Point-of-View: Rion Xester

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  "So, this is Idyll, huh? Alright, let's do th-!" I began to declare.

  "Slow down, Rion……the residents here are likely still quite wary of us, we cannot afford to cause any problems," Sighed Jhin, as he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

  "Why am I included in this assignment as well? Surely the two of you would have been sufficient," Complained Zero, as we entered the boundary of Idyll, the area formerly known as the Laus Domain.

  It was currently the 5th of March, and we'd been sent to Idyll in order to negotiate some trade deals. Before this, the other races didn't really have any monetary system, but now that they're back among the rest of the world, it would quite beneficial for them to have, so we're gonna go try and help them realize that.

  Both Abyss and the Rustlands had bought a ton of resources from Liberty, where a number of the other races were now living. The money they received was divided between them and Idyll, but that's not really sustainable in the long run……so Liberty convinced those that were running Idyll to start trading with Abyss and the Rustlands.

  Sylvar and Bell were leading Liberty, which was growing and prospering at a pretty remarkable rate. Kuro's support has certainly helped them significantly in that regard. Idyll, on the other hand, weren't doing so well.

  It seems like they haven't really grasped the value of money, but thanks to some convincing from Sylvar, they're open to negotiating, though I'm guessing that they agreed to it reluctantly. Oh, well, reluctant or eager, either way, all we can do is put our cards on the table and the rest will be up to them.

  "Hey, you guys finally made it. They're ready to start anytime, come on, let's go," Greeted Sylvar, as we got to the spot where we'd agreed to meet up with him.

  "Indeed, no sense in wasting any time," Nodded Jhin in response, before asking him as he led the way, "If I may ask your opinion, how amenable do they seem in regards to trading with us?"

  "Honestly, it's kinda hard to say. I explained the situation and how they'll benefit using logical arguments, and I'm relatively certain that I managed to get the significance across to them, but……some of the older citizens are kinda stubborn, still clinging to Sant's ghost. Fortunately, the leader here, the new Earth Sage, is relatively young and open-minded, so I think there's a reasonably good chance of this working out," Replied Sylvar, after mulling it over.

  As we walked, I noticed plenty of stares coming our way from passers-by, some curious and some apprehensive……and a few that looked a bit hostile. Well, we were locked in a pretty brutal war against them up until a few months ago, so it's not exactly surprising that some of them may be holding grudges.

  "Hey, what happened to the Fairies? They were all blindly loyal to Sant, right, so what's going on with them now?" I inquired curiously.

  "Well, uh……it's kinda hard to put into words. They've sort of just become like insect drones, aimlessly flying about and not really doing much else. It's like they're all stuck in trances or something……they aren't starving themselves or anything, but they've stopped reproducing completely, so I think they're just resigning what's left of themselves to extinction," Explained Sylvar with a sigh.

  "Damn, that's just……wow. They reproduce asexually, right? Are we sure that they're not artificially created beings like the monsters?" I suggested uncertainly.

  "Possibly……but, then, Belia creating the monsters was considered a taboo by Samsara, so if Sant created the Fairies, he would have been in the same boat. However, he was insanely loyal to Samsara, he'd never have disobeyed him," Pointed out Sylvar.

  "I have a theory……perhaps, as a reward for his unconditional loyalty, Samsara created the Fairies for Sant; an unyieldingly loyal army. And now that Sant is gone, that army has lost its purpose," Jhin theorized, as Zero stifled a bored, lazy yawn.

  "That's an interesting thought, and honestly, doesn't sound all that far-fetched. As I understand it, Divine Magic is only restrained by two things, imagination and technical know-how, so long as you have the knowledge and enough Divine Magic to cast it, pretty much any spell is possible. Belia creating all the monsters is probably the most impressive Divine Magic spell ever cast," Mused Sylvar thoughtfully, before adding as a large building that looked like it was made using Earth Magic came into sight, "There it is, the new Earth Sage should be waiting for us in there."

  "Hey, one more question before we go in……does this mean that the Fire Sage isn't a thing anymore?" I asked him.

  "Yeah, that's seems to be the case. The Fire Spirit did possess a random Fairy, but like the rest, she's in an unresponsive, trance-like state, you could douse her with boiling water and she wouldn't even bat an eye," He replied, before we reached the entrance to the building, and a couple of guards let us in.

  We then headed inside and up a flight of stairs, walking onto a floor with a large table in the middle and several chairs around it. It was a wide empty space besides that, and at the head of the table, sat a short, brown haired woman……that must be the new Earth Sage.

  She was slender and attractive, her dark brown hair styled in a bob cut-like hairstyle, with light brown eyes, and a few freckles across the bridge of her nose.

  "You must be the delegates from Abyss……please, come in, have a seat," She remarked politely.

  A couple of others were also seated at the table, an Elf and a Halfling. We sat at the opposite end of the table, as I began feeling kinda nervous……if these negotiations break down, then everything we've been working towards for the last few months will stall.

  "It is a pleasure to meet you, I am called Jhin, a trusted subordinate of Lord Kuro. These are my colleagues, Zero and Rion Xester," Jhin introduced us with a bow.

  Good things he volunteered to do most of the talking, I don't think I could pull off polite, formal speech like that.

  "And I am Siterra Jadeamour, the current Earth Sage and leader of Idyll. Now, let us cut right to the chase, I believe that Abyss wishes to trade with us?" She responded, getting straight down to business.

  "Indeed, we do……and we believe that such an endeavor will be mutually beneficial to both nations. Idyll will be able to develop a thriving economy, along with access to several resources and products that cannot be found in this area. Things are peaceful for now, but if we get careless, that could change……Lord Kuro believes that the best way to establish peace is to have all four of the current nations in this world rely on each other in some way. At the moment, Abyss and the Rustlands are fairly well ahead in terms of economy, but Liberty is slowly but surely catching up quite steadily. Idyll, on the other hand, is somewhat lagging behind," Stated Jhin objectively.

  "Yeah, I have to agree. If we don't move forward with the times, we'll suffer for it further down the line. Think about it, trading with the other nations will help develop friendly relationships, which drastically reduces the possibility of ending up in a war against them," Added Sylvar supportively.

  "Hm……you certainly make good points, but how can we know that this will really benefit us? After all, we do not possess a great deal of money, so why even bother negotiating with us?" Inquired Siterra with a raised eyebrow.

  "Quite simple, our leader's primary objective is to establish lasting peace, having experienced almost nonstop war in recent years. And he sees this as a necessary step in accomplishing that goal. Additionally, this area is quite abundant with fruit and vegetables that are scarce in Abyss, so there is that as well. Here is our proposal, we will initially trade a small portion of our goods and products for a large amount of your fruits and vegetables……we shall make up the difference in the trade using money. Once Idyll have built up a significant treasury, we can start trading normally; money for goods, simple as that. Of course, the specifics of the temporary initial proposal are up for negotiation," Jhin informed them.

  Nice, dude, he's really crushing it. Though, uh, he's kinda a bit too competent, like, why are Zero and I even here?

  "Ah, that is quite a tantalizing offer……I see, your goals are long-term, and to accomplish them, you are willing to engage in a less-than-ideal deal with us in order to build up a foundation, am I correct?" Surmised Siterra, after mulling it over.

  "Yes, that is correct. We have brought along a list of the products and goods that we currently sell, we are willing to trade any that you may be interested in," Replied Jhin, digging in firmly.

  "Oh? Could I trouble you to give us the details of some of these products?" She requested with a look on interest.

  "Of course, that is not a problem at all. We will give you the list once we reach an agreement, but for now, here are some of our most popular items……Zero, if you would," He prompted Zero.

  Huh? Wait, Zero had a task in this assignment? Uh-oh, do I have a task? Did someone tell me and I forgot? Or if not, why am I even here?

  "Hm? Oh, right……well, we have several fashion items, such as jewelry, clothing and accessories. We have also got a wide variety of seafood available, though the availability of certain types of fish and other sea-based creatures are seasonal and not available throughout the year. We have a number of other types of foods and dishes as well, many of which have been newly introduced in this world," Elaborated Zero, as he took out the list.

  "I must say, I am quite interested, but I cannot simply take your word for it……I would like to test out some of these products."

  "Regarding that, we have actually brought a small sample of various goods, stored in this Spell Card," Said Jhin, as he held up an Extract spell, before adding, "We shall give this to you for free, and afterwards, you can decide on whether or not these are products that would be popular here in Idyll."

  "Oh? That is rather generous……what exactly do you have stored in that Spell Card?" She asked him.

  "Various foods, clothing, jewelry, recreational items, and so on……we have also included some bars of chocolate, which is another product that we are willing to trade-," Began Zero.

  "Chocolate, you say? Very well, then, you have yourselves a deal."

  Huh? Wait, did she just agree to our deal? Just like that? Well, I didn't exactly do anything to help, but, uh……mission accomplished, I guess?

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

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