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Chapter 030: The Makings of The Company
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"I'll try." Billion's short reply was paired with a nod.
Siva didn't say it but he did imply for Billion to use Baron's image and detailed description as a base to 'scan' every citizen that will return back from the underground shelter zones.
After the transactions, Billion pulled a City Lord's Console Panel, input many things, then he flicked those things to Siva who gave him a nod.
Right now, Siva was one step away from obtaining the items that he needed for his next project.
"Regarding the district-sized Hangar Bay that you wished, here in the Western District, although it pains me greatly but I have already agreed so you can get any Hangar Facility without worry."
"Any facility?"
Billion really wanted to finish on this topic already and so he gave a reluctant nod, "Any... facility..."
In Siva's vision, there was a 'permit' that would enable him to get 10M cubes of NanoCubes, 2M vials each of Red and Blue Potions, and then four mega-crates of Black-Ironwood Alloy. All Siva had to do was to go to the City's Warehouse District and withdraw these resources to finish the trades.
Still, for some reason, Siva couldn't just immediately shrug off this prickling notion that he shouldn't just leave like this.
When he was two meters from the door, he turned back and looked at Billion, then he said:
"I'll trust that you will properly do the job I have asked you for, City Lord Billion. Because finding that kid is important to me. I cannot tell you why I am looking for him but I can assure you that I mean him no harm so please, as soon as you found him, please contact me through the details on the information panel I've given you."
"I will. I do apologize that I can't escort you out so please, take care."
Siva nodded then turned around to leave. Thorn was behind him while Volt waved a hand to Lady Brea where all the latter did was clench her fists as she remembered the shame of her defeat.
When they confirmed Siva's party's departure in the building, Lady Brea spoke with an angry face:
"Are you just going to let him leave like that?"
Billion sighed dejectedly, "Even if I wanted to try to stop them, I don't have the military capability to stand my ground against his retaliation. He can decimate the entire city in just one night so what do you think I should then? Those bastards from The Legion left without even trying to remove the anti-teleportation formation they installed in the city and adding to that is the fact that WE CAN'T EVEN FIND THE FORMATION FLAGS!!"
Brea bit her lip before punching the wall behind her. She can't forget the humiliation of being rendered useless in just a simple tap on her left shoulder.
If it was in the battlefield and if it was a real attack, she would've surely been defeated, or [Game over]-ed by now.
"Damn it!" She could only let out her frustration through curses and punching the wall.
After this, she remembered something and then her frowning face told a different topic, "And you just gave him half of the crates Elder Pistareen had given you for his commission? If he finds out about this, he'd surely never ask you to do any more jobs for him in the future."
Billion paused, closing his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"It was a necessary offer. Basing only on the fact that he did come here with a proposal and did not attack us directly, it was already a miracle that he actually proactively wanted to meet with me."
Her expression remained cold and indignant.
"I wonder though, four mega-crates of Black-Ironwood Alloy are enough to make a whole entire Garuda-Class Warship. Just what is that guy planning to build with them?"
"Who knows? I don't care about it anymore. What is important is that I get to maintain my job as this city's lord and also The Union's city manager. All other things are unimportant. If it's only this much, when compared to the city being pillaged and burned to the ground because of what The Legion did, then this small sacrifice is worth it."
Billion sighed as he couldn't help her appease her anger at Volt. He glanced below his feet to see the still white-eyed vacant avatar of the one who's at fault in this entire mess.
If he had only held in his beef with Siva a little bit longer, then they wouldn't have to gone through this entire process of compromising and actually lowering their heads down on a measly 'Siva'.
"You think I'm not angry as well? He's just a gamer and I am an actual employee of The Union that is tasked to take care and develop of this city into a tourist spot... How do you think I'll be treated in the summit meeting?"
"...."
"It's this idiot's fault that I have to be treated like some idiot by a mere kid! God damn it, it pisses me off just thinking how this fool just had to make me bow my head!"
"But he's from the House of..."
Billion cut her short in this, "So what if he's from a noble house in this game? In the end, Terroa is just a game world and none of this is real. What made him think that being lucky of becoming a Vassal of a Noble NPC House is enough to throw that name everywhere? He doesn't know how the real world works! This ignorant bastard...!!"
Having gathered a certain amount of irritation, the usually silent Billion pulled out a mace and struck it on the chest of the fallen male Mage.
Unlike what happens when regular players hit each other inside a safe zone and only a bump will happen because of the protection of the buff called Safe Zone, a 'City Lord' is not just a position and a title as it also comes with unique privileges like being able to use and manipulate the City-wide Grand Magic or be able to hurt and kill anyone inside the city while still being protected by the Safe Zone restriction against everyone else.
The only way to lift this Safe Zone buff in a city is when it is facing a city-wide threat.
Only when this happens will the Safe Zone's effects to protect the people inside the city be lifted, enabling the city to experience the world.
(A/N: idiom: experience calamity)
There are many ways to use a City Lord's position to one's advantages that's why being a City Lord is an enviable position.
It was one of the reasons why The North is famous for crimes.... because City Lords from small and weak organizations are often assassinated, especially during the first eras of Player-side City Lords where a period of crimes happened and wars are even launched just for the sake of this position.
The North started to stabilize when the prominent Guilds in the lower continents had started to take these City Lord positions to themselves.
And of them all, The Union was one of the most stable Walled Cities.
In fact, he can even proudly say that this was the first time that Alexandria had experienced disaster because as soon as Alexandria was taken over by The Union back then, no one was daring enough to actually maneuver against them.
The Legion was indeed a very daring bunch.
When Billion smashed the Mag's chest, Brea was so shocked by the violence that she backed off from him. But Billion ignored her and continued on to pull out another device to burn the avatar.
Soon, not even ashes remained to where the once fallen avatar was.
"Billion, you..."
"It's just a game avatar." Billion dismissed her look of utter fright and spoke in a cold calm way. "Let that Noble House know that it was Siva who killed him. Let them battle it out. Let this be my revenge on this fucking humiliation."
Brea shut her mouth and only looked at Billion's departing back who exited the door of the room.
"What did I get myself into?" she bit her lips and then backed off to a corner of the room. She fell down and hugged her knees, tears flowing in her eyes. "I only wanted to be a Paladin."
Turns out... Lady Brea was just a normal player with a normal and ordinary dream.
*****
Siva arrived in the warehouse district with Thorn and Volt. They were looking at the resources and supplies in front of them, waiting to be picked up by The Company.
WHOOOOOOOSH!!!
The wind outside screeches into gales as a black Lambda-Class warship descended from the sky, covering a shadow in the air above this particular warehouse.
The roof of the building opened up and revealed the form of the Lambda-Class warship where a petite and small figure in a purplish-crimson dress wearing a pointy witch hat standing on a broom dropped down in a slide while looking at them.
Thorn and Volt, wearing masks, looked up and waved their hands at her.
She wore an irritated expression on top of her frown and placed her hands on her hips, pointing down a finger at Siva.
"You! How the hell did you get all those things?! It is still inside the city and so it is technically owned by the city as well!"
Thorn and Volt stopped waving and looked at him with a simultaneous "Eh?" written all over their faces.
"I'll explain later. Have you delivered them back to the base?"
"Hmp! I already did." Having said that, she bid a cross-armed gesture and then turned her face away to hover in front of Siva. "And here I haven't even had the chance to savour my compensation with nee-san. Hmp! HMMMPPPH!!!"
At the moment, their heads were layered at the same height but she was actually hovering above ground on her broom. If they were standing on the same floor, she'd only be at his chest at most.
This 'little pepper' mode of hers is adorable, and Thorn and Volt were blushing behind their masks.
"What are you grinning for?!"
"Huh? Ah... errr...."
"W-W-W-What are you talking about?"
The two's blatant denial aroused her to start lipping in anger and she stomped her foot on her broom in annoyance. She can't start a scene here and so she just buried her attention to the recovery of these crates and boxes of resources back to the ship.
At that moment, a large muscular man came falling with a crash not far from the group, startling the petite red-dressed angel with a "Kyaaa" while the three men only had their clothes fluttering wildly.
The large man's muscular frame stood in front of them and gave them a salute but Siva chuckled and only extended a hand at the marshal.
"It's nice to finally meet you in person, marshal."
"Pleasure is mine, sir. I'm really moved by your story and I know that although in the outside, you may look like a villain, your heart is set in a single noble direction and that your violent desperate actions are justified to the very ends. I will serve your cause and paint it along the noble name of the Armstrong Family."
While D'Catch was speaking, (shining stars of his passion sparkled brightly around him while his background image changed into mountains and rivers booming behind a flower field as) he flexed his muscular body frame.
"How am I seeing this? How's he injecting this image in my mind?" (Volt)
"Don't worry, almost every member of the House of Armstrong is like that." (Thorn)
"A-Almost?" (Volt)
"Well..... there was one exception." (Thorn)
Volt and Thorn were smiling (twitching) amusingly while they watched the scene unfold.
The tall muscular frame of the man is really a sight to see but unlike the usual intimidating nature of the tanned skin of the Gonn Race, having the slightly Caucasian complexion of the Atlas Race in his overly muscular frame adds more sense of an awkward presence to his outside appearance.
While he talked, his mouth was barely visible and only his black and slick mustache moved.
It dispelled the initial scary impression of his tall build and this made the three men smile and only the (little) lady pepper angry.
As she had fallen on the ground, she swiftly stood up and kicked the marshal's shin that made him look down... meet her eyes.... freeze time... and then scratch his head in apology:
"I'm sorry if I startled you, little girl."
"Little?! You called me LITTLE?!! I'm already an adult! I'm turning 20 years old this year!"
"Ah! My deepest apologies, little lady. I did not mean to enforce the wrong idea."
"What?!! You called me little again!"
"I'm really sorry little miss. But what should I call you then? Should I call you Princess?"
"...!! (blush) W-Who're you calling names?! Baka! Baka! Baka! I don't need anyone calling me like a princess or anything! Hmp! HMMMPPPHH!!!"
The marshal was really gentle and this made the fiery Coralline more irritated at his entrance. So she kicked his leg more and more, only to make the large man laugh and smile as if seeing his own daughter being stubborn at him.
Although it was doubtful if D'Catch really has one as seeing he was as gentle as an Onii-chan right at this moment.
Well, D'Catch really has a large frame and this made the two more... cute to look at... for some reason.
"Heeeh..."
Ignoring the two, Siva watched the things going on in the warehouse; the boxes and crates being carried by the people and also by metallic arms were all being organized in the Black Mustache Warship's cargo hold.
Normally there would be at least 20 Cyclones parked in order in this place but right now, it was being filled by these crates and boxes of resources.
"Hm?" Siva looked up.
Noticing the emblem of the black mustache unit on the side of the warship, he couldn't help but murmur; "Perhaps, I should think about the future of this whimsical organization a bit seriously now."
"Oh?" Volt on the side slightly heard it and he also looked up to the warship. "The Company... I really thought at first that you refer to our company but I never thought that you'd actually take it seriously."
Thorn added, "You're really going to build your own Guild?"
Siva was silent for a moment then answered with a slight nod.
"Although I will admit that I only spoke about The Company as an organization behind my back to intimidate The Legion at the time. If I didn't do that, I would have received the full brunt of their retaliation as soon as I killed that Kladis."
Until now, speaking of Kladis is still brining great anger in him. Although he had killed him back then at that time, he still can't forgive him for doing that to Scion.
Although they haven't actually finalized what their relationship is, it was not an understatement to say that they have a common understanding of one another's feelings.
Of course, given that, the more he thought about the things Kladis did to Scion, the more his anger was seeking to thoroughly destroy that Kladis.
"In fact," Siva hesitated before speaking, "It was by chance alone that I managed to defeat him back then. He has this ability to create a domain where everything goes slow and you can't exert any mana to do anything, aside from being a bit sluggish. I was lucky that I used Erebus before he used that ability or I would not have been able to win against him at all."
Although Thorn and Volt had heard of this before, they, too, can't deny the fact that the Blue Card Legion is composed of monsters.
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Assessing risks and knowing the enemies...
Will Siva's "The Company" officially takes flight...?
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Next Chapter: The knife finally finds its target...
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AN: You know guys, I'm actually finding it only now that no matter how fast paced I write this Volume... in my "Blueprint", it seems to really be a short Volume, like 80 chapters... but now that I'm actually writing it chapter by chapter and with 3000+ words each chapter nonetheless, I'm actually quite surprised to see that I'm not even halfway through what I've written in my original "Blue Print" notebook... and to think that half of it was written to complete Volume 5... I am just realizing this now that the way I summarize the [content] of important conversations in my notebook is really concise to the point that when I write it as a chapter, it completes a really long Volume... GOD I'm really thankful I've written half of it to Volume 5... expect that Volume 6 might be a little more than 130+ chapters or even more.... and this is just based on my estimates. I'll try to shorten this up so don't worry.