BXBX NOVEL Chapter 32 - Bargain
The Mayor started to explain his reason
"First… You need to know that although the king has been capturing outlanders, there was never any order to hurt them. Second, our kingdom has a very close friendship with the elves. We need to think twice before even considering hurting you."
Tristan pondered what he said, and he found that it matched with the way all the guards treated him. He also noticed that the mayor dared to talk to him without any security around.
"Another reason to not hurt me is tied to the first reason… Although I\'m only a half elf, if there is news about anything happening to me, it would be a big deal and investigations would be launched accordingly. That situation would be unfavorable for you, don\'t you agree?"
The fat elf gave a conniving grin.
"So… Letting me go would be the best course of action for both of us. Let me go, and we can speak like civilized beings."
Tristan already had the upper hand in this situation. He possesses overwhelming physical power, and Layla is currently holding a gun with one finger ready to press the trigger. Though he could see what the fat elf was getting at, he will not let room for surprises.
"No! Continue... Tell us, what do you want?"
"I… I want information… Like… where you from?... How did you manage to come here?"
Tristan tightens his grab on the elf neck
"You think I\'m stupid?" Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Don\'t you fucking lie to me!"
"Okay, okay!" The fat elf seems frightened; He eyed the weapon in Layla\'s hand and continued. "You see… The item your sister holding is an outlander weapon, one of many precious things that outlanders normally brought with them… the truth is... I am hoping if you have information regarding how I can access more of them,"
Tristan saw the fat elf give a greedy smirk, wider than the one he had before, and he smiled. Greed...This is something he could certainly work with.
"So, do you have any such information for me?" The fat elf asked.
Tristan quickly thought about the Cursaac facility, the ship, and the space knights. He has a lot of information he could use as a bargaining chip. Though he has no idea about their current condition, it was at least something he could use to satisfy the fat elf. Everything is at stake in this exchange, and Tristan needs to sacrifice something.
"Yes, I actually have… A whole ship of them."
The fat elf\'s eyes widened, and he rubbed his hands in excitement.
"Let me hear you... What can you offer for them?" Tristan asked while letting Uriel go from his arm
The elf walked back to his seat, sat down, and stared at Tristan. "I can offer you a new identity as my citizen. You will be granted protection as stated by our laws."
Though the offer certainly piqued his interest, he knows the elf could give him more than that.
"Not good enough, I would rather kill you and rob whatever in your possession right now!"
"Alright, alright! Fine… How about I provide you with an estate of your own in this land, and maybe some coins depending on how valuable your information ends up being."
At first glance, it was definitely a better offer. But Tristan became even more suspicious. As they said, if something is too good to be true, it probably is.
"I don\'t believe you…" Tristan stared at the elf. "Those things we found might end up being useless, and if you don\'t like what you are seeing, you can just take back whatever you are offering!"
The elf\'s face fell for a few moments before he collected his confidence back and answered.
"Well, if the information has no value, there will be no coin for both of us. The citizenship would be useful to you, yes, but it will also be useful to me, as having one more elf in the town and someone as talented in magic as your sister would be good for the town. As for my protection, it\'ll mostly be for your benefit, and as long as you don\'t lie about your information, I will never break my word."
Tristan could sense the sincerity in the elf\'s words. The offer would give him something he needed, but Tristan still found himself having a hard time trusting the elf, as he sensed that the elf was still hiding something from him.
Tristan suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
He actually thought that he could lend the mayor\'s power to return to the site and find out more information about home. This way, even if he failed to find anything, he would still be a benefit from it.
"Alright, I agree, and I will lead you to the place. However, you have to give me time, as there are things I need to do first. One week at most. That is the best I can offer you."
The mayor quickly shook his head. "No… No, that is far too long."
Tristan asked for one week not because he had an orc job to finish for the adventure guild. The truth is, he doesn\'t really care about the mission itself. What he really needed was blood essence, and by acquiring more blood essence from the orc, he would have a better chance to defend himself in case the mayor decided to backstab him later.
"I suggest you agree, or all our deals are off," said Tristan firmly
The elf\'s smile faltered, but he simply leaned back to his chair and said. "Alright then, but in the meantime, I will ask one of my men to accompany you… Therefore, if you decide to go missing or my men went missing, then I will know, and I can report you to the capital."
Tristan walked around the room, thinking about his options. It might actually be a good idea to have someone accompany him, as the person could serve as his guide and someone who can lessen suspicion. With the mayor\'s man at his side, Tristan could hide behind the mayor as an excuse if the situation calls for it.
"Alright, sounds fair to me."
The elf nodded and smiled in approval, which Tristan felt unhappy about.
"Ah, one last thing…"
The smile disappeared from the elf\'s face instantly.
"Let me borrow that gun for protection, and the ring you used before it seems very useful as well… In addition, give me some coins, to… you know, to cover for this one week\'s expenses."
Tristan accompanied the request with a shameless smile and a threat behind it. This was definitely a daylight robbery and the elf was forced to agree.