"It will be just like you said, My King. The traders will be rolling in money. But that doesn't help to develop our Kingdom."

Chuckling, Daneel answered, "My dear Kellor, if trade is so safe, why would the common people even choose to sell their goods to traders? They can just go sell themselves! They would obtain much more money, which they will invest back in Lanthanor, which will end up benefiting us. We will collect more money from taxes, and we can use this money for the welfare of the citizens to hasten development. Now, do you understand? Sometimes, it's not just about what you lose at the moment. It's fine to lose, if you have a plan to gain so much more due the loss in the future."

As Daneel expounded on his plan in this way, he actually felt a little guilty as he was showing it off as his own creation.

Of course, it was inspired from his experiences on Earth.

Development was something that required stability in prices and trade routes. This had been something that was understood since antiquity on Earth, where trade routes like the "The Silk Road" had been instrumental in hastening the development of nations. Even in present-day Earth, the existence of councils and organizations that facilitated smooth trading was one of the main reasons behind the boom in development in the 20th and 21st centuries.

As all three people behind him a.n.a.lyzed everything he said and thought on the matter while more impressed than ever at Daneel's astuteness, the King was thinking about his other motive.

The unification of Angaria.

If he gave that reason right now, the others would be so shocked as to directly fall off the barrier they were standing on.

The three forces that were left in the Central Continent were the Hidden Kill Sect, the Kingdom of Arafell and Axelor.

He had already received a very carefully worded letter reminding him of the deal he had made with the Hidden Kill Sect, where his 'master' would go to a.s.sist them in extracting the treasures of their core formation.

The Hidden Kill Sect was unique in the fact that it ranked among the top in the continent even though it did not control a Kingdom of any sort. Its power came mainly from its ability to essentially cripple any force if it wished.

Hence, right now, it was the top priority for Daneel. If he could find some way to take control of it, he would have both manpower and a powerful deterring force that would make any Kingdom think twice before deciding to go up against him.

One thing he had understood from the conversation with the Matron was that the Big 4 did not usually intervene in the matters of the Central Continent. Of course, this definitely did not apply to all of them as one of the Big 4 definitely supported Axelor and sought to conquer the Central Continent using it.

According to the letter, he still had one month to go before he had to make his way to the Sect. Although Daneel really wished that he could upgrade the system before he went, he doubted if this would be possible as even upping the satisfaction level would only net him 20,000 EXP.

But by reaching that level, he looked forward most to unlocking the secrets of the Empire Spirit. It had been on the back of his mind for a long time, and he was really looking forward to finally finding out just what that haughty Spirit was hiding.

"Daneel. It's done. I've spoken to them about the loan, and they agreed even though they still suspect that we two are in on everything together. Should we be worried?"

"No. Let them think so; the entire continent does, anyway. We just happen to have perfect timing. Ask your spies to keep a close eye on the other Kingdoms. As for the matter of the trinkets, I will be supplying them myself. Arrange a meeting at your Palace where we can talk about the finer details."

Tied together in debt and trade. This was the perfect way to begin the unification of two Kingdoms which had been estranged for a long time.

"Let's go. They have agreed to the proposal about the loan. It's time to expand the Bank of Angaria. Oh, and send all information we have about the Hidden Kill Sect to me."

Just as Daneel was about to teleport away to the Palace so that he could visit Eloise, he saw something in Luther's eyes which made him pause.

When he had said the words "Hidden Kill Sect", this man with an enigmatic past had shown more emotion than Daneel had ever seen.

Daneel hadn't spoken much with Luther and the other commanders recently, what with him being away for so long handling the matters of the Black Raven Kingdom.

Now that he was back, he had resolved to consult them more and also find ways to increase their power.

Of all of three of them, Luther was definitely the one with the most experience and power. The former was due to his steady character, while the latter was due to the fact that he was the only one who felt like he would still pose a threat to Daneel.

Commanding him to come to his chambers using the oathstone, he wondered whether he had any connection with one of the scariest forces on the continent.