As it turns out, Alphonse is busy right now, but has some time in half an hour, if I can wait. This much is fine, so I tell the knights I'm fine with waiting. Of course, me waiting at the gatehouse is out of the question - I'd be in the way of their usual operations. Which makes sense, but kind of annoys me, because the alternative I'm being led to is a room without any people, which means I'll be bored.

"Jungfrau Gillespie!" - oor maybe not, because I've just been greeted by someone who gives me oddish vibes. I'm taller than your average woman out there, and yet, I am the shorter one here. And by a considerable margin. Which makes the woman in front of me a few centimeters shy of two meters even. Impressive, especially considering she is also very robustly built. This world has no concept of amazons, but if they did, she would likely be compared to one. Wait, there are no legends about amazons?... Huh, apparently none, at least none that I know of. And considering I have had scanned through the whole Academy library in my downtime... I'm pretty sure that even if such legends exist, they are not common or popular. Still, I believe I do need to answer before I drift off mulling over folklore...

"Yessss...?" - I drawl, cocking my eyebrow at the woman, who for some reason blanches and sketches a quick bow.

"Ah, pardon! My name is Anne-Marie Geldstein and I am the knight assigned to aid you for the duration of your visit here!" - she belts out hastily - "Please come in, this room had been prepared for sensitive materials. His highness king Alphonse Hohenzollern will arrive as soon as the benedictions are completed."

I rifle through my mental dossiers. And blink. Huh. That woman answers to Klaus. Directly so. Lady Geldstein, the third among seven children of count Geldstein, a man infamous for not having a single arpent of arable land in his county. Apparently, the count had suddenly found himself getting richer because his lands contain every single tarpit on Kraut side of the mountains. I wonder what's her angle.

"Benedictions?" - I echo absentmindedly as I enter the door she opens.

"It is a custom of our kingdom to grant knighthood to aspiring squires on the first day of spring. It is considered the most auspicious day for new beginnings." - she explains - "Benedictions, therefore, have to be conducted during winter."

Not really explaining much here. It... has something to do with knights, at least?

"That's nice, but what exactly the benedictions are?" - I inquire blithely. Probably a bit of a blunder, but I just can't bring myself to be politically correct in front of the spymaster's puppet.

"His highness assessing the potential knights to be?" - she proffers in a questioning tone - "My apologies, I was under the impression benedictions are common enough in Champagne as well?"

I nibble on my lip as I mull it over. "We don't call it benedictions, and generally speaking, any knight seeking to promote a squire simply presents them to the king during public audience hours. You people seem to be doing things differently." - I offer - "Indulge my curiosity. Do you have a specific day of the year for benedictions, or it simply happens whenever there's a sufficient number of squires eligible for promotion?"

"Second, jungfrau." - she offers back after a moment of consideration - "Whenever a knight order amasses enough of squires they seek to promote, they would seek benediction from his highness."

"And since the first day of spring is considered the best time to mint new knights, winter's the usual time for benedictions, I surmise. Gives a little flexibility to the orders to give the last few training sessions to those needing them..." - I muse - "Out of curiosity, what do the independent knights do?"

"I'm sorry, independent knights? Kraut kingdom does not really have any truly independent knights. One remains in order one was born into or joins a different one, depending on personal circumstances." - she replies.

Well, that is different. Champagne knight orders are really function-based and order membership is much like membership in an artisan guild - a proficiency in a specific skill and a way to connect to other professionals in the same skill area. If what was murmured in the background is of any indication, there might be a new order of knights I am directly responsible for. L'Ordre Royal des Fusiliers, to be exact. Knight order of riflemen. Makes me a little bit curious as to what this will grow into. Kraut knight orders seem to be more concerning themselves with locale than with the focus of order. Riter Khbrusashaft fun Berlinger, for example. Knight order uniting the knights residing in Berlinger and neighboring settlements. Includes, by necessity, the king's guard and personal armsmen and answers directly to Alphonse. That is not to say that there are no other orders in the area. While it's not uncommon for any decently big town to have their own RKhbS, there also exist Inquisitorial orders that are responsible for monster extermination in their sphere of influence and assorted orders more in line with Champagnan function-oriented organizations, like Royt Royz Bruderschaft. Not sure what red roses have to do with an organization dedicated to training shocktroopers, though. Royt Royz specializes in training knights how to fight in full armor with a greatsword. It's brotherhood simply by the dint of lacking the women of requisite burliness to handle the full-body chainmail and grossmesser. The grand total of gear they're expected to fight in is to the tune of 40 kilograms. They're great at breeching the pike line and are, more or less, the counterpart to Sultanate bujatir.

AAAanyway, back to the more pressing topics. Kraut knight orders are funny and all, but I'm not really in need of this information right now. I'm more interested in finding out why this woman is here. Is this because she stepped up to take over from Klaus, or it is because Klaus already respawned somehow and feels it unwise to interact with me again? I'd ask, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't tell me anything worth the effort of hearing. For all his foibles, Klaus did know a thing or two about properly training up underlings in opsec. Hell, he invented the concept of opsec as a definite craft that can be taught in this reality.

The lull in conversation is sufficiently long for me to find a chair to settle down on. I wonder if Anne-Marie is here to simply observe me, or she's about to try and wheedle some information out of me under the guise of small talk. Given her relative size, it might have been an attempt at intimidation, or she might be here to silence me if talks don't go the way Kraut kingdom wants, but I very much doubt either of those. By now, I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge I don't scare easily nor do I shy away from violence. That... um. Wait a moment. Why is she looking at me like this? Did I forget to do something? The expression is kinda like as if I forgot to put on a skirt coming out on the street. Weird. Not sure what this is all about, though. I'm dressed, I'm not dirty, I've got all my needed papers in the folder... Hrm. Whatever, it's probably some kind of courtly trick I am forgetting. Don't care, I'm here to give Alphonse bad news. And good news, I guess, but primarily I'm here to grind his nose against the latest annoyance from Klaus and to let him understand in no uncertain terms that there will be monetary consequences for letting his spymaster run wild.

___

In the end, I never found out just what was that I did or did not do that shocked my escort of the day so much. Which, frankly, was a big old cue for me that it was not something I really care about. The important thing is, Alphonse is here. It's been a little over an hour. Not ideal, but better than it could be. While he was at it, I had ample time to sort things out, and lay the piles in the order of importance. The most important would be the pictures taken where I marked out how the new tunnel would be laid out, and the assorted pictures taken by dwarves as they surveyed the conditions at the Champagne side of the tract.

Thankfully, I am not too preoccupied to rise for a greeting. If memory serves, remaining seated while the king is coming in would be... Diplomatically problematic, let's put it like that. On the plus side, as someone technically related, if not by blood, I am not required to do more than that. A commoner would have to kneel in supplication, a lesser noble would be required to bow and to wait until being addressed in order to actually start the conversation. Me, well... I do believe Alphonse has some idea that I'm less than jovial right now because he does not dawdle. A quick greeting, an offer to sit, and we're good to go.

"Well, this is just an update on the progress." - I begin, as I lift the stack regarding the Ashenvale - "Here, these are the reports and measurements on the path as it would be laid through the Ashenvale and the proposed spot where the tunnel circumventing the ashbowl at your end will be bored. I've already tested the spells I intend to use for that, and the results are promising. I was able to hit the aquifer and solidify the channel. Upscaling it to a carriage-passable tunnel is trivial. So we're all set. If there are no last minute things, I will bore the tunnel itself during next week, I will be passing through your country anyways so..."

"Pardon me, passing through my kingdom?" - Alphonse hedges. Not sure why he's looking so discombobulated.

"Yes? One of my wives is from Kraina and I did promise to visit her family sometime soon." - I explain. Not sure why this is something he cares about, to be honest.

"Oh. Oh!... Yes, well. I understand. Would you... oh. You are using your airship for this, right?" - he proffers - "No need nor place for escort, I surmise?"

I shrug. "Essentially. I appreciate the thought, but I don't intend to be close enough to the ground to need any sort of escort." - I agree - "If it helps, I do intend to do a stopover at Nornburg. Try some local delicacies, see the sights, move on in a day or two."

Anne-Marie is clearly making a notice of that. Hrm.

"Well, about the tunnel..." - I begin, trailing off when I notice Alphonse had checked out of reality in favor of gawking over the photos.

"Good gods, how?" - he then demands, waving one of the pictures in front of me.

"Made a device to do that?" - I return his question with one of my own - "Tablets to take pictures, printing machines to lay them out on paper like this." I lift the next stack and hand it to him - "Our new price lists. Includes the devices in question. Might take a while to ship them to Kraut, though if you make a bulk order, I will throw in a teleporting service."

"...I'm sorry, what?" - he repeats dumbly.

"If you buy a lot of them, I will use the magic I took from Oijan mages to instantly transport the goods from my manufactories to your palace." - I explain simply - "Everything is in the price lists. I would imagine you need a bit of time to scan through new options and confer with your advisors to put together a purchase order that would address the needs of your kingdom the best."

He grabs for the booklet listing our wares and starts rifling through it. He does pause at the first page of the metallurgy section, though.

"...I do remember these springs being offered for an ecu less..." - he drawls - "And while I don't recall the exact prices offhand, I do have a distinct feeling there was a little extra tacked on pretty much everything you offered for sale last time."

He trails off and just looks at me. Leaving the ball in my yard, are you? Well, then. I have no problems explaining why.

"Yes, the listings I gave you last time were the version I made for close allies. Minimal profit, maximum convenience." - I explain, noting how his eyes get wider than narrow - "The list you have now is simply for friendly foreigners. I also have lists for neutral foreigners and passively hostile foreigners, each of them with correspondingly higher price hikes. Those last two also exclude the best offers. No complicated devices, advanced metallurgy or enchanted anything. Listing for passively hostile foreigners also excludes things that can be easily weaponized or turned into weapons, like steel or alchemical components."

"...I would appreciate it if you explain why Kraut Kingdom's standing with your trading house had dropped from allies to friendly foreigners if you'd be so kind." - he growls, setting the papers down firmly.

I shrug and pass him a letter I got from Klaus inviting me to the pow-wow. "I've got this missive from your spymaster." - I explain - "As you can see, he is under impression that one of my wives is poisoned with something exotic and only he has the antidote for it. As it so happens, there WAS an assassination attempt earlier by an oijan hashishin, who wielded a bow with poisoned arrows. He failed to hit anyone before I killed him. I killed the assassin in a public place and I did it before he was able to loosen any arrows at all, so only me and king Abraham's guard know that there was poison on the arrows. And, somehow, Klaus. Now, can you think of a good explanation for that? Just how did Klaus know about poison but NOT about the outcome of the attempt?"

"...And?" - he prompts me, clearly refusing to comment on the situation while not knowing enough of it.

"To my consideration, Klaus had to be aware of the assassination attempt before it happened in order to know about poison, but not about the attempt failing." - I explain - "I have no idea if he supplied the poison or simply found out what it was and procured antidote in anticipation, and frankly I do not care. What I DO care about is the fact that he had to know about assassination before the attempt was made and he did not try to warn me. He waited until it happened and THEN informed me that he just so happens to have an antidote I surely desperately need. Does this sound like a trusted ally to you?"

He frowns. "I admit, this looks... underhanded." - Alphonse finally ventures - "However, did he really ask for anything impossible?"

"I wouldn't know, since no asking was done." - I return blithely - "As the assassin failed, I obviously had no need for an antidote and therefore, no need to bargain with Klaus at all. I was in the middle of my preparations to go on vacation with my harem, going to meet with him would be ridiculously inconvenient and fruitless."

I let him draw his own conclusions from that, but he does not seem to be making any kind of comment or rebuttal for quite a while. Eventually, I give up on this waiting game. "I am considerably discomfited by the attempt." - I explain firmly - "In my understanding, an ally would volunteer information about impending attack as quickly as possible. Failing that, an ally would just send over the antidote immediately, instead of requesting a clandestine meeting in a remote area. I would not even begin to understand what Klaus was thinking when he arranged all that, and I do not want to know. I just want to lodge my displeasure with his actions, and I choose to do so by the way of the coin. If you can make sure no other... ill-conceived actions occur within the year, I will consider giving you preferential prices once again."

"This... incident worries you enough to risk offending us?" - he ventures slowly.

"This is not the first time Klaus did something extremely questionable targeting me." - I rebut - "I am quite sure kronprinz Hiram had reported the items I have passed over to him after my initial altercation with Klaus at our own mansion. I elected not to cause a diplomatic incident over attempted enslavement, but you can hardly expect me to forget what that man tried to do. I kept my peace because I was assured by Hiram that the incident would NOT be repeated under any circumstances. I've begun to doubt that decision after receiving this letter. The change in pricing is my last olive branch. If I find myself being a target of Kraut spies once again after this, I will deliver what was already promised and agreed upon to the letter, and then I will cut any and all trading with Kraut kingdom."

I lean over the table lightly - "I am not asking for anything impossible either, now do I? I'm not demanding Klaus to be executed, or for you to admit to wrongdoing, or even gifts to make up for slights caused. All I request is paying actual market prices for my wares from now on. You even have the option to regain the discounts later on, and all you have to do is to keep your spymaster and his underlings from openly hostile actions towards me. I don't care if Klaus puts his people into work crews or keeps track of what I import into Kraut and why, it's his job after all. But I DO care very much when he shows clear signs of being involved in trying to kill one of my wives."

He sighs. Puts his finger down on the pricing. "Those are actual prices at which you would sell wares to anyone cooperative with your mercantile efforts, correct?" - he proffers tiredly.

"Yes." - I agree - "Subject to usual amendment, as every price on the market is."

"Fine. I will abide by the new prices from now on." - he grumbles - "As for this letter, I am not confident it was actually from Klaus at all. But I understand your reservations. Here's hoping the next year you can be assured that there is no foul play from our side."

"That would be nice." - I agree neutrally - "I am quite tired of foul plays, to be honest."

___

Well, that went... passably well. Alphonse is obviously less than pleased with the price hike, but just as clearly is not feeling sanguine about calling me out over it. I was pretty clear on what I would do, and it's an effective threat. He can hardly justify strongarming a merchant from a different kingdom to match his preferred prices. The usual response would be to simply buy from someone else, but no one else offers the stuff I do, and will not for quite a while. I had a good laugh about Kraut blacksmiths trying to recreate springs by casting them. No-go, obviously, you have to forge them in order to give them the necessary flexibility. Cast iron just crumbles if you subject it to excessive force.

With any luck, he will direct that anger at his spies. I rather doubt he would do anything drastic, Alphonse is not a bloody-minded nutter like Vlad, but I do believe he would chew them out for souring the deals. Nothing angers politicians worse than a fruitless mistake, after all.