Chrysalis Chapter 1774 - What Price?

“What do you want?”

Leaning once more against the rails, Merchant had her doubts, yet she sensed that the magnificent city might not shine as brilliantly as it had yesterday. Maybe the Soul Silver and Heart Gold had lost some of their shine, possibly due to the shifting light.

Or perhaps the city was already theirs for the taking, without her needing to step off the ship. Naturally, she hadn't truly earned this victory, as she well understood. Her family had dealt her an unbeatable set of cards; all she needed was to lay them out.

“I warned you negotiation wouldn't be necessary,” Merchant laughed. “They won't allow it, not for a matter this grave.”

The subtle hardening of Ms Wynn’s face provided all the proof Merchant required. She snapped her mandibles in a sharp, rapid beat, chuckling inwardly.

“The Child Emperor invites you to the court as a honored visitor,” Georgia Wynn announced, pulling a golden, radiant envelope from her pocket.

“No thanks needed,” Merchant replied, raising a leg. “I refuse it.”

“What?” Ms Wynn exclaimed in shock. “Refusing the Child Emperor’s personal summons is impossible!”

“I can, and I have.”

Diplomatic fallout be cursed, no ant would set foot in that city. They were fully aware of their actions.

“This carries… repercussions,” Georgia warned, her face etched with concern. “No threats intended, but the court reacts poorly to insults, real or imagined.”

“Nor do we tolerate our kin turned into experience fodder for the court to sip like a starter drink,” Merchant retorted sharply.

Georgia blinked, then grinned.

“Politeness was merely a thin facade, it seems.”

“Hey, no skin on me, just carapace,” Merchant shot back, patting her back, “and it’s mighty tough, thanks.”

“Indeed it is,” Georgia agreed with a brief bow. She advanced and rested against the railing too, gazing across the waves to her hometown city.

She let out a sigh.

“What do you truly desire? The Atreum Empire lies within your… Jaws?”

“Mandibles.”

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“Within your mandibles at present. The Child Emperor’s beloved mentor teeters on the edge of death. A precise dose of your miraculous elixir pulled him back last night, yet he requires far more to pull through.”

“Does that mentor even want to live on?”

“I… I’m unsure. With that old fellow, anything’s possible.”

If only her own mentor would accept it. Was it sinful… to crave extra years? Additional moments? Was it?

“You’ve kindly exposed their vulnerability, so I’ll share ours in return. No interest in coin, cores, rare metals, sweet deals, reduced duties, prime docking spots, or sole storage access—”

“Yet it seems you crave exactly those,” Georgia smirked.

“Ahem. True, I desire them, but they’re not the Colony’s true aim or necessity. I’ll extract a massive fortune from the Child Emperor, make no mistake, though it’s just a tool for our goal.”

“Not quite grasping it.”

“Currently, the Colony alone produces this amazing remedy,” Merchant explained.

“But… it doesn’t have to remain so,” Georgia realized, insight dawning in her gaze. “You plan to set a price so steep that fetching it themselves from below costs less.”

“True diplomacy flows through commerce and markets,” Merchant mused dreamily. “Like water cascading downhill, it follows the route of greatest gain, inevitably.”

“You’ve truly devised a scheme to render invading the fifth lucrative,” Georgia murmured, her sharp merchant intellect leaping forward, visions of tomorrow crystallizing.

Just like Merchant, she envisioned the sequence of events. News of this wondrous elixir, a lifespan-prolonging nectar unique to the fifth, would spread far. Kingdoms, cities, Empires—all would covet it. They’d attempt purchases first. When prices soared too high… their only choice? Harvest it personally.

Though the Colony ignited the purge of the fifth, completing it solo was beyond them; centuries would pass to claim such vast lands. Rather, they’d cleverly rallied Pangera’s masses to conclude the conflict for them.

“We’ve claimed a vast expanse below already, assuming we hold it,” Merchant noted. “You’ll never fathom the losses we’ve borne or the toil invested to reach here. The quicker we ignite others’ urgency, the sooner they descend to aid my siblings.”

She delved into her pack again, extracting two items. First, a modestly sized core emitting a soft, soothing blue glow. Second, a leather-bound dossier with scarcely a few dozen sheets.

“Here’s a wuffer core—the beast we crafted to transform tainted mana into pure mana,” Merchant stated, passing it to Georgia, who accepted it with awe. “And this holds select key blueprints: mana conduits, inlets, wuffer setups for refinement, and similar designs.”

“You… wish me to market these?”

“Precisely,” Merchant affirmed. “Sell once invasion hunger stirs.”

“And… what returns do you seek for them?”

Merchant removed her spectacles, buffed them swiftly on her robe, then donned them anew.

“I’d say… tax waivers, unique storage privileges, favored berthing rights, and heaps of gold. Mountains of it.”

“Twenty percent cut.”

“Twenty?” Merchant yelped, then yielded. “Alright. Twenty percent.”

Georgia chafed her palms eagerly. Immense profits awaited.