Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Hawkwood Barony V
"So, it was Lady Ingrid. I apologize for not recognizing you at first glance. Please, make yourselves feel at home."
As they were welcomed inside, Herbert had been greeted by a small banquet for lunch. Following his usual routine, Herbert ate lightly as he focused on maintaining an amiable atmosphere throughout the dining experience.
It was only after this that Herbert decided to finish talking about the trivial and start to mention his main business.
"Sir Herbert, it has been a long time since you have personally come here. I hope that you were satisfied with our previous arrangements."
Herbert nodded his head in agreement. This was the pretense of his visit. He would supposedly give him a reward of some form, but since he was in the position to be giving out the reward, he could also decide what type of reward it would be.
"Yes indeed, Lord Eric. My father has also sent his regards."
"That's great to hear."
"Truth be told, my father has been very thankful to you so he asked me to use this opportunity to show you a piece of thanks as a show for our gratitude."
Herbert's words were as sweet as candy and the Hawkwood lord who intend to curry favor with the Ravenmoon was eating it all up.
"My, you don't have to. It was only because we have been long friends with the Ravenmoon that we can cooperate as naturally as this."
"Since you put it that way, then I suppose that you wouldn't decline our sincerity."
Herbert then motioned for Oliver with his left hand. Following this, Oliver soon took out a few documents with detailed information regarding the Oxswords and placed them on top of Herbert's open hand.
After opening it, Herbert gently gave it to Lord Eric to see. With his political acumen, Lord Eric quickly read through the material. Every line he came across made his breathing hasten.
Just reading the first few lines at the front had already gotten him hooked on reading the entire document. He knew that he had finally hit the jackpot. If everything in the written document was true, then this would mean that there would come an opportunity for his territory to expand.
"Sir Herbert, is this… for me?"
"Do you not like it, Lord Eric?"
Lord Eric had a funny expression on his face. How could he not like this? Nevertheless, he knew that his strength was far from enough to accomplish what the Ravenmoons intend to do.
"I am grateful for this opportunity; however, I still feel that with the current strength of the Hawkwoods isn't enough to do-"
But before he could continue, Herbert once again spoke aloud to interrupt him.
"Oh, don't worry about that, Lord Eric. This is a gift, right? Oliver, hand me the other one."
After saying this, Olive took out another document that had the official seal of the Ravenmoons and handed it over to Herbert.
"As you can see here, everything can be settled quickly and easily."
Lord Eric's eyes flashed in greed. They had finally entered the negotiation phase. He knew that he had to strike the right balance here. If he dared to ask too much then their relationship would be damaged, but if he asked too little then he would have to be the one to take the loss.
"Please let me think about it for a few days."
Although he was the de facto ruler of the Hawkwood Territory, he still had to take into account the rest of the family. The Ravenmoons were giving them a big chance. And with the current state of things, he was still unsure if this would become an opportunity or a threat.
"Don't worry. Take your time. There's no pressure at all. If you think that the Hawkwoods cannot accomplish this, then I will show you our gratitude in a different way. Naturally, since this matter is fairly sensitive, we will still honor your decision and instead look for another partner."
Although Herbert had uttered it nicely, his sentence was laced with the subtle hint of warnings.
"I see… Thank you, Sir Herbert. Since that's the case then we will give it our utmost consideration. Please wait for a positive reply."
Herbert smiled and nodded his head.
"Since you have just arrived from your long trip, why don't you take the time to rest? If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call the servants in the family."
"Thank you, Lord Eric."
After this Herbert who was still together with Ingrid and Oliver left Lord Eric's study.
Although he has nearly prophetic foresight since he had retained his memories of the book, that doesn't mean that he could immediately deduce every single thing that happened in the story. Thus, gaining the capability to see the subconscious of anyone that he comes into contact with through the use of his Serpentdream bloodline was a huge help to him.
This was what happened in the case of Davos, and he also thinks that it would also be of help to him in the future. As long as his target wasn't stronger than him, he believes that he could gain easy access to the information that he needs.
As Herbert entered his room, he used his white feathers to thoroughly purify the place before he decided to relax and lower his guard. As he sat at his table, he took into consideration his next course of action.
Due to the current political climate of the Lionstone Kingdom, Herbert understood that creating a large-scale upheaval would be detrimental to the significant big-shots in the country. This was why the Ravenmoon's original plan to take over the kingdom was through a political marriage.
What they wanted was to benefit from the kingdom's instability. Taking the lead in making a mess out of everything when everybody is still in a wait-and-see attitude was akin to shooting oneself in the foot. This was why Herbert needed the Hawkwoods to act as a proxy to deal with the current situation.
It wasn't like he was limited to only choosing them, he could also choose other territories that are seeking to curry favor with the Ravenmoons, the main reason that he had decided to use this territory was that the original Herbert already had the experience of cooperating with the lord of this territory, aside from that was its proximity to the Oxsword Territory.
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