Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster-Chapter 57: Political Pressure

"Sorry, I might've been a little insensitive." The old man chuckled.

"My name is Halemire Virelorn, the rightful King of Varnak, ruler of Yrgon, and the current patriarch of the Virelorn Royal family." He introduced himself.

"I see... It's a pleasure to meet you too," Rael said with a nod, before tilting his head. "But marriage? Don't you think you should offer me some tea first?"

"Hahaha, I just don't like beating around the bush," Halemire replied with a laugh. "So? What do you say? I've got 11 daughters, with the oldest one being a stunning beauty."

"I see," Rael nodded, clearly disinterested.

He was already married to one woman due to political reasons, but another one? Fuck no.

"Before I refuse your offer, I'd like to—"

"Now now, give me a second," Halemire cut him off, and began tapping in the air.

No way he's sending a message right?

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But it seemed like that was exactly what was happening, as in just a few minutes, a pair of footsteps resounded from the other side of the palace.

Rael turned toward them warily and was greeted with the sight of eleven girls, ranging from young, to those around his age.

He raised a brow at one in particular.

She seemed the most mature out of the group, and even Halemire himself praised her beauty.

All 11 of these girls looked exactly identical, with the same black hair and white eyes.

Nonetheless, Rael looked back at Halemire. "I appreciate the selection, but again, I'm not interested."

"Not even Aria?" Halemire pointed to the oldest. "I'm going to assign her as your tour guide for this palace after we have our talk, will you deny that also?"

This old man can't take no for an answer, Rael grumbled, before nodding. "It's fine, send them out, let's talk some business."

"Very well," Halemire replied as he clapped his hands.

Immediately, the daughters bowed, and began making their way out the back.

Rael whistled in amusement.

"Sorry for asking, but you wouldn't happen to have any sons, would you?"

Halemire tilted his head. "No, why?"

"No reason..." Rael replied with a sigh.

11 times getting someone pregnant, just for a girl to pop out... What are the chances?

"Anyways, sit," Halemire pointed at the seat conveniently placed beside the throne.

Rael didn't bother much with royal etiquette aside from basic manners and some stuff he had learned while playing Sketa Online.

"I wasn't expecting you to be with your envoy. From what our intel had gathered, you were running some sort of shop in Celestara. I assumed it took up most of your time," Halemire said flatly.

"I had some matters I wanted to attend to before I got so rudely picked up and brought here," Rael stated, falling silent, before letting out a chuckle. "Just kidding, I was going to visit soon even if you hadn't invited me."

"I believe you would have. However, it's also come to my attention that the negotiations with our country and Celestara were cut short because of your interference. Am I wrong in assuming that?" Halemire asked with a sly look.

Rael merely shrugged. "It seems like we have spies in the castle."

"A token of gratitude for saving the city, you could say," Halemire added. "I would be lecturing you had you not done what you did. And obviously, the negotiation failure is behind us now."

I'll have to uproot the spy later, Rael noted as he decided to bring up the main topic of conversation.

"I'd like to propose a direct trade route between our cities."

"Hmm...? Now why would we do that?" Halemire asked with a tilt of his head. "If we gave you any financial leeway, you would expand your trade routes elsewhere, hence rendering us useless. I doubt you're not aware that Yrgon would be getting nothing from this, right?"

Rael nodded, not flustered in the slightest. "I'm sure you've seen the recent influx of people appearing, correct? These travelers, once they settle down, they will dominate the markets, and whichever country has more of them would have the advantage."

"I believe you're mistaken—"

"No," Rael cut him off. "I'm sure you've seen the numbers. How many travelers left Yrgon's cities for the sole purpose of traveling to Celestara? How many of them came back?"

Of course, there was one more important thing he had nearly forgotten to point out.

"I'm sure you've noticed, but they are immortal. Every time they die, they come back several minutes later as strong as ever. Do you understand the implications of a single country having a monopoly on these people?" Rael said, as he leaned back in his chair. "So now, would you like to hear my proposal?"

Halemire's previously relaxed facade faded, replaced with a serious look.

"I understand what you're implying. However, are you suggesting war between our countries?" Halemire asked, narrowing his eyes. "Or is that just an expression?"

"All I can tell you is that if we don't make peace now and come to terms, in the future, it might be too late," Rael finished, a grin appearing on his face. "Make your choice: peaceful negotiations or potential war?"

"Let's backtrack a little," Halemire said. "What did you have in mind for trade?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but each year, you lose upwards of 190 billion Trell, correct?" Rael asked as he recalled seeing that in the game.

Halemire flinched before nodding.

"For a country that brings in around 1 trillion Trell yearly, you lose 19% of that during the winters, and with the growing population... By my estimates, that number is increasing by 1% per year," Rael brought up the bigger picture, before finally establishing some grounds.

"The only reason you wanted the agreement with Celestara to go through was simply because of the massive forest that surrounds it. So how about this? Let's renegotiate the prior proposal with a bit more details, shall we?"

"For someone so young... you sure are knowledgeable. Yes, since our country doesn't have many trees left, we are facing a serious shortage," Halemire said, slumping in his chair. "The nearby countries jack up the prices of wood, so we lose a lot of money."

Halemire held his forehead as he sighed and turned to Rael.

"I'm open to renegotiations."