(Meanwhile Julien D Evanus)
Lately, every letter Julien received seemed to carry grim news, as the demons seemed to be advancing on all fronts.
It wasn't just the Eastern Front where the demons had made progress as they were also seen capturing border villages on the Western Front and although no major towns had fallen yet, the situation was indeed dire.
In the border regions, evacuated commoners had begun spreading stories about spotting demons and expressed growing concern for the Empire's future, contributing to the rising unrest.
Swift to act after his previous emergency meeting, Julien had already sent warning letters to the Dukes, urging them to reinforce major towns and prepare for a full-scale demon assault.
However, the letter he received today was particularly alarming as it confirmed his worst fears.
In a recent village raid near the Eastern boundary, several eyewitnesses reported seeing a human leading a demon contingent, claiming that the human spoke fluent demon tongue.
For centuries, humans had dominated demons through superior intellect and strategy. But with a human leading a demon army, Julien realized how unstoppable such a force could become.
"This is a matter of grave sincerity. That human cannot be allowed to live.
Dispatch Sir Cedric and his top Virex Agents, but have that man killed at any cost–" Julien instructed, as his servants immediately relayed the news to Sir Cedric and the Virex Corps.
Being experienced assassins, the Virex Corps accepted this mission with open arms, despite acknowledging the difficulty of killing a human that was nestled in the heart of a demon camp.
************
( Meanwhile Cervantez and Luke )
"So let me get this straight…. You want me to negotiate a deal with my brother to get all of his new products at a discounted rate, so that we can exchange it within the guild store for merit points?" Luke asked, sounding perplexed as he did not understand what Cervantez was planning yet.
"Yes, I want to start implementing a contribution points exchange system within the guild, where guild members can exchange their earned guild contribution points for popular products/ armor etc.
You see most guilds earn money by accepting quests and taking on missions and not through administrative work.
There are currently so many unexplored dungeons in the world of Terra Nova, so many herb gathering requests, monster subjugation requests and more, yet our Guild is not participating in these activities because I had deemed that their military training was most important.
However, now that their basic military training is about to come to an end, I'm thinking about finally turning this guild profitable and starry issuing guild quests/ missions that members can complete in exchange for Contribution Points.
But for us to make this system viable and make a profit, we need to sell the goods inside at a 10% discount rate than available in the market.
And to sell them at 10% off we need to buy it at 30% off.
Currently your brother has the best products and if he is willing to sell us in bulk, we can set-up a good store …." Cervantez explained, as after he articulated it this way, his plan made perfect sense to Luke.
"Hmmm, it does make sense. My brother's products are selling like hot-cakes right now, so it makes sense that you want him to partner-up with us.
However, the question remains….. will he agree?
His products are already in high demand, so I'm not sure if he will be willing to sell us at a discounted price" Luke observed, as Cervantez agreed 100% with his assessment.
"Which is why you must play the family card, Luke. Coax him into agreeing for the sake of his elder brother," Cervantez suggested. However, Luke immediately shook his head in denial.
"I'm sorry, guild master, but I cannot do that. I wouldn't do it to you if Leo were the one requesting me right now, and I won't do it to Leo with you requesting me. I will surely inquire for you, but I won't play the family card.
My bond with Leo is worth more than the entire GDP of the Unity Empire, and I won't use it to exert unnecessary pressure," Luke said, respectfully declining Cervantez's suggestion to pressure Leo into accepting the deal.
"Well, alright, I respect your decision," Cervantez said as while he had hoped Luke would agree, he also respected Luke's decision not to use his family bond to gain unfair advantages.
Cervantez realized that, although he might have leveraged the bond if he were in Luke's position, his deep trust in Luke also stemmed from this very moral integrity of his which was unshakeable.
Overall Luke was a very easy going guy, who never refused any direct orders from Cervantez, however, he was not a 'yes' man either.
With his strong moral compass, he was never coerced into performing any wrong acts and neither did he let Cervantez perform any when he caught him going astray.
'Yep, making him the Vice Guildmaster was the best decision. Not only is he reliable, but he is also my best counsel, ' Cervantez thought, as his respect for Luke only increased after this interaction.
"Alright, there is one more thing I want you to ask your brother…." Cervantez said after a long pause, as he let out a deep sigh.
"What is it?" Luke inquired curiously.
"Your brother is currently operating from 'TheBoss's' Barony and although he denies having any connection to the top player, I have a strong feeling that the two are close working allies.
What I want to know is whether or not 'TheBoss' has any connection to the 'Uprising' or not and whether or not they are planning an insurrection.
It's crucial for the sake of this guild's future that we figure out which way the winds are blowing and this particular piece of information is critical for us.
Please see if you can get him to talk about it…" Cervantez requested, as Luke nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Whether or not Leo would confide in him, he did not know, however, for Cervantez's sake, he was ready to ask the question.
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/// A/N - Guys I officially declare today as the start of a writing marathon.
I don't know how, I don't know if, but my goal is to write 15 chapters in the next 3 days. Giving you all a mass release everyday.
And while I don't know how many chapters I'll upload each day, just know that I'll be dropping a chapter every few hours.
This is chapter 1/15, let's go! ///