Chapter 162: 160 Seahrdrin

Class was spent making small talk and attempting to organize more of the party. Some of Diana's own guests were a secret, Trebar, Gawan and Titanyana would make a nice surprise for those who chose to attend given their current levels of fame, which would hopefully serve to boost her own popularity. She didn't necessarily have to be the most important person in the room to become influential, serving as the conduit through which powerful people could interact would allow her to borrow their influence until their nation was established enough to be a contender.

Favors, especially the little ones, were powerful assets in a diplomatic arsenal. Getting somebody to take care of something important for you was difficult, and required a trade of larger favors. Asking somebody to connect you with the resources to solve your problems was far less taxing. To give an example, it would take a monumental favor to get somebody to lend money to you without any collateral, but asking them to introduce you to someone who could give you the opportunity to make that money was far easier.

"Might I ask how many people you wish to invite, Lord Merndil? I know that I am inviting eleven people, not including Donovan and his squad, but I don't know how many of them are actually going to show." Getting a grip on how far she should be going with the preparations was important. Going too far would suggest people had ignored her invitations, while not having enough there to satisfy all of the guests would make her look like a bad host.

"I intend to send invitations to 60 individuals I have connections with, all of whom are welcome to invite one other person as either a friend or escort. I find that this method usually results in around 100 people."

"Then arranging food for around 130 people should be enough, correct?" In the unlikely scenario that everyone she invited showed up, she would be running a deficit for ten people. 60 invitees, 60 escorts, 11 for Trebar's squad plus Gawan, then Merndil, Satie, and whoever he chose as an escort, then Donovan's squad and Diana. That was 140 people, if her math was right.

"It is common courtesy to arrange enough for everyone to eat." Merndil politely corrected her mistake. "Please don't worry abut resources on that front, I will cover the costs associated with food and entertainment."

Diana nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Then perhaps I should make good use of my own funds and purchase souvenirs for everyone. I recall seeing an interesting knick-knack on display at one of the local shops, which seems fitting with the theme we are running with."

"Perhaps that isn't the best idea. Mementos of parties are nice and all, but I would avoid it if they aren't particularly expensive. Unless it is something bland but convenient like a handkerchief or unique like a bottle of wine, most will simply discard it."

"I see." Diana closed her 'notebook', which was chock full of , judging by the professor's current demeanor this class was coming to an end. One could only talk about the intricacies of what an eyebrow's position meant for so long. "Well, in my case it will serve as valuable experience in the realm of gifts. Will it reflect negatively on me if they do not take to it?"

"Given that you desire to match the gift with the theme, they should not be too hostile towards it. Just try to make sure it is of higher quality than the norm."

"Naturally." Diana stood up, moving out of the row to allow room for Merndil to 'escape'. A great many others had left over the course of the lecture, so foot traffic was not particularly dense, but it tended to be a good idea to leave early. "Shall we get going? I think Lord Hlapven would prefer it if we finished our business before the dinner rush."

"I believe that to be prudent. Sir Hlapven, do you have an business that needs to be taken care of before we leave?"

"Anything that could take precedence over attending your majesty would never be scheduled to take place here."

"I see." Merndil adjusted his clothing, Satie in tow. "Then let us take our leave."

- - - - -

They had elected to use the carriage Diana arrived in on account of the driver knowing where to go. The Great Csillacra was large, even when only considering a small portion of a branch, it was far larger than what one might reasonable expect a non-local to remember.

"I hope that this carriage suits your tastes."

"It is a carriage maintained by the Sanctum, it would be disrespectful for me to find issue." Hlapven was the one to express his contentment with it. In Diana's eyes, it was a ploy to improve his image.

"I find no issue with it either. It is, perhaps, a bit lacking in terms of comfort and luxury, but for what we are doing today I could not ask for better." He didn't need to spell it out, 'ordinary' would disguise his status to some degree. "I do wish there was some form of refreshment, the lecture having left me quite parched, but there is nothing to be done about it."

Diana could feel Satie shift uncomfortably next to her after that comment. Evidently she felt this to be a failing on her part, but there was no way she could be allowed to apologize now. The direct presence of a higher ranked subordinate to her master meant she could no longer speak to him as loosely as she might normally. Without first being addressed, she had no right to speak.

"We can have drinks while we wait for the food to be cooked. I personally feel the selection she has available to be refreshing, though I admit that my own home is fairly lacking in that department." A blatant lie, but one that would go unnoticed. Diana could think of at least seven different improvements to the beverages available in Manama's abode, the potential additions were on the edge of countless.

"We will have to wait?" There was a tinge of hostility. "A commoner has the audacity to make the crown prince of the Bulsarzian Empire wait?"

"Do you honestly believe that she can simply apparate a completed meal? Even the greatest chef will still need time to cook anything of quality." Diana defended Manama's honor. She would play ball with this man, but she would not bow to foolish accusations leveled at her own allies.

"It is not like I am in any rush, Hlapven. Besides, the purpose of this trip is not to be served food but to assess its quality."

Hlapven took a deep breath, eyes darting from Diana to his liege's. Diana couldn't be certain, but she got the feeling he was trying to denigrate her in some way. "Very well, however I must encourage this trip to be kept brief."

"It will take as long as it takes." Merndil laid back against his seat. While technically on par with Diana in terms of rank, the fact that he was sponsoring her party meant that he held a position of authority over her, if only tentatively. Nobody could speak on matters not directly related to 'work' unless he started the conversation.

Diana did not like such societal restrictions, the inability to interact with others without the often arbitrary approval of another was a recipe for trouble. She could appreciate it here though. Hlapven currently had the status of 'Inconclusive Hostile' in Diana's book, a person or party who was acting in opposition for unknown reasons. She had suspicions as to what those reasons were, but until she had confirmation she couldn't really update that status.

Should his reasons be persistent, something along the lines of not liking her as a person, then he could be considered a 'Consistent Hostile'. No matter what she did, consistently hostile individuals would maintain a negative view of her. In such a case there was little point in attempting to please them, and enacting deals to their detriment with other parties wouldn't even require thought.

She would assign the label 'Conditional Hostile' if he was only acting in opposition for some reason she could control. Being a threat to his position was one potential source of conflict she had identified, but it was not the only reason. His intentions could always be rooted in loyalty, fearing Diana to be some vixen taking advantage of his liege's generosity. Whatever the reason, all she had to do was make it abundantly clear she meant no harm to him or his lord. Sure, Merndil might be helping her out right now, but would it always be that way in the future?

She was certain the presence of Trebar would at the very least bring her 'lack of influence' into question. If she could pull the darling child of a staunchly isolationist Theocracy into the realm of public gatherings, what else might she be able to offer?

The last category for whatever Hlapven could be was 'Suspicious Hostile', someone who acted against her purely as a means to figure out what she was after. She had come to the conclusion that he wasn't acting suspicious of her motives, so he probably disliked her or her relationship to Merndil.

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"Sir Hlapven, I recall that your territory contains an Seahrdrin mine. Is that correct?" Merndil, likely uncomfortable with the silence, moved to make small talk with his vassal. It was a detail about his territory, so the fact Merndil had remembered would undoubtedly bring him pride.

"Yes sir! That is correct."

"I see. How has production been? I know it is important to your territory's prosperity, but it is even more important to maintaining the empire. As you might imagine, I am quite interested in it."

"One of the veins of my great grandfather's time was deemed replenished enough to mine before I left. I expect production to increase to levels higher than our current standard by the time I inherit my father's position."

"I wish you and your family well on that front. I do ask you to remember a sense of moderation when it comes to Seahrdrin mining. The few times when your family has exhausted the reserves have always proved dangerous to the empire." Merndil didn't do anything overtly threatening, he didn't even move, but Diana got the feeling that was a threat.

'Mismanage those mines and I will take your head.'

That was the vibe that was portrayed.

"O-of course I will!" Hlapven seemed to have picked up on it as well. "Speaking of the future, your majesty, have you decided on an Empress? I recall my sister was among the candidates. . ."

Merndil rolled his eyes. Many a suitress had attempted to catch his eye, many a noble had attempted to sell their daughter. "You should know that I don't consider 'advice' about such matters."

"N-no, that was not what I meant. I don't actually want her to be the Empress, your highness, she is . . . unworthy." There was some obvious hesitation in the way Hlapven spoke. "I fear for the image of the royal family should she become associated with you."

"Oh?" Merndil showed interest in this advice. "What makes you say that?"

"I struggle to speak ill of my kin, but I have to admit that one to be villainous. She might appear pretty and act nice enough, but there is no telling what she might do when you turn your back." Hlapven side eyed Diana for an instant. "She has caused problem after problem for my father, and I have a suspicion that he suggested her as your wife as a way to get her off of his hands."

Merndil raised an eyebrow. Certainly this seemed far fetched, but it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. In fact, considering Hlapven's familial situation, what with an abundance of wealth, a deceased blood mother and a presumably hostile step-mother, it wasn't hard to see how a girl who would have been doted on their entire life would certainly be bratty and entitled.

"While I cannot promise you it will affect my final decision, I will certainly take your warning into consideration."

"Th-thank you, my liege."

Diana didn't mind Hlapven's sudden timidity. She had been the subject of a very brief, sudden, and shocking idea. Did she perhaps remind Hlapven of this sister? His hair was yellow, not blonde, but it wasn't hard to ignore the differences if everything else was similar, a prospect which she had no evidence to dismiss. It would certainly explain his behavior, seeing the potential of his villain sister in the stranger who decided to sit next to him one day.

"Excuse my ignorance, but what is Seahrdrin?" Diana felt that switching subjects was necessary here, not just to collect information on this obviously important material but to get Hlapven's mind off of the irritant. "From your conversation it sounds like some sort of metal, but it is not one I have heard of before."

Hlapven snapped his head, an ever so slightly accusatory glare in his eyes. Whether he felt Diana to be probing some national secret or to be ignorant beyond compare was left a mystery, but it was enough to make Diana think if such a thing had been mentioned previously.

"It is an ore that is infused with a great quantity of split. In that form it is easily heated to the point of melting, however once it cools it becomes incredibly sharp and difficult to make melt once more. I have heard that it is on the lighter side of such metals, making it the ideal material to make weapons out of, but it is said to be extremely brittle."

"My lord!"

"Calm yourself Hlapven, if she truly wished to determine the nature of that metal there is by no means a dearth of people who know. If she doesn't have access to a source then that information has limited use."

Hlapven bit his lip, not entirely sure if he should object further.

"Melts at a low temperature once and then becomes difficult . . . brittle . . . lighter?" Diana did not know much about the elements, so she was writing this information down for Donovan and Arc to give a once-over. Light indicated it might be aluminum because that was the lightest metal she could think of, but she remembered Donovan muttering about how much of a bitch it was to process. Surely they wouldn't be able to process it in any meaningful quantities. 

"Pardon my intrusion, Lady Diana, but I can no longer stifle my curiosity. What is it you are doing with that pad? It does not appear to be Sanctum Script."

Diana briefly panicked. She had a paper notepad for notes, one she used because it would be far harder to explain the tablet, but she never really expected to be interrogated about it. "Oh, this? This is English, my people's written language. It makes it quite easy to store information so I make an effort to record important matters with it."

"Written . . . language?" Hlapven stared at her admittedly quite awful handwriting from his upside down and offset angle. "It looks like nothing more than a child's scrawling."

"To you maybe. A great many of my people's epic tales have been recorded with such writing, many of our tragedies too. I would appreciate it if you did not disrespect that which you clearly do not understand." In the realm of language, Diana held an undefeatable advantage against those present. It was an advantage bestowed upon her by the very fact that she used it. Merndil appeared to be somewhat intrigued by it though. "I would be willing to teach you, though I warn it will take quite some time. I believe it takes around five years to learn if you spend only an hour every day, though I must admit I do not know if that is true."

"I must pass on that opportunity, though I hope that offer remains open in the future."

tap tap

It was the driver's signal, they had arrived.

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