Eagle’s Glory

"Mr. Earl, it is a pleasure to meet you."

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

He knew that since he could be sent by the Duke of Reichstedt to carry out such a major 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, he didn't appear flattered or panicked at all, but he also gave the other party enough respect.

"Mr. Ambassador, I think your subordinate Mr. Von Mayrhofen has already told you the reason for my visit, so I don't need to repeat it." He looked at the other party calmly, and then continued calmly, "I think I know, what's your personal opinion on this?"

"Personally, I have no objection to His Highness's idea." The ambassador did not tantalize people, but gave the other party a kind answer, "I personally think that if the Ioannina region is separated from the control of the Ottoman Empire like Greece, it will be very It might be a good thing for peace in Europe..."

Hearing this positive statement, Edmond Dantès couldn't help but his eyes lit up.

"Then can you help us with this? You know, I can't come forward to negotiate with the sultan and his court..."

"No problem, of course." Before he finished speaking, the ambassador smiled and nodded. "Since the Duke of Reichstedt has helped us, in return, I should help him a little. Don't worry, I will come forward and find a way to buy that orphan girl in our name. "

Edmund Donteston was overjoyed at the moment, but out of the reserve that His Majesty's representative must have, he only showed an indifferent smile on the surface.

"On behalf of His Majesty, I thank you for your help... He will never forget your kindness this time."

The ambassador just smiled lightly.

In the diplomatic circles 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, and it is only right to help each other. As for whether His Highness will be "grateful", he knows it well.

That young man was a child taught by Prime Minister Metternich...

But in any case, 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. He will bear the amount by himself." Edmund Dantès continued, "I brought this time A sum of money comes, as long as you negotiate, we will pay it immediately."

"Pay at once...?" the ambassador muttered, and then cast a subconscious glance at the Count of Monte Cristo.

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

Edmund Dantès seemed to sense the other party's doubts, so he smiled frankly.

"I'm open and 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 found that there was a large piece of jade in the box, which was almost unprecedented in color and size.

Looking at the flashing light 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 trade item is emerald. In the original book, Haidee was bought by the Count of Monte Cristo from the Sudan with emerald...]

Seeing that the embassy does not have to bear the expenses, the ambassador felt a lot more relaxed.

But after a while, he immediately had doubts, where did that young man get such a precious jewel?

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

Maybe he got it from his uncle and uncle in the Bonaparte family,

However, this possibility is unlikely. He knew Napoleon's brothers too well, so they would not be willing to spend money for his nephew; so it is more likely that Grand Duke Karl and Princess Teresa gave it to him as a dowry.

... So in the final analysis, it is not the money of the Austrians? !

Thinking of this, the ambassador couldn't help but secretly annoyed, angrily scolding Grand Duke Karl and Princess Teresa for having no concept of family and country.

Of course Edmund Dantès was unaware of the thoughts that the ambassador had in his mind. He took out another diamond from the box and handed it to the ambassador.

"Mr. Ambassador, this is your service fee from His Majesty, please accept it."

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

"Please don't worry, this is definitely not a bribe, and His Majesty will never force you to do anything detrimental to the interests of the Austrian Empire." Edmund Dantès met the other party's gaze and explained calmly, "Your Majesty never He wants others to work for him for no reason. He hopes that everyone's efforts are worthwhile... So he ordered me to bring his reward to you. I beg you to accept it, otherwise it will be humiliating to me It's my mission."

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

"Since Your Highness is so sincere, then I will not be disrespectful." So he accepted this valuable diamond, and then put it in his pocket casually.

In this day and age, it is common for senior diplomats to accept gifts and bribes from other countries, and it is even one of the main ways for them to generate income, which is not surprising. What's more, the envoy has made it clear that he is not required to sell out the interests of the country, so he has no psychological burden.

After accepting the gift, the ambassador looked more and more pleasing to Edmund Dantès.

Even if he is just a gangster, he is still a cute gangster.

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

"It is my pleasure," Edmond Dantès replied mildly.

This is the first appearance of the Count of Monte Cristo on the European stage. Edmund Dantès found that all this is not as difficult as imagined. He only needs to show the indifference and calmness honed in the killing field, Just be able to handle it.

He neither groveled nor pretended to be arrogant, but carried out his task calmly, and that was enough.

Of course, this is just a fledgling, and 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 maneuver freely on this stage.

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

Edmund Dantès downplayed his merits on purpose, 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 no longer cared whether the other party's Earl title was true or not, because a hero deserved such a title.

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

In the next few days, the ambassador began to rush to fulfill the young man's wish.

However, his hustle and bustle is not obvious, he just keeps in touch with the Sultan and the Grand Vizier, giving them encouragement and advice from time to time.

The Sultan's monarchs and ministers, who were already devastated by the Russian Empire's advance, were also extremely eager to get help from the big powers psychologically at this time, so they naturally treated this "good man" who seemed to be pro-Turkish with extra courtesy.

And in the middle of the exchange of wine and wine, inadvertently, the ambassador revealed to the grand vizier that a wealthy businessman friend of his had an ulterior interest and planned to buy a young female slave from the sultan's harem.

"The friend you mentioned can't be yourself...?" No one asked this question, after all, no one cares about the real answer, only the pros and cons.

The sultan who wanted to make friends with 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 Mahmud II hesitated.

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

After seeing such a large piece of emerald being dedicated to himself, the Sultan's slight hesitation disappeared.

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

And in the final analysis, she is just the granddaughter of a sinner, and she is still young and has not been favored by him. He has not even met her a few times, so she doesn't care.

So, after a few days of negotiations, the ambassador completed the deal, and the young girl was sent to the Austrian embassy after being dressed up.

And in the past few days, Edmund Dantès was also anxiously waiting for the news.

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

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

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

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

Then, under the leadership of von Mayrhofen, he came to a room in the embassy.

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

As soon as she saw someone coming in, the little girl immediately looked up at the door, like a frightened rabbit, and Edmond Dantès also took a good look at her.

Just as His Majesty said, this is a girl about ten years old, she looks quite thin, with brown hair and black eyes, wearing a plain linen jacket with slits at the wide cuffs, revealing two delicate white legs. arm.

Although this little girl is really not very eye-catching at the moment, she can still be seen to be a beauty.

And the way she looked at her timidly made people feel pity.

Edmond Dantès knew what this child went through. When she was four years old, her grandfather, father, and uncle were all killed, and the head was sent to the Sultan, and she herself was brought here with her mother. As a slave, her mother died soon after, leaving her to live in Topkapi Palace as a sinner.

In fact, Edmund Dantès was somewhat 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 subconsciously stroked his cheek.

"Poor child," he said in Greek, "can you understand me?"

The little girl held her head up and looked at him with puzzled and panicked eyes, but she didn't dare to resist, so she nodded slightly.

"Little girl, this is the Count of Monte Cristo." Von Mayrhofen made a joke on purpose, pointing to Edmund Dantès in Greek and said to Haidee, "I bought you with money."

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

She stood up, and saluted Edmond Dantès obsequiously.

"My lord..."

"Yes, I bought you with money, but someone else actually bought you." Edmund Dantès laughed, trying to make himself appear gentle, "Miss Haidee, I know you What are you afraid of, but I promise you that from now on you will be out of the sea of ​​suffering, and you will live a safe and comfortable life...I promise you."

Edmund Dantès didn't think he was lying, he promised "safety and comfort", but he didn't promise "freedom". After all, she will be a tool for His Majesty to indirectly rule Ioannina from now on. However, for Hai For a child like Dai who was used to being a slave, she probably couldn't think of freedom.

At least she will no longer face the fear of hunger and death, and can grow up normally and receive formal education. Isn't this happiness in comparison?

Haiide was a little at a loss, she looked at Edmund Dantès suspiciously, not understanding what was going on.

It seemed that this kind man was not his master.

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

"Your master is a great man of his time." Edmund Dantès replied without hesitation, "I was ordered to take you to meet him."

Haidee opened her eyes wide, not knowing how to answer.

"At your current age, maybe you don't understand what happened, but it doesn't matter." Edmund Dantès stroked her hair with pity again, "From now on you will have the dream of your own. Everything you have, even more than you should have, and the price of all this is to obey your master's orders... This is very simple for you, because he is a very kind person."