The sun, having halved its journey towards the west, decided to continue on its way after the short break it took. Those on the terrace with open sides but covered with dirty gray roof tiles above could no longer avoid its scorching rays.
The first to get his share was the man with small golden stars on his white robe. He had a thin, bony face, and his nose was as sharp as knots sprouting on the trunks of trees in the spring. His lips, looking like two leaves placed on top of each other, had no color, and perhaps his most defining feature was the gold particles where his eyebrows should have been.
They didn't look glued on; each gold particle the size of a grain of sand had been meticulously embedded into his flesh. It was a high-quality example of fine craftsmanship; even though his white outfit was embroidered with thousands of gold particles, the craftsmanship on his face was entirely different.
"I assume we have all received the news regarding the recent events that have taken place on our continent!"
He spoke as if he had to speak first with the authority he received from the sun, but there was someone more impatient among them.
"Of course that's why we gathered, everyone now knows you couldn't handle the problem inside you!"
When the old woman sitting right across from the Leader of the Golden Leaf Guild uttered her words where grumbling and insult merged with each other, the wrinkles on her face disappeared for only a second. While her turquoise hair cascaded from her shoulders, the whites of her eyes shone a pale green. The skirt of her white outfit, embroidered with ribbons of precious stones representing the merchant guild she was the leader of, fluttered when she crossed her legs.
"Is that all? Haven't you heard that the orcs, whom the joint armies of the two merchant guilds haven't stopped, destroyed the border forces in the southern part of the continent?"
There, the wrinkles on the old woman's face coming back happened after she heard these words. Her body, defying the years and looking as if it belonged to a young girl in her twenties, tensed. Her breasts heaved, just like her anger.
The mood of the Leader of the Turquoise Leaf Guild could be read from her face, but the person who put her in this situation could hide his feelings thanks to his mask that started from where his clothes ended. The mask, of the kind worn by Egyptian pharaohs and possessing a beard made of pure emerald ore extending from under his chin, was snow-white like his clothes.
The Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild looked like a man in terms of physical features, and considering his muscular build, he had inclinations other than being a merchant. Emeralds the size of a hand were meticulously placed like armor protecting the knees, elbows, and chest parts of his clothes.
"It's easy for you to talk, you have nothing else to do but deal with a few bandits, rapists, and fugitives who have closed themselves off to the outside world. The Orc Empire Army, consisting of millions of warriors, hasn't arrived at your door!"
The last person keeping his silence among the Leaders of the Four Major Merchant Guilds also decided to speak. His crown carved from a solid diamond had no equal in the world; the size of the gem, the proof that he was the Leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild, was eye-catching.
He was the youngest of them, and thanks to the handsomeness he owed to his sharp facial features, he was at least as bright as the diamond river flowing down as a thick line from the front part of his one-piece white outfit. Along with the Emerald Leaf Guild, they were responsible for putting pressure on the enemy by guarding the border of the Hell Realm, but for the past few days, they had been receiving news of losses one after another.
"Dijamant, with the excitement of your youth, you sometimes say weird things, but this time you exaggerated thoroughly. The Orc Empire Army, consisting of millions of warriors, no less!"
Judging by the laughter he let out when he finished speaking, even if his facial expression wasn't visible, the Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild was laughing at his young counterpart's state.
"Izumrud, among the news that came, there was also that the degenerate trying to build an army for himself using the name of our noble merchant guild plundered a few more merchant caravans. Even if they wrote it in small letters, it didn't escape my notice; do you have a plan regarding the bastard whose head you couldn't crush in time?"
The laughter ceased at that moment, it was obvious this was the weak point of the Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild, and even if his mask hindered it, his voice came out quite booming.
"Him being alive is largely your fault, Zlato. Don't you dare bring up that subject in front of me ever again!"
The massive fluctuation in the aura of the masked man slamming both his hands hard on the edge of the wide armchair he sat on made the Generals standing behind the other three merchant guild leaders nervous. Their taking a stance as if they were going to attack at any moment affected the Generals of the Emerald Leaf Guild too, the atmosphere could turn into a bloodbath a breath later.
"We already do whatever is necessary to ruin each other in normal times anyway, but have you forgotten that fighting inside the Cheap Tower and talking about anything other than the affairs of the Mercenaries' Lodge is forbidden? You wouldn't want that monster to leave his pleasure party and breathe down our necks, would you?"
The question sentence contained heavy elements of threat within it, the atmosphere that had tensed a few seconds ago softened like cotton. Who was the person referred to as a monster and who turned the leaders of the four major merchant guilds into meek lambs?
"Since we came here to talk about our common problems, then you start, Tirkizna!"
The Leader of the Turquoise Leaf Guild was the only woman among them, and out of courtesy, they had to leave the floor to her anyway. Aware of this, the old woman took a deep breath and initiated the first discussion about the news that brought them to the Cheap Tower in a hurry.
"We can start with the presence of orc warriors appearing in the region under our control. You know, since Jashua ascended the throne, the Hell Realm is no longer a place we can exploit like before, in fact, due to them responding to our border violations with the same harshness, we, as two major guilds, have amassed our forces in this region.
Even if we suffered minor casualties during the five-year period of small skirmishes, it hadn't been as heavy as the toll of the last week. Two major border castles and five border outposts located around them in the region have been wiped off the map!"
Tirkizna, pausing her words perhaps due to her age, perhaps to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, began to do what was asked of her under the gazes of the three men screaming 'go on'.
"I said wiped off the map because those who did this didn't leave even a single trace behind. We only have the message the outpost commander managed to send during the first raid. We know the ones who did this are orcs, and these orcs are vagrant orcs hired by Jashua, the King of the Hell Realm.
"How can a community of vagrant orcs destroy our castles and camps full of fully equipped soldiers without a trace!"
The Leader of the Emerald Leaf Guild, whose dominated region wasn't harassed by external forces, broke the silence he had kept until then.
"In my opinion, what happened in front of the Balsici Castle, which Zlato chased to the edge of the continent and couldn't capture for months, will be the best explanation for this!"
When gazes turned to the skinny man with gold particles where his eyebrows should have been, it became clear it was his turn to speak. The Leader of the Golden Leaf Guild was in no hurry; taking a sip from his steaming tea in his elegant cup and wetting his throat, he only continued after.
"The traitorous Balsici Family was nothing but a chicken with its head cut off. They were running towards the place where they would draw their last breaths, but the orcs who caused them to flare up like a flash in the pan sent someone very important to their aid.
Master Leonardo, on whose head the Empire of Machines placed a bounty big enough to drive even the most innocent person crazy, and the protective shield he invented practically resurrected the Balsici Family, who were about to draw their last breaths.
Even though General Alina, one of those promoted upon our unfortunate losses five years ago, besieged the castle they took refuge in, they managed to hold out thanks to the logistical support brought over the Orc Steppes. Ultimately, thanks to the support of orc warriors whose origins are unknown and the new energy weapons produced by the weird architect, our army of ten thousand people was destroyed."
There was no need for further words, a few orc warriors coming from the place where logistics were provided couldn't destroy an army of ten thousand people. Whatever destroyed the castles and outposts in the southern part also destroyed the Golden Leaf Army. The weapons newly invented by Master Leonardo.
This was the most logical explanation that came to the minds of the Leaders of the Diamond Leaf Merchant Guild, but someone had another idea.
"What if these warriors entering our continent are members of the Royal Family of the Orc Empire?"