Chapter 332: Leaving The Palace And Entering The Inn
“I will restore the trees by winter,” Rael stated, narrowing his eyes. “However, I want you to know one thing…”
Rael leaned in, flashing a cold look. “If we’re going to be changing our terms and agreements every time there’s an inconvenience, then I’m afraid this won’t work. You have already shown what needed to be shown, so once the trees are restored, we will revise the contract once more.”
He paused, giving Halemire a moment to digest the information before continuing.
“The price might go up, and if you see a few extra clauses added to the embassy part, do not be surprised,” Rael added, standing up and shooting him one last nod.
But that was also when Halemire stood up, a frown on his face.
“Do you expect me to believe you have what it takes to restore a several-hundred-kilometer forest within a month?” he asked plainly.
“Halemire, I am not accepting your agreement,” Rael stated flatly. “We will be going by the same agreement that we signed last time.”
He began slowly walking away. But when he reached the throne room’s exit, he halted, giving Halemire one last bit of his attention.
“Next time, instead of keeping your thoughts regarding important matters to yourself and playing the part of a snake, I hope you have enough faith to resolve this situation without trying to throw an ultimatum at me.”
With that, he left the frowning Halemire to his own thoughts and made his way down the palace’s steps. Eventually, he reached the ground floor, and the moment he did, he heard a chime to his side.
He turned toward it and saw a message from Zareth.
Rael stared at the message for a few moments and slowly made his way over.
Sure, he could just take half a step, and with his speed, he’d arrive there in an instant.
But he wanted to calm his mind after the earlier altercation.
Fucking Halemire… I understand it might seem like it’s unfair, but changing terms a month after signing them? Even trying to add his own? Rael grumbled. He could’ve sent over an envoy, and we would’ve been able to talk something out.
After all, there were many different ways to deal with the situation.
For starters, if Halemire provided the money, Rael could buy him a truck to carry all the trees. It was simple and efficient, while also being at the low cost of a few hundred thousand Trell.
More like a few million, since Rael wanted to make a little profit as well.
Still… it pissed me off seeing him throw his obviously manipulative strategies at me like I wouldn’t notice.
It was a clear show of disrespect, at least in Rael’s eyes.
Nevertheless, he decided to bottle up those feelings as he made his way through the cobbled streets.
It was still daytime, so several people shot him a glance. But that wasn’t because they recognized him. Instead, it was because they didn’t.
He was a tall man with long hair and a fair bit of muscle. Naturally, that attracted the attention of any person who had eyes.
Though, I’m not really a narcissist, Rael thought with a chuckle and finally stopped.
In front of him was the Wallow Tail Inn, and it was just as Zareth had described.
The building was small, built from clean black bricks with sharp corners and a plain wooden sign above the door. A faint smell of herbs and smoke leaked through the cracks.
Rael took one more deep breath and stepped inside.
It was strangely quiet despite there being several people around, eating their food.
Upon closer look, Rael realized the person behind the counter was none other than Zareth.
He was wiping away the stains from glasses, and even cooking a dish or two with a smile Rael had never seen before.
Once he spotted Rael, he subtly gestured with his chin toward the room in the back.
Rael nodded back and stepped into the back room, closing the door behind him.
It was dark, with no light in sight. However, since he had the Primordial Sight skill, he was able to see in the dark.
And that was when he heard a suppressed groan only a few meters away.
Turning toward it, Rael spotted three barrels, one of which trembled slightly and rocked back and forth.
Rael hummed in amusement as he approached the barrel and took off its lid, staring at the person inside.
It was a middle-aged man with a large scar running down the side of his cheek. He was tied up and gagged. There was even a blindfold over his eyes.
Zareth definitely went the extra mile for this one… Respect, Rael mused and took off the man’s gag.
Immediately, the man tried to bite Rael, but he wasn’t able to reach him.
“You fucking bastards!” the man screamed. “I swear… if my family hears of this, you’ll all be dead! Dead, you hear!?”
“Calm down,” Rael said calmly. “The more you yell like an idiot, the more I’ll be inclined to cut your tongue off.”
The man opened his mouth, and just as he was about to continue with his protest, he stopped, finally registering what Rael had said.
“Good. Now I have a few questions for you, and your job is to answer them,” Rael instructed as he grabbed the man by the collar and tossed him to the other end of the room.
At the same time, Rael took out a neat little chair from his inventory and sat down right before the man, who was now groaning in pain from the fall.
“Who are you people…?” the man asked. “What did I even do to deserve this?”
Rael chuckled and leaned in.
“Quiet down. I’ll be asking the questions now.”
next chappie 30-40 mins late