The two fourth rankers once again started their staring contest, completely ignoring the young emperor.
The emperor exhaled, "We could have ended it today."
"We can end it today," Damian said in the most casual tone. All eyes now focused on him. He added, "With my waygates we could get half of the Empire’s third rankers and half of Eldoris’s—and all of mine. We can end the demons’ reign by night."
"And why would you do that, Almighty Morph Vialist?" the blue-robed female mage from Faerunia asked with skepticism.
"Time," Damian said simply, to the confusion of everyone.
"Time?" the mage asked again.
"Yes," Damian replied. "I will do as much help as possible to end this issue—as long as this alliance agrees to give me one thing in return: a signed mana contract that for a hundred years no kingdom will attack another, unless the kingdom is in serious threat from other powers—land, air, or sea."
All present in the room looked at him as if he had lost his marbles.
"That is the most childish thing I have ever heard," Bonecrusher said.
"If he can do what he says—and I know he can—then he can put any price to that. This seems much less than what I would have asked for in his position," Mindseer said.
"You are young, kid. And naive. Incredibly naive," Thaddeus Seablaze added. "What do you get out of it that we can’t see?"
Damian smiled. "Let’s just say I would much prefer it if the map of this continent does not change for a while."
The emperor spoke up, "I can’t accept that. Even if we defeat the demons and send them back to their island, and I get back the old Empire—it is barren and unsustainable. We already have too many people—the only way we can produce enough food is if we get the land back that was stolen from us."
The blue-robed mage spoke up, "You could not manage it—your people asked for our help. Sorry to say, but it comes at a price."
"Fair enough," Damian said, to the emperor’s horror, but then added, "I also fairly obtained three transcendent prisoners. And thousands of soldiers."
"Learn your place, brat," Thaddeus Seablaze said, standing up, his eyes digging holes into Damian’s skull, nose flaring slightly. His right hand was stretched to the side, but no weapon was there.
Another guy with a soulbound weapon? Was there a method to obtain one other than what Lucian had been through?
Damian also simply stood up. "You came attacking my home—sorry to say, but that too comes at a price. Depthcaller and that Thorn guy are already dead. If you do not want the other three to follow in their footsteps, I suggest you give Dawnstar land back to the Empire."
"You have no right to order us!" the princess finally got a hold of herself and said loudly.
"No," Damian said. "But I have all the leverage to do so. Decide whether you want the land—or the uncle dearest."
"You do not want me as your enemy, kid," Thaddeus Seablaze said in a voice that could make the bravest of men piss their pants, the overwhelming wave of aura just heightening the effect.
"I am your enemy only if you consider me as one. Despite the shit you and your people made my friend go through—I saved your goddamn son. Did he mention in his tale what rank the demon lord was?" Damian shot back.
The Sea Snake gritted his teeth. In a few seconds, a golden trident materialized in his hand, out of nowhere. Before he took a single step toward Damian, however, a giant sword also materialized in the Land-breaker’s hand on the other side of the room. Damian felt quite left out, so he too summoned his red and black spear with small runic circles etched on it. It was the weirdest time, but seeing it made him remember the strange metal he had stored inside the spear from Lucian’s transcendent trial.
Should he try taking it out right now? Wouldn’t that be a bit too rude? This was neither a good place nor time.
Sea Snake glared at the Land-breaker and dismissed his trident. Damian also dismissed his spear, not letting the temptation of checking out the new metal take over his mind.
"Consider yourself the luckiest man in this world, brat. But your luck won’t last forever." The King of Faerunia sat back in his seat. So did Damian and Land-breaker.
After a minute of silence, the Sea Snake added, "Fine. All my men back for the land of Dawnstar. As for the moronic idea of peace for a hundred years—I refuse."
"Even if I added my waygate points to all the kingdoms that accept it?" Damian used the biggest weapon, according to others, that he had in his arsenal.
"Waygate points?" Ilvanya asked. Did the elf queen not inform her?
"The waygate spell, with which we all are familiar—I have plans for connecting all my borders and towns with that. If I join that with the borders and capital of the other three kingdoms—any person of our four countries can travel from the farthest edge of Faerunia to the very end of Eldoris in less than a week. And even that with all the wagons and all."
Now that had indeed the effect he had imagined it would have on these people. They weren’t simple soldiers or lords of small land—with transportation becoming so easy, the boundless benefits of that could only be fully imagined by a person used to running entire kingdoms.
All the things that were inefficient because of lack of time to reach those places would be easily manageable. The whole meaning of power and politics would change with just having this one method of easy and safe travel. Not to mention the trade opportunities and exchange of culture and techniques from skilled people from all kingdoms.
It was literally a wet dream of any kingdom. Not having it for the whole world was okay—but if one of them were left out of this international connection like any other before in history—their kingdoms would never be able to match in progress and power the others would have with fast military transportation and supply chains.
The very face of their world would change—and the price was simply to not increase their borders.