Chapter 100: The Second Meeting (Part 7)

"What will it be, Prince Edric?" Arthur asked, his voice calm yet cold, sharp as a drawn blade.

"Ally… or adversary?"

The grand hall once again held its breath. Every courtier and scribe dared not shift, as though any sound might break the delicate balance hanging in the air.

For Edric, it felt as though time slowed.

Before this meeting, the decision had already been made—or so he thought. He and his father, King Brandon Rivas, had discussed the matter in private council. Despite the insult of Arthur refusing to pay the agreed nine million gold, Chronos had no intention of starting a war with Keldoria, not under these circumstances. Brandon Rivas, though ambitious, was no fool.

It was Edric himself who had volunteered to accompany Lucien—not merely to deliver their intent, but to observe Arthur personally. To test him. To measure him.

To find his weaknesses.

His father had given him full authority to negotiate, but also a private mandate:

If you see an opportunity—if Arthur reveals any flaw we can exploit—take it.

And yet... After this conversation, Edric had seen no such opportunity.

In fact, what he saw unsettled him deeply.

He's unshakable… unexploitable.

Arthur had not only answered every question with clarity, but with terrifying precision. His mind operated like no king, Edric had ever encountered. The theories, the structure, the sheer depth of understanding—it was as if Arthur was seeing five moves ahead in a game no one else fully understood.

Even I feel… inferior, Edric admitted to himself.

For the first time since ascending to power, Chronos was facing not simply a rival king—but a system builder. A visionary who wasn't merely ruling a kingdom but reshaping its very foundation.

Edric inhaled slowly, steadying his thoughts. The pressure of this moment was enormous. What he chose to say next would not only define the outcome of this meeting—it would set the course for Keldoria and Chronos for years to come.

Finally, with a respectful bow of his head, Edric answered:

"Your Majesty…" his voice firm but sincere,

"…we would be blind not to recognize the reality standing before us. My father and I have deliberated carefully, and while grievances still exist between our kingdoms, I believe a far greater danger lies not in old debts… but in turning against one another."

He paused, letting the words settle. "We have seen the vision you are building. The world is shifting beneath our feet. And those who cling to old ways will surely be crushed beneath its weight."

Edric met Arthur's gaze fully, his tone now steady with both respect and conviction:

"Chronos does not seek war with Keldoria. I stand here today to confirm my father's will—we seek to move forward not as adversaries… but as allies."

The words carried across the silent hall like a heavy stone dropped into still water.

Lucien, still standing beside Edric, allowed himself a quiet exhale. The tension in the hall broke just slightly—though none dared to speak.

Arthur's gaze remained cool, but inside, he allowed himself a faint glimmer of satisfaction. As expected.

But outwardly, he gave only a small nod, voice calm:

"Very well, Prince Edric. Since you have given me your answer in good faith, I will honor my word and answer your final question."

Arthur's fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his throne.

"You asked how I was able to produce my book for such a low price."

He paused—his voice lowering, as though sharing a secret that would soon shake the entire continent.

"The answer… is technology. Technology unlike anything your kingdom, or any kingdom, has ever seen."

Arthur allowed the word to hang in the air for a moment.

Technology.

It wasn't a term many in this hall fully understood. It sounded simple, but the weight behind it was far greater than most could comprehend.

Arthur leaned forward slightly, his voice smooth and confident.

"You see, Prince Edric, the reason my book could be sold for a single silver coin has nothing to do with subsidies, nor state charity. It is because I have eliminated the root cause of what made books expensive for centuries."

He let his eyes sweep across the silent audience, addressing not only Edric, but everyone gathered.

"In your kingdom—as in every kingdom on this continent—the making of books is slow, expensive, and entirely dependent on scribes. Each page is written by hand. Each copy takes weeks, even months, to complete. That is why books are reserved for the nobles, the clergy, and the elite. Knowledge remains trapped behind walls of privilege."

Arthur's voice sharpened, a subtle passion rising beneath his calm exterior.

"But I have broken that chain. I have created machines that can do in hours what would take dozens of scribes months to achieve. My scholars and craftsmen, following the designs I personally conceived, have built what I call a printing press. A device that can press inked letters onto paper, again and again, with perfect precision and astonishing speed."

Gasps rippled through the court.

Arthur continued, his voice like a teacher unveiling a grand secret to a hall of stunned students.

"Not only that. I have gone further. We have invented a device called the linotype. It arranges entire lines of text into type molds in mere minutes, allowing pages to be prepared for printing faster than any human hand could ever hope to match."

He paused, letting his words crush their minds.

"With these tools, I do not need scribes. I do not need endless manpower. I need only paper, ink, and machines. One worker can now produce hundreds of books in the time it once took ten scribes to copy a single one."

The words echoed through the grand hall like distant thunder, They understood the consequence of what Arthur was saying—but few could truly visualize the how.

And Edric… Edric could feel the edges of his mind fraying.

Arthur spoke the words with such clarity, such conviction, but to Edric, it felt as though he were listening to some foreign tongue from a realm beyond comprehension. Machines that could create books? Devices that arranged entire pages at a speed faster than any man's hand? It was not that he doubted Arthur's words—after everything he'd witnessed in this conversation, Edric no longer doubted anything Arthur claimed.

No—what disturbed him was that his mind simply couldn't grasp it.

How? Edric thought, feeling frustration rise like a slow tide.

How can such a thing even exist? How could I… we… not even imagine something like this?

It was not merely the invention that shocked him—it was the growing chasm between what he thought was possible and what Arthur had already accomplished.

He glanced briefly at Lucien standing at his side, who too looked stiff, unnerved by what they were hearing. Behind them, several of the knights and mages who had accompanied their delegation stood frozen in disbelief, unable to even feign their usual diplomatic composure.

Arthur, of course, noticed everything.

He allowed the silence to linger for just a moment longer, then finally spoke again, his tone calm—almost amused.

"You may not yet fully comprehend the scale of what I'm describing, Prince Edric."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice growing softer, but carrying greater weight.

"And that is understandable. You've never seen it. Even hearing these words does not do it justice."

"If you wish," Arthur said, his voice smooth like silk, "I can arrange for you, your delegation, and even your knights and mages… to witness the process firsthand."