Chapter 106 Fear
Seeing the unrest descend onto the throne room again with the elf's statement, Daneel had to focus in order to not grit his teeth and expose his emotions to the envoys who had their eyes on him.
Inside, he felt indignant. These damn elves had almost definitely caused the problem with the mosquitoes in the first place, and had already benefited greatly for the decades in which they were the sole major supplier of barriers to prevent the problem. It seemed they had gotten used to the riches flowing in, making them use the excuse of the 'monopoly' to force smaller businesses to shut down.
After all, Eldinor was the primary supplier of trinkets which many kingdoms used to sustain their economy.
Daneel considered his options. Of course, due to his emotions, the option that stood out to him most was to cut off the supply completely and look for alternatives.
Yet, he knew that this was not plausible at all. Hundreds of thousands of citizens throughout the capital would have their lives come to a standstill.
After all, these were essential trinkets such as strengthened hammers, cloth stitching apparatuses, land tillers, seed sowers, water transporters and many more.
Seeing these, Daneel had been reminded of 'machines' back on Earth. Here, using the trinkets, farmers could grow crops in vast areas, making the cost of the product low. With the sudden loss of support from trinkets, the pitiful amount of crops a farmer would make using completely manual means would not even earn him enough food to eat. It was akin to the case of a farmer on Earth who grew crops on multiple acres of land using machines such as tractors. If he suddenly had to do everything manually, his life might just be destroyed.
The second option was accepting the hike and looking for alternatives. This also wouldn't work, because the treasury would be emptied before such a time that the need for the import would cease to exist.
Thus, Daneel needed a way to keep the current costs while avoiding a meeting. Eldinor had a bonafide Warrior Mage, thus it would be suicide to accept the meeting at his level.
At this moment, Daneel made the decision to start his first trail for increasing citizen satisfaction.
The day before, the stats shown by the system had been quite shocking.
[Kingdom Management Statistics:
Satisfaction Level: 14%
Dissatisfaction Level: 43%]
These numbers had been nothing like what he had imagined. He had seen the happy smiles on the people, which were definitely not fake. Then why was the satisfaction level so low and the dissatisfaction level so high?
[Satisfaction Level is a compound measurement of factors such as personal safety, occupation and income stability, opportunity for improvement, opportunities for next generation, among other things. In other words, it is a metric of the citizen's satisfaction in living in the kingdom.
Dissatisfaction Level reflects the distrust and hate present in citizens towards their rulers. Each and every thought which curses or complains about the ruling party, be it small or big, contributes towards Dissatisfaction Level. System informs host that there was a steady drop in Dissatisfaction Level since the time of the tool's purchase. Yet, this decrease is gradually slowing in pace. This is indicative of a trend of decrease to a stable level due to some momentous event.]
Of course, that event had been the demise of the previous King, and the promise of justice.
Thus, Daneel had asked Kellor in the morning what the main expense of any bread-earner was. His response, had been the cost of importing materials such as trinkets to enable them to even do their work.
Any nation had to rely on itself for the major part if it wanted to grow in a stable way.
Thus, Daneel decided to find a way to lessen Lanthanor's dependence on Eldinor for trinkets. After all, with the schematic development tool present in the system, he just might have a way to do this effectively.
Seeing the clarity shine in Daneel's eyes, Eldra's smile froze as a bad feeling sprung up in her heart.
Making a cutting motion in the air, Daneel signaled Kellor to silence the room before he opened his mouth while looking straight into Eldra's large eyes.
"Elf of Eldinor, let me ask you a question. Have the experts in your Kingdom analyzed the Honey Trap Solution? If so, what are the skills required in order to make a spell that can produce the solution?"
"Of course! With our naturally high aptitude in magic, we elves are master in the analysis of all magic-related products. A person who can develop such a spell must be at least at the level of an Exalted Warrior Mage in his skills of Energy Manipulation and Insect Biology."
Even using the opportunity to brag a bit about her race, Eldra answered confidently although the gnawing feeling inside slowly grew in intensity. She knew she was missing something, but she just could not figure out what.
Daneel felt happy inwardly as he saw the elf answer as he expected. According to the system's answer to the query he made just moments ago, these were indeed two skills which were needed in order for someone to develop a spell to produce the Honey Trap Solution. Of course, the time and the exact amount of skill needed was something else entirely.
"Very good. Now ask your Queen this: if such a person focused on analyzing the mosquitos and finding a way in order to make them stronger in order to be able to bypass the barriers made by your Kingdom, what would you have to do to maintain your 'monopoly' and sustain your exports?"
This was his crazy idea for a threat. But what was even crazier was the response from the system that this was indeed possible, although the effect on the eco system would be incalculably disastrous. This response actually solidified his plan, making him become completely confident that victory was within his grasp.
Meanwhile, most of the attendees in the room did not have a great understanding about advanced magical concepts, thus they could only puzzle over the question the King had asked.
Yet, Eldra felt as if someone had dropped a mountain over her head, making a storm of fearful thoughts swivel in her mind.
Many dignitaries and ministers had had their eyes on the arrogant Elf with discontented expressions on their faces, but these expressions changed into sudden smiles seeing the abrupt change in the haughty envoy's face.
Her eyes stared into space as she thought of the consequences of what Daneel said. If the mosquitoes somehow grew strong enough to bypass their barriers, then Eldinor would have to start producing stronger ones after scrapping all the barriers already produced for export or in usage by various Kingdoms in the continent. This would mean a massive loss, especially with the fact that Eldinor often produced shipments of barriers months in advance. There was no way to upgrade these trinkets, so all the investment sunk into them would be potentially lost.
This was only the first bomb. Eldra almost staggered where she stood while she heard Daneel speak again.
"Now consider the honey trap solution. If such an evolution of mosquitoes did occur, would the product need to change?"
"N-no.... the solution will simpl....simply be exhausted at a faster pace...."
Her words trailed off into silence as she found herself almost subconsciously answering the question. This was because all she could do right now was see the gargantuan hole which her Kingdom would fall into if what the King was saying came true.
"Oh! God forbid that man doesn't feel offended for being summoned and angrily decides to do this instead... I think you better ask your Queen if she still wants to meet him and hike the price if he doesn't show up."
As if being given a breath of fresh air when drowning, Eldra hurriedly snapped to attention from the abyss of shock and fear she had fallen into. Closing her eyes, the blades on her earlobes started shining with a faint glow while she seemed to start communicating with someone.
For the watching ministers and dignitaries, this was definitely one of the most satisfying shows they had ever seen in their lives. They had all felt anger and resentment at the Elf's arrogant voice and rage-inducing sneer while she stated her demands. Now, seeing her so startled and afraid, they all smiled widely while feeling as if someone had just fed them a full meal after making them starve for years.
"Oh, and one last thing. Also ask your Queen what the man may find if he, say, focused on investigating the origin of the whole problem in the first place. If there was some proof that someone instigated the whole thing, wouldn't the whole continent turn against the culprit for dabbling in the eco-system while looking for monetary profits? I wouldn't wish that even on my sworn enemies. Actually, I pity those who might find themselves in such a situation."
Shaking his head, the King of Lanthanor let out a mock sigh while an expression of sarcastic worry appeared on his face.
The Elf's closed eyes snapped open as she heard Daneel speak again. This time, outright terror appeared on her face making her close them again tight and hasten the conversation she was having.
This was the last push. After a few moments in which the others in the room tried hard not to cheer and shout with glee seeing the complete 180 in behavior, Eldra opened her eyes and hurriedly started backing away while saying, "King Daneel, it was all a misunderstanding. As of this moment, we have nothing against the inventive person who made the solution. In fact, we would love to collaborate with him if possible, and we send him our warmest regards. As for the hike, Lanthanor is an old ally, and we have decided to decrease the cost on all exports by 10% in honor of your ascension as King. We only trust that, God forbid, the man isn't instigated into doing something that might be disastrous for both parties. I apologize, but I must take my leave now. Something urgent has come up in my Kingdom."
All of these words were said by the Elf as she scurried backward in the central passageway. By the time the last word exited her mouth, she was out of the doors which had been opened on Daneel's command to the system.
For a few seconds, the throne room was silent, still in awe at the incredible sight they had just seen. An Elf of Eldinor who only stated demands in Lanthanor had now been made to practically run away with just a few words?!
Many even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had really seen true.
Yet, the envoy's chair was empty and the doors were opened.
As they realized one by one that it wasn't a dream, the throne room erupted into chaos again, with voices and shouts echoing around just like before.
Only this time, the chaos was born from joy, elation, and ecstasy, while a triumphant smile spread across Daneel's face as he relaxed the fists he had closed tight without even realizing it himself.