World Boss? No Thanks! Vol 2 C22: Negotiations (Part 3)
"Hahaha…" Flanrida burst out laughing all of a sudden.
'Ah? Why is he laughing?' I looked at him, slightly confused.
"Oh, I apologize." Noticing the emotions being transmitted over the [Soul Link], Flanrida proceeded to explain himself: "It's just, dragons who know how to conduct business dealings are rare. This is the first time I've actually seen a dragon try to haggle with me. Just thinking about that brings a smile to my heart."
"Hmph, getting so excited over something like that just means your world is too small."
"Hmm, you got me there!" Flanrida unabashedly laughed out loud, having not had the chance to do so in recent days. "As expected of a dragon, truly the crystallization of intelligence."
"Hmmm, even though hearing you say that makes me a little happy, but…" I changed my tone in an instant: "Don't think you can fool me so easily, THREE Third-tier magical weapons, no less!"
"Are you really sure about that?!" Flanrida narrowed his eyes, "I thought you were the kind of dragon who knew how to conduct himself humbly but it turns out...you're still a dragon in the end!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I'm saying is that you're too arrogant! Don't forget, you're currently surrounded by our entire guild!" Flanrida waved his hand around as if to show off his encirclement. "Are you really sure you wish to say that, do you think that without those hostages of yours...you will still be able to leave here alive? In your current state?"
"Hahahaha, so you're saying that I shouldn't raise my price and that you will let me off the hook then? Let me, a dragon, a potential threat to you all, go?" I immediately revealed his hypocrisy as a way of showing my distrust.
Even so, the fact remained that this was a difficult situation. Both of us were second guessing each other right now. He was afraid of me destroying the deal and killing the hostages. As for me, I was just as afraid of him abandoning the deal and killing me along with the hostages.
"I'm the guild leader of Wanderer's Abode, if my word can't be trusted, how can I even serve as a leader!?" Flanrida tried once more to prove his trustworthiness. "If you can't trust me, we can sign a pact after the whole deal is ironed out, you can release them then."
"Pact, what good is that?" After all, a pact without any binding power was nothing more than a piece of scrap paper.
"The pact we will sign has a powerful geass placed on it. While it's just a mere fragment of the true curse, it's more than enough to take our lives away."
'You're sh*tting me?! A cursed pact that is strong enough to kill both of us? A pact that can kill those below the Fourth-grade, can he even afford such a thing?!"
Once more, Flanrida seemed to have picked up the emotions transmitted through our [Soul Link]: "It was said that this curse was sealed in the Abyss since its creation. As time passed, bits of its power would leak out and these bits were later turned into the pact we now know."
"Because the method of creating such pacts is really easy, the cost isn't as expensive as you think. All you need is that thread of cursed power and the materials for carving the runes, all really cheap."
"Is that how it is?! Then I'll have to trust you then!" I frowned and put on a show of reluctance. "Then, how about both of us take a step back and compromise?"
"Take a step back?!"
"That's right, we'll both take a step back! I won't ask for THREE Third-tier magical weapons, all I want is a single such weapon. In exchange, you'll guarantee my safety and Slime-chan's safety as well. Also…" I paused there deliberately.
"Also?"
"You have to cleanse her body of Death Aura. She has been plagued by my Death Aura all this while and that has left me in a bind."
Ever since I found out that Slime-chan was burdened by my Death Aura, I spent every single day in jitters, worrying for her health. Something had to be done soon or else one of us might snap first.
"Hmph, those three weapons weren't your goal at all, that last term is your real goal isn't it, you crafty dragon!"
"Same to you."
Like that, my negotiation with Flanrida came to an official end...
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