Oh. My. Fate?! (BL, Volume 11, Part 1)

182 It's All Because of Prejudice

Li Yin nodded faintly. "You have a point. This would also not rely as heavily on Tianjun's opinion. Since we are already allied, we can simply decide for ourselves. I guess that means we should come up with some fields to work on first though."

Qiang Yan nodded. "My palace is already somewhat coordinating with the dragons but I guess we could strengthen that. We might also want to include the half-bloods more while we're at it.

"Other than that, my suggestion would be to take a closer look at the other titled gods. They have that position out of the sole reason that our ancestors deemed their tasks important for the survival and well-being of our race. Chances are there will be quite some overlap with the dragons."

He raised his brows, wondering what Yi Lin thought about this. Of course, there would be other options and he could even think of a few. But this was a big project and their understanding of each other wasn't the best so far. Considering both problems, it seemed better to first promote that kind of general understanding by relying on the bigger structure of each realm. Later, when this knowledge had been consolidated, they could move on to more intricate issues.

Li Yin gave a hum. "Not a bad idea." His thoughts were actually similar to Qiang Yan's in regard to wanting to go from big to small. Anyway, many small topics they could come together on would only become obvious while working together. It would also be much easier for somebody familiar with an area to find topics in it that were worthy of discussion in the first place. Outsiders would have a hard time thinking of even a few.

"Be so kind and write me a proposal, will you? Not ... a general one but one specific to your palace and men. Note down what your goals for cooperation would be, what you'd hope for either side to get out of it, and how you'd structure it. It doesn't need to be finalized yet. Just a rough draft will be fine. Just something we can take and work with in the later stages or maybe hand over to the dragons to mull over."

Qiang Yan glanced at the documents already in front of him but nodded. "I'll do that. I'll also contact the Heavenly Generals. I'm sure they'll have more to say on this topic."

Even though the Nine Heavens were one realm, it was still one realm split into nine parts. The political and social structure might be similar or even the same but that didn't mean that there weren't also differences.

Especially when it came to their Palace of War, those differences could be large. After all, it was different to have to defend an island compared to a mountain. Even if they were all well-versed in fighting, not all tactics were applicable in all situations.

In this regard, they might indeed profit from a more regular exchange with the dragons. In fact, considering the elemental inclinations of the dragons, it might even be that it would be beneficial to enlist their help directly in some places. After all, even though the gods' had a high magical ability, the physical strength of the body was still relevant for some tasks and they couldn't compare to the dragons in that regard.

The longer Qiang Yan thought about it, the more he felt that they hadn't made use of their alliance well enough. As to why that was ... he was afraid the answer was simply 'prejudice'.

His brother-in-law was the perfect example: He disliked Qiu Ling not because there was anything objectively wrong about him but because judged by the values of the gods and his own personal ideas, he'd fall short. Plus, with what they thought to know about his race, there was naturally some bias involved as well.

Was Qiu Ling vain, for example? Well ... it was certainly the case. That man took care of his appearance very well. It was said that the dragons had started to follow him in that regard but how likely was that really?

If the ruler's values could influence the subjects this much, wouldn't half the gods use their spiritual energy to give themselves an older appearance like his brother-in-law did? Either he simply didn't have the same charm as Qiu Ling to make people follow him that far or this was just nonsense. Personally, Qiang Yan felt like it should be a bit of both.

But in any case, Qiu Ling caring so much about his appearance was likely something that the values of the dragons had inspired in him in the first place and not the other way around. Not to mention ... before Qiu Ling, there had been Longjun Jinde who had been known as the greatest beauty of the dragon race. If anyone was responsible for turning the dragons into vain people, the fault should fall on his golden-haired head.

Anyway, if the gods and dragons had the chance to deepen the understanding they had of each other and dismantle their prejudices while letting both sides profit from it at the same time, they'd be stupid not to do it just because of some petty personal grudges. Not that he thought Rong Su was justified in those in the first place.

Qiang Yan was completely convinced of the idea so Li Yin didn't bother to discuss further. His friend would hand him a report of what he had finally come up with anyway. He put down the cup and unceremoniously got to his feet. "Well, I've said what had to be said. You think about it and get back to me. I'll contact the other titled gods as well and see what they think. The more are in favor of this, the less your brother-in-law will have to say in the end." At the very least, he sure hoped that the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't be that ridiculous.