Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1608 Negotiation
"So, who is the best lawyer?"

“Me.” Mrs. Agatha poured tea for Victoria, and also “casually” poured a cup for Shangluo, using tea leaves brought from Constantinople.

"Your sister Agatha has a law degree. Don't worry."

"But experience is also very important for lawyers."

“Yes, that’s very important,” Agatha nodded. “But mystery is also important. To put it simply, those who are more mysterious than me are less experienced than me. Those who are more experienced than me are more mysterious. So, I am the best lawyer you can hire—and the only lawyer. In a case like today, you really can’t find anyone else to represent you, because no one but me can handle what’s going on here.”

"That's true. After all, this is related to magic. And the level is too high, isn't it?"

"Yes, that mystery is the most crucial element. Rome's mysterious feudal system shaped a feudal hierarchy centered on the emperor. Although the issue we are discussing is not inherently complex—it's simply a debate about the semantics of 'eating' and 'swallowing'—the level of the participants on both sides is already extremely high, and considering the possibility of introducing some undisclosed secrets, this is something I must handle."

There's nothing we can do about it. If things get pulled out while the two sides are struggling, it could be disastrous.

In conflicts at this level, if the mediator is not of a high enough status, then the mediator may be eliminated.

"Then, I'll leave this matter to you. And then, there's the judge, right?"

"The pool of candidates for judge is actually very limited. I estimate that one will likely be chosen from among the leaders of the Oracle or the Muses."

"Wait a minute," Shangluo asked, "with so many powerful people brought here, will the law really be effective?"

"Under normal circumstances, it would probably be useless. After all, neither the Oracle nor the Muses Palace are usually bound by secular laws—although they have stricter internal regulations. But in this matter, the law is absolutely useful. Because the one who vouched for this trial is Lord Mithras Helios, the sun god of contracts and laws. As I said, the law is his domain. If someone has overstepped the rules, then it is time for him to step in."

With Helios's guarantee, even Amun-Zeus himself could not resist. This matter has now reached Helios's realm.

After Helios granted permission, the judge for the first legal trial was Chroixus, the high priest of the oracle.

[Tsk, why is it that this old man is so unpleasant to look at?]

"As long as he's a reliable person, that's fine."

Shangluo received a notification from Rome during breakfast time, as they were currently working overtime there.

Although everyone realized that this was a setup for Amun-Zeus, all procedures had to be legal and compliant, otherwise Helios's divine power could not be officially activated to drag Amun-Zeus out of his hiding place.

Rome is now busier than ever before, because in addition to preparing for the Shangluo case, the war on the European continent continues.

This level of activity was almost a last gasp for Rome, and it could be said that this was the last time Rome allowed its state machinery to function.

Because once the war in Europe ends and the matter of Amun-Zeus is settled, Rome can then safely descend into the spirit world—although this sounds like a story of "the chickens have finished eating the rice" or "the dogs have finished licking the noodles," both of these issues can be effectively resolved in the foreseeable future thanks to the efforts of powerful forces, including Shangluo.

"And Shangluo." As her lawyer, Ms. Agatha received a letter from the court stating, "The other party wants mediation."

"Oh, very good. Is it Amun-Zeus who's going to intervene?" "No, it's Inugami. He wants to act as your proxy to negotiate and hopefully reach an agreement."

"Didn't we talk about this before?"

"That's correct, but previously it was before the legal proceedings began, and now it's after the legal proceedings have begun. The court encourages you to reach an out-of-court settlement in such civil cases, and the court will guarantee the legal validity of the out-of-court settlement."

"Then, I'll just meet him. Where shall we meet?"

"To show our sincerity, Inugami will come here. You can also decide the location for the negotiations."

“Hmm, very good.” Shangluo thought for a moment, “Actually, if we choose this place, there’s really not much else to choose from, there’s only one place.”

An hour later, I, Shangluo, sat down in front of Zhu Xianxi.

"Your progress is going very well. Is this now a pre-trial mediation?"

Shangluo nodded: "So I hope you, senior brother, can take charge."

"That's easy. But why did you think of me?"

"Because this is a matter of principle. No matter what I say, I cannot bypass the emperor to conduct diplomatic negotiations."

"Wait a minute, is this a diplomatic issue? Isn't it just a lawsuit over bread?"

"This case involves too many people, so it naturally becomes a diplomatic issue. Because the other party is someone the Romans also want to bring down."

"So where is the other person now?"

"He has arrived in the capital and is awaiting further instructions."

“Very well, then I’ll host. You said it’s a kobold? Since it’s a kobold, then don’t wander around somewhere else, come directly to me. Also, since it’s related to Han Xingzhi, I’ll have his parents attend. Shangluo, go and call Han Wu Ge over; he’s Han Xingzhi’s uncle. I’ll organize the materials here. Zhu Ling!”

He called upstairs, "Come down here! Something's happened!"

Such a shout was actually a bit inappropriate. In ancient times, emperors would not personally call their sisters downstairs; they would at least have to send a message through two or three people.

However, that's just how things are in Xiyuan. Zhu Xianxi has been trying to minimize the number of people going to the second and third floors, to ensure his family has a quieter living environment—and incidentally, to reduce the possibility of Zhu Ling becoming a useless person unable to take care of herself. Generally, only three people attend to Zhu Ling in her room each day.

Three people is already quite few. Even a middle-class family has five or six people.

The Xiyuan Garden significantly reduced its staff. Unlike before, no other child laborers were needed except for Zhu Ling herself.

(End of this chapter)