City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 249: Negotiations Finished

Greltheaven
 
“I had asked him to teach them a lesson; I didn’t expect he would use his whore,” said the older man as he sat comfortably in his chair.
 
“Remus loves to use his whores everywhere,” said the young man, not as happy as his father. “He knows where to use them and this time, he used one wisely,” said the man, with a smile on his face.
 
Happy to be able to get back in some way.
 
…
 
‘Well done with your whore,’ said the Count, and the spell went silent while I removed my hand from Zela’s, feeling relieved.
 
I have been worried about it since the moment I asked Ina to take the lead. So worried that I hadn’t even slept properly every minute, imagining thunderous anger from the Count. 
 
Thankfully, it didn’t come. Instead, he is pleased as I had hoped.
 
Yesterday morning, the Count had said, find a way to humiliate them. 
 
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any idea, and nor I could, given the difference in level and preparation the six have.
 
The idea of giving the lead to Ina came suddenly and, to be honest, I am feeling ashamed that I have to use such a way to give her this opportunity, but with my current power, I could only use this way.
 
This will widen her perspective and give her a good idea of how real negotiations work.
 
She had already got that idea yesterday. The six really didn’t hold back against her, but she held on despite the pressure.
 
“There is a message from Port Midlet,” said Zela. I immediately perked up, upon hearing that.
 
Half of the cities are trading with Navr, while the other half are negotiating. The only city that isn’t on the table yet is Port Midlet; the city that had been controlled by the crown prince.
 
It is a city where we always had a frosty relationship and traded minimally, despite being the third-biggest city in the region.
 
It is growing fast thanks to the patronage of the crown prince and might be able to surpass the Ashton harbor in the near future.
 
That’s beside the point. 
 
The point is, that they have been cold toward our offers to trade with Navr, but when I informed them two days ago, us negotiating with the six cities. They have become receptive.
 
I sent back and received a couple of messages from them and by the end, there was a smile on my face.
 
I looked at the clock before turning to the documents in front of me. There are two stacks; the smaller one which we have negotiated, and the bigger one, which we have yet to negotiate.
 
Two days had passed, and negotiations were going slow and hard.
 
We are fighting on every point; even on that, those should be agreed, upon within a minute. They are hell-bent on getting as good a deal as possible and even angry after I had asked Ina to take the lead yesterday.
 
If we negotiated at such speed, it might take a week. I don’t know, but one thing is certain.
 
We will not hurry; we need the best deal too. If we need to negotiate more than a week for that, we will do it.
 
Click!
 
I was looking at the files when the door opened, and Ina walked in. She looked radiant as always, but now that small smile on her face looks extra bright.
 
“You shouldn’t be too rigid in negotiations. Give them small victories, let them see their skill are working.”
 
“It will give you the chance to score the big victories,” I advised, as she sat in front of me.
 
Yesterday, she did very well. She resisted and didn’t even her opponent a victory with a single scratch and curling of the fist. Even I scratch now and then during the negotiation, despite knowing how dangerous it is.
 
Like any druggie, the first dose is your choice, the next one after that is just an uncontrollable urge. 
 
It was extremely hard to stop after a single scratch.
 
“I will remember,” she replied, after a moment of silence.
 
A few minutes later, the others arrived, and we strategized and had breakfast. At right eight-thirty, we left our hotel; at nine, the negotiations began.
 
The third day of negotiations lasted till eleven-thirty-five at night, with all four of us talking lead. I gave Ina as much of a chance as possible and was glad to see her fight with everything she had.
 
She is using skills in all three of her classes remarkably well. Especially in her main class, where there is barely any resistance from them despite using them in the conditions, she is not supposed to.
 
When I gave her this responsibility months ago, I asked her to use her skills in every condition. Whittle down their resistance and she had done better than I had thought.
 
It is her own hard work and also because the skills of her main class are very suitable for the job, I have given her.
 
She is a fast learner, and even in this extremely stressful environment; she is learning fast.
 
She is like a sponge, absorbing everything she is learning and performing better. She did better on her second day and even better on the third.
 
The days passed, and negotiations continued. 
 
They are slow, intense, and hard; the skills of six were like a rampaging ocean, while we are a small dingy, that is doing it all not to drown. 
 
That made the ocean even madder, and they began to target us with everything they had; using the skills they had not used before.
 
Currently, it is late afternoon on the sixth day of the negotiation, and it is going especially intensely. 
 
Well, are discussing the last point.
 
“Fine, we agree to twenty-six,” I said finally, and immediately all skills bearing down on me had simply vanished. I begin to hear, see, and smell normally, there is no itch and the sweat off my back feels normal, not freezing cold and steaming hot.
 
“You are one tough man to negotiate, Adviser,” said Statham, with a big smile on his face. It is not just him, but others are also smiling.
 
They got a great deal compared to all the other cities, but we didn’t lose either. In most conditions, we have stayed comfortably above the limit.
 
Which is a great victory for us. When we started, I didn’t think even staying at the limit would be possible.
 
“I should be the one saying that Mr. Statham; you have squeezed us with everything we have and even more,” I said and the old man grinned.
 
“There will be a small party in the night to mark the success of the negotiation. I am inviting you all to it,” he said.
 
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied with a smile, shook the hand of the old man and others. 
 
Hun!
 
I got very surprised to see him shaking the hand of Ina, and there was even a hint of respect in his eyes, when he did it.
 
It is not just him, but two others have also shaken her hands before leaving the room.
 
In these days of negotiations, she had proven her mettle. Now, even those who didn’t shake hands with her didn’t look at her like, she was a mere whore, like they did when she first time, entered the room.
 
“It is finally over,” said Locke with a smile.
 
“With this, all the cities of Renwell region except one will trade with Navr and even that remaining one will also do it in a few days,” said Rip and all members of the delegation smiled. 
 
“You have really done something unbelievable, Remus. A thing that should have taken years, you have achieved it, in less than a year,” said Locke.
 
“It is all thanks to Lord Counts, directions,” I replied, and everyone smiled.
 
We did achieve something incredible, and it will bring a transformative change, not only to the Greltheaven but also to the other cities. Let’s hope the Count does his part and not be too miserly about it.
 
A few minutes later, we walked out of the city hall and went to our hotel.
 
The first I did as I reached my suit was to talk with the Count before taking a shower. It was completely dark when I came out and sent a few more messages.
 
By the time I had finished, it was time for me to change for the party.
 
I changed into the suit and prepared myself in front of the mirror before activating Get Ready. Immedicably, the changes began, and within seconds; I looked even better than before.
 
I got out of the room and saw Ina waiting and she looked stunning in the black velvet gown. It is a simple gown with a conservative design, but she looked stunning wearing it.
 
“You looked beautiful,” I praised. “Thank you, Master Silver,” she replied, with her cheeks flooding.
 
For a few seconds, there was silence before I opened my mouth.
 
“For me, the work had finished, for you, it had just begun,” I said, and her eyes turned excited. The merchants would be her responsibility, and many had already started offering us good money for our consultancy services.
 
“It is a tremendous opportunity for us; we should go aggressively at it,” replied and I couldn’t help, but nod.
 
Even with the establishment expanding and our profits quadrupling. The liquor business is earning more than the establishment and, with the pace it is growing, even after opening three new brothels, won’t be able to compete with it.
 
Still, I am focusing more on the establishment, because trade with Navr might earn me more money, but it is unpredictable.
 
They are going to be our destroyers. Their hordes will come in a few years and destroy everything, and nobody will be able to do anything against them.
 
Finally, it was time to leave, and we walked out of the hotel with rest and went back to the city hall one last time.
 
“Welcome, Adviser Silver and a delegation from Greltheaven,” said Statham, welcoming us to the door of the ballroom at city hall.
 
“Thank you, Director Statham,” I said to the old man, before entering inside.
 
“They said it was going to be a small party,” said Rip, looking at the large hall filled with people. Mostly merchants, not only from the Deerpond but also from five cities we have negotiated with and, of course, the Greltheaven.
 
Locke and I smiled at Rip’s words, and even Ina had smiled. You should never believe officials and merchants when there is huge money on the line. 
 
Eyes turned to us as we entered the hall. 
 
We separated and mingled. Ina knew many of the merchants here, but there were some whom she couldn’t connect with, like vice-leaders and leaders of the merchant guild. I introduced her to them.
 
It is not just merchants, but officials and other important people.
 
Before I knew it, two hours passed, and I had left her to mingle on her own. 
 
I was with Locke, talking with a vice-head of a merchant guild, who is also his distant relative, when two men and a woman stopped beside me.
 
The older man is in his late fifties. He is tall, with a fit body with pale blue eyes; he must scare a lot of people when he gets angry.
 
The pretty woman beside him looks to be in her early fifties, with dark blond hair and blue eyes.
 
The young man in his mid-twenties beside them had inherited features of both. He is as tall and strong as his father and has good facial features from his mother, making him look handsome.
 
“Adviser Silver, I have heard so much about you,” said the man with a smile. “All good things, I assume, Lt. General Ronda,” I replied to the man and turned to the woman and young man beside him.
 
“Madam Ronda, Major Javier,” I greeted the two politely.
 
This young man is the one who had hit on Maeve and when she didn’t return to his advances. He framed her on false charges and sealed her business.
 
Though, I didn’t show any of that in my face.
 
“I heard you have given our people quite a challenge?” he asked, to which I shook my head. “That’s an absolute lie, general. It is your people who squeezed us with everything we had,” I replied and that brought a smile to my face.
 
However, a moment later, the smile disappeared, and his expression turned serious.
 
“Tell me, adviser, how is the undead kingdom?” he asked, and it is quite a common question that many people ask. 
 
Though, he is a little different.
 
“In what sense are you asking that, general?” I asked back, turning my expression serious, and the man sighed. “I am planning on sending my son there and I hope you will shed some light on it,”
 
“I heard that you had experienced something uncommon and want to take your view about it,” he said, looking at me in the eyes.
 
I didn’t immediately answer.
 
“You are right, what I experienced is uncommon, but your son will be unlikely to face that. Aside from that, Navr is a safe country and one that everyone should visit at least once in their life,” I replied.
 
The woman shuddered, while the man just nodded with a smile. The young man, on the other hand, looks quite excited.
 
I talked to them for a few minutes before turning to other people.
 
A few more minutes passed; when suddenly, the whole hall quieted down. The lord of Deerpond entered the ballroom.
 
The man is dressed as he should and as he walks, people bow to him. I have to say; the man is better than Count Darrow at the show.
 
The man stopped and turned to the people.
 
“Today is an important day…”

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