Elara was now certain that Leif truly had no intention of keeping Sargassum, nor did he want to become its next ruler.
So she instructed Uno to bring Giles over to discuss how they would handle Sargassum next.
Giles was not especially interested in Sargassum's salt-blighted lands, but since it involved possibly gaining new territory, he still needed to report to Prince Yu first.
Elara lent him a Puppet Soldier black hawk and told him to send the message back as soon as he finished writing.
She herself studied the map of Sargassum's lands for a while, and finally decided not to let anyone else manage this region. No one could manage it better than she could herself.
She drew a vertical line down the middle of the map, assigning the greener, less alkali-damaged right half to Prince Yu, and keeping the vast white salt-ruined land on the left for herself.
She handed the divided map to Giles and told him to include this arrangement in his letter.
Giles looked down at the map in his hand and hesitated. He knew of Leif's friendship with Prince Yu, and he understood the situation in Sargassum well. He realized that Elara had given the better half of the land to them.
"Your Majesty, this..."
But before he could say more, Elara cut him off. "Don't worry about the salt-blighted area. I have a solution. I'll share the method with Prince Yu later. Just ask him whether they're fine taking that half of the land."
Once General Qi finished dealing with Magnolia Kingdom and Zhao Xiang and pushed the Plumera Kingdom borders to this side, the left half of Sargassum would connect directly to Zhao Xiang and could be absorbed as well.
This way, the Salt Refining Technique could be put to large-scale use. In the future, Plumera Kingdom would never lack salt again.
Giles fell silent after hearing that. He looked at Elara for a moment, then simply bowed deeply and respectfully before turning to write the letter to Prince Yu.
With the Sargassum land preliminarily settled, the next step was dealing with the more critical matter of the Zhaiyun Pavilion.
That said, since Zhaiyun Pavilion belonged to Leif, Elara would not touch it.
However, since its headquarters had been located in Sargassum, and now that Elara had divided the land in half, Zhaiyun Pavilion needed to continue operating in the southeast corner, and its main base had to be moved.
This was an opportunity.
With that in mind, Elara turned to Leif. "Have you thought about where to place Zhaiyun Pavilion's new headquarters from now on?"
The area around Sargassum's imperial city was surrounded by salt-damaged land, not ideal for trade. But because Sargassum was so small, and Leif had been a prince from outside the ruling clan, he had no choice but to place the headquarters in the imperial city, the best option at the time.
Elara sat up straighter with the air of a seasoned investor. Her eyes locked onto Leif as she said,
"If you're willing, you may choose any prefectural city in Plumera Kingdom. If Zhaiyun Pavilion relocates its headquarters to any city within Plumera's borders, we will cut all tax rates in half for you. And if the pavilion needs anything or encounters any difficulty, it can go directly to our Ministry of Commerce. How about it?"
Zhaiyun Pavilion was the largest trade hub in the southwest region of the continent, spanning across more than ten to twenty nations. Bringing its main office into Plumera would undoubtedly boost Plumera's commerce. It would be like moving the region's World Trade Center right into Plumera's borders.
Afterward, those ten or twenty nations within the Zhaiyun trade network would start trading in Plumera. They would treat the pavilion's Plumera-based headquarters as a new major commercial hub for the entire southwest continent.
This would, in effect, transfer Zhaiyun's business into Plumera, saving Plumera years or even over a decade of economic development.
At the same time, Elara would ride the wave of growth brought by Zhaiyun and vigorously develop Plumera's commerce, giving back to the pavilion in return.
After speaking, Elara watched Leif's expression closely. If he had any dissatisfaction or demands, as long as they didn't threaten Plumera's core interests, she would be willing to offer five or even six times better terms.
To her and Plumera now, Zhaiyun Pavilion was a delicious, urgent cake she was desperate to bite into.
What surprised her was that before she could say more, Leif smiled gently and nodded. "Alright. Wherever Your Majesty wants me to go, I'll go."
Elara paused, then stressed, "I'm asking you to choose a new location for Zhaiyun Pavilion's headquarters. If you decide to place it within Plumera, all the conditions I just mentioned will apply. If you have any requests or conditions, we can also negotiate further."
Leif quietly and seriously listened to her words. His autumn-water eyes looked at her warmly as he smiled again and nodded, "Anything is fine with me. Wherever Your Majesty says, that's where I'll go."
Elara couldn't help but pause again. She stared at him for a few moments to make sure he wasn't joking. After a few seconds of silence, she opened her mouth, then finally said,
"Then once we get Prince Yu's reply tomorrow morning, if you still confirm you'll place the headquarters in Plumera, travel with me. We'll attend Prince Yu's coronation first, and afterward return to Plumera together."
Leif's smiling eyes curved again, creating a beautiful arc.
"Alright, Your Majesty. I'll follow wherever you go."
Sargassum was very close to Dahlia Kingdom, and with the black hawk delivering the message, the reply from Prince Yu arrived that same afternoon.
He had already expected that Leif would not want to become the emperor of Sargassum. In his letter, he expressed support and respect for Leif's choice from a friend's perspective.
Even though Leif could refuse the throne of Sargassum, the future base of Zhaiyun Pavilion was still a matter to consider. As the soon-to-be emperor of Dahlia Kingdom, even if it was just for appearances, Prince Yu felt he should at least make an effort.
Among the medium-tier third-class countries, Sargassum only had Zhaiyun Pavilion as something notable.
But knowing that Elara was personally in Sargassum at that moment and right beside Leif, Prince Yu understood he could not compete with Elara. He smiled as he wrote in the letter that if Leif did not plan to relocate Zhaiyun Pavilion to Dahlia, then at the very least, three major branches should be built within Dahlia's borders in the future.
As for the favorable conditions that Dahlia would offer, whatever Elara could give Zhaiyun Pavilion, Dahlia would match it completely.
When writing this, Prince Yu's tone carried a light and playful joy, like friends jokingly fighting over something they both wanted. He did not seem too serious.
Zhaiyun Pavilion was indeed essential to both Dahlia and Plumera Kingdom. However, to be honest, whether Leif planned to place Zhaiyun Pavilion's headquarters in Plumera or in Dahlia made little difference to him.
Aside from the fact that both Elara and Leif were trusted allies and close friends, Prince Yu was not someone with a narrow mind who would use underhanded methods or disregard everything for personal gain.
At his core, he was very similar to Elara, both being confident and powerful individuals who believed that strengthening their country depended primarily on their own growth and strength.
So although Zhaiyun Pavilion was important to them, having it was a bonus, and not having it would not cause major issues. They believed in growing stronger through their own power.
Prince Yu, while playfully suggesting the location of Zhaiyun Pavilion's new headquarters in his letter, only used joking language and did not force the issue.
In short, no matter what decision Leif made, both Plumera and Dahlia would serve as foundational support for Zhaiyun Pavilion in the future.
Zhaiyun Pavilion would lead the economic growth of Plumera and Dahlia, while Plumera and Dahlia would become Zhaiyun Pavilion's strongest support pillars.
Among the three of them, they would form a mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship that helped each other grow.
Elara had no objections to this outcome. After confirming matters concerning Sargassum and Zhaiyun Pavilion, she left Senior General Duanmu behind to handle the follow-up in Sargassum and wait for General Qi to take over. She then immediately set out with Leif, General He, and the Wei Clan, heading toward Dahlia with Giles.
They arrived in Dahlia early the next morning, which was also the day before Prince Yu's coronation.
After being upgraded to a second-class country, and with Prince Yu's strict undercover enforcement, the entire court had been swept clean. The atmosphere and energy of Dahlia had become even livelier than when Elara visited months before.
However, since the next day was the new emperor's coronation, security inside Dahlia's imperial city had become much stricter. On the streets and in the markets, fully armed patrol guards could be seen frequently, but the common people did not seem scared, going about their business as if they were used to it.
Giles directly escorted Elara and Leif to the royal guesthouse outside the imperial palace.
Prince Yu was too busy preparing for the coronation to welcome them personally. When Elara and Leif arrived with their group and entered the guesthouse, Duke Yan, Gareth, was already there waiting.
Duke Yan, Gareth, was Giles's older brother by blood and the current head of the Jiu family.
Compared to his appearance over a month ago, Gareth now looked even weaker.
His already pale and sickly skin had lost even more color. His thin frame made his large robes seem emptier. However, his long dark red hair remained beautifully smooth and well-kept, draped neatly over his back.
"Your Majesty, Young Lord Leif."
When he saw Elara and Leif, a warm smile rose on his face. He stood up and bowed to them, then covered his mouth with a handkerchief and let out a soft cough.
Giles immediately frowned slightly and stepped forward to support him.
Elara remembered what Prince Yu had said months ago when they first met. Gareth's health had been worsening, apparently due to a shortage of a certain medicinal herb.