Duke Hushum was really impressed by the boy's skill which further motivated him to do his other task—spying on Aldred. He had only been here for less than an hour, and he already saw a lot of things. In fact, Aldred did not seem like he hid anything. He even showed his own son which was an achilles' heel for most nobles.
It was hard for Diamond Rank to produce a child. Though that also meant they could sleep around, the negative side was that every child was very valuable. The children produced by Diamond Ranks were also much more talented and capable than normal, all the more reason to value them highly.
What did this mean? Why did Aldred reveal his son so easily?
Duke Hushum's eyebrows slightly shook as he came to conclusion. Aldred's action was a show of trust and loyalty. Not only did he revealed his child, but he's also sending him to the capital, directly under the king's gaze.
That meant Aldred was planning to put his weakness in the king's hand which signified that Aldred would never betray the kingdom.
This… What a powerful move!
Someone like this must not be turned into enemies, rather, a friend.
Duke Hushum smiled. "Sir Aldred, I will gladly take care of your son. But can I ask for a favor?" His tone changed from arrogance to politeness. He even called Aldred respectfully this time.
Aldred noticed the change of behavior. "What favor?"
"I would like to make a special agreement between our territories. The trades between us will not be taxed."
Aldred's eyes lit up. That was the greatest thing the Duke could have offered. Aldred had planned to bring his company here to sell his products. Tax free means that he could maximize his profits even more!
Most foreign territories would tax him at about 50% or more because of his high income. Of course, Tarrar always found ways to reduce that number, but the amount was still huge.
So the Duke's proposal would work really well in his favor, because he believed his products would sell like hotcakes here.
"I would love to shake hands with you on that matter," Aldred said before standing up and approaching the Duke.
The Duke smiled and shook hands with him. He wondered if he could kill Aldred right here and now. A golem master was usually protected by a golem far stronger than his own strength. That was why Golem Masters rarely came out and usually sent their golems to do their biddings.
They were also known to be very wealthy, because creating and maintaining a golem cost a tremendous amount of resources.
"I would like to give you some golems as well. Would you like to see what they can do?"
"Sure."
Two mechanical robots pulled their blade out and rushed towards each other before fighting without holding anything back.
CLANG! CLANG CLANG! CLANG!
Ear-ringing sound of steel clashing against steel echoed within the throne room. The two mechanical robots fought as if they were warriors trying to kill each other. Their movements were graceful and deadly, dodging agilely left and right while also counter-attacking at difficulty angles. They were like dancing, looking dazzling to the eye.
Those that never fought in close-range would have thought the two robots were dancing, but each move was a set up for another even though each move was designed to kill the target.
"That is very impressive!" Duke Hushum nodded in admiration. The strength of the golem was at least a high Platinum Rank. Just a step away from low Diamond Rank strength. Though the step was quite big.
Even though they were only Platinum Ranks, with enough numbers even a Diamond Rank magician would be overwhelmed.
After the robots fought for 20 seconds, the two robots stopped and returned to their post.
"I can give you 10,000 of these Fighter-Class IT-5 robots."
"Ten… ten thousand? Are you serious?" Duke Hushum was shocked. Just how many golems did Aldred have? For him to be able to give him ten thousand, he must have had way more than that.
"I am serious. And let me show you our newest golem."
Two 10 meter tall robots with four arms walked into the throne room. Then they started fighting immediately.
CLANG!!! CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
Unlike the two robots earlier, the two new robots that came fought with much greater intensity. Winds were blown in every direction each time they moved, and every time they clashed, an ear-shattering sound reverberated and broke the glass nearby. The chandelier, hanging on top of the throne room cracked before shattering completely.
"Amazing! These two have the strength of a low Diamond Rank!"
After 5 seconds, the robots stopped fighting.
"These two are called Fighter-Class IT-6. It's not as powerful as a true low Diamond Rank warrior, but it should be enough to protect someone."
"This is your newest golem?"
"Yep."
Duke Hushum did not believe it. Aldred must have a secret golem that was far powerful than he was. But he did not want to force things out.
"I will give the two of them to you as well," Aldred said. "Also, whenever you want to purchase a golem, you can come to me, I will give you special prices."
Duke Hushum smiled. "I don't think I can buy more from you. Maintaining a lot of golems is very expensive."
"My golems do not need to be maintained."
"What do you mean? Won't the mana crystals in their body need to be replaced?"
"My golems are different. They do not need to be replaced at all. But yes, the mechanical ones do need some annual maintenance. We can do that free for you."
"The mechanical ones are made from steel right? And the golems that seem to be made out of special stones are made with magic?"
Duke Hushum noticed two different type of golems when he came here. Some golems exuded mana, while the ones that were made out of steel do not exude any mana at all. They only produce heat and steam from time to time.
"Yes, the mechanical ones are called robots."
"The robots need maintenance, while the golems do not."
"I see… I never heard of this type of golems before."
"For now, the robots are stronger than the golems. But like I said, they need maintenance and more time to create."
Aldred's golems could become stronger as well. Unlike the robots who need software upgrade, and special machinery to be improved, the golems only need to absorb powerful materials.
As long as Aldred increased his strength, the golem would become stronger as well. And they would be even stronger if Aldred increased his Golem Creation skill.
Though, he had decided to upgrade his combat abilities instead. That was fine though, Corduul would create an army of mechanical robots for him, so it wasn't a big loss.
"I ask you again, Duke Hushum. Take care of my son."
"I will. He is a talented boy. He will go far in the future, maybe even surpassing his father."
"All sons must surpass their child." Aldred laughed.
"Right." Duke Hushum laughed as well. "Now, come with me, Tom. We will go straight to school."
