Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 71 - Exchange and favours - Part One
Watching proceedings from the opposite end of the small island, I was reminded of the question I had deliberately avoided during our last eting four days prior.
What was at the top of the Labyrinths?
I had already pushed the absolute limits on how far I was willing to trust a stranger. A stranger with incentives to see dead and take everything I had. However, economic co-dependence was a powerful motivational tool in its own right. Now that we had a better understanding of how we could both profit from one another without the need for aggressive overtures, I felt confident that I could press for answers without triggering an irreparable diplomatic incident.
Of course, I was assuming Yi Gim had the answers I was looking for.
I had defeated the Divine Patriarch, Yi Gim’s long-term rival, which presumably placed on at least a similar level of combat capabilities as Yi Gim himself. And I was as far from reaching the top of a Labyrinth as I had ever been.
I was also assuming that our Labyrinths would be the sa, despite little evidence to support such a theory.
Sebet praised with unapologetic and painfully blatant sycophantry.
The efforts of her clones had t with unexpected difficulties in recruiting local bandits to serve as cover and misdirection in their plan to free Enslaved Ogres en masse.
Put bluntly, soone seed to be aware of what they were trying to do and was taking steps to eliminate every bandit hideout, haven and bolthole within striking distance of the country’s borders.
With each failure, it beca increasingly apparent that outright military intervention would be required. Causing Sebet’s potential contributions in the matter to decrease in equal asure.
Not that I blad them for it. Sebet and her clones’ failures were not from a lack of effort.
Gric reported dutifully.
I replied, pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to gain even a single territory without the need to fight for it.
I made my approach toward the centre of the small sandy island with Sebet dutifully following a short distance behind .
Yi Gim did likewise. However, his grand-niece was practically champing at the bit, earnestly matching pace with her Monarch in what surely would have been considered a serious breach of impropriety. The fact that Yi Gim did nothing to correct her behaviour was not necessarily a bad thing. If our places were reversed, I may have kept a tighter leash on Pete or Suzy’s behaviour. However, my actions would have been motivated by caution and concern.
The fact that Yi Gim allowed his grand-niece such latitude was probably due to a combination of pride and confidence in his own abilities and position to protect her. That, or it was a ploy to demonstrate a deliberate lack of formality to make himself more approachable and set himself apart from our peers.
Like a CEO wearing upscale casualwear at a shareholder eting.
Yi Gim bowed his head slightly in greeting and his grand-niece bowed stiffly at the waist, all the while cradling the small jade pot that contained one of Hana and Jin’s modified midnight lotus flowers.
I nodded in reply and allowed Yi Gim the opportunity to explain himself, despite already being inford by Gric.
Smiling pleasantly, Yi Gim gestured to the jade pot while seeming to take great care with his actions. Possibly fearing they may be mistaken for an attack, or perhaps required by the multiple layers of ceremonial robes and extravagant clothing he was wearing. “I must offer my sincerest thanks for the gift provided to my niece. I must also admit that it is far greater than I had any right to expect. I had thought that perhaps my gift would prove too much, but now I fear that it will pale in comparison...” He shrugged self-deprecatingly and produced an ornately carved wooden case the size of his palm from within the left sleeve of his robes.
Sebet warned.
Yi Gim offered the case with both hands. “A rare Abyssal Serpent egg,” he explained courteously. “As an aquatic celestial beast, it possesses an innate Water Affinity. I had originally intended to hatch the beast myself. However, the most suitable locations within my realm have proven too dangerous to make the attempt.”
Yi Gim’s innocuous comnt initially passed by as I waved Sebet forward to accept the gift. However, as my mind began forming the words to inquire about the conditions required to hatch the egg, and what care the beast would need, Yi Gim’s words silently ran through my head once more.
“There are places within your realm that are too dangerous for you?” I asked clumsily, prioritising the at of the question itself over the precise phrasing in my rush to get at the answer.
Yi Gim sighed and nodded. “There are several such locations I dare not enter lightly,” he admitted with a hint of bitterness. “Oh, in my youth, I Conquered many territories. But my realm was young then. However, while I governed and pursued my Cultivation, so too did the beasts, and there is only so much lesser n and won could accomplish on their own. Inevitably, beasts within the most isolated and Chi-rich locations began breaking through to higher levels of Cultivation.” He chuckled wryly and shook his head. “Materials obtained from such beasts are important to the developnt of future generations of Cultivators, but it is a perilous balancing act. If my presence was detected, it would no doubt trigger a beast wave to descend on nearby cities. Which is a price I do not wish to pay for the sake of my own empowernt and vanity.”
“And you couldn’t just...lock those territories away? Or trade them off to an enemy?” I asked, trying not to reveal my suspicions.
“Walls can only be built so high,” Yi Gim replied, shaking his head and releasing a bitter sigh. “Walls of such scale would lack in the strength necessary to stop or even stall the strongest beasts. So such thods are imnsely impractical.” He gave a commiserating and apologetic smile. “I fear it is a reality you will no doubt need to address in due ti. Culling the beasts in their infancy will provide security but at the expense of the resources they would provide. Stagnation is the death of Cultivation and presents a greater threat than the beasts ever could. At least, that has been the prevailing opinion amongst our peers and is one I personally share.”
Sebet nodded toward Yi Gim’s grand-niece.
“You do not agree?” I asked, looking down at the young woman.
“Ah...” Hu Hae looked to her grand-uncle for reassurance and permission.
Yi Gim nodded and motioned for her to answer, seemingly curious to hear her answer for himself.
“Hrm, well, what of the hidden worlds?” Hu Hae asked nervously. “Honoured uncle, you have told that other realms subsist on the resources obtained from the confines of such treasures...”
“This is true,” Yi Gim agreed. “However, heaven has not seen fit to grace us with such a treasure.”
“They can’t be made?” I raised my right wrist and revealed the Divine Patriarch’s Storage Ring hanging from a thin chain.
Yi Gim just stared blankly at for several monts before slowly shaking his head. “I am not familiar with the thods of constructing a Spatial Storage Ring, but I can only imagine that the skill and power required to create a hidden world would be many tis greater. Comparing one to the other is akin to comparing rafts to warships...”
“And you possess no other ans to partition those territories to isolate the danger?” I asked, now all but certain that the differences between our two realms were far greater than I had initially believed.
“Alas, no,” Yi Gim shook his head and shrugged.
I decided to change the subject to cover for my line of questioning. “I was told you wanted to discuss terms of trade,” I prompted.
Yi Gim nodded amiably. “Indeed. The Cultivation materials you have provided have exceeded our initial expectations by a not-inconsiderable margin. Passing up such an opportunity to acquire materials of this quality is unacceptable.” His deanour intensified tenfold. “Would you be anable to accepting territory in exchange or perhaps as collateral for a future paynt?”
“I am open to negotiation,” I replied while doing my best to avoid sounding overly eager. To avoid revealing that Yi GIm was offering sothing far in excess of what I had originally wanted.
“I am glad,” Yi Gim smiled appreciatively and turned aside, conjuring a massive table. “I have several territories that, while undeveloped, may prove adequate as compensation...” A large pot of ink appeared on the table. Flourishing his right hand, Yi Gim sent ink flowing across the recessed surface of the table with his Chi. Within a few monts, the ink began taking on familiar forms, representing mountains, forests, plains and roads. “Unlike the wastes that I ceded during our last eting, these territories hold considerable potential,” he motioned to the far right side of the table with his left hand, drawing my attention to what looked like an expansive mountain range. “These mountains contain several low-quality spiritual jade veins and low-quality ores. I am aware that the jade likely holds little value to you...but perhaps the ores will make this territory worthy of your consideration?”
“What value do spirit ores hold?” I asked, wanting to be sure my assumptions were not misplaced.
The jade itself presented imnse value, provided Ochram could refine it into higher grades. But I wasn’t so certain about the ores. Although, technically, the ores were just a different composition of minerals. So Ochram may be able to do the sa with them. The Mould Earth Spell, combined with Shape Stone, increased the scope of both Spells. But Ochram possessed senses I did not, so I knew better than to think I could accomplish anything close to what he had done already.
I made a ntal note to ask him to try after I returned.
“Weapons and armour forged from such ores more readily accept Chi, allowing them greater durability and a higher efficiency in channelling certain Techniques,” Yi Gim replied happily, no doubt pleased to upsell the value of the territory.
“Can they hold Affinity like the plants? Or are they more neutral, like the jade?” I asked, still uncertain how the natural laws of the alternate system functioned.
Yi Gim smiled wryly and slowly nodded. “Indeed, spiritual ores and tals ‘can’ contain natural Affinities, but it is imnsely rare...More often, the ores are artificially impregnated with a desired Affinity from other materials during the slting process. However, the thods cause the loss of significant degrees of the materials’ Affinity during the process...”
“Making naturally occurring Affinities superior,” I observed, increasing the priority of discussing matters with Ochram by several degrees.
“Just so,” Yi Gim agreed. His amiable expression faltered for a mont and his eyes wandered over myself and Sebet, curiosity growing increasingly obvious as he did so. “If I may ask?” He motioned to Sebet’s armour. “Why do you wear armour made of stone? I must admit, I cannot sense any Chi within. Are they perhaps treasures from your world?”
“Not as such...” I replied hesitantly, unsure how much I wanted to trust soone I had spoken with only once before. “I made them with magic or sorcery...I’m not sure what ‘you’ would call it...”
Yi Gim’s eyes widened in surprise and admiration. “Is that how you defeated Chen? Did these sorcerous stone plates turn his Sword Chi?”
“I wore no such armour at the ti...” I replied dryly, snuffing out the distant flickering embers of lingering guilt with ruthless pragmatism. The Divine Patriarch had made actionable threats against my family and was responsible for massacring his own people. His mory deserved no pity from .
Yi Gim’s eyes widened further still, “No armour?...” He had obviously misunderstood my aning, but I saw no benefit in correcting him. “Apologies, I had forgotten that your unique position would afford certain unforeseen advantages...” He paused and appeared to be thinking things over. “I intend no offence. However, are you a sorcerer then?” Yi Gim asked.
Technically, I supposed I was.
I nodded.
“A sorcerer with such a body...” Yi Gim smiled wryly and shook his head. “Forgiveness, please, but stories from the great war portrayed such individuals as frail or even sickly in constitution. To my eyes, you appear as a warrior in the pri of his life.”
“I am sothing of an exception,” I replied, readily admitting to the obvious while keeping the details to myself.
“I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge a desire to trade for any unwanted treasures you may possess,” Yi Gim stated with unreserved longing, causing to wonder what exactly the stories had promised to stoke such desperate yearning.
“Many items would hold little practical value,” I warned, tempering his expectations. If Yi Gim was serious about trading such items, I would prefer not to jeopardise a long-term trade deal over a simple misunderstanding. “Their extre durability can also be compromised by certain Techniques, and without mana, you would not be able to repair them...” He wouldn’t be able to resize them either, but that was a minor detail in comparison.
“Ah, I see...” Yi Gim’s excitent ebbed sowhat.
“However, assuming the items work as intended within your realm, there are other items that may interest you.” My items had continued to function without issue within the territory of the Challenge, but there were no guarantees that the effects would survive within a Cultivation Monarch’s realm outright. “Resistances to Disease, Poison and the elents, just as an example.”
Yi Gim’s interest grew again. “If the rumours from the highest ranking realms can be trusted, such treasures would be invaluable.”
I was capable of gaining just about any Resistance I wanted through Summoning and Synergies, so I didn’t carry such items. However, Sebet did.
Without being asked, Sebet removed one of the rings decorating her right hand and held it up for all to see. “This is a ring of Lesser Poison Resistance,” she purred. “Its effects, as self-explanatory as they may be, are magnified by the wearer’s Toughness. A child given possession of this ring would easily possess the resilience of a grown man of considerable constitution. Worn by a healthy adult, even the most potent Poison’s effects would be considerably reduced or potentially negated entirely. Of course, Poison should not be mistaken for Venom-” Sebet removed another ring. “-which is why I wear this for Lesser Venom Resistance.”
Yi Gim stared at the rings with unabashed awe and a covetous gleam in his eyes.
“Is your need for such items so great?” I asked warily, disturbed by the implications.
“Need? Ah, perhaps not...” Yi Gim admitted sheepishly, “However, I will admit that certain beasts, Techniques, even entire clans and a few Monarchs, would present a greatly reduced danger with such treasures on hand...”
“Ten territories,” Sebet demanded bluntly, rolling the rings through her fingers with impossible dexterity, speed and flexibility.
The sheer audacity of Sebet’s demand brought my train of consciousness to an abrupt and chaotic halt.
“T-Ten territories?...” Yi Gim gasped, no doubt as incredulous as I was.
“Each,” Sebet anded casually as if it was an afterthought.
“Done!” Yi Gim roared emphatically, very nearly pouncing on Sebet.
Even through my shock, I could feel intense satisfaction radiating from Sebet’s telepathic link to my mind.
Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 71 - Exchange and favours - 2 of 6
It took several monts for to overco Sebet’s sheer audacity. However, once I did, I was forced to admire her initiative. In the span of a few seconds, and at the cost of re trinkets, Sebet had secured twenty territories.
“Uncle?!” Yi Gim’s niece baulked, expressing the outrage and concern that I had expected from Yi Gim himself.
“Hush Hae’er!” Yi Gim replied firmly, waving her to silent obedience. “This investnt has value beyond your understanding. Trust that I know what is best for the realm.”
Hu Hae bowed her head respectfully. “Of course, uncle...”
“See that your esteed father has Usan province evacuated,” Yi Gim ordered, conjuring a wooden plaque from his Storage Ring and pressing it into her free hand. “You may tell him that there is no cause for alarm and that the costs of relocation will be covered at the expense of the national treasury. Also, express my desire that the relocation be completed with expedience.”
“Yes, uncle,” Hu Hae bowed again and retreated to a discreet distance.
“I expect the territories will be available within four to five hours,” Yi Gim announced cautiously. “I trust this delay will not prove too great an inconvenience?” He asked with an unmistakable hint of nervousness in his voice.
Sebet explained confidently.
I had expected to spend at least so amount of ti negotiating and haggling before arriving at a final deal. “I am content to wait,” I replied aloud before turning my attention to the telepathic link.
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