Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything

Chapter 114: Blood Before Relics

The first rule of negotiation is to always be willing to walk away from the deal.

But Zane couldn’t walk out of it.

So he accepted.

Even if the Emberlord reduced the five days to three days.

Zane accepted it.

But not before...

"I have some conditions."

Zane had some conditions.

Which invoked a chuckle from Coin.

"What makes you think you can ask for conditions, Zane Atlas? You are accused of stealing. Even if you are under the oath, no one would believe you that you didn’t steal the relic. The only way you can clean the stain is by bringing the original relic. You have no power here."

The Halocrats nodded.

Coin was right.

It wasn’t the Emberlord who was sending Zane.

Zane had to find the relic if he wanted the accusation to wash off of him.

Jammy remained silent.

His eyes stayed on Zane, interested to see how the boy would deal with the situation.

"You may be right, Emberlord. I might not have any power here. But you have to accept my conditions because I will be risking my life to find the relic that is important to you. And let’s not forget, as much as it’s my fault that I lost the relic, it’s yours too."

Coin’s brows twitch and Zane reveals the Emberlord’s fault.

"Because you gave that to me in the first place."

Jammy smiled.

The Emberlord opened his mouth but Jammy hopped on.

"Exactly. How can the great Emberlord so carelessly give something so important to a boy who just became an adult? That’s stupid. If you hadn’t given the relic, it wouldn’t have been stolen or lost. You should amend this mistake by agreeing to his conditions. Otherwise, if this news went out, who would be more damaged?

A gutterborn who was accused of stealing or an Emberlord who was careless enough to allow the stealing to happen? The answer is clear. The boy has nothing to lose and the Emberlord stands to lose everything."

Jammy spelled Zane’s logic out loud for everyone to listen again and Coin inhaled.

The Halocrats went silent as they couldn’t find anything wrong with Zane’s and Jammy’s words. Heck, from the start they were disgusted by the fact that the relic was given to a gutterborn.

They weren’t happy with it and Zane’s words flamed that feeling more.

The Emberlord was also at fault here. Definitely.

Coin pressed his forehead.

"I gave the relic because I know you won’t be allowed inside the Citadel that easily without something of value. But yes, this is a great way to make me guilty as well. I shouldn’t have given you the relic in the first place."

Zane heaved a sigh of relief.

He didn’t show the relief on his face but he was worried about Coin not accepting his conditions.

Zane also gave a nod to Jammy as the janitor also nailed with his words.

"Fine, Zane Atlas. Tell me your conditions. I will only accept them if I deem them right."

Zane nodded.

He wasted no time in case the minds changed and placed his conditions in front of Coin.

"First, my sister and I shall be healed. My leg is broken. My wrists are broken. I haven’t eaten anything. We should be restored to our best condition. That is to say, remove my chains too."

The Emberlord sighed.

"That would have been done anyway, Zane Atlas. I never expected you to go out there and find the relic in this state to begin with. Next."

Zane stated his next demand.

"I will not go alone to find the relic. I want some people to come with me."

Coin frowned. "You can’t take me with you."

"No one is taking you."

"Then who do you want to take with you?"

Zane roamed his eyes around the Cathedral.

"Everyone who wants to come with me."

Coin raised his brows.

He expected Zane to name Xavier, Hena and other people who helped him.

But instead of outright ordering only them, he gave everyone a choice. A choice to join him.

The Emberlord also looked around but his eyes remained on the gutterborns and the Commoners.

He watched their eyes.

He didn’t even bother to look at the Halocrats because he knew not in a million years they would think about joining Zane.

After seeing what the Coin wanted to see, he averted his eyes and brought his gaze at Zane once more.

"Fine. Whoever wants to go with you, are allowed to leave. It’s only about three days after all. Anything else?"

Zane remained silent.

He ran his mind for more things he could exploit from Coin.

But he wasn’t able to think. Nothing else came to his mind.

Should he ask for money?

But he would die before taking monetary help from these monsters. They had blood money.

Zane’s heart won’t allow it.

He hung his head down to look at Milo and then his eyes also went to his toe peeking out from his shoe.

Seeing that, another condition came to his mind as he raised his head at the Emberlord.

But his tongue went numb.

His lips trembled asking for it but when Milo’s torn dress flashed inside his mind, he let it out.

"I want new clothes, shoes. For me and my sister both. If we went for the relic like this, it would only create problems. Because I am not even sure where it is."

The Emberlord nodded.

"Certainly. Anything else?"

Zane’s gaze became cold.

"Yes."

Coin and Jammy saw the change.

Hena did too.

"What is it?" The Emberlord asked.

Zane didn’t reply.

Not instantly.

He slowly moved his head and his eyes stopped at someone.

Someone wailing.

Someone bleeding.

Someone holding his leg and crying.

Hena, Jammy, Coin, Xavier everyone saw where Zane was looking and no genius was needed to know what the gutterborn wanted.

"This will be my final condition, Emberlord." Zane spoke.

He didn’t look at Coin and revealed his last condition while peering at none other than Kairon.

"I want him dead."