"Mr. Osian?"
The smile on Ronan's face faded slightly. The frightening thing about Ronan was that he still wouldn't become expressionless even after doing that.
"It was a joke."
"It was a joke, right?"
"Half of it was."
That meant half of it was sincere. At those words, Ronan let out a small sigh.
"Everyone got too excited. Let's calm down and think carefully. First, the Broker Union tried to legally bind us because their justification is solid."
If they tried to fight such a Broker Union with force against force, the city government would intervene.
"They're probably hoping for exactly that. For us to act rashly out of anger. They'll use that as an excuse to dispatch people."
Though it wasn't his place to say this, having gathered them and made contracts with them, he had truly assembled remarkable people. None of them were weak. There were even those who could cause mass destruction if they set their minds to it maliciously.
They were truly a high-risk group. Excluding ideological aspects, they might be more dangerous than the Blood Brotherhood. For such people to gather in one place it wouldn't be strange for the city government to manage them.
In fact, such official documents had come down to Ronan several times already. It was Ronan's secret that he never told anyone else.
'It can't be helped. The people gathered here are all strong-willed, selfish, and exceptionally capable.'
Perhaps he should have treated them like tools. Like how other intermediaries used fixers, without any emotional exchange, just a purely business relationship. Then it would have been easy to cut ties.
But Ronan didn't do that. He couldn't say he didn't know what consequences his choice would bring. But he didn't clearly know either. That's why Ronan bet on that uncertain possibility.
Starting with Basilio, then Mist, Seren Gracia, Edgar Low, Diolan, Loraine. And now Osian.
'Well, I should add Ena and Lupona too.'
The reason they had gathered for Osian in the middle of the night was purely human.
They had become an undeniable family. Yes. Embarrassingly, those without families had come to regard each other as family.
And family never turns away from a member's problems.
"Do you have a method?"
"That's something we'll have to think about from now on. Together."
Ronan emphasized the word "together." At those words, the people who were about to rush out immediately quieted down.
"Oh come on. It's cheating to suddenly say that."
"Now I'll have to force my brain to work when it wouldn't even function properly."
Diolan and Loraine grumbled. Edgar, who had been crunching on a candy stick with his teeth, asked.
"So if they approach this legally, do we also need jurisprudential interpretation?"
"That would be better if we do it. But that's just a stopgap measure. They'll somehow find gaps and present new arguments."
Ena, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"Then how about negotiation? If we can get them to join hands with Mr. Osian, wouldn't that be the best option?"
"That would be good, but it won't be easy. This whole sequence of events is suspicious. There are probably people behind the scenes instigating the Broker Union."
The Broker Union's pride must have been considerably hurt seeing Osian. But they weren't a group that would attack so blatantly.
Even though they handle the city's subcontracted work, they too are a massive organization. They have their own order and discipline. Instead of crushing people with force, they knew better than anyone how to use carrots and persuasion.
For such people to suddenly act tough meant they had backing. And backing powerful enough to pressure an organization the size of the Broker Union.
"The Broker Union is watching their reaction. Or it could be that the proposal they offered was too sweet. To get them to join hands with us, it would have to be attractive enough for the Broker Union to cut ties with their backing."
"Anything half-hearted won't work, I see."
Ena became dejected. Ronan asked Mist, who had been silently watching the situation.
"Mr. Mist, do you have any ideas?"
"......"
Mist was quite flustered that Ronan would ask him such a question. Ideas? How could he have any? Of course he didn't.
His mind only worked toward creating an atmosphere to look cool to others, but he was too weak for such complex political talk.
But staying silent while everyone else was earnestly giving opinions wasn't cool at all.
'I need to come up with some plausible plan. Anything will do.'
But people ultimately think as they always have, and the opinion Mist came up with after much deliberation was too simple.
"If carrots don't work, can't we use the whip?"
If the other party won't sit at the negotiation table, force them to sit. At those words, everyone stared at Mist intently.
Mist broke into a cold sweat. What? Why are they looking at me like that? You asked for opinions, so I gave one. The inside of his heart shrank endlessly. Just as he was regretting opening his mouth unnecessarily.
"That's a good idea."
Ronan stroked his chin admiringly, and the others nodded in unison.
"Huh?"
The one who was flustered by that reaction was Mist himself. He thought he had stepped on a landmine, but people's reactions were better than expected.
"Hmm. Indeed, the experience of working as a fixer for so long can't be ignored. I see you in a new light, Mr. Mist."
Even the proud Edgar praised Mist.
Mist rolled his eyes, wondering if this was a hidden camera show. After confirming they weren't making fun of him, he inwardly sighed with relief.
The words he had reflexively blurted out without thinking seemed to have given them some inspiration. With infinite courage welling up in his heart again, Mist said nonchalantly.
"Well, it was nothing special."
It was quite a cool, satisfying line even to himself. Then Mist suddenly pondered the words he had spoken.
Everyone reacted positively to talk of wielding the whip. Ronan too. Hadn't he desperately tried to stop them from using force until just before?
'Ah. Let's not think about troublesome things. Whatever happens, they'll handle it well.'
Mist, as always, remained quietly with his mysterious, fog-like presence. He stays quiet because he doesn't know. And if you stay quiet, you get at least half credit.
This was the attitude he consistently maintained in Violet Fox's internal meetings.
The Broker Union is an organization created by former fixers and former brokers joining forces.
Initially, it was an embarrassing club-level organization to even call an organization. That's how all organizations typically start. From there they diverge. Whether they ultimately grow to become giant trees or get trampled as sprouts.
The Broker Union was fortunately the former. As people increased and time passed, the Broker Union gained enough years to claim its own history. It became an organization that others wouldn't carelessly touch.
At its center was the fixer 'Ishaq', evaluated as a legendary figure in the industry.
Ishaq was an excellent fixer. If he had continued active work, he was evaluated as someone who could rival Basilio.
Besides his abilities as a fixer, he had excellent political sense. His contribution to growing the Broker Union this far was significant.
And now Ishaq was reading a document in his office.
[Meeting Request]
The paper contained a request for a meeting with the Broker Union written in short, concise sentences.
"The sender is Ronan Rolland."
Ishaq recalled the Violet Fox broker. He had never actually seen the man. But he knew about him from stories.
'They say he has a serpent's tongue that charmed Basilio.'
There are countless fixers at the bottom of Tirna.
Fixers are as common as stones scattered on the roadside. No particular qualifications are needed, and there are no entrance exams.
The advantage of being a fixer was that anyone could easily become one.
Brokers were a bit different. They couldn't easily become one just by wanting to, like fixers. Sufficient qualifications, ability to gather information, eloquence to charm others. Most importantly, they had to have fixers under them.
'Mediocre brokers lost their qualifications because they couldn't secure proper fixers.'
In severe cases, they were sometimes killed by fixers. A broker is in a position to coordinate between clients and fixers. The moment they fail to walk the tightrope like a ghost, they get consumed by the other side.
'In that sense, the broker named Ronan Rolland can be said to be quite formidable.'
He's someone who recruited Basilio from when he was a young boy and established his own office. The fixers he recruited afterward were all extraordinary individuals.
That's why he has the most difficult 'Gray' grade among fixer offices.
'That Gray grade has caught us by the ankle this time.'
Ishaq's aged but intense gaze sharpened.
A meeting request? They could just ignore such a thing. They had the power to do so if they wanted. The problem was the Gray grade.
'Gray grade is given the right to request a meeting with the Broker Union. Only once, but the Union cannot refuse it.'
This was a rule carved into the Broker Union's internal regulations. One might ask why not just ignore such rules. But Ishaq couldn't do that.
'Rules must be maintained. The reason I could come this far, the reason I could grow the Union this much, was because of the rules that support us. This is the pillar of the Broker Union. If we ourselves topple the pillar, the Union will collapse.'
Organizations are powerful as one, but inevitably clumsy compared to individuals. Organizations have many constraints. When internal members each voice opinions, they can split. What prevents this is precisely rules. This is why even the mafia stake their lives on their codes.
His personal communicator flashed.
[What should we do?]
His assistants and secretary asked but Ishaq answered without hesitation.
"Accept it. And set the meeting date for tomorrow."
If they're trying to find some breakthrough through the meeting, just open it before they're fully prepared.
It's time to see how cunning the rumored fox really is.
The spacious meeting room in the building owned by the Broker Union. The branch chiefs who had decided to participate in the meeting that day were gathered there.
The Broker Union isn't an organization led by a single leader. There are managers, executives, and branch chiefs who oversee such executives.
To mediate the fixer work needed throughout Tirna City, each district needs at least one branch.
The person responsible for managing such branches is called a branch chief. Ishaq was one of them.
"Wow, this is really exciting. How long has it been since we had a meeting?"
A man in his mid-thirties with an eyepatch over one eye leaned back in his chair and muttered.
Kaiser Schultz. A former military man who left the service because the rigid military didn't suit his temperament and started fixer work. An ambitious figure who became a broker with excellent mercenary skills and capability, continuously proving his abilities to rise to the position of branch chief.
"I'm bored to death. Can't we just not do boring, stuffy things like meetings?"
Ariana Bell. She was a gorgeous and beautifully dressed woman. An excellent branch chief who smoothly resolved complex requests involving tangled interests with her bright and sociable personality. She mainly handled wealthy ladies. Therefore, she dressed most gorgeously and beautifully among the Broker Union's branch chiefs. Her young and beautiful appearance in her mid-twenties helped too.
"Rules are strict things. They cannot be erased just because they're boring."
Making a creaking sound, an automaton spoke. No, more precisely, it was a cyborg. One of those who had replaced their bodies with metal. Among them, his entire body was made of metal. With no intention of imitating humans, his smooth skull-shaped face gleamed brass-colored. Surprisingly, his outfit was neat gentleman's attire.
He was Bartolomeo Rus, one of the branch chiefs.
On one side was a woman with her head buried in the table, sleeping. No one tried to wake her or point out her behavior.
"Everyone's here."
Ishaq entered the meeting room and took his seat. Not all branch chiefs had come, but all those with the strongest voting rights were present.
"So when is that arrogant fixer coming?"
Kaiser glanced with one eye. His gaze glinted wickedly.
-Clank.
Just then, the meeting room door opened. The guides stepped aside with nervous expressions. A group pierced through the center like a spear, walking forward.
'They're here.'
Ishaq looked at the man approaching at the front, Osian.