"This war will be a blessing for me. And for that old hag as well. I guess she hasn't run out of her luck just yet."
Eren said in a careful voice. He then shook his head and got up from his position. He offered the skewered shish kebabs to Alephee, Layla, and Kaal. he had reserved four shish for himself.
Alephee didn't need any food to survive. But she could always taste-test the food. Kirin was the most surprised among them all after tasting the cuisine. It was her first time trying food outside the Oni dungeon. And she was smitten by its taste.
Eren took his seat in the middle of Alephee and Kirin with Kaal standing right behind him. He started eating his kebabs as he watched Tumko and the team enter his vision.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Bhaa Laah asked impatiently while looking angrily at Kaal. However, it wasn't the Ogre Lord who replied to her arrogant tone. Eren took it upon himself to suppress the problem-seeking night elf himself.
In the next moment, Bhaa Laah lost all strength in her legs. She was brought to her knees suddenly. The night elf started screaming under the full moon till her vocal cords started hurting.
"Aaaaaah!"
Bhaa Laah clutched her head with both her hands as her mind was filled with feelings of unfounded anger. The overwhelming feelings were slowly taking over her, which scared her. It wasn't long before Eren's soul sense overwhelmed her completely, making her lose consciousness.
Before Tumko's team could think negatively and retaliate, Eren spoke up after gulping down the mouthful of kebab's bite.
"I just made her sleep. You see, I don't want any brat speaking in the middle when the adults are talking."
Eren then looked at Jaad Ugar before speaking to him in a commanding tone.
"Pick up your sister and make her sleep a bit away from us. It shouldn't take long."
Jaad didn't know what had happened at this point. But for some reason, he felt compelled to follow Eren's orders. He first checked her vital signs and made sure that she was okay and just unconscious before picking her up.
"That was kind of rude of you. She's just an elf child, you know."
Tumko said and sighed. He could decipher that Eren had used his soul sense on Bhaa Laah. As a result, he was even more convinced that Eren wasn't some pawn of House Derringer or House Montmorency like the rumors were saying him to be.
'This guy's a real deal.'
Tumko said to himself before making eye contact with his team's vice-captain Tal Waar. they both exchanged a glance before the former speaking up.
"We are willing to pay reparations for our actions. However, we'd like to know if the Oni dungeon can help us get out of Anfang."
Eren raised his eyebrows when he heard Tumko's words. It meant that he was really just seeking entrance into the Oni dungeon to get out of Anfang. The guy had managed to amaze him once more.
Eren smirked as he realized he had another bargaining chip to use with Tumko when he realized his intentions. A man that wants something particular can be controlled by setting particular conditions.
Eren first informed Tumko and his team that they did not need to pay him any reparations. He started telling Tumko about the things he had found in the Oni dungeon. Of course, he only described the dungeon and the resources it had. He didn't tell them anything about what really happened while he was inside.
He also told them that he knew a way to open the now-sealed Oni dungeon. However, he'd only tell them about it after they served him under his guild following their voluntary military exit, which was drawing closer.
Eren was planning to offer Tumko some of the resources he had with him from the Oni dungeon as well. However, he stopped himself when he realized that getting out of Anfang was more critical to them.
Tumko didn't seem to be in a hurry to get out. But he wanted to make sure that the exit would be ready if and when what he sees as the right time comes.
Eren and Tumko came up with a formal arrangement. Although Tumko didn't say it, Eren could see that Tumko wasn't completely trusting Eren, even though he could tell that most of the things Eren said were true.
Tumko wanted to check out the entrance to the Oni dungeon himself. Plus, he wanted to arrange a few things before he started working under the White Raven guild.
Eren had given him the freedom to lead his own team made of the same team members he always knew. And for the most part, he and his team would stay independent. He would just take up a few assignments from Eren and complete them using his own means.
Eren didn't care what the procedure was if he got optimal results without repercussions. This approach made it easy for Tumko to accept Eren's offer.
The butcher didn't stop Tumko and his team from checking out the Oni dungeon. He was the one who told Ror that the entrance to the Oni dungeon should no longer remain open as expected. They didn't need sacrifices anymore.
The talk between Eren and Tumko dragged on for hours on end. When they finally decided everything, Tumko couldn't help giving Eren a subtle warning.
"Our arrangement is based on the premise that the entrance to the Oni dungeon is closed and that only you can open it, which would in turn facilitate us to leave Anfang eventually.
The arrangement will change if either of these conditions gets changed. I hope you understand this in your heart."
Eren couldn't blame Tumko for not counting on him. He was sure that even if he wasn't lying, Tumko could decipher that he wasn't a model citizen of Edinburgh. As a result, some mistrust was always going to be part of the equation.
"Heh! No matter how the conditions change over time, I'll get what I want anyway."
Eren said while observing the smoke from his new Sativa Stick. He smiled at nobody in particular before moving his focus back to Kirin.
