The loss was of a kingdom's secret treasure, which this Princess had stolen. If settling this matter could be achieved, then it would be an incredible bargain, Raymond thought.
He hadn't expected her, who had just shown such a menacing attitude, to suddenly transform as if nothing had happened. Could her previous demeanor have been a deliberate test of them?
It seems this Princess not only knows how to exercise restraint and calmness but is also quite wise. Just as Xi Neiding said, this is much more troublesome than directly and rashly acting against the Slane Theocracy.
"Bell Adokmisrena! Before you stands Princess Elizabeth of the Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom. Do not be disrespectful!" Xi Neiding sternly shouted at Bell, who had just burst in.
Raymond understood that Xi Neiding actually wanted to shift the topic to Bell, because Bell was specifically called over by this Princess. There must be a reason for her to be named.
"Oh my goodness? Princess? Ah... that... this..." Bell instantly panicked. Although Raymond knew this fellow was indeed one of the aces of the Windflower Scripture, her personality had some issues, so she had always been kept hidden by Dominic and hadn't achieved much.
"Well! It doesn't matter. This isn't a formal occasion, so there's no need for so much etiquette. Bell, go make me some tea." The Princess said indifferently.
"That..." Bell looked at Raymond, unsure of what to do, probably wanting to get permission. Raymond nodded at her, and only then did Bell frantically run to the tea set cabinet in the corner to start making tea.
"This girl is quite useful. If you don't mind, let me take her back with me." The Princess glanced at Bell, who was nervously making tea, and said.
"You mean? You want Bell to go with you?" Xi Neiding was a little surprised, and Raymond also found it very strange. Why would she directly ask for someone? Is there anything special about Bell?
Of course, no one present would believe that the reason this Princess wanted Bell to go with her was "useful."
"Yes! Although she hasn't been with me for long, this fellow is quite interesting, so! Can she come back with me?" The Princess replied. Although her words were a request, there was no element of a request in her tone at all.
"That's a bit difficult. Bell Adokmisrena is an Apprentice Priestess of the Windflower Scripture. You know, it's quite difficult for us to train a priestess, and we also need to respect her personal wishes, don't we? After all, she's not an item; her coming and going isn't for us to decide." Xi Neiding's words were a very subtle rejection. Although he didn't directly shut it down, the meaning was essentially a refusal.
"Hmph! She, for now, is indeed not an item..." However, the Princess let out a meaningful snort and said.
Upon hearing these seemingly unclear words, Xi Neiding, Raymond, and Ruoqiebeien, who had been silent, all changed their expressions drastically. Apart from the well-traveled Xi Neiding, who merely gave a slightly awkward smile, Raymond and Ruoqiebeien both turned pale. The words spoken by this Princess sounded like a taunt.
In reality... it meant! She knew about the Crown of Intellect! Although it wasn't a divine artifact left by the Six Great Gods, it was one of the Slane Theocracy's greatest secret treasures! Very few people within the Slane Theocracy even knew about the Crown of Intellect. How did this Princess know?
Could it be... that the stolen Crown of Intellect of the Wind Priestess Princess is in the Magic Kingdom's hands?! This is bad! Very, very bad! This explains why she needs Bell. Is she trying to make her wear the Crown of Intellect?
"Hehe! Hearing the Princess say that, the Princess must know something, right?" Xi Neiding didn't intend to hide it anymore and directly got to the point. It was already clear that this Princess knew about the Crown of Intellect. There was no point in hiding it, so it was better to discuss it openly and see what she actually wanted Bell to do!
"Hmm? What do I know? I don't quite understand what Old grandpa means." The Princess played dumb, probably wanting Xi Neiding to say the words "Crown of Intellect" himself. She certainly had a way.
"It's about our nation's secret treasure, the Crown of Intellect..." Xi Neiding could only be direct. After all, this item was too important to the Slane Theocracy. Even if they now knew it was in the Magic Kingdom's hands, they had to get it back! Raymond thought.
"Crown of Intellect? Uh?? Oh! That thing... so that thing is called the Crown of Intellect? I didn't realize it at first. If Old grandpa is talking about that net-like ornament, then I know about it." The Princess directly admitted to knowing it, so now came the main event.
"That... please." At this moment, Bell brought over the freshly brewed tea. After setting down the teacups, she hugged the tray and hid to the side. The Princess gave Bell a meaningful glance, then picked up a teacup, took a simple sip, and put it down. It was clear that her earlier remark of "useful" was just a casual excuse.
"That's truly excellent. The Crown of Intellect is our nation's secret treasure. It was stolen some time ago, and our nation dispatched a large number of personnel to retrieve it, but there has been no progress. If the Princess knows the whereabouts of the Crown of Intellect, could you please inform us?" Xi Neiding did not directly state that the Crown of Intellect was in her hands, but rather emphasized that it was a secret treasure of the Slane Theocracy.
"I can, but telling you won't mean anything." The Princess said indifferently.
"How could it be meaningless? Please, by all means, tell us even the smallest clue. We beg you." Xi Neiding spoke to the Princess with great respect, also wanting to convey the importance of the Crown of Intellect to the Slane Theocracy.
"Even if I tell you, you won't be able to get it back, but this way, you'll save yourselves the trouble of sending more people to investigate." The Princess said.
"You mean?" A shadow crossed Xi Neiding's expression. Can't get it back? It seems the Crown of Intellect really is in the Magic Kingdom's hands, and they don't intend to return it. But if that's the case, why would she so readily admit to knowing about the Crown of Intellect and bring it up? This doesn't quite fit the usual logic of negotiation. Raymond found the Princess's attitude very strange.
"Because that thing broke! *Snap*, it shattered into pieces." The Princess spread her hands, indicating this.
"What did you say! It broke?!" At this, even Xi Neiding couldn't sit still and became agitated. Please calm down, Xi Neiding, the Princess must be saying this to deny that the Crown of Intellect is in the Magic Kingdom's hands! Raymond thought.
"Yes! It broke, but there was nothing that could be done in that situation, right! Who would have known that such an inhumane item was your Slane Theocracy's secret treasure? If I had known at the time that the Crown of Intellect was your Slane Theocracy's secret treasure, I wouldn't have destroyed it. After all, no one told me then!" The Princess replied with a tone as if it were of no consequence.
"You mean, you destroyed the Crown of Intellect?" Xi Neiding was clearly suppressing his anger. Don't fall for it, Xi Neiding! Raymond understood in his heart but couldn't say it directly.
"Yes, just like how you used that excessive item to control me. In that situation, no one told me it was your secret treasure! So I broke it. Sorry!" She said sorry, but her face was triumphant, showing no intention of apologizing. Xi Neiding clenched his fists tightly... enduring it.
"Excuse me! Princess Elizabeth, could you please tell us the detailed circumstances of the incident? We don't quite understand your reason for choosing to destroy the Crown of Intellect." Raymond couldn't sit still at this point. If he didn't interject, Xi Neiding might lose his composure first.
"Of course. It's roughly like this: my brother is an Adventurer. One day, he received a request from a kind old grandma to rescue her kidnapped grandson. He eventually found him in the Undead lands on the Katz Plains. Guess what? Your Slane Theocracy's Crown of Intellect was on that old grandma's grandson's head." The Princess hadn't finished her story when Ruoqiebeien, who was beside her, interrupted.
"That's impossible! The Crown of Intellect can only be worn by females with intellect... How could that old grandma's grandson wear it?"
"It turns out my brother didn't know the Crown had such abilities. But before rescuing the old grandma's grandson, Zhiranong's people used the old grandma's grandson, who was wearing the Crown of Intellect, to summon two Bone Dragons. My brother dealt with those two Bone Dragons and rescued the person. However, that poor grandson not only had his eyes gouged out but also lost his sense of self. Since my brother is only a warrior and doesn't know much about magic or magic items, he called me over. The result was that after I appraised the Crown of Intellect... I understood what that thing's effect truly was. In the end! To help my brother successfully complete the request, I had no choice but to destroy that inhumane equipment. Oh! By the way! I forgot to mention, the mastermind behind the kidnapping was Zhiranong's people, and that Clementine is also a member of Zhiranong. I guess your Crown of Intellect's theft is probably related to her, right? As for this uncle's question, the kidnapped child has an extraordinary ability: he can use all restricted items... It's a very rare ability, so after rescuing him, my brother placed them in a very safe place!" The Princess recounted the Undead attack incident that had previously occurred in the Re-Estize Kingdom.
The three people present all knew about that incident. It was because of that incident that Black Warrior Feifei began to rise to prominence. They just hadn't expected that incident to be related to the stolen Crown of Intellect, and some parts of what she said were largely consistent with the information they possessed, but whether other internal details were true or false remained unknown.
"So that's what happened. I apologize, Old grandpa was out of line." Xi Neiding regained his composure and apologized to the Princess.
"It's alright! I can see that you still value that secret treasure quite a bit. Uh... Since I broke it, shouldn't I compensate your Slane Theocracy with something?" The Princess thought for a moment, then suggested.
"There's no need... The Princess providing us with such important information is already the best compensation, letting us know the whereabouts of our nation's secret treasure." Xi Neiding immediately refused.
"How can that be! Let me think... what should I compensate you with? Uh... Don't look at me like I'm just a Princess, my allowance is usually very small, so paying money is definitely out. Compensate with items? Uh... that would be a huge loss for me! Using my own items to compensate for that trashy thing, uh... Oh! This is good!" The Princess deliberated for a while, even muttering words that would greatly anger the three people present, then clapped her hands as if she had thought of something.
"I was just chatting with Yugali, and Yugali mentioned that your Slane Theocracy is preparing for some 'Centennial Crisis,' right? How about this? If you need my help at that time, just tell me, and I'll help you solve your 'Centennial Crisis.'" The Princess's words greatly surprised Xi Neiding, and Raymond himself found it incredible.
What Raymond found incredible was that Zesshi Zetsumei would actually tell such important information to a Princess of an enemy nation. What surprised Xi Neiding was that the Princess actually proposed to help solve the Centennial Crisis. This was the true intention behind their desperate attempts to control her after realizing her strength. He hadn't expected that now that she had regained her memories, she would actually offer to help on her own. Was this a lucky coincidence?
"This... how could we trouble the Princess with this? Besides, our nation and the Magic Kingdom have not established diplomatic relations. Doing so..." Xi Neiding did not immediately agree. If he agreed directly, his intentions would be too obvious.
"Hmm? In that case, establishing diplomatic relations directly is also fine, but from your Slane Theocracy's perspective, establishing relations would be very difficult, wouldn't it! But it doesn't matter, it can be like how you deal with the Dragon Kingdom, right? And offering help is my personal wish, unrelated to the nation, so let's just do that!" The Princess completely ignored Xi Neiding's opinion and made the decision herself, uncaringly.
"Then... we thank the Princess for her kindness." Xi Neiding put on a difficult expression and agreed.
"So, it's settled then, alright? Hmm! In that case, how about Bell stays by my side as a liaison? If you need anything, you can contact Bell, and Bell will tell me. After all, Bell can also teleport!" Then, the Princess brought up Bell's matter again.
"Let's do it that way. Bell Adokmisrena! Did you hear me? From now on, you will follow Princess Elizabeth as the Slane Theocracy's liaison." Xi Neiding looked at Bell, who was huddled in the corner hugging the tray, and said.
"Eh? Me? Eh... I... I might..." Bell immediately cowered. It was her weak personality that made her not do well in the Windflower Scripture, Raymond thought, feeling quite helpless.
"Did you hear me?!" Xi Neiding said sternly again.
"I! I heard you!" Bell could only agree.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"