After the petty kingdoms of the Northern Continent finished speaking, Altair heard what concerned Loen and, clearing the drowsiness from his mind, listened as they said:
'Our influence over the Kingdom of Loen is still far too weak. The plan to weaken Loen by repealing the corn law simply can't be implemented.'
'Ever since the bill was introduced, it's been blocked by those conservative nobles, mainly because it would cost them a great deal of profit. The chief opponents include Duke Nigen, his younger brother Lord Argus Nigen, Baron Kieran Sawyer… the list is a long one.'
When Altair heard the names the speaker listed, he began to suspect the man might belong to Loen's royal house—the Augustus Family.
The list was all too familiar; it was exactly the roll of refusers he himself had obtained not long ago.
When the suspected Augustus scion finished, a hot-tempered man took over. 'As you say, the loss of personal interest is too great; they'll never agree. I propose we force their hand.'
Before he could continue, someone cut in, 'Impossible. Those nobles aren't fools; move against any one of them and the consequences will be unpredictable.'
'My advice is the same as before: keep simmering the frog gently. Don't be impatient; the motion has only just been raised—take it slowly.'
'Since we can't use coercion, let's leak the news to the public and let commoners apply pressure. Then the crown will have to choose: a handful of nobles or the masses. If the Loen court refuses, it will alienate its own people—still a weakening of the state. I'm sure they can work out the consequences.'
The suggestion almost made the suspected Augustus representative lose his composure. 'We agreed at the start: ordinary people must not be dragged into this.'
The debate also drew dissatisfaction from the middle-aged man in Southern Continent attire. 'The moment the motion was tabled it involved ordinary folk. Cheaper grain means the first to go bankrupt are the commoners; nobles can sell land to cushion the blow—what can peasants do?'
…In the end they decided the information could be released, but without deliberately steering events.
Altair couldn't help thinking it was a chain within a chain: the Twilight Hermit Order wanted to sap Loen's strength this way, yet never imagined George III would turn the very same point to his own advantage in becoming a god.
Or perhaps it wasn't being used—the Order itself had members involved in the scheme. After all, his apotheosis plan required seizing large numbers of slaves in the Southern Continent and shipping them to the Northern; without people to cover the tracks discovery would be easy.
So had the middle-aged man in front of him taken part? In Altair's observation, very few here wore Southern Continent dress.
Once the Loen strategy was basically fixed, they moved on to schemes against other great powers: reviving Intis nobility, reforming the Foussac army… Listening, Altair could only sigh—politicians truly weren't good people; some couldn't even be called human.
When discussion of national bills ended, the group turned to trading Beyonder materials.
Altair seized the moment to state his needs: 'I require a book on forging Beyonder materials, etching inscriptions, and structural design for making Sealed Artifacts, as well as a large quantity of high-grade materials: a heart of a Demoness of Afflictions, crystallized psychic imprints, or corresponding Beyonder characteristics; a Dreamwalker's core crystal, a Spirit World dream-dragon's reverse scale, blood of an adult mind dragon, or corresponding Beyonder characteristics…'
'I'm a long-term buyer; anyone willing to sell can expect a fair price.'
'In addition, I need a potion that can remove the occult illness of a Sequence-four Demoness of Despair, preferably brewed by a sequence five Scarlet Scholar.'
The book was to learn how to craft Sealed Artifacts; the materials were, of course, the main ingredients for the potions of Demoness of Afflictions, Dreamwalker, Scarlet Scholar… The potion was for Madam Anna; that afternoon Altair had decided she was worth the investment.
His lavish order left everyone speechless—none had seen anyone acquire sequence five materials in such bulk.
After a silence the artisan spoke: 'I have several volumes you need—Basic occultism and Beyonder Materials Compendium, covering material properties, fusion methods, and characteristic stabilization; they're fundamental for Sealed Artifact "creation".'
'There are also two advanced works, Craft Canon, dealing with forging Beyonder materials, inscription etching, and structural design for carrier fabrication and characteristic stability.'
'The first two are two thousand pounds; Craft Canon will be three thousand.'
Altair was delighted but kept his tone calm. 'I'll take all three. How do I pay you?'
The artisan smiled. 'Two ways. One: post the money to an address I specify. Two: we both hand our items to the chairman and let Him complete the exchange.'
Altair laughed. 'I'll prepare the money as soon as I return to the real world—about two hours. Please be patient.'
The artisan nodded agreement… After the round of requests, Altair had obtained only the three crafting manuals and one suitable potion. As for materials, the others would merely keep an eye out—for an extra fee.
Altair had never been stingy over spending small sums for big gains. 'Anyone who can procure the materials will be paid a finder's fee,' he declared.
With his own business done, Altair watched the rest trade: the artisan produced self-made Beyonder weapons, the Apothecary displayed brewed potions, the Planter exhibited special plants… As the dealings closed, Altair sighed: having a skill really does make one welcome anywhere.