The negotiations lasted much longer than expected.
The results were kept almost entirely secret—even many ministers of the Vishi Empire remained unaware of what consensus had been reached between the two monarchs or the exact terms agreed upon.
A week later, when Vishi Empire officially announced the establishment of friendly relations with Camelot Empire and long-term trade agreements, politicians monitoring the two nations were stunned.
On the surface, the two countries couldn't be more different. One was an Eastern nation, the other Western. One was a secular state with highly developed political power, the other a theocracy. One relied on mystical arts, the other on magic.
It was as absurd as forcing a failed art student and a self-righteous bank robber to become friends—utterly unbelievable. Even the foreign envoys stationed in the Vishi Empire scrambled in confusion, suspecting the news was some kind of fabricated rumor.
