Chapter 103 The Beginning of the Negotiations Between the Two Cities
Zachary stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the faintly visible Hyratos. What caught his eye were many ships of various sizes, most of which were superior to the ones under his feet. It could be said that his ship was of the lowest grade among these vessels.
"No wonder this city flourished through trade; the ships are indeed impressive. However, they lack wisdom; they are corrupt nobles engrossed in their wealth," he muttered.
Zachary chuckled coldly as he recalled the tasks Henry had assigned him before arriving at Hyratos. "Enjoy your noble life while you can. In a few days, things might get a little uncomfortable."
"Zachary, we're about to enter the docks of Hyratos." an attendant hurriedly approached Zachary for instructions.
"Okay." Zachary nodded, responding indifferently, "Proceed as planned but be careful not to get caught. If you spoil the lord's plans, I'll teach you a lesson."
"Zachary, don't worry. We're not up to any mischief; we're doing good deeds. Nobody will come after us. Even if we get caught, we'll deny knowing anything." the attendant responded with a somewhat cheeky grin.
"From now on, call yourself Hayden," Zachary said, his patience waning.
"Sure, I'll go by Hayden." the attendant, now Hayden, replied with a grin.
"Get lost!" Zachary rolled his eyes, his impatience evident.
Hayden chuckled and, with a few others, blended into the crowd near the wharf and disappeared into the flow of people entering Hyratos.
Hayden didn't consider what Henry had ordered as a bad thing, but rather, it was a great opportunity to recruit commoners to work in Eldoria, where wages were high. He'd never seen any lord so generous at the council meetings.
Those who couldn't afford food would be fools to miss such an opportunity.
He also spread the news that Eldoria would fairly shelter beastmen, which was also a good thing. He didn't understand why Zachary told him to be careful not to get caught.
With Hayden's understanding, he didn't know that population was also a resource. If the nobles found out that another city was poaching their population, it could even lead to bloody conflicts.
Hayden used to be a thug in Eldoria, but he was a thug with a bit of conscience. He only committed petty thefts and never targeted commoners, only wealthy households.
However, whether Hayden was foolish or just sleepy, he once decided to steal from the lord's mansion. As expected, with his skills, he was caught by Zachary as soon as he sneaked into the gate.
Zachary watched as Hayden and the others disappeared. He couldn't help but remember when he first caught Hayden. After reporting it to Henry, Henry didn't even ask about it and just left it to Zachary to handle.
"He does have a conscience!" Zachary shook his head. The clever Hayden was taken under his wing and became a handyman.
"Let's go into the city!"
Zachary waved his hand, guiding a handful of attendants toward Hyratos. His agenda for the day was a meeting with the Lord of Hyratos, a task of considerable importance. He was tasked with entering into negotiations with the lord of Hyratos.
Using the information about the bandits organized by Omar and the planned attack time as bargaining chips, he was to negotiate interests. He was the negotiator recommended by his father to Henry.
Soon, Zachary was summoned by the lord of Hyratos.
The lord of Hyratos was also a fat man, even more overweight than Brandon. When Zachary saw him, he was gnawing on pastries, his mouth full of oil.
"My name is Zachary. I was sent by Lord Henry of Eldoria. This is a letter from Lord Henry." Zachary was very polite.
"Bring it over!"
A servant immediately took the letter and handed it over.
The lord of Hyratos wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, then took the letter and started reading, his brows furrowing deeper the more he read.
Seeing the lord of Hyratos wiping his greasy hands on his clothes, Zachary's eyes widened slightly. This behavior was not at all like a noble but more like a vulgar businessman.
"What?"
The lord of Hyratos stood up abruptly when he finished reading, his eyes wide and his voice sharp. "Does your lord really know where the bandits come from? And the time and plan to attack Hyratos?"
"Of course, I believe Lord Henry's letter has mentioned it all." Zachary confidently said.
"How can I believe whether his words are true or false?" The lord of Hyratos said in a deep voice, a glint of killing intent in his eyes.
Zachary just laughed off the lord of Hyratos' question. "That depends on how you think about it, doesn't it? To believe or not is up to you."
The lord of Hyratos closed his eyes, his breathing becoming a bit rapid. He thought of a sentence in the letter—the estimated number of bandits was five hundred.
This number stunned him. He had only managed to assemble about a hundred militia so far since he received the news of the bandits' attack from other sources, and they hadn't even made leather armor yet.
The lord of Hyratos exhaled, his voice cold. "What conditions does Lord Henry want in exchange for telling me the plan?"
Zachary's heart lifted at these words. "Lord Henry heard that you have two large ships..."
"What?"
Before Zachary could finish his statement, the lord of Hyratos exploded in anger, bellowing, "You want large ships, and even two of them? Impossible!"
"Lord, if two large ships can help Hyratos survive this calamity, don't you think it's worth it?" Zachary looked up and said with a grin.
"No, I can only give two medium-sized transport ships at most. You should know that Hyratos only has seven medium-sized transport ships. Large ships are absolutely impossible." The lord of Hyratos waved his hand, lowering the conditions himself.
The large ships were the foundation of Hyratos. They were bought from Salt City by the ancestors of the lord of Hyratos at a high price. Each year, the two large ships brought a lot of wheat from other cities, making Hyratos prosperous.
"Well... I guess that's okay!" Zachary seemed barely satisfied. This was all taught by Henry, who said that during negotiations, you have to act as if you're at a disadvantage.
Zachary gave Henry a thumbs-up in his heart. The reaction of the lord of Hyratos was the same as Henry had predicted. Two medium-sized transport ships were in the bag.
"Here, this is the bandits' letter, as well as the time and plan of the attack." Zachary carefully took out another letter from his bosom.
The lord of Hyratos quickly took it and started reading. The more he read, the paler his face became. Finally, he said in a trembling voice, "I'll add two more medium-sized transport ships. Please ask Eldoria to support Hyratos."
"Sure, once the ships arrive in Eldoria, the knights will come." A hint of a smile flashed in Zachary's eyes.
Everything was not much different from what Henry had guessed. It was amazing!
