"I need you to teach everyone," Lucius said after some thought.
Sherlin stared at him with a blank expression, as if he could not understand the words he had just heard coming out of Lucius's mouth.
"I understand you want to keep the information for yourself, but this Alphabet is useless if only me and you know how to use it," Lucius explained.
"If you want to pay me back, I need you to teach the other pundits... no, anyone you think can learn this fast enough. And in exchange for the knowledge, tell them to teach someone else," he continued.
All the while Sherlin's expression grew more and more worried.
"You want the whole den to know this information?" Sherlin asked finally, his tone betraying his hesitance to do so.
"This isn't information, it's but a tool for communication. Imagine how efficiently you will be able to gain new information if more people knew how to use this tool," Lucius tried explaining, though Sherlin still seemed against the idea.
"Look, there's a concept I've been thinking about for a long time now. That's the reason I came up with this Alphabet," he whispered, looking over his shoulder in an almost paranoid manner.
"W-what is it?" Sherlin asked, Lucius's paranoid demeanor only making whatever he was about to say that much more enticing.
"It's a system. A system of information exchange that will help bring us lower tiers to a level that even the Immaculate Forest Council is yet to reach," he began.
"The limitations you previously had will no longer exist. Forget exchanging knowledge on a peer-to-peer basis. You could gain valuable information on the history of different parts of the forest, on trade locations, hunting spots. You'd be able to communicate with someone on the other side of the forest if need be, and it could be done discreetly as well," he continued.
Sherlin gulped audibly at this, looking over Lucius's shoulder himself, as if the paranoia had infected him as well.
"Havon, if it's so important, do you think we should be discussing it here?" Sherlin whispered softly. If not for Lucius's hyper senses, he probably wouldn't even have heard him.
"There's no other time for this. There are other things I have to do. But now that I've found someone worthy of sharing this information with, I need to take the risk," Lucius replied.
This act was honestly eating away at Lucius's social battery. However, for the future of his commune, he had to push through.
"So, what is it?" Sherlin asked.
"I call it... The Postal System," Lucius whispered, making it seem as if it were some mystical concept.
"P-Postal System, that does indeed sound like a powerful system. Is it one of your magics?" Sherlin whispered in reply.
"Wait, we're getting too ahead of ourselves now. Even if I think you are worthy of this information, there's still some doubt in my mind," Lucius said, before pausing in exaggerated thought.
"If you can get more than 30 Chames to be as good, if not better than you are right now at using the Alphabet, then that'll be proof enough," he continued.
Just as Sherlin was about to reply, Lucius added; "Or I could go to another pundit and offer them the trade."
And this was all he needed to get Sherlin on board. The pundit agreed to the terms faster than Lucius could even say 'deal', before rushing off to teach one of his colleagues.
"Havon, they have summoned you to the Council room," a guard called out as Lucius was looking through Sherlin's pile of oddities.
"I'll be right there," Lucius replied, before retrieving the leather parchment he had used to draw the den's tunnel systems and putting it into his pouch -Gevrot's pouch.
*
When he finally arrived back at the council room, he found Shavak and Avankor with defeated expressions on their faces, whereas Shavril and some of the other council members seemed to be quite happy with themselves.
Lucius had been expecting Shavril to pull something while he was gone, especially after the threat he had given the latter during their last meeting.
"Havon, forgive me. I tried everything in my power, but it seems my position means nothing in this room," Shavak said angrily.
"Ahh, Havon, it has been a while, hasn't it," Shavril said, as Lucius took a seat at one of the empty chairs.
"It's only been a day, Shavril, but anyway, what's this about?" Lucius asked.
"Firstly, we'd like to thank you for the food you gave to our den. It was so kind of you to offer us such a generous gift for our hospitality," Shavril continued, to which a few of the council members, and even his own son, the chief, seemed bothered by.
"Father, there are limits," the chief warned, a sort of cold hostility in his tone.
Lucius would've thought the two were on good terms what with Shavril having gone through all this just to put his son as king.
"Well, he is quite aware that the den has nothing to offer him in exchange. However, that is a matter for another time. Right now, we are discussing the punishment that this council has decided upon," Shavril replied, just as coldly.
"Punishment?" Lucius asked in confusion. As far as he could tell, he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Or are you going to deny the allegations sent against you? Did you not kidnap the chief, and disappear with him for an entire day, knowing that the den has lost so many already?" Shavril asked.
The chief opened his mouth to complain, but Shavril spoke over him.
"Have you not allowed the people of this den to refer to you as the 'Sun King' even though you hold no such position in this den? Ignorance is not a defense, Havon, we have already warned you before," Shavril continued.
"And finally, did you abuse the young warriors you were instructed to train? We found them with bruises from your training, and many of them were told to run until they collapsed, apparently as punishment for being late. Was that not a bit much?" he asked, his tone accusatory at first, and then changing to one of sympathy towards the end.
~Ahh, I see,~ Lucius thought to himself.
The allegations were all a bit of a stretch, but for the first, he could understand their worry. He had taken the leader of their warrior clan, a mere day after he had returned. As a father, he could sympathize with Shavril on that.
However, that was all.
It was clear to Lucius that this was all another ploy to win the game of thrones that Shavril thought they were competing in. And even if Lucius somehow found a way out of this one, he was certain more would come the more complex his operations became.
