The weight of leadership bore down on Arya, but this time, he carried it with purpose. He had uncovered the truth—Yatnish and Marketu had been working with outside forces, smuggling high-quality weapons, skilled workers, and even valuable resources out of his territory. That would end now.
He stood before the gathered workers and bound slaves of the pit. Their eyes carried years of suffering, yet tonight, they looked to him with uncertainty.
"You are free," Arya declared, his voice steady. "No more chains. No more forced labor. If you choose to work, you will be paid in mudras."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some looked to each other, hesitating. One man stepped forward, his hands still bearing the scars of iron shackles.
"You... you will pay us?"
Arya met his gaze. "Yes. The pit will remain open, but only convicted criminals from Bhuva and Prithvi Mandala will fight. You are free to leave. But if you stay, your work will not be in vain."
A silence followed—then, slowly, nods of acceptance. They had no better option, but at least now, they had a choice.
The Yamsabha Meeting
The warlords assembled in a grand chamber. Sharvas, Raktapasu, Dhanudanda, Kritipal, Eknandini, Parashar, and Savignya all took their seats. Arya remained composed. He had played his part in the pit—now, he would play his part in this war of words.
"We will discuss business first," Sharvas announced, his tone neutral but firm. "The supply of workers and weapons."
Arya leaned forward. "There will be no slaves."
Silence. Then a murmur of discontent.
"I will provide workers," Arya continued, "but they will be paid for their labor. They will be treated as humans. Their working hours will be fixed."
The room erupted into protests.
"If you don't provide us slaves, how do you expect us to get our work done?" snapped Raktapasu.
Arya remained unshaken. "The workers I provide will cost 15% extra. That additional sum will go directly to them. I will not take a single coin from it."
Sharvas's expression darkened. "You're asking us to pay more for weaker, undisciplined labor?"
"Yes," Arya said simply.
Dhanudanda slammed a fist on the table. "You took Upendra's place and now you ruin his business with your foolish ideals! You expect us to pay more for the same filthy, weak workers?"
Arya met his furious gaze, his voice dangerously calm. "I have been here before, and I stayed silent out of respect. I expect the same from you. Speak to me with reason, or expect disrespect in return. And you wouldn't like it."
Dhanudanda's hands clenched, but something in Arya's voice made him hesitate. He looked to Sharvas, seeking support.
Sharvas folded his hands. "No point in fighting amongst ourselves. We need a way forward."
Eknandini, always calculative, spoke next. "Meet us halfway, Arya. We cannot accept a 15% hike just like that."
Arya turned to Parashar and Savignya. He had been watching them—measuring them. Now, it was time to act.
"You both have suffered from smuggling," Arya said, his voice lower, direct. "Weapons. Food supplies. Smugglers have been bleeding us dry. If we don't act now, we lose more than money. We lose control."
Parashar hesitated. "We have lost a lot of resources…"
"And it won't stop," Arya pressed. "Unless we take measures. The extra 15% means nothing if we can stop the bleeding."
Savignya exchanged a glance with Parashar. Then, he sighed and leaned back. "I agree with Arya."
Parashar stood. "Savignya and I have been victims of smuggling too. We will raise our prices by 15% as well."
A silence stretched over the table.
Raktapasu, Sharvas, Dhanudanda, Kritipal, and Eknandini were clearly displeased. If they rejected the new prices, they would lose their key suppliers—Arya's workers, Savignya's food, Parashar's materials.
Without them, their businesses would collapse in weeks. Setting up new supply lines would take months and might cost even more.
Dhanudanda seethed but said nothing.
Sharvas studied Arya. "This division will weaken us."
Arya met his gaze. "No. The smuggling weakens us. The theft weakens us. Fix that, and there's no need for these hikes."
Parashar nodded. "We find the ones responsible, we stop this mess, and we all benefit."
A dangerous shift had taken place. The Yamsabha was no longer united. Arya, Parashar, and Savignya had formed one side, the others the opposing side.
For the first time, the great council of warlords was fractured.
Was this Arya's victory?
Or had he just made himself a target?