"Aku perlu berbicara denganmu secara pribadi," kata Jack kepada Oroo melalui indra spiritualnya. Celestial hanya mengangguk pelan, lalu mengangkat sebuah dinding energi yang mengelilingi ketiganya — termasuk buaya air tawar itu — sehingga terpisah dari kawannya.
"Menurutku, kamu sebaiknya tidak menekankan diana keadilan," kata Oroo dengan tenang. "Bukan hanya kamu tak akan mendapatkan banyak hasil, tetapi juga akan membuat Grimshaw menjadi musuh tetap. Dan punya SAGE sebagai musuh bukan hal baik. Jangan mengambil sikap santainya sebagai tanda kelemahan, jangan mengira sikapku padanya sebagai sesuatu yang bisa kamu tiru. Kamu tidak hanya akan menyakiti dirismu sendiri, tapi juga awan krunyianmu."
"Nasihatmu masuk akal," ujar Jack. "Aku memang tidak ingin membuat musuh berbahaya untuk diriku atau awan krunyiku. Jika aku mundur sejenak, maka Grimshaw pasti merasa tekanan yang dia tunjukkan berhasil, dan merasa puas. Tapi aku juga tidak bersengaja untuk membuang kesempatan ini, dan tak ingin memberi kesan bahwa siapa saja bisa datang dan menghalangi awan krunyiku hanya dengan membayar sedikit uang."
"Soalnya spesifik apa yang harus kulakukan, nanti kita bahas lagi. Ceritakan padaku — apakah Aliansi Humanoid tertarik memperbaiki hubungan dengan ras Al-arka?"
Oroo mengangkat alisnya.
"Aliansi Humanoid tentu saja tertarik mempererat hubungan dengan ras Al-arka, namun urusan ini tidak penting cukup untuk melakukannya. Selain itu, kami sudah berusaha di sisi lain."
Jack mengangguk pelan, seolah mengharapkannya.
"Sebagaimanya kuduga, aku tak punya jaringan informasiku setebal Aliansi Humanoid, jadi pengetahukanku mungkin agak usang. Namun, dengar kudengar, ras Al-arka cenderung mendekat dengan Seraphim — dan ini sebelum berlian ilahi yang kemudian jadi sorotan semua orang. Seraphim pastinya tertarik dengan berlian itu, jadi mereka pasti lebih giat mencari aliansi sekarang."
"Pertimbangkan juga ini — Versalis Bank adalah salah satu pendana utama alam Al-arka. Dan bank itu sedang aktif melakukan hal-hal anti-angel dan umumnya anti-Aliansi Humanoid. Wajar jika alam Al-arka lebih memilih sesuatu yang tidak direspansi oleh pendanannya."
Oroo sedikit mengerutkan wajah. Apa yang dikatakan Jack bukan rahasia tertinggi, namun juga bukan hal yang umum diketahui. Fakta bahwa Jack mengetahuinya sedikit membuatnya heran. Namun juga jelas, ia juga kekurangan informasi — sebagaimana Jack sendiri mengakui.
"Dao Lord Ballom telah berhasil membuka saluran komunikasi rahasia antara ras Al-arka dan Aliansi Humanoid dengan mengorbankan sebagian keuntungan pribadi dan menjual berlian ilahi dengan kerugian kecil. Bahkan bagi Devi Dao Lord, hal seperti ini luar biasa. Apalagi sekarang ada celah rahasia untuk berkomunikasi dengan mereka."
"Jadi, intis darimu?" tanya dia.
"Intinya adalah jika bank itu secara terbuka bertindak melawanmu, berarti mereka yakin tidak akan rugi. Kekuatan mereka terhadap alam Al-arka kuat, namun tidak sempurna. Dan mereka pasti punya penentang juga. Aku nyakin dengan segalanya ini, mereka juga terhubung dengan ras SAGE — termasuk yang satu di antara Grimshaw."
"Jika kita mempertimbangkan semua itu, kudapatkan beberapa cara supaya aliansi bisa mendapatkan banyak manfaat dari situasi ini. Aku siap membantu — asal aku dapat jaminan dan keuntungan juga."
Oroo tersendat. Ia memang sering memikirkan cara memanfaatkan situasi untuk membantu aliansi, namun menyadari bahwa Jack juga sedang berpikir serupa, bahkan melihat kemungkinan yang sama, sungguh mengesankan.
"Baiklah, apa yang kamu inginkan? Kemampuanku untuk membantumumu akan tergantung pada manfaat yang kamu bisa berikan."
Jack tersenyum lembut.
"Pertama, tentu saja, aku butuh perlindungan untuk diriku dan aku krunyiku hingga kembali ke alam Folklor. Aku tak butuh pengawal — cukuplah aku bisa benar-benar tak terdeteksi. Kedua, aku ingin tahu segala yang bisa kamu beri tentang kekuatan peri dan sejarah kami. Aku mengerti banyak hal tak bisa dibagikan — itulah sebabnya kubilang 'segala sesuatu yang bisa kamu beri'. Ketiga, perbaiki kapalku agar bisa berjalan di Lautan Kehampaan. Keempat, bantu aku mengatur kutukan di karma-ku, sesuai kemampuanmu."
"Itu... cukup masuk akal," ujar Oroo, agak terkejut. "Kalau begitu, bagaimana kamu bisa membantu?"
"Itu bagian yang rumit. Ingat, kamu tidak bisa biarkan mereka tahu bahwa kamu mendapatkan manfaat. Kamu juga tak bisa langsung membentuhlalu dengan ras Al-arka. Keuntungan terbesarkamu bukanlah untuk mendapatkan sekutu, tapi untuk menciptakan jurang antara ras Al-arka dan Versalis Bank — membuatnya tampak seperti bank itu mendukung orang-orang yang benar-benar bertentangan dengan nilai-nilai mereka."
"Ras Al-arka adalah ras yang sangat benar, dengan hukum ketat dan pandangan jelas tentang benar dan salah. Grimshaw, dari apa yang kudengar, tidak pernah mengambil sesuatu dengan serius, dan melihat segalanya seperti remeh. Jika kita membuatnya tampil seperti teman dekat bank, sementara Aliansi Humanoid menentang kekacauan yang ditimbulkan oleh SAGE, maka kita bisa tampil baik, dan menyebabkan retak antara keduanya."
"Hal ini mungkin tak langsung menghasilkan aliansi, tapi akan membuka peluang untuk mengembangkan hubungan di masa depan. Di saat yang sama, akan kudapatkan peran yang meyakinkan untuk memberi kesan seolah aku benar-benar tidak menerima bahwa Grimshaw tidak dihukapkan. Berdasarkan pemahamanku, ras Al-arka sangat serius terhadap ancaman bagi anak-anak. Maka semakin meremehkan Grimshaw soalnya terhadap kerusakan yang ia akibatkan pada buaya air tawal itu, maka semakin jelek pula kesannya di mata mereka."
Oroo tersenyum dalam hatinya. Rencana Jack agak cacat, namun bukan salahnya — hanya karena kurangnya pengetahuan tertentu yang tidak mungkin ia ketahui. Cukup dengan menambah sedikit untuk mengantisipasi kekurangannya, rencana itu sudah cukup baik.
"Kamu layak menjadi seorang politisi. Jujur, jika kamu tertarik, kamu bisa punya masa depan yang cerah di Aliansi Humanoid,"
pujuknya.
"Aku tak tertarik bekerja. Oh iya, bagian tidak bisa ditawar adalah bahwa kamu harus mencari cara untuk membuat ini dapat ganti rugi bagi si Buaya Kristal. Ia yang paling menderita dari ini, dan aku bahkan tak bisa memberikan keadilannya. Ia sangat suka dengan harta benda dalam peti harta karun. Kamu bisa menggunakan informasi itu sebagaimana kamu suka."
Oroo mengangkat sandaran, menggulung jari-jarinya sambil menyusun rencana dalam pikirannya. Akhirnya, setelah selesai, ia mengangguk.
"Baiklah, kamu sudah memiliki kesepakatan. Dari sekarang, jangan katakan apa-apa, tampillah marah dan kecewa, dan akan kudiam. Aku akan membuatnya meyakinkan bahwa aku berhasil membujukkanmu. Kami akan memastikan kamu tak ditarget oleh Grimshaw terkait insiden ini, namun setelah ini selesai, kamu harus mengikutiku ke markas sementara yang disediakan oleh ras Al-arka di alam ini. Di situ, kita bisa memproses imbalanmu dan membahas hal-hal yang perlu kamu ketahui."
"Baiklah, biar aku memerankan karakter ini," kata Jack sambil bersandar pelan ke kursi dan menata ekspresinya. Buah air kristal itu, yang selalu berperan dengan baik, langsung menyiapkan ekspresi sedih dan kecewa.
Jack juga menyiapkan ekspresi, namun tidak untuk marah atau sedih — justru netral sepenuhnya, seolah sedang berusaha menyembunyikan perasaannya.
Setiap orang butuh cara berakting yang berbeda. Jika ia terlalu mudah mengungkapkan emosinya, tak ada yang akan mempercayai. Sebaliknya, ia harus membiarkan lawan untuk menebak. Kesilannya dan ketiadaan partisipasinya dalam negosiasi selanjutnya akan menjadi petunjuk. Oroo juga akan memberlakukan beberapa isyarat — cukup untuk orang cerdik menangkepnya.
Oroo menghapus dinding energi, lalu langsung mengambil alih negosiasi yang tersisa, melewatkan permintaan Jack untuk teguran fisik — hal yang membuat Grimshaw langsung kembali ke suasana santai dulu. Bahkan terlihatnya mengajak Jack dan krunyinya untuk sarapan untuk meredakan ketegangan dan memulai kembali.
Jack tak menjawab, hanya menggeram padanya sebelum menoleh pergi. Akhirnya pertemuan hampir usai, hanya ras Al-arka yang selalu terlihat marah dan frustasi. Keseringan terhadapi hukum mereka telah dibohongi, namun tidak ada yang bisa dilakukan. Hal ini tidak boleh terjadi lagi!
"I need to speak with you privately," Jack said to Oroo through her spirit sense. The Celestial merely nodded, and erected a wall around them, isolating the three of them from the rest - the third naturally being the alligator.
"It is my opinion that you should not emphasize the need for revenge," Oroo said calmly. "Not only will you not get much success, you will permanently make an enemy out of Grimshaw, and having a Sage as an enemy is not a good thing. Do not take his light-hearted attitude as a sign of weakness, not my behavior towards them as a sign that you can do the same. You will not only bring harm to yourself, but also to your crew."
"Your advice is sound," said Jack. "I do not intend to create strong enemies for myself or my crew. If I take a step back, then Grimshaw will likely feel like his intimidation worked, and feel satisfied. But I also do not intend to waste this opportunity, nor do I want to make it seem like anyone can just come and bully my crew and get away with it as long as they pay a little money.
"As for what specifically I should do, we can come back to that. Tell me, is the Humanoid Alliance interested in improving their relationship with the Artica race?"
Oroo raised her eyebrow.
"The Humanoid Alliance is, of course, interested in improving its relationship with the Artica race, but this matter is not significant enough to do that. Besides, we are already putting in effort on that front through other means."
Jack nodded, as if he expected as much.
"I naturally don’t have the same information network as the Humanoid Alliance, so what I know might be a little outdated. However, from what I heard, the Artica race is leaning towards establishing strong alliances with the Seraphim - and I heard this before the divine ore that became such a big deal to everyone. The Seraphim would surely be interested in that ore, so they should be trying even harder to establish that alliance now.
"Considering how the Versalis Bank is one of the biggest backers of the Artica realm, and that the bank has been engaging in anti-angel, and generally anti-Humanoid alliance activities, it’s no wonder that the Artica realm would rather align with someone else - someone their backers don’t resist."
Oroo frowned slightly. What Jack had mentioned wasn’t exactly a secret of the highest order, but it wasn’t exactly common sense either. The fact that Jack knew all of this spoke a little about his sources. Yet, it was clear that he also lacked a lot of information - as Jack himself had stated.
The Dao Lord Ballom had already established a path for backdoor relations between the Artica race and the Humanoid Alliance by sacrificing some personal benefits and making a deal regarding the divine ore at a small loss. The fact that the Devil Dao Lord had been able to pull off something like that was impressive enough, let alone that now the alliance had a secret channel through which to communicate with the Artica race.
"What’s your point?" she asked.
"My point is that if the bank is so openly acting against you, then they must have assurances that they won’t suffer a loss by doing so. Their hold on the Artica race is also firm, but it’s not perfect, and they’re not without opponents either. I’d bet a bottle of grape juice that the bank is also somehow connected to the Sage races as well - including the one Grimshaw belongs to.
"When keeping all of this in mind, I can think of a few possible ways in which the alliance can benefit greatly from this situation. I am also ready and willing to help you with that, but if I help the alliance out, I need some assurances and benefits too."
Oroo remained silent. She was genuinely impressed. She had, naturally, been thinking of how to make use of this situation to help the alliance, but the fact that Jack had been doing the same, and that he possibly even saw some possibilities was incredible.
"Alright, what do you want? My ability to help you out will depend on the benefits you can offer."
Jack smiled softly.
"First, naturally, I want protection for me and my crew until we return to the Folklore realm. I don’t need a babysitter - just some way to stay completely hidden from all detection will suffice. Second, I want to know everything you can tell me about the powers of the fairies, and our history. I realize many things cannot be shared - that’s why I specifically said ’everything you can tell me’. Thirdly, I want you to help me improve my ship so that it can travel in the Void. Lastly, I want you to help me manage the curse on my karma - as much as you can."
"That’s... surprisingly reasonable," Oroo said, mildly surprised. "So then how can you offer help?"
"That’s the tricky part. You see, you can’t let them know you’re benefiting. You also can’t directly form an alliance with the Artica. Your biggest gain in this situation is not to gain an ally, but to create a wedge between the Artica race and the Versalis Bank, making it look like the bank sponsors people who have fundamental ideological differences from the Artica race.
"The Artica race is a highly righteous race, with strict laws and a clear definition of right or wrong. Grimshaw, from what I can tell, doesn’t take anything seriously at all, and views everything as beneath him. If we can make it look like he is a critical ally of the bank, while the Humanoid Alliance stands opposed to the kinds of chaos that the Sages cause, then we can make ourselves look good, while causing a rift between the two.
"While this may not immediately result in an alliance, it sets you up in a good position to develop a better relationship in the future. During this time, I can play a convincing role to make it look like I’m very unresigned over the lack of proper punishment to Grimshaw, but am forced to accept under duress. Based on my understanding, the Artica take threats to children very seriously, so the more Grimshaw downplays the damage he did to the alligator, the worse he will appear in their eyes."
Oroo marvelled at Jack, and looked at him in a new light. His plan was slightly flawed, but through no fault of his own. Instead, it was due to a lack of certain information that he couldn’t possibly have. All she needed to do was amend his plan slightly to account for his gaps in knowledge, and it would be a pretty decent plan.
"You’d make a pretty good politician. You may genuinely have a future at the Humanoid Alliance if you’re interested," she praised.
"I’m not interested in working a job. Oh by the way, a non-negotiable part of the deal is that the alliance needs to think of a way to make this up to the Crystal alligator. It is the one who suffered the most for this, and I can’t even get him proper justice. He is most fond of treasure in treasure chests. You may do with that information what you wish."
Oroo leaned back for a while, tapping her fingers as she amended the plan in her head. At last, when she had planned everything out in her head, she nodded.
"Alright, you have a deal. From here on out, don’t say anything, and just look angry and disappointed, and I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll make it seem like I talked some sense into you. We will make sure that you’re not targeted by Grimshaw for this incident, but once this is over, you’ll have to follow me to the temporary alliance headquarters that the Artica race have provided us with in this realm. We can handle your rewards there, and go over a few things you might need to know."
"Alright, let me get into character," said Jack as he leaned back into his chair and fixed his expression. The Crystal alligator, ever the actor, already put on a sad and disappointed expression.
Jack put on an expression as well, but instead of looking angry or sad, he put on a completely neutral expression, as if he was trying to hide his true feelings from being detected.
Different people required different kinds of acting, and if he revealed his emotions too easily, no one would believe them. Instead, he had to let them guess a little. His silence and lack of participation in the subsequent deal would be hints as to his true feelings. Oroo would also drop a few hints - enough for any intelligent person to pick up on.
Oroo dismissed the wall, and immediately took over the remainder of the negotiations, forgoing Jack’s earlier request for a physical reprimand, which immediately caused Grimshaw to return to his earlier, casual mood. In fact, he even invited Jack and his crew over for a breakfast to tide things over and get a new start.
Jack never replied, and only glared at him before looking away. Soon, the meeting approached a conclusion, with only the Artica genuinely feeling angry and frustrated. A mockery had been made of Artica laws, and yet there was nothing he could do. This was not something they could allow ever again !
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