"C-come in!" said Lord Lys as he waved Li wildly forwards. Li obliged, and as he sat on the cushioned chair opposite to the duo, the hero slid the carriage door closed.

"And how have you been doing? It has been a while since we have last met," said Li to Lord Lys. But though his words were targeted to the lord, his eyes scanned the hero.

A younger man who could not have been more than twenty. Around Jeanne's age, perhaps. On the shorter side, though not overly so. Narrow face with roguish features that made him look that much younger, that much more mischievous. His bodysuit spoke of a different theme from that of Sunstar or Thunderstrike's.

Where their bodysuits clung around bodies of immense musculature and power, this man's suit was a pale, nondescript, almost gentle blue like that of the sky, and his build was slight, athletic but quite skinny.

"Oh yes, yes, it has certainly been a while. I have been meaning to invite you to my manor to hear of your experiences in the east, but oh, things have been so very busy," said Lord Lys, his words coming out fast and nervous. Li noticed the lord consistently kept glancing at the hero.

"A shame. You, Alexei and I should have a dinner one day. It would do well to plan the future of this city."

"O-oh?" said Lord Lys. "The future of this city?"

"Is that not what you are here for?" Li locked stares with the hero. He could not sense any real malice in the hero, nor could he scope out any of the hardened coldness of the duchess nor the seasoned calm of Meld. He had the energetic look of a young man, ever so slightly cocky with youth while seeking adventure.

"And who else do I acquaintance myself with today?" asked Li.

"Swift," said the hero with a smile.

"Li," responded Li in kind. "I assume Swift is your heroic name?"

"In a way," said Swift. "It's my surname too, but it kinda fits me, so I stuck with it, heh. Easier for my fans to remember me by too."

"An easy name, yes," said Li. "Might I ask you why you're here? I only ask because I hope that the lord here does not feel afraid of me to hire a hero and an entire squadron to his guard."

"Oh, me? I'm just here for the hell of it," said Swift with a shrug. He reached out to put an arm over Lys's shoulder, and the lord jumped a little, like a cold drop of rain had ran down his smooth white dress shirt. "Just kidding. I've been assigned to keep tabs on this quaint old city, and part of the job's looking after Sir Lys over here. Hope you don't mind my presence."

"No, not at all," said Li. He noted that Swift had no discernible accent, meaning that he came from a somewhat educated or city background. Evidently not Rivieran, however. "But keeping tabs? Riviera's quite the odd place to keep tabs on, what with it being so far removed from the northern border."

"Well, orders are orders, and I figure something's been going on to get me involved," said Swift as he gave a knowing glance to Li. He drew back his arm from Lys and leaned back in the seat, evidently wishing for Li to continue the conversation with Lys.

"Something going on? Well, let me know. I may be able to help. This city's wellbeing is the wellbeing of my own people as well, after all." Li turned his gaze to Lys and met the lord's eyes. "Now then, why don't we get to the reason you called me here?"

Lord Lys took a moment to register Li's words before stammering out, "Of course!" He coughed into his hand and straightened the blue bow tie at his collar. "I have heard tell that you have rekindled the old faith of the forest?"

"Oh? You speak of it as if you're a little familiar with it," said Li.

"My father Lionel was on good terms with the followers of Morrigan when he was yet alive."

"Then I, as seer of the old faith, hope to continue that good faith with you. Like father like son, no?"

"Ah yes, but you see, the temples-," said Lys, but Swift cut him off.

"The temples don't really matter. I've talked to them already."

Li noted that interaction. "One talk was enough? I was ready to extend a hand of cooperation with them. After all, it would be difficult to swallow the fact that they are no longer the only faith in this land."

Swift shrugged. "Duchess's law has always allowed for freedom of religion. Separation of temple and state, too, but I gotta admit that that part sometimes wasn't being enforced all that well. People really only know the Light, you see, so naturally they've got the most power.

But I'm here to enforce that faith doesn't snake its way into politics."

Li narrowed his eyes. "Then if I'm hearing this correctly, the duchess is going to take care of the temples' concerns?"

"Duchess?" Swift gave a light punch to Lys's shoulder. "What do you mean? The lord here is Lys, and I'm sure he's got what it takes to keep the temple out of politics. I'm just here to give him a tiny little push, though maybe-," Swift's eyes wandered to Lys's rather well-fed belly. "He'll need more than a little push."

"Then what's the reason for calling me here?

Lys shifted in his seat uncomfortably, wanting to answer, and Li nodded to him, almost like he was giving him permission to speak.

"Erm, well, simply put, it is to ascertain what your goals are for this new faith."

Swift leaned back in his seat again, letting Lys take over.

"Goals? The same goals the Light has for its own followers, I presume. To nurture my followers."

"Oh, certainly, that is true, but do you mayhaps have other goals?"

"Such as?"

"Such as, well, hm, how do I put this." Lys nervously stroked his moustache.

"Such as whether you're going to be against this city," said Swift. "No offense to you. Just a natural cause for concern."

Li sat up and stared at Swift. "And say that I am? What will you do about it?"

Swift shrugged again. "I dunno. Haven't thought that far ahead. Me, personally, I don't like to fight. I'd try and talk to see if you can work with us. You know, unity and all that."

Li did not sense any fear or nervousness in Swift. At the same time, he could not read anything particularly fake about his words or mannerisms. His words were true, and they were blunt.

"Then you're in luck, because that's what I want to do as well." Li smiled at Lys to set the man at ease. "Working with you. You as in the state. The city.

I know that on face value, I've basically seized control of all your farming output. Which, to be honest, does not mean much considering Riviera imports most of its food from the south, but that can make all the difference in a tough winter or bad harvest season.

I do not want to establish my faith as one of trivial warring and petty and spiteful conflicts. All life has value, after all, and a whole city full of lives is a treasure indeed."

"So-so you will work with us?" said Lys.

Li nodded. "Of course. The status quo will not really change. Farmlands are meant to feed, after all, and any excess we produce will go to the good people of Riviera. No taxation owed to the temples, though, as it would leave quite a bad taste in our mouths to pay tax to another faith. Does that not sound reasonable?"

"Oh yes, of course," nodded Lord Lys, and Li knew that the lord was no competent statesman. He was easily swayed, his will a shaky branch battered by strong willed winds coming from every which where.

Li shot a glance to Swift, wondering if the hero would oppose what would severely damage the temples here. Grain based tithes from the fields contributed to almost half the wheat the temples used to feed the poor with, and without that, they lost a major playing piece in garnering the goodwill of the people.

But Swift did nothing, instead just nodding in rhythm to some song playing in his head, completely tuned out of the conversation. He had said what he had wanted to - that the temples had been taken care of - and confirmed that Li was not going to be a threat, and that was all he cared for.

"And I also have good reason to believe the yields here will become extremely bountiful. To the point where I feel it would simply be natural for those under my faith to form a guild in Riviera. That way, it will be much easier for us to distribute the grain to make sure it goes to the right people."

Lord Lys nodded again and said, "That does make sense, and it would simply be a headache to appoint so many more new people at the city hall for farmwork documentation when your guild can handle it."

Lord Lys looked relieved to the point where it was evident he was not thinking all that hard about what he was agreeing to.

With a guild, Li basically would have full autonomy over exactly how his crops were distributed. Not only that, he would be able to form a major political and economic force within the city itself that could do anything ranging from voting on laws to diverting city funds to guarantee retirement funds for farmers.

It was not like Li needed it, but it would be much easier for his human followers to grow if they were granted some form of familiar security in the form of a guild. Not to mention that this would grant the beastwomen protection as being a guild member at the very least warranted some form of citizenship in the duchy.

These were all things that Li had planned on achieving through bargaining. He knew the lordship here would come to him sometime soon after the emergence of his shrine and his attack on the priests, and he was going to leverage the fact that he would stand down any hostile intent in exchange for 'cooperation�� with the temples and the city that would heavily favor him.

But to think that the duchess had sent a hero here with the express purpose of silencing the temples. Did that mean she was attempting to cozy up to him? Or was it just the same as ever, a means of simply not stepping on his bad side? Though the two seemed similar, there was a distinct difference.

One was a gesture made in good faith, the other made in fear.

"Then it is done. I will ask Alexei to keep in touch with you about setting up the necessary paperwork for establishing all of this."