POV Yusheng Lan
Yusheng continued to smile miserably. Smiling is one of the best mechanisms to manipulate people, as many people don't even realize that their minds are being bribed by a smile, and many are generally so self-righteous that they ignore the most 'primitive' methods. The woman looked at her interlocutor and inwardly laughed at the Frenchman's behavior.
Yusheng saw every thought, every desire the Frenchman carefully hid behind the mask of an experienced politician. That's what he thought, but compared to the experience of the one who had risen to his present level in the cobra's nest, Delacour looked like a confident, self-confident, successful man. How many of his kind had the Chinese woman seen? Countless. And they all look the same, almost identical. It is not so difficult to deal with them, although this time you cannot use charm and other similar methods, but you can do without them if you are well prepared. And they were well prepared.
— I've read the information, — the Frenchman put the documents aside, leaned back on the sofa and looked directly at her. — You can make your proposal, — Yusheng could not help smiling, Pierre Delacour's tone and expression were too familiar.
— Our proposal cannot be summed up in two words, — the woman began, placing a new folder on the table, only thinner than the first. — There are many conditions in our proposal that we either can't or won't go beyond, so we have decided to structure the entire list of demands strictly. The conditions that are not negotiable are marked in red, those for which we are prepared to make certain concessions are marked in yellow, and those that are not marked are open to discussion and negotiation, up to and including cancellation.
— I see, — the Frenchman nodded, turning his eyes to the new folder and frowning. — But you and I won't be able to do it in half an hour....
— Of course, — the woman smiled again, remembering Sora's smile as they prepared the lists and folders for this conversation. — We realize that half an hour is not enough time to process such an offer, so the contract you signed has been modified, — Yusheng smiled almost affectionately at the instantly pale Frenchman.
Yes, Sora had told him about his modest abilities of astral magic, with the help of which one could see the past, present and future within certain limits, if one found 'anchors'. To be honest, Yusheng did not even believe him at first, because this art is too hard and tedious to master, it is given to very few people.
But those who have mastered this path have great advantages in business or strategic planning. Usually, if there is such a mage in the clan, he almost never leaves the clan's territory, and information about him is kept so carefully that his true value and role in the clan is known only to a very small circle of people, really only to the elders and the clan chief.
At that moment, Yusheng even had a headache from the flood of thoughts from trying to process all the possibilities. And she was also angry because she held traditional views on mages like Sora, i.e. she was strongly against risking him, the guy would be much more useful if he would just look into the future or the past of the right people, and the information gained would be used by the clan for its recovery, growth, and development.
On the other hand, she couldn't forbid him to act as he wanted — she didn't have that power, and she wouldn't have it even if her daughter became the guy's mate. It was unpleasant, but there was nothing to be done — the woman was a realist, and she had time to study the man's character, and so she did not think of taking the future head of the clan under her full control, but she would certainly have partial influence — it was logical to anyone who thought about it.
But putting a ring in his nose and leading him wherever he wanted to go would not work. Unfortunately. Even if you try to blackmail with future children, the case will most likely end with something the woman would certainly not want to see or experience.
As for this contract, the standard version of the contract actually sets the time for proposal and decision to half an hour, but you can change the time limit in the text before casting the spell — magic allows you to do so without any problems. Sora, immersed in deep meditation, could see that Pierre Delacour simply did not know about this little feature, because contracts (standard forms-contracts) in France, as well as in most European countries, are made and sold only by goblins.
In other countries, this kind of agreements are not used at all, or the supplier is a Russian magician — this concerns Europe, Asia — another conversation, as well as other parts of the world. Judging by what Sora had "seen", Pierre simply would not look at the time, being sure that the validity period is conditioned by standard spells and enchantments.
Now, hearing that the time might be different, the man turned pale, sweat beading on his forehead, his hands almost shaking as he clenched them into fists and pressed them to his knees. Even the greatest self-control could not help him with the occlumency. One could understand him, because it was possible to change something else besides time, and he had stunned the one who, accustomed to "standard" contracts, had signed the contract without reading it.
Yes, the reaction turned out to be wonderful, which Yusheng took real pleasure in, expressing it with a mere affectionate smile.
Soon, the man pulled himself together, suppressed his emotions, and began to work on the proposed contract. He was in no hurry, even though he had not been given a new term, which, by the way, was not limited, but ended with a special code phrase of the host side. Pierre did not even hesitate to use the paper and ink prepared for this purpose. The man made notes, wrote down short sentences, his lips often moved during the work, and the one who knew and taught her students to read lips, clearly caught what the Frenchman mumbled silently.
Speaking of the girls: they obeyed the woman's explicit command, and during all this time they did not make a single sound, and in general they pretended to be absolutely empty space, excluding even what could be called the words "gazing" and "staring," which would also attract attention. After a while, the man began to speak.
— I understand most of your demands, — the man looked up at her, his fear and confusion gone. — But the rest I find either impossible or unnecessary.
— What exactly do you find impossible or unnecessary? — The woman smiled affectionately again, already guessing what it would be about, because Sora had made some assumptions about that as well.
— Well, all right, — the Frenchman said with a kind of breathless satisfaction. — Point number seven: Hand to hand communication of information to the king without any intermediaries. Can you imagine the difficulties I'd have to go through to accomplish that? I'm not privy to His Majesty, just so you understand, and even if I get an audience, we won't be left alone even if I manage to interest the King.
— We propose to use the unmarked items from the twentieth to the thirtieth to fulfill this condition, — Yusheng replied calmly, waiting for the man's reaction.
— I see, — Pierre nodded in agreement and checked the items again. — I think that the head of the secret police and the head of the intelligence service will agree with me if I use this information... yes, most likely... — the man finished a little more quietly, and finished reviewing the mentioned paragraphs, which mentioned uncovered channels of illegal import of various goods (not prohibited, just undeclared or subject to distribution restrictions) into France, as well as corridors of secret correspondence and intelligence agents from America and some African countries.
Nothing really terrible or too dangerous, at least for the moment, but it is better to keep such tools under control in order to avoid various problems in the future. — However, the same tools can be used just as effectively, but with a strong alliance with the head of the secret police and the head of intelligence. They are very influential people, and their friendship is no less valuable than possible preferential treatment from the king. Why do you insist on this particular option?
Yusheng answered the man with a satisfied look and a brief approving smile. They had discussed this possibility, and the Chinese woman had suggested the option of contacting these people directly, and Sora had even considered her suggestion for a while. But then he insisted, saying that a father-in-law — the king's closest man — was cooler than some acquaintance who seemed to be grateful to you for something.
The woman had to agree — family ties are stronger than simple gratitude. It was also decided not to hide her motives in this case and to express them directly to Pierre. Hearing the answer to his question, the man was not a little confused, obviously not expecting that in this case the question of future family ties would be raised. And it was not strange, for the conversation had been with a stranger, so Pierre had expected it to be a negotiation between two sides, with their own personal interests, without cross-connections.
It took him only two minutes to fully comprehend what had been said, to recalculate his options, and in the end he even had something on his face, like approval, or cautious contentment — joy.
— All right, if you say so, especially if it is in the interest of both France and the Delacour family, I will accept it. Especially if it's handled properly, there's a good profit to be made from this step, but only for the Delacour family. Do you understand? — The Chinese woman nodded in satisfaction. — Good, in that case, I confirm the agreement on the points... — He went on to list the exact points that had been agreed upon; at his words, the agreed upon points flashed with golden light, and the text took on a kind of glittering sheen. — Ahem, let's continue. The question of creating a political alliance for the sake of changing the course of interests is clear, — the man nodded at the whole set of points concerning pressure, blackmail and other measures of influence on the list of names occupying not the last position in society and in power.
— And I'm glad that you left the right to decide about the alliance to me, as the one who should be at the head of the alliance... — the man nodded respectfully to the Chinese woman, and she replied in kind.
There is nothing surprising here, everything is clear and logical: Delacour knows and understands better with whom it is better to be "friends" and with whom it is better to leave aside or not to touch at all. No one argued with this: in this case, the real benefit, can only get a respected Frenchman, and outsiders in the political redistribution is better off staying out of it... directly.
But the fact that some clans would definitely get new patrons, and four clans of very high "flight" would cease to exist altogether — it was non-negotiable, these points were marked in red, and Delacour kept silent about them.
— And if everything is clear with the rest of the points, I mean from the category of "red", then I am not clear with point number thirteen, in which you demand a special clarification condition for the participation in the alliance of the Dunois family...
— What is it that confuses you? — The woman feigned surprise.
— The Dunois are friends and longtime allies of the Delacour family, and I can't just ignore them in this matter, — the man said guiltily. -It almost goes against our oaths.
— The word 'almost' is very important here, — the Chinese woman smiled a little wider, showing the same elongated fangs that Pierre had seen on Sora lately. — This condition is very important to Sora and he insists on its fulfillment, without it our contract will not come to pass.
— So I was wrong about him, — the man sighed heavily and shook his head disapprovingly, but the woman easily recognized his pretense, though she didn't show it. — He couldn't get over his petty grudge... — it sounded like it was about something small, unimportant.
— You are free to be wrong if you wish, but our condition is non-negotiable: either the head of the Dunois family and her husband withdraw from the affairs of the family, hand over full power to her heir, and swear not to interfere with his decisions, or they will not participate in the upcoming alliance. We also demand that the profits of the Dunois family in the future alliance be limited to a quarter of yours, no more.
— This is ridiculous! — The man waved his hands.
— Not at all, — the woman replied calmly. — These people have shown that they can be trusted with caution, but in this case, you have to be afraid of any meanness... excuse me, "a new interpretation of the old terms", so we have decided to limit their influence to a fixed line in the future. — Here the woman grinned, showing for the first time what Sora would have wanted to show — a vengeful grin. — Let them be glad that they weren't left out of the upcoming changes at all!