Lord of the Sky City

Chapter 827: Chapter 809 United Front

“You just said that the Magic Energy Research Institute hasn’t yet reached a deal with Athena, correct?”

“Yes, your suggestion is…”

“Go contact the Magic Energy Research Institute and inform them of our stance. We must ensure the institute stands on the same unified front as us. No, don’t go alone. After you leave here, immediately meet with the representative of Sigma Corporation. More importantly, go see the representative of the Heavenly Ancestor Church.”

“If my guess is correct, Athena’s demands to the Heavenly Ancestor Church must be even more outrageous. So make sure to bring them along when speaking with the Elder from the Magic Energy Research Institute. This way, as long as we who remain can form a unified front, the departure of the Sky Alliance and the Kafka Empire won’t be a serious concern. Athena will have no choice but to compromise.”

After glancing at his own representatives, Kashu smiled and said.

Although he didn’t know exactly what conditions Athena had proposed to everyone else, that was irrelevant in Kashu’s eyes. He had already grasped Rocky’s fatal weakness, which was his shallow foundations as mentioned earlier.

Because of the lack of a solid foundation, Rocky must exhaust every effort to secure more benefits for himself. Only then can he support his increasingly vast and rapidly developing operations. That’s precisely why Athena is engaging in negotiations with everyone, especially now.

With the Third Counterattack War looming, Rocky had earlier made it clear that he would absolutely not participate in this war. Kashu believed he was not lying. This made it even more essential for Rocky to be fully prepared. Once the war breaks out, the entire world’s operations will revolve around the war. If Rocky wishes to maintain neutrality in such a scenario without adequate preparation, it will be impossible.

Therefore, he must use this round of negotiations to reap as many benefits as possible. As long as this core issue is targeted, Kashu believed his side would hold the upper hand.

He did not intend to haggle over specific values with Athena. Kashu understood all too well that leaving Thunderhawk City without paying a price was out of the question. However, the nature of that price was negotiable—whether it would be Sixth-Generation Armor technology or Gold Coins to exchange for their freedom, that was all up for discussion.

As long as a unified front could be established—a front that would resolutely refuse retreat and be willing to pay a price comparable to Sixth-Generation Technology—Kashu was confident that Rocky would eventually compromise. After all, there wasn’t much time left before the war erupted, and Rocky couldn’t drag things out indefinitely.

Acting on Kashu’s directives, the representative from Uranus Corporation proceeded immediately to find Sigma Corporation’s delegate. Since Denise had already made her position evidently clear, the two quickly struck an accord and wasted no time visiting the Heavenly Ancestor Church representative.

For Valachi, their appearance was nothing short of salvation. He had already reached out to Sect Master Rick, whose response was categorically against the proposal. Rick insisted he would never agree to hand over the Heaven’s Commencement and Heaven’s Grace Sky Cities to Rocky. To make matters less bearable for Valachi, Rick not only refused but also demanded that he continue negotiating with Athena. Furthermore, he strictly ordered that Zuluo must be brought back—failure to do so would result in punishment. These developments left Valachi deeply distressed.

At this moment, the representatives from Sigma Corporation and Uranus Corporation appeared, proving to be nothing less than divine intervention for Valachi. The trio quickly aligned and went together to meet Elder Ouli.

Elder Ouli had been hesitating the past few days. After all, the Sky Alliance and the Kafka Empire had already reached agreements with Athena. Compared to the other factions, however, Great Elder Simonuo of the Magic Energy Research Institute was clearly more pivotal. As such, Elder Ouli had been considering whether to reopen negotiations with Athena.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the three representatives arrived. The delegate from Uranus Corporation essentially relayed Kashu’s analysis of Rocky verbatim. The Sigma Corporation representative echoed Denise’s thoughts, while Valachi explicitly expressed his staunch opposition to Athena’s demands.

Seeing the group’s arguments, the previously hesitant Elder Ouli seemed to regain his resolve. The departure of the Sky Alliance and the Kafka Empire indeed dealt a significant blow to the negotiations. Yet, if those remaining could unify, there was still an opportunity to grapple with Athena. Even Elder Ouli shared the same belief as Kashu: paying a price was acceptable, but it had to align with their own terms—for instance, Gold Coins. No matter how many Gold Coins Kashu requested, the Magic Energy Research Institute was willing to provide them.

Thus, the four individuals established a unified front, firmly rejecting Athena’s prior terms as well as any new ones she might propose in isolation.

Three days flew by, and Athena once again met with several representatives who were now expected to give her their responses.

“No, the Magic Energy Research Institute absolutely will not agree to these conditions. If it were something else…”

“Very well then.”

Faced with Elder Ouli, Athena showed unparalleled assertiveness—more so than during their initial meeting. Yet, before Elder Ouli could finish his sentence, Athena stood up and said, “Elder Ouli, I am not here to negotiate terms this time. I am merely here to confirm your response.”

With that, Athena left the room and headed straight to meet the representatives from Sigma Corporation and Uranus Corporation.

“Apologies, Miss Denise doesn’t accept these terms.”

“Lord Kashu shares the same position.”

“Understood.”

Athena stood up, casually leaving behind a single remark before exiting the room. Watching her departing figure, the representatives from Sigma Corporation and Uranus Corporation appeared somewhat perplexed.

Finally, Athena arrived at the room where the Heavenly Ancestor Church representatives were located.

“Mr. Valachi, has Sect Master Rick responded?”

“Well…” Valachi glanced at Athena and shook his head helplessly. “Lady Athena, the conditions you proposed are truly impossible for us to accept. I hope you can reconsider…”

“Then I can only express regret.”

Before Valachi could finish, Athena stood up. Her face betrayed no signs of disappointment, remaining as composed and cheerful as ever. It felt as though everything was unfolding precisely according to her plan. Seeing her leave with that same expression, Valachi couldn’t suppress a sense of dread in his heart.

After leaving the room, Aileen, who had been silently following Athena, finally spoke up: “Sister Athena, it turned out exactly as you expected.”

“Their thoughts aren’t hard to predict.”

Turning her head slightly, Athena graced Aileen with a faint smile, appearing utterly unperturbed. She had foreseen this outcome long ago. Faced with the demands she’d made, the opposition would undoubtedly resist fiercely, forming an even stronger alliance than before.

“So, our next step is…”

“Straight to the prison. We’ll inform Zuluo of these developments.”

Still sporting her smile, Athena boarded a carriage and headed directly to the prison in Thunderhawk City, where Denise, Kashu, and Zuluo were being held.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!