"Dijamant, we chalked your previous words up to your youth, but this last guess of yours goes no further than being comical!"
The Leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild's eyebrows furrowed, his lower lip drooped; as Tirkizna spoke to him, she had taken on the air of a grandmother scolding her grandson.
"What do you mean comical, didn't we make the same mistake over the Wild Swamp? Didn't the Khan, who first said he exiled those two people from his homeland, then support them with an army of millions? Or am I the only one who remembers the casualties we suffered?"
He might have been the youngest Guild Leader, but this didn't give anyone the right to weigh the gravity of his words. Dijamant wasn't excited this time but authoritative; the question he asked as he finished his speech weighed down the atmosphere that had been showing signs of softening.
"Come on, let's calm down a bit! We have to respect everyone's opinion, but I assume the Diamond Leaf Guild Leader hasn't read the latest espionage reports!"
When Zlato began to speak with his old breath reeking of death, even the sunbeams falling upon him changed their direction; his shadow on the floor, consisting of long planks arranged crosswise, stood without moving.
"The person they call Alyon is spending time playing with Jashua's daughter, and the one who gave herself the name Blood God is spending time with pleasure parties. Her student and the person managing the Internal Affairs of the Orc Empire continues to teach at the place they call the Military Academy!"
Intelligence was very precious for both merchants and soldiers; those ruling the Mercenaries' Lodge allocated massive resources for this task, but it was obvious someone had disrupted the order they thought was perfect. The masked man's tone of voice was as sure as when he said his own name; he thought the people committing massacres within their borders were in completely different places.
"Then only one option remains; the orcs on our lands are truly vagrants, but they have the weapons produced by Master Leonardo in their hands. The question is, what are we going to do now?"
Dijamant's words always ended with a question, and the answer would come from the old woman he had just harshly lashed out at. Tirkizna, the Leader of the Turquoise Leaf Guild, took one of the recently served fruits in her hands and bit off a huge chunk with a bite surprisingly hard for her age.
"Ultimately, isn't everything a profit and loss calculation? Since that degenerate called Jashua came to power, our rate of seizing the resources of the Hell Realm has dropped drastically, and for the last year we have been completely in the red. Then, why should we further protect a place where we constantly make a loss?"
The old woman was proposing abandoning the lands bordering the Hell Realm, and the only reason she presented for this was that they were making a loss.
"I agree, even if it was a profitable source of income before, it now serves no other purpose than being a burden on our backs with its military expenses alone."
Zlato was of the same opinion as the Turquoise Leaf Guild Leader; he preferred losing a piece of his lands, of his homeland, over losing money.
"There are already two places they can go from there anyway; one is the Forsaken Realm and the other is the Death Pass. I say we withdraw all surviving units and let them come right up to the doors of death."
The Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild also looked favorably upon the proposal that posed no threat to the region under his own control, but Dijamant, who appeared to be in his early thirties, had an objection.
Clearing his throat in a tone the others could hear, the Leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild began to speak after drawing attention to himself.
"We've written off the lands, why not write off the troops too? Wouldn't it be better for them to wear down the enemy along the road leading to the Death Pass? Plus, maybe we can gather some intelligence this way."
The proposal of the youngest Merchant Guild Leader was at least as interesting as the other method, and the others would not hesitate to debate over it.
"Rather than having the forces stationed along the Hell Realm Border return with only the loads they can carry, it is not unreasonable at all for them to fight for the purpose of intelligence and attrition. Especially, considering that the enemy destroys everything during the war, there is no need to reward them by leaving empty military facilities behind."
Tirkizna politely tossed her turquoise-colored hair over her right shoulder. She had accepted that the ammunition would be wasted, but she didn't want to leave them in the enemy's hands.
"Aside from intelligence and attrition, the more time they buy, the better it will be. Orcs are like cockroaches; once they start attacking, a million of them will appear at our door. Until then, we will complete our preparations and remind the green creatures where they have come."
Izumrud was accepting the war that had come to their doors. He wanted to stop the enemy at the Death Pass, built in a pass surrounded by mountains on both sides and named because of the fate suffered by the armies wanting to cross it, and give a great intimidation.
"Easy to say, hard to do! Even if the Central Region hasn't been invaded by the enemy, the dangers in the western part are not of a negligible scale at all. It's unclear when those in the place called the Forsaken Realm will stick their heads out; besides, everyone knows that he-who-must-not-be-named has built a small army between the Central and Southern Regions!"
Zlato was criticizing the masked man's words once again; it was impossible not to understand the tension between the duo. Despite this, Izumrud didn't give a huge reaction like before; this time his mouth would speak instead of his energy.
"If we also take the Balsici defeat into account, it's impossible not to agree with your words, but there is one thing you haven't considered; the orc scourge is not only our problem. Right now, we are the ones between the green wave of destruction and the other two civilizations, and if they don't want their turn to come, they have to help.
The Lands of Light will do their part for the Death Pass, and the Empire of Machines for the problems the Balsici Family will cause. The more time we buy in order for the necessary support to arrive, the better it will be!"
The Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild hadn't reached this position solely by using brute force. His mind was at least as agile as the other three, and his thoughts about their neighbors could not be underestimated.
"We are not going to take the whole burden upon ourselves and protect the other two civilizations, at least it's certain we won't do it for free!"
Tirkizna started laughing with a coquettishness unexpected for her age. If you couldn't see her face, you might have thought she was a fresh girl at the end of her teens.
"We need to think carefully about what we will ask for in return and bargain hard accordingly. Let's send word for them to send a delegation each; starting from today, five days later, let the alliance talks begin here, in the Golden City!"
When Dijamant spoke with the enthusiasm brought by his youth, the others didn't say anything to add. The meeting was ending; first Zlato, then Izumrud, and finally Tirkizna headed towards the stairs she used, along with the generals behind her, but the old woman had one last thing to say.
"Since the esteemed Leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild determined the day of the meeting to be held with the other two civilizations, I think he will also take care of the preparations and the gifts to be given."
Her giggles could be heard even though she had walked paces away; the old-timers had saddled their young counterpart with all the work and expense right on their way out. Dijamant, who pretended to be upset by putting his hand to his forehead, started to smile the moment the sounds ceased; it was obvious the Leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild hadn't been caught off guard as the others thought.
Coming right up to the edge of the completely emptied terrace, he began to watch the Golden City accompanied by the magnificent panoramic view. His eyes seemed to see every single street one by one, and as time passed, his smile covered his entire face.
"The day you will be completely mine is very close. Be patient a little longer, my love!"