Alias left the tent with a big grin on his face.
Laying back I began making shapes within my body using the qi like a firework show as it passed through me, a fun sideshow.
Sitrick Pasiam walked in shortly after Alias left sitting down silently as I finished with my small firework show.
"So? What is it that you wanted to talk about?" He asked curiously leaning back comfortably in his chair.
Doing the same I smiled lightly, "I'm sure you know by now but, I am Agashi Durlivan otherwise known as 'The Scarlet Demon' and currently I am touring the territories for my lord. After having wiped out the Laminas cult and Loijon Syndicate it ran here in Dra, that boy Lionel and his father are connected and we will have the children soon, so I want you to go and deal as much damage to that duke as you can."
"And why would I do that? My faction doesn't need to take care of a mere duke at the level of the Sercan House, it is a place that had been in decline for many years now bordering on decades if anything I should blackmail them into joining our side." Sitrick Pasiam replied evenly his countenance not flinching in the slightest.
"That wouldn't work since I have all of the prisoners to prove the blackmail, and if you go with only words and witness' it will never go through, besides if that's the case why don't I blackmail them instead and in that way no one gets any benefits." I replied calmly, "You only stand to gain by working with me here."
"You want me to do a lot of things, but what will you give me in return?" His eyes shifted slightly sharpening for an instant.
"You already get the great chance to take out a Duke from the succession dispute, so the real question is what will you give me for my support in taking him down?" I replied tilting my head with a sinister smile.
Silence ensued.
He doesn't have many options.
Despite what he said about the Sercan house being on a decline in recent years a Duke is a duke with only Grand Duke who is royal blood and the king above him in terms of social status.
With that dukes support the fourth prince will have a lot more support from lesser nobles and thus be more capable of rallying forces here to the south of Carrien, whereas if that Duke is taken down the fourth prince will be crippled or at least heavily injured and the south will, in turn, be dominated by the Pasiam Dukedom and by extension the fifth prince.
He likely knows this too and was trying to bluff me and get more benefits.
A rich man with a poor man's mindset when it comes to business and plotting, he's exactly like Nova, are all of the Carrien elite like this?
'Carrien's politics are vicious and cruel...' Suddenly what Nova told me almost a year ago at the end of the rite of princes when he introduced me to everyone rang in the back of my mind.
That's right, they are vicious and cruel.
Always play the victim to get the most out of something even if you are the victor.
"As a small-time lord at the border of Kendogan and Rekarsus as well as the Gulf Kingdoms, what would you want?" Sitrick Pasiam finally said with an easy-going smile, "Peerage? Honor? Glory? Social status?"
"Trade," I replied firmly.
"Trade he says....." Sitrick mutters slightly his smile increasing, "I thought yours was a head focused on battle, but I see you can look farther than the edge of your sword, what does Durlivan have to offer?"
"Security of the highest degree, not even a rat may pass through my lands without it being watched every step of the way, your caravans will not be attacked as long as they are in my lands or the no man's land between Kendogan and Rekarsus, my disciple Warren Locost owns Kitar and as his guardian I can also send my soldiers there and secure it, thus allowing a very safe trade route into the Gulf kingdoms as well." I replied lightly playing with my qi once again, "The real question is, what can you offer me?"
A short silence ensued once again.
My terms are nothing short of miraculous sounding, but it is true.
Within Durlivan and the Durlivanian plains, nothing moves a muscle without the intelligence department's knowledge, why? Because everyone in Durlivan is extremely friendly and cooperative with the intelligence department as well as the military making it extremely easy to get reports of movements within the city immediately, not to mention the growing fairy population in the mountains who honor our pact by reporting any movements daily.
It would take either an extremely adept agent to infiltrate Durlivan, or some sort of god sent luck that somehow got past the city peoples, the plains peoples, and the forest fairies.
"Putting aside the validity of what you have said, if all of that is true I can offer you a set trading schedule which should net you around five thousand golden dragons every month, this meaning that the tax you will receive from the trade will be around that much, however, the caravans must be kept absolutely safe and completely confidential in terms of what's inside otherwise the trade deal is off." Sitrick Pasiam replied leaning forward slightly with a serious face.
My countenance blackened slightly as I frowned, "We do not deal in human trafficking, the slave trade or with bandits if any of those are things you are trying to achieve by saying it is confidential then the deal is off completely, not just the trade deal but everything here, I will not work with slavers nor syndicates."
Sitrick Pasiam smiled at my words, "Good, you and the fifth prince both have very similar mindsets, both of you hate the slave trade and do not like the underground guilds."
"Then, when will these caravans begin arriving?" I asked relaxing slightly.
"Within the week, currently in Londir the capital of the Republic we have several large firms and companies who have stopped being able to export as much due to the ongoing conflict between Rekarsus and Kendogan making it difficult for them, so now they will begin sending caravans here, so be prepared for the influx." He replied evenly a strange look in his eye like he wants to say something.
"What is it?" I asked inquiringly.
"... I have heard tales of you, but there is something I want to ask, it has nothing to do with the trade deal if it fine with you." Sitrick Pasiam replied with a strange sparkle in his eye.
"Go ahead we have all night." I grinned.
"How did you manage it? Destroying the underground here in Dra? As well as destroying an enemy ten times your number? I'd like to know about your story." Sitrick Pasiam said seriously leaning forward unconsciously.
"Well...." I began.
For a long portion of the night, I explained the revised version of what had happened to leave a few things out but it didn't matter since he could connect the points very quickly astutely figuring the crux of problems and then wanting to hear the solution immediately after then revising it and asking questions about it.
Like a child who had found a new toy, he continued talking and talking asking questions and finding fault in my strategies sparking debate on the topic causing me to unconsciously fall into his flow.
The night was passing quickly as we argued, commented, and spoke about the different situations and circumstances regarding the various events that had happened helping me to gain a deeper understanding of the battlefield while also satisfying his curiosity by the time the sun started to rise.
"Ten thousand golden dragons worth of caravans will be coming here, consider it a token of my respect and as thanks for appeasing me." Sitrick Pasiam said lightly as he stood up, "I should be on my way now, lest my men get anxious and attack."
Standing up with him I nodded and spoke, "You've given me much to think about, from this day forward let it be known that Durlivan, and by extension Dra has formed a trade deal with the Lendal, Jutrick and Rildan companies."
"Shrewd till the end, you won't even let it be known that the deal is with me and not just those companies under me." Sitrick Pasiam smiled.
"It's nothing strange for a 'small-time' baron to make trade deals with companies, it would however be very suspicious if I suddenly made a trade deal directly with a Duke's son which could be seen as taking a side." I replied with the same smile.
Sitrick Pasiam looked a little upset for a moment but quickly washed it away, "To a long partnership."
"To a long partnership."
Sitrick Pasiam disappeared after that with Alias' help getting him out of the camp without anyone seeing or noticing anything strange.
"Tell the commanders 'Execute.'" I said evenly into the darkness.
A very subtle shift and they were gone giving out the command.
Within ten minutes the entire army had packed up and begun moving into position around the enemy concentrated in the hillside a half-hour march from here.
We arrived shortly.
"You know, I've come into contact with many young nobles, many of which are very shrewd by nature or talented in deception but you, you're something else," Keneth muttered lightly looking down at the trench in front of him, "To think this is the plan you were hiding."
"It's simple but very effective." I replied smilingly, "An army of near ten thousand just wandering on this hill now that their master is unable to give them further orders if all they will do is charge to get at us then why wouldn't we build a trench?"
Indeed.
The messages that were sent ahead, and what Alias was sent off to check was exactly this.
In each location noted at a distance of five hundred meters away from the main groups there are trenches dug deep enough that when they charge they can't get up without helping one another, something they are incapable of, like this Seramia can take her time and purify them instead of running herself into the ground.
"So, what now? These trenches won't be able to hold at all if they all swarm here." Keneth said inquisitively, "Are you perhaps...?"
"Just watch," I replied calmly.
Eight fairies flew overhead heading towards the marked who was in kill everything mode.
If my thoughts are correct then the marked should be able to see them since they did swing at Yu and her corps back when we first encountered Matel managing to injure her.
Though I didn't see it personally, there is no way Matel harmed Yu with her spears and Yu is still alive, she would have been ripped apart, so it must have been due to the marked clawing or scratching at her.
Flying in eight different directions the fairies began releasing their qi attracting attention and splitting up the marked bringing them towards the trenches a few hundred at a time in each direction to prevent them from crushing one another and making it easier to retrieve the purified.
At my side, Keneth looked over the battlefield and saw the marked running forward in waves at the trenches getting purified as they closed in.
Seramia rode with me, when one area was finished we moved to a new one.
Like this, we spent the day slowly whittling down their numbers under we could simply walk over the trenches and allow Seramia to tire herself out on the last ones.
"Lord Otol will take care of them from here, then Prince Surnova will help return them to their original homes or to the places they wish to now inhabit," I said lightly to Keneth as Lord Otol's men began the moving of the marked who we had already pulled out bringing them to the city.
"Where did you learn tactics?" Keneth suddenly asked on our march towards the next camp location.
"Nowhere, it's just common sense don't you think? If you pay attention to what's around you you'll find a lot of things that greatly benefit you." I replied weirdly, is it strange that I didn't learn tactics from anyone?
"You didn't learn from anyone?" Suddenly Sir Cleganes voice split the air like a thunderbolt, the question he said sounding more like a demand for the truth.
"No? I didn't? I was a commoner before I became a lord, how would I have ever learned tactics?" Strange, why are they all looking at me like that?
"Agashi, it's because they don't know about your childhood that they think your lying." Alias suddenly chipped in with a sigh, "Take it from me, he has not lived an easy life before becoming a lord, so this is all just his own talent, he's basically an actual Demon in terms of natural capability."
Hey-
"I see, that makes sense, he has always been extremely brave and conniving even before we met then huh." Keneth muttered nodding his head like he had come to some sort of conclusion.
"A hard past? Those types of people when they gain power is like being reborn with wings, though this is a little ridiculous I'll buy it." Sir Clegane's voice disappeared back into the woods.
What a creepy guy going in and out of the woods like some sort of ghost.