8th Muriel, 1093
As one would expect, the following day was beyond chaotic. King Chu, together with his brother, assembled the ministers and nobles to the throne room located on the East Wing's second floor.
Within the packed hall, King Chu disseminated the events of the previous night in full detail, only to be attacked by the enraged nobles and ministers, some even going as far as to call him a traitor to the country. Some called for his impeachment, others ordered his resignation, while a good number sat on the sidelines, coldly watching the proceedings.
A great deal of the morning was wasted arguing back and forth between the dissatisfied nobles, their King, and several Generals. Those select few who secretly supported the anti-human government was utterly excited, as they had finally found an avenue to attack the powerful King Chu.
Luckily (or not, depending on who looked), Serisis was an impoverished nation. The nobles lacked the financial and social weight required to exert excess pressure on the king, or else they would have successfully impeached him the moment he proposed this absurd notion.
However, though the crown could easily suppress these cowardly bunch individually, collectively they represented a rather substantial force.
King Chu inwardly sighed as he heard words like "the great Serisis,"; "Never yielding country,"; "Dishonorable and deplorable"; spout of the mouths of these men and women with such vigor. One would be forgiven for thinking they had sacrificed countless lifetimes for the Serian people.
But the painful reality was far too different.
The true die hard loyalists—those who had fought on the frontlines to protect their people from beast hordes—had already quieted down. This was because they sensed in King Chu a path for survival for the Serian people. Thus they had decided to adopt a wait and see approach to determine the worth of the Rosendun government.
At some point, a certain Duke Xiao Fei, leader of the mighty Xiao Sect, stood righteously before the king, spittle flying everywhere as he unceremoniously condemned the king for his lack of foresight and greed.
This Duke Xiao was of the canine descent, more specifically the dog family. Surprisingly, despite the Beastmen's high metabolism and lack of food in the country, he was immensely fat. Coupled with a height of over seven feet and his presence was one that commanded attention. As the leader of the anti-human faction, he was incomparably loud when it came to voicing his opinions. "... I must say! Handing our country to a foreigner!
"Furthermore, gifting him with the two Royal Princesses!? What are you thinking, my king!? Several fine gentlemen have bled for this country within the nobles. Are you saying a Serian is not good enough for your daugh—"
BOOM!!!
"Ah... I'm tired of hearing all this rubbish!" The owner of the voice who had just kicked the door open complained. This voice seized the heart of the elders for a second... almost sending them all into cardiac arrest.
All heads in the throne room reluctantly turned to the entrance to greet the red-haired woman as Princess Chu Ling, garbed in red hide armor, with a sword and quiver of arrows hanging by her waist, confidently strode into the hall with large, purposeful steps. It looked like she was off to join in a hunt or expedition and just decided to stop by the throne room briefly.
Somehow easily keeping pace with her without seeming hurried was Princess Chu Ling, who had opted for a simple, sky blue, loose-fitting dress. As usual, a soft smile boosted her features and calmed the minds of the nobles.
Princess Chu Ming should be able to control this sister of hers, right? The nobles and ministers thought to themselves as they bowed at a ninety-degree angle, while the siblings made their way to the throne.
Unfortunately, they had grossly miscalculated, as today, Chu Ming intended to allow her younger sister to push these arrogant nobles down a peg or two.
Just before the twins reached the throne, a mountainous shadow loomed over them. Chu Ling squinted at Duke Xiao, her eyes conveying her displeasure.
However, Duke Xiao pretended not to see the look in her eyes. Even King Chu Tianjo had to give him some face, let alone these two brats. "Oh my, I must say it is a surprise to see Princess Ling at this great function. We have not seen your presence in years. May I ask what it is that has brought you here?"
Princess Chu Ling frowned, the displeasure in her eyes growing. "Is that any of your business? Last I checked, this Princess did not report to you."
Duke Xiao's jaw slackened, at a loss for words. 'Shcuck! So tyrannical! Maybe it was none of my business, but couldn't you answer politely?' "Ah... yes." He coughed to hide his embarrassment. "I was just worried the princess might be overwhelmed. Court politics differ too much from combat, after all."
"Fuck!" Princess Chu Ling openly cursed, her brows so profoundly set, they were almost touching. "Do I now have to give you a report on my court abilities too!?"
"Uh..."
"Kneel."
"What?" Patriarch Xiao mumbled, eyes wide in disbelief. Even the king gave him three parts respect, yet this little brat did not put him in her eyes.
For the first time, Princess Chu Ling raised her head, so her eye met the duke's. A suffocating aura exploded from her body as she coldly repeated. "I said kneel!"
Dong!
Duke Xiao did not know how it happened, but he suddenly found himself on his knees before Princess Chu Ling. His eyes widened with fear and shock as he stared up at the young woman, unable to understand just how she was able to pressure him to this extent with only her words. Don't just look at his size. This man was a bonafide Lv.70 Duke. Even though that was a bit on the weak side, Princess Chu Ling was only twenty-five years old! What kind of potential was this if she could already pressure him to this extent?
The nobles and ministers stared at this scene with their mouth agape. None dared to criticize the princess for her rude action as they did not want to end up as embarrassed as Duke Xiao.
"Princess," Duke Xiao managed through gritted teeth. "What is the meaning of this? Do you intend to force me into submission!?"
Princess Chu Ling, whose facial features had smoothed over, revealed a smile as she patted Duke Xiao's shoulder. "Ah... it's nothing like that. I just don't like talking to people who require me to bend my neck backward."
Duke Xiao nearly fainted from anger, his brow furs bristling with restrained rage. However, before he could say a word, he felt the grip on his shoulder tighten. A second later, he was sailing through the air, still locked in a kneeling position like his limbs had forgotten how to work. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his place by the nobles—still on his knees.
"Mm, Good," Princess Chu Ling remarked with a satisfied grin. "If you're that far, you won't block the light." With a short nod, she commanded, "You may rise."
Duke Xiao jumped to his feet the second he felt the pressure on him relax. His gaze at the princess held a tinge of animosity, but mostly fear! He would never forget that feeling of losing control of his body. He wanted to lash out at the injustice he had just suffered, but when he thought about how the seemingly clueless Princess Ling was ignorant of all court etiquettes and decorum, he shut his mouth. He had no desire to repeat that painful experience, after all.
"Huu... Ling-er, you seem to have improved again," Princess Chu Ming lightly praised. "It seems Elder Sister will have to work hard not to be overtaken."
Princess Chu Ling scratched her head, and shyly shook her head. "Come on, Sis, you're already Level 120. I was only lucky enough to break level 100 because of the manticore I hunted yesterday. I still need to work even harder if I want to catch up to you."
An odd light flashed in King Chu's eyes as he observed the abject shock and horror on the faces of his subjects. It was to be known that the levels of the veteran soldiers in Serisis averaged around Lv. 70-90. Granted, the density of mana, and hence the leveling speed of Residents, had vastly increased since the Summoned arrived, but these two women improved far too quickly!
Soon, the levels of the average soldier would also increase, which would allow the cities to expand their domain of influence. Still, it was an open secret that the Summoned's leveling rate would vastly outstrip the Residents'. Because of this threat, the Residents had to abandon their previous method of leveling, which only consisted of practicing their skills to perfection for warriors, and meditating on the different daos of magic for mages.
In its place, they realized they had to fight fiercely against monsters if they wished to match the Summoned's leveling rate. It was a good(?) thing these Summoned were not like those in the past who never died, or the Residents would never catch up.
Due to these circumstances, the nobles could somehow reconcile Princess Chu Ling's strength since she always battled on the frontlines against the monsters.
But how on earth did Princess Chu Ming advance so fast!? She was always in the manor dealing with affairs of state, so her only mode of advancement would be through meditation. Was that it? Was she just a genius in terms of cultivation? This leveling speed... Did the rumors about the presumably deceased Queen Chu Yao hold some weight?
It was often forgotten because of their temperaments, but the sisters were twins! Both began their training around the same time, so it was not difficult to see who was the more talented one. And what an insane talent at that! The ministers could only console themselves with the thought that what Princess Chu Ming had in raw strength, she probably lacked in experience. After all, a novice with a legendary sword, in the end, remains a novice.
While these thoughts and more were spinning through the nobles' minds, a hint of a smile edged at the corner of King Chu's lips. These two brats definitely planned this. The sisters had effectively scared the several nobles into at least listening to them for a short period. The king could only sigh when he realized these two would probably continue tag-teaming like this in the future.
Would there be a single person who could handle them?
At this point, King Chu almost felt pity for the little brat from Rosendun—almost. That lucky brat was, after all, getting married to both his daughters! That kind of favor should not belong to a mortal.
Oblivious to her father's mood swings, Princess Chu Ling sneered at the nobles. "Well then, I heard you all cackling like a pack of dogs all the way from the east wing. Instead of acting like a bunch of uncultured, vulgar children, Quick! Let me hear your complaints!"
'Schcuck! Who's the uncultured child!? Who's been spouting profanities all day! Let daddy here fight you to death!' Of course, none of the nobles dared say this out loud, but it was visible from the tomato-like faces and bristling furs that a lot of rage was boiling deep within.
"What!? Cat got your tongue?" Princess Chu Ling sneered. She suddenly pointed at a middle-aged midi standing at the front. The midi's long ears twitched with confusion, but he forced himself to keep a level gaze with the princess. "You Cao Yun, I heard your bastard squeak saying my father does not care for the people. Two months ago, your family skyrocketed the price of meat to double the standard price. Why was that?"
Cao Yun snorted when he realized the Princess' line of questioning. Hadn't the king already vetted him over this issue? This naive girl, watch me take you down a peg. Putting on his best humble expression, Cao Yun refuted, "This issue... I already explained to your father that it was out of my hands. I lose a huge amount of soldiers every time they go for a hunt. Moreso, two months ago, I lost a huge batch of soldiers. I felt the prices needed to match the efforts of my soldiers so I could increase their salaries."
"Oh?" Princess Chu soothed with a sympathetic smile, "I am sorry for your loss."
Cao Yun hurriedly bowed and mockingly said, "Ah, Princess is too kind."
The azure princess's eyes briefly flashed. "By the way, how large were your losses? A man who sacrifices so much for the people should be rewarded."
"Ah, I lost 83 men."
"Oh? How many men do you have left?"
"Exactly 500, your highness. I was lucky enough to find some recruits on short notice."
"Oh?" Princess Chu Ling suddenly cut in with a snide grin. "83, huh. Then I suppose the 83 mercenaries found at Redvale's new dungeon site have nothing to do with you?"
"AH!" Cao Yun felt his world collapse before him. Without a shred of dignity, he hurried dropped to his knees and kowtowed, endlessly begging for his life. The crime of lying to and hiding a dungeon from the king were both punishable by death. With these two combined, it could Cao Yun was finished. No one would be able to save him should he be executed on the spot.
Princess Chu Ling ignored the sniveling rat at her feet. She glared at another Patriarch and pointed at him. "Fu Muhren, would you like to explain what happens in room thirty-four of your Culture Pavilion?"
The great Patriarch, nearly seventy years old, suddenly felt sweat thicken at his back. Room thirty-four was beyond exclusive and secret. How did the princess find out? Without even bothering to contend his innocence, he joined Cao Yun at the Princess' feet. He pleaded her forgiveness, even going as far as to postulate that it was bad juju for a woman who was about to marry to spill blood.
Princess Chu Ling likewise ignored him and pointed out another noble. Like this, she continued to list vague sentences without ever really accusing any of these people of a crime. But, whoever she pointed at, without fail, rushed to the ground and begged for forgiveness. By the time she finished, more than sixty percent of the nobles were on their knees, snot, and tears marring their faces.
Princess Chu Ling glanced at these men and women with disdain as she pulled out her sword. "You all know your crimes and the punishment to be meted out." With those words, she walked over to Mu Fuhren. Her gaze met his, and before the terrified duke could open his mouth, his head was suddenly free, falling from several feet high. The princess, with a dense shake of her hand, obliterated the thin lines of blood on the sword. Without sparing a look at the fallen corpse, she cast her gaze at the next noble and once again raised her sword.
"Ling-er, that should be enough as a warning." Princess Chu Ming's soft voice had never sounded more beautiful to the nobles on their knees. "I believe the esteemed nobles have learned their lessons and will work towards the betterment of the Serian people."
Cries of "Yes!" "We Swear!" "Never again!" sprung up all over the place, turning the throne room even rowdier.
Princess Ling glared at these men and women, disdain evident in her eyes. But eventually, she sheathed her sword. "If Elder Sister says so, I can only obey."
Princess Ming smiled and gestured at a few guards, who carried both parts of the corpse out of the hall. She then waved her hand, causing the blood on the floor to suddenly visibly chill till they became sheets of thin ice. These, in turn, burst into innumerable tiny sparkles of red snow smaller than a grain of salt and then dissipated into the air.
Like so, all evidence of the earlier deed was scrubbed clean.
Princess Ming glanced at the nobles. "You may rise." The nobles rose to their feet but did not dare meet her gaze. "We will be heading to the conference hall to further discussions with the delegates from Rosendun. In there, I trust you will work towards the future of the Serian people and not personal gains."
The nobles all but tumbled over each other to swear their undying loyalty and fealty to the people and crown.
Princess Ling snorted at these bunch of morons, then shook her head as she cast an apologetic look at her sister. "Sorry, I won't be able to follow you. There have been reports of Gnolls attacking civilians during their hunts around Saluk Haven."
"It's fine," Princess Ming replied with a genuine smile. "The people need you more than I do."
"Alright, then." Princess Ling, not one to dally around, bid her father goodbye then walked to the exit. The nobles shivered when they heard her mutter, "This seems more fun than expected. Maybe I should attend more meetings."
Princess Ming's eyes twinkled with hidden laughter at the sheer terror in the nobles' eyes. But a second later, they had regained their serenity. "Father and the Ministers of Finance and Resource, if you will follow me..."
Within a large hall, Paris and Leila sat at a ridiculously long table with the delegates from Rosendun. The duo had begun preparations early that morning for the talks to come but had not expected they would have to wait until late noon. Luckily the servants had already brought breakfast and lunch, else Leila would have wondered if the people of Serisis had forgotten their existence.
Just as the Rosen delegates were at the peak of cursing the Serians' lack of respect, the door to the hall abruptly opened, with a chamberlain announcing the king's entrance. The delegates, Ms. Lightwood and King Vermillion rose to their feet in a show of respect, burying all complaints within their hearts.
King Chu entered with an apologetic smile, followed closely behind by Princess Ming and ten ministers in charge of the different regions' Finance and Resources, of whom Duke Xiao was a prominent member.
Ms. Lightwood observed the despondent attitudes displayed by the ministers while the ministers and Kings exchanged pleasantries. Of course, she also said a few words, but her gaze never stopped studying the minsters, noting those with traces of hostility, an air of curiosity, and the neutral, apathetic ones. But overall, she was surprised to see that the ministers all had a firm lid on their expressions as if not to let any trace of hostility show, while occasionally revealing frightened looks out of the corner of their eyes.
The wisben gazed at Princess Ming and could not help but wonder what she had done to make them so subservient. Either way, this was good for her. It meant she did not have to mince words.
Ms. Lightwood remained standing after the pleasantries had been exchanged, then bowed only after the ministers were comfortably seated. In a moment, all the gazes in the room landed on her along with the pressure of a mountain. However, the wisben's steady gaze remained the same, as she started her address, "King Chu Tianjo, Princess Chu Ling, and Esteemed Elders, it is this one's honor to be able to speak before you on such an auspicious day. As the following conversations might get a little testy and heated, I propose we dispense with the formalities to avoid needlessly offending each other. Will that be alright?"
The ministers grunted or nodded their approvals. Even in the King's Court, these ministers only used polite speech when speaking to His Majesty as it was just an annoying hassle in negotiations, which could get hot real fast.
"If we are all satisfied," The ministers noticed she kept using polite speech but chose not to point it out. It wasn't like there was a distinct shortage of people who used polite speech as their default. "Then, I will commence the first council between Rosendun and Serisis to discuss the terms of Serisis' conditional surrender." Ms. Lightwood noticed their stiffened looks but chose to ignore them. For these kinds of matters, one needed to drop the bomb at the beginning, then work to find solutions that suited both camps. Or else, a situation where both sides were working towards entirely different goals would occur, and progress would stagnate or even regress.
"That is correct. This is not an alliance but total surrender," Ms. Lightwood emphasized with a grave tone, her gaze steely. "Whatever the outcome of today's talks, we cannot forget what it is we are working towards." She paused and glanced at the Serian ministers. "If there is anyone who feels uncomfortable, please speak."
Duke Xiao's brows furrowed. He cast a gaze at the seated King Chu, but when he did not see a reaction, refuted, "This surrender you speak of. Is there a reason we should agree to it?"
Ms. Lightwood's gaze matched his. "At this rate, Serisis will perish." Her stark warning caused a ripple to spread through the table. Unperturbed by the strained undertone, she continued. "How many low-level beasts are left?" Without waiting for his answer, Ms. Lightwood shook her head, "Wait, no, let me rephrase that. On average, how many low-level creatures spawn around Senehal? 10,000, 20,000? In contrast, how many midlevel creatures spawn. Say around 2000-4000, and then how many high leveled creatures..." Ms. Lightwood paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you see the trend? The reproduction rate drastically reduces the higher up the food chain you go."
Duke Xiao's expression hardened. If he could not understand the meaning from her words, then he had wasted his whole life. With most of the low-level creatures wiped out, the hunting for mid-level creatures had significantly increased.
Since the population drastically relied on meat, they could only hunt harder than ever. With this, the rate of killing off mid-level creatures was only slightly lower than the rate at which they reproduced. This stat would change rapidly when the average Summoned crosses the Lv.100 barrier and come hunting for Serisis' unique mid-level mana beasts.
That was right; it was as she said!
Those with the slightest bit of foresight could feel the country's bleak future. It was just that his pride as a beast-man refused to listen to the words of a human King. Duke Xiao buried his head in his hands as he realized just how stupid he had been. Rather than finding a suitable solution for the people earlier, he had been overly blinded by his bias towards humans to realize the situation his country's dire situation.
Now, Serisis did not even have the right to speak about an alliance.
Don't joke. Does a dying man have the right to negotiate rights with someone who will save his life? There was a reason people paid the priests' exorbitant fees for treatment and potions.
Duke Xiao did not keep his head buried for too long, though. He had not come this far by backing down at every setback. Raising his head, Duke Xiao imprinted the figure of the wisben at the opposite end into his brain. Regardless of his past failures as a Duke, he decided he would give his best in this meeting to protect the Serian citizens.
Oh, wait—soon, they would be called Rosen.
Duke Xiao, who did not have the confidence to face his ancestors in death, swore in his heart to live and oversee this process until it bore fruit for the Serian people. This way, he could enter Vishtu's (Assumed progenitor of beastfolk) embrace with a confident smile. "It is as you say," Duke Xiao surrendered. "We will keep this in mind."
"Thank you," Ms. Lightwood bent her head politely. With that said, she turned to the other people seated. "Naturally, this is not something that can be completed in a few days. There will be tons of documents to sift through and correspondence to occur between our nations for this to be a reality. I estimate it would take at the very least three to four months to complete."
"Instead," continued Ms. Lightwood. "I would like to use this as a session to get to know each other."
"Get to know each other," a Duke mumbled.
"Yes," Ms. Lightwood affirmed. "Right now, the most we know about our respective countries is from word of mouth and information our spies have stolen." The Dukes stiffened at the mention of spies, but then shook their heads in amazement when they realized her intentions. It seemed Ms. Lightwood was determined to hammer into their heads the fact that they were now one body regardless of contracts and all that. At this point, hiding secrets from one another would only put unnecessary strain on the partnership in the future.
Of course, there were secrets too sensitive to be shared in the first meeting, but there were some, which withholding them would only do more harm than good in the long run. Ms. Lightwood was, in a sense, warning them to disseminate such information quickly.
Ms. Lightwood, seeing that they had understood her meaning, nodded inwardly. It was truly great to deal with intelligent people. "We will start with the basics. The size of each state, their general population, style of government, revenue, and natural resources."
The ministers' eyes widened in shock. Do you call those basics? What will be left to talk about when the real deal starts? Luckily for these ministers, all these records were stored in Redmont Citadel to be regularly updated every meeting. So while one of the ministers excused himself to get the documents, Leila continued. "While we wait, let me introduce our nation to you." She retrieved many documents from her inventory, which she shared among those seated at the table.
Contained within these scrolls were exhaustive details Rosendun, from its topography to its military might (on the surface). Previously, Rosendun was far from one of the wealthiest nations. In fact, its most significant export lay in resources from its few mines, swamp herbs, and monsters.
After King Vermillion took over, he heavily promoted and subsidized commercial farmers, effectively utilizing swathes of abandoned land. Of course, to prevent monsters from trampling these farms and the commoners working there, there were constant work notices posted at the Adventurer's Guild, giving Summoned a steady source of income.
Furthermore, the Summoned were offered generous remuneration for the discovery of mines and dungeons beyond the little experience points given by the 'system.' These led to the discovery of even more mines by eager players searching for a little extra gold. Altogether, over fifty mines and twenty dungeons were uncovered in the past month, including several medium-level gold, silver, and iron ore mines.
To speed up harvesting, the kingdom of Rosendun, together with the Hopeful Maggots, pooled their resources to create small guilds specialized in gathering raw materials. The most prominent of which were the Woodcutters' Guild, Miners' Guild, and Farmer's Guild.
The idea was to provide better rates for those who choose to follow the harvesting professions, without losing too much. At present, the Adventurer's Guild also bought these materials, but not in large quantities and at meager prices.
These guilds, in turn, worked in tandem with newly created research guilds like the Carpenter's Guild, and Chef's Guild; and old, existing guilds like the Alchemists Guild and Blacksmith's Guild (although the latter needed complete overhauling from the ground up as a result of its disrepute after the dwarfs retreated from the world.) The idea was to boost the economy and promote research by making materials readily available for researchers and harvesters alike.
Generally, Rosendun's economy had become so boisterous in the past months that many Summoned either migrated or created new accounts to live there. As a result of all these improvements, the gods (system) improved the intelligence, strength, and wisdom of the average civilian, boosting the nation's military strength and standard of living.
When one considered that all these individuals (including merchant Summoned) paid taxes... huhuhu, the Royal Family were reaping the incredible benefits of investing in the nation.
"In addition to these, we recently discovered several islands south of Rosendun," Ms. Lightwood patiently explained. "A few of those are currently inhabited by monsters which are far too high-leveled. But, we discovered five decently sized islands that we set aside for agricultural purposes, and three with decent monsters and dungeons which we intend to turn into resorts for the sake of what our kind call casual Summoned, and tourists." Ms. Lightwood took a deep breath, then continued, "We originally intended to have our craftsmen develop the buildings in these regions, but frankly, I believe the stone buildings in Rosendun pale somewhat to yours."
Ms. Lightwood lightly nodded as she took in the curious gazes. "As a sign of good faith, we will create a Mason's Guild for your people and leave the development of the islands to them. Also, regardless of the time it takes, we will cover the costs of all the materials used in the production, and your remunerations won't lose to those fancy Gerber craftsmen." Leila raised her fingers. "All in all, the lowest estimate of the worth of this contract is fifty million syros, or five hundred thousand gold."
BAM!
The Serian who had gone to retrieve the files lost his footing, causing a massive book on the trolley he rolled to fall onto the ground. Embarrassed, but unable to hide his shock, he picked the book off the floor and returned it to the trolley. Even while he shared these documents around the table, he could not hide the shock in his heart!
Five Hundred Thousand Gold! Fifty Million Syros!
It had to be known that in the entirety of Serisis, there was only one low-level gold mine, which was almost exhausted. So, the only way for them to get gold was from trade with other countries. A sum like Fifty Million Gold was similar to the nation's revenue of five years! And that was the lowest estimate!
Duke Xiao sucked in a deep breath as he glanced at King Chu. What the hell kind of deal was this? This was enough to simultaneously feed the people and satiate the nobles' greed for a decade at the least. The best part was, this was not a gift.
For the Rosen Kingdom to propose a mason's guild, they certainly had projects in mind that would work much smoother with a stable guild. Hence, this would be a steady source of employment for the people, and, in turn, a steady income source for the country.
All these, coupled with the devices Rosendun brought earlier, caused Duke Xiao to admit his short-sightedness. Beast or not, the king was beyond competent.
Ms. Lightwood allowed the Serian ministers to digest this information before she closed her introduction, "Aside from these, there is some miscellaneous information within the files we handed over. It is my wish that by the next time we meet, we will be able to begin negotiations on equal ground in terms of knowledge." Satisfied, she took her seat to give the Serians a chance to talk.
"Thank you," Paris whispered. "You were great."
"Hoo," Leila breathed out and allowed herself a rare smile. "I should be able to handle at least that much."
"And here I thought you were the humble type," Paris joked.
"Even if I were, I have spent too much time around you."
Paris chuckled, though his brows rose in surprise when Princess Ming stood up. What's this? He had expected Duke Xiao to make the Serian presentation. Instead, it seemed the princess had decided to take it upon herself.
"Our country owes you a debt it can never repay," Princess Ming started with a small bow. Without giving the Rosen delegates a chance to refute, she continued, "We can only hope to repay this debt over centuries, but hopefully, this will be a start." She turned to King Chu. "King Chu, this lowly Princess requests the Akasha Records."
The faces of the Serian delegates went through several stages of shock, but ultimately, no one made a move to stop the princess. Although these records were national level secrets, they paled compared to the Rosendun's favor.
King Chu sighed as one of the rings on his finger lit up with a dull glow. A giant book made from treated animal hide and nearly thirty centimeters thick appeared in his hands.
"This Princess thanks the King." Princess Ming bowed as she received the book from her father. Answering Ms. Lightwood and King Vermillion's curious gazes, she stated, "The Akasha Records contain information on the Four Hundred and Seventy-Five dungeons in our country, along with locations of several exclusive beasts our warriors have encountered over the centuries. The strongest of these beasts is a level 400 Rakshasa with a territory of its own close to the country's center. Hence the name given to the records. Although some countries are aware of a few low-level dungeons, most of our dungeons remain a secret known only to a select few. Their monster ranges go all the way from 1-400."
Were it not for an inhuman level of self-control, Ms. Lightwood would have jumped out of her chair in shock. Everyone knew that no matter how much resources a country had, the true value in this era of Summoned lay in the dungeons. Their variety, difficulty, level, and number all played a significant role in how many Summoned would choose to stay in a country, and in turn, spend their hard-earned syros.
Although it seemed insane that Serisis did not disclose the number of dungeons to the public, on second thought, it made perfect sense. Summoned weren't exactly good people. Were they to find out about this leveling spot, they would storm this country in huge numbers and sweep through the few beasts that remained. What's more, the other countries would tear Serisis apart to gain a share of the dungeons since they did not have to worry about food.
It was a situation of a poor weak man flaunting a beautiful jade. He could only blame himself when he was robbed or killed for that jade later.
Still, Ms. Lightwood could not understand how they managed to keep it a secret. It wasn't like no Summoned had ever entered Serisis before. "How did you hide this?"
Princess Ming revealed a smile. "The Dungeons in Serisis have a peculiar characteristic of hiding themselves, and can only be revealed when one holds a mineral unique to our country. The greater the dungeon's level, the more of this mineral one needs."
"These dungeons, they do not overflow?"
An overflow was caused when adventurers neglected a dungeon for an extended period. The monsters accumulate, then rush out as a beast horde into the open. This was the main reason the Adventurers Guild was formed: to encourage adventurers to combat the dungeons and reduce the threat of overflows.
Princess Ming shook her head, "Our soldiers regularly manage the low-level dungeons. The mid-level dungeons are estimated to overflow in about five years, while the higher leveled ones (250 and above) have at least ten to twenty years until they overflow." She smiled sheepishly. "In a way, by revealing these dungeons to you, we are requesting your assistance in managing these mid-level dungeons, so they do not overflow in the future. Even with the increased leveling rate, we are not entirely sure our soldiers can reach a sufficient level in time."
Ms. Lightwood whistled in her mind. This was truly monstrous. Could the number of dungeons have something to do with why the earth was so barren? If so, this was truly taking one's life to give them a mountain of jade. However, she maintained her composure, speaking with a light smile, "Well then, you have truly left us speechless. These have solved our country's major problem of not having enough higher leveled dungeons."
Princess Ming lightly laughed, then gazed embarrassingly at the scrolls on the table, "We needed to at least offer this much. Our natural resources are a bit on the useless side, after all."
"Let me be the judge of that," countered Ms. Lightwood as she picked a random scroll and began examining its contents. When she was done she would roll it up and choose another one. She was so engrossed in reading, she did not notice the fervent gazes from the people at the other end of the table, as if awaiting an ultimate judgment.
From what she could gather, Ms. Lightwood could see why the Serian people felt their resources useless. Rather than the common metals used in games to create weapons, they had resources like Aluminium (Moderate), Asphalt (Insanely Rich), Aggregate (Very Rich), Asbestos (Insanely Rich), Cobalt, Coal (Insanely Rich), Zinc (Moderateh), Limestone (Moderate), Gold (Poor), Iron (Poor) and Saltpetre(Moderate). What's even crazier was that they had natural Oil Springs, just gushing onto the surface.
Indeed from a gaming perspective, these resources were quite useless. But looking at these resources with the eyes of industrialization and the people's handiness, Leila understood the game developers' intentions.
While everyone focused on magic, Serisis would be the first to enter the age of industrialization, exploding onto the continent's scene like bosses when they do.
Unfortunately (Or fortunately), Kashi and Leila also had this idea for Rosendun, hence their focus on research and development. And also, one of the main reasons Kashi wanted the dwarves in the first place. Between the innovative dwarves and the tenacious, hardworking people of Serisis, Rosendun could create a band of engineers that would make the rest of the continent jealous.
Ms. Lightwood finally revealed a smile as she placed the last scroll on the table. "Indeed, to some, these resources can be construed as useless." She paused, taking in their expressions. "Those people are useless and blind," she finished with a snort. "What you have in your lands are the future. It's only that the world is yet to see it. Do not worry, very soon we will reach that future... together."
"Thank you for your kind words," Princess Ming said with a short bow.
"No need for that!" Ms. Lightwood refuted hurriedly. Only when Princess Ming raised her head did the wisben relax. "More importantly, the exclusive mineral you mentioned earlier, I did not see it in the scrolls."
"Mm," Princess Ming nodded. "This mineral is very limited and is located in a mine very close to the capital. Our forefathers named it wolframite, after the beasts which once ruled the mines."
Ms. Lightwood's eyes brightened. Wolframite was the ore from which tungsten was obtained. It was difficult to refine, so it was no wonder they had not seen its actual value. While wolframite in its ore form might not seem like much, tungsten was a tough material that could be used to make adamant weapons.
Judging from the blacksmiths she knew, it should require a grandmaster blacksmith to refine the ore. And even then, he/she would have to be at least level 250 to have enough strength to beat the ore into submission.
It was a pity that the mine was not overly abundant, so they had to manage its use. Ms. Lightwood decided she would hold off on informing the Serians of its use, lest they deplete it prematurely.
"Wolframite, is it?" Ms. Lightwood murmured. "I look forward to seeing it in person one day."
Princess Ming revealed a brilliant smile. "On your next visit, I will personally take you on a grand tour of the country should you so desire."
The meeting went on as both sides exchanged information among themselves. Only at the eleventh hour did the meeting end, ministers from both countries freely chatting like long lost brothers.
Ms. Lightwood excused herself to her room as King Vermillion, and Princess Ming chatted for a while longer. Once she got to her room, she did not even have enough energy to greet Hogosha before she passed out on the bed fully clothed.
9th Muriel 1092,
"So this' where you two were!" Chu Ling bounced into the resting spot at the center of the maze garden, a huge grin on her lips. "Careful now, I'd think you were poaching my future husband."
Leila gave a dry laugh, amused by the Princess's conduct.
"It truly is a magnificent sight," Chu Ming spoke, appearing from the east entrance, her eyes on the hammer in the skies. "I wonder who has summoned such a sight."
Leila and Paris shared a look. "An incorrigible bastard," they spoke in tandem.
In the corner of the world, surrounded by many hostile and curious gazes, a daeben suddenly issued a loud sneeze. Sniffing, Kashi muttered, "I wonder who is praising me somewhere."