40. Compensation, Alliance

“General, this old fellow does make a fair point,” a nearby cavalry captain picked up the conversation, deciding to play the good man since Kane had already played the villain. “Let’s see what compensation he can offer, and report it to the city lord. If the city lord is satisfied, it makes things easier for us. If not, we can always go back and wipe them out.”

“Fine, since you seem reasonable, old man, tell me—how do you propose to compensate us?” Kane decided to press his advantage.

“Well…” The Minister of Finance hadn't expected to be the one to make the first offer—though, of course, since it was he who suggested compensation in the first place, it made sense. It was his own words that had led to this, so he could hardly blame them for waiting to hear his terms first. But how much would be appropriate? Offer too little, and this brute might overrun their city at once; offer too much, and he’d have a hard time explaining it to His Majesty the Emperor.

“So much for compensation—you clearly have no sincerity. Good thing we didn’t listen to your suggestion to cease the attack first,” Kane barked. “Pass my orders: heavy cavalry, charge immediately! Capture this city for me within three hours, and I refuse to believe there isn’t enough gold inside!”

“Yes, sir!” A cavalry captain sprang to his feet and strode out in perfect coordination.

“Wait, wait, General, don’t be hasty! I’ll speak, I’ll speak!” The Minister of Finance wiped the sweat from his brow. “Given the damage to the Elven Kingdom, our empire can offer compensation of three billion gold coins…”

The Goldstone Empire was certainly wealthy; their first offer was three billion. But Kane was unimpressed, and shouted, “Why are you still standing here? Commence the assault at once! If the city isn’t taken on time, you’ll answer to military law!”

“Yes, sir, I’m on my way.” The cavalry captain pretended to wipe sweat from his brow, glared fiercely at the finance minister, and marched out, shouting, “Cavalry, assemble at once! When the signal sounds, storm the gate without delay!”

The Minister of Finance was shaken—three billion wasn’t enough? He thought it over: if they lost the city, the enemy could loot over a billion just by ransacking. No wonder his offer was dismissed. This realization made him sweat all the more. Little did he know that when Kane heard “three billion,” his heart practically leapt with joy. What a windfall from a simple show of force! Mofei had thought that wringing two billion out of them would be enough; by his estimate, even capturing this border stronghold would yield only a few billion, considering the garrison and the population of over three hundred thousand. The Goldstone Empire might have been expected to offer ten or twenty billion at most. But their deep coffers had surprised even Kane.

“General, wait—I was only referring to compensation for the Elven Kingdom. I haven’t yet mentioned compensation for your city.”

“I’m listening,” Kane replied coldly, though his heart was pounding. If not for the hope of squeezing out more, he’d have agreed already.

“Well, our nation is prepared to compensate your city with ten—no, twenty billion gold coins. How does that sound?”

“Now you’re talking sense. I’ll report this to our city lord, but whether he accepts is not for me to say. Wait here for our reply.” Kane turned to leave, barely containing his elation; he wanted nothing more than to shout for joy. Holding it in was almost painful.

“General, does this mean you’ll call off the attack for now?” the Minister of Finance asked anxiously, grabbing Kane’s sleeve.

“Very well.” Kane nodded to another cavalry captain. “Go, order the assault to halt and await further instructions.”

“Thank you, General.” The Minister of Finance wiped his brow and finally relaxed.

With grim faces, Kane and his men left the tent. Once they were out of earshot, they burst into laughter.

“Our city lord is a genius—who’d have thought the Goldstone Empire was this rich? We should pay them another visit whenever we’re short on funds,” one of the captains remarked, perfectly in tune with Mofei’s intentions.

“Another visit? We’d need a pretext for them to offend us again first. It’s not like we can just show up uninvited,” Kane retorted with a laugh. “Come, let’s have a drink. We’ll deal with the rest later. You—go relay my orders. Cease the attack and prepare to withdraw.”

Soon, the army of the City of Death began to retreat. Only then did the defenders atop the city walls dare to raise their heads again. Watching the well-disciplined enemy troops withdraw, the garrison felt utterly drained of any will to fight. At the slightest sign of movement, those dreaded ballistae would unleash massive bolts, killing or terrifying everyone nearby. Now, at last, those terrors were gone, and they were still alive.

As for Kane, once his forces were out of Goldstone territory, he summoned a deputy, handed over command, and instructed him to lead the troops back to the City of Death, while he himself set off with a few guards to report to his young master.

With a small escort, Kane made it back to the City of Death in just five days.

“So soon?” Mofei, along with Vivian and Irene, had been spending every day together lately—Mofei worried the two women might quarrel over him. Upon hearing of Kane’s return, they waited for him at the residence, joined by the Elven Queen herself, who, until the Elven capital was rebuilt, was residing at the city lord’s mansion with her daughter.

“Yes, young master,” Kane replied, taking a drink of water. “They offered three billion gold coins as compensation to the Elven Kingdom—”

“What!” the Elven Queen gasped. So much?

“Yes, and they’ve also agreed to compensate our City of Death with twenty billion gold coins.” Even Mofei leapt up in shock at this.

“The Goldstone Empire lives up to its name—what a staggering sum,” Mofei laughed. “Mother, what do you think?” he asked, looking at the Elven Queen.

“As you say,” she replied, rising to her feet. “The cost has been heavy for both sides. With so few of your own, to secure this much compensation is more than enough. Let it be so.” She left to inform the elders of her decision. With these funds, the Elven Kingdom would no longer have to engage in dangerous trades.

Before long, word swept the continent that the City of Death had forced the wealthiest empire to capitulate with only a single city’s forces. As a result, all manner of factions began sending their representatives to seek alliances.

As these various envoys arrived, all seeking audience with Mofei, he found himself overwhelmed.

“Overwhelmed already, my lord?” Elder Orff chuckled. “There’ll probably be more in the days to come! You have power and resolve—who else would they turn to?”

Indeed, for the sake of a verbal alliance, he had dared to declare war on an empire and forced them to yield. Such capabilities were beyond the reach of any minor faction. It was even rumored that the underground assassin organizations had publicly announced they would no longer accept any contracts targeting the City of Death or its allies, and that any who caused conflict with them by hiding such intentions would be hunted by the entire underworld.

“Let’s wait until everyone’s here. I’ll speak to them all at once. If I had to repeat myself for every new arrival, I’d rather you took over as city lord,” Mofei said with a wry smile. “Also, make sure their movements are strictly controlled.”

“Rest assured, my lord. I’ve already informed every visitor—they’re all staying in the guest building within the city, with guards posted outside. Kane has seen to the arrangements. No one can wander the city at will.”

“Good. I don’t want any troublemakers sneaking in.” Mofei smiled, comforted by the capable elders who managed almost everything for him. He sometimes felt his only real role was to keep everyone connected.

A few days later, certain that no more envoys would be arriving, Mofei announced he would receive them all in the city’s council hall. When the guards informed the envoys, who had been waiting for days in the guest building, they excitedly gathered the treasures they had brought as gifts for the city lord.

Led by the guards, the envoys made their way from the guest building to the council hall.

Mofei sat at the head of the hall, with Irene and Vivian seated obediently at his side.

“Greetings, Lord City Master!” More than fifty people knelt in unison, a sign of their willingness to submit to the City of Death’s authority and fly its banner.

Mofei hadn’t expected them all to kneel, and hurriedly stood up, approaching them. “Please, rise—there’s no such custom here in the City of Death.”

“Everyone up—kneeling etiquette is not our way,” Elder Orff said cheerfully from the side.

Once everyone was standing, Mofei addressed them. “I apologize for keeping you waiting—people have been arriving day by day, so I wanted to wait until all were present before meeting with you.”

This was a motley group, used to all sorts of dealings, yet none had expected Mofei to address them so directly. Their leaders had simply instructed them to pledge allegiance to the City of Death and to accept whatever tribute the city demanded; all they had to do was relay the message.

“So, what brings you all to our city?”

“Lord City Master, my master has sent me to swear allegiance to you. From now on, our Horse Gang will act at your command—”

He was quickly interrupted by another, “Our master says the same: from now on, we await your orders, Lord City Master—”

Chaos broke out in the hall as everyone tried to pledge their loyalty.

Mofei quickly called for order. “There’s no need for such formal allegiance.”

Seeing their surprise, he continued, “Let’s not make things so rigid. I have only one thing to say—take this message to your leaders: from now on, wherever the City of Death goes, I hope you will look after our interests. If anyone threatens us, simply give us a discreet warning, and the City of Death will be your most reliable ally. But if anyone sides with outsiders against us, we will not be merciful. Whether you end up as friends or foes is up to you and your masters. One more thing: the City of Death will not demand tribute from any of you. If we ever take a liking to something of yours, and you’re willing to part with it, we’ll pay a fair price. From now on, we are friends, allies—standing together, who should we fear?”

Mofei’s words struck a chord. Who wanted to be a mountain king, only to have to hand over half—or even more—of their hard-earned gains to another? The message was clear: as long as they looked out for the City of Death and gave discreet warnings in times of trouble, the city would support them against external threats. Where else could one find such a beneficial arrangement?