Cornflower Witch

Chapter 373 Negotiation Methods in the Underground World

"This is Miss Hedra."

Led by the tall, tiger-headed beastman, a young girl appeared, dressed in a long black dress with dark gold trim. She had beautiful, jet-black hair, held a book in one hand, and stretched out her other hand, her fair and slender fingers brushing across the chair before she sat down.

Since the serial murders were solved, many orcs in the neighborhood have known that this girl was the one who helped find the killer and was also the girl who defeated the bully of Agate Street.

Because of her help with the cleanup, Hilti visited many orcs in the neighborhood and generously offered assistance. She also cured many orcs who couldn't afford medical treatment with herbs. Gradually, her reputation grew in the orc neighborhood, and people would sometimes seek her help when they encountered difficult problems.

“It’s like this, Lord Hedra.” A tall, thin lizardman came over and explained the situation to the girl.

"Many schools and facilities in the Asura district regularly have their exterior walls and roofs cleaned, as well as complex large statues and equipment. At this time, the management will contact a designated 'headman' to find manpower to do the work. This is simpler and more convenient than directly hiring individual cleaning staff. In case of damage or accidents in the middle, the 'headman' can be contacted to resolve the issue, so that the workers will not suddenly run away and cannot be found."

"There are four 'headmen' in the Asura District: 'Fire Pig', 'Vertical Eyes', 'Four Fingers', and 'Spider Woman'. Under these 'headmen' are some cadres in charge of different blocks. When there is a shortage of people, they will find people to do the work in their own blocks and also manage various small businesses in this area."

"When Duss was working at School No. 64, he accidentally broke the equipment in the classroom. In order not to affect his subsequent work, 'Four Fingers' has already compensated the school. Then, 'Four Fingers' had 'Chili Face,' who was in charge of Agate Street, make up for the loss."

"Duss didn't have much money, only a 14-year-old daughter. 'Chili Face' wanted to sell his daughter to 'Spider Woman' for money, but Duss refused, saying he would definitely pay back the money. But Chili Face didn't believe him and brought people to forcibly take his daughter away. Then Duss fought with them."

"After that, Dus was beaten half to death. Other neighbors and friends who were on good terms with him came over and felt that Chili Face had gone too far. After that, the two sides were at an impasse."

After listening, Hilti looked at the unconscious orc on the bed in front of her and asked the tall, thin lizardman beside her.

"How much compensation did he have to pay for the equipment he damaged?"

"It's said to be 5 gold coins, but we guess it might not actually be that high. 'Four Fingers' is very shrewd, and we estimate that he only compensated 2-3 gold coins."

Five gold coins? Hilti thought for a moment and prepared to pay up directly, but the lizardman next to her saw through her thoughts.

"Lord Hedra, we can't give you money directly."

"why?"

"It's a bit complicated. You can think of it this way: giving money is a sign of weakness. They'll keep causing trouble, and then you'll have to keep helping them and keep giving them money," he explained the rules of the underworld.

Is it that complicated? Hiltiya rubbed her forehead slightly, thought for a while, and then spoke.

"Where's the 'spicy face' who wants money?"

"He said he would come over again tonight and told us to get the money or Duss's daughter ready."

Where is Duss's daughter now?

"Currently hiding in Aunt Huru's cellar."

After listening, Hilti sat in her chair and pondered deeply. The other orcs gathered in the room also lowered their breathing and voices to avoid disturbing her.

Giving money directly would be seen as 'cowardice' and surrender; that's the orcs' worldview. Given her current status, she really can't keep giving money, otherwise, such goodwill would be exploited by those with ulterior motives, forcing her to keep spending money.

But how can this matter be resolved without paying money?
She could certainly beat up 'Chili Face', but that would offend the leader 'Four Fingers,' who would then constantly cause her trouble. As she was bound by her identity as 'Hdra,' she couldn't reveal too much, which would restrict her actions. If she were forced to reveal additional abilities in a truly critical situation, creating a loophole in her identity, it would be a net loss.

How can she resolve this matter and prevent 'Four Fingers' from finding any reason to cause trouble again?
……

At night, 'Chili Face' returned with a group of ferocious orcs. It seems that after suffering a loss in the morning, he had hired quite a few thugs. No wonder he said he would wait until night to discuss a solution.

"Where's Dus?" Looking at the open space in front of the house, Dus hadn't come out. Chili Face swept his gaze over the people standing outside and asked arrogantly.

The group remained silent, but soon the door to Duss's humble dwelling opened, and a young girl in a long dress emerged. Her long black hair was adorned with a golden butterfly hair clip, which complemented the floral decorations on her black dress. In the simple setting, she stood out strikingly. Such a person seemed out of place, belonging to a grand ceremony or a banquet of the upper class.

"Who are you?" Chili Face frowned.

Hilti's gaze swept over the orcs behind him, and in an instant she counted their numbers: a total of 11 orcs, including 4 second-tier and 7 first-tier. No wonder the orcs in this district dared not confront them head-on.

The orc who was in the lead was not tall. He wore a crocodile skin vest, had a mouthful of rotten yellow teeth, and dark red pigmentation patches on his face, as if he had suffered from some strange disease. However, Hiltiya could tell at a glance that this was the result of the 'blazing sun' phase of erosion, which caused his skin to burn and ulcerate, and his blood vessels to become congested. Even after he recovered, some traces remained.

No wonder she's called 'Chili Face'; nicknames aren't given lightly after all.

“You can call me Hedra,” Hiltiya stepped forward.

"I've heard about Dus's situation, and I hope it can be resolved peacefully." Although she meant peaceful resolution, the girl's face showed no fear or weakness.

"A peaceful resolution? Heh." Chili Face chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"You say you want to resolve this peacefully, fine, but how are you going to compensate me? You can't just make empty promises."

“Here are three gold coins. Consider them a loan to Dus. Here you go.” Hilti opened her palm, revealing three gold coins.

Immediately, three white birds appeared beside her, each carrying a gold coin in its beak, and spun around her.

Seeing how skillfully she manipulated the flying bird spell, Chili Face frowned. "A top student, huh?"

"Three gold coins? Okay, hand them over." Hearing him agree so readily, Hilti knew that 'Four Fingers' definitely wouldn't pay out 5 gold coins; it was probably only 2 or 3.

“I can give it to you, but how will you compensate Dus for the injury? He’s seriously injured and can’t work. How will he make a living?” Hiltiya didn’t hand over the gold coins immediately.

"That's his own problem. Who told him to make a mistake?" Chili Face shrugged, looking like it was none of my business.

“He should compensate for his mistake, but you and your men seriously injured him, so this matter cannot be left unresolved.” Hilti shook her head.

"Hehe, hahaha." Chili Face suddenly laughed as she looked at Sylvia. "How dare you talk to me like that? Do you know who I am? Don't think that good grades in school are everything. You're just an apprentice."

"If you insist on getting involved, don't blame me for reporting you to the school and making you drop out. You'll never become a mage, and in the end, you'll die like a stray dog ​​on the street, unnoticed by anyone."

"You've gone stupid from studying too much. You dare to meddle in everything. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Children shouldn't interfere in the adult world'?" After saying that, he laughed again, as if he had seen something particularly funny, and the group of orcs around him also laughed loudly.

Some of them had heard of Hedra, but in their eyes, this girl was just a second-tier apprentice with slightly better grades. It wasn't impressive that she could defeat a down-on-his-luck student who had failed the exam. The leader 'Four Fingers' had hidden 'third-tier' henchmen under his command, and he had extensive connections.

Whether I can become a mage is none of your business, but you doubt whether I have the ability to intervene, and I can demonstrate that.

Dealing with orcs is not feasible with words alone; you must use overwhelming force to shut them up and get them to sit down and negotiate.

Three white birds beside Hiltiya, trailing long silk threads, charged toward the group of orcs. Upon seeing this, several of the orcs immediately let out a violent roar. The sound waves spread, causing the other onlookers to collapse in fear.

Then these orcs unleashed their abilities, some even displaying huge, thick, curved horns that crashed into the incoming white bird.

Under Hilti's skillful command, the three white birds dodged the attacks and weaved through the crowd. Strands of silk tightened around them, and some orcs tried to use the silk to pull the birds down, but their fingers were quickly cut and bled by the sharp silk.

These birds seemed too agile and troublesome to deal with. The orcs in front charged directly at Hilti, their thick fingers several sizes larger than the girl's head. If she were caught, the consequences would be dire.

Hiltiya retreated while carrying the book, and as the people in front continued to chase, they were caught by hidden threads in the air. If Hiltiya hadn't stopped and not used the sharp threads, these guys would probably have been torn to pieces on the spot.

"How could this thread be so strong and sharp?" One of the orcs, whose neck was being strangled, had to slow down and dare not move around recklessly due to the stinging pain.

Ibis Jellivin spent nearly ten years researching and improving his skills, from learning the 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' to perfecting it into the 'Decapitation Thread' that could kill at will, before committing a series of murders in the Asura District.

Even a second-tier apprentice who has mastered the secret technique 'Sobis Magic Thread Manipulation' would find it difficult to perform to such an extent, which is why the few orcs present were particularly incredulous.

Although Ibis Jelliven failed to become a true mage, the direction of his research was indeed correct. The construction of silk threads does not require much elemental power, but as long as the skill is deep enough to make the silk threads sharp and tough, it can exert a destructive power far exceeding that of the same level. This point was also realized when Hilti was learning, so she constructed the spell model of 'Silk Thread Bird'.

In the ensuing battle, Hiltiah used birds and silk threads to restrain the orcs present and subdue them one by one until Chili Face finally knelt down unwillingly, his joints and neck tightly bound by sharp silk threads, unable to move.

After the battle ended, Hilti opened her palm, and the three circling birds turned into light and shattered, while the gold coins they carried landed in front of Chili Face.

At this moment, Chili Face had to admit that the girl in front of him was indeed different from the ordinary apprentices he had seen.

In the orcs' worldview, if you can defeat him, you will naturally have the right to make demands of him.

After acknowledging Siltia's strength, the subsequent negotiations went smoothly. Chili Face accepted three gold coins, saying he would hire a doctor to examine her injuries and exempt her from work for a month.

After receiving this result, the matter was settled peacefully, and the surrounding neighbors and friends breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll go and bring Duss's daughter over." Now we'll be safe, and we won't have to hide at Aunt Huru's house anymore.

While waiting, Hilti asked the tall, thin lizardman beside her.

“Vedley, why did you persuade me to agree just now? I feel that he won’t hire a good doctor, and the treatment is probably just something he said offhand.”

“I know, but this result is already quite good, Lord Hedra,” he replied to the girl’s question.

“If you want to help this guy Duss, you can find a doctor or medicine privately, that’s not a problem. But we must agree publicly to let Chili Face find anyone to treat him, because we need to preserve his ‘prestige’ and ‘face’.”

"He was able to become a cadre and subordinate of 'Four Fingers' on Agate Street because of his 'prestige' and 'face'. If you make him lose face completely, you will become his mortal enemy."

"Making him hire the best doctors and spend a lot of money to treat Duss would be seen as a complete defeat for him in this dispute. Such a 'major defeat' is a dangerous sign. It would strip him of his prestige, subject him to all sorts of eager challenges, and shake his position. Once he loses his position, the resentment he has accumulated will explode, leaving him with no place to be buried."

"So if you make such a request during the negotiations, he will never agree, and the negotiations will definitely fall apart. We can't kill him or forcibly detain them, as that would be tantamount to starting a war with the chieftain 'Four Fingers'."

"The normal practice in the underworld is to resolve issues while preserving face for both sides; otherwise, it's war. The underworld is maintained by 'prestige' and 'decency.' If you cause the other side to lose face, you are destroying the foundation upon which they stand."

“I understand.” Hilti quickly grasped the rules.

Seeing how quickly she grasped the concepts, the lizardman beside him couldn't help but sigh. This girl truly lived up to her reputation as a genius student of the Mage Alliance; she was exceptionally intelligent and understood things instantly.

While the two were talking, Duss's daughter was also brought back. When Hilti saw the 14-year-old cat-eared girl, she was wearing a simple coarse cloth dress and had a slightly swaying cat tail. Upon seeing Hilti, she was very grateful, but also somewhat awe and fear, because she had heard about Hilti's deeds on the way.

"Lord Hedra." She bowed as respectfully as possible, almost at a 90-degree angle.

"It's alright, just take good care of your father during this time."

“Yes, thank you, Lord Hedra,” she replied gratefully once again.

"What's your name?" Hilti asked, noticing her black cat ears and tail.

"My name is Mirika."

“Okay, Mirika, here are 40 silver coins. Use them to buy food and daily necessities during this time. As for your father, I will come to visit him from time to time.”

After receiving the bag of silver coins, the girl with black cat ears was extremely grateful. She raised her head, as if to remember the girl's appearance, and nodded solemnly.

With the matter resolved, Hilti felt much more relaxed and cheerful. However, her biggest gain this time was an increased understanding of the customs and worldview of the orcs. She thought that she could probably write a book about and analyze orc culture when she advanced from the second to the third tier. The day she finished such a book would be the day she advanced.

The practice of the three-phase law of the 'secret language' is like this: from memorizing knowledge to mastering it, and then from mastering it to exploring, analyzing, summarizing, inductively synthesizing, and creating one's own world. It represents the reshaping of all past information and thereby influencing the future.

History is found in proverbs; the past shapes the future.

(End of this chapter)