Ambition could sometimes be a disaster, sometimes a salvation, and sometimes the meaning of life for humans, but they were not the only species intimately involved with this emotion. The guests of tonight's table at the other end of the Central Region, which contained the Golden City, were people who chased their ambitions at least as much as the leader of the Diamond Leaf Guild.
"Thank you for not declining my polite invitation and honoring my table!"
Wind of Death stood at the head of the table; she wore the clothes she donned to hide her identity, and she hadn't neglected to use the device that made her voice sound different. Soul Stealer stood right behind her; judging by the three chairs at the table, tonight's dinner was exclusive only to the leaders of the factions.
Dona Gracia, who had to climb the stairs with the support of only a few of his slaves, was out of breath; he didn't wait for an invitation to sit on the chair pulled out by his dwarf servant who never left his side. There was no need to either; it was clearly evident this was his place, as the host had arranged a chair three times wider than the others considering him.
This courtesy of Wind of Death would not go unrequited; Tito thanked her by bowing down to the ground for the privilege provided for his master's comfort.
"You're welcome, you are my precious guests tonight. Please, go ahead, and let's savor the foods I brought from far away."
When Wind of Death finished her speech, one of the guests had already started eating. The merchant, whose neck resembled nested rings, had gone crazy. While his hands constantly excavated between the table and his mouth, he ordered his servant to bring the foods in places he couldn't reach with grunts only the two of them could understand.
Unlike him, the inventor of the systems ensuring the continuation of life and the impassable defense in the city of the Heart of the Sand opened the napkin next to the plate and placed it on his lap. His son, watching him over his right shoulder, was at least as polite as him; he didn't look as wild as the woman standing right across from him whose mouth watered watching the food on the table.
The orc warrior sat with his arms crossed over his chest in the face of the food variety that made his subordinate Rapunzel lose herself. Unlike the merchant who ate as if he would die the moment he left the table, or Clemens Holzmeister who created his own menu by taking the foods that interested him onto his plate, he didn't give up on acting cautiously.
"If you think my intention is to poison you, you are very mistaken!"
The host, Wind of Death, hadn't laid a hand on the dozens of types of food because her guest hadn't started eating. The orc called by the name Boss raised his single eyebrow upon her words; his eyes shone like stars in the dim environment illuminated by dozens of candles.
"I know you have enough power not to bother with poison to kill us, don't have a doubt about that, but if I have a subordinate starving in the environment I am in, I cannot eat food in front of her!"
Even though her face was hidden by a veil, it could be understood from her body language that Wind of Death smiled, and the moment she raised her right hand into the air, three more chairs appeared next to the table. The woman standing behind the orc warrior took her place in a single move, Neues Holzmeister sat next to him upon his father's nod, but the dwarf named Tito didn't budge an inch from where he was.
"I hope you won't be uncomfortable because the others' subordinates didn't sit, enjoy your meal!"
Soul Stealer, standing one step behind Wind of Death, hadn't budged from her place just like the servant whose height barely reached his waist. She wasn't serving like Tito did to his master; she stood where she was like a statue that would never move.
"I don't care about your five men positioned to come inside at any moment, or the little tail that never leaves the fatty's side. Once my subordinate has sat at the table, the problem is solved."
Boss made his move towards the largest piece of meat in his line of sight; it was obvious he wanted to make a show of strength, but a person he mentioned without saying his name just now had reached the target before him. Tito grabbed the large thigh with at least five kilos of meat on it and put it in front of his master, and after a total of three breaths, only the bones remained.
"You little piece of shit, how dare you?"
Rapunzel swung her whip-like hair; Tito, as if expecting this, took two knives out of his sleeves, big for him, small for others. It was obvious the two sides didn't like each other, but the host, Wind of Death, didn't guess they would actually make a physical move. Then came a small cough sound; the older of the engineers, sitting alone across from the two factions, was clearing his throat. This was what appeared; until the invisible shock wave tossing the subordinates of the two men ruling the Heart of the Sand in different directions took effect, no one could understand what happened.
"Please, do not forget the purpose of our visit tonight."
This was the last activity during the dining part; the parties began to enjoy the feast, which was obvious in every way that it was specially prepared for them. The Heart of the Sand might have been a place isolated from the world, the common folk were deprived of many things, but this wasn't true for those standing at the head of the three factions.
Thanks to their connections, they could access many things, reach pleasures others couldn't taste. They were the top tier, the elites of the place they lived in, but even this privilege wasn't enough for them to access the variety of food offered.
The Mercenaries' Lodge administration was the only civilization that didn't cut its ties when the Khan declared his reign, and this trade bond continued even after the orcs destroyed the forces on the Wild Swamp.
Until the generals dying during the Hell Realm civil war and the attempt to destroy the Balsici Family severed the ties, they could buy the riches of the two continents, but for the last five years, this privilege of theirs was lost.
They couldn't eat the fruits growing only on the fertile lands of the Wild Swamp, the fishes unique to the sea surrounding the Orc Steppes. Tonight, they were all on the table, and as they ran out, new ones replaced them. Even Neues Holzmeister, who took a little of everything when he sat at the table, had forgotten how many times he refilled his plate.
"As someone I know very well said; let's eat sweet, let's talk sweet!"
When Wind of Death swung her right hand towards the table, sweets, some familiar to their eyes, some they saw for the first time in their lives, appeared in front of the guests. No one said no; especially Dona Gracia attacked all of them with his appetite from the first time he sat at the table.
Tito was truly working overtime tonight, but the dwarf, whose face and clothes were soaked in sweat, had no complaints. As his master ate he rejoiced, as he rejoiced he carried the sweets his master pointed at with his eyes in front of him.
Fortunately, within half an hour, the merchant's eyes were satisfied too, only plates remained on the table five paces long, and within a few breaths, they disappeared as if they never existed. The host was convinced her guests were satisfied; she confirmed this by looking into their eyes one by one, and perhaps unexpectedly to any of them, she began to speak.
"My esteemed guests, the time has come to leave the Heart of the Sand, where you fled and hid, and built a small world for yourselves. Weapons, money, technology, all of it will be provided by me. What I want is for you to take your people and join my ranks."
Dona Gracia, who up until that moment had opened his mouth only to swallow what he got his hands on, was going to speak for the first time.
"Well, what will be in it for us?"
A merchant was a merchant everywhere, and for the disgustingly ugly man, there was only one thing more valuable than food. Wind of Death waved her hand again, where the foods were a few seconds ago, the map of the Central Region now stood.
"When we are done, all the Central Region lands from where we set foot to the Golden City will be yours!"
When Wind of Death spoke, she hit the nail on the head; the heads of the three factions ruling the Heart of the Sand and the assistants they never left their sides couldn't stay seated, they jumped up.