receiving envoys from all nations. Therefore, when they heard that Billy had welcomed the Nine Paths of National Fortune, they knew in their hearts that the world was about to enter the era of Glavale.
That was also the reason why they formed a delegation to visit Glavale on the eve of Global Martial Arts Competition. Aquilandia had participated in almost every Global Martial Arts Competition, so they were well aware of the intricacies involved. On the surface, the tournament was conducted on a national level, but in reality, it was a collaboration of various interest groups.
In the past thirty to forty years, Aquilandia’s relations with the Western countries had become increasingly strained. As a result, Aquilandia’s rankings in the past few tournaments were far behind, not commensurate with their national strength. The ultimate reason was the result of several top-ranking countries, led by Northfortia, joining forces to deal with them. Therefore, when they heard that Glavale was participating in this tournament, their first thought was to form an alliance with Glavale and jointly resist the Western countries.
“I wonder how Lord Dragon views this Global Martial Arts Competition?” Caruno continued, looking at Billy.
“Feel free to speak your mind, Minister Caruno!” Billy smiled lightly.
“Haha, then I’ll speak my mind.” Caruno smiled back and spoke again. “A hundred years ago, during Glavale’s last participation in Global Martial Arts Competition, all the participants perished on the arena! A hundred years later, with Glavale returning to the tournament, I believe that Lord Dragon’s purpose for participating is not just for the rankings, right?”
“Otherwise?” Billy chuckled again.
“Lord Dragon, let’s not beat around the bush.” Caruno took a deep breath and responded. “I am well aware that besides winning the championship, you must also settle some old scores from a hundred years ago!”
“Among those people, does it include Aquilandia?” Casey looked coldly at the others.
Everyone knew that Aquilandia was one of the instigators a hundred years ago.
“We won’t evade what Aquilandia has done. We have come to Glavale specifically for this matter!” Caruno said while waving his hand to two Aquilandian employees. As he finished speaking, two men approached, carrying a wooden box.
“Lord Dragon, a hundred years ago, the reason all the participants from Glavale perished was because several countries, led by Northfortia, joined forces to hunt them down,” Caruno continued, looking at Billy. “It can’t be denied that Aquilandia played a certain role in it as well. So, as a gesture of our apology, these things can be considered a small compensation. I hope Lord Dragon will accept them.”
He continued, as two Aquilandian men opened the wooden box.
“Hmm?!” Stout raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw what was inside the box. With his discerning eyes, he could tell at a glance that it was filled with a large quantity of spiritual fruits, some of which were hundreds or even thousands of years old, along with many rare herbs. Aquilandia seemed to have spared no expense this time. These items were priceless and would fetch astronomical figures if converted into cash.
“Quite a generous offer, Minister Caruno.” Billy smiled faintly. He naturally understood the value of these items. However, if Aquilandia thought that by offering these things, they could erase what they had done to Glavale in the past, then they were being naive. Although Billy had heard from Minister Woolery that Aquilandia was only an accomplice in the tournament a hundred years ago. However, no matter whether they were accomplices or masterminds, anyone who dared to harm the people of Glavale must be prepared to face the consequences.
“Lord Dragon, on behalf of my father and the millions of Aquilandians, I offer our most sincere apologies to Glavale!” Princess Eligina stood up and bowed deeply to Billy.
“I’m not the one that Aquilandia owes an apology to. It’s the fallen compatriots of Glavale. Bowing to me in apology won’t change that.” Billy spoke again, his tone still calm.
“Lord Dragon, sometimes it’s best to let bygones be bygones. It would be beneficial for both parties,” a young Aquilandian man spoke up. “The past is already a hundred years ago, and our Prime Minister and Princess have already expressed their apologies to you. They have given you face. You shouldn’t go too far. We came to Glavale this time to discuss cooperation with you, not to beg for your forgiveness. If you…”
“Don’t overstep your boundaries. Do you have a say here?” Casey interrupted coldly. “We don’t need to cooperate with anyone in Glavale. If you can’t handle that, you can go back to Aquilandia immediately!”
“You…” The man frowned and tried to speak again.
“Viocchi, shut up!” Eligina’s brow furrowed slightly as she spoke in a deep voice.
“Princess, he…” The man was slightly taken aback.
“I told you to shut up, didn’t you hear me?” Eligina interrupted him once again. After speaking, she turned to Billy and said, “I apologize on behalf of Viocchi.”
“It’s alright. Let him finish what he wants to say,” Billy smiled faintly and then looked at the man. “What else do you want to say? I’ll give you a chance to speak!”
“Humph, what difference does it make if I say it!” Viocchi snorted. “The Western countries, led by Northfortia, have had their eyes on Glavale for a long time. I can guarantee that in this Global Martial Arts Competition, those countries will definitely make a move against Glavale. Although Glavale’s national power has increased after welcoming the Nine Paths of National Fortune, this tournament is only for the youth, clearly adjusted specifically for Glavale. Their target is obviously the future pillars of Glavale like you. As long as they keep you at the tournament, Glavale will face a gap. In that case, even with the blessing of the national fortune, Glavale won’t last long, and the thousand-year prosperous era you envision won’t be possible!”
“That’s quite a reasonable argument,” Billy chuckled lightly. “And then what?”