Chapter 261: Ron's Gift

"A lack of order is worse than a bad... Forget it, that's not the point." Victoria waved her hand dismissively, cutting off her desire to argue the point with Aive. "The real problem is that the impact is too great. Are we aiming for an all-out war with Carolina? In that case, I'd suggest we'd be better off just declaring war directly."

"Don't worry, Miss Victoria. I have no intention of dragging my benefactors down with me," Seymour said, standing up to explain. "You'll understand why once you hear about the three people whose corpses will soon be rotting in the streets:"

"The first is a Zor who follows Elisabeth. I saved her from a Rose Priestess, and she promised to bring me to the surface for a better life. But I never, ever imagined she was a broker! She sold me!"

Seymour growled, "She told me the story of how Elisabeth resisted Rose, and I naively believed her followers would be better people than the worshipers of Rose!"

"I must kill her! It's the only way to wash away the stain she's left on Elisabeth's name in my mind!"

"That's not going to be easy," Rurik grunted. "Taverns and brothels are full of Elisabeth-worshiping Zor. It's their main line of work on the surface. Did you really think the followers of a goddess who dances with a sword under the full moon are anything like their Deity?"

"I haven't seen those, so I can pretend they don't exist," Seymour said, rolling his eyes. "The second is my first buyer, a common slave trader—fat, with a greasy face. The third is my instructor in Carolina, that bastard who didn't give a damn if slaves lived or died!"

"Do you understand now? The three people I want to kill are nothing compared to Silvia's target, Henry, in terms of status or power. You won't get dragged into trouble because of me. You don't even have to be there. I can kill them all myself, and then I'll string up their corpses from a tree and hang them all over again!"

"I'm going with them. And don't look at me like that, Rurik. As a former consultant in Carolina, I'll need to vouch for them with the Rose Council after the killing is done," a voice drifted from the corner, where the Shadow Spirit sat. "Besides, you've still got Farama here, don't you? What's there to be afraid of?"

"What's the difference between seeing her and seeing a devil?!" Rurik wailed. "And she only has one hand and one leg, she can't get around easily. There's no way I can take her to the mine..."

The Dwarf Blacksmith's voice trailed off. It wasn't that he was out of breath. It was that, as he spoke, a perfectly good head was silently descending from the meeting room's ceiling. It turned, revealing a livid face that stared grimly down at the sputtering Dwarf.

"And why not?" Queen Farama's voice was like ice. "Go on, Rurik. Speak!"

"Y-y-y-y-you—You can take your head off *again*?!" The Dwarf Blacksmith was utterly dumbfounded. "And why were you eavesdropping on us from the ceiling?!"

"Who said I was eavesdropping? I'm this man's Administrative Consultant!" Queen Farama snorted. "A whole group of you are about to go on a long journey. Until that Desire Demon gets here, everything else falls to me!"

"Don't you dislike demons? In that case, you don't have to be the one. Just give me the documents, and I'll go talk to her!"

"Oh, I'd feel just awful about that..."

"You seem pretty happy about it."

"Alright. In that case, let's contact the Rose Council," Aive said, seeing that the group going was more or less settled. "Connie, Carlos, and I will write to our families. They probably won't come themselves, but they'll send representatives."

"After all, the members of the Rose Council have their own businesses and duties in Rose City. A long-term absence for unofficial reasons is basically impossible."

"I can understand about my foster father and Carlos's father," Constance asked, "but why my aunt and uncle? They don't have a reason they can't leave, do they?"

"Night Wind is also very profitable, you know. And my mom," Aive said, staring at the ceiling, "hasn't been fond of long trips ever since she and my dad got together. She always feels like it intrudes on their world."

"So who would their representative be?"

"The cook, maybe? Or a waiter, the bartender?" the Half-Elf said, waving a tired hand. "Ron, just stop asking. All you need to know is that it won't be them."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ron said after a moment's thought. He suddenly stood up, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Meeting adjourned! I'm going to find Lavinia and see if we can't make something happen."

"Make what happen?" Aive asked, confused.

"Never you mind!" Ron dashed out of the meeting room, only to rush back in a moment later. "Aive! In your letter home, make sure to add a special note that there are some new daily-use alchemical products that need Uncle and Auntie to appraise!"

"More new creations from Lavinia's workshop?"

The Half-Elf blinked, not particularly surprised. Ever since the Miss Half-Elf arrived in Delusional Land, she had become a fountain of inspiration, constantly churning out new products that were tested and then integrated into the daily lives of the territory's residents.

'This time, it's probably something food-related,' she figured.

"I'll address the letter specifically to my dad..."

"Uncle Daniel? No no no, don't write to him!" Ron said quickly. "Write to Auntie Liya. She once fought in the war against the Hailan Empire. She'll definitely be on our side."

"But you mentioned alchemy?"

"That's just a bonus, a little something extra," Ron said, rubbing his hands together. "Besides, it's for... spicing things up in the bedroom! Right, that's it. I remember Uncle Daniel is more in charge of the culinary side of things, isn't he?"

"That's true, but I get the feeling you're hiding something," Aive shrugged. "Fine, I'll write the letter to my mom. But I can't promise my dad won't see it first."

"Besides, I don't think your 'bribe' will do much good. Their business is already doing great. Instead of just adding to their success, you'd be better off sending them some plants that don't grow in Rose City. My mom would love that."

"I think Auntie will like this just as much," Ron said with a grin as he slipped away. "As for Uncle Daniel... I have another gift for him. I'm just not sure he's going to like it."

That's what Ron said, but what he was thinking was, 'I just hope Uncle Daniel doesn't come looking for me to beat me up!'

But whether they came to beat him up or to praise him, Ron was certain of one thing: as long as Aive's letter with its special "attachment" reached her parents, Daniel and Liya would appear in Carolina right on schedule.

With members of the Rose Council and an Elf veteran backing them, Ron figured that whatever they decided to do, they would have a lot more room to maneuver.