"Greetings, Fourth Princess." Monkey also stood up to return the gesture. By now, his patience was thoroughly exhausted; gone was the initial excitement and anxiety from when he first arrived. He replied coldly, "At last, someone who can actually make decisions has come out."
Tina Ao glanced discreetly at the chest full of Gold Essence Monkey had brought, then smiled politely: "I wouldn't dare claim to be someone who can truly make decisions. I've heard that the Handsome Monkey King made a special trip here to trade treasures, which is a great honor for our Eastern Sea Dragon Palace. Naturally, I feel privileged. However, my father, the East Sea Dragon King, is currently visiting friends in Heaven and isn't in the palace. Some matters really do require his personal decision. I'm only here to assist with minor affairs. May I ask if what you seek is something I can decide on? If not, you'll have to wait for my father to return."
Another attempt to stall?
"They all say the Dragon King has ascended to Heaven, and that one day there is a year on earth. So he probably won't be back any time soon, right? But I need this thing urgently. Princess, tell me, what should I do?"
"That's not quite it. Father has been away from the palace for some time already. Perhaps he'll return in ten days or half a month."
"Oh?" Monkey suddenly perked up. "So, if I come back in ten days or half a month, I'll be able to see the old Dragon King?"
Tina Ao pressed her lips together and replied softly, "That's correct. Last month, Father had a sudden whim and decided to invite all the gods from Heaven for a banquet. His trip to Heaven is to personally invite them to the Dragon Palace. If the Handsome Monkey King is free, we would be honored to have you join us."
Her words were respectful, but Monkey's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
This isn't just stalling—definitely not. This is intimidation, a veiled threat!
Monkey narrowed his eyes to slits, looking at Tina Ao: "I never would've guessed that Princess Tina Ao, so dignified and gentle, could be so formidable when it comes to words."
Tina Ao smiled with gentle elegance: "I'm afraid I don't quite understand what the Handsome Monkey King means by that."
"I'll be blunt." Monkey tapped his Cloudwalker Staff against the floor and looked up. "I'm here to ask for something, and I don't expect to get it for free. I've brought Gold Essence. If there's a shortfall, I'll write an IOU and pay the rest another day."
Even Monkey himself felt a little embarrassed saying this.
"When treasures change hands, accounts are always settled on the spot. Who writes IOUs for this?" Bluefin the dolphin spirit sighed.
That sigh hit Monkey right where he was vulnerable. He glared furiously at Bluefin and barked, "Are you saying you don't trust my reputation?"
Startled, Bluefin quickly shrank behind Tina Ao, not daring to say another word.
With a wave of Monkey's hand, Horace Coil and the shark-demon lieutenant at his side immediately opened the chest, displaying all the Gold Essence before Tina Ao.
Tina Ao only spared it a glance before looking away—clearly, this amount of Gold Essence meant little to the Fourth Princess of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.
Ignoring Tina Ao's indifference, Monkey leisurely picked at his nails and said, "What I want is your Ocean Pillar Rod from the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace."
Tina Ao lowered her head slightly, covering her mouth as she smiled: "The Ocean Pillar Rod? With just this little bit, I'm afraid it's not enough."
"Not enough?" Monkey coughed awkwardly. "Then, Princess Tina Ao, name your price and let me do the math."
Tina Ao slowly shook her head. "This item is priceless."
"Priceless?" Monkey snorted. "You're telling me that rusty scrap of copper and iron you left outside to rot is priceless? Or are you just afraid I can't afford it?"
By now, Monkey had taken on the full air of a streetwise rogue, just waiting for Tina Ao to name a price so he could drop the Gold Essence and write an IOU to claim his prize.
Does it really matter how many zeros are on that IOU?
Seeing this, even Bluefin standing nearby felt sure the Ocean Pillar Rod couldn't be kept and sighed helplessly.
Yet Tina Ao showed no anger or annoyance. She simply covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes twinkling, until even Monkey began to feel uneasy.
After regaining her composure, Tina Ao said, "That rusty scrap of metal is indeed worth little Gold Essence. If the Handsome Monkey King likes it, I can make the decision to gift it to you right now."
"Are you serious?" Monkey couldn't help but widen his eyes and shout.
Just moments ago she said it was priceless, and now she's offering it for free—the change is so abrupt it's almost unbelievable.
Before he could wrap his head around it, Tina Ao suddenly continued, "But!"
Hearing this, Monkey instinctively pricked up his ears.
"However." She fixed her gaze on Monkey, speaking slowly, "This rusty scrap iron—if it has to be tied to you, Great Sage, I truly can't name a price. If I must, then it can only be called priceless."
"What do you mean by that?" Monkey was a bit confused.
"If the Ocean Pillar Rod is given to the Great Sage, and our Dragon Palace submits a memorial to the Celestial Court, what do you think will happen? Have you considered that, Monkey King?"
After all that roundabout talk, it was still a threat!
Monkey gritted his teeth, about to flare up, when he saw Tina Ao pause to think, then add, "However, there are other ways to resolve this."
Monkey loosened his grip on the Cloudwalker Staff but didn’t respond. He merely narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for her to continue.
"If the Ocean Pillar Rod isn’t tied to the Great Sage, that’s fine. But then it must be tied to me, Tina Ao."
"And what does that mean now?"