114 Donor (1/2)
”It is surprising to see you invested enough in the demise of another being to personally dirty your hands,” said Alexei as he leaned back. With a contemplative pause, he added, ”Though, upon reflection, I suppose you had even more killing intent against me whence first we met.”
”Threatening the farm and the old man took it a step too far, and I wasn't exactly feeling all that generous that time,” said Li, recalling the vampires that had shown up to the cottage doorstep and how he had used his eldritch powers unregulated, whittling away at his sense of self.
”Quite unfortunate we met upon such circumstances.”
”It's not unfortunate if, at the end, good came from it.” Li waved the current conversation topic away and went back to Alexei's potential plan. ”I'm not trying to pressure you as I have full trust in your capabilities, but I'm still curious what you're planning on doing about the matter of an heir. You'll need one to prop up the duchy's stability if you decide to get rid of the duchess, right? And doppelgangers are out of the question.”
”That is, unfortunately, a matter that I cannot take into my hands.” Alexei eased his posture, lying his back upon the soft, cushiony velvet of the couch. He reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a wooden pipe lacquered to a shine, etched with elaborate sigils of eyes.
”You do not mind the smoke, do you?”
”It's not exactly a pleasant sight for my eyes.”
”Ah, then my deepest apologies.” Alexei quickly put the pipe back in his pocket and put a questioning finger to his neatly trimmed goatee. ”Might I ask why? I do not seek to push you, I am merely curious.”
”It's funny to think that I, a being of unfathomable power, have an issue with smoking, I know. Let's just leave it at bad memories.” Li shrugged, remembering how the smog choked his past world, cloying in thick, dusty layers that strangled the sun and poisoned his parents' lungs. He had never smoked in the first place, but after his parents had passed, he could not stand to be near others who smoked either. One of his few sensitive points.
Alexei nodded before smiling slightly. ”It is amusing to know that mortals believe long lived beings such as ourselves forget the past. But it is the sheer breadth of our many years that in fact makes the past that much heavier, the notable moments that much more momentous.
In that regard, I do have an answer for this heir issue. I will simply wait and bide my time until one suitable arises from the common muck. A being of centered principles capable of drawing the love of the people.
The people will not believe the duchess's crimes while she has an absolute hold over their love, but a brilliant, new beacon of hope to rally upon will surely make new truths that much more palatable.”
”That might take decades for someone like that to appear.”
Alexei crossed his legs, mirroring Li's pose. ”And years, we have plenty of. It is a more viable plan than you would believe. I only require a little seed to poke its head through the dirt, and then I can nourish it, backing it against the duchess through the shadows.”
”Well, I did say I had confidence in your abilities, so I'm in no position to start questioning you, and even caring this much about the petty geopolitics of this world doesn't suit me.” Li reached forward to take a sip of tea, letting the deeply herbal taste linger on his artificial taste buds, as if to cleanse his mind of the current topic.
”Now then, let's talk about more important business.”
Alexei straightened his posture, his pointed ears twitching in alertness. ”About your farm, I presume?”
”It's good to know you have a good sense of my priorities. Yes. How'd distribution for the last harvest go?”
Alexei clasped his hands together. ”Excellently. As per your specifications, I yielded the necessary percentage of the harvest to the temples and the city as tax. The remainder, I spread upon the orphanages under my funding.
Your grain is of a quality that has never been seen before, far surpassing even that grown upon the mystical earth of Duvin. It is magnitudes more nourishing, not to mention its superb taste. Rumors have circulated about this so called 'divine wheat', and it is such that I have had to run security patrols around the orphanages to prevent break ins.”
He paused, casting a sidelong glance at Li. ”As a result, I have not been able to make the donations public yet under Old Thane's name. I feared it would bring unduly attention upon your farm. Already, there are countless requests by restauranteurs scrambling to know who it is that grew such grain.”
”You did good with that,” said Li. ”I'm not expecting you to follow my orders like a robot. If you feel like at some point that some things are better done under your discretion, then feel free to do so. Just let me know like you're doing now.���
Alexei nodded. ”Understood. Also, I thought it rude of me to do this without your permission, but might I inspect this grain? There is an expansive laboratory built into the foundations of this mansion, and there, I wish to see if I can perceive its composition.”
”Sure. I've been curious of that myself, but I'll tell you right know that you probably won't find anything noteworthy.” Li recalled how both he and Iona had used their forest spirit senses to analyze the grain to find it not out of the norm. ”But go ahead. It was given to me by the duchess as a sort of gift, though I suspect she simply wanted me to test it out.”