While Zhou Yan waited, he didn't idle. He had reconnaissance aircraft survey the surroundings and began to search for information about this place.
After more than ten minutes, Zhou Yan found out about this world.
The place where he was located was called the [Xuanfeng Dynasty], and it had existed for over twenty-eight thousand years.
It was said that the person who founded this dynasty was initially just a lord on the Canglan Continent. However, as it developed, it grew into a country. After more than twenty thousand years, it had become a vast ancient empire.
Many lords would visit this country, even engaging in trade with its merchants. The other side welcomed lords to spend and live there. Many ordinary people would even find ways to immigrate to this country, enjoying a life akin to ancient nobility.
However, this country absolutely did not permit other lords' territories to descend within its borders.
Zhou Yan dispatched reconnaissance aircraft to check if people from the Xuanfeng Dynasty were already mining at the coordinates of the ore vein. The intelligence he received indicated that no one was mining there, so Zhou Yan was unwilling to abandon the location.
Since this country had cooperated with lords from the Canglan Continent, Zhou Yan felt that force would not be necessary between them.
Although he was not afraid of the other side breaching his territory, being trapped here by their people would be extremely disadvantageous.
Zhou Yan also did not wish to offend this country. The fact that they could establish such a nation on the Lord Continent and have it exist for over twenty-eight thousand years meant their strength was certainly not low.
As there were no existing conflicts between them, Zhou Yan would naturally not initiate combat without reason.
After understanding the situation of this country, Zhou Yan returned to the [Heavenly Emperor's Palace].
About half an hour later, reconnaissance aircraft sent back news that a large army was approaching.
Zhou Yan instructed his territory's inhabitants not to act rashly and deactivated the defensive towers' attack mode.
Zhou Yan opened his communicator and observed the scale of the approaching army.
The number of troops was considerable, at least over a hundred thousand, with even a flying legion of ten thousand. Such a display was clearly intended to intimidate him.
"Reporting, Lord, the Xuanfeng Dynasty has dispatched an envoy to request an audience with you," a female soldier informed Zhou Yan twenty minutes later.
"They've finally arrived," Zhou Yan nodded and asked, "Which city gate are they at?"
"The South Gate," the soldier replied.
Zhou Yan soared into the sky and headed towards the South Gate. He had no intention of inviting others into his territory; he would meet them outside.
However, Zhou Yan brought along An Tian Hen Liu Li, and the three of them arrived at the city wall.
"Lord, shall we have a squad escort you out?" Chen Qingzhi inquired.
"Our presence must not appear weak. Very well, make the arrangements," Zhou Yan agreed.
Zhou Yan mounted his steed, followed by a contingent of several thousand soldiers, and slowly moved his territory outwards from its bounds.
The opposing force consisted of a ten-thousand-strong flying legion. While the main army had not yet arrived, these flying troops were formidable. However, compared to his own Azure Dragon Sky Riders, they were undoubtedly in a different league.
As the two sides approached each other, Chen Qingzhi had a table set up with wine and fruits.
The other side was also closely observing Zhou Yan's forces. They noticed that although Zhou Yan's soldiers were not numerous, they were a disciplined unit with excellent equipment, far superior to their own.
Most notably, the scale of this territory was indeed magnificent, spectacular, and powerful.
Zhou Yan stepped forward and declared, "I am the lord of this territory, my name is Zhou Yan. If there is anything to discuss, please, let us sit down and talk."
Zhou Yan took his seat and looked towards the opposing party.
Three individuals approached. The one in the center, clad in a long robe and possessing a refined demeanor, sat opposite Zhou Yan. He then addressed Zhou Yan, "My humble name is Zhang Yang, the City Lord of Yunxin City. Do you happen to know where you are at present?"
"I just reviewed the information and learned that this is the territory of the Xuanfeng Dynasty," Zhou Yan replied, pouring wine for the guest.
Zhang Yang nodded and responded, "Since you know this is within the Xuanfeng Dynasty, it will be simpler. Our Dynasty is not entirely unwelcoming to you, but we cannot permit your territory to descend within our lands. Therefore, we request that you leave as soon as possible."
"I am aware of this. However, I have no ill intentions. I did not anticipate teleporting into your Dynasty this time. But since we are here, we wish to conduct some trade with you. I believe as a City Lord, you would not refuse the transaction needs of a lord, would you?"
Zhou Yan had researched the country's information and discovered that these City Lords were equivalent to the highest authorities in their respective regions. They also needed to achieve results, or they risked being dismissed.
Furthermore, over the past twenty thousand years, there had been instances of lords accidentally intruding. They would initially attempt a diplomatic approach. If the intruder refused to leave, they would then resort to military force.
"We are certainly very welcoming to trade with you. However, I hope you will not make things difficult for me. Regarding the matter of territory, we absolutely cannot compromise. As long as you are willing to teleport your territory outside our country's borders, I will gladly engage in trade."
Zhang Yang stated his condition. No country would allow other lords to descend within its territory.
Moreover, Zhou Yan's territory was indeed too large, too grand, and too powerful. As long as this territory remained, they would not be able to rest easy.
"That is natural. I deeply respect your country's territorial sovereignty and will not linger here. As soon as we reach an agreement, I will immediately teleport the territory away. After all, neither of us wishes for war."
Zhou Yan also expressed his thoughts in a friendly manner.
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's words, Zhang Yang visibly relaxed. He certainly did not want war.
"May I inquire about your trading requirements? Please state them. As long as they are within reasonable limits, I will not refuse," Zhang Yang asked.
"Since I have descended here, I wish to dispatch a mining team to explore for ore veins in your territory. If we find anything, we will naturally mine it. Even if we find nothing, I will naturally leave. Of course, we will provide you with a certain fee. As for the price and conditions, those can be discussed," Zhou Yan finally revealed his objective. Such arrangements were indeed common within the Xuanfeng Dynasty, and it was precisely for this reason that Zhou Yan spoke as he did.
"This is not a problem. However, since you know our country has this policy, you also know that we cannot allow you to bring too many soldiers. As for miners, there is a limit to their number as well."
Zhang Yang did not refuse upon hearing this. After all, there were numerous mountains within his jurisdiction. As long as the other party offered a satisfactory price, he would certainly not refuse the mining.
There were many such collaborations in every region of the Xuanfeng Dynasty. They would seek out lords with strong capabilities to cooperate with, achieving mutual benefit that was advantageous to both parties.