CH509 Virgin Interplanar Negotiation II
***
Alex delivered his words with deliberate temptation, each sentence asured.
Unfortunately for him, Baron Belloc was an old fox.
Unlike Earl Kellerman—who wore his thoughts plainly—Luth Belloc maintained a stoic expression throughout the pitch, revealing nothing.
When Alex finished speaking, the baron finally responded.
"Your words are tempting." Baron Belloc admitted. "However, what proof do you have to support such claims? You are, at present, an... explorer in a foreign land, with no visible powerbase. How do you expect —the head of a noble House—to place my trust in you over others who possess overt power and influence?"
He continued evenly, "As you said, we are both nobles. Surely you understand that many powers have approached with similar offers. All of them were rejected."
"Your scepticism is justified." Alex nodded. "At present, all I can offer you are words— ’trust ’. And words like that hold little weight in negotiations between nobles who deal in tangible power."
He gestured subtly toward the device between them.
"If there is any proof of my capability that I can present, then it lies in this very device through which we are communicating."
Baron Belloc glanced at the cube with unconcealed scepticism but said nothing, instead returning his gaze to Alex’s projection, silently urging him to continue.
"To , this is rely a simple tool." Alex said evenly. "But in the grand sche of things, it has the potential to beco a common denominator that reshapes how power moves."
He paused briefly.
"More importantly, it is proof of capability."
Alex clasped his hands behind his back. As he spoke, the light of the projector seed to sharpen, lending his youthful figure an unexpected presence.
"There are very few viable ways for a force of hundreds to defeat tens of thousands... or for a group without land to overco those who possess it." He said evenly. "But one such way exists."
"Technology."
"With the right technology, the gap between numbers and strength can be bridged— and even made irrelevant."
"Communication. Infrastructure. Machinery of war." Alex continued. "These are the true pillars of power. In communication, I have already shown you our superiority—this device alone is proof. As for machinery of war, Kron himself can attest to the individual combat strength of my people."
"And infrastructure?" He smiled faintly. "The fact that I possess a thod to arrive on this plane despite your Navi—or rather, your deities’—blockade should speak volus about the level of infrastructural superiority at my disposal."
He added calmly, "While it is true that I do not yet possess overt power on your plane, the covert power I wield is more than sufficient to protect a single barony—especially one that, if we are being completely honest, has already been suppressed into a shell of its forr self."
Baron Belloc rely nodded at Alex’s words.
The youth’s final remark—a subtle jab ant to provoke a reaction—appeared to vanish without effect, like a snowball hurled into the sun.
Or so Alex believed.
In truth, though the baron’s expression remained unchanged, his hands tightened ever so slightly at the ntion of House Belloc’s current state.
Monts later, his grip eased.
"What do you want in exchange for this?" Baron Belloc asked calmly. "Our fealty?"
Alex shook his head.
"I am not like the other powers of your Empire—or your world." He replied. "I neither need nor desire your fealty. A mutually beneficial cooperation is sufficient. If that is achieved, then I will have gained what I seek."
Then he stated plainly, without flourish,
"As for what I want specifically, that is... information."
"Information?" Baron Belloc raised an eyebrow. "That’s all?"
"Yes." Alex nodded. "As far as I am concerned, information is power. Ostmont City is a hub of trade, comrce, craftsmanship, diplomacy, and education in your Empire—and possibly, across the continent.
"In exchange for access to the information this hub produces and gathers, I will ensure it remains standing for as long as I am able."
"And if I cannot," he continued evenly, "then I will evacuate your House and its core holdings elsewhere, allowing you to re-establish the hub anew."
"It’s that simple."
"So what you want isn’t House Belloc itself," Baron Belloc said slowly, a faint frown forming, "but access to a hub of information."
"Indeed," Alex nodded. "But for now, I would prefer to treat the hub and House Belloc as one and the sa."
’For now, huh...’ Kron caught the implication carried between the older and younger man’s words.
Alex had made it clear he was unlike the other powers. He neither needed nor desired House Belloc in and of itself, but rather the information it could provide—information that could, if necessary, be acquired elsewhere.
It was Alex reducing the House’s intrinsic value right in front of the baron.
That could be taken as an insult... but also as a form of assurance.
Since Alex did not covet the House itself, unlike the other powers, he had no incentive to swallow it whole even if he could.
’What now, old man?’ Kron glanced at his father.
Baron Belloc stared at Alex’s projection in silence for several long monts.
Then he asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "What is your intention in coming to our world, Alex, if I may ask?"
Alex t his gaze—and understood.
"For trade," Alex replied simply. "Different planes possess different resources in abundance. What is scarce and valuable on mine may be plentiful and cheap on another, in quantities that make interplanar trade worthwhile."
"Why do you ask?" Alex added.
"I want to know the kind of person I am dealing with," Baron Belloc answered bluntly. "I would rather see my House fall than assist an invader with nefarious intentions."
"Fair enough." Alex nodded once. "I would feel the sa in your position."
"What guarantees can you give that you wouldn’t use the superior technology your plane possesses to invade and enslave ours?" the baron asked.
"None that would satisfy you," Alex shrugged lightly. "No matter what I say, it would all boil down to ’trust ’. Would that be enough for you?"
"No," Baron Belloc replied without hesitation.
"Then there is nothing I can say that would," Alex answered calmly.
Baron Belloc nodded.
Beads of sweat ford in Kron’s palm as it tightened around the armrest. For a mont, he truly thought the discussion was over.
"But tell anyway," Baron Belloc said suddenly.
Alex surprised them both by shaking his head.
"I cannot," he said. "I am a man who is careful with his words. I do not make promises I cannot guarantee.
"While my current intention is trade, there exists the possibility that my people and I may face hostility on this plane—hostility that would force to respond in kind. Or worse, to call upon my family from my ho plane."
He paused, then added evenly, "And when that happens, there will likely be no civil discussion like the one we are having now. My family is sowhat infamous on my ho plane for its... Madness."
A complicated chuckle escaped him, equal parts amused and wry.
Baron Belloc’s brow furrowed slightly.
Alex paid it no heed and continued, "That said, I can give you an assurance. I have no desire to take up arms on your plane. With interplanar trade and conquest driving imnse resource flows through my ho plane, competition there is already fierce. I have no intention of splitting my focus to fight on multiple fronts against multiple foes."
He smiled faintly.
"In essence, your assurance does not lie in my goodwill. It lies in our shared nature as nobles and rulers. I will not do sothing that brings little to no benefit."
In other words, it was the sa unspoken assurance that bound the powers-that-be—
the sa logic that stopped them from swallowing House Belloc outright, even though they were more than capable of doing so.
***
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