Facing a Princess in Exile, How Much More Commission Do You Want?

"Princess Koyuki Kazahana, let's skip the idea of using the Land of Snow's treasure as payment. I require a commission and other forms of compensation."

Xuan Yu's words left both Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama feeling a mix of relief and anxiety.

Being able to keep the treasure of the Land of Snow was certainly ideal; after all, it was precisely because they didn't want that treasure to fall into the hands of Dotō Kazahana that they had spent so many years in exile.

However, if Xuan Yu refused the treasure as payment, they feared they wouldn't have enough liquid capital to cover his commission fee.

For a mercenary of Xuan Yu's caliber, the fee for a mission to restore a nation would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure.

Both Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama understood this reality perfectly well.

After a moment of hesitation, Koyuki Kazahana bit her lip and gathered the courage to ask, "May I ask how much of a commission you require?"

Xuan Yu certainly wanted to ask for a high commission, but he was well aware that Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama had limited financial resources at the moment.

An exiled princess and a former minister of the Land of Snow, while secretly plotting to take revenge and restore their country, would naturally not have much funding on hand.

Xuan Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "I require 100 million ryō as a commission, in addition to taking the Tailed Beast away from the Land of Snow, and the establishment of an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Rain Country as my full compensation."

Upon hearing this, both Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama wore rather strange expressions.

Because of Xuan Yu's three demands, they were currently unable to fulfill a single one.

Seeing their troubled expressions, Xuan Yu immediately understood that even his quote of 100 million ryō was far too much for the two of them.

After sighing inwardly, he spoke again, "You can pay the 100 million ryō commission in two or three installments. As for taking the Tailed Beast, even if you don't agree, I am capable of taking it regardless."

"Dotō Kazahana hired me to capture the Tailed Beast for the Land of Snow's research, not to ensure that it remains in the Land of Snow forever."

"Finally, regarding the alliance between the Land of Snow and the Rain Country, the Land of Snow is geographically remote, while the Rain Country is located in the central region between several major powers. An alliance to exchange resources would be beneficial for the development of both sides."

"What does Your Highness think?"

After Xuan Yu finished speaking, he waited for Koyuki Kazahana to make a decision.

If she didn't agree, things would become quite troublesome.

When he was planning how to maximize his gains from this situation, he hadn't anticipated hitting a roadblock with Koyuki Kazahana.

After all, his mission plan was highly advantageous to both himself and her.

Koyuki Kazahana could exact her revenge and become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, while he could rake in a massive commission through a series of tasks, winning on all fronts.

If things went wrong here, it would be quite frustrating.

Koyuki Kazahana took longer to think this time before finally giving her reply.

"If I can pay the 100 million ryō commission in two or three installments, that is no problem. As for the Tailed Beast, it was never truly the property of the Land of Snow, so it doesn't matter if you take it. However, I cannot easily agree to an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Rain Country."

"If I truly succeed in my revenge and become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, I must be responsible for my subjects."

Koyuki Kazahana felt quite tense as she said this.

They were not on equal footing with Xuan Yu; if she angered him, he could hand them over to Dotō Kazahana at any moment.

But there was no help for it; she could not sell out the entire Land of Snow for her own sake.

If she were to do that, even if she successfully became the Daimyo, she would soon be overthrown.

Koyuki Kazahana's words took Xuan Yu by surprise.

Perhaps it was because of his preconceived notions, as in the later stages of the story, Princess Koyuki Kazahana had already become quite lethargic and resigned.

He hadn't expected that at this stage, the Princess would be not only intelligent but also highly responsible.

For the subjects of the Land of Snow, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

For Xuan Yu, it wasn't a bad thing either; the more capable Koyuki Kazahana was and the more stable her position, the better she would be able to afford his services in the future.

Thinking of this, Xuan Yu patiently explained the current situation of the Ninja World to Koyuki Kazahana and Sandayū Asama.

"The two of you should know that since the First Shinobi World War, major powers have always instigated wars for their own interests. Small nations are either forced to pick a side under the coercion of the major powers or become battlefields for their hegemony, turning into hellscapes of corpses and blood."

"Facing the Five Great Nations, the scale of small nations is too small and their strength too weak. Only by uniting can they protect themselves, develop, and continue to exist with dignity."

"The leadership of the Rain Country has already realized this truth, and I am determined to travel to all small and medium-sized nations to promote a Ninja World alliance led by the Rain Country."

Xuan Yu didn't know if Koyuki Kazahana would be able to make a decision after he put it this way.

If he couldn't settle this with her, he wouldn't be able to proceed to the next step of his mission.

Before Koyuki Kazahana could speak, Sandayū Asama interjected, "During these years in exile, I have actually had similar thoughts. It's just that such a thing has never appeared in the Ninja World, so I didn't know if such an idea was merely wishful thinking."

"However, if the leadership of the Rain Country and you, Master Xuan Yu, are both intent on promoting an alliance of all small and medium-sized nations, then in my view, the Land of Snow should indeed join this Rain Country Alliance."

After Sandayū Asama finished speaking, he looked toward Koyuki Kazahana.

He was, after all, only a minister; whether the Land of Snow should form an alliance with the Rain Country was a decision for Koyuki Kazahana to make, and he could only offer his advice.

After a brief moment of reflection, Koyuki Kazahana also felt that an alliance between the Land of Snow and the Rain Country would likely bring more benefits than drawbacks.

However, she still said cautiously, "If the Rain Country and the Land of Snow form an alliance and both sides fail to develop as expected, can the Land of Snow withdraw from the alliance?"

"Yes," Xuan Yu answered accurately without a moment's hesitation.

He was fully confident that this model would absolutely work.

The Rain Country possessed certain resources and technologies that the Land of Snow might lack, and the reverse was also true.

Under these circumstances, the exchange of resources between both parties would naturally be beneficial to their mutual development.

After receiving an affirmative answer from Xuan Yu, Koyuki Kazahana did not hesitate any further and nodded directly, saying, "Since that is the case, I agree. However, we can only pay you that 100 million ryo commission in at least two installments; the most I can give you this time is 50 million ryo!"

"Can't you give me 60 million ryo first?" Xuan Yu pressed.

He was still 35 million ryo short of breaking the 20,000 threshold for his speed attribute.

As for his spirit attribute, he was still about 20 million ryo away from breaking 10,000.

If he wanted to acquire two more Growth Gift Packs, he needed at least 55 million ryo.

If Koyuki Kazahana could only provide him with a commission of 50 million ryo, he would have to waste time grinding other missions to make up the difference.