( The Kingdom of Life )
Max finally visited Beniogre a day after returning to Dombivli as he accepted the goddess's request to host him.
It was an official visit, which meant that Max was not alone and was accompanied by his ministers like Jathi and Christian Grey, while also being accompanied by military figures like DarkSorrow and Zippo as he aimed for maximum negotiation impact.
Beniogre also pulled no punches when it came to intimidation as although she received and greeted Max cordially and as if he were a great friend of the kingdom of life and a great hero for slaying Dracula, she was surrounded by her holy paladins who were in full armour and had their weapons at ready when they came to receive Max.
"Wifey, just to be clear, I'm team vampire's" Sebastian said as he gave Max a fistbump at his arrival, however, Beniogre's response to this comment was so sharp that it made not only Sebastian but also Max shudder in fear as the two of them realised that their show of bromance was not appreciated.
"Of Course honey, I'm team vampire's as well, since they are our biggest benefactors.
There are no sides here you fool-" Beniogre said in a sweet voice, however, the way she said the words 'You fool' at the end made both Max and Sebastian shiver.
" Good luck mate, you fucked up" Max whispered in Sebastian's ears as even Sebastian began to wonder if saying that statement was a good choice or not given the circumstances.
Of course his and Max's friendship ran deep and he was only trying to make a joke, but perhaps now was not the best time to make it as Beniogre looked pissed as hell because of it.
" Husband, please direct lord Max and his ministers to the Kingdom of Life conference hall-
Or better, don't honey, I think you might still be feeling like you're their external affairs minister, so it's better if Leroy here guides them, since Leroy is from 'OUR' side" Beniogre said as Sebastian instantly regretted his previous choice of words.
He knew that Beniogre had taken offense to his previous comments and it would take time for her rage to subside.
Time, that Sebastian would most likely spend suffering and apologising as such was the fate of stay-at-home husband's.
Zippo and DarkSorrow made fun of Sebastian's predicament, while the others held in their laughter, but while it was a bad situation for the dwarf, as a result of his antics the ice had been broken quickly and the overall mood of the meeting had improved.
Once Leroy guided the group into the conference room, Max shamelessly sat at the head of the table which was reserved for Beniogre as he tried to establish dominance early on.
Beniogre who wanted to admonish him for his behaviour checked herself in time when she realised that with Rudra gone Max might really be the next supreme lord and she did not wish to stir trouble with the being that controlled the universal queen.
Conceding her position instead, she settled by sitting across from him on the other end of the table as the other ministers took their positions on either side of the table for the meeting to officially start.
" Max, honey, I'm sure both of us can sugarcoat this conversation and complement each other with each passing sentence, but let's not pretend.
Your men still occupy land that belongs to kingdom of life-
And I'm sure you'll do the right thing and give it back, however, the only question I have for you is when?
I certainly don't wish to start a war against you, but if you don't, I might really do-" Beniogre said as she cut straight to the bone and asked Max to vacate wrongfully taken over territories.
Max, who had not expected the conversation to take such a direct route, chuckled as he looked at the nervousness in the eyes of his ministers who had prepared for a flowery diplomatic meeting, but he did not care.
" If you declare war on me, that's the same as declaring war on the quadra-alliance.
Unless you're insane goddess, you wouldn't do that.
Also, even if you do- let me make it clear that I'm not afraid of you or your peace loving paladins, I can slay them as they stand without blinking an eye and you know it's true" Max said as he threw the ball right back into Beniogre's court, tolerating none of her empty threats.
" So you don't plan on vacating our lands?" Beniogre asked sceptically as the soldiers on her side began sweating.
Max was now famed as the warrior who has slain Dracula and was being projected as the next Shakuni who had managed to slay Thor while only being tier7.
Nobody wanted to mess with such an opponent if possible, however, this meeting was deteriorating extremely fast.
" Ofcourse I'm going to vacate your lands Beniogre, I have no desire to rule them.
However, we vampires have indeed suffered some losses in the war against Dracula and you see we did kind of kill him and his lackeys.
So what I'm more interested in hearing is your 'reward' for our actions. Something that is more tangible than words" Max said as he did not directly name his price but instead probed Beniogre to see what she was willing to pay.
It was a shrewd political play, as by not naming a price Max now put pressure on Beniogre to put up the opening offer.
If it was too less, Max was bound to take it as an insult, however, if she quoted too much without knowing how much Max really wanted then that was a loss as well.
Playing his cards well, Max had successfully gained the upper hand in these negotiations as Beniogre could not help but take the backfoot as she was forced to de-escalate and negotiate as the side with the lower hand.
" Ofcourse Lord Max, let's talk about compensation…." Beniogre said as Max and his group bared their fangs in a victorious vampire smile.
