Grandmaster Conrad was stunned.
Never before had he been outdone in negotiations of any kind.
When the Dragons struck all those years ago, he was the one who banded the nations together through sheer negotiations by exploiting their overarching common interests.
He always knew what people wanted, and how to give it to them without being at a disadvantage himself.
However, most of this was only possible due to a somewhat even playing field—or him possessing the advantage.
In the case of the Otherworlders, the script was mostly flipped.
They had the control.
'… And it seems they're realizing it now.'
It somehow pissed Conrad off that they had spent so many resources on these Otherworlders, yet they were so quick to abandon him and his people.
So much money, so many resources…
Even their two strongest were assigned to training them, rather than going to the war front and assisting the nation.
Then, there were expenses they were yet to incur that would go into benefiting the Otherworlders and their growth.
After they had done so much, and were willing to do even more, it felt very heartbreaking that most of these individuals would abandon them in a heartbeat.
It just… it wasn't fair.
'But who would have thought the Hero would turn the situation around?'
Conrad was relieved they had Adonis on their side. He was the strongest of the bunch, and as someone with the Hero Class, he was the perfect fit to take down their ultimate enemy.
'We just need to strengthen him enough to defeat the Dragon Emperor…'
Right now, however, Conrad had to give out another olive branch so the Otherworlders had another incentive to trust the United Human Alliance.
"We plan on letting you all explore the town freely today. No guards or entourage. Just all of you having unrestricted fun."
Conrad could hear surprised gasps from his audience, and he smiled softly.
'They've been feeling the weight of our security measures a lot. This way, they'll see that we trust them.'
Besides, with Adonis in the group, they wouldn't be able to run away or cause any kind of commotion.
'And if any of them were to do that, then that would mean they were never going to fight the Dragons for us.'
It was better to know who to spend their resources on, and who would abandon them at the first sight of the Dragons.
"Lucielle and Brutus here will go and scout the Royal Dungeon and prepare it for your training tomorrow. In that effect, you should all gather among yourselves and decide how your excursion should go."
Once Conrad made this statement, he knew his job was done.
The students looked satisfied, and while the problem of cooperation wasn't completely solved, he knew a first step had been taken.
"I shall now be taking my leave…"
The students waved him off and Conrad smiled while leaving with his two executives
'The Dungeon can be a very difficult place to explore. By having Lucielle and Brutus check the place out, we can ensure the overall safety of our biggest assets.'
Right now, only the first five floors of the Royal Dungeon were being explored and exploited.
In the far past, long before Conrad's time, he had heard the lower parts were also explored by Knights and Adventurers.
But that time had long passed.
'Now that we have the Otherworlders, we can make up for our lack of manpower and finally focus our efforts on conquering more Floors.'
The Otherworlders would grow stronger in the process, and more resources would finally be available for the Alliance to use.
'Our stockpiles are running out, and the materials being refined now are both of lesser quality and quantity than before…'
If they wanted a fighting chance, they had to focus their efforts on the Royal Dungeon.
It wasn't like there weren't other Dungeons, but… the situation behind those were complicated.
The ones in the Adventurer City were where a lot of their higher-grade materials came from, but since the Adventurers were usually more interested in growing stronger and hunting more Monsters, they poured a lot of valuable resources into their equipment and fortifications.
If not for the tax that the Royal Council had imposed on them, they wouldn't be getting as much benefits from the city as they were.
Some Adventurers were even circumventing the Tax policy, but Conrad's hands were too full to deal with that at the moment.
'Right now, we just need to focus our efforts on these ones…'
Conrad stole one final glance at the Otherworlders as he further distanced himself from them.
'They're the only ones who can do it!'
**********
Once Conrad and the two Strongest of the Alliance, Adonis got the attention of everyone and addressed the students in his usual way.
He was confident, articulate, and he managed to relate with everyone on a seemingly personal level.
A lot of people were engaged in what he was saying concerning the excursion they would be having in the city.
There were a bunch of things they all needed to get ready for the journey—like bags, and some money in case they had to get something.
Since the Otherworlders had no money, Adonis told them they would have to get some from the Treasury.
Normally, that would be absurd, but once they explained things to the Royal Treasurer, and told them of what the Grandmaster instructed, he would have no choice but to hear them out.
"We even have a Royal permit. That way, even if we're lost or stuck somewhere in town, we can always use it to find our way back to the Estate." Adonis had also added.
Needless to say, it would take another hour or so before the students could leave the Royal Estate.
This didn't seem like a big deal for a lot of students, but one in particular seemed fidgety.
People might have looked at him and thought he was simply excited to explore the town, but they would be dead wrong.
The reason for this student's anxiety lay elsewhere.
'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' Rey's thoughts echoed as he tried to control his widening eyes.
'The Dungeon! My Monster Cores!'
The expedition was tomorrow, so he had initially thought there was time to gather his stuff and capitalize on his wealth before it was too late..
However, he never expected one thing.
'Brutus and Lucielle are going down there? They'll ruin everything!' His thoughts echoed in despair.
If they found his treasure, he would be toast.
'I can't allow that. If the Royal Council finds out so many Monster Cores exist, my business plans will be ruined.'
It seemed a tad selfish, but Rey couldn't allow his only current flow of benefits to be disrupted.
'Once we get to town, I'll have to split from everyone.'
That was the only move he could think of right now.
'Split and rush to the Dungeon.'
Brutus and Lucielle were going to be there, but if he could play his cards right and avoid them, he could evade them and get what he wanted.
'It's a bit early, but I'll have to finish those Hobgoblins too…'
He was sure that they would have recovered the Monster Cores in the Eighth floor by now.
'I just have to do it fast.'
*
*
*
Thanks for reading!
What do you think? Will Rey be able to make it in time?
I wonder…
