Ment
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- Shen Shao at your service," said the stranger, jumping into Erephir's room, "I offer not information, but a service. I can provide protection to the innocent from the Despair, provided you are aware of the next target of his attack.
"How can I keep his chance of a lethal attack, which he surely has, on the other side of the window?..."
"Meanwhile, the chain of events is as follows: the Senator learns about the dragon's assignment, then... scenarios? A magical artifact reproduces our conversation with his son, and it becomes publicly known that the empire wanted to sacrifice Kriedar, and yes, it probably did. They have Gnosis fans there; they could have come up with such an artifact. It's no more complicated than breeding a special type of fruit. This is used to strengthen Shen's position."
"Another option: when we kill the dragon, this fruit intercepts the stone from us, possibly by killing us. Then it uses it to trade with Naria."
"More options? Yes, there are quite a few. The problem is what he's going to do if I refuse. He's clearly a professional. He's clearly prepared to meet another professional in defense. No, in principle, I admit that he's not here for that; a private conversation makes sense even outside the context of killing an uncooperative leader. Let's see where this leads us."
-- I have great respect for Senator Shen Tao, so it's a pleasure to meet you. However, I'm not clear on two things: first, why you decided that I have information. Yes, I have certain connections, but you know, everyone in the country is playing their own game and is not in a hurry to say anything, fearing leaks. I have to act largely in the dark, unfortunately. So much so that, despite my formal closeness to the interests of the imperial house, I am even inclined to believe that it is rather you and the Senator who could share certain information with me about what is happening. Figuratively speaking. But, judging by the persistence of your intelligence, I wouldn't be surprised.
-- And secondly... what is the reason for such interest? Are you worried about the cities in your region?