"Alright, Mr. Egbert, can you speak plainly now?"
Luo Li looked down at the gnome below the divine platform with a smile.
Although she had dismissed the irrelevant personnel, she still kept a minimum level of protection by her side.
Nara was there, and Momoka had appeared from the rear hall at some point as well.
Luo Li guessed that Nara must have anticipated this moment while she was still conversing with Egbert earlier.
As the person closest to her, Nara was likely the one who understood her every move best now.
Nara spent all day by her side, so she did not need mind-reading like Lola.
She only needed to glance at Luo Li's expression to guess her general intentions.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Egbert stood up and bowed again, though his etiquette seemed slightly different from the local customs of the Kingdom of the Moon.
He knelt on his left knee, his right hand formed a fist and touched the ground.
"I am Egbert Bot, Head of the Brilliant City branch of the Information Department under the Third Prince of the Gnome Kingdom. I greet the two human Saintesses."
The Information Department.
In other words, an intelligence agency?
And the Third Prince?
Luo Li furrowed her brows slightly.
If Lola were here, she could probably explain the situation.
With Lola's photographic memory, she could answer such minor questions in an instant.
But Nara beside her could not, and Momoka was even less likely to know.
However, just as the thought crossed her mind, Momoka gave a small smile.
"So you are from the Information Department of the Third Prince of the Gnome Kingdom. I have heard that it is a massive power within their nation. The Third Prince relies entirely on that force to compete for the throne."
"Your Highness Momoka is indeed extraordinary. Yes, that is exactly the case."
Egbert nodded, glanced up at Momoka, and then turned back to Luo Li.
"Your Highness Luo Li, I deeply apologize for my previous testing. Now that I have clarified my identity, I hope to earn your forgiveness."
Luo Li looked down at Egbert, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
"Rise and speak."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Egbert's expression shifted from solemnity back to his original beaming smile.
"Indeed, Your Highness Luo Li is truly remarkable. If I had deceived the royalty of other nations like this, I would likely be facing a beating by now at the very least."
Luo Li stared down at Egbert.
"Egbert, since you belong to the Information Department of the Gnome Kingdom, that means you hold an official position. Why... do you want to do business with me?"
Egbert opened his large mouth and laughed heartily.
"Heh, Your Highness, since you are a ruler, you must know that maintaining a nation requires a vast amount of resources and money."
"The Third Prince, who currently controls the Information Department, is facing suppression from both the First Prince and the Second Prince."
"If he only has an intelligence agency but lacks sufficient funds, how can he hope to compete with them?"
Egbert's words were actually quite logical.
Indeed, for any great undertaking, logistics must come first.
Especially in matters of state, nothing can be done without money.
In governing a country, at least half of the problems arise from financial issues.
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish, but if you lack the firewood, the knife, and the iron pot, you are forced to eat it raw.
If it were just fish, it might be fine, but if it were clams, crabs, or oysters...
You would have to ask yourself if your teeth were strong enough.
Similarly, you would have to see if your stomach could digest the shells as well.
"I see. So your meaning is that your Information Department is not just gathering intelligence now, but also conducting trade?"
"You could say that, Your Highness."
Hearing this, Luo Li was genuinely interested.
However, she did not let it show on her face.
After all, it seemed that the gnomes possessed the highest level of technology on the entire continent.
This was because gnomes themselves were too weak.
Although body size did not perfectly correlate with level in this world, there was still a gap in physical power at the same level.
And this was one of the gnomes' weaknesses.
It was common knowledge that gnomes were nearly the weakest creatures on the continent in terms of individual strength.
They were even weaker than humans.
While humans had an incredible reproductive rate, gnomes did not even have that advantage.
Their reproductive capacity could not even match that of humans.
They lacked both quantity and quality.
The only thing they could rely on was technology.
Therefore, almost all aviation equipment on the continent today was gnome technology.
One could say that the Gnome Kingdom was in a completely different league compared to other nations.
This was different from the dwarves.
The dwarves were a nation of craftsmen. A craftsman shapes an object into the form they desire.
But technology and craftsmanship were two different things.
Craftsmanship was closer to art, while technology was closer to research.
"I think I understand what you mean, Mr. Egbert. Let us do this: I do not need much. For our first transaction, let us both take a step back. I need a set of equipment, and I need you to develop it for me. Is that possible?"
Egbert was slightly stunned and looked up at Luo Li in surprise.
"Wait, Your Highness, do you not want any high-quality goods?"
"What high-quality goods? What do you have?"
Luo Li asked in return, leaving Egbert dazed once more.
His expression looked a bit troubled, and after some hesitation, he spoke cautiously.
"Your Highness, do you not plan to ask for some high-tech items? For example... airships or something similar? Those are truly prestigious."
Luo Li let out a laugh, but there was no mirth in her eyes as she stepped down from the divine platform.
She walked right up to the gnome.
Egbert's height only reached Luo Li's waist.
Luo Li looked down and could see his bald, dark green head.
Gnome skin was mostly a deep mossy green.
"Mr. Egbert, I am afraid you think too little of me."
Egbert's long brows tensed over his protruding brow ridge.
"Your Highness... what do you mean by that?"
"Playing dumb? Fine, keep playing then."
Luo Li gave a casual smile and began to pace in front of Egbert.
Her feet, clad in white silk stockings, hovered about five centimeters above the floor.
Luo Li almost never felt like she was stepping on solid ground.
This sensation of walking on air was more like stepping on highly elastic marshmallows.
It was soft beneath her feet.
This was also why Luo Li's feet did not have a single callus or even dead skin.
They were as smooth as an infant's, pink and translucent.
However, in this season, her feet could not be seen.
It was winter, after all, and silk stockings were a necessity.
"Airships are among the most cutting-edge technologies on this continent. Mr. Egbert, although the technology of the Kingdom of the Moon is not high, I am not a fool."
"Any kind of advanced technology requires the support of countless foundational technologies."
"You want to sell me airship blueprints, but if I only have the blueprints without the supporting foundational technology, I will only be left sighing at the paper, unable to do anything."
"This..."
Cold sweat broke out on Egbert's smooth forehead for some reason.
Rumor had it that many gnomes did not like cleanliness, but in reality, that was false.
How could the citizens of a kingdom that loved developing technology live in poor conditions?
However, the Gnome Kingdom rarely interacted with other nations.
They were located in the west of the continent in a very isolated region.
While they could communicate with the outside world, they rarely took the initiative to do so.
Aside from accepting external orders, they had little contact with outsiders.
This was likely due to the gnomes' inherent inferiority complex.
Ultimately, they were the weakest race on the continent.
Such a deep-rooted mindset could not be overturned simply by technology.
"Your Highness, this... actually, having the blueprints is fine too. At the very least, it gives you a major direction for the future, does it not?"
"No, no, no. The blueprints are not important. What is important is that after you give me a series of high-level blueprints, you will start tempting me to buy your foundational equipment."
"You will not give us the foundational technology, but you will sell us your lowest-level equipment."
The girl's smile was filled with the confidence of someone in total control.
There was a hint of playfulness in her crimson gaze as she stared at Egbert.
"Then, when we discover that the low-level equipment cannot support such advanced designs, you will sell us slightly better equipment. By the time we buy our way up to this year's top-tier equipment, I imagine ten years will have already passed."
Egbert looked as if his inner thoughts had been struck, and the cold sweat on his forehead increased.
His original smile vanished instantly. If one looked closely, they could even see his pupils trembling slightly along with the rising and falling of the girl's voice.
Momoka, sitting on the sacred bed, watched this scene and narrowed her eyes slightly.
It was her first time seeing Luo Li so aggressive.
Luo Li's current aura, the sense that everything was within her grasp, was intoxicating.
At this moment, she was undoubtedly the protagonist of the hall.
'As expected of the Chosen One, she truly possesses extraordinary abilities.'
Momoka sighed inwardly.
Her eyes could see changes in emotions, and right now, Egbert's mind was in a state of violent upheaval.
The shifting red and yellow light, churning like waves, proved just how chaotic the gnome's heart was.
All of this was caused by a mere few sentences.
Thinking of this, Momoka looked back at Luo Li.
From her position, she could only see the long silver hair.
Because of the Saintess's robe, it was difficult for Momoka to see the emotions of a fellow Saintess.
However, a little bit still leaked out.
And that small shimmer was a pale gold color.
This was not a simple emotional aura, but a glow carrying holy energy—the holy energy pouring out of her body.
This energy seemed reluctant to leave the girl's body, constantly clinging to her side.
Consequently, every time Momoka looked at Luo Li, she saw a girl enveloped in a pale gold radiance.
If not for the lack of wings on her back, Momoka would have thought she was an angel descended from the heavens.
Luo Li did not know what Momoka was thinking.
Her attention was entirely on Egbert.
'I guessed right!'
This was a form of technological enslavement.
Selling backward technological products to other nations allowed them to digest their own surplus tech while using the money earned to develop new technology.
By repeating this process, they could forever maintain a lead in technology.
They could use this highly profitable technology to drain the wealth of other nations and stay at the top forever.
However, this tactic was useless against Luo Li.
The rulers of other nations might not see through it, but Luo Li came from that blue planet.
These were the same tricks the old superpowers had played long ago.
But those were global leaders; even if nations knew it was a plot, some could not refuse.
One reason was fear of their deterrent power, and the other was genuine need.
But the Gnome Kingdom was different.
While their technology was advanced, their individual strength was too poor.
Therefore, they lacked the power to deter other nations through force.
All they could do was use this method to induce other nations into buying their low-level equipment.
Luo Li let out a laugh.
"Ten years later, you will have already developed even more advanced technology. Then, you can use the excuse: 'Since we have been doing business for so long, let me give you some better designs; those old airships are already obsolete.'"
"Using that excuse, we would never be able to build the airships ourselves, and most of what we did build would be wasted. The foundational equipment we bought would already be out of date. To keep up with your era, we would have no choice but to buy your discarded equipment again while you continue to develop new things."
Luo Li paused here, her gaze piercing into Egbert.
"Well, Mr. Egbert, am I wrong?"
Egbert's smile had long since vanished from his face.
His expression was conflicted as he kept his head lowered.
The sweat from his brow slid down his sharp chin and dripped onto the floor.
He swallowed hard, seemingly shocked that his intentions had been exposed.
At the same time, he was worried about his current situation.
He looked up, a forced and fawning smile on his face.
"Heh, Your Highness Luo Li truly acts with divine help. You... are correct."
At this point, what was left to avoid? If he tried to dodge the question, what could he even say?
Instead of talking in circles, it was better to be direct.
Since she had already guessed it, there was no point in hiding.
After saying this, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His shoulders slumped slightly, and he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a long sigh.
"Your Highness is an incredible human. Our Gnome Kingdom has used this method to sell various items to other nations for ages, yet no nation has ever seen the problem."
"No, they did not fail to see the problem. It is just that... they had no choice but to rely on you."
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