Chapter 626: The Terms
(Planet Juxta, The Holding Cell, Leo’s POV)
On a personal level, Leo really wanted to help his friend Su Yang, however, as a representative of the Cult, he could smell a shit deal when he saw one, and in his opinion, this deal wasn’t something he could accept under its current framework.
"Alright—" he began, as he looked Su Yang square in the eye and let out a deep sigh.
"Since you’re my friend, let me be straight with you. The Su Clan allying with the Cult doesn’t seem that bad... and since the Righteous Faction is our enemy anyway, we don’t mind fighting a war against them.
However, to secure our alliance, you will need to make way more concessions than what you’re offering right now." Leo said, as he glanced at Veyr, who nodded in approval as if he supported Leo no matter what he said, even though he had no idea what was coming next.
"You giving us two planets that you are going to vacate anyway is by no means a good deal for us. Because, regardless of us helping you or not, you’re going to pull out of those planets, and when you do... we can easily capture them ourselves.
Yes, we would perhaps need to shoot some bullets and defeat some local rebels, but it wouldn’t nearly be as dangerous as a full-fledged war against the Righteous Faction."
Leo explained, as his words caused Su Yang’s face to drain of color.
Su Yang had never thought of his offer in this way. He had never once considered the fact that the Cult could simply take over planet Nemo once the Su Clan abandoned it.
As from that perspective, he really had nothing valuable to offer.
"So what do you want?" he asked, as Leo looked him square in the eye and said, "I want the Su Clan to become subservient to the Cult.
I want us to have the same dynamic you had with the Universal Government, where you manage the territories, keep every resource you want, and in return pay us an annual tribute. That’s the price for you to get our help."
Leo laid out, as Su Yang immediately rolled his eyes in rejection.
"Come on, that’s outrageous!"
He said, as he couldn’t believe that Leo would even make such an offer, however, Leo didn’t budge at all.
"Su Yang..... my friend, I’m not making outrageous demands, I’m being very rational here.
We can easily profiteer from this war without coming to the Su Clan’s aid.....
You’re forgetting who needs who here.
Our Cult still has our God.
Your Clan does not.
If you want Soron’s deterrence to save your clan from extinction, then you must accept our demands." Leo reminded, as Su Yang grit his teeth hard.
His pride as the Su Clan’s young master made it difficult for him to easily accept the concept of subservience to the Evil Cult, however, the more he thought about it, the more helpless he felt, as every other avenue of resistance collapsed in his mind one by one, leaving behind nothing but the raw truth that the Su Clan no longer held the high ground in universal negotiations that they once did.
While Su Ren was still alive, their very name was enough to command respect across the universe, but now... with their founding God dead, their enemies were circling like vultures waiting for carrion.
Right now, even though he wanted to argue, to slam his fist on the table and declare that the Su Clan would never kneel, he couldn’t see what good would that pride of his do? If in the end the Su Clan amounted to nothing more than dust scattered across seventy-eight fallen worlds?
’Do we really have no bargaining chips here?’
Su Yang wondered, as the weight of the chains on his hands suddenly felt heavier, as he realized that his choice was not between dignity and surrender, but between survival and extinction.
"I—I don’t know man, I don’t think I have the authority to even accept such a deal, I’ll have to consult my father before I can respond."
Su Yang said, as Leo placed a comforting hand over his shoulders.
"We don’t need the Su Clan to be subservient to us forever..... just 200 years.
200 years to wipe out the animosity that exists between our people, and from then onwards, we can be equal footed allies.
If you trust me, I promise you, I won’t let the Cult mistreat the Su Clan, not while I’m alive atleast—" Leo promised, as Su Yang clenched his own fists tight.
"Leo’s right.... If you do choose to place your trust in us, I too promise in my capacity as Dragon, that I’ll do everything in my power to prove myself a good ally.
The Dragon Army will always answer the war call for the Su name—" Veyr pitched in, as Su Yang alternated his gaze between the two.
On one hand, he knew they were just doing their part and representing their organisation to the best of their abilities.
However, on the other hand, he felt disappointed at how Leo was trying to leverage the Su Clan’s weak negotiating position to the maximum advantage of the Cult.
Having come here, he had hoped that Leo would be swayed by their friendship, and would accept the terms he came prepared with, however, that aspiration had now proven to be nothing more than a fairytale.
In the end, Leo treated the political aspect of today’s deal separate from their friendship, as he negotiated as the Shadow Dragon of the Cult, rather than his teammate from Rodova.
"Well, I’m supposed to place a secure call to my father once I glossed over the terms with you all..... so if I can have a moment of privacy, I’d like to confer with him, before I give you my decision." Su Yang said, as both Leo and Veyr nodded, and stood up from their seats at once.
"Take your time...." Veyr said, before walking out behind Leo, as they allowed Su Yang some time to gather his thoughts, and discuss this once in a millenia arrangement with his father.