Chapter 90: Negotiations (Part 1)

Sinuoli's heart skipped a beat, and Lailun, who was in the middle of loading his firearm, also looked up at the sound. It turned out to be Makusi leading two waiters inside.

The waiters served two wooden platters piled high with roasted meat and a barrel of ale. Seeing the gun in Lailun's hand and the atmosphere in the private room, which was thick with the scent of gunpowder, the two waiters felt a bit nervous.

"Bring our Human friend a sample for testing!" Sinuoli ordered. Tomi agreed and took a steel plate out of his bag.

"Standard-issue Plate Armor steel!" Sinuoli flicked it with his middle finger, and the steel plate emitted a dull "thud!" sound. Afterward, Sinuoli handed it to Lailun.

"Hmm, it is indeed good steel!" Lailun flexed it and had the guard behind him hang the steel plate on the wall of the private room.

"Makusi, you try it!" Saying this, he handed the loaded Thunder Gun to the Human who had just returned.

By the light of the oil lamp in the room, Sinuoli saw that this Human was dressed in hunting gear; he was likely a marksman of hunter origin.

Makusi took the gun, made a slight adjustment, raised his hand, and squinted his eyes. As he pulled the trigger, there was a "bang!" and the bullet struck the center of the steel plate.

The Human guard took the steel plate down and handed it back to Lailun. Looking at the bullet hole on it, Makusi and Lailun nodded slightly to each other.

"Come, come! Let's eat and talk; if the roasted meat gets cold, the taste won't be so great anymore!" Lailun gestured for them to begin, and both of their guards sat down as well.

Sinuoli agreed with this; business could be discussed at any time, but one must not miss a meal.

After three rounds of drinks, they returned to the main topic.

"Respected elder, you have also noticed my situation; the Border Prince Territory is truly not a wealthy place," Knight Lailun began.

"I have some understanding of that," Sinuoli nodded and said. "That place is very complex in terms of both politics and natural environment; it can be considered a treasure trove for gold diggers." Sinuoli took up the conversation, but he did not follow along completely.

"This vast wilderness has numerous small Human kingdoms, which were established by ambitious adventurers attempting to possess their own power. However, many times, these adventurers are usually political or religious refugees from places like the Empire, Bretonnia, and Kislev," Lailun added by way of introduction.

"I established a territory named Skalitz, and I have about a thousand people under my command," Lailun began to talk about himself.

"That is quite good. Should I call you Grand Duke Lailun?" Sinuoli joked.

He knew that local rulers who possessed sovereignty in these lands were collectively known as Border Princes, and this land was named accordingly.

Every prince would rule a small kingdom, and this kingdom would have an overly exaggerated ducal title, but in regions with a higher level of civilization such as Bretonnia, this kingdom would usually struggle to be called a knight's fief.

Considering that the largest settlements in this region would only be considered small towns in other parts of the Old World, the strength of the Knight Lailun before him could be considered that of a local magnate in this area.

"A tiny piece of land, not enough to boast about in front of the vast Qunshan," Knight Lailun said modestly, which gave Sinuoli a good impression of him, because according to the descriptions of his kin, most Border Princes were arrogant fellows.

"The Border Prince Territory is full of danger. War, plague, and famine killed many residents before our time. However, it doesn't end there," Knight Lailun said, his eyes turning a bit red.

"In that place, there is almost never a day of peace between the Border Princes! The wars between them are very intense because the stakes are small. A prince who has lost his duchy might obtain a new one after a few lucky battles or a lucky assassination," Lailun said while gnawing on a meat chop.

"Therefore, many lords there believe that it is worth any price to seize more power or money. In this region, cautious stalemates and careful peace are very rare. This makes life here blood-boiling and extremely restless."

Among Humans, Lailun must be considered the eloquent type; his long speech was reasonable and well-founded.

"But this is for those in power; for the common people, there is only endless suffering! However, I want to change all of this!" Knight Lailun's tone grew high-pitched.

Sinuoli noticed that his few followers were very much in agreement with their boss's ideas, and their expressions were not the usual numbness, but rather had the glow of faith.

"So? That doesn't change the fact that our Thunder Guns are in very short supply right now!" Sinuoli continued to play the role of a merchant well.

"Here, in Karak-Hern, as long as Lord Alike is in charge, there will be no firearms for sale for a single day," Sinuoli began his analysis.

"Let me think, other places you could go to include Karak-Copper Mountain, but the firearms produced there might not even be enough for their own use."

"Who says we must buy your Dwarf firearms?" Makusi, the hunter sitting next to Knight Lailun, shouted.

"I heard Nuln is the City of Guns and Fire; it is only separated from our Skalitz territory by one Black Fire Pass!"

"Makusi, shut up!" Seeing that his follower was about to continue, Knight Lailun stopped him.

"This warrior is right, but Nuln is currently unable to save itself," Sinuoli took a sip of beer to moisten his throat.

"Ever since that pig Dieter IV gave up defense and retreated directly, this great city of Nuln has been wantonly ravaged by the Greenskin Waaagh!; to call it a ruin now is almost an insult to the erosion they left behind!" Sinuoli recounted the news he knew.

"When our caravan set out, a team of craftsmen had just set out from Everpeak to help Nuln rebuild. The Imperial Gunnery School optimistically estimates it will take two or three years to resume production; if you want the output to exceed the Empire's demand and have a surplus for export, I'm afraid it will take five years or more!"

Hearing these words, Makusi opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.

"You also know that although firearms are a bit more expensive, as long as they undergo one or two months of training, original farmers can become qualified gunners, but if you want to train archers, without three or five years, they will only end up sticking arrows into their own feet!" Sinuoli imitated the tone of the elders and said in a gruff voice.

This had been proven by countless people, and the Humans opposite had no way to refute it.

"Firearms also perform much better than bows when dealing with heavy armor units; although there aren't many guys in your place who can afford Plate Armor, there are quite a few monsters in that savage land!"

Thanks to He Mou for the tip, asking for votes and collections, haha.