Two days later.
The Throne room of the Black Raven Kingdom.
"We have taken a few people and tested all of the possible scenarios. However we look at it, we cannot find a way where the unification would be completely peaceful. Yes, the Olympics have gone a very long way in letting the people of the Black Raven Kingdom know about the capabilities of the Lanthanorians. The only problem is: we lost. We lost horribly. And the fact that we even had a plan which could have given us at least one victory, but didn"t end up using it, p.i.s.ses me off to no end. Yes, yes, I understand the reasons, and it was probably the best course of action. That doesn"t mean I can"t be angry about it. King Daneel, the bottom line is, if we propose something like this right now, it will look like we are caving in because we are unsure of themselves. It will look like we are surrendering to you because we aren"t confident enough to rise by ourselves. There will be riots, and there will be blood. This is not the time. I know I said that before, but I have no choice but to say it again."
As the old lady, the head of the High Council of the Black Raven Kingdom, said these words, both Faxul and Daneel frowned and looked down in deep thought.
After the award ceremony, everyone started to make their way back. Initially, there had been an elaborate plan to mark the end of such a momentous event.
However, this would only have prolonged the risk and the possibility that there might be another attack.
Hence, Daneel had no option but to ask everyone to disperse for now.
Of course, he had grand plans for the Olympics to return, but there would be a lot of stuff to take care of before that could happen.
So, he just had to let go of the first one. Besides, it had been a ma.s.sive success already.
His main goal of increasing the satisfaction level had been achieved, but it seemed as if the secondary goal of impressing the people of the Black Raven Kingdom to proceed with the unification of the two kingdoms was in jeopardy.
Of course, if things had gone perfectly to plan, it would have surprised even Daneel.
After the fiasco with the mosquitoes, he was thankful that at least the satisfaction level had risen.
Both Faxul and him had called for this meeting with the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom to find out what they could do next.
But after this statement, even the both of them seemed to be at a loss for words.
Daneel"s original plan had been that the two kingdoms could be completely unified under one leaders.h.i.+p. This would allow him to put up a strong front in front of any other Kingdom, and also set an example so that the same wouldn"t seem very strange if it happened with other kingdoms.
After all, there was no way he was leaving Central Angaria alone, what with the renewed threat of the Church which felt like it was breathing down his back after this recent attack.
They were out there, waiting, like hyenas, ready to pounce at the first sign of vulnerability.
Thus, it was no time to show weakness.
However, he really did agree with this woman, no matter how much he disliked it.
He had seen for himself the defeated expressions of the Black Raven people, who couldn"t even blame the king because they knew why their army strength was low.
It was a very delicate time right now, and something like this would just upend the balance, resulting in horrific consequences.
But there was no way that he could leave it alone.
Taking a moment, he ran through all alternate plans, but he realized that this was better done with the help of Eloise, as he suddenly felt lost due to some reason.
Hence, he contacted her discreetly through the communication trinket in his pocket.
"Eloise, I"m in a meeting with the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom right now, and they say that a complete unification is out of the question. I actually agree with them. What do you suggest?"
"What is the reason?"
Appreciating her quality of getting right into the matter without asking too many unnecessary questions, Daneel told her what the old woman had just said.
After a few moments, he heard her say something, but stop, as if she was hesitating.
"Spit it out," he said, as time was ticking.
"Well… Daneel, this plan of unifying the kingdoms under one banner was something that was risky in the first place. You know as well as I do that it has never been done in the continent, with all attempts being shot down due to attacks by other kingdoms."
"Yes, but -"
"Yeah, I know, that threat isn"t present right now due to some reasons that you said had to be secret. Well, we can"t go for it anyway. Why not take a step back? And take it slow?"
It was as if a light bulb had gone off over Daneel"s head.
Indeed. She was right.
He had been rus.h.i.+ng things too much, what with the fear that there might not be enough time before the church started to attack.
This had become even more exacerbated with the added knowledge that he now only had six months to somehow grow powerful enough to not be targeted by almost everyone who sought power on this continent.
Hence, his mind had gone into tunnel vision, trying to find out the fastest way to get things done.
His goal behind the unification had been simple: to have a standardised trade price which would increase trade between both kingdoms, and make the people happier, resulting in higher satisfaction level which might lead to more EXP.
Standing up, he got the attention of the entire hall and said, "I"m willing to take a step back. We can discuss just the trade partners.h.i.+p. Merchants and citizens will no longer have to keep up with two different prices in both kingdoms, and trade can flourish between us, bringing happiness to both of our countrymen. This is enough for now. King Faxul, your citizens need a win. This is one. I propose that you propose that this is something that was put forward by you. I don"t need the credit. I just need my citizens to be happier. And as for the loan, it can be kept secret. It does not need to be disclosed."
As he made the statement, a hush fell over the royal court of the Black Raven Kingdom.
All of them knew who had put forward the pet.i.tion to unify in the first place. Although it had been introduced by King Faxul, none of them believed that he was doing it by himself. After all, as the King of Lanthanor had lent a large sum to them through the Bank of Angaria so that they wouldn"t destroy themselves because of not having enough funds to keep raising Ravens, he had the upper hand in this negotiation and he could practically demand anything he wanted.
In their history of dealing with rulers, they had only mostly seen those who were always eager to take credit even for things they hadn"t done, so that they would be adored more by their citizens, which would result in less unrest when the taxes were raised for their Kingdom. And of course, they had also almost never seen Kings who backed off when they had the advantage.
This was the typical trend of rulers in the Angarian Continent, as there were very few who actually cared for the citizens. At least, cared enough to give up things for them.
In history, such rulers had always been idolized and remembered for ages, and with this statement from the King of Lanthanor, the Council of the Black Raven Kingdom started to think the same about him, even though his actions in the Lanthanor Kingdom so far reflected this already.
"Daneel, are you sure about this? You know you have the upper hand. We took the loan from you. If you force it, there will be a little bloodshed, or a lot, but your goal will be achieved. I know how much you did to reach that goal, and seeing the way you busted yourself up for it, I"m pretty sure it must be very important. Are you sure?"
Hearing this message from his friend, Daneel smiled.
He had had doubts about Faxul"s allegiance before, when the man had acted strangely before and after taking over the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom.
However, hearing this, he felt rea.s.sured that this was still someone who was on his side.
Indeed, he had put in a lot to develop that banner under which he hoped to control the rest of Angaria.
Still, being hasty would only ruin things.
Right now, he found himself wis.h.i.+ng that the Olympics had gone in the way they had planned: if the Black Raven Kingdom had put up some sort of redeeming performance, maybe the unification would have gone forward because the people would be happy and also impressed by the Lanthanoians.
Yet, that wasn"t the case.
This was the best way to go forward, keeping in mind the result of the Olympics.
Still, would he really have to give up his dream of setting up that banner?
As Daneel rummaged in his mind through his memories from Earth, he hit upon something that he had ignored before, thinking that it was inconsequential.
Now, it was time to use it and set in place an alternate plan to continue his journey of unifying Angaria.
While everyone was whispering, shocked, he said "Send me a reply as soon as possible. I need to go," before teleporting away.