Ranking System

"May I know what the reason is for starting this war?" Even if the negotiation with this ambassador goes wrong, I could always join the other two sides.

When I asked the ambassador, he was hesitant about what to say. Whether the ambassador talks about it or not doesn't matter. It would only mean that this negotiation would come to an end. I could also find the source of the information myself if I had to.

"A mine full of Luminite has been found. If used correctly, it could last for hundreds of years." Luminite? With limited knowledge about the higher realms, I didn't know the use of everything.

"Luminite? I could see why you would start a war because of it. Ambassador, is it safe to assume that you want to forge an alliance?" I didn't know the exact value of Luminite and its uses, so even if we do forge an alliance, it's unlikely that I would accept it today.

"Yes, we would like that very much." The ambassador was elated that I caught on. The man before me was a very inexperienced person.

"In that case, what's in it for us if we assist you in this endeavor? What will the city of Gontz give?"

"We, the city of Gontz, have already decided on that. We would offer you thirty-five percent of the Luminite mine if we win this mine." He came in with a prepared answer, expecting this.

"Before further discussing this, I would like to change the terms. Thirty-five doesn't seem very fair, considering how you must face two cities simultaneously."

"I can tell you don't have the final decision, so why not use this chance to talk to your leader and discuss it with us tomorrow?" Instead of taking matters up today, I will use this chance to delay them.

Of course, the ambassador could use this chance to get his boss to communicate with me now, but I wasn't going to let that happen.

"I have other guests that I would like to attend." While I may sound pushy, the ambassador shouldn't be able to know the reason for my delaying this meeting.

"Right. Then I will return first thing at this time." With this done, the third person arrived.

The third person was a noble of this city. He resembles the young noble Sean, so I could assume he was the father of whom he was proud.

"My lord. I'm Kayne Dawnson. Vice-commander of Chrome City." Coming to this city, I realized everyone had pride in their titles.

"Vice-commander, what can I do for you?"

"Regarding the city, Eurgesh. Can we, the people of Chrome, expect you to join in the fight?" He stared at me, waiting for my answer.

"Before I answer your question, answer this. How much influence does their god have in their city? I won't lie to you; I'm confident I could destroy the city in a day, but their god might pose a problem."

"..." Kayne closed his eyes and considered my question.

"I don't need to tell you this, but I could determine whether you tell the truth." I told him this, so any thought of lying would be pointless.

"Truth be told, the god of death is a seventh-realm god. If you do take over, the chances that god would personally take action would be close to zero. A god or goddess descending to a lower realm is considered an insult to their status."

So was all my worrying for nothing? No, knowing my luck, the chances of me catching the god of death's attention would be high.

"How confident is your answer? I tell you what, if you have a reliable source of how the gods act, I will assist in this war on a personal front." Eurgesh wasn't my priority at the moment. Even if they could break through our defense, as long as I was here, their chances of invading would be close to zero.

What I should be prioritizing is the war between the three cities. I could quickly capitalize on the resources of three nations instead of one.

"Can I trust those words?" The vice said, finding this task something he would want to complete.

"Whether you trust my words doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I have the power to make it come true." I said it in an assertive tone.

The vice commander was forced to bow down, with me putting force into my words. As the vice commander of our city, he should have enough strength to prove his worth.

What made it even easier was that he knew I wasn't serious. If I wanted to implode the vice commander, he would have no way to resist.

"Is that all?" I lifted the weight around him.

"There's one more matter that I need to discuss." Despite his stern face, I could see sweat coming from his forehead.

"Speak." I commanded him to get over it.

"Regarding the other vice commander, there seems to be an issue." I haven't met the other vice commander, but it must be severe, judging from Kayne's tone.

"And what issue does the other vice commander have?"

"While he may be capable of fighting, I don't trust him. He seems too suspicious for someone in his position." Some concerns could be seen on his face.

"Suspicious? Do you think he's a spy?"

"One thing for sure is that he isn't a spy for Eurgesh. He's been in our army for centuries, and he would have been sabotaging us when we faced them."

"Whether he's a spy for Eurgesh or not doesn't matter. If he's not working for me, I will immediately eliminate him. I will take your concern to heart, and if what you said is true, I will reward you."

"Thank you, city lord."

"Well then, I won't be sending you off. I still have to talk to the head of the Rise family." Saying those words, the vice left having other businesses that he needed to attend to.