Empire Ascension: The Rise of the Fated One-Chapter 235: A Gift for Trade

Purana Qila, Prince’s quarters, morning of April 24, 1557.

"Your Highness..."

"Prince..."

"Aditya.. Aditya!"

Aditya was sleeping in bed without a care in the world. He heard faint noises of someone calling him. He was too tired from the late-night date with Meenakshi and wanted a little bit more sleep, but the urgent plea in the voice was unmistakable, which forced him to open his eyes. It was Bheem, who was standing at his side, his face too close.

Aditya sat up in his bed and asked, squinting his eyes slightly, "The hell are you doing here, Bheem? Why are you wasting my sleep so early in the morning?"

Bheem gave a sarcastic smile. "Because it is my duty to remind His Highness that it is not early morning anymore and that he is getting late for today’s schedule."

Aditya yawned and looked at the sunrays streaming through his window. It was a little cloudy and hence hard to know the time. "What rubbish..."

Then his eyes fell on the clock prototype that Mathew had created and gifted him. It was right on the table, and the time read 8:37 a.m.

"Oh shit! We’re late. What time was the Portuguese envoy’s meeting?" he asked, a little tense.

"It was around 8:00 a.m. when our butler informed us of his arrival in training grounds. By then, he had checked twice and has now returned for a suitable excuse. I tried calling you many times, and by Shiva’s blessing, you took a total of half an hour to open your eyes." Bheem felt very proud as he stated the time. In his perspective, he had gone through hellish training under Mathew to understand the time mechanism, but it felt very good to scold his friend with facts.

Though he had no idea that he was still lacking in time calculation, Aditya had little to do with his thoughts and no time to correct him as he hurried to prepare for his morning needs.

****

Common Training grounds, after an hour

In the vast open field of the royal training grounds, heavily guarded by royal guards, a sense of impatience lingered in the air. Portuguese officials stood near several covered carts, their black clothes concealing the weapons beneath.

Beneath the shade of a large tree, the senior officials waited alongside Aditya’s butler, Hari Singh, their expressions reflecting a mix of anticipation and impatience as they awaited the prince’s arrival.

Antonio Lopes, a Portuguese envoy of 46 years, stood slightly apart, engrossed in a document. It detailed the names and profiles of envoys he was scheduled to meet at the Samrajya Sangh Dutavash (the Empire Union Embassy Hall) as the new ambassador. Reaching the end of the scroll, he carefully rolled it up and handed it to his assistant.

He turned to Hari Singh and asked in Devnagri, "Can you be certain if your prince is coming today, or should we assign the meeting another time he feels comfortable and assured?"

Hari Singh said with a plastered smile, "Please wait a little longer. His Highness should arrive soon."

Antonio’s frown deepened. He had heard the same response no less than fifteen times and noted, with growing frustration, that the butler had ceased making any effort to hurry the prince along. With a weary sigh, he resigned himself to wait a bit longer, knowing the importance of this transaction.

Just as Antonio’s patience was about to wear thin, the herald’s call rang through the air.

"His Highness, Prince Aditya, approaches!"

’Thank God, finally...’ Antonio exhaled audibly, muttering a quick prayer of thanks as he straightened his attire.

Aditya came with his royal guard Bheem in his ceremonial princely attire of pajama and kurta paired with a finely adorned turban, while Bheem was laced in his chainmail armour in royal guard uniform. Behind them, Colonel Neelesh led a contingent of company soldiers escorting carts covered in white clothes.

Antonio’s professional demeanor returned, his face breaking into a polite smile as he bowed in greeting. "Welcome, Your Highness. It is an honor to meet you in person."

Aditya reciprocated the bow with a warm, princely smile. "The honor is mine, Envoy..."

"Antonio Lopes," the envoy offered.

"Ah, yes. Envoy Antonio. I trust the wait has not been too arduous?" Aditya asked, though a glint of amusement danced in his eyes.

"Not at all, Your Highness. This much wait is nothing; in contrast, we are grateful that we are still holding the transaction despite us being later than the anticipated time."

Aditya’s eyebrow quirked slightly, intrigued by the subtle diplomacy in the envoy’s words. He sensed the underlying eagerness and decided to play along. "Very well, let us proceed with the transaction."

Envoy Antonio gestured for his logistics teams. They unfurled the carts, revealing array of cannons and crates containing 2,000 miquelet muskets. However, a few carts remained unwrapped in black clothes, nor did Aditya ask anything about them.

Aditya’s face lit up as he surveyed the weapons, nodding in satisfaction. The cannons glinted under the sun, their craftsmanship undeniable. Clapping his hands, he signaled his team to reveal their own goods. The company soldiers pulled back their coverings to unveil rockets and hwachas, the pride of the Hindshakti’s arsenal.

"Behind me are the weapons you requested," Aditya declared. Turning to Colonel Neelesh, he added, "Assist their team in loading and testing the equipment."

He then addressed Hari Singh, "Oversee the transaction personally and ensure the report is submitted by the end of the day."

Both men bowed and replied in unison, "Yes, Your Highness."

As Aditya began to take his leave, Antonio stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Your Highness, if I may..."

Aditya paused, his brows furrowing as if annoyed. "What is it, Senhor?"

Antonio offered a sheepish smile, "I believe we have made an appeal for new weapons to be included in this deal and to reduce the payment.."

Aditya cut him off with a raised hand. "I appreciate the offer, but the contract is already made. I won’t allow the transfer of our goods until the full payment is done in coins or in paper (token currency used by merchants)."

Antonio persisted. "But Your Highness, at least consider a demonstration..."

Aditya again interrupted with a wave. "I think you are misunderstanding something. The deal we made is already complete and is pending only for the transaction. Now, all of a sudden, if you want to add another product and ask for more discount, then that doesn’t work. We are not doing barter trade here."

Antonio blinked, momentarily taken aback. He hadn’t anticipated such firm resistance. Swallowing his disappointment, he pressed on. "I fully understand your terms, Your Highness, and we will honor them as agreed. Our offer was made with your convenience in mind, though it would have been in your best interest to consider my request. After all, the weapon we present is among our finest, representing the cutting edge of technology."

Aditya chuckled softly, admiring the envoy’s tenacity. "I see you are quite eager to showcase your wares. Very well, I’ll listen to your offer, though I make no promises."

Antonio’s face brightened as he gestured for his assistant to step forward with a small, ornate case. "Your Highness, as a token of goodwill, we present this sample as a gift."

Aditya nodded, motioning for the case to be opened. Within lay a sleek, polished wheellock pistol. Its intricate design and innovative mechanism immediately caught his eye.

"A wheellock pistol," Antonio announced with pride.

***********************************

//A/N/:

My heartfelt gratitude to PratikMonty for donating 2 GT tickets. Your support is immensely appreciated.