As already stated earlier, Metztil was not the most politically savvy man around.
The only trick he knew when facing Alexander was the one taught by his wife.
And now that that had been used up, the man's chamber was completely empty.
Thus towards Alexander's invitation for a new suggestion, he could only reiterate his old claim, before posing,
"The people of Helvati will never accept the rule of an outsider. We have been fooled by you too many times. If you are truly sincere... then we can also promise you people that they can live and work in our lands... with special laws in place. Laws that will respect your rights and beliefs."
As Metztil threw the same words back to Alexander, a touch of a smile graced his face, feeling quite pleased with himself.
At least he had some cleverness in him.
As such he even tried to justify it, "This is only natural, right? It is our island after all. You should be ruled by us. Not the other way around."
The legitimacy of the argument was frankly not too bad, as it was undeniable that they were here first.
Not even the Margraves dared deny that.
"Hmmm.. is that so?" However, if this was meant to cower Alexander, then Metztil was too naive.
Rather languidly tracing his chin, the man only hummed this, before suddenly straightening his back and sharply addressing his adversary,
"Chief Metztil, it seems you and I have a basic misunderstanding. You are mixing me up with the Margraves, thinking we are the same. We are indeed allies but I am me... different. I hope you take into account when you look at me next."
"As for you labeling us as outsiders... here too I hope you will understand reality. You can call us whatever names you want, but the reality will still remain the same... we are here to stay. And there is little you can do to stop that. If you could do anything it, you would have done it already."
Crack!
At Alexander's unrestrained jab towards his most naked wound, Metztil instantly gritted his teeth and loudly clenched his fists, producing a significant popping sound.
But then producing a filthy look at the young boy, the bulky man could do little to counter the narrative.
This let Alexander continue unabated, working to chipp every bit of Metztil's pride,
"Indeed, your best chance to throw away the invaders would have been when they first came here. At that time, you were at your strongest and they at their weakest. But even then, due to... various internal and external enemies you failed. Tell me, how many men you islanders could field then? And how many can you field you?"
"...." The question was of course rhetorical and honestly, Metztil did not know the exact numbers.
But even his youngest daughter could know they were far stronger then than they were now.
"Over the past few centuries, while you only got weaker, we 'outsiders' have only gotten stronger. All the island's ports, cities, and trades have become intertwined with the rest of the world. And the only way for you people to return to the 'good old day' would be to slaughter every single inhabitant of the place."
And realizing this Alexander quickly stepped up to give Metztil a way out,
"Lord Janus is very passionate about his family. He did not mean anything by it, chief. The Margraves do not even have an army right now."
It was that last part that actually moved Metztil, as he produced the most contemptuous look till now as if he was looking not at a human, but some kind of animal waste.
'Look at how the mighty have fallen. From oppressing us for centuries to not even being able to save yourself. Heh!'
The look made even Lord Janus's hardened cheeks flush, and he sent a complicated look at Alexander. Although he was glad for the help letting him avoid a disaster, he would have also liked it if Alexander had been a little more tactful.
Alexander however could not give a rat's ass about what this loud mouthpiece thought, but rather turned to Metztil to once again urge him to reconsider, promising his people land, wealth, and security.
"We can give you some land to rule personally. That is only natural... Let's say, those areas I mentioned will belong to your tribe. But for the rest of the land, we promise you Helvati will be allowed to move in there without any trouble.
We will also lift the ban that prevents you Helvati from owning land and then lease many of the empty farmland there to you. In exchange, we will only ask for a small tithe each year."
"..." The final deal as proposed by Alexander left the chief in a dilemma.
It was not all that he wanted, but it was not bad either.
The area that was promised to them would alone amount to around 1,500 sq. kilometers, which was not an insignificant amount anywhere in the world.
If they had this, with the additional food and space, his tribe could easily add another 10,000 men over the next generation. And at the time, they would not be just the strongest tribe, but perhaps invincible.
And in the same vein, the 'sort of free' access to new farmland was also a tremendous boon.
If Metztil would get this deal done, unemployment would perhaps become a word of the past not only for his tribe but the entire native population, as every able bodied youth would flock to these fertile fields.
Was this not what he had really come here for- to find a way out for his people and protect them from persecution?
Metztil felt like accepting.
However before he could do that, there was one last snag he had to untie, "My people won't accept this."
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