Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 322

“Me too, I’ll help grill the meat,” Canaan added.

Her tone was somewhat like that of someone who was shy but eager to fit in.

More than 20 years have passed, and she has completely lost the image of that carefree little girl who dared to say anything.

Also, she really can't dance.

As darkness fell and the campfire was lit, Ronan used a sharpened stick to skewer large pieces of meat that had been marinating all afternoon. There were dozens of pieces, each weighing several pounds, but there was no need to worry about not being able to finish them. After traversing mountains and valleys and making a long journey, the magician's appetite was beyond imagination; ten pounds of beef and several pounds of wine were nothing to him.

We skewered about ten pieces of meat and set them up around the campfire. We'll grill the rest as we eat them later.

A group of women sat around a campfire, humming and dancing.

Ronan watched the barbecue while clapping along to the rhythm.

"Ronan, stop hitting! You're ruining the rhythm!" Ambrina couldn't help but yell.

After dancing to their hearts' content, the meat was almost cooked. Ambrina then took out a dozen or so bottles of wine and began to dig in.

Holding a stick in one hand, he took big bites of meat, while holding a bottle of liquor in the other, he chugged it down.

The group of people were not of noble birth, but they had long held high positions. However, at this moment, they showed no trace of aristocratic elegance and appeared extremely barbaric and vulgar.

It is precisely in such an environment where there is no one else that one can be so completely free of oneself.

Two hours later, only Ronan, Dinia, Kate, and Faith remained sober. However, Faith was pretending to be drunk, while the others were truly drunk. After downing three or five bottles of liquor with an alcohol content of 40 or 50 degrees, they would either collapse on the ground, slump in their seats, or talk nonsense.

Dinia looked at Ronan and asked Zhengshi, "After we enter the Yunnan region of Seris, how do we proceed?"

Ronan replied, “Our group is just too conspicuous. The real Seres people may not care, but some of the local ethnic groups living in this area may have never seen foreigners like us before. I think it’s better if we don’t enter the country and just go east along the border mountains and rivers all the way to Guangdong.”

"Over there, foreigners like us are nothing special."

"Moreover, judging by the time, it has been more than two months since we parted ways with Brother Liu. The court of Seris should have responded to the joint proposal put forward by the Western countries. Whether or not they agree to go to print together, they will at least choose peace for the time being given the submissive and appeasing attitude of the Western countries."

"The Seres are all the same; they only respond to kindness, not force. If you consider yourself a barbarian and flatter them a bit, there won't be any problem. I've already given them instructions on this." Ronan was very confident about this.

After saying that, Ronan stood up. "Faith, you've been tricked. Get up and help carry these drunks into the spaceship."

“Received,” Faith replied.

“Why didn’t you call me?” Kate demanded.

“I won’t spend money on this kind of thing,” Ronan replied.

“You damn bureaucratic capitalist, you don’t even give working people the opportunity to earn money through their labor,” Kate cursed, pointing at Dinia. “Believe me or not, I’ll introduce her to what ‘shovelism’ is, and then I’ll hang you on a lamppost.”

Dinia frowned and asked curiously, "What is shovelism?"

"Ha, then you should build the streetlights first. How are you going to hang people without streetlights?" Ronan retorted to Kate.

"The more advanced the technology, the simpler the tools become. If you ask someone to operate an excavator, they can drive a car, and even drive a tank. But if you ask them to make a very outdated ignition device, they can't do it."

Chapter 745 He loves you in that aspect too, rebellious attire

The next day, in a canyon at dusk, a group of people who had been taking a stroll slowly made their way back to camp.

Canaan stammered as she spoke about some things and asked about others. After she had talked for a while, Dinia, who was standing next to her, finally understood what she wanted to know.

"That kind of thing is indeed equivalent to joining this team as a procedure. If you don't want to, it's okay. I'll talk to him. He won't force you. You can find someone you like. However, you are already immortal now. Ordinary men are probably... Moreover, you know too many secrets about us. If you find someone, we must approve of it. Otherwise, I will kill him first and then kill you. You are only immortal, not ageless."

Dinia's tone was so calm that it might have seemed like she was joking, but Canaan would never have thought she was joking.

When it comes to killing, Dinia is always serious.

"I... I didn't mean that," Canaan stammered as he explained. "I was just worried that he doesn't like me very much."

“He’s a man, and a vulgar one at that. He likes women who are beautiful and not useless,” Dinia said. She knew Ronan all too well; he wanted women who were useful both day and night.

"Well, I'm alright." Canaan smiled.

In terms of looks, she's not exceptionally beautiful. She can't compare to Dinia or Elena, and even Faith, that expressionless woman, is prettier than her. But she's still pretty good compared to others, even if they're not the same style.

In terms of ability, she is only so-so, but she is the only one who is proficient in making magical items.

“No rush, let’s build up our relationship first,” Dinia added.

Canaan shook his head. "Forget it. I'm already in my forties, and I look older than you, Mother. What's the point of talking about feelings?"

She doesn't look old, only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but compared to Dinia who is forever twenty, she still looks old.

“Suit yourself,” Dinia said.

"Actually, if you make a comparison, you'll find that he's really quite good. He's handsome, strong, smart, and kind to women," Canaan couldn't help but remark.

Dinia curled her lip. "Vulgar."

Canaan unconsciously reverted to some of his youthful sassiness, "Oh yeah, Mother, you're not vulgar, so what do you like about him?"

“Even in darkness, there is still light in our eyes,” Dinia said, her eyes seemingly shining as she spoke.

For a moment, Canaan fell silent. She still couldn't understand this. Perhaps this was the special love between her mother and Ronan—a love that transcended romantic love.

"Alright, hurry up, or our King will complain about the late dinner again," Dinia urged.

“Uh, Mother, there’s one more thing I want to ask, it’s, it’s about him in that area…” Canaan stammered again.

“I don’t know,” Dinia said.

"Huh?" Canaan was stunned.

“He’s the only man I’ve ever had, and I’m not exactly normal, so can my assessment be taken seriously? I can only say he’s probably very impressive,” Dinia said. “But that’s just Falek’s opinion; she’s only been with an old man.”

Meanwhile, Isabelle and Ambrina had somehow gotten together.

“Anri,” Isabel called out.

Ambrina turned her head and looked at her sister with surprise. "Are you sick?" Ambrina often called her by the nickname Isa, but Isabel never called her by the nickname Anri.

Ignoring Ambrina's question, Isabelle continued, "I always thought this trip would be a sweet honeymoon for you and him, but it wasn't."

“So what?” Ambrina laughed. “He’s just a man without much romance. He likes political games and thrills and adventures, but he’s not good at things like being sweet with women.”

"So you don't have any objections?" Isabel asked.

Ambrina didn't care at all and asked in return, "Why should I have a problem with it? He has never refused any of my requests, and he has never broken any of his promises to me. He said he would give me a crown, and I wore the crown. I am the first woman in the Western Continent to wear a crown, and I may be the only one."

“But you’ve never made any requests that would put him in a difficult position,” Isabel said. “Not even asking him to spend a little time learning dance or music, things you enjoy.”

“He never forces me to do anything, so why should I force him?” Ambrina retorted.

Isabel sighed. "You two really are a perfect couple."

After all these years, she still couldn't quite understand why the two of them had such a good relationship.

“Aren’t you his wife, except for the title?” Ambrina said. “Isa, he entrusted so many important things to you, trusted you without reservation, and even when you caused trouble, he never thought of taking you away. Isn’t that love? He loves you, of course, not as much as he loves me.”

Isabel scoffed, "Honestly, what's the point of arguing about something like this?"

“I’m just stating the facts. I’m stronger than you, so he loves me more. If you had come to power back then, even if Ronan had married you, the country would have only descended into chaos, and the two of you would have been enemies. So, you should thank me,” Ambrina said.

"Okay, okay, you're right, thank you." Isabel didn't want to continue.

In the distance, where the spaceship was docked, Ronan was starting a fire. He had learned how to start a fire in the wild from Dinia, and now he had mastered it.

Although this area is also a plateau region at an altitude of 3,000 meters, it is not a snow-covered mountain area with large areas of snow. There are quite a few animals. In the afternoon, Ronan caught a few goats.

Ronan is an experienced cook, and he could tell from the touch that the meat wasn't very tasty. In fact, most wild game, especially those that can jump around, is like that—the meat isn't good, and it has a strong smell, far less delicious than domesticated livestock. But as the saying goes, since we're already here...

After peeling, it's pounded, punctured, and scored. Then it's coated with sauce. I just had a trip to India, so there's plenty of spices.

Faith, the "Englishman," assisted him on the sidelines, learning as she went.

He lit several fires, and a few sheep were pierced through by Ronan's flying sword. They then hovered in mid-air above the fires and rotated automatically, without him having to operate them.

Letting out a long sigh, Ronan sat down to rest, his gaze immediately locking onto Faith's feet.

"Is it pretty?" Faith asked.

“Good-looking, and rebellious,” Ronan replied.

The reason it's considered rebellious is because the ankle straps of the chunky heels Faith was wearing had a small cross hanging from them. In this era, not just anyone could wear a cross, and even those who could couldn't treat it as an ornament.

It was beautiful, of course. The shoes were beautiful, and the white stockings covering her insteps were even more beautiful. Faith used to always wear brown or tan stockings, but now she was wearing white stockings that matched her nun's habit perfectly. Her entire body, this "human puppet," was exceptionally smooth, including her feet, like a combination of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds, without the slightest flaw.

"Not taking off your shoes at night?"

Chapter 746 Too simple, very Seris, getting a free meal

After more than a month of trekking through mountains and rivers, Ronan and his group finally arrived in Guangdong.

Contrary to their expectations, they did not encounter any people along the way; on the contrary, they met many tribes.

Because Ronan and his group didn't have a map, although they could identify directions and fly to observe the terrain, they often still followed the course of the river, and tribes, of course, had to live near water.

Even more surprisingly, these tribes were initially wary of Ronan and his group, but after Ronan and his group showed goodwill, they became warm and welcoming. After Ronan and his group gave them some salt, wine, and dried meat, they treated Ronan and his group to a very hospitable welcome.

Even though they couldn't understand each other at all, they still drank and ate meat with them, as if it were a festival.

Some even actually invited them to participate in the festival.

It can only be said that they have not yet encountered true Western colonizers. When that day comes, they will be eager to devour the flesh and blood of white people.

Several tribes encountered were very simple and honest. These primitive tribes, some of which still had remnants of matrilineal clans, did not have any natural hostility towards foreigners who looked completely different from themselves. On the contrary, they did not look at Zhao Yingqi, this Seres person, with very friendly eyes.

It seems they are not very friendly with the Kingdom of David of Seris.

Of course, the most outrageous thing was that a tribe took a fancy to Ronan's body and sent several women to him, hoping that he would leave his seed.

Ronan was so frightened that he told the others to flee overnight.

"Hahahaha." Even the next day, Ambrina couldn't help but burst into laughter when she talked about it.

"You tell me, in their eyes, shouldn't I look like a monster?" Ronan asked, ignoring Ambrina's whisper.

“You have black hair and black eyes,” Zhao Yingqi remarked.

“Even if you are a monster, you are a tall and strong one, so you shouldn’t be helping them with their work,” Alice said.

At 1.8 meters tall, Ronan was considered tall for his time, but what truly made people envious was his strength in easily lifting a log with one hand. This was clearly extraordinary power. In highly civilized areas, it was already understood that nothing could be inherited except through summoning. Even if two extraordinary individuals mated, there was still a high probability that they would produce a useless child. However, in some relatively backward regions, people still believed that the descendants of the strong would also be strong.

In small tribes with few people, there are very few, if any, superhumans. Even if there are, the limitations of their level of civilization keep them at a low level, which is why they set their sights on Ronan.

"Unfortunately, when we get to Seris's territory, our Mr. Ronan doesn't receive the same treatment," Isabel said, feigning regret.

"That's because the Seres people have bad taste. My dad is the most handsome man in the Western Continent." Ronan was embarrassed when he heard the words from the Golan.

“However, I’ve heard that Seres also values ​​fair skin and a tall stature, and our Mr. Ronan is quite good at that,” Ashley added.

At this moment, Elena covered her mouth and chuckled, immediately attracting everyone's attention. She said, "The Seres people also like men who are well-endowed, skilled in bed, young, and rich."

"How did you know?" Agustina asked, like a straight man in a comedy duo.

“I bought several books by Seres in Bangladesh, including one called ‘Flower and Warrior’s Wise Advance,’ which says the same thing,” Elena said. She was originally a “banned book author” and often bought “banned books” after coming to the East.

Agustina nodded. "Oh, I see."

"Shut up, you two!" Dinia snapped. These two guys were always embarrassing her.

Falek, Faith, and Canaan remained silent. They suddenly realized that they were not just a little short of integrating into the team, but rather quite a distance away.

Let's move on to the present, to Guangzhou, Guangdong.

After making inquiries from various sources, Ronan and his group confirmed their earlier suspicions: the Western nations had reached a peace agreement with Seris, but Seris had not approved the joint printing plan proposed by the Western nations. At this time, the representatives of the Western nations had already left Guangzhou and returned to their respective residences, including Ronan. The Ship Nation members arranged by Dinia to escort the French representative Humbert had also returned to northwest India by ship. However, Ulrich did not leave, staying behind with about a dozen former Ship Nation priests to guide Ronan and his group.

Ronan also learned some other information from Ulrich that was unknown to outsiders.

During the negotiations, Seris made some hints to the representatives of the Kingdom of Fas and the Kingdom of Weyland, indicating that Seris hoped that the Westerners' power would completely withdraw east of the Anma Strait. If this could be achieved, the trade share of the Weylanders and the Fas would expand.

East of the Anma Strait, in Indonesia and the Philippines, only the Belial people have real power; the influence of the Faz Kingdom and the Weyland has not yet extended to this area.

To put it bluntly, Seris meant that if they were willing to betray Villa, then Seris would fight Villa to the death and bring them some benefits along the way.

However, neither the Kingdom of Phos, Wieland, nor the Netherlands agreed.

There are many reasons. First and foremost is the interest. Simple trade cannot compare to the model of colonization plus trade. Selling out Villa brought about an increase in profits, but the long-term benefits were not promising.

Secondly, Seres' naval power cannot defeat the combined forces of the Western countries and Annam. However, once they retreat completely west of the Anma Strait, Annam alone will be unable to withstand the attack, and Seres will be unable to provide support. At that time, Seres will completely control the Anma Strait and dominate one of the most important sea routes for East-West maritime trade.

Finally, although he disliked the people of Bilia, Bilia was just like that, and would only decline day by day. But Seris was too big, and once it rose, the threat would be too great.

However, these matters are no longer relevant to Ronan and his group, at least for the time being.

"Let's go find Brother Liu and mooch a meal," Ronan suggested.

"Let's go, let's go!" Ambrina was even more eager than Ronan; they were finally going to eat real Seres cuisine.

Liu Menglong was an official, a civilian coastal defense inspector responsible for assisting customs in collecting tariffs. Although his rank was only eighth grade, he wielded considerable power and was a prominent figure in Guangzhou. His residence was relatively easy to find out.