Chapter 62: Buying the Hourbound Grove

Nathan was mildly startled: "The Concord and the Four Hosts can actually cooperate?"

Karsten smiled faintly: "Why not? The Concord cooperates with the Eighteen Towers—why not us?"

Nathan had always assumed the Concord and the Four Hosts were enemies. Only now did it hit him: no channel had ever actually fed him intelligence that they were. It was just that the Concord's philosophy differed from the Legions', that it kept good relations with humanity and held the Commonwealth, while the Four Hosts clashed endlessly with the Eighteen Towers—and from all that he'd taken for granted that the Concord and the Legions stood opposed.

That pattern of assuming was a mistake plenty of people make: they take their preexisting notions, stretch them over something brand-new, derive an absurd conclusion—and then insist they're not wrong.

Nathan didn't think of himself as that kind of person, yet he'd made exactly that mistake—on a scatter of half-clues, carelessly landing on a conclusion that felt obvious and was completely wrong.

Nathan thought a moment and said: "In that case, shouldn't we settle how to cooperate only after talking with the Concord?"

Karsten snapped his fingers, grinning: "No problem at all. I've even set the meeting with the Concord's officer already—he's waiting for us right now."

Nathan's face showed the difficulty: "Can't this wait until after school?"

Karsten laughed: "You really are something. You think one missed day of school changes the world? That one day decides your future? Or is our new cooperation rather more decisive for your future?"

Nathan knew perfectly well the Raging Gale cooperation mattered more—but he'd been raised on the creed of studies-first, and right now reason and that brainwashed creed were at war, leaving him momentarily unable to decide.

Karsten gave a smile: "It's only a few hours. Hurry, and you might even make the last two periods of the morning."

After a brief hesitation, Nathan agreed and got in Karsten's car.

Without the author's approval, this page copied a chapter published on the NovelPhoenix site; readers can support the author there.

Karsten and the Concord's people had set the meeting on Lombard Row, at that same Moon Coffee. Walking in, Nathan was mildly surprised to find a woman of refined, elegant, thoroughly intellectual bearing waiting for them—he'd expected an official from the Greyhaven Wardens' Office.

This refined, intellectual beauty was neither humble nor haughty; she gestured them into their seats, then, all business, produced her own sigil ring and a document and handed them to Nathan.

A quick check told Nathan the intellectual beauty's credentials genuinely authorized her to represent the Concord in handling the Hourbound Grove's affairs.

The refined, intellectual beauty wasted no time. With identities verified, she produced another contract, handed it to Nathan, and said, evenly: "The Hourbound Grove is the Concord's property. For various reasons it no longer suited its original design purpose and was abandoned, but the ownership never changed. Your cooperation with the Raging Gale is not lawful."

Nathan's face went sour at once. He'd known about the issue but had never let himself think it through, and now that this Concord representative—refined, elegant, thoroughly intellectual—had raised it in the open, his confidence drained and he had no idea how to field it.

Fortunately the refined, intellectual beauty continued soon after: "However, the Hourbound Grove has sat derelict for years, and the Concord is minded to offload this junk asset. Two proposals: one, you buy the Hourbound Grove outright—our asking price is 160 million starlings. Two, authorized agency: you may develop the Garden as you please, but remit forty percent of all revenue to the Greyhaven Wardens' Office. Under either arrangement, your contract with the Raging Gale goes from unlawful to lawful."

Neither proposal brightened Nathan's face. He did not have 160 million starlings; the second option, authorized agency, actually looked more workable—except that losing forty percent of the profit made his head ache just thinking about it.

Karsten smiled faintly and cut in from the side: "My personal recommendation, Mr. Nathan, is the first proposal. Our Raging Gale can invest 200 million starlings and register a lawful merchant company within the Concord; you contribute the technology for a forty percent stake. We buy the Hourbound Grove first, then develop it jointly. As for the Raging Gale's strength—rest absolutely assured."

Nathan didn't feel that plan was much better than the Concord's authorized agency. Business was beyond him, but he dimly sensed that if the Raging Gale pulled any tricks, they could play him for a fool and leave him without a cent.

The refined, intellectual beauty's cool, clear voice sounded again, evenly: "Should you choose to purchase the Hourbound Grove, I can privately help you arrange a loan—on the condition that you sign a separate exclusive contract with the backer's designated company. They hope to obtain Goldspear Thistle, Hourlost Bloom, and Golden Light Vine from the Garden, and they'd like you to release a batch of hex-bugs into the Garden—no care required at all, simply set them loose there."

Karsten immediately raised his offer: "Our Raging Gale can provide the loan as well. If you purchase the Garden, we'll accept the Garden itself as equity in a new company for a seventy percent stake. The Raging Gale pledges to inject no less than 500 million starlings and take charge of developing the new projects..."

The two of them went back and forth, the projects growing ever more tangled; Nathan understood less and less, couldn't wedge a word in edgewise, and could only stare at them blankly.

Even blank staring got no peace—both kept soliciting his opinion.

Nathan actually found their plans sounding more and more solid; he simply had no idea which side to say yes to. As for the refined, intellectual beauty's background, he knew nothing, and you can't exactly trust a stranger you know nothing about.

And his impressions of the Raging Gale side were honestly not good: first those two impulsive hotheads who'd nearly come to blows with him, then Lysander, who'd actually fought him. Karsten always struck him as slippery, and even Lucan—the better of them—wasn't even a proper employee.

His head swimming, Nathan simply called Wren, wanting to see what ideas she might have for him.