Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 731 Not so obvious

"Do I have to state the obvious by saying that you might be falling for a trap by attacking them?" Liss furrowed her eyebrows.

"I know, I was just exaggerating," Rain shrugged. "I am just going to tell them to go and eat shit after they say their piece."

"We are going just in case," Asche said. "In case things end in a fight, I can put some arrows on them and claim that they started the fight…"

"Sounds fine to me," Rain said.

"Ah… you two can be so cruel." Liss furrowed her eyebrows.

Before long, they left the town and dashed toward the camp since the sun was about to set… to make things easier for the people there, Rain considered making it rain there for a while and make the enemies endure a very uncomfortable, wet and cold night.

"These fools don't even look strong." Rain frowned.

As the contingent from the magic people arrived for the negotiation of the truce, Rain couldn't recognize any of the individuals in the group. Despite this unfamiliarity, Rain possessed an innate sensitivity to auras, allowing him to perceive the distinct energies emitted by each person present.

Amidst this group, one particular individual's aura stood out remarkably—its strength and resonance eclipsed even Josar's aura. What surprised Rain even more was the fact that this person, who exuded such power, appeared to be scarcely older than Rain himself. He was also similar to Josar…

This discovery left Rain in awe and curiosity, pondering the exceptional abilities and potential of this seemingly young individual among the magic people.

The unexpected revelation of encountering someone with such prodigious aura and capabilities at a seemingly young age intrigued and fascinated Rain, prompting him to contemplate the implications and significance of this encounter in the upcoming negotiations.

"Who the hell are you?" Rain asked when he arrived and realized that the leader of the group was pretty similar to Josar.

"I am Losar, the leader and representative of the magic council," the guy said.

Rain immediately connected the dots… he was Josar's son… and he killed him. As if Rain could trust the truce proposed by such a person. Still, before Rain could get more pissed, Liss put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Asche was already ready to unleash an arrow and kill as many as she could, so they didn't need to have any more reasons to start a fight.

"... We sent letters offering a truce and we confirmed that the people in the city received it, didn't you receive the same letters?" Losar asked.

"... Yes, I did," Rain replied after taking a deep breath. "We didn't know if it was a legit letter, so we decided to ignore it. The mention of a magic pact that we never heard of made us raise our guard as well."

Rain wasn't outright lying; rather, he was delicately framing or stretching the sequence of events, almost to the point of omission, during the negotiation. This selective storytelling allowed him to shape the narrative in a way that suited the current discussion. It wasn't a lie per se, but a strategic approach to presenting the information.

In his own way, Rain was indulging in a kind of playful maneuvering, akin to how diplomats might navigate negotiations. He found a sense of amusement and satisfaction in molding the story to his advantage, strategically omitting details or slightly bending the truth within the boundaries of diplomatic maneuvering.

For Rain, this form of diplomatic playfulness brought a certain level of enjoyment to the otherwise serious and weighty negotiations.

"We want the truce, we know that you also are having a hard time dealing with the dragons, so we don't have time to go at each other," Losar said.

Rain was amazed that the guy could say such things while keeping a straight face. His allies nearby were the same… they were professional morons.

"Stop acting so proud, you morons," Rain thought while trying hard to make his eyebrows not twitch. "Ah… is that so?"

"What do you say about the truce after hearing this and considering the contents of the message that we just sent?" Losar asked.

"I have to deliver the message to the queen and wait for her response, she might take some time to answer since she is a busy person," Rain said after he crossed his arms.

"We will return in two weeks for an response," Losar said.

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"I will return in one month with the answer," Rain said.

In negotiations, Rain was acutely aware that allowing the other side to entirely dictate the terms would undermine his position. Similarly, displaying signs of despair or weakness could lead to concessions that were not in his favor. Therefore, he made a strategic remark, asserting a level of control and confidence in the situation.

His calculated statement was designed to make the other side pause and reconsider their stance. By asserting himself and conveying a sense of assertiveness, Rain aimed to influence the direction of the negotiation and steer it more towards an equitable arrangement rather than a one-sided imposition.

This move served to assert his position without being confrontational, prompting a moment of contemplation from the opposing party.

"... Understood, we will be back in one month," Losar said.

Those guys had balls if anything… they turned around and exposed their backs without any hesitation. Rain, Asche, and Liss waited until they disappeared in the distance and the area got dark before they returned to Teria.

"Wooo… I am surprised," Asche said. "I was expecting that things would end up in a fight, but this was pretty interesting," Asche said.

"Take this." Rain said and then moved his close right hand to Asche.

"Gwa! That hurts!" Rain flicked her forehead when she focused too much on the closed hand.

"Don't pay attention only on the obvious and don't show your intentions clearly all the time," Rain said while frowning. "It seems that you have been relaxing a lot since you have underlings, you were more cautious before."