Step Three: Jinn

Mira left, and I went back up to the apartment and passed out after she left. I spent a total of two days with her. This completely destroyed the schedules that Yuri and Alexia had made with others. But many knew that an A rank outstripped them in status and was easy to make others understand.

When someone more powerful than you demands someone's attention, you tend to stay out of the way.

Most people who used political power and controlled the everyday negotiations were B and C rank powerhouses. Our bosses were the A rankers, and they were the actual movers and shakers. Things like my Equal trade agreement might even be destroyed if the right powerhouses told their people they didn't like that. Most of this was out of their attention since they had better things to be doing.

I had no idea what those better things to be doing were sometimes, but I knew that they were doing something; Right?

Those thoughts all left my head, though, as I needed to move on to the next order of business after waking up. I grabbed some food that Emily had prepared to go for me, and I left the apartment with fresh clothes.

Things in the Demon lands were looking up for me and were progressing down the right track. With Queen Mira, I had gained a powerful backer that would force me into a high position for the war to come. This would give me more chances to prove myself and make accomplishments and increase my standing. I also wanted to take a chunk out of that Empire. They had resources and various other things that would help the nation grow if we took a chunk. Although they are also a large nation and I didn't expect us to destroy it.

What was truly needed was to show them that they couldn't do whatever the fuck they wanted. Their slavers invading our borders taking our civilians was unacceptable, and I was surprised it took the Beast-kin nation this long to do this.

I reached my destination, and I put my thoughts on pause for the cause. I entered to see the smiling face of a woman I had not met yet. I grinned, and I looked at the man beside her. They were both blue people, and their skin was entirely Blue. These Two were Jinn. And I felt strongly concentrated mana coming from their bodies. These two were stronger than me, and I knew it. My instincts told me I could fight them, but I would need to run in the end. They didn't make me feel like Jax did, where I knew I would lose entirely to him.

That being said, I could always use the Void to escape which I needed to spend more time researching more applications of use. That was true for all wizards, though, and looking over these two, I knew they were both wizards.

"You must be the newly heard about Ambassador Chelsea," The woman walked up with a sweet voice that was almost musical to the ears. The woman was entirely blue-tinted skin, and her breasts were modest on the lower side of B cups. Her height was around five feet five inches tall. She wore a black dress that made her look good.

"You are correct," I replied, "I am sorry, I was in a rush, and I didn't have the time to do my usual preparations. Knowing that you are here, I know you are the representatives of the Jinn." I replied, taking her hand.

She laughed, filling the room with enchanting music. "Well, That is honest. I guess we were even lucky to get your appointment on time." She bit into me, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"That is a truth," I said, using the chuckle to hide the wince. "I have been busy with someone that I not only didn't want to refuse couldn't refuse. She was very sexy." I joked.

The Jinn woman laughed again, this time with a giant smile on her face. "I am Representative Clover," That musical voice said,

A deep baritone voice came out of the Male Jinn, "I am representative Roger." I turned to look at him, and the man was also dressed in long sleeve shirt and black pants. I slightly wondered if they were both fascinated with black but kept my mouth shut.

"I have to ask," Clover said all of a sudden with that same musical voice, "Is it true about this so-called Doorknocker?"

I was surprised it turned sexual so suddenly. "What do they say about it?" I asked curiously.

"That it is like a drug almost for Succubi, and once you have it that all other men are ruined for you," Clover said, her musical voice curious.

I was about to respond when the man put his hand down on her shoulder and looked at her. "Enough we have things to discuss, and not the Ambassadors private parts," Rogers deep Baritone told her. "I am very interested to hear what she has to say about the reason we were invited here." Roger finished.

Clover sniffed, "Fine, I will talk later about it after the business is complete." Clover said, walking over to the couch and sitting down. "Now that roger has made this boring, I do wonder what you wanted to talk about."

Roger shook his head at the antics that his companion was doing and joined her on the couch. I smiled, and I sat across from them. "Today, I wanted to talk to you about the Free Trade agreement," I told them, and both nodded.

"Figures," Clover commented.

"Well," I replied with a wry grin, "It isn't the most exciting topic, but it is one that I need to address. I was hoping to see if I could convince you to vote the way I wish to let this have a possibility of passing in my nation."

"Oh?" Clover seemed more interested. "From what I hear, the deal would be profitable for both sides in the end. How would you not be able to sell it to the Bunny-kin, let alone the nation?" Clover asked curiously.

"Simple," I said, leaning back before sighing, "The Venomancers and the Medusa's want to make an overly one-sided fishing agreement. If this is allowed in and it passes, let's say in both our nations. We would have the economic prosperity that you wanted for maybe ten-twenty years," I told her truthfully. "After the war with the Empire, if we win, we will come out stronger, and our economy will take a small hit, and we will need to take time to rebuild in the Empire and many other things." I leaned forward, looking directly at her. "The problem is what comes after this small amount of time."

"What is that pray tell Ambassador?" Clover asked with a slight smile but overall interested.

"Economic prosperity." I told her, "We will have new resources, and trade will become more robust. With your nation defending the waters, things will only increase." I began, "We will expand and move into our new territory and probably have a lot of human slaves by the tens of thousands for our economy to work with. With these, we will create new cities, and then we will use that extra gold on getting a new military and increase our forces in the end. This will be natural since we would need to defend all that new land. With that, we would need to build a larger merchant fleet." I told her flatly, "And that would already be happening with our new Trade Agreement. That means that our economy will increase along with yours due to proximity and the Free trade agreement."

Clover nodded, her eyes squinting, and I was about to continue when, "So I don't see the downside. Our assistance actively helps you in the scenario you are saying," Clover said.

"I never said it would be a problem at, first Clover," I told her honestly, and I wouldn't be wrong on that. "The problem is in the long term since with a larger merchant fleet means there will be an increase in privateering on the sea. That will lead to us needing to increase our war fleet. That is when the problems will arise." I told her flatly, and I leaned back again. "This is where tension would begin between our nations. The Demon lands would be enjoying years of economic prosperity and wealth coming in from our nation. You would also, with the increase in merchants on your end, have an increase in fishers. With that, they would want to fish where the fish are. That means under the current agreement, and they could fish in our waters." I took a deep breath, "With the increase of your fishers in our waters while our shipbuilding increases, making more jobs and more wealth in our nation, we would have fishers. Except now your fishers are in our waters, making fish more scarce. This would lead to resentment on the Trade agreement."

I paused, looking at her, "This is where this Fishing agreement that the Medusa and the Venomancers start to look like a slow infection. As they have tried, the agreement will eventually create resentment from our side if we win a war. Not even if we completely win the war with the Empire. I mean, if we just take some land. Or even if we Quagmire for some years before suing for peace. As long as our nation remains in the end, this deal would become a slow infection in my nation. We would hate it in the end and as our power regrows from the war and peace settles in. Our nation will start to look at this deal and resent the fact that even if we have a war fleet to defend our waters, your people would be allowed to traverse our waters with impunity freely."

"The biggest kicker of all, Clover!" I exclaimed with my hands in the air. "You Don't get much out of this part of the Fishing trade agreement!" I barked out a short laugh. "For some time, your underdeveloped fishing industry would have more waters to fish in." I paused, "But you already have plenty of fish and are not suffering from a shortage in the least!" I couldn't help but feel it was absurd. "So in the end, you are going to make a long-term problem and receive nothing valuable in the short term. Other than the fact that your ships which already with our underdeveloped war fleets, can enter our waters without us being able to question them. Which," I paused for dramatic effect, "They already can!"

Clover and Roger looked at me with serious expressions. I could see already that they were thinking hard on it, and I leaned back and watched them. My frustration on pointing these things out to people was starting to become annoying. I never put it into such words as these since I never thought about what would happen if I tried to sell it to my nation. But it didn't matter in the end; I didn't want to go to war with the Demon lands. No nation has won a war against them. The Various species that inhabit it have defended it for centuries without any major setbacks. The terrain in some areas makes it challenging to take land from them. Take their capital, for example. It literally is surrounded by mountains, and the only place to 'easily' invade it from is the sea. That in itself makes it much harder to take. The number of casualties trying to come in from land would be outrageous through those choke points in a conventional war. Numbers wouldn't help either in that terrain.

War with the Demon lands was a losing proposition right now, and I knew it. We could maybe take some lands off them. But only for a ridiculous price and losing a powerful ally.

"I never thought about it like that," Clover admitted.

"Clover," I said slowly, "The deal with that fishing agreement on it will never even be seen in my nation's lands. I fear that they would sign it not thinking of the long-term effects." I told her harshly.

"You're saying you would disregard the agreement?" Clover said with something in her tone changing.

"Nope," I replied simply, "I would just not sign it," I told her. "I would not sign it and, as the representative from my nation, allow it to die if my nation sends another Ambassador in my place to sign it. At least I can live with the knowledge I didn't sign that position that would eventually lead to war if not changed." I sighed, "I would easily give up the credit this agreement would give just to say in the history books one day it being written that I am an idiot who signed it."

"You are taking a hardcore stance on it," Rogers baritone cut in. "You are also giving more information than I think you wanted to let on." He continued, "You are leading to something."

"I am not leading to anything other than asking you to vote in the agreement when it comes up to vote that you instead to vote in that the fishing agreement will be negotiated at a later date." I replied, "Nothing fancy or bad for anyone. Maybe you might get something that might be better for you in the long run if we negotiate more in the end."

"You still are taking a hardcore look at this," Roger replied.

"I do not want war even in thirty years with the Demon lands," I replied with a solid look.

Clover looked thoughtful, "I think you might be taking too hard of a line with this," Clover replied, and I started to feel my heart drop. "The thing is that at this moment, your nation cannot defend your waters." Clover said, looking at me, "You will gain your waters back and be able to trade with us at an increased rate!"

"That is looking at this issue with a shallow look," I replied, making Clover frown. "I think there is one point you are missing in all of this Clover, Roger," I said.

"What point is that?" Clover asked, and Roger nodded, seeming to agree with her.

"At this moment, we export more goods to the Demon lands than we import, to my knowledge. The main things that we import are goods that are considered luxuries," I sighed. "These things do not much affect our economy in a bad way with high import tariffs since they already are for the wealthy," I told her with a tone that wouldn't be considered 'Diplomatic.' I paused before continuing, "That means what is happening without clearing out the Pirates that were affecting both yours and our Merchant fleets increasing costs on transporting since our merchants; Your's, and ours were using land routes instead driving up transport costs." Clover nodded, and I paused. I took a breath, and I was fighting back the urge to sigh, "The main things that your nation wants from us now are in question, and that is Alchemical goods. We have some of the best Alchemists in the world inside the Silvermoon tower. Having access to more of our goods at a cheaper cost would be considered a strategic good for your nation. These potions allow various beneficial outcomes for your people. That ranges from Wizards to carpenters with health potions. Or a Bezerker is looking for something to help them out with fighting. Or breaking through to the C rank or even D rank. These are all various things that my people, in particular, bring to the table that we are willing to sell."

"So you are saying that we benefit more from clearing the waters around your nation?" Clover asked.

"Yes," I replied, "Already you are seeing Alchemical goods costs lowering here in the Demon lands. But still, our nation trades more with the Dwarfs than with the Demon lands. That includes that we are not on the friendliest terms with them," I finished with that, and I put my arms up on the back of the couch lounging. This Clover wasn't the sharpest stick, in my opinion, especially for a Wizard. Or she could just never have thought about it.

"I never thought about it that way," Clover admitted and leaned back, and Roger wrapped an arm around her. I watched, interested in response to my small economics lesson to these two. The fact of the matter was that this deal would help both nations in the short term and the long term by bringing in more competition to our nation. It would also allow more trade out from our nation at a critical time when there would be increased economic hardship and jobs around the borders would become too risky. This was a good way to improve our markets for our high-end goods, which the bottom ring and middle class, except for adventures, of our society couldn't afford anyway.

The two seemed to go quiet, but I felt mana shifting between them. The Jinn were not on good or bad terms, and they were a race I didn't know much about. I used Francis's recommendation to talk to them, and I wasn't sure if this was a good choice in the end.

"Alright," Roger said in that Baritone voice. "I believe that you are correct, and we will talk to our bosses their opinion about this and get back to you about this."

I nodded, but I still didn't trust the Jinn now. I would look for another species to work with for this, and I would not rely on the Jinn. To be fair, though, I didn't go into this meeting with any information, and I decided that I would need to talk to my sister next. Hopefully, she had some new information for me.

"Now," Clover said with a much larger grin, "What about Doorknocker?" She asked.

"I am sexually gifted, although it being addictive is up for debate," I told her simply.

Suddenly a knock on the door cut the conversation short. I stood and opened the door, and it was Yuri, "Sorry for the interruption."

My heart dropped, knowing something had come up. "I am sorry, but I need to go," I told Clover and Roger.

"We can talk later," Clover said with a gin and looked down at my crotch.

"I will be back in a minute if it won't take long. Otherwise, I will talk to you later," I told them and stepped outside the room. "What is it?" I asked.

"The Council is asking for your presence on the emergency crystal," Yuri stated, and I froze.

I started walking, and Yuri followed, "Did they state a reason?" I asked almost at the stairs.

"No," Yuri replied, "What do you want me to do with the Jinn?" Yuri asked.

"Send them back," I replied, "But wait a few minutes, so it seems that I learned it will take me time. Give them a decent potion as an apology that I couldn't finish our meeting."

Yuri nodded and turned around, and I moved up the stairs towards the emergency line.