Isaac POV
Isaac sat on the sofa with a relaxed posture and a small smile.
Vale stood behind him, quiet and attentive.
The room itself wasn’t tense, but the shift in Aurora’s expression made it feel that way.
She entered expecting something simple. However, Isaac’s smile made her uneasy.
"So, I take it you came because of the news about the Sinkhole Worms? I have to say, we really need better neighbours. The Eltari race knew about the Worms, yet they didn’t warn us," Isaac said.
Aurora’s brows creased slightly. "Are you.... thinking about antagonizing them? Don’t. The Eltari might be a low-ranked species without a Lord, but they’re still stronger than anything our cities can field."
Isaac waved his hand lightly. "I’m not planning a war. I’m not interested in spilling innocent blood."
Aurora’s relaxed, almost lazy demeanor was gone.
Her brows stayed furrowed as she leaned closer.
"We don’t have time to waste. How many Verdant Baitseeds do you have? We have a relic that can copy them. If the Florathi who visited you gave you any seeds, then we can work together and handle the Sinkhole Worms."
Isaac kept his expression steady, though he was surprised inwardly.
’She doesn’t know Althea is a Florathi princess, and not a normal Florathi.’
’If she did, she would’ve called her a princess here.’
It wasn’t a huge revelation, but it confirmed Isaac’s earlier assumption.
Overlord Aurora was too from the Florathi’s circle to know about them deeply.
And Isaac was sure the race had multiple princes and princesses, so knowing identities of Princes and Princesses became harder.
He kept his tone calm and said, "Maybe I misunderstood, but why does it sound like you want us to work together?"
"What are you saying? You sent us a letter proposing cooperation," she said.
"That was before the Florathi princess revealed she had Verdant Baitseeds," Isaac replied. "Now we have enough to protect our city. So why should we work together?"
Aurora’s eyes widened for a split second at the words Florathi princess .
She hid the reaction quickly, but the slip was enough to confirm she took it seriously.
No one would lie about someone being royalty. The consequences would be too heavy.
"So you really have enough Verdant Baitseeds?" she asked again, slower this time.
"Yes," Isaac said without hesitation.
In truth, he had only six. All of them were given by Althea. But Aurora had no idea how many seeds he possessed. That gap in knowledge was something he intended to use.
Aurora bit her lower lip. This was going badly for her.
Before she could speak, Isaac continued, "Honestly, even though we have enough for our city, having more is always better as precaution. Also, like I said earlier, I don’t like how the Eltari didn’t warn us. I believe neighbours should help each other. That’s why I’m still willing to help you."
He let the silence stretch before he added, "But since I’m helping you as a good neighbour, shouldn’t you help me too?"
Aurora stayed quiet. She studied him carefully.
Her instincts insisted he was lying. He didn’t have enough seeds. This was just a trick to get access to her relic that copied Verdant Baitseeds for free, and get more benefits.
But logic kept contradicting that thought.
If he truly lacked seeds, he wouldn’t be this relaxed. He wouldn’t have waited until morning for a meeting. The rain would start in five hours. After that, the Sinkhole Worms would go berserk, and it would be chaos across the region.
Yet Isaac sat there calmly, as if they had all day.
Eventually, she asked, "What are your demands?"
"Demands? I don’t have demands," he said lightly.
She took a moment before speaking. "As a neighbour... I want to help you with any issues you’re facing. Is there something you need?"
It was obvious she was adjusting her tone because she had no choice. She didn’t like being maneuvered by someone younger, but they didn’t have time to argue or posture.
In theory, she could have refused entirely.
She could have said she had a contract with the Evil Sword. The promise had been that Evil Sword’s master and Fortified City 50 would protect City 22 while Aurora was weakened from breaking her previous contract.
Sword Empress herself had signed that contract with Aurora.
But the fine print ruined her chances now.
They would only protect her from threats she could handle at full power.
Sinkhole Worms were not one of those threats. Even at her peak, she couldn’t fight them. That meant Sword Empress and Fortified City 50 had no obligation to help. Isaac was her only option.
Isaac began listing what he wanted.
He didn’t ask for anything absurd.
He focused on taxes, reductions in certain categories, specific percentages, import and export adjustments. Nothing outrageous on paper, but each item was clearly chosen with precision.
Aurora’s expression tightened as he continued.
’He knows exactly how much I can give... in too much detail.’
’Did he plant a spy in my city?’
She pushed the thought aside. There wasn’t time to investigate that. And she didn’t know that every detail Isaac mentioned was gathered by Professor Catherine days ago while her clones quietly "protected" the city.
Isaac finished with, "Lastly, I want you to boycott the Eltari race."
Aurora’s face hardened immediately. "What? You want me to boycott them? Boy, I just told you how strong they are. You’re a new Lord. You don’t have the strength to fight them yet. Stop trying to antagonize them. And I’m not bringing their wrath onto myself."
"Yes, I want you to boycott them," Isaac said calmly. "And you don’t need to worry. We can handle the Eltari race. And we can protect you too."
He wasn’t bluffing.
The Eltari were currently tied up defending themselves against monsters pouring down from the Mourning Frost Mountains. Their forces were stretched thin. They had no manpower to attack another city, even if they wanted to.
And Isaac’s own city had no shortage of power. Isaac, Alice, Emily, Vale, Professor Catherine, Sword Empress, Celia, and the new summons from the Summoning Altar. That roster alone made them one of the strongest forces in the region.
Then there were the Champion rankers who could instantly hit Level 50 after drinking Isaac’s life potion. That alone tilted the balance.
His city might be new, but he knew they would not lose to a low-ranked species that didn’t even have a Lord.
Aurorara didn’t share that confidence.
"You will protect us? Fine. Let’s say you can. But what happens after that? If we allow your people into our city, won’t you slowly take over? From what I’m seeing, this looks like a plan to put your people inside my walls and take control from within."
"Overlord Aurora, I’ll say it clearly. I have no interest in taking over your city."
She let out a sharp snort, making it clear she didn’t believe a word.
Isaac ignored the reaction and continued. "I have a Tier 2 City that I haven’t even claimed yet. And I have my own city to develop. Your city has nothing I want. I don’t know why you think you’re protecting something precious, but whatever it is, you can keep it."
Aurorara’s face flushed.
The insult hit harder than she expected.
She opened her mouth to respond, but Isaac didn’t give her the chance.
"The previous governor was like you. He became paranoid that I was going after his position, and that paranoia caused his downfall. If he had left me alone, I never would’ve bothered him," Isaac said.
Aurorara glared at him. She wasn’t used to being spoken to like this. Even if she wasn’t the strongest, she was still an Overlord. People respected that rank. People feared it.
But Isaac wasn’t flinching. The confidence wasn’t arrogance, he simply spoke like someone with numbers, plans, and power to back it all up.
Aurorara held back her irritation. She wasn’t stupid. She knew when to stop pressing.
"Fine," she said at last. "But you will protect us if the Eltari try anything. And this time, you will do your best."
She reached into her spatial ring and pulled out a Contract.
"I’ll be happy to," Isaac said.
Aurorara began writing the terms on the Contract paper. Isaac waited patiently while she wrote everything out. She didn’t add anything strange, only the conditions both sides had already discussed.
Isaac didn’t feel he was being unreasonable. The Eltari had hidden the existence of Sinkhole Worms. Those monsters could have wiped out his entire city. If anything, he was being polite by only demanding a boycott instead of declaring war.
Of course, if he discovered later that "Mother" had manipulated the Eltari or forced them into silence, he would compensate them fairly. But until he had evidence, he wasn’t giving them anything.
Aurorara finished writing, signed her name, and handed the contract to Isaac.
He skimmed it once, confirmed everything was correct, then signed.
The moment he did, the paper floated between them.
It split into countless small fragments that dissolved and sank into their bodies. A faint pulse passed through both of them, signaling that their souls had accepted the binding.
It was done.
"Vale, go with her and bring the relic to Fortified City 50. I’ll head there soon," Isaac said.
"Understood," Vale nodded.
He didn’t ask why Isaac wasn’t coming with them now.
Aurora and Vale left together.
The door closed behind them, and Isaac let out a slow breath.
’I need Sis’s cloning skill now.’
He would spend the next few hours dealing with the Sinkhole Worms. During that time, he wouldn’t be able to process any of the harvest. The delay would slow the city’s growth, and they were already on a tight schedule.
’Alright. Let’s start upgrading everything.’
He took another breath and focused.
’System, share the SSS-rank Talent Fragment with Alice.’