Imperial Throne

Chapter 220 : Information Exchange and Negotiation

Chapter 220: Information Exchange and Negotiation

Yam's gaze swiftly swept across the three figures approaching him.

At the center stood a middle-aged man who appeared spirited but bore a deep exhaustion in his eyes.

A scar stretched across his forehead, evidently a recent addition.

To show sincerity, the man wore no armor, carried no weapons, and had only donned a simple coarse linen garment. Yet, this very lack of armament only further accentuated his imposing stature and commanding aura.

Fourth-tier.

Yam glanced at Aliman and saw the same grave expression. Clearly, this wasn't intelligence Aliman had deliberately withheld, but rather something he had only just learned today. Considering his previous report made no mention of Hales’ tier level, it meant Hales had only recently ascended to the fourth tier. That also explained how he had swiftly dealt with the remnants of the Aust Empire’s defeated forces in Bayor Territory’s northern region within one to two months and reorganized a force of over five thousand troops.

Yet, the source of the problem had become more evident: where had he obtained a fourth-tier bloodline potion?

Aside from Hales, the two followers flanking him—a man and a woman—were clearly not to be underestimated.

The man on the right was extremely short, estimated at barely one meter sixty. In the Aust Empire, where men typically stood over one seventy-five, such height was exceptionally rare. Individuals like him were often labeled as "disabled."

But Yam dared not look down on him.

Even though the man looked utterly drained, as if dragged straight from a days-long war into this negotiation, ready to drop dead from overwork, Yam remained on guard.

His aura was simply too intense—more so than Yam’s or Akar’s. The sense of danger he exuded surpassed even that of the Aust Empire bloodline knight they had once fought together.

In comparison, the woman to Hales’ left seemed the weakest among them.

She stood around one seventy-five tall, dressed in a tightly bound hunter’s outfit that only emphasized her remarkable physique.

Her long golden hair was tied in a casual ponytail, and though her face bore faint scars—as if grazed by sharp weapons—they did not mar her beauty. Instead, they lent her a striking martial charm.

She looked more like a noblewoman than a battle-hardened warrior.

Soon, both parties arrived at the negotiation table.

Unsure of one another’s intentions and to display sincerity—despite Hales stating he didn’t mind entering Yam’s war fortress—Yam had chosen a neutral open ground between their camps for the meeting. The site was only five hundred meters from either side.

Each side was allowed two guards.

Yam brought Akar and Aliman with him.

And Hales—

"This is Apaz, and this is Lurt."

After shaking hands with Yam, Hales first introduced his two companions.

"Should I call you Hais, or Hales Atar Siger?"

"Seems you've already learned who I am." Hales chuckled casually, but his eyes turned to Aliman. "Aliman Shelf, I'm glad to see a familiar face here."

"Lord Hales."

"Just call me Hais." Hales shook his head slightly. "I've abandoned my past. From the moment I was captured by the Aust Empire, I ceased to be a member of the Siger Family."

"Things might not be quite as you imagine."

"You're suggesting someone from the Invisible Ones took my place and returned to the Siger Family, aren’t you?" Hales sighed, refusing to acknowledge his past identity.

"You know?" Yam blinked in surprise.

"I killed a 'real' commander, gleaned some intel from him, and made a reasonable deduction based on my circumstances," Hales said solemnly. "And your news confirms my suspicions. That ‘Hales’ likely has already fractured the Siger Family."

"No."

Yam shook his head.

"From the intelligence I've gathered, that ‘Hales’ attempted a rebellion but failed, and was killed by your cousin Ram. However, Ram, who succeeded as the new First Hawk of the Black Hawk Family, then led all surviving Western nobles to submit to the Aust Empire. Now, the Western Region of the Tyrella Kingdom has become one of the six new provinces of the Aust Empire. The Western noble coalition army led by Ram has become the Black Hawk Legion under the Empire’s command."

"Their first battle crushed the Southern Army’s frontline defenses just as they arrived in Count Garris’s territory, forcing the unprepared Southern forces to retreat hundreds of li and reconstruct a new defense line centered around Aubma to halt the Aust Empire’s eastward advance. But it's been over twenty days with no word from the front lines, so I can’t say how things stand there now."

Yam deliberately withheld any mention of Tyrot Kasein's intention to return to Bayor Territory.

Had Hales not reached fourth-tier, Yam might have disclosed it, but at this point, it no longer served any purpose.

"Seems the situation is worse than I imagined." Hales shook his head. "I know Ram. He's a fool without ambition. If the Siger Family made him head just to control the family, it’s no wonder they failed. Those elders never deserved to lead—they don’t realize what losing the First Hawk means."

"But it doesn’t matter anymore."

"That imposter who posed as me was likely replaced by Ram, and the elders of the Siger Family probably were all slaughtered."

"I don’t know the specifics," Yam said. "But—let’s talk about why you requested this negotiation."

"How much do you know about the Invisible Guard?"

Yam instinctively exchanged glances with Akar.

But Hales had already caught that flicker in their eyes. "Looks like you know quite a bit."

"We captured one," Yam said grimly. "Extracted a fair amount of intel."

"You captured one?" Hales had assumed they’d merely uncovered a disguise by chance during prior encounters. But learning they’d captured an actual imposter stunned him. "How did you manage that?"

"He slipped up and my nephew noticed something was off," Yam replied.

Naturally, he wouldn’t reveal the truth about the Demonic Sword or give credit to Aches. Since they could only detect imposters with the sword, attributing the success to Aches’ personal skills would only endanger him.

So Yam painted it as Aches being a cautious person who, after spotting several anomalies, narrowed the list of suspects. The target then exposed himself under pressure.

Yam also knew the captured Invisible One had already been killed by others, likely after transmitting his intel.

But that didn’t matter.

Hales didn’t know that. Yam’s goal in this negotiation was precisely to pass on the information about the Invisible Ones—disassociating Aches from the discovery.

How?

By muddying the waters. Revealing secrets about the Invisible Ones might not fully clear suspicion from Aches, but it would lower his importance on the enemy’s priority list.

"—According to our interrogation, Invisible Ones need to regularly consume blood, raw meat, and raw liver."

"The meat and liver can be from animals, magical beasts—or humans."

At this, Hales’ pupils contracted sharply.

"If you suspect someone, just confine them for a while. They’ll eventually reveal themselves," Yam said grimly.

"Bloodline cost." Lurt, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "It’s a 【Demon】 bloodline."

"Demon?" Akar echoed, playing along.

"One of the Eight Golden Bloodlines." Lurt glanced at Akar, his emaciated face cracking into a fearsome smile. "Three are fantasies, three are powers, and two bear costs."

Among the Eight Golden Bloodlines, the three fantasies—Dragon, Phoenix, and Giant—lacked any written records. The Hall of Spirits claimed they once existed in ancient times, though many doubted their authenticity. Thus, they were commonly called ‘fantasy’ bloodlines.

The three powers—Magma, Lightning, and Ice—descended from the Four Extremes Bloodlines. Lightning, or Thunder, symbolized the sky; Ice, or Winter, the seasons. All were forms of elemental power. None of these had recognized holders yet.

The remaining two bloodlines were 【Demon】 and 【Calamity】.

Almost nothing was known about Calamity. The only rumor was that a distant family on the Far Eastern Peninsula possessed the advancement path of the ‘Black Plague.’

But its exact power and cost remained a mystery.

In contrast, the Demon bloodline was more widely recognized.

Its defining trait was that its power came at a cost—but the resulting abilities were extraordinarily potent, far beyond typical bloodlines of the same tier.

"What you see now is the cost I pay," Lurt said. "The heavier the price for the Demon bloodline, the greater the power. Some abilities can only be used once—at the cost of death. Trust me, you don’t want to see that kind of power on the battlefield."

"According to the intel you extracted, assuming the Invisible One didn’t lie, their bloodline offers little beyond shapeshifting before the fourth tier." Lurt continued, "Do you have higher-tier intel?"

Yam shook his head.

Though in truth, he knew.

The fifth-tier bloodline of the Phantom Demon was the Heart-Eater Demon. The sixth was the Phantom Demon itself—the end goal of this path. Their costs included regular consumption of human hearts and identity confusion.

Especially the latter.

This went beyond mistaking one’s own identity, extending to emotions, awareness, and personality.

According to Cindy’s account, the more identities stored, the worse the confusion. Someone who had impersonated both Yam and Akar and then Aches might return to their own self but still harbor love for Angelina, Cynthia, and Anna—or mistake Cindy for his daughter.

In extreme cases, they might forget they were Aust, mistakenly believe they were Tyrellan spies executing a covert mission.

But Yam couldn’t share this.

The captured Invisible One wasn’t high enough in rank to know those secrets.

"What a shame," Lurt sighed. "If we knew more, we might not be so passive."

"Now that we've exchanged intel and proven mutual sincerity, let’s move on to more practical matters."

"Very well." Yam nodded.

He’d come to meet Hales only because of his hint at an alliance. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered.

"I have about fifteen hundred Bayor citizens. I want to return them to you."

"They’ve survived at least three battles each. In my view, they’re stronger than average militia. With basic equipment, they could serve as regular infantry."

"In exchange, we need food and medical supplies. The food doesn’t have to be high quality—just enough for four thousand people for three months."

"And don’t worry. We’re not staying in Bayor. We’ll head north. I know there’s fighting in Heye Territory, so we’ll move in and conduct sabotage operations behind enemy lines."

"You’re... not planning to return?" Yam frowned.

"Return?" Hales chuckled. "You’ve met Apaz and Lurt. What do you think would happen to them if I tried? Besides, I have over two thousand Aust soldiers under me. Do you really think I can go back?"

Yam understood.

Hales had positioned himself as the First Hawk of this army and bore responsibility for them. If he returned to Tyrella, the best-case scenario would be for them all to be thrown into the front lines until wiped out—just like the Western nobles now in the Black Hawk Legion, being used as cannon fodder by the Aust Empire.

"Then how are you any different from mercenaries?"

"Perhaps from the moment I led them to destroy the fleeing Aust forces in Bayor’s north, we ceased to be anything else." Hales replied calmly. "So, do you accept the deal? Two thousand regular troops in exchange for enough supplies for four thousand for three months. I think you know I don’t want to take it by force—because you can’t stop me from marching east."

"I don’t want to create more opportunities for those Aust bastards."

"So? Do you understand me now?"

"If you insist on calling yourselves mercenaries—" Yam paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Then would you hear my suggestion?"

"Oh?" Hales raised an eyebrow.

At that moment, he was genuinely intrigued. "You’d dare use us? A bunch of Aust soldiers?"

"Why not?" Yam smiled. "You’re mercenaries, and I happen to have a mercenary company that’s short on staff."