Shaina clearly remembered what Tree Elder had whispered to her before leaving.
If things become impossible, don't hesitate. Ask Lord Black Earl for help.
Tree Elder had not thought anything would happen to their side, but he had left them a way out just in case. Who would have thought they would actually need it now?
With Tree Elder's group in danger of being swept up in one net by the man in the suit, Shaina knew she had to decide.
She asked Black Earl for help and named the price her side would pay: if he lent a hand, they would accept his first proposal.
In any negotiation, the opening proposal was a way for both sides to test each other. Such proposals were often wildly unreasonable, with demands far beyond the norm.
This negotiation had been no different.
On how to divide the Garden Maze ruins, Black Earl's first proposal had been that all proceeds from the Garden Maze must be reviewed by the Noah Family.
Black Earl had not directly demanded a share of the proceeds, but his proposal would undermine the Bilos Family's control over the Garden Maze. He would, in effect, take away the fruits of all their years of work there.
Tree Elder, who represented their side in the negotiations, had rejected it at once.
Black Earl had said nothing more. His first proposal had been meant to seize the initiative, not to be accepted. Its rejection was only natural.
Black Earl had no intention of overthrowing the Bilos Family. After all, what they had done over the years had benefited the Underground Waterway. If they continued without outside interference, the Wise Sovereign and those slumbering old monsters would have little reason to abandon Abyss City anytime soon.
In a sense, keeping those old