Nyria recognized it instantly.
[Blood of Tydrisa]!
Her abrupt command to halt the negotiations sent a jolt of panic through Joel, Draco, and the others. "Is she backing out?"
But when they saw the look in her eyes—fixed, desperate, and locked onto the vial in Kael’s hand—they imdiately relaxed. It was a look they all understood. Dawnbreaker had her on a leash.
Nyria stood up. "We'll take a fifteen-minute recess," she announced. She didn't wait for anyone's consent, simply turning and leading Eldric out of the room. She didn't need to ask Kael what he was doing. His gesture was an unmistakable signal: the [Blood of Tydrisa] was now on the table.
Draco and the others watched her go, completely bewildered. They imdiately sward Kael. "What is that thing?"
Kael didn't answer directly. He just smiled. "You all need to think carefully about what you really want."
They answered in unison. "Dragon's Tooth Quarry!" Their initial demand for both mines had just been a negotiation tactic to set expectations high; Dragon's Tooth had always been their true prize.
Kael shook his head. "You're asking for too little."
Joel's voice trembled. "Don't tell ... we can get Veridian Vein as well?"
Kael shot him a look. "Are you crazy? You want the two best quarries in the entire Thaloria Empire? Can you even defend them?"
"Then what's your point?"
"Ask for two secondary quarries in addition to Dragon's Tooth."
"But... will she agree to that?"
"That," Kael said, a predatory glint in his eye, "depends on how much House Myrden values Nyria."
Fifteen minutes later, Nyria returned to the conference room. Her face was an emotionless mask, giving no hint as to the instructions she'd received from House Myrden's leadership. She sat down and imdiately made a new offer.
"You get Dragon's Tooth Quarry. And we agree to a one-month truce."
Draco, now emboldened, shook his head. "Not good enough. We get Dragon's Tooth and Veridian Vein, with a six-month truce."
Nyria, of course, refused. "You get Dragon's Tooth and the Crimson Maw quarry. Three-month truce."
"Dragon's Tooth, Crimson Maw, and the Eastwatch Lode," Draco countered. "Six-month truce."
With a loud thud, Nyria slamd the table and rose to her feet. "Dragon's Tooth, Crimson Maw, and Eastwatch Lode are yours," she snarled. "Three-month truce. This is my final offer. Take it or leave it, and we'll see who's still standing when the fighting starts again."
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After a quick, private discussion, Draco, Joel, and the others agreed. A treaty was drawn up. The coalition gained one premium and two secondary quarries, and as a symbolic gesture, they paid 3 billion Thaloria coins (approximately $100 million USD) to finalize the transfer.
Only after the docunts were signed did Nyria fix her gaze on Kael. She held out her hand. "Hand it over."
Kael continued to toy with the [Blood of Tydrisa]. "The treaty we just signed was for the mines," he said with a grin. "This is a separate transaction."
Instead of getting angry, Nyria laughed. "Haha, my grandfather was right. You wouldn't make it easy. Na your price."
Kael held up five fingers. "Three hundred million US dollars, which is ninety billion Thaloria coins. Actually... let's just call it an even one hundred billion."
"Done," Nyria said without the slightest hesitation.
Kael was a little surprised by how quickly she agreed. He hadn't even had a chance to ntion his other condition. "And," he added quickly, "I want five Opals of -10 Level Requirent."
To his shock, Nyria, who hadn't blinked at a hundred-billion-coin price tag, flatly rejected this seemingly simpler term. "Impossible. Our entire Family doesn’t even have five—let alone ten—Opals. I doubt you could find that many on the whole server."
Kael wasn't surprised. He knew how rare gems of that quality were.
Sensing her refusal had been too abrupt, Nyria quickly added, "I can give you twenty -2 and -3 Opals."
Kael shook his head. "Useless to . Three -10 Opals, then."
Nyria still shook her head. "We really don't have them. The best we have are two -9s and one -8. That's all we have above -6."
Kael did so quick ntal math. It would be close, but it was probably enough. "Fine. The two -9s and the -8."
Though it clearly pained her, Nyria agreed. "Done."
The trade was made. Kael received one hundred billion Thaloria coins and the rare Opals, and he handed the [Blood of Tydrisa] to Nyria. She took it with a calm expression, but Kael could see from the slight tremor in her hands and the tightness in her breath that she was suppressing a massive wave of excitent.
After Nyria left, Kael looked at the ecstatic faces of Draco, Joel, and the other coalition leaders and sighed internally. This is as much as I can help you. I hope you can use these three months to grow strong enough to withstand House Myrden's counterattack.
Then, his expression shifted. "Alright," he said, his voice all business. "Now let's talk about my fee."
The room went quiet. They knew it was ti to pay the piper.
In the end, Kael collected a "rental fee" of $500 million for the services of Norlun and the Fire Ant Chieftain. Then, he drafted a contract for mining rights in the eastern sector of his own Hidden Realm, [Tydrisa's Quarry], for $100 million a month.
He required a four-month security deposit and the first month's rent upfront. All told, Kael walked away with an even one billion US dollars from House Blackwood, Valois, Beaumont, and the other associated guilds.
Throughout the entire shakedown, Lila hadn't said a word. She just sat beside Kael with a pleasant smile, watching him fleece every powerful leader in the room.
The way he makes a billion dollars with such a casual air... it's kind of hot.
Leaving the conference room, Kael felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
"You're really sothing," Lila said, laughing beside him. "You spend two days on a server, turn it completely upside down, and walk away with a billion dollars."
Kael stopped and looked at her with mock seriousness. "You have to think bigger, Lila. I'm here to support my fellow brothers and sisters from Earth."
Seeing his deadpan expression, Lila's smile faded. She suddenly realized she couldn't quite figure him out. Did he do all this for the money? Or was it really to secure a future for the Earth immigrants? She truly didn't know.
Of course, that wasn't the only thing she didn't understand. "What was that about the Opals with Nyria? You were looking for them in the market earlier, too."
Kael gave her a mysterious smile and began to explain his true purpose.
***
Mythrosia Empire (Earth Server).
Hazel, the number one tank on the server, a player known as "The Guardian Angel," had been like a ghost for the past two days. She wasn't leveling. She wasn't running Dungeons. She just sat in the main city, clutching a single, magnificent shield, refusing to let it go...
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