Chapter 186: Covetous Talent (1)
“I, the son of Arcos Frontera, Lloyd Frontera, am honored to be allowed presence with the great and omnipotent sultan.”
The black marble floor. Gold-clad pillars. Unreachable ceiling. Lloyd’s voice rocketed in that expansive space. Lloyd then strode across the sleek marble floor, passed the pillars, and kneeled and bowed his head at the throne elevated by 16 flights of stairs. But Samarkhan Al Ahinsyad didn’t respond to his greeting. He only stared down at Lloyd with a cool and deep gaze.
Is that him?
Sultan Samarkhan’s eyes shook slightly with complication. Lloyd Frontera. He had heard a great deal about him. No, the sultan knew exactly who he was. How could he not? The very Monster Domino operation he had instructed eventually led to the birth of the greatest noble in the Magentano kingdom: Lloyd Frontera.
I thought I could turn the eastern border of Magentano into an irreparable wasteland for at least the next couple of decades.
But he failed. Even though the dozens of fiefdoms were swept away, the smallest one endured and survived, fending off every monster that invaded its territory. Not only that, this fiefdom received tens of thousands of refugees who had lost their homes due to the monsters. And backed by the generous assistance of the Magentano kingdom, the fiefdom then rose to become the hub of reconstruction. Sultan Samarkhan was aware of the man behind such success.
This man was at the epicenter of everything.
Lloyd Frontera. It was because of him. He was the one who defended the Monster Domino. He had turned his fiefdom into the hub of reconstruction by showing many amazing tricks. But that wasn’t the end of his show.
He laid a counterattack to my western border.
The sultan frowned. He couldn’t forget the report to this day. A portion of the monsters that were pushed to the Magentano kingdom came back this way, and the defense guards on the border received considerable damage. The one responsible for it was this man, Lloyd Frontera.
Occasionally, no, I frequently got curious. Without fail, the many reports I received on this subject intrigued me. I wondered how great this man was. Whether his reputation was exaggerated or not. But as I see him now… He is more brazen than I expected.
Just then, he recalled what had happened earlier in the day. A high-ranking official in charge of the palace scurried into the hall and reported the matter.
How dare he abuse my Padashar and resort to such wasteful extravagance.
The sultan was caught off-guard, too. Could it be that this alien had no sense of shame? Or was he just gutsy? Or was this a blatant act of protest? The Padashar symbolized the holistic favor from the sultan, and initially, it was to be used with care in eternal gratitude to the sultan. Or it was to bring the recipient great humiliation, knowing they were being belittled by their enemy.
What is going on inside that man’s head that he dared to act this way? How could he remain calm after being summoned here?
The sultan felt baffled. After observing Lloyd for a while, the sultan finally spoke.
“Lloyd Frontera.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Did you enjoy it?” The sultan asked.
“Your Majesty?”
“I am asking whether you enjoyed rashly using the Padashar to your heart’s content.”
“Why, yes, Your Majesty,” Lloyd said. “Truly and sincerely, I enjoyed it very much.”
“That much…?”
“Long live the sultan! Long live the sultan!”
“…”
Lloyd practically put his head to the ground and yelled aloud, which made the sultan clamp his mouth shut. The sultan had expected Lloyd to feel at least a little embarrassed. It never occurred to him that Lloyd would be so joyful to be under the grace of the sultan.
“How surprising. Are you not afraid that you will now be doubted by Queen Magentano?” asked the sultan.
“By doubt, may I inquire what you mean, Your Majesty?”
“That you are trying to betray your kingdom by earning my favor. You neither rejected nor were unreserved in receiving a favor from an enemy kingdom. No, you didn’t even hesitate to show your joy and gratitude. Are you not worried?”
“No, Your Majesty. I am not.”
“How?”
“For Queen Magentano has spent more money on me than Your Majesty,” stated Lloyd coolly.
“…”
“It is with regret to inform you that the money you have bestowed on me is far lesser than what I received. However, Your Majesty, do not worry. This humble man is eternally grateful for the grace that was generously bestowed on me.”
“Ha! What a brazen-faced fellow you are.”
The sultan burst into laughter at the absurdity of his attitude. But strangely, the sultan didn’t dislike him very much. The reason was simple. The sultan had lived in the center of the palace, so his whole life was surrounded by cunning and sly people trying to butter him up. Countless groveling officials attempted to please him around the clock to earn his favor and grace. They were like a bunch of power-hungry flies, and those two-faced officials always sucked up to him. But what Lloyd just said was not flattery. The sultan could see that clearly enough.
He is truly shameless and strange. How dare he utter such words without any ulterior motive in my presence?
The sultan couldn’t spot an iota of pretense in Lloyd’s words. Everything the man said seemed to come from his genuine heart. That truly amazed the sultan.
“What if I bestow you with more gold and treasure? Are you willing to change the flag you are loyal to?”
Like poking a new toy or mole cricket on the ground, the sultan asked as he twitched his lip. He was excited to hear the other man’s answer. Lloyd didn’t disappoint him.
“Please forgive this humble man for saying this to Your Majesty, the great and omnipotent sultan, but permit me to inquire whether you wish to have a man who changes his allegiance so easily under your command.”
“Ha?”
“I like gold and treasure in all honesty,” went on Lloyd, “Rather than like, I love them. Should Your Majesty guarantee endless riches to me, my heart would waver at the offer, to be honest. However, this humble man is aware that changing my allegiance at the drop of a hat will only work to lose Your Majesty’s trust.”
“Hmm,” mused the sultan. “You wish to change your allegiance, but that will only make me lose my trust in you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Therefore, the flag of temptation that Your Majesty sways right now will be unattainable in this lifetime.”
“Tsk… How cunning you are.”
The sultan then chuckled in amusement. Lloyd Frontera. He was truly a talent the sultan desired to keep. This man managed to put a brake on the sultan’s plans. That was how capable he was. Plus, he was cherished by Queen Magentano. As such, recruiting him would be helpful in many ways.
But if he changes his allegiance for a couple of gold coins… I would be equally disappointed.
Such a chameleon like that couldn’t be used regardless of one’s competence. That was why the sultan tested him out, but it looked like the young man already saw through his intentions.
That is why I want him all the more.
The sultan was pleased. He became greedier. But his covet had to end here. Now, it was time to get to the core of why he had called Lloyd here.
“I see, then I have a question to ask you. I presume you wanted to meet me?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“That is why you used the Padashar to your heart’s content?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd nodded his head. It was true. He had whipped out the Padashar at every store with a plan in mind, and it served a clear purpose. Right now, when the delegation was being ignored so explicitly, Lloyd figured the most efficient way to draw the sultan’s attention was this.
That’s why I didn’t hold back on spending. But it turned out to be much better than I thought. This is why you have to make good friends.
Lloyd recalled the events of a few days ago. Even though he boasted the money to follow his plan, he truly enjoyed doing it. That was his first time spending so much money. Along the way, he learned the important lesson of why people were obsessed with money.
That was the reason why people always said that we’ve got to make good friends. Like how they said that we must be friends with those who try to buy friendship, that we must keep such people on our side for life.
Such friends were helpful in many ways. If possible, such friendships were to be maintained with great passion and care. Case in point, the sultan in front of Lloyd was that kind of friend. Marking that lesson in his heart, Lloyd carefully spoke.
“Please forgive me for saying this, Your Majesty, my actions were my desperate entreaty for Your Majesty, the great and omnipotent sultan, to sit at the negotiation table with us.”
“Me? Negotiate with your delegation?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How so?”
“For the war will bring misfortune to everyone,” said Lloyd, his voice ringing aloud in the air.
The sultan rolled up a corner of his lips. “I do not see it that way.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Why would a war bring misery? I just need to win.”
“In other words, is Your Majesty confident that victory will be yours once the war breaks out against the Magentano kingdom?”
“It is not that,” replied the sultan, his smile deepening.
“There is no such thing as guaranteed victory in this world. I am not foolish enough to believe that. However, what I am confident is that the war against the Magentano kingdom would never be a loss for my kingdom.”
“Could you mean…”
“What a nice expression you are wearing right now. Have you realized my intentions already?”
“Is your plan to shift the panic inside the kingdom to the outside?” theorized Lloyd.
“I knew it. I have a good eye for people.”
“…”
Lloyd clamped his mouth shut. Pushing the internal chaos outside? Overcoming political conflict using a foreign enemy? This was a classic tactic countless rulers had resorted to throughout the earth’s history. Lloyd quickly racked his head.
There must be a conflict in this kingdom. Something chaotic. And he was trying to use a war against Magentano to cover it up or solve it. What could that be? Think. Think. Come on brain, you can do it!
Lloyd searched through his memory, trying to remember the stories in the novel. He went through every buried memory of his. And soon, he was hit with something.
Drought.
It must have been around the time Javier was traversing the sultan’s kingdom in the novel. There was an episode about Javier passing a location suffering from a prolonged drought. The resentful local residents vented to Javier that this place had become unlivable due to drought and everyone was about to perish. Yet the sultan cared nothing about it. All he cared for was the riches of Ahinsya, the capital. That was why they planned on revolting. Bring down the sultan, and open a new era. The powerful emirs in the regions resonated with such sentiment.
Eventually, a large-scale revolt broke out. Then it led to a civil war that lasted for several years.
The civil war ended with the sultan getting defeated. And he jumped off from the top of the spire of the Ahinsya palace enclosed in several layers of protestors. That was what was written in The Knight of Blood and Iron.
In other words, the sultan will risk losing his power if he stays put.
Of course, it could be different from the novel. The event’s exact timeline and scale could change, just like the Namaran incident. But judging by the sultan’s attitude now…
There’s a chance for a revolt. That’s why he isn’t against going to war with the Magentano kingdom. He’s trying to use the war to silence the public’s complaints and shift their attention elsewhere. And the prolonged drought is the main cause of this unrest.
At last, the puzzles pieced together in his head. Wage a war. Conscript men in the regions. The families and elderly would have no power to raise a revolt. All they could hope for is that their sons, husbands, and fathers in the war would return safely. Moreover, the special circumstance, which arose from the war, helped the sultan for the better.
The people wouldn’t be able to express their dissatisfaction, and anybody who grumbled and protested could be framed as traitors and rats who work for the enemy. They’d know that stirring up internal conflict would only make things worse during war times, harming their family members out on the battlefield. Those anxious thoughts and worries would work against their anti-kingdom sentiments.
That’s how the sultan will keep tight control over the people. He’s trying to forcibly unite everyone.
Lloyd nodded as he imagined the scenario in his head, like what intentions the sultan had and what he was faced with. If that was the case… Lloyd thought he could throw bait to the sultan.
“However,” Lloyd said, “I would like to dare say that the drought is not something that can be covered up easily with a war.”
“What…?”
Lloyd’s words made the sultan’s eyebrows twitch. But he had already set how the conversation should take off.
“I ask for your generous forgiveness, Your Majesty, but I cannot bear the thought of Your Majesty in trouble when you have been so kind and generous to this lowly existence.”
“I will be in trouble…?” asked the sultan.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Explain.”
“Your Majesty, consider with your generosity with what I am-”
“Omit the lip service.”
Was it because Lloyd was able to pinpoint so easily that the problem was the drought? The sultan maintained a straight face and wasn’t smiling at all. But this was not so bad. At last, the negotiation table opened up. Sensing so, Lloyd spoke.
“I will be straightforward as Your Majesty ordered of me. I have heard that the Kandahar region is suffering from a prolonged drought. Am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“If I solve the drought that continuously plagues the Kandahar region, will Your Majesty grant my wish and entertain the Magentano delegation?”
“What…?”
The sultan’s beard twitched.
“You can solve the drought?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You can solve a drought that has even dried up the oasis? You can do that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How?”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I cannot answer that until Your Majesty agrees to my terms.”
“How so?” asked the sultan.
Lloyd looked up at last. Attempting to appear extremely polite, wearing the I-don’t-have-a-choice look on his face, making sure that his rich client would not be offended, Lloyd spoke, his voice and eyes wretchedly desperate.
“It is a trade secret.”