Chapter 308 — On Negotiation

Francis II knew those were the bells of the Yaoxiao Cathedral. In this winter, with heretics running rampant, the bells of the Yaochen Cathedral rang at least twice as often as in winters past. Listening to those faint, distant tones, Francis II's heart grew calm as well.

Ansusi's crown prince, Prince Edmund, stood beside the king's desk, watching the parchment slowly turn to ash in the brazier. He could still vaguely make out a few words upon it: Winterwolf Keep, attack, aberrations, warning from the Cecil domain…

"Edmund, do you know what this intelligence means?" Francis II's voice startled Prince Edmund from his thoughts. The old king held his hands over the brazier to warm them, using the fire to bring warmth back to his aged, cold blood, and asked, as though casually.

The young prince frowned. "It means the threats and challenges we face are growing by the day?"

"No—it means we have finally received good news," the old king raised his head, a glimmer of firelight reflected in his clouded eyes. "Ansusi is not yet ready for war, but fortunately, the war is to be postponed."

Edmund thought a moment, then shook his head slightly. "I do not believe that paranoid emperor of Tifeng will be swayed by this."

"Edmund, you must not look only at the parts," the old king shook his head and gave his judgment. "Luo Yan Augustus may not be swayed, but the noble council he assembled will also receive the border intelligence, as will his first duke, his advisory circle… He may have succeeded in centralizing the crown's power, but he must still compromise with the bloc formed by the nobles."

Edmund Moen lowered his eyes, concealing every shift within them. "He must compromise with the nobles as well…"

Francis II lifted his eyes and glanced at his most favored heir, but said nothing more.

The young prince was too sharp-edged as yet to grasp what "compromise" meant for holding this kingdom together, nor did he understand the sheer power and necessity of the traditional noble order. But that was all right. It was a necessary stage in every king's growth; it did no harm that he did not understand now. Sooner or later, he would.

"Compromise" and "negotiation" — with these, a bastard of old had risen to the throne of Ansu under the North Duke's backing, had taken the whole kingdom's situation in hand step by step, and had little by little loosened the shackles about his own neck, until he held the true voice of a king. What he had relied on was "compromise" and "negotiation."

Compromise in the open, negotiation behind closed doors, the exchange of interests at the marrow — noble politics was nothing more than this.

The old king knew that the negotiations with Typhon were no longer far off.

In the lord's study at the Cecil territory, a detailed report was delivered into Gao Yang's hands.

Amber leaned her head in, curious. She saw the emblems of several technical departments — the Machinery Works, the Runic Research Institute, the Military-Industrial Machinery Office — but more striking still was the bizarre thing drawn on one of the pages.

It had long parallel rails, a base cast in metal, and what appeared to be a "sub-device" that could be set within the rails, labeled "cannon shell." It was truly a novelty such as she had never seen.

The half-elf young lady scratched at her hair: "Gao Yang, what is this?"

"A prop for measuring truth," Gao Yi said with a laugh, "and the most effective means of negotiation there is."

(It suddenly occurs to me that I still haven't announced the anime news here, everyone — Abnormal Creature Encounters is getting an anime! Fully funded by the site; for details, see my Weibo or my public account~~)