After my visit with Autumn I had Caleb’s guide printed, bound, and decorated to go well with the lantern I had seen. Once all of that was done I called for Silas again to get more advice on how to negotiate. I still knew barely anything about the king of Beraud. It might be good to speak to Nero as well, who had negotiated with him previously.

Silas came back with the messenger I sent to summon him.

“Prompt as always,” I commented.

He smiled. “You called at the perfect timing I have made a breakthrough in the possible flight magic vessel. It may not be the most aerodynamic but it should provide comfort for the rider and it will assist in takeoff procedures without forcing all of the effort onto the caster.”

“Really?’ I asked, distracted, “What is it?”

He took out a sketch and showed it to me. It had a sleek design with two wheels like a bicycle. No, upon further inspection of overall design this was definitely…

“A motorcycle?” I asked aloud.

“You have heard of them?” Silas asked with evident curiosity.

“Yes. I never thought of flying on one, though,” I admitted. There was no use in trying to lie or avoid the subject with Silas.

Silas nodded and began his explanation on exactly why he had chosen to present this particular design and how it would work. It really wouldn’t be that difficult to replace the motorcycle’s function with magic on the ground, and while it was in flight it wouldn’t be a motorcycle. It would just be the strange chair that was being ridden.

“It’s a good idea,” I agreed, “I would like to see it in practice before I endorse it, though.”

“Of course,” Silas agreed, “Now what did you call me here to speak about.

I paused for a moment. I had completely forgotten. I needed to be careful with this merchant. “I have the item I am going to trade ready, but I want to make sure we get the most out of our end of the deal. After all, we would be giving the king of Beraud something that no one in Tethia even has. Something we invented specifically for him.”

“That does raise the price,” Silas agreed, “First of all, I recommend a ‘first buyer’ policy. That would imply you have other people to sell it to, and you do.”

“I do?” I repeated, “But Beraud is the only country with that technolo- You don’t mean New Beraud? Lann?”

“Exactly. I guarantee that he won’t get the chance to see the product, though. If the king gets the smallest inkling you might sell it to Lann he will do everything he can to prevent that from happening.”

“Lann has no official claim to the throne but an uprising is still a possibility?” I guessed.

“That is certainly one reason,” Silas agreed, “However, imagine the shame the proud king of Beraud would have if his failure of a son got a priceless object he had an opportunity to get himself but did not? He would lose support in the court regardless of whether or not his choice was a wise one unless he can come up with a solid point of reasoning to convince them.”

“Ordinary monarchical kingdoms sound like a pain,” I said with a grimace, “Though, I suppose we have our fair share of problems as well.”

“Every kingdom does,” Silas replied, “Would you like any other advice?”

“What do I do if he takes offense from the ‘first buyer’ proposal?” I asked.

“You could describe it as an item made just for him, but if he refuses you have an emergency backup or two. That would cut down on the offense, but it would also cut your leverage. I cannot vouch that he is a good man, but he is a good king. He will not start a war simply because you failed to inflate his ego.”

“Thanks,” I replied, “I will have to think this over. I still need to get permission to meet him in the first place. I will likely have to do more than just negotiate over trains as a princess. The queen should approve it.”

“I will be sure to provide wonderful results by the time you return,” Silas promised.

Once Silas left again I quickly got in contact with Nero and the Queen Levina. Both approved of my negotiation methods and departure. The queen sent news ahead of me and ordered me to assemble my own companions for the trip.

“What do you think?” I asked Storm. He had yet to return to his own world as far as I knew, but it wasn’t like I had been keeping constant watch on his activities.

“How much are you willing to pay me?” Stoam shot back, munching on my latest attempts at baked sweets.

“We already agreed that as long as you help me I will pay for your meals in the castle and capital,” I replied, “If you don’t wish to go this time, I can leave you behind.”

Storm sighed. “Your memory is too good,” he complained, “I’m coming. It sounds interesting.”

“That is one, but I will need a lot more. I think I will take the same people as last time for the most part, but I should offer to the others if they want to come as representatives.”

“Alvis is probably a bad idea for this one,” Storm pointed out, “He was once a butler for that king, right?”

“Good point,” I agreed, “I will be sure to mention that when I make my offer.”

I used the contact charms we had and sent a message to everyone. “I am going on a diplomatic mission to Beraud. Would any of you like to join me? Alvis is excluded because of his complicated connections there.”

“I can’t,” Caleb replied immediately, “Reginald has already been after me for slacking off too much lately.”

“I should also stay behind this time,” Rena brought up, “Since you brought me into your division I could help take care of your duties while you are away.”

“I’ll go,” Alois replied. There was something off about his tone. “Alvis can’t go, right? It’s my turn.Let’s see how he likes it.”

I was silent for a moment. “Alright. I will count you in then, Alois. We will be departing as soon as everything is ready.”

“I will take care of everything on my end,” Alois promised.