Back in the castle, the night's celebrations and merry dancing were stopped by the appearance of one young man named Christian HammerStone.
He stole everyone's attention without care. Just the fact that he arrived so late in the night meant that he didn't treat the Duke with a lot of respect. Some might call it justified since he was a descendant of the famous Hephaestus corporation, but many would simply call it arrogance.
"Duke Stelmane, there is no better option than me," he said, approaching the metal automobile.
"Whatever the Reborn company has offered you, I am sure that my company can give you as well."
Christian noticed the unique 'R' symbol embedded onto the automobile's side door. Since the Duke was riding it with his wife, he assumed that this was a gift from Michael to tip the scales of favor towards his way.
"This…metal contraption is not very efficient at all," he said boldly. "You would need four horses to pull on a metal carriage like this. It simply shows that our HammerStone company is a lot wiser than any other young company in this city. After all, I have my family's experience to draw back from. Siding with me is a simple recipe for success."
However, the Duke didn't seem impressed, and neither were the guests around him. They knew his words were worth nothing after seeing the capabilities of the automobile.
"You know nothing, Chris."
"It's Christian," the boy corrected.
"You were a fine lad when you were a child," the Duke said sentimentally. "Your father guided you in the right ways of building a company. What has happened to you to be so ignorant?"
Christian smacked his mouth rudely, turning away from the Duke and not wanting to hear another one of his sermons.
"Opportunity is what happened!" Christian shouted, his voice in a high pitch. "Right now, my brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends are all participating in the competition, and even they are completely outmatched from the real companies controlling the market."
He pointed at the Duke and everyone else. "This is a warning. The sharks are coming. And they smell blood in the water. It won't be long before they come swimming down the plains of the Queens regions and come knocking on your doors.
Didn't you know that Batchrock Town is already under control of an Oscorpe subsidiary company? I heard that they fought hard for their independence, but ended up losing it in the end."
The Duke was startled and the rest of the guests gasped as they heard the unexpected news. It was as if their whole belief was shattered in an instant, making them feel uneasy and unsteady for the future that was to come.
"That's so near here," one of the guests uttered silently, yet his voice was heard by all.
"If they're getting conquered, then what about us…"
"This is bad for business."
That was the only conclusion they could all come to. It wasn't hard to imagine what was happening in Batchrock Town right now.
Local businesses would immediately struggle. At best, companies would have to pay enormous amounts of tax. At worst, they would get thrown out of town for fear of them becoming too much of a threat to their reign.
Meanwhile, in a time of crisis, the reigning company had the authority to turn normal citizens into soldiers to fight something they didn't want in the first place.
As for the royals previously in charge of the territory, their fates were usually one with a grim ending.
Even if Duke Stelmane tried to keep a still face, the anxiety he felt in his heart couldn't help but leak out into his expression.
He got out of the automobile and faced Christian with a serious face.
"Are you sure about this? Where did you hear it?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Christian replied. "It's one of the reasons why I'm late. I had to stop by and see why the whole town was set ablaze."
The Duke paced back and forth as all sorts of thoughts flowed through his mind. Not even his wife could calm him down, as he rejected her attempt at holding his hand.
"This is the reason why you need me," Christian pleaded. "The only thing that can push off a sub company of a global conglomerate is another subcompany from an equally strong conglomerate: me! I'm the only one that can fight off against that Oscorpe sub company."
It was evident in the Duke's eyes that he was seriously considering the boy's offer. Having the backing of the Hephaestus company would assure a safety net behind the city in the case that the Oscrope subsidiary company decided to expand further than Batchrock.
The looming threat of the upcoming territorial war between the conglomerate sub companies sent an ominous mood that permeated throughout every man and woman around.
Some of them were even considering to hitch their own companies to HammerStone in the hopes that they would also get saved in the future.
It was a smart move, truly, and the only one they could make in such times.
But then, the Duke looked at the golden-haired boy in the middle of the castle grounds, realizing that there was another solution to this problem—something that would not require him to relinquish his reins over to a boy.
"Why you?" Duke Stelmane asked Chrsitian. "Why can't I ask help from the Reborn company?"
Christian shook his head, disappointed. Then, he gestured for his personal bodyguard to come closer to the Duke.
"Show the Duke the life stones," Christian ordered.
Codename One obediently approached and took out four gems from his pocket, each about the size of a large bean and glowing with a white intensity similar to the moon.
These rough-edged stones pulsated with a rhythmic pattern, dimming and brightening once every second.
"Tonight, I sent out four elite soldiers, each hand picked directly from the Hephaestus training academy, and sent them to seek out the greatest fighters of the Reborn company, the so-called Dragonborns," Christian explained.
"And these Life stones are directly linked to those four warriors. Right now, the glow of these stones indicate that they are fully awake and conscious.
By now, they must have met their targets and attacked them with great skill and power.
In about three candles worth of time, my elite soldiers will return from their duty and bring the news that they have successfully bested the Dragonborns of Reborn."
The Duke looked back at Michael with worry. If those warriors were indeed picked from the Hephaestus training academy, then their level of skill is nothing less than world-class.
But instead of panic and anxiousness, Michael showed an expression of calmness.
Michael looked at One and Christian.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked them.
Just then, One felt the Life stones in his palms start to shake with intensity, almost rolling out of his hands.
Then, a Life stones turned completely black, with no glow whatsoever. It looked like a normal quartz stone.
Surprise and shock filled One's eyes, much more so Christian's.
But then, it wasn't long before the second one turned dim as well. And then a few moments after that, the third one had its light snuffed out in an instant.
"What the hell is happening?!" Christian shouted to One.
Their last saving grace was the final Life Stone staying completely still in One's palms.
But a second later, the stone exploded out into a thousand fragments, leaving only powder residue all over his hand.