NOVPUB"I'm not selling you weapons," Khan declared, immediately refusing Clifford's request.
Hughie had left the tiny house to get his notes, so Clifford and Khan had started talking business. Clifford didn't use those exact words, but Khan had understood their meaning anduldn't accept them.
"You claimed you would have stayed true to your word, Prince Khan," Clifford pointed out. "Not that I'm requesting weapons, ofurse."
"I never lie," Khan announced. "I'm refusing for your sake."
"What does this mean?" Clifford asked.
"If I gave you weapons," Khan explained, "I'd have to decide to whom they can be pointed and fired at."
Khan opened another bottle, refilling his drink before lifting his chilling gaze at Clifford and adding a relatively veiled threat. "I'd make the White Mouse crew mine or destroy it. I believe you don't want either."
Clifforduld only wear a grim expression. Khan was an infamous and fearsome Prince, while Clifford was nothing more than a random space pirate. Khan had also already partially obtained what he wanted, so Clifford had tonsider himself lucky the negotiations were still happening.
Moreover, when Khan lifted his gaze, Clifforduldn't stop his spine from trembling. The Prince's political status was terrifying, but something told Clifford that the real danger was before him. Khan wouldn't even need to call for backup to see his threats to fruition.
Unregulated zones still had a few truths, and strength was one of them. No one on Blue Moon, and probably in the entirety of the nearby quadrants,uldntend with Khan. No one even had any leverage on him, making him a potential overlord. Khan's word was law, and Clifford had to abide by it.
Precisely because of that, Clifford knew heuldn't miss that chance. That was the opportunity of a lifetime. He would never find another respectable Prince who was vaguely indebted to him. Clifford had to make that a turning point in his career and life, but his narrow perspective hindered him.
Clifford wasn't to blame, really. He was a space pirate relegated to a forsaken area of the universe. He had somehow managed to bme a snd-level warrior but lacked the proper spells to express that power. Ofurse, that was a secret even to his crew, but his situation didn't change.
At most, Clifforduld think about weapons, riches, and ways to accumulate more riches. People there with a modicum of authority liked the freedom of the lawless areas and wanted to live as a king inside them. The problem was how.
"Why don't you ask me to set you for life?" Khan suggested. "I thought most people living here wanted nothing more but to escape. I can even make your crew official if retirement bmes boring."
Khan only needed to snap his fingers to fulfill what most people living in those areas dreamed of, but Clifford looked hesitant. Khan had promised him the world, but he seemed about to refuse it.
"You see, Prince Khan," Clifford announced. "Credits aren't everything in these parts. It's more important to have the ability to protect them."
"What about the other part?" Khan wondered.
"I've grown quite fond of these quadrants over the years," Clifford laughed, excited that Khan was pouring him another drink. "Besides, I've lived here for a long time. I wouldn't know how to behave in a proper society anymore."
That was a lie, but Khan let Clifford have it. The middle-aged man clearly had his reasons, and Khan wasn't there to change his mind. Khan only wanted to get the negotiations over with and hop on his ship again.
"Then find something I can accept," Khan exclaimed. "As much as I appreciate your hospitality, I'm in a hurry."
Clifforduldn'tme up with a straight answer. He had worried so much about ensuring he got something out of the meeting, only to struggle to name a proper price. His situation was moremplicated than he had revealed, so finding a doable solution was challenging.
"I might be able to help if I knew your problems," Khan voiced.
"I wouldn't dare, Prince Khan," Clifford reassured, smiling. "I'm nothing more than ammonermpared to you. My problems aren't something you should worry about."
That was another partial lie, which Khan allowed to fly. Still, the situation was bming annoying, which didn't bode well for Clifford and Blue Moonlony as a whole.
"Are you sure you can't allow weapons, Prince Khan?" Clifford asked. "I swear on my honor. We'll only use them for our protection. As you know, these areas can be dangerous."
"Did you mishear me the first time?" Khan wondered, not hiding his annoyance. Yet, that suppressed reaction ended up emboldening Clifford.
"The White Mouse crew did everything you asked, didn't it?" Clifford announced. "I'm just demanding what's fair."
"Are you demanding now?" Khan asked, doing his best to focus on his drink.
Ignorance was bliss, especially in Clifford's case. Khan's calm and reasonable behavior started to appear as a sign of weakness, which Clifford believed heuld exploit. After all, some idiots let their honor ruin their lives, and Khanuld be one of them.
"Credits would just get stolen," Clifford declared, "And the same goes for valuable merch. Everyone has seen your arrival, Prince, so most crews will expect I gained something from it. I must prioritize protecting my men and myself!"
Khan sighed, and the world seemed to echo his helplessness. The tiny house's surfaces crumbled without making a sound, turning into metal shards that shattered into dust before touching the floor.
The floor also broke, its shard blown away by an invisible wind, revealing thelony's surface. The starry sky past the dome reappeared above Khan and Clifford as random cracks opened everywhere on the nearby habitations. Only the furniture remained intact, but Clifford didn't have theurage to move his eyes.
Clifford hadmpletely frozen. He wasn't a knowledgeable mana-enhanced warrior but knew that Khan didn't cast any spell. Yet, the house had vanished out of thin air as if echoing Khan's sigh. That event went beyond magic. It expressed the mana's real mystical nature, and Clifforduldn't even attempt tomprehend it.
"Three times," Khan announced. "You lied to me three times. You won't get the chance to do it again."
Khan stood up, emptying his cup and placing it on the table, ignoring the shocked bystanders to utter an ultimatum.
"Your price," Khan stated. "Now."
Clifford had yet to return to realitympletely, but his fear fueled an instinctive reaction, making him mutter the first thing that came to his mind. "Credits. Credits are fine."
