The meeting started for good and it didn't take long before more Awakened left the meeting hall. Even some of those who Michael didn't notice earlier, decided to leave. They realized that Michael was not a suitable Lord for them. They wanted to become Michael's subordinate to procure Soultraits and Soul Techniques from him, to grow stronger by utilizing Michael's influence.
There was nothing wrong with that approach. It was the way of a mercenary- To work and fight in exchange for wealth, connections and influence. It was a temporary aspect, not permanent. However, that was not what Michael wanted. Michael wanted subordinates who stayed with him until death separated them.
Michael made it clear that if he started to invest his Soultraits and SoulStar Fragments into his subordinates, they would have to stay with him permanently. That was one of the conditions he wouldn't change no matter what happened.
If they desired to leave after he granted them several Soultraits, Soul Techniques, and whatnot, they would have to pay the price. Michael was not a charity.
Michael realized that the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs respected him, but it was also quite evident that they didn't like the prospect of being tied to him permanently. At least, they wanted options to choose from.
"How about you tell us more about your territory and the current situation in and around your territory?" The Chieftain asked, trying to steer the meeting in the right direction. "Revealing more information about your territory would help everyone assess the situation and danger of becoming your subordinates. The details will also affect the clauses in the final contract."
Initially, Michael intended to hold the meeting to investigate the applicants. He totally forgot that both parties would place their demands and conditions. The Awakened who would accept his proposal wouldn't work for him for free. That was only obvious. They wouldn't want to endanger their lives without getting paid. The Awakened were not a charity either, after all!
"That seems only fair. I don't want to be accused later, either way," Michael responded lightly.
He didn't see a reason to lie about his territory. Michael didn't have to hide much, other than the fact that he owned an extremely old ancient ruin. Michael was unwilling to reveal the existence of the Temple of the Forgotten in the Underground Forging Hall. Outsiders didn't have to know about the Temple of the Forgotten. The same applied to the being that resided underneath his territory. Michael didn't even know what kind of being resided beneath the home of the Elementals.
"My territory is located in a humongous region called, Untamed Jungle. I've been living in the outskirts of the Untamed Jungle near a Native Empire called Zentika Empire, and a large Savannah Region. The growth of flora and fauna in the Untamed Jungle is extremely fast, resulting in periodical cullings to maintain the monster population. The vast majority of Monsters are at the Peak of Tier-1, and Tier-2. However, the strength of monsters increases as we venture deeper into the Untamed Jungle…"
At some point, Michael began to talk more in detail about his enemies. He revealed his conflict with the Zentika Empire and the fact that they were at war with another Lord on the opposite side of the Zentika Empire. Michael talked about the regional warfare in the Savannah region as well. There was no need to hide that he was in contact with the Trilance and that he considered helping them out at a later point in time.
Michael didn't shy away from talking about the Mythic Serpent and other necessary information either. He felt that it was only fair to share a considerable amount of information with candidates, who might become his subordinates in the near future. Michael talked about the Forest Elves as well and the fact that he has already given them Soultraits. He even revealed that most of the land in the Untamed Jungle was now home to monsters after he eliminated the Kitsun Lord.
Once Michael finished speaking about the Elemental Empress and her setting up her own society in his territory, everyone stared at Michael with a mix of confusion, excitement, and disbelief.
Even the War Priestess and Chieftain had gotten interested in Michael's story-telling at some point and everybody maintained a pin-drop silence. The only noise in the silent hall was that of Michael. The Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, who had considered leaving the meeting, stayed behind and listened intently until Michael was done.
From Michael's explanations, it was obvious that his territory was overflowing with fierce battles and deadly wars. It was no wonder he advanced to Tier-3 less than one year after manifesting his War Rune. His territory was a treasure trove of resources, energy, and battles. It was…great!
Wars and deadly battles were exactly what the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs wanted. Nonetheless, they required more information to ensure that they wouldn't fight battles they were certain to lose. Nobody wanted to die a useless death.
The Warlock Centaurs and Berserkers began to gossip among each other. Even the Chieftain and War Priestess joined their conversation now and then. Michael didn't say anything and let them murmur all they wanted. He listened and came up with a few ideas and ways to alter the contracts he had in mind. The contracts ought to create a win-win situation. That way his subordinates would be satisfied and happier, resulting in a stronger Link of Loyalty and better camaraderie among his combatants.
It took a while before the gossip ceased. Michael used the opportunity to reveal information about the trial he came up with, or multiple trials to be precise.
"First of all, I desire to make sure that everyone present understands that it will be necessary to endorse a Soul Pact if you're going to become my subordinates. A Link of Loyalty is not enough for me. The reasons should be obvious enough," Michael announced and everyone else nodded. Some asked about the conditions and clauses of the Soul Pact to which Michael responded by manifesting a holographic screen with the details of the Soul Pact he had in mind.
Some clauses could be altered but others mentioned a few points that Michael didn't want to alter no matter what happened.
"Other than that, I'll interrogate everyone present one by one. I forwarded a file with a few dozen questions to each of you. Answer all questions honestly before you send the files back to me. The questions are pretty simple but don't even think about lying to me. If you don't want to reveal something, leave the answer empty instead of spouting nonsense."
Michael mentioned the interrogation but he didn't reveal what exactly he was going to do. But it was quite simple, and easy to tell. Michael would use the file of questions and answers to question the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs.
He would use Mind Reader which he would further reinforce with several layers of Enhancement to interrogate them and find out whether their answers were nothing but the truth, or if they tried lying to him. The power of Enhanced Mind Reader was potent enough to control the thoughts of the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs.
Peak Tier-3 Awakened might be capable of resisting his control to a certain extent, but if they were unwilling to undergo the interrogation, Michael would reject their application at once. He couldn't trust someone with his life if they were unwilling to let him read their minds.
Some might consider that a little bit over the top and an invasion of their privacy, but Michael had a bad feeling about accepting people into his territory without a full-blown interrogation. He had heard too many rumors and news about the betrayal of Adventurers to take this lightheartedly.
With that in mind, Michael spent the next four hours discussing the Soul Pact's clauses, conditions, and demands with his potential soon-to-be subordinates before they underwent the interrogation. After almost eight hours, the meeting was about to end. Everyone was tired of talking about the Soul Pact and the interrogation. It was far additional taxing on the mind than training the body or fighting powerful enemies over a few hours.
Most Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs would much rather fight some powerhouses instead of wasting their time talking about contracts and undergoing interrogation. Nonetheless, Michael and the Leaders of the Tritan Alliance deemed all of it necessary. It was necessary to talk about the contracts and investigate future subordinates to ensure their loyalty. There was nothing wrong with that.
At the finish of the day, there were only around 30 applicants left. However, that was a lot additional than Michael expected from the first batch of applications. He was certain that he would be departed with less than five Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs by now. Interestingly enough, more Awakened went through the entire tiresome interrogation than he could have hoped for.
However, one thing was certain- Everyone hoped that Michael could help them gain honor for their races and families. They sincerely hoped that Michael could help them grow stronger whether it was by participating in large-scale wars in the Untamed Jungle, or by supplying them with Soul Techniques and Soultraits.
They desired to obtain honor and glory…and to be useful for their people.
Michael was glad to have met the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs. He remembered Danny's wise words that he'd told him in the past- We might feel closer to other races than humans at some point in time. That didn't seem too far-fetched in Michael's opinion.
He didn't hate mankind, but he took a liking to the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs as a whole. The two Races were additional honorable and far less treacherous than the vast majority of the human race.
But, of course, there were exceptions. Every race had some black sheep.
