Avatar: Awakened Gamer

Chapter 77

Chapter 77

***

Sokka looked back at Arnook, and the old man narrowed his eyes.

This made Sokka wonder if this could lead to the destruction of their relationship. But that thought disappeared as soon as it came, even if the father wanted to be angry, he couldn't. The situation was in Sokka's favor, and if one was as powerless as Arnook, he couldn't do anything.

Also, Yue didn't seem to be angry and instead appeared to be happy, there was no sign of her previous fear.

Arnook could do nothing but sigh. "I am glad that you seem happy. Did you eat anything today?"

Sokka smiled, the situation didn't escalate at levels that it could have, and with Yue going to get whatever food was on the stone stove. He sat down next to Aang, with the Chieftain sitting opposite of them.

Sokka's heartbeat increased rapidly, but he calmed down, reasoning that there was no reason to be nervous. While he had carefully thought out the plan, he didn't know whether it would be something the Chieftain would accept. Had he noticed the loopholes in the contract? Was there something he had missed?

Even while such thoughts started plaguing his mind, Sokka kept calm and acted accordingly, casually sitting on the chair as Arnook pulled out a contract that was several pages long. "Well, I have thought about everything, and have decided to accept your terms."

Sokka almost jumped up in excitement, as a smile seemed to make its way into his face. "I am glad that we could agree, Chieftain."

Arnook nodded, smiling back. The atmosphere in the room seemed to change into a pleasant one.

"Uhhh... what am I supposed to do here?" Aang asked, fidgeting awkwardly. Sokka took the papers and handed them over to him. He later on planned to teach the young Avatar about life and how to deal with situations like these.

While Aang had the potential to save the world, sometimes the world didn't want to be saved, and peace wasn't so easy to be held. Sokka knew how to hold peace, and weapons aren't that useful during times of peace, but pen and paper are.

"Read them carefully," Sokka advised him. With the Avatar here, the deal would last at least until Korra's reign and have validity till then. Of course, he predicted that the Northern Water Tribe would get overwhelmed by greed. Well, not the whole tribe, but those in leadership positions would be filled with greed.

From today onward, this deal would hold out for as long as Sokka did whatever he could to stop the Fire Nation. If he didn't, then the deal was void.

At what seemed from the surface level of the contract, there was no big drawback, as the Northern Water Tribe wouldn't have to give anything to the Southern Tribe if the former was invaded.

Sokka knew that the best way to make a deal look enticing to the opposite side was to make sure the other party didn't feel like it wasn't screwed over.

"As the Avatar, you will be the witness on the deal made today," Arnook stated, and Aang was overwhelmed by the situation and agreed.

'Arnook, you old bastard. You are more manipulative than you look.'

Sokka contemplated, others might have dismissed Arnook's words as something said casually. But he had just essentially said: Remember this if your part of the deal fails we aren't sending anything to the Southern Water Tribe.

It always made Sokka wonder just how someone so soft-spoken like Arnook was in such a position of power. But then it came to his mind, he wasn't soft-spoken. He remembered how in the original Avatar timeline after the 100 Year War was over, this same man had orchestrated with the other elders a slow but sure influence in the Southern Water Tribe, trying to steal the oil in there, and take the place over.