As Cabrera and Nathan were escorted into the palace, a gaze from afar muttered.
"Well, this wasn't part of the plan"
—-----------------------
"Do you know why you're here?"
Nathan took the lead and replied…
"No"
Bolton tilted his head and stared.
"You are?"
"Nathan. Nathan Trent. I am Cabrera's advisor"
He stares back at Cabrera.
"Is this true?"
Nathan nudged him and whispered.
"Leave this one to me"
Cabrera blinked then nodded.
Speaking to people of high status was not his forte.
Bolton was annoyed, yet his smile didn't falter.
"Your little act has made many homeless, destroyed a few businesses, and, above all, killed many"
Nathan cast a suspicious glance. Since when have royals cared about anything that happened to commoners?
"To avoid souring the relationship between us, we'll have you pay a sum"
Cabrera spoke, surprised…
"Is that all?"
The old man smiled.
"Unfortunately not. We received news that you somehow procured a potion of unknown effects. We'll have you hand it over for safekeeping"
Nathan smiled inwardly.
'I see!'
"Wh-"
Nathan nudged Cabrera hard, glared, and whispered…
"I thought we agreed to leave the talking to me"
Cabrera rapidly calmed and Nathan took the cue.
"What happens if we don't?"
Bolton was annoyed at the old man's interference, but masked it behind a smirk.
"You live in our city, so it would be wise not to test our patience"
"Hah, then I guess we're done talking-"
He nudged Cabrera to his feet and both walked out of the room.
"-we'll be leaving 'your city' then"
Bolton's aura flared, causing both men to flinch.
"I didn't say you could leave"
Cabrera was about to falter, but Nathan spoke like he was unaffected.
"You have nothing to offer us. I thought we'd best get going rather than waste your time"
Bolton calmed, his flare soon disappearing.
Killing them was easy, but the repercussions would not be.
Gangs were taxed at a monthly rate and were allowed autonomy in their affairs.
Bolton could kill them and cover it up, but others were not stupid. Enemies of the royalists would use it against them.
Naturally, they posed no threat, but with the Emperor absent and the war at large, panic would spread and the capital would become unsteady.
Both men took to their seats with Nathan smiling. The negotiations had tilted in their favor.
The old man spoke.
"Where did you get the potion?!"
Bolton vein twitched. Why couldn't this guy shut up?!
Nathan's smile materialized as Cabrera replied…
"I made it" he said with a matter-of-fact tone.
The old man's gaze turned to one of disdain…
"You take us for fools?!"
Cabrera tilted his head, his face blank.
"It's not a joke. I made it, on impulse, but I did"
The old man gave a bewildered look - he did not believe it - and turned to Nathan.
"He speaks the truth"
Nathan's confirmation changed things.
'Huh?!'
Creating a potion through sheer luck?! It was absurd! Beyond absurd!
The old man got angry.
"Do you take us for fools?!"
Cabrera signed with a blank face when Bolton spoke.
"Tell us how you made it"
Inwardly, Cabrera sneered.
"Now you're taking us for fools"
The situation was unique, so Bolton had to be careful.
He didn't like losing, but if he could get the de-aging potion, then he didn't lose.
"State your price"
Nathan and Cabrera shared a look. They had enough money, so…what did they need?
Nathan took the initiative.
"Protection"
Bolton made a puzzled face. They were strong enough to defeat Fire Scar in a single night, so he assumed they had backers.
"We want a buffer zone"
A buffer zone was a state of protection against bigger entities.
For a duration, competitors and outside forces were disallowed from hampering a particular entity.
It was a powerful clause, but not many used it, for it had a price.
The protected entity was also not allowed to hamper other entities, along with being prohibited from accessing multiple monster regions.
It was also stated that it could only be applied to D-rank guilds and below.
The last clause was to prevent any situation with unchecked entities from growing out of bounds.
With this, Bolton confirmed their lack of a backer.
He regretted not knowing beforehand, but this situation wasn't too bad either.
But then…
'How did they beat Fire Scar?'
Well, he could find out later.
There was another reason.
Using a buffer zone meant you were a part of the royal faction, because it wouldn't be granted otherwise.
Black Jaws was an anomaly in this case as most guilds were formed with a connection to pre-existing one's, hence their faction was set. It was set for life.
Guilds that weren't didn't get far in ranks. Like how Dark Tooth had grown stale over the years.
Bolton readily agreed. The royal faction would have one more arm to count on, and since they were able to beat Fire Scar, he knew they weren't deadweight.
"Yes?" Bolton questioned when Nathan said nothing more.
Nathan and Cabrera were heavily discussing in hush tones.
Cabrera panicked.
"What are you doing? If we do this, there's no turning back!"
"This would've happened one way or another. I prefer now to later, or do you have other ideas on solving the immediate crisis?" Nathan countered.
It was the truth, but Cabrera had his own considerations.
"What about those on the other end of this contract? And my memories?"
"We'll simply give them their money. That of Fire Scar is sufficient, and since we'll be under the royals, they won't dare touch us carelessly"
"As for your memories, there's plenty to be done once we're able to stabilize our situation"
Cabrera was conflicted, but he silently nodded.
Nathan looked at Cabrera, then at Bolton.
"We decided to gift the alchemic recipe to Sir..?"
"Bolton"
"Sir Bolton, for the good of the Empire"
The old man's eyes widened while Bolton smiled.
"Then I accept it on behalf of the Empire"
Nathan gave a light nod.
"For how long will the buffer zone last?"
"Ten years. I'd like to give you more, but that's the maximum allowed"
Nathan's mind whirred, thinking of other things he could ask, something that only the Royal Advisor could give him.
But it seemed there were none, until something popped up!
"Sir Bolton, I'd to ask for a land proprietorship certificate"
The atmosphere froze with tension levels rising in mere moments.
Bolton's expression became rigid.
An alchemy recipe was surely one of the highest treasures, but Nathan's request was deemed outrageous.
Land in the Empire belonged to the Emperor.
It was at his permission that land and titles be awarded to performers of exemplary deeds.
Nobles were born through this method.
Then some grew powerful enough to contend with the royal family, hence the term 'great families'.
Other than that, lands were leased out by Missionaries for a price.
Essentially, these lands belonged to the Emperor. What Cabrera had paid for was the permission to use the land for his own purpose for a specific period. On top of that, his business would pay a monthly fixed tax rate.
If he failed to follow regulations, or the Emperor felt like it, his lease would be stripped away and the business confiscated, regardless of whatever amount he had procured for it. Of course, they were denied any refunds.
Land Proprietorship certificate, as its name implied, was a license to buy land, rather than lease it.
The certificate was made to help with trade across continents, mostly given from royal family to royal family.
It would be demeaning if a king's business was seized by another, so after decades of debate, the Land Proprietorship Certificate was made.
Selling land was an act shunned upon. Prices were made prohibitive so as to discourage buyers.
The silver lining was, if they managed to pay, no taxes would be levied on their property.
Bolton was bewildered and furious, his aura flaring.
"How dare you ask for such a thing? A merchant should know his place!"
"I would-"
Nathan cut him off with a light laugh.
"It seems Sir has misunderstood my intentions"
Bolton's brow arched in puzzlement, his anger apparent, but he kept silent.
