Compensation

Baron Stantin narrowed his eyes, inexplicably resembling a venomous snake.

"Your Excellency, any act that insults the reputation of the Ironthorn Family Ironthorn Family be considered a provocation. You are tantamount to starting a war; please consider this carefully!"

In fact, Stantin was being very unreasonable; the Ironthorn Family was in the wrong from the start.

However, at the negotiating table, it's often not about who's right, but who's stronger. Clearly, Baron Stantin was very confident in the Ironthorn Clan's strength and thus issued a provocation for war.

Sometimes, Bai Xiaowen felt he was quite principled; after all, courtesy before force was China tradition. Since Baron Stantin had brought up war first, Bai Xiaowen felt there was no need for him to be polite anymore.

"Nonsense, if you want to fight, then fight!"

Bai Xiaowen said coldly, "It seems I've been silent for too long; some people have already forgotten the terror of the White Stone Army!"

The White Stone Army, the unit responsible for deploying the "biological weapon"—the Super Plague Bane Buster—during the defense of Blackrock City, was the root cause of the Zombie across the Northern Frontier frontier. After the war, rumors circulated, and the unit was somewhat Demon. Baron Dio, who devised and implemented the Umbrella Plan, was seen by many believers in the Light God as nothing more than a devil.

The Ironthorn Family of Blackrock City went to such lengths and used such underhanded methods in order to seize the secret of White Stone City: the formula for manufacturing the Plague Bane.

Of course, Zombie Lure Fluid and Zombie Camouflage Fluid are of great strategic importance in the now Zombie- infested Northern Frontier, and the Ironthorn Family also wants to get their hands on them. In short, the Ironthorn Family wants to find an opportunity to seize the alchemical potion achievements of White Stone City.

Once the annexation plan succeeds, the Ironthorn Family can move freely in the Northern Frontier. Moreover, when the Remnants the Sinlands invade again, they will have even more confidence with the Ultimate Plague Bane in hand, and can use it to bargain with the Empire.

These are all motives that Bai Xiaowen deduced.

Bai Xiaowen's mention of the White Stone Army reminded Baron Stantin of that terrifying army that spread the Zombie virus. Little did he know that the Ultimate Plague Bane only turned "Necrotic Plague Infected" into Zombie, mistakenly believing it would also be effective against healthy people.

"Dio, if you dare to spread the Zombie plague, the Empire will pursue you to the very end!"

Stantin's words sounded somewhat blustering but inwardly cowardly.

"Bullshit! Believe me or not, I'll kill you right now and then declare war on the Ironthorn Clan!" Bai Xiaowen said contemptuously, stepping on the stool.

He couldn't help but sigh. As an outsider, dealing with these pretentious nobles was much more straightforward and pleasant. Wasn't this just to maintain a semblance of aristocratic politeness in front of Cecilia?

"What... exactly do you want?" Stantin's voice trembled slightly. Although he had received an elite Elite Tier education, he had too little experience and had only developed a superficial understanding of things. When it came to the real test, he would still back down.

"Take my conditions and get back to Blackrock City! You must agree to these conditions, or I will do everything I say!"

In response to the Assassination plot by the Ironthorn Clan, Bai Xiaowen listed three compensation conditions.

First, the Ironthorn Family shall compensate White Stone Fief 100,000 gold coins, as well as equivalent amounts of timber, copper, iron, and food resources.

Secondly, the Ironthorn Family will compensate White Stone Fief with 100 professionals in various fields, including blacksmiths and jewelers. Each profession must have a mid-level professional (sub-profession level 4 or above) leading the team, and the remaining slots can be filled by apprentices.

Third, Blackrock City opened its trading district to White Stone City, and permanently exempted it from taxes.

Stantin said incredulously, "Dio, your appetite is too big! The family will never agree to these three conditions!"

"Whether you agree or not is not up to you!" Bai Xiaowen threatened directly. "Go back and tell your old man that if he agrees to my demands, fine. But if he hesitates, the White Stone Army will be at the city gates within three days! I don't mind letting him see my newly developed plague medicine."

Baron Stantin arrived confident, but left feeling unsteady on his feet.

Watching the Ironthorn Family's carriage disappear into the distance, Cecilia laughed and said, "Are you really going to start a war with the Ironthorn Family?"

"You disagree?" Bai Xiaowen asked with a smile.

"I'll listen to you. After all, you are the master of this land." Cecilia's smile was enough to thaw the earth, breathtakingly beautiful. "Even if you ride on the chariot of Hell and wage war against the Light God, I am willing to be at the forefront, shooting blasphemous arrows."

Bai Xiaowen hugged Cecilia and said with emotion, "If I had more time... even just a month, I would dare to lead my army directly into Blackrock City and turn this largest stronghold in the Northern Frontier into my territory! In fact, a week would be enough to truly capture the city. The remaining time is for guarding against the enemy's counterattack and communicating with Prince Nicholas to eliminate the pressure from the upper echelons of the Empire."

Cecilia looked at Bai Xiaowen with shining eyes. What she loved most was Bai Xiaowen's confident and commanding demeanor.

Cecilia had no doubt about Bai Xiaowen's bold statement. "Dio's" military talent had already been proven during the Remnant War.

"It's a pity," Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "I can only stay in this plane for a short time. I've saved up for almost half a year, but I only have five days left. I can't mess everything up and then just leave, leaving you with a mess. So, when it comes to the Ironthorn Family, we should focus on negotiations."

Cecilia nodded slightly. "Actually, of the three conditions you mentioned, if even one-tenth of the second one can be achieved—if a mid-level blacksmith brings an apprentice to White Stone City —I'm confident I can elevate White Stone City's military strength to another level. At that time, even if you're not here, I can guarantee White Stone City's safety from the Ironthorn Family's invasion."

After that, Bai Xiaowen and Cecilia spent all their time together. The two walked the streets of White Stone City, inspecting their territory, and the feeling was especially warm and cozy.

The Ironthorn Family was wary of Bai Xiaowen's plague drug threat (although it didn't exist), but they were unwilling to agree to such harsh conditions. After several rounds of negotiations, the two sides finally cut a large portion of the compensation, which can be considered a settlement.

The final compensation was:

The Ironthorn Family compensated Bai Xiaowen with 30,000 gold coins, as well as timber, copper, iron, and food resources worth 100,000 gold coins—70,000 gold coins were cut from the original 100,000 gold coin demand, which was already an exorbitant amount from Bai Xiaowen. However, to his surprise, the compensation materials were not reduced at all, which allowed Bai Xiaowen to thoroughly mock those misers in front of Cecilia.

The Ironthorn Family sent 42 skilled blacksmiths and other professionals to White Stone City, including two intermediate blacksmiths, two intermediate jewelers, and one novice pastry chef. As for inscription specialists, they were all high-ranking mages working part-time, or at the very least, magic apprentices; the Ironthorn Family was unwilling to provide any of them.

The third condition, regarding tax exemption, was firmly rejected by the Ironthorn Family. They only promised to open a trade zone and not to impose discriminatory taxes on caravans from White Stone City.

Bai Xiaowen felt he had already gotten a great deal from these terms, but outwardly he still appeared dissatisfied, causing Baron Stantin, who was in charge of the signing, to apologize profusely. This is a classic case of a negotiation bloodbath caused by information asymmetry.

After signing the contract, Baron Stantin took Harold and the Silver Thorn Seal, along with Bai Xiaowen's promise not to pursue the matter further. Bai Xiaowen, in turn, accepted Blackrock City's apology. It is foreseeable that White Stone City will enter a period of rapid development.