Al's arrival among humans was not the easiest. There were no particular incidents, but that certainly did not mean that the journey had been smooth.

First, Abe's security measures had slowed the convoy's speed considerably. Al knew this was for his safety, but it was still annoying for him to stay in a truck in the blazing sun. Luckily, Abe had taken care of that and had a huge industrial fan installed in the vehicle that gave the allosaurus some relief. However, this had further slowed the journey as that object consumed a huge amount of energy and therefore had to stop to refuel the truck. Because of this, it had taken them nearly three days to reach the capital.

Secondly, there had been not one, but two assassination attempts during the trip. In the first case it was a massive number of car bombs positioned along their path, and Abe's security measures had proved effective in avoiding them. In the second case, the attackers had become more ingenious: they had tried to shoot him from a distance with a cannon removed from a tank. This time the danger had been noticed by Rambo's intelligence network, who obviously always followed Al; the rhamphorhynchus had promptly alerted the allosaur, who communicated the news to Abe, who finally took care to foil the attack.

Unfortunately, in both cases the attackers had not been captured alive: although Abe's men had managed to immobilize them, they had poison capsules hidden between their teeth with which they had committed suicide. It was clear that they did not want to leak the name of their mandate in any way, but since the weapons were at their disposal to be too technologically advanced on the black market it was clear that the NMWA was behind those assassination attempts.

It was no surprise: both Abe and Al knew with absolute certainty that the NMWA would do everything to prevent any peace treaty between the dinosaurs and the Beleriard. If Al, an ambassador, had been killed in the country where he had gone to bargain, it was likely that Sobek would not take it well. From the NMWA's point of view, things could only end in two ways: in the first case, Sobek abandoned anything with Beleriard, who was then forced by the dinosaur threat to return to the NMWA's side and accept their terms; in the second case, Sobek would have been furious and would have had to attack the Beleriard, destroying it within a day, which would have shown the world how dangerous the dinosaurs were by preventing other countries from imitating the Beleriard, also giving the NMWA an excellent excuse to start the war.

Obviously, the NMWA had taken into account that Sobek could simply decide to send another ambassador, perhaps by visiting the Beleriard himself; however, from their point of view, this was very likely. Sobek had proven to be very intelligent but also impulsive: he was much more likely to react fiercely.

The NMWA clearly hadn't considered the possibility that Sobek might already have an alliance with Jocelyne and that the two were just running that little theater to make it official. If he had known, surely he would not have wasted weapons and men on assassination attempts that were useless.

During these events, Abe had sincerely apologized to Al, and the allosaur had been very patient and complacent. Which could only bode well for the future.

The third reason why Al's journey was not pleasant, however, was the arrival. The police and the army had cleared the streets to allow the convoy to continue smoothly, but as they continued along the highways they had noticed several people lurking off the road to be able to see the ambassador. Abe's men had meticulously checked these individuals, but luckily they turned out not to be terrorists, just curious. Unfortunately, they were only the premise of what Al was waiting for once he arrived in the capital.

An immense crowd of journalists, paparazzi, publishers, or even just interested people, was posted directly in front of the Perpetual Palace; Abe's men were keeping people off the street, allowing Al to avoid being attacked by them, but sadly they couldn't shut them up; after all, the country's new constitution provided for free speech. And sadly, many of those people had equipped themselves with megaphones to make sure they were heard. So when Al arrived and got out of the truck, he was greeted by a constant cacophony of questions and requests.

"Mr. Al, a question!"

"Mr. Al, can you tell us what position Lord Sobek intends to take?"

"Mr. Al, what are your plans for the future?"

"Mr. Al, lord Sobek intends to start a war with the NMWA?"

"Mr. Al, how do you intend lord Sobek to react to the provocations of the NMWA?"

"Mr. Al, can you tell us how dangerous the current situation is?"

"Mr. Al, what exactly are you hoping to achieve from these peace talks?"

To poor Al's sensitive hearing, such a mess was terribly annoying. However, he strove to maintain his dignity as an ambassador and headed for the gates of the Perpetual Palace. Clearly they were too small to let him into the building, so Jocelyne was waiting for him outside.

When they came face to face, Jocelyne greeted him politely: "Welcome, ambassador Al. As president of Beleriard, I welcome you to our nation. I hope that your stay will be to your liking, and that this first conversation between our two peoples can end by opening bright doors for our future"

These words were simple but very strong: they demonstrated the absolute determination that Jocelyne had in conducting those negotiations and bringing the people of Beleriard closer to the dinosaur people.

Of course, Jocelyne knew that Al would be the ambassador, but since she had to pretend she didn't know, she feigned surprise when Abe told her, which obviously her defense minister did immediately after meeting the dinosaur. Since she now knew the name of her interlocutor, Jocelyne had already revealed it to his entire entourage, and of course it didn't take long before the news reached the outside.

From there it didn't take long before journalists began to investigate the ambassador's identity, almost putting the long-freed hostages from Cartago under pressure. When it came to obtaining information, reporters could be more skilled than the best spies from the biggest superpowers. This had been good: most of those who had met Al when he was in Cartago remembered him as a very kind and empathetic dinosaur, who had not disdained helping humans in need. This had made many people hope well for those negotiations: a very open and helpful ambassador was clearly a good omen.

Unfortunately, this also had an unexpected twist: since many of Cartago's survivors remembered Al mainly for his decision to help a mother reunite with her two children, it didn't take long for reporters to exaggerate the story, turning Al into something of a tragic hero who had the courage to go against his lord's will in order to do what was right. This could only be beneficial to public opinion, but it had also attracted many more onlookers in the crowd that was now waiting to see the ambassador, who wanted to check with their own eyes whether he was just as the newspapers had described him.

Since Jocelyne had already introduced herself, it was now Al's duty as a guest to introduce herself. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your welcome and for accepting to host me in your country, president Jersey. I too have high hopes for the future and I hope that this meeting of ours can sanction a long series of improvements that will help break the barriers between our two peoples, until we can forget about our differences and humans and dinosaurs will be able to live together side by side"

Al's words also had a profound impact, because in turn they clearly expressed the dinosaur's intent: to promulgate the ideal of coexistence that both Sobek and Jocelyne were continuing to uphold.

Jocelyne smiled. "I'm happy. Therefore, we can say that our goals coincide"

"I can only agree" Al confirmed. "The pack leader took your words to heart long ago, when you explained the importance of breaking down the barriers that divide us. Only in this way can we truly prolong peace until it becomes eternal. My pack leader hopes that by discussing it together we will be able to find new ways to get to know each other better"

"Encouraging unity and denying division, in practice. Good. With a lot of commitment on both sides, I'm sure we will make it"

"I want to hope so. The great dream of the pack leader is that one day humans and dinosaurs can live together as brothers in this great world, and I have chosen to believe in that dream. I know it will be difficult to achieve, but I have faith in my people and also in humans"

"And I have full faith in both humans and dinosaurs. I am sure that coexistence is not only possible, but also easier than we imagine. We just have to learn to trust each other"

As the president of the Beleriard and the dinosaur ambassador exchanged those words, the crowd around them listened eagerly and the reporters made sure to film everything. That first exchange would be broadcast for weeks on every newscast in the country and would be remembered as the first truly peaceful contact between humans and dinosaurs.

Then, Al made a statement that shocked everyone. "As our peoples are preparing to find a way to live together peacefully, there can be no grounds for disagreement between us. Therefore, the pack leader has ordered me to inform you that as a sign of friendship he intends to release all the hostages still currently held in Cartago. Starting tomorrow, no human being will be a prisoner of my people anymore. My pack leader will provide these people with an escort and means to travel to your borders, where they can finally start their lives again"

There was a moment of silence; well, several minutes actually. For a long time in the whole square (or perhaps the whole neighborhood, who knows) not even the beating of a bird's wings was heard. Then, someone clapped. It was Jocelyne. She was applauding Al's statement about her with a toothy grin and sparkling eyes, which matched her angelic face perfectly. Very quickly, one by one all the people around her began to applaud, then the journalists, then the whole crowd; finally, everyone burst into thunderous applause.

"Thank you! Thank you, ambassador Al! Give my thanks to lord Sobek, because he deserves them!" Jocelyne exclaimed, still smiling. Everyone thought she was applauding her because she was glad there would finally be no more humans in Cartago, but in reality Jocelyne was mentally complimenting Sobek for his cunning.

Freeing the last prisoners of Cartago had a dual function: to secure consensus among the population and to give the NMWA a pretext to attack since there were no more hostages. And Al had handled the first point masterfully: by revealing the intention of Sobek as soon as he arrived, he had demonstrated the absolute goodwill of the dinosaurs, which didn't aim to deceive or circumvent humans, but to really keep the peace; and furthermore, by revealing it so blatantly, surely the news would reach the ears of the NMWA, which would immediately prepare to attack, speeding up the times a lot.

After all, the dinosaurs lost nothing in releasing the hostages: by now, all the dinosaurs held by humans had been released. They had no reason to continue using Cartago prisoners as a bargaining chip. It was much more convenient to make them a means of propaganda to gain support in the Beleriard.

"If that is your intention, I'll prepare to receive the prisoners as soon as you have released them. They will receive a worthy welcome in my country, and if they belong to other nations or want to leave here I will provide them with a ship" Jocelyne said.

"Thank you for your concern" Al replied. "The pack leader was hoping for your answer. He wishes..."

The two continued to talk for at least an hour, broadly illustrating their intentions. Obviously, these were not real negotiations: those would happen later, away from the crowd and the distractions it created. That discussion was used more than anything else to make a few scenes so that the population was aware of what was going on.

When she was sure she had given enough material to the reporters, Jocelyne decided it was time to end it. So, with all the education she could call upon, she invited Al di her to follow her so that she could show him where she would be staying. To allow him to pass, the square was largely cleared.

The building where Al was staying was located near the Perpetual Palace: it was normally used as a warehouse, but the workers had done everything to make it comfortable. It was big enough for the allosaurus to move as he wanted and it was also soundproofed, so that he wouldn't have any problems sleeping because of the noises of the city, which were not a problem for humans but would be a problem for an allosaurus.

There were many rooms in the building, most of them dinosaur-sized: the beds were huge mattresses lying on the floor, the toilet was a gigantic hole that led directly to the sewers, the refrigerator was at least four meters high, and built on purpose to open with a voice command as Al couldn't use the handles. The only exception was the central room, where there was a huge table with several human-sized chairs, and just another dinosaur-sized mattress. This would be the place where the various future meetings would be held.

"I hope you like the house" Jocelyne said. "We weren't sure how to move, but we did our best"

"Do not worry. It is perfect". Actually Al much preferred the outdoors and the soft grassy forest ground, but he knew the humans had worked hard to build that house for him, so she didn't say it out loud.

"This is where we will talk in the next few days" Jocelyne explained, showing him the room with the table. "We will have a lot to do. As you well know, we will not only have to conduct negotiations, but draw up a functional project so that in the coming years this nation can become a place where humans and dinosaurs coexist"

"I know it. The pack leader informed me"

"Since he sent you, you have to be an expert on dinosaur tastes and feelings. Your contribution will be essential if we really want to live together"

"Don't worry. I led the healing department for a full year and got to know dinosaurs at both their worst and worst times. I know what they need and what they want. I'll make sure not to miss a single detail"

"Wonderful" Jocelyne said satisfied. "I'm counting on you, ambassador Al"

***********

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...

"Our spies have just confirmed to us that the dinosaurs intend to release all hostages!"

The NMWA was in a state of agitation. That was a unique opportunity! With no more hostages, they no longer had to fear the impact of public opinion. Finally, the dinosaurs were 'vulnerable'. Furthermore, Sobek's insistence on the peace talks had given many hope that the dinosaurs were weak at the moment, and that he was trying to prolong the truce as long as possible to gain more strength.

"This is really a deus ex machina. Contact our fleets immediately! It is time to start assembling our armies and set course for Maakanar!"

The war was ready to begin.