Chapter 975 Everything,Right?
It was only after sitting down with the father and son that Leonel finally began to pick out some differences between them. They both had on glasses, both were dressed prim and proper, both had measured and controlled attitudes… it could be said that the only difference between them was that Tyrron's father had a slight greying in his hair, but it was clear that even this was vanishing as he absorbed Force day by day just like how Leonel's grandfather was also continuously getting younger.
"I will be honest, I do not blame the two of you."
The father-son pair were caught off guard. Usually, this would devolve into a game of pressure to see who it was would crack and be forced to speak first. In most cases, whoever spoke first would be seen as the more nervous of the two and thus be on the losing side of the discussion from then on.
But, not only did Leonel not wait, he began to speak almost immediately. It was hard to tell if he was simply not used to such royal etiquette, or if this was a tactic to throw them off.
"At the same time, I also don't have the patience to play these games. I'm on a little bit of a time crunch. I won't be young forever, you know. So, how about I lay things out how I see them?"
Leonel sat comfortably in his seat and continued to smile.
"You two are not my enemies. We just happen to see things differently.
"To you, this is necessary. While you might be a Grand Prime Minister family now, as Earth expands and its territory grows, it's impossible to say that your hold on power will remain the same. The best case is that it dilutes, the worst case is that you're forgotten to the annals of history and washed away along with the other noble families that failed to continue to meet high standards.
"This, however, is also an opportunity for you. You now suddenly have ample room to grow whereas in the past you had already met a ceiling you couldn't break past. So, if a brat like me claims a city with a small bit of merit and then suddenly disappears for three years, it wouldn't be surprising that you would choose to swoop in. After all, there are many things you could say.
"For instance, you could claim that this isn't the White City I claimed. There are practically no parts of the city I once claimed remaining and even a rational person might conclude that this was no longer my city to begin with."
Tyrron's eyes narrowed but he quickly recovered, continuing to listen to Leonel's words without saying anything himself.
"Of course, none of those petty tricks really matter. Ultimately, I am a Prince and this city was claimed for me by virtue of an Imperial Pendant. If you look at things this way, in terms of places on Earth that represent the Imperial family's prestige, the Imperial Capital is number one, and this city may very well be number two.
"However, I'm sure you father and son pair are smart enough to understand this as well, which means you have several other tricks up your sleeve.
"If I were in your shoes, I just might send my butler to receive myself and announce my name and title to those present. Maybe very quickly the reverence the people held for me would take hold and I would walk around the city, suddenly finding that I couldn't take a step without someone looking toward me with a worshipful gaze.
"If that were to happen, I just might get full of myself and believe that I was untouchable. Once I began to believe that, I just might also think that snatching White City away by force was something that the citizens of this City wouldn't fight against and even something they might accept with open arms.
"But, if I did that, I would be walking into a trap, now wouldn't I?"
This time, even Grand Prime Minister Dove couldn't help but narrow his gaze, staring toward Leonel intently. Unlike his son, though, he made no attempt to hide these changes.
"Because if I were you, after I did something so foolish, I would leave silently while allowing the underpinnings of the city I painstakingly built to crumble one by one.
"For example, I might use the contracts I've signed with merchants to manipulate the economy of the city. After all, those contracts were signed with White City, not the Imperial Capital or the Ascension Empire. These merchants might start withdrawing, decreasing the quality of life in this city and shifting it toward Black City instead.
"Once I was finished doing that, those merchants might start demanding lower tax rates as they would have less customers to sell to. How would they be able to protect their profit margins without some help from the me?
"When I thought that problem was finished, I would suddenly realize that the Hunters who came to White City to gain certificates to hunt beasts in the surroundings would suddenly plummet. And why wouldn't they? The merchants would have been forced to lower prices on them and haggle for their goods. At the same time, I would probably have been forced to raise the price of certification just to keep the city afloat. Why would they continue to come here when they could go to Black City instead?
"Then, just when everything seemed as though it was coming crashing down, the nobles you have in your pockets would finally begin to complain. If I lost my temper and used force to suppress them when they had legitimate matters to complain about, I would look like a tyrant, wouldn't I?
"By this point, I would barely be able to sustain the upkeep of the city and the final nail in the coffin would become the people of Terrain. How would I be able to feed and clothe them without money? Without proper care, their residences would deteriorate, resulting in a true slums forming in the city and ultimately causing many to want to move away.
"Just like that, White City would collapse under my rule in give or take six months to a year.
"That's everything, right?"
Leonel continued to smile lightly, observing the father-son pair.