Chapter 425: The Trade Conference Proposal
"You want them invested in our safety," Celestina surmised.
"Precisely," Lucas nodded, "If the other nations in the South-Central Region stand to profit from the Rockwell Kingdom, and to lose should anything happen to us, they’ll be much more likely to apply pressure to the Darr Kingdom should it look like they’re acting aggressively."
"We can take it a step further than that," Allina strategically proposed, "As a condition for all the trade concessions we’re offering, we ask them to sign a mutual non-aggression pact for say, 10 years."
"An excellent idea," Pauline concurred, "Even though strength is ultimately the most important factor in everything, legitimacy cannot be completely ignored. Once the Darr Kingdom is forced to sign such an agreement, they won’t want to break it as that would cause severe damage to their reputation amongst the other nations."
"En," Lucas agreed, thinking it really was easier talking to smart people, "We may not be able to get everyone to agree to 10 whole years of peace, but anything over 5 should be considered a victory for us. We can even offer to sell our grain at a further reduced price to the Darr Kingdom to get them onboard."
"Won’t that make us look weak?" Samuel, leader of the Balfour Family Guard asked. While he saw the merit in this strategy, he was also worried that giving up too much to the other nations would make the Rockwell Kingdom appear vulnerable.
This wasn’t just a matter of pride, though that certainly was one of the reasons Samuel wasn’t fully convinced yet.
The Rockwell Kingdom had just suffered a massive disaster, something that the other nations surely knew about. If they held this conference and appeared desperate to strike a deal to avoid war, it might actually invite outside aggression, rather than deter it.
"I understand your concerns, Elder Samuel," Lucas acknowledged, but his voice remained steady, "I can’t explain everything to you in this moment, but please believe me when I say that what the Rockwell Kingdom needs most right now is time. Time to build up its military forces, yes, but more importantly, to build up its overall national power."
"What I’m suggesting here is, in my opinion, the best way to buy that time. As for whether my proposal is accepted... that decision isn’t mine to make, nor is it a decision that we in this room can make."
Not many in the room understood what Lucas was trying to imply, and that made sense seeing how they were unaware of just what was going on inside his head.
Fortunately for the boy, several very influential individuals had at least some insight into his thinking and reasons, enough for them to place their faith in Lucas’ proposal.
"I support Lucas’ idea," Celestina, the one whose opinion mattered the most, spoke up at that moment.
"I also agree with the brat," Old Braxton concurred in his own brash way.
"Any course of action we take carries risks, but I believe young Lucas’ plan deserves serious consideration," Great Elder Pauline unexpectedly voiced her support as well.
A few others also nodded their heads, all of them having worked closely with Lucas on one project or another.
The Marquess’ mysterious First Disciple had proven himself repeatedly to be a strategic genius, one who had a seemingly endless well of knowledge and innovations, so it would be foolish for any of them to start doubting him now.
Seeing and feeling the support from all the leaders around him, Lucas couldn’t stop a small smile from appearing on his lips and he bowed his head, "Thank you, everyone."
"Don’t thank us yet," Celestina cut in, a teasing glint flashing across her eyes, "Since this is your proposal, Lucas, I expect you to take charge of formally organizing it and then lobbying for it amongst the other decision makers of the kingdom."
"Urg..." Lucas grimaced when he heard this, realizing he had taken both his feet and stuffed them into his mouth once again.
He was already swamped with a large number of public, private, and secret projects, so much so that he barely had enough time to cultivate properly, yet now he was being handed another massive responsibility.
Fortunately, Celestina wasn’t completely heartless and quickly followed up, "That being said, I know that some of the... more sensitive projects you are working on cannot be delegated to others, so I will allow you to recruit anyone you need to assist you with preparing this trade conference proposal, including Pauline here. She’s a bit bad with men, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a boy like you."
"Ahem!" Pauline glared at her mother, "Matriarch, while I was reviewing last year’s budget, I noticed a few irregularities approved by you personally I would like to clarify..."
"Oh my, look at the time, I have a thing to deal with," Celestina leapt up from her chair and waved her hand, "Lucas, I trust you can handle things from here. Meeting dismissed."
And with that said, the Marquess turned, opened the large glass windows behind her, and leapt out, dashing off into the distance.
"Tch, she got away," Great Elder Pauline clicked her tongue in frustration, her outstretched hand grasping at thin air as she glared in the direction her mother had escaped.
It seemed ever after he recent breakthrough she was still no match for Celestina in terms of speed, strength, and most importantly, shamelessness.
As for everyone else in the room, they all found something much more interesting to occupy their attention and pretended to have seen and heard nothing.
Awkward silence filled the office, as no one knew what exactly they were supposed to do now, but it didn’t take long for most eyes to focus on the youngest in the room.
Celestina did say for him to handle things, after all.
The feeling of betrayal was intense, both from his Master and from the people around him who were singing his praises only moments earlier; however, as Celestina’s First Disciple, it was technically Lucas’ responsibility to preserve her honour and make amends for her mistakes.
So, with a long sigh he didn’t even bother trying to hide, Lucas stood up and addressed the still glaring woman, "Great Elder Pauline, I look forward to working with you in the coming months."
Composing herself at a speed only someone used to dealing with treacherous nobles could possibly achieve, Pauline flashed a warm smile at the young boy and nodded, "And I with you, Young Master Lucas."