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Cett nodded "Most of the cities around here aren't fortified at all They'd cave in without a fight"

"A good suggestion," Elend said "But on't do it"

"Why not?" Cett asked

"This isn't just about conquering your ho here is to secure that storage cache--and I hope to do that without resorting to pillaging the countryside"

Cett snorted "What do you expect to find in there? Soical way to stop the ash? Even atiu's in there," Elend said "It's the only hope we have"

Cett shook his head "You've been chasing a puzzle left by the Lord Ruler for the better part of a year, Elend Hasn't it ever occurred to you that the ical way out of this If we're going to survive the next few years, we're going to have to do it on our own--and thatthe Western Dominance The plateaus in this area represent soher altitudeto find plants that survive despite the dayood arguht Not yet Elend had read the reports of supplies back in Luthadel, and had seen the projections Ash was killing crops as much or more than the mists were More land wouldn't save his people--they needed so that, he hoped, the Lord Ruler left for them

The Lord Ruler didn't hate his people, and he wouldn't want them to die out, even if he were defeated He left food, water, supplies And, if he knew secrets, he would have hidden the here

There has to be

"The cache reet," Elend said To the side, he could see Vin s "Then you knoe have to do This siege could take a while"

Elend nodded "Haineers in under cover of mist See if they can find a way for our troops to cross those troughs Have the scouts search out streaht run into the city--Cett, presuet spies into the city, have theood start," Cett said "Of course, there's one easy way to sow chaos in that city, to perhaps ht"

"We're not going to assassinate King Yomen," Elend said

"Why not?" Cett deot two Mistborn We'll have no difficulty killing off the Fadrex leadership"

"We don't work that way," Ha dark

"Oh?" Cett asked "That didn't stop Vin fro me back before we teamed up"

"That was different," Ha "It wasn't The reason we're not going to assassinate Yomen, Cett, is because I want to try diplomacy first"

"Diplomacy?" Cett asked "Didn't we just march an army of forty thousand soldiers on his city? That's not a diplo "But we haven't attacked, not yet Now that I' out knives in the night We ht be able to persuade Lord Yomen that an alliance will benefit him more than a war"

"If weforward in his chair, "I don't get my city back"

"I know," Elend said

Cett frowned

"You see yourself, Cett," Elend said "You did not 'tea up oaths of service in exchange for not getting executed Now, I appreciate your allegiance, and I will see you rewarded with a kingdoet to choose where that kingdorant it"

Cett paused, sitting in his chair, one ars Finally, he sed a lot in the year I've known you"

"So everyone is fond of telling et into the city?"

She raised an eyebrow "I hope that was meant to be rhetorical"

"It was meant to be polite," Elend said "I need you to do so on in this dominance lately--we've focused all of our efforts on Urteau and the South"

Vin shrugged "I can go poke around a bit I don't knohat you expect , "I need naht still be loyal to you"

"Noblemen?" Cett asked, amused "Loyal?"

Elend rolled his eyes "How about some that could be bribed to pass on a little information"