Chapter 349: Negotiation

Zoe clenched the hem of her clothes, trying her best to suppress the panic within—at least not to show it on her face.

She was currently in a wooden hut; though the room was simple, it had been cleaned thoroughly.

This was already one of the best houses in the slums.

She turned her head and glanced to the side; the old lady was calmly sipping tea, while a little farther away, Josh was also looking over nervously.

Although they were still within Blood Harbor’s range, this was the first time the three of them had stepped into this area—perhaps excluding the old lady.

This was the territory of the Life Mother Church.

The old lady had asked Josh to contact the Mother Church. Josh hadn’t held much hope; although both were cults within Blood Harbor, the Steam and Abyss Mystics had rarely interacted with the Mother Church.

The Mystics had always developed low-key and rarely expanded their territory, while the Mother Church was aggressively expanding, but mainly against the upper city dwellers.

Moreover, the Mystics were mostly made up of Northland refugees, and there was little overlap in followers between the two groups. All of this resulted in the two largest organizations in Blood Harbor barely having any connections.

Still, sending someone to reach out wasn’t difficult. The Mother Church’s territory was quite fixed, and with the Northlanders spreading the word a bit, they successfully got in touch with Mira’s side.

Everything had gone surprisingly smoothly.

So after accepting the old lady’s task, the group had arrived here not long after.

To show their sincerity, both Josh and Zoe visited together, also taking the chance to display the relationship between the two sides.

The Mystics were already quite sizable, and with support from Castel, no matter what Mira was planning, she would have to think twice.

Of course, Josh being able to come here was mainly because the old lady was coming along—she had assured the two of them that if trouble arose, she could get them out.

“—The extraordinary of the Mother Church generally aren't good at perception, and my supernatural path is strongest in escape.” She privately revealed this to them. Even if all the extraordinaries of the Mother Church acted together, they couldn’t keep them here.

And thus, this meeting took place.

Zoe, though nervous inside, worked hard not to show it. After the operation to rescue Connor, she was no longer the leader, but Hughes still arranged for her to stay as a diplomatic figure.

One reason was that she could maintain a link and provide Hughes with firsthand information, but more importantly, she possessed a talent even she hadn’t realized.

She had a strong adaptability.

Hughes had sensed it when he sent her to teach the Banshees literacy. Though she had been terrified during her first visit, she soon bonded well with them.

She seemed to have a unique affinity that others lacked.

Whether it was the Banshees or the islanders during the early stages of the school’s establishment—people vastly different from her in identity, background, and experience—Zoe still managed to get along with them.

Such a person was truly suited to be a diplomat.

The group didn’t wait long before the door of the hut was pushed open.

Mira stood at the doorway, calmly sweeping her gaze over the group.

Her hair looked like a mess of withered weeds, and she was even thinner than the last time they had met, yet her eyes were bright, as if containing a flame.

“You’ve all waited long enough.”

She walked in and nodded to them. A follower brought in tea, and she personally poured a cup for each of the three.

Sunlight poured in, steam gently rising. Mira sat in a chair, her gaze brushing past the old lady, pausing briefly on Josh, then shifting to Zoe.

“I’ve seen you before.”

Last time they met, they had still stood on the side of the Harbor Guards, and the prince had used the bolt-action rifles of the Holy Guard to force Mira’s group to retreat.

An awkward look flashed across Zoe’s face, but she said nothing more. To explain in haste here would only make them appear weak, so she skipped the topic altogether.

“We come from Castel, the territory of Earl Hughes. We are here representing his will.”

Josh immediately echoed her words without hesitation: “Exactly.”

Mira revealed an interested expression: “Aren’t your Mystics from the Northlands?”

“Castel has accepted the Mystics.” Zoe took over. “Lord Hughes is the Frontier Count. We have a vast amount of unused land needing development. Sheltering the Northland refugees is part of our plan. In fact, we welcome everyone.”

Mira gave her a glance. Zoe suppressed her fear and nodded to her.

“Isn’t Castel an island? Can it hold that many people?”

“Our production capacity is beyond your imagination—to show our sincerity, Castel is willing to provide a batch of food aid to Blood Harbor.”

After the Deep Sea War, the once tense food supply of Castel had rapidly filled up, and it was foreseeable that Castel would soon experience a boom in grain production.

Zoe didn’t know the details, only that it came from some unexpected event, seemingly related to Ash. In any case, Castel would not lack food anymore.

And this surplus grain could naturally be used as a bargaining chip.

Sure enough, Mira’s expression grew serious.

Food was hard currency anywhere, especially in the chaotic Blood Harbor.

Castel’s ability to provide food aid was a testament to its strength—they could at least feed people.

Although the Mother Church under Mira had seized grain from the upper city, that was not a sustainable strategy. With only food and no production, it would eventually run out.

In fact, the prince was already pushing reforms. With the nobles swept away, Blood Harbor now had many new jobs, and everything was slowly recovering. If all went well, the starving masses might not go hungry in the future.

But in that case, Castel’s urgent need for population wouldn’t be met. That was why Hughes decisively sent people to make contact with the Mother Church, trying to lure this batch of people to the island!

As for whether the prince would be furious after having this group snatched away, that wasn’t Hughes’ concern. Blood Harbor had no food to offer, but Castel did. Whoever could support the people, earned them.

If you couldn’t afford to feed your people, someone else would do it for you.

If the prince had a problem with that, he could go talk to the Holy Guard.

When Mira heard about the food aid, her eyes widened, and her withered face lit up with spirit.

She stared at Zoe for a long time before reluctantly shifting her gaze and pointed at Josh: “Shouldn’t Castel prioritize recruiting members of the Mystics? Why come to me?”

Josh was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

He had originally thought he wouldn’t be able to return to Castel, but after talking to the old lady, he found out that Hughes did not oppose what he had done—in fact, there was even a faint hint of approval.