Chapter 1670 – Politicking

“We are worried about your future.”

It was an odd day. Alice Erry had not expected to be seated across from a monster when she had woken up that morning, yet indeed, here she was. The room itself was opulent, which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering whose ship it was.

Neutral ground, they’d said, since they were unwilling to meet within the Green Mountain itself. A smart decision. Within the confines of the city, they would be treated like the Dungeon spawn that they were.

Was that carpet really woven from Amber Frost fibre? And who thought of putting a carpet in a ship?

Surely the damp… she shook her head, it was no business of hers.

Of all the irritating things in front of her that she had to deal with, by far the most was the… creature across the table from her.

Positively hideous. Its carapace was a russet red, except for the rear section, which was pitch black, much like the beast’s multi-faceted eyes. With fine hairs sticking out of its antennae, the monster was often fidgeting, cleaning its antennae or using its middle or rear legs to scrape alongside its carapace in a disturbing display.

The more she sat across from it, the less inclined Alice was to remain in the room.

Her translator, a fiercely moustachio’d man named Inger, was staring at her, waiting for a reply he could communicate via mind bridge to his opposite on the other side of the table.

And this was perhaps the most offensive thing of all.

“You are worried about our future?” she said, restraining herself from fully expressing her incredulity. “I hardly see how our future is any of your business.”

Was it a threat? Was this disgusting thing threatening her and her people?! The very thought that these monsters were allowed to roam free, sitting here at this table under the protection of a brathian conglomerate, no less. It was outrageous, and she couldn’t for the life of her think why the Legion hadn’t exterminated them long ago.

Letting an ant colony live this long was without precedent. Everyone knew how devastating an outbreak of ant monsters could be. Everyone!

“I see there is some confusion.”

The translator beside her kept a running dialogue, speaking aloud as soon the words were sent into his head.

“We do not mean to threaten you, but to ensure that the potential for harm to befall your city is not realised. If you continue to allow delving teams leaving your kingdom to infringe on our territory, the chance that something goes wrong will only increase.”

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How was that not a threat?

“We are under no obligation to place restraints on the Delving Union. We don’t recognise your territory at all. I’m not sure why we are here talking to begin with.”

She muttered the last sentence more out of frustration than anything else. No doubt the translator passed it along, but thankfully the ant didn’t say anything. They both knew why she was there, because the brathian had threatened to put a stranglehold on Green Mountain’s trade.

How these monsters had that sort of leverage, she would dearly like to know.

“You don’t have to recognise our territory, or us as a sapient species–”

“Why would we recognise you? You’re Dungeon born.”

The ant hesitated for a moment.

“… To be accurate, we are born from the Queens, not from the Dungeon.”