After Ghana stopped speaking, she stepped back and maintained a calm expression.
However, almost everyone in the room could understand to whom her speech gave the edge. Her words were too detailed, yet the slight smirk on Yasenia's lips and the light frown on Leader Fu's brows were enough of a hint, even for those who didn't understand.
'Why did Ghana gave spoke so objectively? She just showed that her previous insults were not just words without meaning but a truth that he can't now use against her. Now, the Astral Sky Clan has the advantage in the conversation! '
Leader Fu didn't instantly answer Yasenia's previous provocations to use them later against her. After all, Yasenia didn't hold back one bit, and when discussing cooperation, no matter how superficial, giving face to the other party was essential.
Now, after Ghana explained all the factors he didn't consider, it was easy to see why Yasenia would react that way, and she had a witness from his side to corroborate her words and narrative.
The worst part was that it was a factual narrative, meaning they spoke truths. Therefore, the way to reverse this now was impossible.
In short, Yasenia slapped his face, and Ghana told him that there was a venomous insect on his cheek, and thus, she saved his life, making it impossible to be angry after being slapped.
If it weren't because his position as the City Lord, Leader Fu feared that he would have to say thank you after the slap.
However, not everyone in the room was smart enough to identify the subtleties of Ghana's speech.
Fu Liang wasn't impressed.
Although there wasn't anything essentially wrong with what Ghana said, Fu Laing felt they somehow diminished their status.
In other words, she felt like she had something stuck in her throat after listening, with no way to cough or swallow it.
Moreover, wanting to ruin Yasenia's intentions to ally with Koran City, she didn't hold back and spoke aloud. "Leader Fu, miss Ghana's actions have made our city lose face. The people may think it is unsafe to live in our city because we didn't dare to face a group that endangered many lives and livelihoods."
Fu Liang had some skill to reach her current position, so her words weren't entirely without reason. She continued righteously. "Although they may have a reason for their actions, we mustn't forget the damage they've done to our citizens! No matter what, they must compensate us enough to calm the masses!"
Leader Fu frowned at first, but after hearing her, he felt she had a point. The two hundred lives lost could be justified as self-defense, but the damage they've done couldn't.
Leader Fu felt he had all the reasons to demand high compensation for the millions of living beings in Koran City. 'Right, I still have the moral high ground.'
Yasenia, on the other hand, thought differently.
Although what Fu Liang said is true, it is also true that the situation was still within controllable parameters. She knew that what her energy absorption damaged were very low-level items. Anyone hurt by infrastructural damage could be attributed back to Koran City for using such low-level things to build houses.
Therefore, she said. "While I know what miss Fu Liang said is true, City Lord must not be confused. Our ritual only damages mortal materials. If anyone in this city suffered because of it, wouldn't City Lord have to explain why people still lived with such a poor quality of life?"
Yasenia then snorted without letting Leader Fu speak. "Moreover, when have I said that I didn't want to give compensation? I've come here with sincerity. Since the beginning, I've always tried to act polite and use my personal resources to pay for the damage. However, let's not act stupid for a second. Since the beginning of our conversation, Leader Fu has been trying to take advantage of us using multiple tricks."
Yasenia leaned forward, placing her chin on her hand while her elbow rested on her knee, and said coldly. "Now, your first secretary is trying to put on our heads that we don't want to compensate the city. Thankfully, a second secretary like Miss Ghana exists in this city, or who knows how things would have developed by now?"
Leader Fu said, trying to maintain a calm face. "Even if you make yourself sound just, weren't you about to lower the compensation? So much for caring for the citizens."
Yasenia barked a laugh. "Ha! Do you think I care even a bit about them? Even if they all died right in front of my face right in this instant, I wouldn't even bat an eye. I'm only trying to compensate because I decided to place my shops in this city and have already discussed it with the Nine Sect."
Fu Liang scowled. "However, Miss Ghana overstepped her boundaries and spoke out of turn! Miss Yasenia can't order us how to treat the people under us. She is part of our power, and her punishment and reward are under our jurisdiction."
Yasenia's eyes flashed as she thought. 'Fufufu, finally. They took a while to put their feelings about her uncensored before her. Now, no matter how she tried to convince herself, it is impossible not to see their disregard for you.'
Her eyes glanced sideways at Ghana with a slight smirk. 'Right, Ghana?'
As Yasenia expected, Ghana's expression was not good. Intelligent people, most of the time, share a significant flaw in them. They tried to find a reason for everything, convincing themselves their ways were correct.
Sometimes, it got so bad that they ignored any other clue around them that could refute their thoughts.
However, this sentence was like a sharp knife slicing a tense string. Without trouble, it made it snap.
Leader Fu didn't realize Ghana's expression as his eyes had trouble looking elsewhere other than the forward-leaning dragoness. Although he hated her to an extent, no matter where she was, the eyes would follow her every gesture. It was a natural advantage, and denying it would be stupid.
Yasenia knew it well and used it in her favor many times.
Leader Fu looked at the calm Yasenia and asked. "What do you think, Astral Sky Clan Matriarch?"
Yasenia smiled and spoke. "Naturally, I have no right to mess with Leader Fu's internal affairs."
Ghana bit her lips and looked down. She thought Yasenia would defend her, but her hopeful thoughts popped up with a single sentence.
Yasenia said so as not to allow Ghana to have any way of latching onto the City Lord. Her objective was to snatch her away, not to protect her while she helped other people.
Leader Fu's lips quirked. "You say so, but you surely allow your juniors to do as they please in my territory."
Yasenia sighed. "Please, Leader Fu. Don't try to play word games with me anymore. I've already laid out my thoughts as clearly as I could."
Yasenia leaned back on the chair and said lazily. "If I allowed them to do as they pleased, I wouldn't be here. For starters, I'm not afraid of the Nine sects, not to mention your smaller city. Crushing Koran City and creating Koran Barren wouldn't be too hard."
Leader Fu finally caught up on an important detail he had missed earlier. "Wait. Which Nine Sects are you talking about?"
Yasenia rolled her eyes, playing with a lock of her hair playfully. "And here I thought you had earwax or something. Which Nine Sects are there on our Distancia Continent besides those top powers? Would anyone dare to name themselves like them?"
Yasenia saw his change of expression and chuckled. "Must I add, my talk with them has gone smoothly, and we can be considered to have a connection. I dare not say I'm their ally yet, but I'm halfway there. Do you think I need to fear any of your threats after hearing this information?"
Leader Fu lost his calm and looked at Yasenia with an ugly expression. If Yasenia had said this since the beginning, there wouldn't have been much trouble. 'But why!? What's the reason for her to keep that important detail from me?'
He thought intently but forgot about the capable Harpy standing with a lowered head on the side.
Naturally, Yasenia valued Ghana more than any cooperation she could ever have with Koran City.
Although this harpy had placed them in a pinch in the past by calling the Nine sects in her vulnerable time, Yasenia hoped Ghana would act that way if she faced one of her enemies that coincidentally were Ghana's friends.
The fact that Ghana could put responsibilities and personal life apart was a highly sought-after quality for a sub-leader that isn't linked deeply with the leader.
Yasenia wouldn't have to consider this if Ghana were Andrea or any of her lovers, but she wasn't, so Yasenia had to consider every possibility before deciding on someone.
This was why the usual unforgiving Yasenia could easily forgive Ghana and was eager to place this brown bird under her wing.
Leader Fu felt like the dragoness had played him since the beginning, and the anger got to his head. "What's the meaning of this, Yasenia Dravory!?"
His aura burst forward, and he crashed it on Yasenia without holding back.
His peak Mythical bloodline, just a step away from becoming Divine level bloodline pressure, and the high-level Ethereal Soul Body Realm cultivation combined in a wave that tried to engulf and crush Yasenia.
However, for Yasenia, the bloodline pressure felt like a soft breeze. Of course, the cultivation pressure was not something she could easily shrug off.
However, Yasenia scoffed and deployed her [Empyrean Dragon Authority] without holding back.
If Leader's Fu pressure was like a wave that engulfed everything in its way, Yasenia's aura was like a devouring beast that could never be satiated, instantly exploding Leader Fu's aura and counter-pressuring him right away. Yasenia's tone was cold as she looked indifferently at the City Lord. "Oy, little wolf. How dare you show off in front of me? Not only is your brain lacking, but you also think you can reach the sky with a single jump. Stop before I just don't give a damn about anything and bury you together with this whole city."
Fu Liang, Ghana, and Leader Fu's eyes widened in shock, and an innate fear crept up like countless hands, rising until their fur and feathers stood up on their ends. 'What kind of Bloodline is this!?'
This was the first time Yasenia didn't hold a single drop of her bloodline pressure to pressure someone for so long. The effect was as you could imagine: the three people almost fell to their knees out of pure instinct.
The Celestial Dragoness was not a creature that common races could defile.
Yasenia stopped before Fu Liang fell to her knees, and the three of them took in a deep breath.
Yasenia didn't speak for a second, waiting for them to regain their bearings. Then, she said without any expression. "Anyway, this is the last time I make an offer before I lose my patience. Listen well."
Yasenia said. "I'll give the Koran city Twenty mid-level Earth rank treasures as compensation for the deaths of the soldiers. One hundred peak-level Magic rank treasures for the compensation for the infrastructural damage. Finally, two low-level Heaven Grade weapons and one piece of armor for the City Lord to use as he pleases. This should be more than enough to cover everything."
Their eyes widened as Yasenia proposed an absurd proposal. Just the magic-ranked treasures were enough to cover the city's costs and everything else.
Not to mention twenty Earth-ranked treasures, which could be more or less exchanged with one hundred Magic-ranked treasures each.
Then, if you added the Heaven-ranked treasures…
Only then Leader Fu understood what kind of loss it was for him not to accept the previous fifteen percent they offered.
He was so regretful that his face almost changed colors.
Meanwhile, Ghana silently decided in her heart. 'What more do I need to choose? I hope Lady Yasenia will accept me. If she doesn't… Well, I guess I can only return to the clan.'