Walking slowly along the palace paths, Rex no longer had any interest in admiring the scenery around him. His expression was dark.
He quickened his pace toward his residence, where Jaina was still waiting for news from him. Many obstacles remained before Gilneas could dispatch troops, and whether Dalaran would agree to pay fifty thousand gold coins was still uncertain.
Jaina appeared quite composed. As the princess of Kul Tiras, she carried herself with grace, rather than jumping to her feet and anxiously asking about the outcome the moment Rex appeared.
"Gilneas can send troops, but Dalaran must provide a hundred thousand gold coins to cover military expenses. Deaths and injuries are inevitable on the battlefield, and we need that money to compensate the families of the fallen." After exchanging pleasantries with Jaina, Rex got down to business and immediately made an exorbitant demand: a hundred thousand gold coins, or no troops. Rex was no saint. Fifty thousand gold coins had merely secured his nominal father's agreement, and he had no idea how much he himself would receive. The men who died on the battlefield would be members of the Knights of the Round Table, whom he had painstakingly built up himself. Naturally, he had to secure some benefits for himself.
"Impossible! If we could pay a hundred thousand gold coins, I wouldn't have come to Gilneas!" Jaina flatly rejected him the instant he finished speaking. That last remark slipped out before she could stop it, showing just how deeply the sum had shocked the princess. A hundred thousand gold coins was no small amount. If Dalaran could afford that, why would it come to Gilneas for aid? It could simply hire adventurers. Although adventurers were not regular soldiers, there were plenty of powerful fighters among them. The famous Gray Three Brothers were all of the ninth rank. A hundred thousand gold coins would be enough to recruit an adventurer army more than ten thousand strong.
"As a friend, Rex, please give us terms we can actually accept. There's no need to repeat anything like what you just said." Jaina fixed her beautiful eyes on Rex and leaned forward, her loose mage's robes unable to conceal her shapely figure.
"Ninety thousand gold coins. Absolutely no less." Rex met Jaina's gaze without yielding, lowering his demand slightly.
"That's still too much. Thirty thousand gold coins at most, unless Gilneas sends its Royal Guard." Jaina shook her head gently. Only reinforcements from the Royal Guard would be worth ninety thousand gold coins. Even though she knew little about Gilneas, every kingdom's Royal Guard was the elite of the elite, its most powerful force. That was true of Kul Tiras and Lordaeron, and naturally, Gilneas as well.
"Jaina, you have quite a talent for being a shrewd merchant," Rex remarked pointedly, changing the subject. Looking at her calm expression, he sighed inwardly. To persuade his nominal father to send troops, Rex had dangled a financial incentive before him. As the king of a nation, Genn would hardly be tempted by a paltry sum, so Rex had gritted his teeth and offered fifty thousand gold coins outright. But now that Jaina refused to agree, he could only abandon this opportunity to expand Gilneas's influence. There would be plenty of other opportunities in the future.
Again, Rex was no saint. Without tangible benefits, he could not afford to take the risk. If the Knights of the Round Table suffered heavy losses this time, he would have no gold coins to replenish their ranks.
The discussion reached an impasse. After a long silence, Rex was the first to speak. He stood and told Jaina, "Come to the barracks with me. Let me show you the strength of the Knights of the Round Table."
At the mention of visiting the barracks, Jaina perked up and hurried after him. Outside the residence, servants had already prepared their horses. They mounted and galloped through Gilneas City, leaving it within a quarter of an hour and heading for the Knights of the Round Table's barracks, which Rex had established outside the city. The barracks were not far from Gilneas City. Since Rex had to return home every day and travel back and forth, he was never going to build them in some remote corner of Gilneas.
Rex led Jaina along without obstruction, and every watchtower guard they encountered saluted him. He kept the Knights of the Round Table well hidden, and outsiders were not allowed here. Deep down, Rex also had the showy streak of a homebody. When the order had first been founded, hadn't everyone in Gilneas said it was merely his plaything and would be disbanded sooner or later? Rex had never publicly commented on the matter, but resentment had simmered inside him as he waited for the moment when the Knights of the Round Table would soar to prominence.
It was like that bird—Rex had forgotten which kind. All he remembered was that it had stayed silent for three years, then stunned everyone with a single cry.
That was exactly the effect Rex wanted: to rise to fame in a single day and become known throughout the world.
"Osborne, sound the assembly horn!" The moment Rex entered the barracks, he spotted Osborne hard at work training. He called him over and gave the order.
A clear horn blast rang out. Its deep, resounding notes told every member of the Knights of the Round Table that this was a full assembly. Everyone who belonged to the order had to report, without exception. The scattered knights quickly gathered. Under Jaina's gaze, they appeared one after another and found their places in formation. Within just a few minutes, every member of the Knights of the Round Table present in the barracks had assembled.
The swiftly gathering figures told Jaina at first glance that this was a well-trained force of elite soldiers.
They obeyed orders immediately and without question. Jaina had seen many elite units from Kul Tiras and Lordaeron, and even the Order of the Silver Hand. Yet even by her exacting standards, she had to admit that this army was elite.
They radiated a fierce, formidable air, and a single sweep of her gaze revealed that not one of them was below the third rank in strength.
"Every man in this army is a warrior chosen from a hundred. Even among all of humanity, they stand as a powerful fighting force." At that moment, Rex brimmed with ambition. He had built all of this himself, and a sense of achievement filled his heart. Glancing at Jaina, he continued, "Ninety thousand gold coins. Not one less. Jaina, you can consult Dalaran. Payment doesn't have to be in gold. Gilneas happens to be planning a magic academy. They can send one ninth-rank mage and five eighth-tier mages to serve Gilneas for three years. We won't ask them to fight or kill. They only need to teach."
(End of chapter)
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