“And you want to establish this so-called terminal right inside the capital.”

“Indeed. I believe this would be in the ideal arrangement for everyone involved. As this would be for now the only connected terminal, it would be almost no different from my shop itself being located inside the city.”

“The first you say. So, you plan to establish even more of these portals later on. Possibly connecting to other countries as well. That is what you mean by opening up trade routes.”

“Yes, Your High…” Not high on formalities if the circumstances absolutely didn’t require it, with a wave of his hand, Ringald cut Severin off.

“And just to be clear. Those portals would be bi-directional?”

“Indeed.”

“I suppose that explains your secrecy.” This was directed towards Samuel.

The monarch didn’t immediately follow up and instead fell into deep thought.

Severin knew better than to disturb him with another, more elaborate sales pitch he had originally thought out, explaining how other businesses would profit as well by him providing adventurers like Andreas who were usually stuck inside the Mountains over a prolonged period of time with a shortcut directly into the city of Hanvia and back.

Just when the silence was about to turn the mood awkward, Ringald spoke up again. More serious than before.

“I admit the advantages are evident. But so are the disadvantages. The dangers. And you having recognized them as well is the true reason you are here. So tell me your solution. Otherwise, this conversation is over.”

Severin swallowed.

That truly was the crux of the matter.

He hoped he hadn’t overlooked anything and sorted his thoughts.

“First of all, I would propose the establishment of some kind of border checkpoint. Much like the ones at the city entrance and the docking bays. This way, the same security standards can be upheld.

To that extend I would naturally give up some of my land surrounding the portal station.”

While saying this, Severin couldn’t help but think back to the day of their first arrival and the security standards in question when the guards realized who they were dealing with. But the slight amusement he felt at this thought immediately evaporated when the response to his suggestion simply was,

“Naturally.”

Not good.

He knew this wouldn’t be enough to assure a [King] of the safety of his land and people, but Severin still expected more of a response to his proposal.

Realizing this was all the response he would get out of the man, his confidence was weening. Though he tried not to let it show.

It seemed he couldn’t afford to take things slow.

Originally, his next proposal would have been to make a contractual commitment to completely disable the portal in question either upon request or in the event of a hostile force approaching. Realizing that this would in no way satisfy Ringald - even if the man fully trusted Severin and their contract they would draw up, no penalty in the world could make up for a breach of contract - Severin went straight to the big guns; if that didn't convince him, nothing would.

“I am also willing to concede two controlling devices able to remotely shut down the corresponding terminal,” Severin said. And then added, ”This, however, would require further contractual negotiations in order to safeguard against arbitrary use and abuse and the like.”

In his current position Severin hated to have to make this clarification, but under no circumstances would he cede total control of any of his faculties. In that case, he’d rather have no deal at all.

But luckily Ringald’s, at times icy demeanor, apparently didn’t mean he was unwilling to negotiate, or that he was generally an unreasonable person.

“Tell me what you have in mind” the [King] said, making Severin believe that not all hope was yet lost.

With newfound confidence, he begun to clarify.

“I believe when it comes to the security of the kingdom and your people, the established portal station would be no different from any other border crossing point and its dangers and, therefore, should be largely treated as such.

The only exception to this would need to involve a direct assault on the Emporium itself. Or, admittedly, my cooperation.”

Severin paused for a moment and tried to gauge Ringald’s reaction, trying to make sure they were on the same page.

A difficult to interpret hand gesture later, Severin continued.

“To render such an assault useless and for you not to be dependent on me and my own judgement of any given situation, I would leave you with two devices capable of shutting down all means of teleportation transport.

But as I said, and for obvious reasons, this would require further contract negotiations.

That is, on one hand, to prevent misuse of this privilege on your end,” Severin was very uncomfortable when he said this last part out loud,” and to prove my technology and promises can be trusted, on the other.”

That, Severin had recently found out, was the real beauty of [Contract Magic].

Since any breach of contract was automatically and magically sanctioned, with skillfully chosen wording of a contract clause, this type of magic could easily serve as a reliable lie detector.

In case Ringald wouldn’t reject his proposal outright, this meant such a contract, even if only in effect for a few minutes or until certain questions had been answered, would allow Severin to convince the man of his sincerity and, more importantly, the authenticity of the kill switches he would have to purchase from the System.

But the next answer was not what he expected.

“Just to be clear. I won’t be signing any contracts of this kind.”

Severin’s heart fell.

‘Fuck.’ That was the last thing he wanted to hear. Not even the slightest opening.

The initial discomfort and nervousness he had almost forgotten suddenly washed back over him.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to act or what to say.

“What the old crook means to say is he would be willing to engage in further negotiations but that any actually reached agreement would not be signed by himself, but a representative.”

For the third time that day, Severin felt a reassuring hand on his back and though the flicker in the eyes of the silent attendant- clearly unhappy the man she had sworn lifelong fealty to had been called a crook- made his heart skip a beat, the hearty laugh by the man in question made him ease up again.

“As the [King], personally signing any magic contract and thus making myself and the kingdom as a whole vulnerable is simply unfeasible. If we should come to an agreement, it would therefore be signed by someone else. Someone I trust. Usually one of my children,” Ringald clarified.

The drastic change in the [King’s] attitude came unexpectedly but was welcomed dearly.

“Markus?” Severin asked without thinking.

“No. After all, he might end up being [King] himself. It’s usually one of my daughters.”

‘So, kind of the equivalent of a political marriage? Used as a sacrifice to forge bonds and secure relationships. And business deals, it seems.’ Under other circumstances, Severin probably would have felt sorry for said daughters, but between the fact that he himself had to make the same commitment and the fact that he had no intention of breaking a possible contract, that pity was quickly forgotten. He nodded and wondered just what exactly this meant for him and the negotiations.

As it turned out, it meant work.

For the next three days, Severin all but lived in this far-removed conference room, arriving at dawn and leaving at dusk, spending most of his time either negotiating the finer details of the contract, or resting between meetings.

Severin did not exclusively deal with the [King], but the pressure he felt during this time was enormous. Every day, he was afraid to make a mistake that might cost him dearly.

There was just too much to go through.

From the size of the land Severin had to cede, to the draft of a mutual defense clause, to the actual number of troops stationed, their well-defined duties, and whether or not Severin would have to pay, at least in part, for their pay and quarters.

The need to put rules in place that would prevent the arbitrary apprehension and harassment of potential travelers was just as important as figuring out what transit fees to charge and how to distribute the thus generated profits.

The list of discussion points was virtually endless and the discussion of every single point demanded a lot from Severin.

Still, he did the best he could to make sure he would retain as much of his sovereignty of the Emporium and its properties as possible. It was to stay a neutral zone where arrest warrants would lose their authority unless Severin decided to cooperate with the authorities; in that regard having Bandur to fall back on to make his point-after all thanks to his brothers’ efforts the dwarf with friendly ties to Ringald himself was wanted in more than one other country- was just as helpful as the fact that Magda as a representative of the Society had already agreed to similar terms.

Comparatively easier to stomach were some of the less consequential demands. For example, when the [King] personally asked Severin to grant his son Markus V.I.P. status the next time they met.

In fact, the request just suited him as it allowed Severin to reciprocate in kind, confident his inconspicuous request would be granted. After some long and exhausting days, the negotiations were finally coming to an end when Severin thought back to his visit at the local wharf and said,

“Just one more thing, and I think we are done.”