Eagle’s Glory

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Count."

Ambassador von Genz, with a very humble and amiable attitude, faced this "Mr. Count" who he knew was not a hereditary nobleman.

He knew that since he could be sent by Duke Reichstedt to perform such an important task, then this guy must be the Duke's confidant, which means that he may continue to deal with him in the future, so it is necessary to form a good relationship. lift.

Edmund Dantès was still very calm, not flattered or panicked, but he also gave the opponent enough respect.

"Mr. Ambassador, I think my purpose has been told to you by your subordinate, Mr. von Mayrhofen, and I don't need to repeat it." He looked at the other party calmly, and then said calmly, "I Just wondering, what is your personal opinion on this?"

"I personally have no objection to His Highness's idea." The ambassador did not displease, but gave the other party a kind reply, "I personally think that if the Ioannina region is separated from the control of the Ottoman Empire like Greece, it will be very important to me. It's not a bad thing for European peace..."

Hearing this positive statement, Edmund Dantes' eyes lit up.

"Then can you do us a favor? You know, I can't go out and deal with the sultan and his courtiers..."

"No problem, of course." Before he could finish speaking, the ambassador smiled and nodded. "Since Duke Reichstedt has helped us, then in return, I should do him a favor - don't worry, I will come forward and find a way to buy that lonely man in our name. Female."

Edmund Danteston was overjoyed at the time, but out of the restraint that His Majesty's representative must have, he just showed a calm smile on the surface.

"I thank you for your help on behalf of His Majesty... He will never forget your favor this time."

The ambassador just smiled indifferently.

In the diplomatic world for so many years, he has seen too many ungrateful things, and he has done a lot himself. What is the so-called "favor" worth?

Now the two parties only have overlapping interests, so they are temporarily cooperating. It is also due to help each other. As for whether His Royal Highness will be "thankful", he is well aware of it.

That young man, but a child taught by Prime Minister Metternich...

But no matter what, it is not impossible to satisfy the young man's wish this time.

"Considering that this is our temporary request, His Majesty does not want you or the Austrian government to spend extra money, and he will bear the amount by himself." Edmund Dantes continued, "This time I bring A sum of money has come, as long as you negotiate, we will pay immediately."

"Reimbursement immediately...?" the ambassador muttered, then glanced at the Count of Monte Cristo subconsciously.

He didn't look like he had a lot of money on him.

Edmund Dantes seemed to sense the other's doubts, so he laughed calmly.

"I'll be honest with you—"

After saying this, he immediately took out a small box from his pocket and opened it in front of the ambassador.

In an instant, the ambassador discovered that the box contained a large piece of jadeite, whose color and size were almost unprecedented in his life.

Looking at the sparkle in the box, the ambassador immediately understood.

"Yes, it seems that everything is enough. I think the Sultan will be satisfied."

[Don’t worry about why the traded item is jade, the original Li Haidai was the Count of Monte Cristo who exchanged the jade from the Sultan...]

Seeing that the embassy did not have to bear the cost, the ambassador was relieved a lot.

But after a while, he immediately became suspicious - where did the young man get such precious jewelry?

There is no doubt that this kind of jewelry is too expensive and can only be collected by the most prestigious and powerful families. The Duke of Reichstedt only ran out of Vienna a year ago. Where did he get it?

Maybe he asked for it from the uncle of the Bonaparte family, but this is unlikely. He knew the brothers of Napoleon too well, and they would not be willing to spend money on their nephew; so it is more likely that Archduke Karl and Princess Teresa gave it to him as a dowry.

...so it's not the Austrians who paid for it after all? !

Thinking of this, the ambassador couldn't help but secretly annoyed, and in his heart he angrily rebuked Archduke Karl and Princess Teresa for having no sense of family and country.

Of course Edmund Dantès didn't know the thoughts that the ambassador had in his mind for a moment. He took out another diamond from the box and handed it to the ambassador.

"Mr. Ambassador, this is the service fee that His Majesty gave you, please accept it."

The ambassador froze for a moment and looked at the other party suspiciously.

"Please don't worry, this is by no means a bribe, and Your Majesty will never force you to do things that are detrimental to the interests of the Austrian Empire—" Edmund Dantes explained calmly, meeting the other's gaze, "Your Majesty He never wants others to rush for him for no reason, he wants everyone's efforts to be worth their money... So he ordered me to bring his reward to you, I implore you to accept it, otherwise it is to let I have disgraced my mission."

Under the sincere gaze of Edmund Dantès, the doubt in the ambassador's eyes slowly disappeared, replaced by a smile of "this kid is quite good".

"Since His Highness is so sincere, I will be disrespectful." So he took this expensive diamond, and then took it into his pocket.

In this day and age, it is not surprising that high-ranking diplomats accept gifts (bribes) from other countries as commonplace, and even one of their main methods of generating income. Moreover, the messenger has clearly stated that he is not required to betray the interests of the country, so he has no psychological burden.

After receiving the gift, the ambassador looked at Edmund Dantes more and more pleasing to the eye.

Even if he is just a Jiang Yang thief, he is also a lovely Jiang Yang thief.

"Mr. Count, it's getting late, let's go have lunch together, I believe I will complete the mission for you soon."

"It's my pleasure," Edmund Dantes replied mildly.

This was the Count of Monte Cristo's debut on the European stage, and Edmund Dantes found that it was not as difficult as he thought, he just had to show the indifference and composure honed on the killing fields , can handle it.

He was neither servile nor arrogant, but carried out his task calmly, and that was enough.

Of course, this is just a fledgling. He knows that he still has a lot to learn in the future, but he believes that as long as he is willing to work hard, he can also thrive on this stage.

At the invitation of the ambassador, the Count of Monte Cristo had a sumptuous lunch with him, and they had a good conversation with each other, but they all deliberately avoided the issue of cooperation between the two parties, but talked about Edmund Dantes experience in this war.

Edmund Dantès deliberately downplayed his merits, but after hearing the heroic deeds of the Count of Monte Cristo, the ambassador was still dumbfounded and praised the Count's bravery.

At this time, he didn't care whether the title of Earl was true or not, because a hero deserved such a title.

In this way, the title of Count of Monte Cristo also entered the field of vision of the European upper class for the first time.

Over the next few days, the ambassador began to rush to fulfill the wishes of the young man.

However, his hustle and bustle is not obvious, just keep in touch with the sultan and the grand vizier, and encourage them from time to time.

The sultan's monarchs and ministers, who have been devastated by the advance of the Russian Empire, are also extremely eager to get help from the foreign powers at this time, so they naturally treat this "good gentleman" who seems to be pro-Turkish.

And in the staggered exchanges, inadvertently, the ambassador revealed to the Grand Vizier that a wealthy businessman friend of his had a secret interest and planned to buy a young female slave from the sultan's harem.

"The friend you're talking about isn't you, right...?" No one asked this question, after all, no one cared about the real answer, only the pros and cons.

The sultan and ministers of the Austrian sultan who were interested in befriending Austria quickly agreed to the ambassador's conditions.

However, when the ambassador revealed that he wanted to buy the granddaughter of the former Ioannina Pasha, Sultan Mahmoud II was hesitant.

At this time, the ambassador unhurriedly revealed "the price of a wealthy businessman".

Sultan's hesitation disappeared when he saw such a large piece of emerald being dedicated to himself.

Even at a time when the empire is in jeopardy, the love of jewelry is still a human instinct.

And in the end, she's just a sinner's granddaughter, and she's still young and has not been favored by him. He hasn't even met a few times, so he doesn't care.

So, after a few days of negotiation, the ambassador completed the transaction, and the young girl was also dressed up and sent to the Austrian embassy.

In the past few days, Edmund Dantes is also anxiously waiting for news.

Although he was anxious, he still kept his composure and did not let the people in the embassy look down on him.

For him, as long as there was no bad news from the ambassador, it was good news.

The long wait finally came to an end. Just after he had lunch one day, the diplomat von Mayrhofen he knew came to inform him that his wish had been fulfilled.

The instant excitement made Edmund Dantes almost forget his words, but he quickly calmed down.

Then, led by von Mayrhofen, he came to a room in the embassy.

And here, there is already a little girl sitting in the seat.

As soon as someone came in, the little girl looked up at the door, like a frightened rabbit, and Edmund Dantes saw her clearly.

Just as His Majesty said, this is a girl of about ten years old. She looks quite thin, with brown hair and black eyes. She is wearing a simple linen shirt with wide cuffs and slits, revealing two delicate white skins. arm.

Although this little girl is not very conspicuous at the moment, it can still be seen that she is a beautiful embryo.

And she looked at her timidly, which made people feel pity.

Edmund Dantes knew what the child was going through - when she was four years old, her grandfather and father and uncle were killed, the head was sent to the sultan, and she was also killed with her mother. She was brought here as a slave, and her mother died soon after, leaving her to live in Topkapi Palace as a sinner.

In fact, Edmund Dantes was a little puzzled as to why she was able to survive tenaciously in such a harsh living environment.

But no matter what, she is still alive, and she is enough to be a prop that His Majesty needs.

Yes... this little girl was bought by him with His Majesty's money, and is His Majesty's property.

With a little pity, he walked up to the little girl and touched his cheek subconsciously.

"Poor boy—" he said in Greek, "can you understand what I'm saying?"

The little girl raised her head and looked at him with puzzled and panicked eyes, but she didn't dare to resist, she could only nod lightly.

"Little girl, it's this Count of Monte Cristo—" von Mayrhofen made a deliberate joke, and pointed to Edmund Dantes in Greek and said to Heide, "I bought it with money. you."

Perhaps feeling the warmth in Edmund's expression and eyes, the little girl recovered from her initial panic.

She rose to her feet and saluted Edmund Dantes in an ingratiating manner.

"Lord Count..."

"Yes, I paid for you, but someone else bought you." Edmund Dantès laughed, trying to be gentle, "Miss Heidee, I know What are you afraid of, but I promise you that from now on you are out of trouble and you will live a safe and comfortable life...I promise you."

Edmund Dantes didn't think he was lying, he promised "safety and comfort", but not "freedom", after all, from now on she was the tool of His Majesty's indirect rule of Ioannina - but , For a child like Hai Dai who is used to slavery, I am afraid she can't think of freedom.

At least she will no longer face the fear of starvation and death, and can grow up normally and receive formal education. In comparison, isn't it happiness?

Heidi was a little overwhelmed. She looked at Edmund Dantès suspiciously, not understanding what was going on.

It seems that this kind person is not his own master.

"Then I... Who is my master?"

"Your master is a great man of our time," Edmund Dantes replied without hesitation. "I have been ordered to take you to meet him, and we will be leaving soon."

Haide's eyes widened, completely unsure of how to answer.

But for her, there is no choice in all this, she can only nod lightly.

"At your age, maybe you still don't understand what happened, but it doesn't matter." Edmund Dantes stroked her hair sympathetically again, as if facing his own child, "From From now on, you will have everything you dream of, even more than you should have - and the price of all this is simply to obey your master's orders... This is very important to you. Simple, because he is a very kind person, you just need to follow all his arrangements."