The negotiation chamber of Sevenrock Palace was built for intimidation.
High ceilings. Heavy jade pillars. Golden braziers burning slow, controlled flames.
And at the center—
Emperor Long Fang.
Fat, heavy, draped in embroidered dragon silk.
But his eyes?
Sharp.
Calculating.
Greedy.
Across from him stood Li Tian, wrists no longer chained, yet still surrounded by royal guards.
Imprisonment had only been the first move.
This room was the real battlefield.
---
The Proposal
Long Fang tapped the flawless glass panel resting on the table.
"Explain," he ordered.
Li Tian placed a second object beside it.
A cloudy slab. Rough. Unpolished.
"This is raw glass."
The emperor leaned forward.
"In its unfinished form, it lacks clarity. But with proper heating and refinement, it becomes what Your Majesty sees before you."
Silence thickened.
Then—
"I do not want finished goods," Long Fang said slowly.
"I want control."
Li Tian nodded.
"Then I will sell you raw glass only."
A slight pause.
"At seven gold coins per slab."
The ministers shifted.
Seven gold coins was not small.
But Long Fang's mind was already racing.
If refined and shaped into mirrors, ornaments, windows—
It could be sold to other empires at ten. Fifteen. Perhaps twenty gold coins.
Monopoly.
Prestige.
Collection value.
Profit.
Still, suspicion remained.
"How do I know you won't sell this to others?" the emperor asked.
"You are a foreigner."
"Perhaps Azure Flame already profits from it."
Li Tian met his gaze without hesitation.
"Investigate."
"If any empire possesses this clarity, execute me."
Confidence.
Too much confidence.
Long Fang signaled immediately. Spies were dispatched. Records examined.
Three days later—
Reports returned.
No such clarity existed anywhere else.
The emperor's greed deepened.
But greed never pays full price.
"Seven is too high," Long Fang said calmly.
"Five."
The word fell like a blade.
Five gold coins.
A direct cut of profit.
The chamber grew silent.
Li Tian calculated quickly.
Lower margin.
Higher scale.
More importantly—
Royal protection.
Access to Sevenrock's elite market.
Influence inside enemy territory.
He bowed slightly.
"Five gold coins per slab."
"Exclusive supply within Sevenrock."
"Five-year protection under imperial seal."
Long Fang smiled.
"Agreed."
Golden wax melted.
Imperial seal pressed.
Contract signed.
---
The Gift
But Li Tian was not finished.
Before departing, he presented a final object wrapped in silk.
When the cloth was lifted—
The entire chamber shimmered.
A multicolored glass art pot.
Layers of crimson, azure, and molten gold spiraled within perfect transparency.
When torchlight struck it—
Rainbows scattered across the jade walls.
Long Fang stood.
Slowly.
His breathing deepened.
He approached the artifact like a collector approaching a divine relic.
"This… is mine?"
"A gift," Li Tian replied calmly.
No price.
No condition.
Only desire.
The emperor laughed loudly.
A rare, genuine laugh.
"You understand me."
Yes.
Li Tian understood perfectly.
Greed was not just about money.
It was about ownership.
---
Departure
This time, no prison.
No chains.
Royal escort.
Sevenrock's gates opened willingly.
Shadow Guards rejoined their master beyond the city walls.
Within weeks—
He had entered as a suspected spy.
And left as a protected supplier to the emperor himself.
As the ship sailed toward Azure Flame waters, Li Tian stood alone at the deck.
The wind carried salt and silence.
One week to advance cultivation beyond what legends achieved in months.
One negotiation to secure monopoly inside enemy territory.
But the real war had not begun.
Prime Minister of Sevenrock had watched silently during the signing.
And silent men were the most dangerous.
---
Return to Azure Flame
Night covered the capital when Li Tian returned.
Lanterns illuminated stone streets.
Merchants were closing shops.
News of his safe return spread quietly through underground channels.
But he did not visit his family estate first.
He went directly to the mansion of the Fifth Princess.
The gates opened instantly.
Guards bowed.
Inside, she waited beneath silver lantern light.
"You survived," she said.
Not relief.
Not accusation.
Observation.
Li Tian placed the sealed imperial contract upon the table.
Sevenrock's royal seal glimmered under candlelight.
Her eyes sharpened.
"You negotiated inside their palace?"
"Yes."
"And returned alive."
He did not elaborate.
He did not mention glass.
He did not mention gifts.
Some leverage was meant to remain unspoken.
She studied him carefully.
"You grow more dangerous every time you disappear."
Li Tian's expression remained unreadable.
"Danger creates opportunity."
Silence lingered between them.
Outside, the empire slept.
Unaware—
That its rising merchant had just planted roots inside its rival's throne room.
And somewhere far away—
Emperor Long Fang admired a multicolored artifact under golden torchlight.
Completely unaware—
That greed, once awakened—
Never remains contained.
---
End of Chapter 37