The third day of the four-day ultimatum given by the Emperor had just begun, but the hours were passing like sand falling from an open hand, and each grain reminded Louai that time was his greatest enemy. After leaving the Naval Information Market, and after confronting Gilbertt and turning him into a misleading tool against Kasian, Louai stood on the deck of the "Gray Seagull" contemplating the gray horizon that was beginning to turn a faint orange as sunset approached.
The wind was cold, carrying the scent of salt and seaweed, and another scent he could not describe—the scent of mystery itself. Louai stood at the ship's edge, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the Islands of the Sirens loomed in the distance. The islands looked different this time, more distinct, as if the fog was deliberately retreating to reveal them to him. There was something about these islands that inspired awe, something that made Louai feel he was about to cross a new threshold, one from which it would not be easy to turn back.
Dorik stood at the helm, his single eye moving between the fading map and the changing water ahead. The silence on the deck was heavy, broken only by the creaking of wood and the roar of water beneath the hull.
"How long until sunset?" Louai asked, his voice calm but sharp.
Dorik looked at the sky, then estimated the time with experienced eyes. "An hour, perhaps less. The wind is beginning to die down, which might slow us a little. But we will arrive on time."
"We will arrive on time because I cannot afford delay," Louai said coldly. "Every passing minute brings me closer to failure."
Dorik looked at Louai with a look that carried a mixture of admiration and concern. The pale prince spoke as if counting numbers in a ledger, but his eyes gleamed with that cold brilliance known to his advisors in the palace.
The following minutes passed in silence, the ship progressing slowly toward the islands whose details were becoming clearer as they approached. The Islands of the Sirens looked different this time. They were not deserted as before; there was movement on the shores, shapes moving among the rocks, and faint lights shimmering in the twilight. There was something majestic about the scene, something that made Louai feel he was about to cross a new threshold.
"Someone is waiting for us," Dorik said, pointing toward the shore. "More than one."
Louai stared intently and saw what Dorik was pointing at. On the stone dock where he had met Lithan before, several shapes were standing. Some were human in appearance, others were translucent as water, and others were a strange mixture of both. In their midst stood Lithan, his translucent body shimmering with a cold blue light in the fading sunset glow. There were also two other beings: one appeared more solid than Lithan, as if made of shining black coral, and the other was smaller, with large yellow glowing eyes. Beside them was a fourth shape, not fully visible, appearing and disappearing like a mirage, as if it did not fully exist in this world...
"This is not just an ordinary meeting," Louai said, his eyes narrowing in focus. "He has brought others with him. This means the Council wants to see me, or it wants to test me before witnesses."
"Or it wants to reassure you," Dorik said, shrugging helplessly. "In this Archipelago, no one knows another's intentions. But I know one thing: if they wanted to kill you, they wouldn't have waited until now. You carry something they want, and that gives you leverage."
"Leverage is not protection, Dorik," Louai said, stepping away from the ship's edge and beginning to descend into the small boat. "Leverage is just an opportunity to negotiate. The rest depends on intelligence. Stay here, I will go alone this time."
"Impossible," Dorik objected sharply. "You cannot go alone. These are not ordinary creatures, and if something happens to you..."
"If something happens to me," Louai interrupted coldly, "your presence will be useless. You are a captain, not a warrior. Stay here, and keep the ship ready to sail. If I do not return within an hour, sail to Oswald and tell the Emperor that I have failed."
Dorik looked at Louai for a long moment, his single eye gleaming with deep concern, but he nodded silently. He knew arguing with Louai at this moment was futile.
Louai descended into the small boat alone and rowed toward the stone dock slowly and cautiously. The water around him was unnaturally calm, as if the waves themselves were waiting for what would happen. The closer he got to the dock, the more he felt the weight of their gaze upon him, as if the beings were examining him from within before he even reached them. When the boat docked, Louai jumped onto the dock with a confident step and fixed his eyes on the shapes standing before him..
Lithan stepped forward, his translucent body shimmering with a cold blue light in the sunset glow. His face—or what resembled a face—bore a new expression Louai had not seen before. It was neither welcome nor hostility, but something in between: an assessment, as if he was reading Louai from inside and out.
"You have returned, Prince," Lithan said, his voice deeper than Louai remembered, as if carrying an echo of something ancient. "And this means you wish to proceed with the deal. But the Council wants to know one thing before we begin: are you prepared to pay a greater price than you expected?"
Louai stood silent for a moment, analyzing Lithan's words. He knew this was the beginning of the real negotiations, and that any wrong answer could cost him everything.
"I am prepared to pay a fair price," Louai said, his voice calm but firm. "But I will not pay a price I cannot afford. Tell me what the Council wants, and I will tell you what I can offer."
Lithan looked at Louai for a long moment, then looked at the other beings behind him, as if consulting with them silently. The black coral being moved his head slowly, as if agreeing to something, while the smaller being with the hawk-like eyes stared at Louai without blinking. The fourth, fading being appeared and disappeared, as if it did not exist, but Louai felt its gaze on him the entire time, as if examining him from an angle he could not see.
Then Lithan turned to Louai again and said in a more formal voice: "The Council has accepted your preliminary terms. The Artery of Fog will be closed to Liridan's ships as of midnight tonight. But there are three additional conditions."
Louai felt a coldness run through his veins. He knew the deal would not be so simple. He knew there was always an additional price, especially in this Archipelago where everything had its price. He tried not to show any discomfort on his face, but his heart was beating faster.
"Three conditions?" Louai repeated, his voice calm but sharp. "We agreed on one deal, Lithan. Why three conditions now?"
"Because deals change, Prince," Lithan said coldly, as if explaining an obvious matter. "And you, as a businessman, know that the final price is only determined at the moment of payment. This is the nature of negotiations. You can accept them, or you can return from where you came. But remember: if you leave now, you will never return to these islands again. This is your only chance."
Louai stood silent, analyzing Lithan's words quickly. He knew retreating now was impossible. He knew returning to Oswald empty-handed meant death, or at least, losing everything he had built. He had no choice but to proceed. He also knew that Lithan was testing him, and that any hesitation would weaken his negotiating position.
"State your conditions," Louai said finally, his voice calm but firm.
Lithan smiled a cold smile, as if he had been waiting for this moment. "The first condition: the Fog Tax. The Council wants you to provide us with information about the Imperial army's movements in the coming weeks. Not because we want to help Liridan, but because we want to ensure that the Empire will not use the Archipelago as a military base after the deal ends. We trust no human power, Prince. Not you, not your father, not your enemies."
"And you expect me to betray my Empire?" Louai asked, his voice no longer entirely calm. He was trying to suppress his anger, but his eyes were gleaming with suppressed rage.
"No," Lithan said, shaking his translucent head. "We do not expect you to betray your Empire. We expect you to prove that you are trustworthy. The information we want is not deep military secrets. We only want to know the movements of the main legions in the coming weeks. Will they remain in the north, or will they move east? That is all we ask."
This was logical, but it was dangerous. If Louai provided this information, it could be used against him in the future. But if he refused, the entire deal might fail. He knew Lithan was putting him in a difficult position, and that any decision would have consequences.
"I will give you the information you want," Louai said after a short pause. "But I will give it to you my way. I will tell you what I heard from army commanders, not what the Emperor planned. This is what I can offer."
Lithan looked at Louai for a long moment, his white eyes gleaming with a faint light, as if reading something in Louai's soul that ordinary eyes could not see. Then he said: "Accepted. But remember: if we discover that you have deceived us, the consequences will be severe. We will not send you a warning, and we will not negotiate with you again. We will simply destroy every ship carrying Oswald's flag in our waters."
"I do not deceive," Louai said coldly. "I only negotiate. And that is what I will continue to do."
"The second condition," Lithan continued, raising another translucent finger, "a test of loyalty. The Council wants to see whether you will place your personal interests above the Empire's interests. I will give you a name. This person is an agent of the Council within the Imperial palace. We want you to protect them, and ensure their safety, even if it means sacrificing other interests."
Louai felt the shock. This was a completely different test. It was not just a request for information, but a request for true loyalty. If he agreed, he would become more deeply involved with the Council than he had imagined. If he refused, he would appear untrustworthy. He knew this was a crucial moment, and that any decision would have far-reaching consequences.
"Who is this person?" Louai asked, his voice calmer than he felt. He was trying to suppress his anxiety, but his eyes were searching Lithan's face for any sign of deception.
"I cannot tell you now," Lithan said. "I will tell you when you prove yourself worthy of trust. But know that this test will come at the right time, and you will know when it arrives. You will receive a message, and you will know what to do. If you act correctly, you will earn our trust. If you act wrongly, you will lose everything."
This was vague, frightening, and frustrating all at once. But Louai had no choice. He knew refusing this condition would mean the end of the deal, and the end of everything he had built. And he also knew that accepting it might give him more leverage than he imagined.
"Accepted," he said again, his voice more steady than he felt.
"The third and final condition," Lithan said, his voice growing colder. "A test of political wisdom. The Council wants to know how you think, Prince. Not as an accountant, but as a politician. I will ask you three questions, and you will answer them. Your answers will determine whether we trust you as an ally, or treat you as just a passing trader."
Louai stood silent, realizing this was the real test. The Council didn't want information; they wanted to know what kind of man they were dealing with.
"Ask," Louai said, his voice calmer than he felt.
The black coral being stepped forward, its red eyes gleaming in the fading sunset light. Its voice was deeper than Lithan's, and sharper, as if coming from beneath the water.
"The first question," said the coral being, its voice echoing in the air like a distant reverberation, "you say you negotiate and do not deceive, pale prince... but tell us: who is the real enemy you fear and who keeps you awake at night—the Liridan Republic you came to strangle with our fog, or your brother Kasian who awaits your fall in the capital?"
Louai felt the shock. He had not expected this question. He knew the Council was aware of his secrets, but he had not expected them to be so precise. This question was not about knowledge, but about honesty. It was testing whether Louai would wear the mask of a "national hero" or admit his true reality.
Louai stood silent for a moment, weighing his words. He knew any wrong answer could cost him everything. But he also knew that lying in this place was more dangerous than honesty.
"The real enemy I fear," Louai said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "is not Liridan, nor Kasian. The real enemy is the chaos devouring the Empire from within. Liridan is just a symptom of a deeper disease. And Kasian is one of the causes of this disease. I came here to strangle Liridan economically, because that will give me the time and space to deal with the real disease inside. Strangling Liridan is the weapon I will also use against Kasian. Because Kasian depends on the Empire's weakness to thrive. If I strengthen the Empire, Kasian weakens."
The coral being fell silent for a moment, its red eyes gleaming with intense interest. Then it looked at Lithan, who nodded slowly.
"A clever answer," said the coral being. "You don't choose between your external and internal enemies; you link them in a single equation. This shows your mind is political, not merely military."
Louai thought to himself: "Why did they ask me this? They want to know if I will admit my family struggle, or pretend that everything I do is for the Empire. I chose honesty, because lying here could be deadly."
"The second question," said the coral being, its voice becoming sharper, "the general information you agreed to give us about Imperial army movements... if we use it in the future to drown an entire legion of your father's legions that tries to violate our waters, will you consider yourself complicit in your soldiers' blood, or will you consider it just a 'price of trade'?"
Louai felt a coldness run through his veins. This question was more dangerous than the first. It was not testing his honesty alone, but his moral limits. It was putting him before a direct question: was he willing to be complicit in killing his own Empire's soldiers?
Louai stood silent, thinking about his answer. He knew any answer could be deadly. If he said "yes, I will consider myself complicit," he would appear monstrous. If he said "no, I will consider it a price of trade," he would appear hypocritical.
"I will consider it a price of trade," Louai said finally, his voice calm but sharp. "But not because I don't care about my soldiers' blood. But because I know that war between the Empire and the Archipelago will cost far more lives than a single legion. If the price of avoiding a full-scale war is sacrificing one legion, then that's a price I will pay. But I will do everything in my power to prevent things from reaching that point."
The coral being fell silent for a long time, its red eyes gleaming with a faint light. Then it said: "A cold answer, Prince. You are willing to take responsibility for your decisions, even if they are harsh. This kind of clarity is rare among humans."
Louai thought to himself: "They are testing my limits. They want to know if I will hesitate at the first moral test. I showed them I am willing to make difficult decisions. This may make them trust me, or it may make them fear me. Either way, I am in a position of strength."
"The third and final question," said the coral being, its voice becoming sharper, echoing in the air like a terrifying reverberation, "to shift the deep currents and completely close the artery at midnight, the fog will have to swallow a passing merchant ship that happens to be in the passage now—a ship carrying families and goods unrelated to your war. Should we let the sea swallow them to close the artery immediately, or delay the closure and lose the Emperor's deadline?"
Louai stood silent, feeling the weight of the question. This was the hardest test. It was not a theoretical question, but an immediate decision. He had to choose between innocent lives and his Empire's interest. He knew any answer would have consequences.
"We close the artery immediately," Louai said, his voice colder than he expected. "But not because I don't care about innocent lives. But because I know that delaying the closure means more innocents will die in the coming war. One ship now, or thousands in the future. That is the real choice."
The coral being fell silent for a long time, and looked at Lithan, who nodded slowly. Then the coral being said: "A harsh answer, Prince. But an honest one. You have passed all three tests."
Louai felt a deep relief, but he did not show it. He knew these were just tests, and that the coming tests would be harder. He knew the price he had paid was high, but it was worth the result.
"Now," Lithan said, extending his translucent hand toward Louai, "the Artery of Fog will close at midnight. And Liridan's forces will not open it even if they try. As for the second chest, we will take it now."
Louai signaled to the ship and shouted loudly: "Dorik! Bring the chest!"
After moments, Dorik descended from the ship in the small boat, carrying the heavy wooden chest. He placed it on the stone dock, then stepped back, his hand on the hilt of his sword. His single eye moved between the four beings with extreme caution.
Lithan approached and extended his translucent hand toward the wood, and once again, the chest began to sink slowly into the water, as if entering another world they could not see. The water shimmered around it with a faint blue glow, as if welcoming the chest as part of itself. Within moments, the chest vanished entirely beneath the surface.
When the chest disappeared, Lithan turned to Louai and said: "There is one more thing, Prince. The Council wants you to know that we will be watching your movements. Not because we do not trust you, but because we want to ensure the deal proceeds as agreed. If you try to deceive us, the consequences will be severe."
"I do not deceive," Louai said coldly, fixing his eyes on Lithan. "I only negotiate. And that is what I will continue to do. But I understand your warning, and I will remember it."
Lithan smiled a mysterious smile, then his translucent body began to gradually turn to water, as if returning to the element from which it came. "We will meet again, Prince. But next time, you will be the one asking us for something."
And without any further farewell, Lithan dissolved into the water, followed by the black coral being and the yellow-eyed being. The fourth, fading being simply vanished, as if it had never existed.
Louai and Dorik stood on the stone dock, staring at the empty space where the beings had stood moments before. The silence was heavy, laden with anticipation.
"You succeeded," Dorik said finally, his voice carrying clear astonishment. "You passed their tests."
"I succeeded," Louai repeated, but his voice was not triumphant. "But the price was high. I promised them information about the army, and I agreed to protect one of their agents in the palace. I have become more involved with them than I imagined."
"But you got what you wanted," Dorik said, trying to reassure him. "The Artery of Fog will close. Liridan will be economically strangled. That was your goal from the beginning."
"Yes," Louai said, looking at the horizon where the sun had completely disappeared. "But the price I paid may be more than I can bear. The questions they asked me... were about Kasian, about my moral limits, about my willingness to sacrifice innocents. They weren't testing my knowledge, but my character. They want an ally, not just a trader."
Louai and Dorik returned to the "Gray Seagull" in heavy silence. When they climbed aboard, they found Gilbertt standing at the edge, looking at them with clear concern. His face was pale, his hands trembling.
"My Lord," Gilbertt said, his voice trembling, "did the deal succeed?"
"It succeeded," Louai said, his voice calm but sharp. "The Artery of Fog will close at midnight. Liridan will not see a new sun on its waters."
Gilbertt breathed a sigh of relief, but Louai did not share his relief. He looked at Gilbertt with cold eyes and remembered the betrayal still lurking in the shadow of this old man. But he said nothing. He had already confronted him in the previous chapter, threatened him, turned him into a tool. There was no need to repeat the threat.
"Gilbertt," Louai said, his voice calm, "go to your cabin and rest. We have a long journey ahead."
Gilbertt nodded and retreated to the stern of the ship, still trembling.
After Gilbertt left, Louai sat alone in his small cabin, looking at the map whose symbols were fading rapidly. He knew time was passing, and that every wasted moment brought him closer to failure. But he also knew he was on the right path, and that the deal he had struck with the Council of Mists would change everything.
He rose from his bed, approached the small window overlooking the sea, and looked at the dark horizon where the capital awaited him, and all his enemies with it.
And suddenly, he felt something strange. The water around the ship began to vibrate with faint tremors, as if something was moving beneath the surface. He looked down and saw flashes of faint blue light shimmering beneath the water, as if the Sirens were celebrating the closure of the Artery of Fog. The scene was both enchanting and frightening. The blue light spread like a wave, moving slowly beneath the surface, as if closing something that had been open for thousands of years.
"They have begun," Dorik murmured from the deck, his single eye fixed on the shimmering water. "The Artery of Fog is closing."
Louai felt a deep relief, but he knew this was just the beginning. He knew the return to Oswald was more dangerous than he had imagined. He looked at the dark horizon and felt that something was waiting for him there, something he was not fully prepared for.
"We have leverage," Louai thought as he gazed at the dark horizon. "Kasian betrayed the Empire, and I saved it. But I cannot use this leverage now. I must reach Oswald first, and face Kasian face to face. Tomorrow, everything will be different."
He smiled a cold smile, then returned to his cabin, closed his eyes, trying to get some rest before the difficult days ahead. He knew sleep was a luxury he could not afford, but he also knew that an exhausted body could not think clearly. He needed a few hours of rest before facing what awaited him in Oswald.