Chapter 46:

"A pleasure to meet you." Kaiser nodded, eyeing her warily. Karl, though seemed to be a neutral party in this meeting, was analyzing every aspect of it so far. He never heard of this particular Krovius, so she mustn't be that important. Not that he expected her to, they'd never marry someone of importance to a "muggle-born" after all.

"Take a seat." Erling ordered and she obeyed, taking the closest one to her patriarch, right in front of Kaiser. She was studying him too, wondering what kind of person he might be, and how to deal with him best. First impressions are important, and so far she did just as she was told. Her training was not in vain, after all.

"I'm sure you'll get time to get to know each other, but for now, let's get down to business." Erling obviously did not believe that 'knowing each other' was important at all from the way he said it, because he was taught the same thing as well. Marriage is only a way to make new connections and strike deals, as was his marriage. If he didn't like his partner, he could always have mistresses, as long as the contract allows it.

"This is a contract I had drafted for this occasion, do take a look at it." He presented Kaiser with a document containing an extensive list of clauses for all parties to follow, namely the patriarch representing the Krovius family, Kaiser and Serana, the subject of the contract.

It was not possible for the patriarch to "sign off" Serana in a magical contract, that's not the way it works. In fact, it was impossible even for parents of the child to do so. A magical contract only applies to those signing it, as it is your own magic that makes sure you follow it. Which is why Serana's signature was mandatory.

Kaiser gave it a cursory read, to spot the clauses he could never agree to. They would obviously not sign the contract right off, they were binding for life. In fact, the contract would likely be modified to suit both parties, but during this discussion, it was important for Kaiser to point out the deal breakers for him, as he was instructed by Karl.

Karl predicted several ways the contract might be proposed. First, they could take the aggressive route, and ask for total control over him and his innovations, which would obviously not go very well for him. But if they threatened him, there was very little he could do, or so they would think. But there was one thing that would prevent them from doing so.

While they did believe he was muggle-born, as the Lunar name has never existed for an ancient family, his origins are exceedingly mysterious. For all they knew, he could have a different name, one he was hiding for some reason. But that still was not enough to deter them.

The main deterrent is a very important piece of information: the fact that Karl did not pressure him before they did, which he could obviously do. That means he knew something they didn't. Not to mention that none of the divination results predicted a good ending for him would they have gone down that route.

The second option was to maximize their benefits, while reducing their losses (which were already non existent). They needed to maintain a friendly relationship with him, but still come out on top, and profit in the long run. He was a gold mine, after all.

From the contract in Kaiser's hands, it was obvious that they took the latter. The terms were quite straightforward and reasonable for their advantageous position.

Kaiser took out his wand, and began waving it over the contract, employing what his Transfiguraton lessons with Professor McGonagall taught him, highlighting clauses with different colors, mainly in the section pertaining to his agreement with Erling himself. Once he reached the marriage contract, he was shocked to say the least. It was only thanks to his Occlumency that he could hide the anger he felt at that moment.

This contract basically made her a slave to her husband, something he could hardly accept, but he had no choice in the matter. All he could do for her right now is not abuse the contract, and change it when he was powerful enough. Although from a completely pragmatic point of view, this was very advantageous to him.

Erling, who was perceptive enough, could clearly notice a slight glow at Kaiser's eyes. He heard about his uncanny ability to show his emotional instability through his glowing eyes and hair, something he was very wary of. It was obvious that magic was at play somehow, yet the school healer, a very qualified one at that, said that there was no trace of magic whatsoever, meaning they were not a part of a ritual, which was clearly impossible. Even now, with his sensitivity, honed by years of practice, he could not pick up the tiniest trace of magic.

Stolen novel; please report.

"I've highlighted the terms that need further discussion in yellow, though that list is not final. As for those in red, they are beyond what I can accept." Kaiser levitated the document back to Erling, who frowned at his last sentence, wondering what he was talking about. There was one particular clause he added to test him, but other than that, there shouldn't be any issue.

Sure enough, the clause that stated that Kaiser would take the "Krovius name" was highlighted in red, which confirmed his suspicions. There was only two possibilities he could think: the first one being that he disliked the name for some reason, but that's unlikely. It only came with benefits for him and additional protection, unless he shared some history with the family, which he seriously doubted. Given how thorough their investigation was, they would've found out should that have been the case.

The second one, is that he valued his name very much, for one of two reasons: The name Lunar represented something special for him, which was absurd given that apart from it being his birth name, as stated in a note left there by whoever left him at the orphanage. Or, the name Lunar was not his real name, and since the contract wouldn't let him "eventually" take his original name back, he wouldn't agree to it. Erling believed the second one was more likely to be the case, but he wasn't going to argue with his choice. It was his loss, not theirs.

As for the second clause highlighted in red… a cold calculating look graced Erling's face. If Kaiser thought he could just roll over them, he was gravely mistaken.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Lunar?" Erling asked with an emotionless monotone voice, which was far more effective than an angry one. "Is asking for executive powers within a company we're investing so heavily on asking too much for you?"

Kaiser, of course, was already prepared for his reaction. It was quite unreasonable on his part, and he agreed with him. But there was no way in hell he would allow the Krovius's family's clutches in a company that held so many of his secrets.

"You might believe I am being unreasonable, Mr. Krovius, but my hands are truly tied in this matter." Kaiser began. "While I understand why you would want executive powers within Precision technologies, giving you said powers would reveal information I do not wish to part with."

"There are ways to make sure information do not reach the wrong hands." and it was true. All they had to do was add a clause that regulated how the information could be used. But Kaiser shook his head.

"It isn't as simple as you might think. We could very much add some terms to the contract, but I honestly can't imagine you agreeing to any of them. This is for my safety, and the safety of my employees." Kaiser argued, yet Erling did not look convinced at all. Kaiser would have to change tactics.

"Excuse me if I don't take your word for it." Erling countered, eyeing Kaiser intensely, hoping for the slightest eye contact, but it never came. He was far too careful. "It appears to me you do not fully understand the potential of your invention."

Kaiser wanted to laugh at the declaration of this fool. If only he knew the plans he had made involving this very invention, armed with the knowledge of a world far more advanced than this one who has barely began the twenty first century. But he said nothing, and waited for him to continue whatever tirade he had in store.

"The muggle world, as you may already know, already have this technology for a dozen years now. It isn't only limited to communication between two people anymore. Now, it's about bringing the whole world in a "network" they call the "Internet". You can use this network to buy books, groceries or any items you would like.

Even more, they have this thing called "Social Media", that allow people to share pictures and texts. But in the background, it's far more complicated than that. Governments use these "Social medias" to gather information about everyone, and information in the most important currency in the world. The way it can be exploited is limitless." Erling explained, though it was clear to Kaiser that he had a rudimentary understanding of what he was talking about at best.

While he was sure the Krovius family followed the happenings of the muggle world, they hardly considered it a threat to truly pay attention to every detail. A well placed Imperius curse can bring down an entire government, after all.

"Achieving what you are referring to is certainly possible, Mr. Krovius. However, it would take us dozen of years to reach that level." It wouldn't. "I propose the following: I will do my best to listen to your suggestions should they align with Precision Technologies' objective, and offer a certain discount for any device your family orders. Also, we can agree on a duration where the contract would be effective, to give you more options for the future."

Erling looked pensive at this. A temporary contract would certainly be to their advantage, if the terms didn't satisfy them in the long run. This could be considered a trial, until they were completely satisfied with their terms. Even more, it would give them time to observe what Precision Technologies' impact is, and adapt accordingly. It didn't give them the certainty they needed, but the one in a worse position would be Kaiser. He needed to discuss this further with his advisors.

"We'll need to discuss this further." Erling answered. What followed was a discussion over minor details, nothing too important, ending with goodbyes and an offer for Kaiser to spend some time with his betrothed to get to know each other, which he refused. He wasn't in the mood to get to know anyone, and he hardly had any time. He had a lot of thinking to do.

But before, he had a lot of "negative energy" he needed to release, and he was sure to spend a few hours practicing dark magic to profit from this situation. The angrier he was, the more potent dark magic that fed on anger was, and the more difficult it was to control. He could benefit a lot from from this session, as long as he doesn't go insane in the process.