lord Emeric was silent, his jaw tight. He acknowledged internally that his current condition was indeed on the verge of bankruptcy. His eyes stared sharply at Illya for a few moments, his mind racing, analyzing all the possibilities. After a few long seconds, Lord Emeric sat back down in his chair.
"I will hear you out first."
Not long after, the sound of the door opening was heard. Rasie opened the library door slightly, looked around the empty corridor, then nodded at Illya. After Illya returned her nod, Rasie closed the door and stood guard beside it again, while Zaefal kept watch outside.
Illya then continued her explanation. "The Veyra family will take a forty percent ownership stake in the alliance," Illya explained. "The remaining sixty percent will be divided among the three of you. Lord Emeric’s Silver Wave Guild will be the main fleet. Lord Valerius’s fleet will open up the coastal routes. Lady Amara’s network will be the spearhead of our marketing."
Lord Emeric shook his head. His old, wrinkled hands trembled slightly. "Once again, this is open war with Martis. He will destroy us, even kill us!"
"What is your choice, Lord Emeric... Will you just let the business you built with such difficulty be destroyed just like that? And oh, speaking of being killed...," Illya replied, maintaining her smile. "I’m reminded of the advice from a dear friend of mine,... you know Lord Emeric....We will all die eventually. You, me, Martis, all of us who live here... will die." Illya paused for a moment, letting her words sink in.
After a few seconds, Illya continued, "My dear friend also said... What’s important isn’t when we die... but how we die, Lord Emeric."
"Do you want to die with your business bankrupt and your name ruined? Or do you want to die fighting for your rights and your dream as a businessman?" Illya said with a smile, her eyes scanning the room before settling on Emeric again. "How do you want to die, Lord Emeric?"
Illya placed her hand on the polished wooden table and looked back at Emeric. "Your cargo... we heard it suffered mysterious damage last month, right before it was set to sail... and also... your contract was taken over by Vorlag Maritime... you were also forced by them to raise your rates by thirty percent more than usual... And if you refused, well..."
Emeric was silent at those words, biting his lip slightly.
Lord Valerius raised his hand and said, "The risk is not worth the profit." He leaned back in his chair. "Vorlag is too strong. They pay the governor here, the guards, everyone! I’ve heard rumors they pay criminals too!!"
Illya smiled at Valerius. "Lord Valerius... I heard the land routes you own... have been robbed by a group of mysterious bandits... your reports to the governor are always ignored, the guards seem to not care about your fate... I wonder why that is, Lord Valerius."
Valerius’s pupils dilated slightly. His fists clenched. "How could you know that?"
Illya ignored the question. "And as for the risk... The risk is borne by the Veyra family. We will be the ones at the forefront," Illya said. "The profit is the entire market currently controlled by Vorlag. Your businesses will prosper again, and your lives will be prosperous again."
Lady Amara stared at Illya. "This isn’t just about money. It’s about our lives. My father died trying to fight them!"
Illya looked straight into Lady Amara’s eyes. "Oh, Lady Amara, I am truly sorry to hear that... But... couldn’t that be a strong reason?" Illya tilted her head and continued, "We are your chance right now. This is your opportunity. How long will you wait? Until Martis is destroyed?"
Illya’s smile widened. She then continued, "Of course, physical protection alone is not enough with Martis’s power being as great as it is. You need political protection, right, my lords and lady?"
Illya paused for a moment, her gaze now sweeping over the three of them. Her voice lowered, becoming more serious. "Perhaps there is one thing I have not yet explained. This investment is not just an initiative of the Veyra family."
Her three guests stared at her intently.
"This alliance project," Illya continued slowly, "has the full support of the kingdom, my lords and lady."
The expressions on the three people’s faces changed completely. Shock, disbelief, and then a glimmer of hope appeared in Lord Emeric’s eyes. Lord Valerius was now sitting upright, his greed mixed with fear.
"You... you are supported by the king?" Lord Emeric whispered.
"I am an extension of the Kingdom’s interests in this city," Illya answered, neither confirming nor denying. "Martis has been a thorn for too long. The Kingdom needs a reason to act, and our alliance will be that reason. If Martis attacks us, he is no longer attacking three cornered merchants. He is attacking a business partner of the Veyra family and the interests of the Kingdom. Martis attacking us is the same as him going to war with the kingdom."
Illya leaned back in her chair, observing the three of them, trying to read their facial expressions and body language. After a few seconds of silence, Illya sighed. "So, my lords, my lady, the choice is simple," she said. "You can continue to be Martis’s victims until you go bankrupt, or you can become the Kingdom’s partner in reclaiming this city."
A long, heavy silence filled the room. Only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
Finally, Lady Amara, her eyes glinting, was the first to speak. "I’m in."
Lord Valerius, after weighing the risks and rewards, gave a short nod.
All eyes now turned to Lord Emeric. The old man looked at Illya, then at the others. He let out a long sigh. "For the future of my guild... I’m in."
Illya gave a thin smile. "Good... Now let’s discuss the thing we love most: gold."
After that, they made an appointment to meet again another day to discuss the gold and the money Illya would invest. Illya suggested they keep this a secret until the guild was strong enough to stand on its own.
Late night. The luxurious suite at the Outgal Inn.
The heavy wooden door to the suite opened slowly. Illya entered first, followed by Zaefal and Rasie. The room was silent. Moonlight streamed through the large arched window, illuminating the cold marble floor.
Zaefal moved immediately, closing and locking the door behind them. Rasie walked to the velvet sofa and threw herself down tiredly, saying, "Huaaaa, what a long day, a really long day!"
Illya just stood silently in the middle of the room, her blue dress looking pale under the moonlight. She let out a long breath she had been holding. "I managed to convince them, Zaefal..." she said. She looked at Zaefal. "You were amazing to get such accurate information on them."
Zaefal sat on one of the sofas and massaged his temples. "It was very risky... I got some of it from the Guardian..."
"Welcome back."
A calm voice was heard from the darkest corner of the room. The three of them turned at once. The figure of Fyar stepped out from the shadows. He was no longer wearing the shabby clothes from Dark Town. Now, he wore a well-fitting and neatly ironed all-black guard uniform. His usually messy purple hair was now neatly combed back. His mask was gone. His face was clean, his expression calm and flat. He was "Binder," Illya’s personal guard.
Seeing Fyar standing there, Illya said nothing. She just walked quickly toward him. When she was close, Illya threw herself into Fyar’s arms, hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his chest.
Fyar flinched slightly in surprise, his body stiff for a moment. He could feel the warmth of Illya’s body and the small tremors in her shoulders. The soft scent of lilies from the girl’s hair contrasted with the faint, musty smell still clinging to his clothes from Dark Town.
"Thank goodness... you’re okay," Illya whispered softly, her voice muffled against his chest. "I missed you, Fyar."
Fyar was silent for a moment. His right hand then rose and he awkwardly patted Illya’s back gently, while his other hand stroked her blue hair. "I’m okay... I missed you too, Illya. I missed all of you."
After a few seconds, Illya released her hug. Her face was slightly red, and she immediately looked away. An awkward silence filled the room.
Fyar was the first to break it. He looked straight at Illya and Zaefal, his expression professional again. "What’s the result?" he asked.
Zaefal stepped forward. "We are being forced to attack them. The kingdom has sent several guardians here to help us," he said curtly. "And finally, we managed to gather information on his rivals from the Guardian and form a trade alliance."
"Attack?? Wait, wait, did I hear that right? What’s really going on? Royal guardians in this city?? Now they’re telling us to attack Martis?! Is the kingdom insane?" Fyar replied, his face full of confusion.
Zaefal shook his head. "I think he really is insane."
"And also... Martis seems to be getting suspicious of us," Zaefal added, his tone serious. "He intercepted us before we left. And told us to be careful."
Fyar nodded, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information. "I figured as much..." He then turned to Rasie. "How are you, Mommy Autumn?!"
"Stop calling me that, you weirdo!!!!" Rasie snapped. After that, she chuckled. "Heh, what were your total losses from gambling over there?!"
Fyar shook his head, hissing, "Tsk tsk, I made a huge profit."
Fyar then looked back at Zaefal, Rasie, and Illya. "I have a match on Tuesday... The reason I came here is to give you guys some information about Martis and his network."