Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster-Chapter 58: Finalizing The Terms

Perfect, Rael thought, as he sat upright.

There were many things he wanted, and many things he could give in return without necessarily losing out on anything.

The trees were a big part of it, as Yrgon had a shortage of wood, and Celeste could easily solve that issue, as the number of trees surrounding it was simply unbelievable.

But of course, he would make it favorable for himself, and give Halemire no choice but to accept.

Like it should've happened in the first place.

"It's a wise decision," Rael said, as he went straight to the point. "Regarding the wood problem, Celestara would offer you a deal which would be similar to normal market value."

"What do you judge as the normal market value? This scale could be very easily manipulated, as you've likely already noticed," Halemire stated. "We buy our wood for 1,000 Trell a bundle whenever it's not winter. During the winter, we pay 5,000 Trell, or freeze to death."

Oh? Is he revealing his cards? Rael thought, as he put on his game face.

"I'm willing to offer you a flat 2,000 Trell per bundle deal, all year round," Rael said, and before the startled Halemire could protest, he added the catch. "But, you must exclusively buy wood from Celestara. If you breach that term, then we will take back what we gave you in the form of money."

Obviously, he didn't expect Halemire to accept this right off the bat.

That was what he thought...

But...

"I accept," Halemire stated instantly, almost as if the deal was too good to pass up.

I was planning to jack the price down much more... Is he that desperate? Rael pondered.

"Naturally, we will provide security, and you can get a 5% discount if you come to chop and collect the wood yourselves. However, I will need to see your books, as for all I know, you were bluffing me with those numbers," Rael added skeptically.

Halemire nodded before stretching his hand out in the air and pulling out a logbook.

He flipped it open, and after searching through it, landed on a certain page.

With that, Halemire passed the book over to Rael, who began reading it.

5,291 Trell last year... And 5,221 Trell the year before that, Rael read through it before checking the cover of the logbook.

It had the seal of a black lizard with white eyes, signifying the crest of the Virelorn royal family.

Of course, there was also the added documentation of the past kings, their changes, everything.

It was legit.

"Very well, that deal is on the shelf for now. Let's move on to what Celestara can get from this deal," Rael said with a smile as he cracked his knuckles. "Better write it down by the way. It might be a long list."

"That's to be expected. Nothing is free in life." Halemire nodded.

He was a honest, desperate, yet wise king, and Rael could exploi—respect him.

"I want your dwarven engineers and architects to set up those automatic smelting systems and railways between our city and the capital of Yrgon. I would also love it if they could replace our mountainside elevators with a more efficient system for import and export."

"So a workforce? That is definitely doable," Halemire agreed. "You would have to talk with the chief dwarven constructor, as he's in charge of both groups."

"That's fine. As long as we can speed up the work of laborers and make getting into the city easier, then I'll talk to whoever I need to," Rael stated before moving on to the next topic.

"I want to establish a few shops of mine in this city, and of course, I'd love for them to be tax-free."

Being the king of Celestara made him exempt from taxes, funnily enough.

"That's a very simple request... okay?" Halemire once again agreed, puzzled.

It was a personal request, rather than something Celestara needed.

But if he could get more money flowing in, then all the better.

Of course, Rael began listing down the basic stuff like not overcharging the citizens of Celestara, and likewise.

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After going through most of what he needed, an hour had passed.

But there was one last request remaining.

"I want to station a Celestara embassy in Yrgon's capital, Varnak," Rael said flatly, making Halemire's eyes widen.

"This gives you too much power over Yrgon, so I'm going to have to politely decline," Halemire stated with a frown.

"It's not about power," Rael replied firmly. "As it stands, your country is more powerful than ours, and if a war were to break out right now, we'd be overwhelmed. I want Celestara to have some wiggle room until we build up some strength. Once we do, we can reopen this discussion about a shared embassy."

This was what he was aiming for from the start.

If Rael could disguise the Faceless One's future shadows as Celestara's embassy, then Rael would have an entire country in his palm.

Halemire held a stoic expression for a moment before looking up at the ceiling.

"I would love to decline that, even if it is reasonable, but I assume that would affect your previous terms?" Halemire asked, and Rael nodded.

"It's a deal breaker."

"I see..." Halemire let out a sigh, as he took back his notebook and opened a new page before scribbling some stuff down.

After he was finished, he showed it to Rael.

"These are the terms simplified. I will draft up an agreement soon," Halemire said, as he suddenly scribbled down another term and flipped it over to Rael.

"This is...?" A frown appeared on Rael's face. "You want your eldest daughter to live in Celestara's palace?"

"The wood trade would save us more than you could know, but your embassy term slightly tips the balance in your favor. I'd like my daughter, Aria, to observe you and learn from you," Halemire added, as a sly smile formed on his face.

This is literally marriage, but without the marriage part... Rael let out a sigh. "I'm not going to actively teach her anything, and I have the right to refuse to let her follow me around. If that works for you, then I accept these terms."

Halemire's smile turned into a wide grin, as he stretched out his arm. "To a prosperous future, Rael Sutekh."

Rael accepted the handshake and stood up.

However, as he was prepared to leave, Halemire stopped him.

"As a special courtesy, I'll let both you and your guard stay the night in the palace. But of course, you must let Aria escort you around."

Before Rael could protest, he saw the same beautiful figure from earlier emerge.

It was the oldest daughter, Aria.

She slowly approached, stopping in front of him, and with a smile, bowed.

"Shall we get going, King of Celestara?"