Chapter 677: Win (2)
Even hours later, Cassarae found herself distracted and frustrated. Every few minutes, she would think of something else that made her grind her teeth in anger.
'What do you mean you're not sure, you fucking bastard?! I'm trying too hard?! TOO HARD?!?!?!
It felt like she had been broken up with again, which was an odd feeling considering Sylas was the one pursuing her so vehemently, so why did it still feel like he was in control of everything?
How could he not "be sure"? He was the one who broke up with her back then after she gave him everything. He was the one who didn't even bother to reach out after 10 years. He was the one who strolled back into her life talking about murdering men she might have been with.
It was all so infuriating. She was certain that she had lost several layers off her teeth by now. She practically stomped into a meeting with Gregory, her hair dancing behind her in the humid air.
The humidity these days was far worse than it had been in the past, and the air was particularly salty. The odd combination had been causing problems for a while; some of the people of the village were struggling with their skin drying out and such.
On Earth, the easy solution would just be lotion. But in a village like this one cut off from normal supplies, even the basics couldn't be taken for granted.
They had barely fixed the salty water problem from the wells, but they now had to set up logistics for a whole host of things that they wouldn't normally need to care for.
Getting a steady supply of lotion and adjusting the amount of water people would need on a daily basis were just two things on her plate.
When Cassarae entered the meeting room, though, she was instantly even further annoyed. That was because Gregory wasn't the only annoyance here. There were two other Summons here to add to the festivities and annoyances.
She didn't know why her luck was so bad, but she just kept getting shitheads.
One was a woman whose breasts were practically popping out of the dress she wore. She practically had every man in the village drooling over her, and even Cassarae's poor father had been stuck in the dog house for a few weeks after looking for a few extra seconds too long.
Cassarae didn't even blame her father, though. The woman didn't even have the decency to wear a bra. If you had a B or C cup, maybe that would be fine. But she was swinging around those melons everywhere she went in a damned thin sundress.
This woman was none other than Mathilda.
After Sylas gave Cassarae the Gene Elixir Formula, Cassarae had to summon an alchemist, and that alchemist was none other than Mathilda.
Unfortunately, the sway an alchemist could have in this village was especially heavy. She didn't have any direct power, but after she seemed to form an alliance with Gregory, that changed.
Gregory was just a steward, and suppressing him after gaining Sylas' support wasn't that difficult. That was because after Cassarae managed to keep Maya, the seamstress, happy, Gregory lost his support... only to replace it with Mathilda and the second person here...
The third summon was a man wreathed in darkness, and officially, he was a Military Official. He was the product of one of Cassarae's rewards for the Bronze Leg of her Class Quest. The reason Sylas had seen those liches, necromancer look-alikes, was because of this man right here, Veron.
Veron was classified as a Drill Sergeant. This was a branch of the teaching Profession that allowed him to give out Quasi Classes and awaken the potential of those here.
Thanks to him, Castle Main was able to make use of their Rotten Wolf Dens with greater ease. Between Gregory, Veron, and Mathilda, the hold they had on the village was exceptional. If not for the fact Cassarae's father and the Memory Merchant were responsible for all the flow of money in the village, and Cassarae herself was the strongest combatant of that village, this would already be a lost cause.
"This is a meeting the two of you were not invited to," Cassarae said with an oddly calm voice.
Mathilda flinched, Cassarae's aura making her feel true fear. Even Veron was apprehensive, let alone her.
"Apologies, City Lady. It was I who invited them. I thought it would be important for them to be here."
The other nobles in the room remained as silent as lambs, not daring to even breathe too lightly.
"Is that so? Please explain."
"Yes, of course. Right away," Gregory nodded quickly, his respectful expression making it seem like Cassarae was being cruel without cause or reason.
Cassarae was already quite used to this. It used to make her angry, but when she compared Gregory's methods to Sylas'... he felt far too inferior for her to care very much.
But she knew that Sylas wasn't here to cover for her. Gregory had been slowly weaving his way into the depths of her village for a long while now, and that was despite the fact she had been on her guard from the very start.
This man might not be Sylas, but he was dangerous. And the more time passed, the harder it was for Cassarae to justify killing him. Plus... the penalties that came with doing so were
steep.
"As you know, City Lady, the land is becoming unfarmable, and the amount of investment we have to put toward desalinating the water is growing steeper every day between drinking, cooking, and bathing water. That only grows worse as the population grows.
"Mathilda here cannot get the raw materials she needs to push the alchemy division the way she believes could help bolster the village. And as the census showed, the net increase to living satisfaction thanks to Mathilda had been through the roof. It's what keeps the dissatisfaction due to low-quality food and the Rotten Wolves down. They go hand in hand.
"I was speaking of these troubles with General Veron and we believe that... the best solution is to expand our territory and start a displacement plan.
"So long as the above-ground portal is open to the ocean, staying here long-term isn't
viable."
"You want to declare war on Guiz City?" Cassarae asked, the sneering contempt in her heart
boiling over.