Secret Talks (II) (33)

The three conditions Oric proposed... left plenty of room for maneuver.

They landed right on the Five Elders' bottom line for compromise—not too excessive, yet far from easy to meet.

First, there was no need to mention releasing Lirisk. Honestly, asking the Five Elders to kill Lirisk now would only put them in a difficult position. There were only so many normal Celestial Dragons left; kill one, and there would be one less.

Second, they could not make a move against Oric within a year.

That was very careful wording.

Oric would undoubtedly make major moves over the next year and needed to operate in secret. Shirahoshi's unexpected exposure had not been part of his plans, and it was the biggest reason he had come here to negotiate.

Lastly, a scholar capable of reading Archaic Script.

If anyone else had said that, it would have been laughable. To seal away ancient forbidden knowledge, the World Government had even sent the Navy's Buster Call to erase Ohara, the archaeological Holy Land of the West Blue, and placed a 75 million Berry bounty on an eight-year-old child. Why would they themselves keep scholars who could read that knowledge?

Yet, considering Ron's earlier use of the word "complete," he understood that the secret the World Government guarded so fiercely had two sides.

They could neither let others discover the truth nor allow themselves to forget it.

These three conditions were like a tourist trap overcharging visitors: there was an unreasonable highest price, and also a lowest price that was practically free to locals.

The exact measure required a psychological contest between both sides, finding the right balance.

But seen that way, Oric had already succeeded!

Ron could tell that the Five Elders had been tempted, Vick included, as long as Oric could offer