A smile is a sign of friendliness.
The principle of not striking a smiling face is universally applicable.
But in this situation, Count Steza could feel that this light laugh was definitely not a sign of successful negotiation.
They had reached an impasse.
"You should at least listen to what I, alive, can bring to you before you refuse."
Count Steza’s once proud and composed tone began to twist with his expression.
He started to feel that the situation was out of his control.
This feeling hadn’t appeared in his heart since his youthful days.
So much so, he suddenly didn’t know what kind of expression to put on.
"Lann, I’m not exaggerating your value just to save my life! You do possess potential powerful enough to change a kingdom!"
"You can appear silently in my study and slam my face onto the table! If this ability of yours is combined with mine, we could change the entire situation in Teria!"
"Moreover! You’ve only been a Demon Hunter for less than two months and have grown to this level! If you could share the secret with soone with enough resources, can you imagine what that would bring you?!"
"Status, power, wealth, won... These things that ordinary people long for all their lives are like mud by the lake to you, once on your shoes, hard to shake off!"
"Indulging in personal martial strength is an act of a foolish brute, Lann. You’ve seen , unard, and also seen the power soone like can wield. You must understand!"
"Slaying monsters in the wild for a little money? Even if your rapid growth has no teachable secret and is rely due to your talent. You can switch to another path, and with my slight promotion, you could beco a legendary warrior in history!"
"By then, you could be my guard or a star warrior, with a single appearance fee worth more than what other Demon Hunters earn in a lifeti!"
Count Steza forcibly cald his mood, speaking eloquently.
He was confident in his eloquence; as long as he got to speak, to illustrate Lann’s dilemma, and what he could offer, there was no reason for the other party to refuse.
Through the previous information, he already understood the difficult life of the Demon Hunter community.
It was precisely for this reason that he was even more confident in persuading Lann.
He had seen too many lowly and poor people, and he could see through what these people thought at a glance.
Within re days, Lann had transford from an ordinary person who couldn’t even hold a sword to soone capable of slaughtering a guard squad.
Suddenly mastering power that could decide the life and death of others; it’s more destructive than getting rich overnight.
He should have been able to figure out what Lann was thinking... originally.
"First threaten, then cooperate... It seems you people in power love playing this set?"
Lann leaned back in his chair, lazily watching Steza.
The Count had considered various reactions from Lann after hearing his analysis.
The embarrassnt of being guessed at one’s predicant by a hostage, the longing for money and power, the inner conflict of facing cooperation with soone you want dead in the next mont...
He envisioned a variety of follow-up scenarios and how to utilize these emotions.
But there was one scenario he hadn’t dared to consider.
— He didn’t care.
Just like now.
This Demon Hunter simply didn’t care!
"When I first arrived, your hand was already hovering over information about the villagers of Auridon. You probably intended to use your position as lord to influence the village, then bind with my friendship with them, like putting a chain on a mad dog."
"But in the next mont, my hand slamd your face onto the table. Now, you’re talking to about a win-win cooperation."
Lann looked oddly at the forcibly calm Steza, like watching a clothed Water Ghost.
"Did you really think of yourself as sothing special?"
The Count’s masseter muscle suddenly bulged, indicating he was gritting his molars.
Yet, even under such circumstances, he continued speaking in a calm and rational tone.
"No need, Lann. There’s no need to kill . If you kill , you and those children wouldn’t even make it out of this estate! Cooperation might not be necessary, but at least don’t harm yourself!"
Word by word, it sounded more like he was considering Lann’s well-being rather than pleading.
As he spoke these words, Steza’s hand beneath the table was trembling.
He wasn’t sure if Lann noticed this, but when he made eye contact with Lann, he saw indifference in his eyes.
"My Lord Earl." The Demon Hunter began with a sigh and repeated, "My Lord Earl."
"From the start, you intended to overwhelm with a deluge of information and a sense of crisis to make yield. You attempted to sell your philosophy of life, to teach what kind of person I ’should beco.’ If you were truly a magnanimous elder, a wise ntor, that might be understandable. But the issue now is..."
Lann pointed at Steza with a bemused yet amused expression.
"What the hell are you?"
The smile turned cold, and that amusent transford into disdain and ridicule.
"How many words have you read in your life? How many books? How much cumulative history have you heard that spans hundreds of years? And you want to teach ?"
"You think I’m an unknown Demon Hunter, soone who should be a naïve boy from the deep mountains, so you aim to enslave my mind this way?"
"Teria is one of the four Northern nations, strong indeed, but when discussing the North, we often refer to the ’Northern Countries.’
Lann sneered as he looked at Steza, this noble gentleman whose thin lips were losing color uncontrollably.
"You said your subordinates can do anything to use as a stepping stone for advancent. But before that, let’s have a review of geography knowledge."
"Teria borders Brugge and the Sodden Region to the south, and if you shift your gaze further south?"
Lann tapped a finger on the armrest.
"There’s Sintra, Lord Earl."
"A martial nation with a strong sense of crisis due to its proximity to Niflgaard, to the point of developing hostility."
"Let tell you what will happen after I kill you."
Looking at the increasingly desperate Count, Lann’s tone grew more serene and certain.
Just like Count Steza eloquently speaking minutes earlier.
"In terms of the ’legitimacy’ you are most familiar with, the King of Teria is undoubtedly in the ’pro-South vigilance faction.’ And I, have killed a Count opposing his views. Legally, it’s indeed a grave cri, but in the doctrines of the Northern Countries, my actions are beyond reproach. Because I’m aligned with the King, I hold legitimacy firmly."
"Then I will go to Sintra, where the nation, because of my actions and bravery, will shape into a banner-like hero against the South. They love this idea. All that you promised, they can give ."
"By that ti, what can your disorganized subordinates do to ? Launch a large-scale military campaign against Sintra? Don’t be ridiculous. Even you are not qualified to represent Teria to start a civil war, not to ntion those worthless underlings."
"So what can they do? How much authority do the knights retain outside their fiefs? All they can do is send a few assassins, spend so money on a bounty. But look at ...
"Do I look like soone afraid of assassins?"
Lann looked at the high-ranking Count.
His lips trembled, and his eyes finally betrayed an uncontrollable panic.
"You think I’m as insignificant as the farrs in this docuntation, eternally trapped in livelihood, seeing the world as narrow. Whenever sothing beyond their little plot is ntioned, they can only nod dumbly without daring to retort."
"Now, with your supre vision and grandeur, please assess, Lord Earl..."
Lann tilted his head, watching Steza.
"How probable is it for this geopolitical analysis to co true?"
Steza nodded blankly, and then...
With a snap.
A pile of docunts in Lann’s hand was flung across the table, hitting the Lord’s face as he sighed.
"So, why pretend to be my life ntor?"
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