Arc II - Agrarian Revolution

Chapter 14 - He Was Right

1 month and 19 days since the summoning

Alan and Kamelia sat in the small throne room at the very same table. After waiting for nearly half an hour, the door finally opened.

Tsinker.

He entered with his usual mechanical movements, closed the door neatly, and walked to the table. "Greetings, Lady Armenas, Master Gothwald," he said in his typical flat, monotonous voice, without so much as a bow.

Kamelia simply nodded. "Greetings, Lord Utew. Please, sit."

Tsinker pulled back a chair and sat, placing his hands on the table. "I shall begin with the most important matter. The filter works excellently. I tested it upon a small village, and within a week, the peasants began to feel better. It is functional, and I believe you, Lord Gothwald." He turned his vacant eyes toward Kamelia. "Since Her Ladyship is present, and Lord Gothwald appears entirely at ease, it must mean the Countess is already aware of everything, and there is no purpose in concealing matters further. Is that correct?"

Alan snorted. "Predictable as ever. Yeah, we can speak freely." He adjusted the collar of his doublet. "Basically, we agree to all of the deals, but first, we've got... a request."

Utew slightly raised an eyebrow. "A request? A request implies the performance of an action without compensation," he observed.

Kamelia remained silent, her face calm, allowing Alan to do the talking.

Gothwald leaned forward slightly. "Exactly, because it's actually useful to you, too. Didn't you want to see what I call the agricultural revolution? Well, we can't do it without this. We need seeds, a lot of seeds, and we want to strike a deal with Count Bannaho."

"Why then do you..." He cut himself off. "Ah, yes. If my memory serves me, Count Bannaho harbors rather unfavorable feelings toward women, which is why you are asking this of me. I understand. But with what do you intend to purchase these seeds? Lady Armenas's domain is in a deplorable state."

Alan crossed his arms. "We aren't planning to give him anything material. We're going to share some intellectual property with him."

The nobleman said nothing, merely tilting his head slightly to the side.

"The plague must be on the Count's territory right now, correct?" Alan asked.

Tsinker nodded slowly. "Yes. A week ago, it was a nightmare, though it has improved slightly now."

"Exactly," Alan said. "The point is, the disease is there. And we'll sell him the knowledge of how to fight it and build filters, and in exchange, we'll ask for seeds."

Utew remained silent for a few seconds, then looked back at Alan with his dark eyes. "And do you not fear Duke Gobano?"

Alan narrowed his eyes. "What other..." but immediately froze.

'Duke Gobano... Kamelia is his vassal. The guy who executed some baron for trading with the Tontopi duchy... shiiiiit...'

The Countess beside him also froze. "The Duke... how could I have forgotten... If he finds out, it will surely cost us all our heads."

"My point precisely," Tsinker said. "Have you heard the latest news from his court?"

Kamelia shook her head. "No... there has been too much to attend to here. What has occurred?"

Tsinker steepled his fingers. "Rumors have spread that Lord Gobano is cooperating with the pirates. Following this, he grew even more savage; already three noblemen have been executed for vague reasons. He is on edge."

Alan froze once more.

'Cooperating with the pirates... Yes! YES, FUCK YES! I literally said this back at the very beginning!'

Kamelia simply stared at Alan with wide eyes, her look conveying everything without a single word.

"Why do you react in this manner?" Tsinker asked. "Ordinarily, people would begin to lie at this point, but I strongly request that you do not."

Alan swallowed and looked back at Tsinker. "Ah... right. When I first arrived in this world, and Kamelia first told me about the pirates and Gobano... I guessed that the Duke was in league with them."

The nobleman blinked, then leaned in slightly closer. "And on what basis did you reach such a conclusion?"

"On the basis that pirates can't attack the duchy's coast and seize territories for years unless someone at the top is covering for them. Gobano is old, and he's terrified of losing his grip on power. So, he lets the pirates attack just so he can still seem relevant to his vassals... and he probably takes a cut of the loot, too."

Tsinker remained silent for a minute, staring straight into Alan's soul. "Impressive. Most impressive." His lips curved slightly, so minutely that it could only be seen under a microscope, into a small smile. "It appears I have slightly underestimated you, Master Gothwald."

Alan turned pale as death.

'Did I just imagine it, or did this psycho actually smile?! Fuck, that is creepy!'

Kamelia, who didn't fully understand what psychopaths were the way Alan did, simply swallowed hard at the sight of that unnatural smile.

Tsinker had long since hidden his "smile" and straightened up slightly. "I value your intellect and honesty, so in return, I shall tell you something as well. Why do you think I have resolved to eliminate my entire family at this particular moment?"

Alan and Kamelia froze.

'Here you go again... talking about it like... ugh... screw it, I'm just going to have to get used to this. Monster.'

"And why is that?" Alan asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Tsinker gestured slightly with his palm toward Alan. "Try to guess."

Alan narrowed his eyes. "Are you making me think about this on purpose, you bastard? Do you get off on this?"

Under the table, Kamelia kicked Alan, but he didn't react.

Tsinker's face remained absolutely calm. "I would not say I take pleasure in your thoughts regarding the demise of my family. Rather, I wish to ensure that your line of reasoning is not merely a stroke of luck. Try to guess why I have decided at this very moment to... assume my father's position, if that makes it simpler for you. Demonstrate that your ability to think is not just fortune, nor a hastily fabricated deception designed to impress me."

Alan leaned forward slightly. "You're a fucking lunatic! How the hell am I supposed to know what's going on in your head?!"

Kamelia now openly grabbed Alan's sleeve and pulled him back into his chair.

Tsinker remained stone-faced. "Believe me, my motives in this situation are entirely logical from a political standpoint. Any younger heir in the same position, possessing no morality, would act in this manner."

Alan sat back down, his lips pressed thin. He caught Kamelia by her wrist and gently removed her hand from his sleeve. Kamelia returned her hand to her lap, quietly watching the two of them.

Gothwald took a deep breath.

'Okay... fine, let's think. This motherfucker isn't going to let me off the hook that easily. So, his motives are logical, just completely devoid of morals... I'll start with the basics: a fish rots from the head down. The old Duke is clinging to power with his teeth, letting the pirates attack and all that... but let's not forget that people aren't stupid. The vassals must have realized the pirates are just an excuse. Kamelia doesn't understand politics, but the others... they had to have known. And I get it now; it's not that hard if you actually use some critical thinking. If the vassals see the Duke is losing his mind, what are they gonna do? Plot against him to overthrow him, of course. But they need a pretext... even savages need an excuse to start a full-blown civil war or at least an uprising. The Duke once executed a baron for trading withTontopi... and I'm sure there were plenty of incidents like that. And only now have rumors started spreading about Gobano cooperating with the pirates... If everyone already knew, why did the rumors only pop up now? Unless... unless the aristocracy is laying the groundwork for an overthrow... That's probably it. And what does an overthrow mean? New power, a new ruler, maybe new laws... and plenty of opportunities to get things done under the table during the chaos...'

His breath caught for a second.

'An upcoming rebellion is the perfect opportunity to commit crimes that'll just get brushed under the rug... and it's even better if you're backing one of the potential new dukes!'

He looked up sharply at Tsinker. "Tell me... are you backing someone from the high aristocracy in the duchy?"

That same near-smile reappeared on the nobleman's face. "Yes..."

Alan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "...A rebellion is coming. You're backing someone who is highly likely to become the new duke. Under the cover of the uprising, you'll kill your entire family and become the baron. And once your backer takes power..." He opened his eyes. "He'll simply write it all off as a tragic accident in your favor."

Tsinker remained silent for a few seconds. Then, he leaned back in his chair and slowly, very slowly, began to clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Finally, the applause ceased, and Tsinker placed his hands back on the table. "When do you plan to meet with Bannaho?"

Alan and Kamelia blinked in unison.

"What?" Kamelia asked.

"When do you plan to meet with Bannaho?" he repeated flatly. "I shall establish contact with him, and furthermore, I shall attend in person."

Alan frowned. "You? In person? With me? Why's that?"

He shrugged. "Let us be honest, you are a terrible negotiator, Alan," he said, using his name for the first time. "Therefore, leave that part entirely to me."

Alan pressed his lips together but said nothing.

'He... fine, he's right. My negotiation skills are pretty garbage.'

"You still have not mentioned what you expect in return," Kamelia said, narrowing her eyes.

"I have already obtained what I desire. I have confirmed my belief that Alan is quite intelligent, and that we shall work well together. If you do not secure your seeds, then the agricultural revolution, of which I have become a part, shall also fail. That is how matters stand."

Alan leaned back in his chair, staring into Tsinker's eyes for a minute, though it felt like staring into an abyss. "Preferably as quickly and quietly as possible. Can you arrange that?"

Tsinker immediately nodded. "Yes. I shall dispatch a messenger to you as soon as I secure a meeting. Thereafter, we shall meet in the village of Gormeln."

"And why Gormeln?" Alan asked.

Kamelia intervened. "It is closest to the Utew barony."

Alan nodded. "Alright. Then we have a deal."

A minute later, Kamelia and Alan were left alone as Tsinker departed. A silence stretched for nearly two minutes.

Kamelia slowly turned to Alan. "Well, you certainly... alright, okay... I believe we are making minor progress."

Alan rested his chin on the table. "Yeah... definitely. Well, since we have a minute, what's the deal with the recommendations to the barons and spreading those edible plants?"

The Countess leaned back in her chair, her arms hanging limply. "Precisely as you anticipated. Every single one of them was ignored."

Alan snorted humorlessly. "Figures. What about the mayonnaise and the plants on your lands?"

"Ours," she corrected. "As for that... it is far better. Judging by the heralds' reports, they are absolutely delighted with your mayonnaise. At first, of course, they turned up their noses, claiming we were wasting food, but we managed to explain that eggs are eggs even in this form, and far tastier at that. Furthermore, I have officially permitted foraging in the forests for this year, so... our lands shall survive this winter."

Alan closed his eyes. "Seriously... is something actually going right for once?"

'Hm... our lands... Kamelia, Kamelia... to be honest, I barely recognize you anymore... but maybe that's for the best. Overall, things are going pretty well so far... even the advisors are walking around happy because they married Kamelia off. Now all that's left is to wait... It seems like everything that needed to be done has been done. Can I actually get a little rest? Or is there something else?'

"Alan," Kamelia interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm?" he answered without raising his head.

The Countess sat with her arms crossed, looking out the window. "Do you remember... when we spoke of your acceptance of Svyatolism?"

Gothwald's shoulders tensed slightly. "Yeah, what about it?"

She remained silent for a few seconds, then turned to him. "You do not have toaccept it, if you... do not wish to."

Alan froze for a second. "Won't that cause trouble?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps we can devise some other way... but perhaps you believe in your own gods, and I do not wish to force you to believe in mine."

He finally sat up. "Ah, that... how can I put this... I don't believe in any gods."

Kamelia tilted her head back. "What do you mean... you do not believe? At all?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well... it's not that I completely don't believe... In my world, people like me are called agnostics."

"What is that?"

"Simply put, people who don't believe in gods, but don't deny their existence either."

The Countess frowned, thinking for a few seconds. "How... is that even possible? Heretics do not believe, the faithful believe, and you are... somewhere in between?" She scratched her forehead. "I... do not comprehend your thought. How can such a thing be?"

Alan chuckled and turned fully toward her. "There are a lot of people like that in my world. I won't start lecturing you, but... how can I put it simpler... take dragons, for example, the ones you mentioned. I've never personally seen one, but people say they exist. I can't prove they exist, but I also can't prove they don't, because I simply haven't seen them. Yet they might exist, since people talk about them. Does that make more sense?"

Kamelia fell silent for about a minute, then slowly nodded. "I understand... yet I do not understand. How can one..." She waved her hand. "Very well, I truly cannot comprehend this, to be honest. You come from an extraordinarily bizarre
world, have I mentioned that?" He smiled slightly. "More than once... hah, to you, agnosticism is a real Schrödinger's Cat."

Kamelia frowned again. "And what is that?"

Alan sat up straight. "Oh, now that is a very interesting thing. Ready to listen?"

She nodded.

He got more comfortable. "So, picture this. We have a box, and inside there's... um... a lethal spell that might go off, or might not, with equal odds. We put a cat in there..."

"Why a cat, specifically?" Kamelia interrupted.

Alan waved his hand. "Doesn't matter, cat, dog, sheep, makes no difference. Just listen. We stuff the cat inside... and now, the question: is it alive or dead?"

Kamelia was silent for a few moments. "Well... one must open the box to find out."

Alan clicked his tongue. "Duh, that's obvious. But if you don't open the box, how do you know if it's alive or dead?"

Kamelia blinked, then looked down at the floor. She remained silent for several minutes, her eyes darting back and forth while her left leg began to tap rhythmically against the floor. Then, she suddenly stood up. "Oh, go on with you! My head already aches from your agnostikits and cats, I understand none of it!"

Alan snorted. "Haha! Alright, enough of this philosophical torture for you." He stood up. "Let's go take a break instead and grab some oyre."

"Only without the complex things from your world, okay?"

Alan raised his hands. "Okay, okay."