Chapter 329: Negotiations (1/2)

As Zac oversaw his people streaming out through the teleporter a thought suddenly struck him, and he motioned for Harvath to join him. The demon captain walked over, throwing a curious glance at Smaug and his wretched appearance.

“We’ve learned that there is a second demonkin Incursion in the underworld,” Zac explained after covering them in a sound-isolating array. “Will it be a problem for you?”

Harvath thoughtfully furrowed his brows before he looked at Smaug.

“Does this one possess information about our cousins?” he asked, getting a nod from Zac.

Smaug himself gaped when he stood in front of the demon, making Zac realize the man had never stood face to face with one of the invaders before. It looked like he was hovering between fear of being eaten and fascination with the unknown.

“Do these demons look like us?” Harvath asked, pointing at his face.

“N-No, not really,” Smaug stammered. “Well, they have horns, but I am told that they look a lot bulkier, and don’t have hair?”

“Big black horns?” Harvath probed, “And they are over two meters tall?”

“Yes!” Smaug hurriedly nodded. ”And tails.”

“Abyssal Demons,” Harvath said with a grimace before turning to Zac. “Can we speak privately?”

Zac nodded and had Verana take over the task of keeping a watch on Smaug. He still didn’t understand how he could take out items when he was stripped of his possessions, and Zac didn’t want him to take out something else and cause even more trouble.

“What’s going on?” Zac asked when the two were alone.

Harvath hesitated a bit before speaking up.

“Do you know how Demon society works?” he asked.

“Isn’t it a feudal society? Your former clan controls a certain area, but you are part of a larger kingdom. That kingdom ultimately reports to the planet’s leader, though they are largely independent,” Zac asked with some confusion.

“That’s true for our planet, but our planet is just a backwater member of something larger,” Harvath said.

“The Azh’Kir’Khat Horde?” Zac ventured, remembering Verana mentioning the odd name.

“Exactly,” Harvath nodded. “I am not too sure about all the details since clan Azh’Rezak was the lowest rung of what could be called a noble clan, and our information was somewhat limited. But the horde consists of hundreds of demonic species.”

Zac nodded, still not sure what he was getting at.

“The position of the races in the horde depends on their respective powerhouses at the top. The Abyssal Demons has a terrifying leader who controls one of the top ten clans, making them one of the most prominent demonic species in the horde. These Abyssal Demons are likely not part of that clan, but they still hold some sway back home. I fear that if we rout them it might have dire implications for clan Azh’Rezak,” Harvath said with some hesitation.

Zac nodded with a sigh. It was as Zac had feared. He hadn’t expected running into a second demonkin Incursion on Earth, and he knew it might cause trouble for the demons of Port Atwood, or rather their former clan.

Even if they left their clan behind many still had people they cared for back home. Even Ogras had his grandfather. Everyone had friends or relatives who were still part of the clan, and while they chose to cut ties to forge their own path they didn’t want to bring trouble down on the head of Azh’Rezak.

“So what do you think we should do?” Zac finally asked.

“I cannot make this decision for our people,” Harvath finally said. “I think we should call the young master.”

Zac agreed with the demon’s assessment. Exploring the Mystic Realm was important, but they had other pressing matters. It would be for the best to call Ogras over now that it turned out that there were four other Incursions in the underworld that weren’t fire-attuned.

“Fine, I’ll have someone get Ogras,” Zac agreed.

Zac had one of the Valkyries head over to the mystic realm to look for Ogras. Most people still didn’t know that the realm was already being explored, though scattered rumors had started to spread about its existence. But he wanted to keep the details Vague, so only the Valkyries and a few other core personnel were allowed close to the center of Mystic Island. It had turned to a restricted area just like his own zone in Port Atwood.

Since he knew it would take some time before Ogras arrived he decided to deal with some other matters. First he went over to Calrin, who seemed extremely impatient to get going.

“I hear we’re taking over a rival business?” Calrin said with excitement in his eyes. “It’s quite exhilarating, all that free money. It’s a lot harder to do something like this when mercantile licenses are involved. We truly should consolidate all budding enterprises before people manage to get their hands on licenses.”

Zac understood what Calrin meant. His own consortium was targeted by a mighty C-grade Clan, but even they had been forced to use trickery and bribes to steadily whittle down the Thayer Consortia for an eventual takeover. Brute force was not an option when mercantile licenses were involved.

“I’ll consider it,” Zac said with a smile. “Do you know if Cosmos Sacks can take different shapes than actual sacks?”

“High-grade spatial tools can look like rings or other jewelry, or anything for that matter,” Calrin said. “But it’s usually not worth the trouble unless you’re a true magnate. That kind of spatial tools requires actual insight into the Dao of Space to create, making them over a thousand times more expensive. Why do you ask?”

“That guy over there managed to take out an item from thin air. I am trying to figure out how,” Zac said as he glanced at Smaug.

“Oh,” Calrin said thoughtfully before a small dagger suddenly appeared in his hand from nowhere, without touching one of his Cosmos Sacks. “Like this?”

“Yes, exactly like that,” Zac said with surprise. “How did you do it?”

“He has a mercantile class or at least a hybrid class. We get actual skills that work like Cosmos Sacks, allowing us to hide and protect our wares as we travel. A Cosmos Sack can be stolen, but our personal space can’t.”

“Makes sense, he’s the second-place holder on the wealth ladder,” Zac nodded. ”Is there any way to prevent it?”

”Sure, if you have energy shackles,” Calrin nodded. ”If he can't circulate his energy he won't be able to activate his skill.”

Zac's eyes lit up and he immediately produced the chain that he stowed away when he saved Thea from the Medhin clan.

”Will this work?” Zac asked as he handed it over to Calrin.