Chapter 453 453 What We Can Offer
Dali met them at the entrance to the ruined castle, along with a number of other Demons who were curious about the fact that there could possibly be a Rank Five Demon right here in the Frozen Wastes.
Some of them were considered Ancient Demons at this point and had been summoned as Familiars during the war, only to outlive their mistresses and free themselves to become free Demons after her death.
They knew better than anyone how much damage could be inflicted by a being of Wolfe's power, but the word that he had been born a Magi had them somewhat concerned.
If Wolfe decided to follow the teachings of the Magi and go for non-intervention or a pacifist lifestyle, then his plans might be diametrically opposed to what the locals believed was the best for their continued survival.
The sight of all the porters bringing heavy weapons from the plane helped set their minds at ease and assured them that Dali hadn't exaggerated or misunderstood the level of assistance that Wolfe was offering them.
"Greetings, Lord Noxus and Miss Cassie. It is a pleasure to see you both again. Please do come inside, and we can get the meetings started. Everyone was on time, so you are the last to arrive." Dali greeted them.
"I hope that we didn't keep everyone waiting too long. We came as soon as we had everything in place." Cassie replied with her best smile.
The Kitsune smiled back and shook his head. "No, we had everyone who could make it here gather for first thing in the morning in case some were a few hours late. Most arrived last night, as travelling in the dark is only suitable for certain species, but none have had to wait too long."
Then Dali led them into the meeting room, a small bunker with hand-crank-powered LED lanterns hung around the outside, and gestured for them to sit at the head of the table.
"You will be doing the presentation, and this is the best spot for everyone to see you. Our tradition is to skip formalities and get right to the offer." The Demon explained.
Wolfe nodded. "In that case, we can make this easy. I prepared a document for everyone to read with the terms of the proposal that I have for you. It also contains a description of the spells and items we can offer and the plans that we have for the future."
He handed the papers to the man next to him, who passed them around the table, leaving a small stack of extra copies to be passed back to Cassie.
"These terms look almost too good to be true. As you can see, there are a number of villages with Demons in them, so we have spellcasters, but the power that you claim the weapons have is outstanding. Can you verify that?" One of the beastkin village leaders asked.
"We can. We brought a sample for everyone, along with some spells to help your villages, should you choose to work with us. If there is a suitable target nearby, we can test them in a live fire situation, or we can test them here if you prefer." Wolfe replied. noVE.Lb/1n
"You aren't afraid of them retaliating against you with an armoured Company?" The beastkin man asked.
"I am already at Rank Five. Even at Rank Three, a single Armoured Company was no real threat to me unless they caught me off guard. So, no, I have no concerns about testing the weapons against them.
If they do have a new armour that can defend against them, I can even modify the weapons on the spot to meet your requirements." Wolfe replied.
The village leaders smirked at each other. That was about the answer that they had expected from a powerful Demon. Confidence ran in their blood. Many of them viewed the Magi culture as one of cowardice, which was why they hadn't tried to emulate it once they were free in the Frozen Wastes.
But what Wolfe was proposing was a blend of the two. Not individual, self-reliant villages, but not a pacifist nation like the Magi had created. Instead, the deal he had written for them created something akin to a Monarchy, where each village leader was a Feudal Lord.
In the Frozen Wastes, power talked. That made the most powerful among them the one with the most right to speak, so if he wanted to organize them, the others would listen until it no longer served their interests.
"There is a military group guarding an oil well only twenty kilometres from here. I think that we will all be willing to sign on to your agreement as long as the spells and items you offer live up to the hype. But first, how good are the Witch Charms you offer?
There aren't many Witches this far East, other than the ones who take slaves, and we don't deal with them, so we don't know much about it." One of the other village leaders agreed.
"We can show you quickly enough. There are plants growing in the other room, so we can set up the spells there, and you will be able to see the difference by the end of the day." Wolfe suggested.
The village leaders conferred amongst themselves for a few minutes then they gestured for the guards who were carrying the weapons to bring them in for examination.
"Oh, this is genius. I never thought of that. Of course, I would have to do them one at a time, but even then, it would be worth the time if it outputs the sort of damage that you promised these ones do.
I think that hitting a tank with this should cause a level of damage that any artillery team would be proud of." The misshapen older Demon who was holding the heavy machine gun announced.
"Then I suppose that we should start making plans to ambush the oil rig. Cassie, would you please set up the spells in the front room so that they can see how they work when we all get back?" Wolfe asked.
"Not a problem. I will wait here to make sure nothing happens to the safe area while you all are gone."