Chapter 192: Between Kidnapping and Fishing (2)
Is that what you call fishing?
Lloyd’s never-ending words. The dumbstruck kidnappers. And Javier lightly frowned as he watched what was happening in the warehouse outside through the window…
Did Master Lloyd really predict this would happen?
It appeared so. Then his mind took him back to the event in the afternoon when Lloyd, with an unusually serious look, told him that kidnappers would come that night. So, he was to wait near the room and never take any action until Lloyd was in danger. He was to follow the kidnappers and observe the situation. At Lloyd’s request, Javier asked back how on earth he could predict such a thing. Lloyd didn’t give an answer. He simply flashed a grin and said that it was a hunch.
“…”
Javier’s gaze deepened as he remembered Lloyd’s words. Sometimes—no, often—Javier found himself entranced by his young master. What was happening now was too accurate to be a hunch. Could it be that he had an amazing intuition? Or was he simply intelligent?
No, this feat is far too large for those explanations.
Javier didn’t regard Lloyd as a genius based on his observations. Certainly, his young master was slightly more quick-witted than most others. But there wasn’t any streak of ingenious intelligence in him. And so, Javier posited another possibility.
There might be something I don’t know.
Looking back, it was always the case. It was the case when Lloyd figured out a way to complete the Asrahan Core Technique, which he himself struggled hard to perfect it. The same case when Lloyd predicted the assassination of the queen back in the capital. And when he doubted Cannavaro, the warlock in Namaran.
Sometimes… he feels like someone who’s seen a glimpse of the future or has already experienced it.
Javier knew very well that such a thing was impossible. But still, Lloyd gave off that feeling. It was as if he borrowed a portion of a memory of an omnipotent being. Along those lines, he manifested an intuition that went beyond one’s senses and intelligence. It was the same today.
I should watch over him more.
He couldn’t ascertain anything yet. It was just a gut feeling. Javier stared into the inside of the warehouse with a deepened gaze and observed Lloyd, who was wrapping the kidnappers around his little finger with his words. Thankfully, his endless story was nearing its end.
“That’s why I did it… I felt a strong sense of duty after recognizing the heavy burden on the shoulders of the people here and started drawing water to follow my heart. That is how I came to distribute water to people here. Haah, but I don’t regret it. Even if I could time travel and go back a few days ago and know in advance that I would get kidnapped, I’ll make the same choice.”
“To earn the trust of the people here and finish the construction and bring the sultan to the negotiation table?”
“Oh, I suppose you understood where I was getting at?”
“Of course,” said the man, dumbfounded that Lloyd was surprised. “You’ve been confessing for an hour and a half.”
Lloyd smiled as he looked up. The blond-haired man, who was the leader among the kidnappers, heaved a drawn sigh. He couldn’t help it.
What kind of guy is this?
Dismay pervaded the man’s eyes as he looked at Lloyd. At first, he thought this foreigner was working for the sultan to report everything about this place. The construction was just a pretense to look into the inner workings of the region. That was what he thought Lloyd was. As such, the man was bothered as Lloyd continued to be kind and distribute water. His doubts worsened, and it put him on edge. He was dead certain that this man had something up his sleeve. An ulterior motive of some kind. In the end, he decided to kidnap him. Even if he had to threaten and interrogate him, he would uncover the man’s intentions as well as the sultan’s schemes and objectives. But…
“Let me be frank with you. I have never received such a confession like this,” the man said. “I am torn whether I should compliment you for your elaborate story or say you went overboard. Anyway, I think I know what you are now.”
“What am I?” asked Lloyd, intrigued.
“A man who wants to use us.”
The blond-haired man’s eyes grew stern as he stared at Lloyd. “You. I suppose you already know who we are, right?”
“Yes, of course,” said Lloyd without hiding.
“Can you guess who I am?”
“Certainly, I do. You are Termes, the leader of the rebels.”
“I knew it.” Termes scoffed. “All that sharing of water to people. That was to meet us. Am I right?”
“Yes,” admitted Lloyd, “though it took longer than I expected.”
A smile formed on Lloyd’s mouth. Termes was right. Lloyd did wait for the rebels to show up. He strove to meet them, and this was the best way. There was absolutely no way the residents would answer nicely if Lloyd went up to them and asked where and how he could meet the rebels. Threatening the people wasn’t the answer either. As such, Lloyd resorted to excessive philanthropy for the people here. He went all out, explicitly showing that he was doing something good here. He did the math and figured that the rebels would notice him eventually, that they would grow more doubtful and vigilant against him as they watched him do good deeds every day. And his prediction was spot on.
After all, they thought I was working for the sultan.
It would have looked even stranger for one of the sultan’s men to be doing good deeds for the community. Lloyd capitalized on that and used it as bait. And thankfully, he was able to get kidnapped by the rebel and thereby succeeded in meeting them.
“I was expecting that you would come to meet me last night or today. Well, though, your method was much rougher than I predicted,” said Lloyd as he scoffed and frowned. A corner of his forehead was slightly swollen because of the blow. Termes, the leader of the rebel, looked at Lloyd more stringently.
“How bold of you. We could have knocked you out harder.”
“Such a thing,” said Lloyd, “could happen if I was kidnapped by mountain thieves or robbers who have no sense of morality. They scare and kidnap innocent people.”
“Are you trying to criticize us?”
“No. It hurt a while ago, but I can understand well enough.”
“Then what is it that you want from us?”
Termes’s eyes grew suggestive. Actually, he still had doubts about Lloyd. It was so even after Lloyd shared his entire life story in full detail. Why? Such stories could be fabricated well enough. Anyone could easily come up with a similar lie. That was the reason why he didn’t stop Lloyd when he blabbered. As the story drew out, there was a greater chance for loopholes to be found, and it would be easier for Termes to spot them. But he couldn’t find any loopholes or lies in Lloyd’s story, and that was surprising.
I must figure out what this man is up to.
If this foreigner was indeed working for the sultan and trying to cleanse the rebels, slashing his neck was the best option.
But I should listen to his story first.
Termes decided to listen first before judging. He waited for Lloyd to speak. Lloyd faintly smiled.
“What do I want? Well, it’s simple. Hand over all your hideouts.”
“What…?”
Termes thought he heard him wrong. He never imagined that a kidnapped man with tied hands and feet would make such a preposterous demand. But Lloyd went further, and his brazen voice pierced everyone’s ears.
“It is just as I said. All of you must be using the caves scattered throughout the regions as your hideouts, but I just can’t find them out on my own. So, please share all of them with me,” demanded Lloyd.
“What… Are you out of your mind?”
“No, I’m not. You need to give me those caves to solve the drought that constantly plagues your region.”
“What?”
Termes, who was about to fly into a rage, stopped. Give up the caves? That’s the solution to drought? What gibberish is that?
“Explain…”
“Of course,” said Lloyd with a grin. “As I have told you, I came here after signing a contract with the sultan to build a water facility called Qanat. It’s an underground waterway that can connect the mountain range to this place, traveling about 23 miles.”
“Then why do you need our caves?” Termes demanded to know.
“Because I plan on connecting the caves to build the waterway,” replied Lloyd.
“…”
“I mean it. That’s how I can shorten the construction period. It would equally reduce the time people suffer due to drought. Additionally, the sultan won’t need to go so far as to wage war against us to turn things around for him, which means your neighbors and friends won’t have to be dragged to war, and my hometown, Frontera county, won’t wind up in it either. Everyone will be happy. That is, only if you all kindly give up the caves,” explained Lloyd.
“…”
Everyone was at a loss for words. They couldn’t rashly give an answer or react. The scale of what Lloyd was describing so casually was beyond their expectations and common sense. They had thought Lloyd was insane when he demanded the caves. But now that they listened to his rationale, it made sense somehow.
“Whew, hold on. Let’s summarize for a second,” said Termes as he suppressed dismay. “So, you want to use our hideouts for your project to solve the drought?”
“Yes.”
“To connect them together and build the waterway by drawing water from the mountain range?”
“You’re perfectly right.”
“Ha. But what about us? What’s going to happen to us?”
Termes smirked after a pause.
“Since you know about us already,” Termes went on. “I won’t hide it anymore. You are right. We are rebels against the sultan. We are resentful toward the sultan who does nothing even when our lands are getting destroyed by drought and everyone is in pain. We are ready and resolved to use force to let him know of our sufferings and put an end to this agonizing drought by using the wealth of Ahinsya. That is, even if it means staining our hands with blood.”
Temers paused before continuing to talk.
“So you see, we are rebels. Rebels against the sultan. But what? Give you our hideouts? Then everyone can happily escape the drought? Fine. Let us say that things do go on according to your way. Let us say that the waterway is built. That’s something we will gladly welcome as well. The cause of our pain which provoked us will be gone. But what about afterward? What will happen later when we give out the hideouts for your construction? What will happen to us after losing our safe house?”
A faint hostility appeared in Termes’s eyes as they stared at Lloyd. “Do you think we’ll be safe after we lose them? You are not so innocent to believe that the sultan will forgive us for cooperating with the construction project, right?”
“No, of course not.” Lloyd nodded his head. “It’s obvious he won’t. After all, the sultan is the ruler.”
It was true. The fact was obvious Cooperating in the Qanat construction and giving up their hideouts didn’t guarantee the possibility that the sultan would forgive the rebels. There was no chance it would happen. That kind of happy ending only existed in fairy tales. Lloyd ascertained so without a doubt.
He’s a despot in every sense of the word. Him forgiving the people that schemed rebellion just because they cooperated in his project? No way he’d set such precedence. Never.
The world wasn’t that beautiful. There was no guarantee that cooperation would be awarded. It was the case this time too, and that was why…
Termes, you are reacting exactly the same as I predicted.
Lloyd had seen it coming. He expected that Termes would want to demand what would come after giving up their caves. And so, Lloyd had the answer.
“You can all leave here.”
“What…?”
“What can you do? You’re going to get killed by the sultan, so you’ve got to run.”
“Are you… mocking us?”
Grab! Termes held out his hands and grabbed his collar, looking daggers at him, ready to throw a punch. But Lloyd reacted nonchalantly.
“Mocking you? I am serious now.”
“Then what is with your gibberish? Run? Escape here? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“You can come live in my fiefdom.”
“…”
“Defect,” said Lloyd. “Safely. I’m going to take you all.”
“Come on.” Termes shot him a look in disbelief. “Are you in your right mind?”
“Of course.”
They had no elsewhere to go. That was the case even if they didn’t give up the caves. In the end, they were destined to fail and die miserably.
That happens in the novel. Termes and the people beside him all fail. They get captured by the sultan’s forces and perish at the guillotine. But that becomes a catalyst for the emirs in the regions to rise up. A second coup breaks out, and the sultan finally comes down from his throne.
That was how the story went in the novel. In short, Termes and his men would perish and die amidst the emerging revolution.
I’m offering you a chance to live and solve the drought as a bonus. Moreover, I would also put the sultan at the negotiation table and prevent my fiefdom from getting sucked into a war.
This road was the path that ensured everyone’s happiness. This plan would leave everyone to smile. Could it be that Termes vaguely got an idea of his intentions? Could it be that Termes realized that handing the caves to Lloyd will solve the drought and open up the possibility for everyone’s happiness?
“How can I trust you?” Termes asked, his eyes burning with more passion. And his grip on Lloyd’s collar tightened. “Are you insulting us? Or have you lost your mind? How do you expect us to believe such an outrageous suggestion?”
“Is it,” asked Lloyd, “that you need proof that you can trust me?”
“Absolutely.” Termes’s eyes burned still. “That outrageous suggestion better have proof. Show me proof that I can trust. Or else, I’m going to slice your neck and bury you in the sand.”
“Well, fine then.”
Lloyd shrugged, still caught in Termes’s grip. The latter was growling in anger, and Lloyd understood where he was coming from. He was still distrusting Lloyd. He still believed that Lloyd’s suggestion could be a trick of the sultan. So in order to make sure that he would take up the offer, Lloyd needed a foolproof way to earn his trust. Thankfully, Lloyd had one in mind.
“Then let me ask you one thing,” said Lloyd as he lifted his head, fully taking in the fiery glare of his kidnapper. “Are you free to travel 11 nights and 12 days from today?”
“What…?”
“I need you to fly with me somewhere,” said Lloyd.
“Me? With you?”
“Yes.”
“Go fly with you for 12 days?”
“Yeah, and by then, you’ll have complete trust in me.”
“Where?” asked Termes.
Termes’s question was laden with doubt and confidence that such a thing would never happen. And his stare reflected just as much of his doubt. Receiving the distrustful gaze of Termes, Lloyd grinned. He replied so casually that it sounded like he was suggesting they go to a convenience store or bank to enjoy some air conditioning.
“To Magentano Kingdom. Let’s go meet the queen.”
Therefore, this was a terribly easy matter. What proof in the world was more solid than a grant for asylum issued by the queen herself?