The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 384 - 268: May the Holy Fire and Money Forever Protect Us_2

Chapter 384: Chapter 268: May the Holy Fire and Money Forever Protect Us_2

Rod curiously asked, "Is there an age requirement for the First Elder?"

Molly immediately responded, "Royal City has no such regulation."

Palos’s face flashed with anger, but he still forcibly suppressed the tone of his voice, "I’m afraid I cannot agree to that request, Mr. Rod. We cannot do it; you may consider another demand."

Rod said indifferently, "Elder, you just said you could satisfy my request, and now you can’t agree to it. I find it hard to trust someone who goes back on their word. Better for Royal City to send another representative."

Palos retorted angrily, "Don’t push your luck! Your King has been sealed at the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground for over a month now, with no telling when he will come out. Currently, it’s the Elder Council that calls the shots in the Supreme Council. Even if I forcibly requisitioned it, so what? These are the rules of Royal City; are you planning a rebellion?"

Chucher also said, "Little brother Rod, Elder Palos is absolutely right. If you keep dragging this out, it will be problematic once His Majesty emerges."

Palos’s expression darkened. He thought this brute had no brains, and choosing him as a companion was a mistake.

He coughed, softening his tone.

"Mr. Rod, I can understand your feelings, but the rules of Royal City are unshakeable. The Black Tide has just passed, and Trolian has only just begun to recover. At this time, we should all cooperate more closely and work hard to make our Kingdom stronger."

"For the greater good, we can both make concessions. If you want to be promoted, we can nominate you as a substitute Elder, and in the future, when you have served enough, it’s not impossible for you to become the First Elder."

Rod saw Chucher behind him blinking furiously, making a grabbing and releasing motion with his hand, just like adding weights to a scale.

He instantly got it. Rod smiled and said, "Elder Palos, from First Elder to substitute Elder, that’s quite a downgrade. I will need other compensations."

Palos exhaled in relief. As long as Rod was willing to negotiate, that was good. He smiled, "Name them; as long as we can manage, we will try to satisfy them."

But what he didn’t expect was that by consenting so readily, he had fallen into a trap.

In the following period, Rod’s demands were not just ambitious; he seemed ready to swallow up the entire Royal City.

The only thing that allowed Palos to tolerate it was the fact that Rod did not directly ask for money, but instead for various resources, authorities, priviledges, etc.

Rod also approached the negotiation with the attitude of asking for the moon to land on the stars—shooting two arrows regardless of whether there were dates to hit.

Unexpectedly, it all worked out.

It seemed that the value of the Sun Crystal Vein to Royal City was even greater than he had imagined.

Rod suppressed the joy in his heart and continued, "If you won’t give high-rank combatants, I won’t insist, but my team member Mephit has been forcibly taken back by you and hasn’t been released, isn’t that a bit too much?"

Palos hesitated for a moment.

He had heard about Mephit’s situation; apparently, there was an issue with the Sealing Curse on her, and the leader of the Taboo Armament had repeatedly requested the Royal City for her execution, but it had not been approved yet.

It was a troublesome matter. The Taboo Armament, wielding the Silver Oath, held a high and dangerous status.

However, they were just within the jurisdiction of the Elder Council.

What was difficult for others was nothing more than issuing an order for them.

Palos nodded and said, "Fine! I will ask the Taboo Armament to release her as soon as possible."

Rod’s eyes twirled, then he declared, "I want 10% of the output from the Sun Crystal Vein."

Palos could no longer hold back his anger and shouted, "You brat! Don’t go too far!"

Chucher urgently prodded him from behind, whispering, "Elder Palos, keep your cool, keep your cool!"

Palos slapped his hand away, "I’ll keep your mother cool..."

Chucher pretended to be very anxious and said, "Elder Palos, don’t forget you swore an oath by the Holy Fire that you could retrieve it, only then did you snag this task. If you act rashly, I’ll be unlucky too."

Palos, unable to contain his fury, bellowed, "Are you an idiot? Is your head filled with muscles? Has your strong soul not lent you a shred of wisdom?"

"Choosing you as a companion has brought me a thousand years of bad luck!"

He turned sharply, his yellow-orange eyes glaring fiercely at Rod.

"Fine, you win. I agree, but this is the last request. If you come up with something new, then we part ways!"

Rod saw Chucher give a thumbs up and immediately took the cue, grabbing his hand and smiling, "Elder Palos, it’s been a pleasure working with you."

Palos’s face was so dark it seemed water might drip from it.

The immense cost had far exceeded his expectations.

But at this point, he had to accept it.

He had intended to intimidate Rod into willingly handing over the vein, to make the deal look clean and tidy.

But Rod’s determination and strength were far beyond his expectations, and intimidation was utterly ineffective. Plus, he had a ’pig teammate’ consistently dragging him down.

Being able to conclude this negotiation was also thanks to his extraordinary wisdom, strategic thinking, and composed manner.

Any other negotiator would have failed.

In any case, no matter what, at least the deal was done, and he could claim a great achievement when he returned.

As for the cost, he wasn’t the one paying.

At worst, he’d endure a few idle remarks. What could that possibly do?