"What if it's the best of three?" Andrew asked, "One side wins two rounds, the other wins one. How would that be settled?"

"Oh, in that case, the side with two wins holds two-thirds of the negotiating power. The side with one win gets the remaining one-third," Jin responded. "There are many specifics, but overall, that's the general principle."

Andrew seemed lost in thought.

After thinking for a while, he asked again, "What if—I mean, hypothetically—what if I want the Saintess of the Magic Guild to come and massage my legs, dine with me, and hang out? Could that be part of the negotiation terms? So as long as I win three matches consecutively, the Saintess would have to come and entertain me?"

Everyone present, except for Madam Yi Lian, from the Commerce Association's top management: "??"

However, Andrew looked completely serious, with no hint of joking.

Because according to Jin's newly explained negotiation rules, isn't it possible to naturally deduce the scenario Andrew just mentioned?

After all, even winning just one match would entitle you to one-third of the benefits. So why not make a bold demand before the matches even start?

"That...such a situation wouldn't arise..." Jin subconsciously touched his shiny bald head, looking at Andrew with a somewhat strange expression. "Post-war negotiations naturally begin after the conclusion of the war. The conditions set by both sides are based on the outcome of the war and their own interests, and won't be too outrageous. In any case, no one would propose such a...um, like making the Saintess come to whatever, conditions."

Andrew asked, "But what if I really proposed it?"

Jin shook his head and said slowly, "Then most likely, there wouldn't be any negotiation; the war would restart instead."

Andrew nodded, gaining a clearer and more intuitive concept of these negotiating matches: Essentially, both sides set out their negotiation conditions on separate bases, defining a "range," which forms the broad framework.

The negotiating matches occur under this mutually accepted framework, using matches and duels to determine which specific settlement point within this "range" the final agreement falls upon.

It seemed like that was the gist of it.

"Andrew, do you really want the Saintess to dine and chat with you?" Suddenly, Barbara interjected.

"Uh, this..." Now it was Andrew's turn to have a slightly stiff expression before he defended himself righteously, "I completely, absolutely, don't have any such thoughts at all!"

Dean Charlie followed Jin's words by continuing to introduce and explain, "According to traditional customs, 'negotiation matches' consist of three rounds. The first round is a duel between each side's leaders. The second and third rounds are battles between their younger generation of experts.

One of them is a 'one-on-one' decisive match. The other is 'two-on-two.'"

Upon hearing this, Andrew finally understood: "I see."

His gaze shifted to Barbara.

He internally realized that Barbara, as one of the only two "Demon Level" Tier Four figures among the younger generation of the Warm Fire Commerce Association, is meant to participate in the latter two rounds of the negotiation matches, isn't she?

In the one-on-one match, Barbara might not show up. But in the two-on-two match, Barbara would certainly team up with that other youthful Tier Four member of the Commerce Association. Because, among the young generation in the Commerce Association, only two have reached Tier Four.

This must be the reason why Barbara had mentioned her participation in the negotiation as a given earlier!

"What is it, Andrew? Are you also thinking of going to the Royal Court with all these questions about negotiation?"

One of the Commerce Association's high-ranking members, usually indifferent towards Andrew, smiled as he spoke, "But my personal advice, Andrew, is to stay put in Warm Fire City. Don't go anywhere. Stick to your duties."

When he mentioned "sticking to your duties," his tone was quite calm, yet there was a hint of caution and warning.

"Hmm?" Andrew's brow furrowed slightly.

After figuring out why Barbara had defaulted to participating in the Royal Court negotiations, Andrew fell silent, quietly contemplating and digesting the information.

It was then that he suddenly noticed: The atmosphere in the conference room had subtly changed compared to before he spoke.

Instead of returning to their previous discussion topic after explaining the negotiation matches to him, many people's attention was subtly on him, with an implicit meaning in their eyes.

In the minds of many Commerce Association seniors present, Andrew's evident interest in the negotiation indicated a desire to participate!

However, an additional thought lingered in their minds: "This kid, does he want to secure his relationship with the Third Miss by joining the Royal Court negotiations?"

People perceive the world differently.

Andrew's thoughts were purely about: The changing situation at the front lines, the new landscape—without a doubt, the Royal Court negotiations are the most crucial aspect of the next phase! So it's imperative to get involved, not be left behind.

Yet, many Commerce Association seniors present—like the one who just reminded Andrew to "stick to his duties"—saw the world differently: The other young Tier Four member of the Commerce Association is none other than Debbie's brother, Orleans, the best student of Warm Fire Academy in the last decade.

Orleans is also almost unanimously recognized as Barbara's future professional partner. Without the unexpected Twin Fire War, Barbara would've returned from her coming-of-age travel to Warm Fire City, solidifying her professional partnership with Orleans soon!

The professional partnership, combined with a male-female team, leads many to believe that in due time, feelings might naturally develop between them, with a high probability.

Even in some private settings, Debbie has taken on the role of the future brother-in-law of the Commerce Association!

Until...Andrew suddenly emerged from some unknown corner, disrupting everything.

Why did Havier, back at the Shield of Flowing Fire, immediately report seeing Andrew and Barbara holding hands? Why was Captain Linda so shocked and surprised upon witnessing it?

And why, in the past ten weeks, has the sight of Barbara looking for Andrew after every senior meeting and the two walking away hand in hand seemed so disharmonious in the eyes of many seniors?

Because, in the eyes of many Commerce Association seniors, Andrew had taken a spot that could very well have belonged to Orleans!

The front-line situation had been tense and deadlocked. The rear needed strong support, relying heavily on Andrew's ingenious magic products and creative projects. So, in the past ten weeks, it was a sort of honeymoon period between Andrew and the Warm Fire Commerce Association.

And now? The Twin Fire War, both nominally and practically, has reached its interim conclusion.

The negotiations are set to commence.

Some Commerce Association seniors, previously displeased with Andrew and Barbara's romance but held back due to the war, were beginning to lose their patience.

Hearing Andrew so actively inquire about the Royal Court negotiations prompted them to voice some "gentle reminders."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.