Sylas stood in a calm silence, the shuddering air and the echoing BOOM! the only proof of his earlier action.
The troop of warriors shuddered as they broke free of the temporary freeze, but many of them were still covered in an eerie, stubborn poison. Their attempts to break through were taking up a large amount of Aether a second, and each one felt as though their lives were no longer in their hands.
Of course, they also had no idea just how much Aether and Wisdom it was taking up for Sylas to continuously press them with his Freeze Rune, and they weren’t going to, either.
The silence was palpable.
Lucius and Sylas looked toward one another, the former having already calmed, the latter having been indifferent all the while.
If there was one thing that could be said about Lucius, it was that he was worthy of being a Grimblade heir candidate. He had been through a lot, and the elasticity of his mind was extremely high.
“What would you like to do here, Sylas?”
Lucius’ voice was steady. He didn’t have to make any underlying threats clear; he was sure that Sylas was smart enough to think of them all. Wasting his time doing so would not only be a waste of everyone’s, it would also lower his standing even further in the eyes of those here.
Sylas raised an internal eyebrow. He didn’t expect that Lucius would ask such a question, but he could also see through Lucius’ confidence as well.
This was a conversation they should be having in private; however, Lucius had chosen to have it here.
There were two ways to look at that.
Either he wanted to take this as an opportunity to try and display that he still had control of the situation.
Or… he felt that if he asked Sylas to come in, too many things could go wrong. Sylas could reject, which would force them back to square one and make it into a battle of pure Strength. In such a situation, Sylas would likely have a high chance of escaping given the strength he had just displayed.
From Lucius’ perspective, this was the smartest way to go about things. He wouldn’t force things to the end, and assuming negotiations went well, it would allow those that remained to see that he still had cards to play in his hand.
But it was a risk… this action also subconsciously put Sylas on the same level as him in the eyes of those smart enough to see it.
By the same token, it pushed Sylas toward the center. Did he have the ability to negotiate? Did he know what to say, and when? He had been a Professor, and by comparison, Lucius had been sealing multi-million dollar deals since he was in his late teens.
Now, as a man approaching his mid-forties, just how much experience did he have?
“Only to return to the Grimblades,” Sylas said calmly.
“And what does that mean to you?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Lucius didn’t seem perturbed by Sylas’ words.
“The family works based on a series of laws and regulations. We are a family second and an organization first. We do not have the luxury to be anything else, not with the fate of our world on the line.
“I asked you to return four months ago and was willing to give you a several-week grace period. However, this sort of delay was unacceptable.
“You do not seem to take me very seriously at all. So why should I allow you to return?”
“I was stuck in a Dungeon,” Sylas replied.
Lucius’ gaze flickered. He thought about the changes to the Merit Leaderboard and felt that Sylas was likely telling the truth.
“Also, even after being gone for these four months, I would say that I’ve still contributed more than almost anyone here.”
Either subconsciously or not, Sylas sent a glance toward the trench he had just dug out of the top of the black-log wall.
Lucius remained silent for a moment before he turned to Nathan.
“Nathan, what is our policy about Dungeons?”
“They must be reported and diagnosed before a team is selected to go in. In the case that there is no other choice but to enter the Dungeon, a detailed report is to be taken and all treasures, Gene Cores, or items of value found should be taken stock of after the fact.
“Once this is completed, the individual or team that entered under duress will be allowed to keep 30% of the items, as opposed to the 50% they would get to keep had the Dungeon been reported. They will also not get first choice as they would in the latter case.”
Lucius nodded without much of a change in his expression.
“However,” Nathan continued, “this policy was only implemented after the disappearance of Sylas, here. So he was not made aware. And since he has been stuck in such a Dungeon for four months, he also entered first, too.”
“Mm,” Lucius nodded, not seeming to mind Nathan’s words. In fact, one would have almost thought they had time to rehearse it all. “That is a fair assessment of the situation. In that case, the rule can be waived, but please keep this in mind in the future. However, there are other rules that cannot be waived. Nathan.”
“Indeed. There are certain taxes and tariffs that must be enforced. In addition…” Nathan sent a glance toward the broken wall and the shattered ballista. “… Borrowed equipment that ends up damaged beyond the Durability allowances must be paid for in full. Either the repair cost in the case of a Durability issue, or in replacement cost in the case of complete destruction.”
It didn’t take a genius to understand what was happening. A retreat for advancement. They couldn’t allow Sylas to come back for nothing even if they had no choice.
It was righteous extortion.
“I understand,” Sylas replied calmly. “It would be impossible to conquer the Evergreen Territory without such rules. I have no issues.”
They were simple words, but Lucius felt his heart leap to his throat.
