Ranking System

The next day has come, and the negotiator will soon arrive. I wondered what type of person I would be bargaining with. Kelsy had brought me a drink, and it was about time.

"Kelsy, go out and welcome our guest."

"Yes." She left to do her job.

Now that I was alone, I sipped my drink and waited for the guest to arrive. They should already be outside, with Kelsy receiving them. Moments later, the previous negotiator, along with another person, arrived.

"Welcome to my humble abode. I'm Charles; nice to meet you two." I could feel their eyes twitch when they heard my introduction.

"Charles, I'm Vega, a high-ranking member of Gontz. I talked with our king, and he has given me permission to take the lead in our negotiation." Gray, the previous negotiator, stood there and watched in silence.

"Then let's proceed with our discussion. Your nation had wanted to form an alliance to fend off the other two nations, correct?" He nodded, telling me what I said was right.

"As for my help, you guys would grant us only 35% of the resources, right?" They nodded again.

"I disagree. If you want an alliance, don't you think you should split the resources 50/50?" I didn't want to be that guy, but I was being generous with my proposal.

I was a force to be reckoned with. In these tiny nations, I doubt anyone could kill me except for the gods.

"50/50? What our nation requires is assistance. I hope you can see the more substantial aspect from our perspective. In this battle, our nation itself would be a battlefield. We can't afford more with the damages that are going to be done by the others." Vega tried to convince me why 50/50 isn't possible. However, I wouldn't be me if I had agreed to his proposal.

"80/20. I will destroy the other two cities myself, and you and your people will transfer the profits to me." If they're worried about a battle in their city, I could end the two other cities before that battle.

"We can defend ourselves well enough. I will repeat this: 65/35. If you can't accept it, the negotiation is off." The two of us couldn't come to terms.

In a negotiation, it could go either way. We would not accept each other's terms, leading to this result. As a black-hearted man, I wouldn't let it end like this.

"Very well. The next time we meet, we will be on the battlefield." I told him in a suggestive tone that we would be allied with a different nation.

I have told a disturbing lie that would haunt them if they couldn't find a solution. Vega's face twisted, and he left the room angrily with Grayson.

Finished with the negotiation, I stretched and began to leave my office. Kelsy was outside the door, guarding it.

"Master, are you sure that's a great idea?" Kelsy seems to have been listening to our conversation.

"Are you worried? I don't think this is a surprise, but I'm greedy. The negotiation between us was bound to be ineffective as long as I wanted more of the pie."

Kelsy didn't say anything, knowing that it was pointless. Besides, the surrounding cities are a nuisance. For my goal, I had to take all the cities around me to make it a country.

With that all done, it was time for me to leave. With the Luminte Mine being a priority, I had to start and finish my preparation.

[Third-Person POV]

"That greedy bastard!" After Vega left the city lord's residence, he cursed and stomped his feet.

Vega and Grayson knew the outcome of failing to recruit a nearby city lord. And to make them enemies was something they couldn't afford to do.

"Master, should we go back and renegotiate?"

"Renegotiate??? Do you think I don't want to? That bastard knows that he doesn't need us. He has been approached by a different group." Vega didn't think that Charles was a crazy bastard.

To him, he excluded extreme confidence, which was normal for anyone their age. However, his ranking was concerning to the two.

Being in the billionth rank may seem like nothing, but with the sixth realm's population, a billion wasn't even part of a small fraction.

"Shit. How are we going to explain this?" Vega muttered to himself and looked at Grayson. As a negotiator, he was useless. Realizing what he could do, Vega smiled.

"Grayson, there's a way we could salvage this situation, but I'm going to need your full trust on this." Vega grabbed Grayson's shoulder and gave him a serious stare.

Being put on the spot, Grayson felt pressured but agreed to listen to Vega's idea since this was the only way to redeem themselves.

Unlike Vega, a nobleman, Grayson is an ordinary man whose job could be replaced by anyone. He will be executed for such a blunder if he fails to do his job, especially by making an enemy of their nation in a dispute.

With Vega's plan set in motion, Grayson left in a hurry. Being left alone, Vega smiled at his assured survival.

"Heh, what a sucker. As expected from a lowly commoner." Even if Vega took a blow, his punishment should be lowered. He didn't expect to be scot-free from this failure, but a lower punishment was better than a higher one.

Vega had told Grayson to renegotiate with Charles. This time, the negotiation should go in Charles' favor.

Any deal they make will be acceptable, but to make it less suspicious, Vega wanted Grayson to make the act more believable.

After all, Vega himself doesn't plan to keep the promise they will make. With the mine being in their territory, why would they want to share it? At worst, only another battle would be fought.

With this plan in mind, Vega hoped that their god could lend a hand. He was confident that this would be all worth it with their god interfering.