In the quiet, everyone finished their tofu pudding with pleasant expressions. Almost simultaneously, they put down their bowls, looked at each other, and the atmosphere became less hostile and more like a negotiation.
"I never expected a bowl of tofu pudding could soothe the peace talks. The power of delicious food can be truly amazing sometimes." Michael's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He had been worried that the two sides would fight again over the tofu pudding, but now it seemed that his worries were completely unnecessary.
"So fast?" The two civil officials in charge of taking notes were also taken aback. They quickly put the porcelain bowl aside, picked up paper and pen again, and realized that the content of the meeting between the two parties still needed to be recorded in detail.
"This is probably the first meeting facilitated by tofu pudding, right?" Sally's expression was also a bit strange. Talks between the two sides are always complicated. The process of testing each other's bottom lines can be very long, and the arguments may not necessarily lead to a result. But now the two sides are actually preparing to skip the testing step.
"I also think it's unnecessary to argue about these trivial matters. Since neither side can convince the other, it would be more satisfying to go outside the city and have a fight. Let's just talk it out. The purpose of this meeting is to stop this pointless battle, for both sides to withdraw their troops, and then decide the ownership of that island." Jinx said, looking at the group opposite him.
"That's what we think too. It started as just a few kids discovering a small island, with nothing of value on it, and then a fight broke out for no reason, leading to this stalemate. While we demons aren't afraid of war, but it's not wise to expend too much fighting power in a war where we don't even know what the objective is. We also want to end this war." Dracula nodded, taking two maps from his pocket. He tossed one to the other side and unfolded the other, placing it on the table in front of him.
"Regarding the dispute over this island, after discussion, the ten demon races have decided to relinquish their claim to its ownership. However, we still maintain that we discovered the island first. Although it doesn't have any special minerals, but it can serve as a habitat for some demons. Therefore, we hope that your dragon race will not try to control it either, but rather leave it vacant, an island that no one owns."
"Furthermore, in terms of distance, this island is the same distance from the core island of our Demon Islands as your Dragon Island, so there is no basis for the claim that this island should belong to your dragon race."
"Moreover, in this war, our demon race sacrificed many brave warriors, while your dragon race, with its superior mobility, suffered almost no injuries. Therefore, we hope that you can compensate for the loss of our fallen warriors as a token of your sincerity in this peace negotiation."
Dracula pointed to the small red dot on the map and said.
"Are you asking us to cede territory and pay reparations? The Dragon race has never done such a deal. If you have any sincerity in negotiating, then take back that last demand and let's talk properly again." Fu Ke Si looked at Dracula with a slight sneer, not even glancing at the map.
"Tsk tsk, you dragons occupy Dragon Island, this gold mine, with all sorts of rare minerals everywhere below, countless mountains of gold and silver. Although you don't need most of it on Dragon Island, but you can easily take a little to compensate us. Why are you so stubborn about this? You dragons are just too stingy. You have a whole bunch of this stuff stored in the cave, are you going to use it as burial goods?" Gustav said with a sneer.
"Gold is our faith. Anyone who dares to covet our gold should prepare to face the wrath of our Giant Golden Dragon Clan!" Jinx glared at the three opposite him and said forcefully.
"We dragons take pride in collecting gems and gold. Who on the Nolan Continent doesn't know that? Compensation is out of the question, war always results in death. If we had lost, we would have ceded territory and paid reparations without question. But right now, it's us giant dragons surrounding that island, and you demons trapped on it. We've already made a huge concession by not demanding compensation for lost wages, yet you still dare to make such a request. You show absolutely no sincerity in this negotiation." Fu Ke Si sneered, refusing to budge an inch.
Silence fell over the restaurant again as the two sides began their internal discussion. Spatial magic shielded their voices, so the others couldn't hear what they were saying.
"Compared to the sophisticated politicians of my past life, the talks between giant dragons and demons, who are never known for their intellect, are indeed much simpler. It seems there's a good chance of reaching a peace agreement tonight." Mai Ge smiled slightly, packing the Rou Jia Mo into paper bags and gesturing for Yabemia to take them out.
"Boss, should I take it to them now?" Yabemia looked at Mai Ge with a hint of doubt. The two sides were currently in the midst of a heated meeting, wouldn't it be inappropriate to interrupt them with food?
"Mmm, the Rou Jia Mo won't taste good if it's overbaked. Take it up to them first." Mai Ge nodded with a smile. He'd take control of the pace of the meeting.
"Okay." Although Yabemia was a little worried, but she obediently nodded, took the Rou Jia Mo, placed one in front of each person, and smiled, "Here are Rou Jia Mo, please enjoy."
"Hmm?"
The aroma of braised meat wafted through the air, instantly drawing the attention of the giant dragons and demons, who were actively discussing countermeasures, to the small Rou Jia Mo in the paper bag in front of them.
Compared to the subtle fragrance of tofu pudding, the aroma of meat was incredibly rich, like a voluptuous, mature woman, frankly and openly telling you how alluring its flavor was, instantly killing everyone's interest in continuing their discussion.
"I love meat the most. Let me try how human-cooked meat tastes first." Jinx was the first to reach out and grab a Rou Jia Mo on the table. He tore open the paper bag with a ripping sound. Between two white pieces of flatbread was reddish-brown braised meat. The aroma of meat, which was countless times richer than that of raw meat, wafted out and made him swallow hard. Then he took a big bite of half of the Rou Jia Mo and chewed it.
Two layers of soft, sweet Bai Ji Mo sandwiched tender braised pork. One bite, and delicious juices burst forth, the meat, rich yet not greasy, seemed to make every taste bud on his tongue rejoice. This was a taste he had never experienced before—this was the proper way to enjoy meat!
After swallowing, the delicious flavor seemed to become somewhat violent, surging through his bloodstream, his heart pounding, his blood rushing.
"Roar!"
Jinx abruptly stood up, letting out a dragon's roar. A golden dragon tail shot out from behind him, smashing the chair behind him to pieces with a loud crack...