Alice hosted another meeting about expansion. The League of Mercenaries had been established recently, so there should not have been any bureaucratic issues yet. Alice neither loved holding meetings nor tried to strengthen or show off her position in the league with meetings.
Alice called the meeting because this was the perfect timing. They had just fulfilled their last plan and needed to reflect on it and make a new plan for the league. They would work best with specific plans.
Because Anthony had just joined the league, Alice did not know where his seat should be in the conference room. She felt it was inappropriate to seat him just anywhere, so she rearranged the tables into two circles. This way there would be no focus on their titles and positions. Everyone could just pick their own seat.
After receiving the meeting notice, Anfey and Suzanna immediately went to the conference room. Anthony and David did not wait either.
Alice spent some time to reflect on their last plan. She did not have combat power and was only a magic apprentice, but she was amazing in other areas. For example, her voice was so strong everyone could hear her talk from the beginning of the meeting to the end. Her voice had been clear and pleasant. There was no sign of it getting coarse. The more she talked, the more energetic she looked. To be honest, if it were Anfey, he probably would have ended the meeting earlier. He knew he could not do what Alice was doing, so he asked Alice to be the CEO.
Anfey was completely a man of action. He believed in fighting rather than talking. When he led everyone to escape from Sacred City, he never spent any time teaching that group of "rookies" a lesson. He showed the bloody and cruel reality to them, which forced them to grow and mature.
If Anfey were asked to give a speech or talk about politics, life, or dreams, it would be as hard as walking up to the sky. Assassins were good at giving one fatal strike without leaving any possible danger for themselves, which totally influenced how Anfey acted. He never talked at length in any formal occasions, and tried to make it as short and clear as possible.
When it was close to noon, Alice suddenly changed the topic and laid her eyes on Anfey. "Master Anfey, in terms of our next development plan, what do you think?"
"I do not have a plan yet," Anfey said.
"Right now, our opponents are Mourtta and Batusimon. Which one should we pay more attention to. You are the leader of the League of Mercenaries. You should be making the final decision, shouldn’t you?"
"I have asked Arlango to socialize with the Storm mercenaries, but he has not come back yet so I do not have detailed information," Anfey said.
"Arlango again? Is he that trustworthy?" Alice asked slowly. In fact, during the talk last night, she referred Anfey as "you" without showing any special respect. It sounded more comfortable for both of them, but today in the conference room, Alice dared not miss adding respectful phrases in front of Anfey’s name.
"I am not sure he would be so trustworthy if he had better choices, but right now," Anfey smiled, "we can trust him."
"Master Anfey, when did you ask Arlango to socialize with Storm mercenaries?" Anthony suddenly asked.
"Before I came to White Mountain City. Master Anthony, did I do anything wrong?" Anfey looked worried.
"No, nothing wrong. It is just unnecessary," Anthony said. "I have worked with Batusimon for dozens of years. I know him well. He acts aggressively and seemed to have a hot temper. In fact, he fakes his anger. He is actually very cautious and smart. Master Marino, what do you think?"
"I agree with you," Marino said.
"Batusimon has seen what happened in the Country of Mercenaries for the past few days," Anthony said. "My guess would be he has been thinking about his future and where Storm mercenary group will head. The news that Master Anfey killed Archmage Michael with one strike went around. After he checked the authenticity of the news, he should feel terrified and lose his courage to fight. I myself was stunned the other day when I saw Anfey killed Archmage Michael with one swing of his hand. Batusimon was only a senior swordsman."
"Master Anthony, are you saying we should fight Batusimon first? We could force him to surrender to us to get rid off our concerns and then attack Blackwater City with full force, right?" Blavi asked.
"Too much work involved. I only need to send two people over to talk to Batusimon. He will make the smart choice." Anthony slightly frowned. He did not like the word "surrender." If he pressured Batusimon to surrender to the League of Mercenaries, wouldn’t he be doing the same thing as Batusimon. If Anfey or Christian used the term "surrender" to describe his situation, he would have definitely argued with them, or at least show he was not happy about it. He could fight for the League of Mercenaries, but no one could think little of him.
"Which two?" Alice asked immediately.
"Master Marino and I," Anthony said.
Alice’s eyes moved very fast and then stopped on Marino.
Marino was quiet for a while before he slowly nodded.
"Master Anthony, how sure are you about convincing Batusimon?" Alice asked.
"Not very; maybe 60 percent," Anthony said.
"I do not agree," Christian suddenly said. "Master Anthony, you have told us that Hotchbini from Tiger of Tawau mercenary group has been sending her people to see you. I am sure she must have sent people to Storm mercenary group. If Batusimon has decided to be on the side of Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, Master Marino and you would be in danger. We cannot have you guys take unnecessary risks. If someone has to see Batusimon, why don’t you let Zubin and Feller to see him. Zubin is calm and Feller is smart and flexible. They can work very well together."
"Lord, I do not mean to look down upon anyone. If the talks went sour, Marino and I would still have a high chance of escaping. It will be too dangerous to send you guys over there," Anthony said. "As I have said, I know Batusimon very well. He could be as aggressive as a furious tiger, but also as timid as a mouse. We have Master Anfey to back us up. He dares not do anything to us. Even he already had an agreement with Mourtta, he would reconsider after he heard the news that Archmage Michael has died."
"One more thing to consider," Marino said. "We have been dealing with each other for dozens of years. Whether we are friends or enemies, Master Anthony and I could be more convincing than you guys."
"Then, I will have you two work on Storm mercenary group. Thank you." Alice made the final decision when she saw Anfey did not have any intention to disagree. "Right now we only have one opponent left. Any report about Blackwater City?"
"I have sent people over there, but it is too far from here. I think they will not come back for a couple of weeks," Long said.
"I know a little bit about what is going on in Blackwater City, but not too much," Anthony said. "At this point, Tiger of Tawau mercenary group is much more powerful than before. A large number of elves and druids went to Blackwater City. It would be hard to conquer the city."
"Besides, Scarlet has led troops to Blackwater City. If we had to attack Blackwater City, Scarlet would definitely join the battle," Christian said.
"Are you worried about Scarlet’s troops the most?" Anthony asked.
"Yes," Christian said.
"I do not agree with you guys. I worried about the elves the most," Anthony said.
"Why?" Alice stared, her eyes wide open. Not only Alice did not understand; neither Anfey and others. Given their fighting ability, Scarlet’s troops would be decisive.
"Elf Empire has not come out for thousands of years. They were never involved in any confrontations. This time they acted very aggressively. They must have some intention we do not know," Anthony said. "In addition, they have been training for many many years. No one knows what skills they have. With the support of three druid tribes, they could be terrifyingly powerful. We need to be careful."
"Only Wolf druids will be on their side. Bear and Eagle druids would not be on their sides," Anfey said.
"Master Anfey, do not feel offended if I say it too directly. Why do you think Bear and Eagle druids will not be on their side?" Anthony said calmly. "You can trust us because we can talk openly. Do you know what elves want? Do you know what druids want? No one in this conference room could answer those two questions, not even King Yolanthe."
"We have worked with Bruzuryano for a long time. He is an honest and upright old man. He is very trustworthy," Christian said.
"I have seen Bruzuryano. I agree with you, but I still have to say Bruzuryano could only represent himself instead of Bear druids," Anthony said. "I heard Wolf King Manstuly sent people to ambush Ms. Suzanna, right? Bruzuryano was very angry after he heard about it. He even claimed to cut off any relationship with Wolf druids."
Anfey slowly nodded.
"It is really a great idea," Anthony said. "The druids were divided. Some will fight against you, while some are on your side. No matter what happens in the future, they would attain their maximum interests. If you win, Bruzuryano could come out to mediate the between you and druids. Seeing what Bruzuryano had done for you, you probably could not kill Wolf druids. If you fought to a draw, what would happen if your trustworthy friends stabbed you in the back?"
Anfey and others were all shocked. Even Alice was so shocked that she could not comment.
"Great idea!" Anthony kept repeating his comments. "All the confrontation would end up in losses, wins or draws. We would not even have to talk about it if they won. They could protect their own interests and their peers even if they lost the battle. It means you lose if the battle ends up indecisive."
"Bruzuryano is not that kind of person," Blaive refuted as he shook his head.
Anfey felt a shiver down his spine. He had to admit that he was very subjective about druids because of Bruzuryano. He thought druids were his friends. That was why he was exceptionally enraged when he learned Manstuly sent people to ambush Suzanna. He felt he was sold out by his friends. There was saying that bystanders knew better than the people involved in the situation. Anthony was not influenced by Bruzuryano, so his view seemed to be more sophisticated.
Anfey suddenly realized that Yolanthe was so sophisticated that he must have seen it too, if Anthony could realize this about druids. What did Yolanthe think? Did he trust Bruzuryano? Was there any strategy or compromise involved in this issue?
"I do not think Bruzuryano is using us," Riska stepped out to support Blavi.
"You guys are still too young and easily go to extremes," Anthony said with a smile. "What I am saying is we can trust Bruzuryano, but not completely. This way we still can protect ourselves and fight back if anything happens in the future."
"Master Anthony, you are right," Anfey said firmly.
Riska and Blavi had planned to argue with Anthony, but after hearing what Anfey said, they kept silent.
"I have been working in the Country of Mercenaries for dozens of years. I am not forcing you to listen to me because I am older than you. I think anyone who is willing to put everything on the table is actually trustworthy. If I do not know what the other party wants, I would never trust him," Anthony slowly said. "Especially elves. Don’t trust them."
"Why are you saying that?" Alice asked in surprise.
"As you know, many years ago, Elf Empire controlled this continent. Unfortunately, they were not very motivated. They spent most of their time on so-called arts and lost their fighting ability big time." Anthony paused. "After they got weaker, you know what they suffered. I do not think I need tell you the stories about them. Humans came into control of the continent, while elves became the entertainment for the humans. For the past thousand years, no one knew how many elves were killed by humans. As you know, elves were very proud. The generations of humiliation and hatred accumulated. Once they broke out, it would be more terrifying than Forbidden Spells. They had control of the continent, and they have been wanting to recover their glory since they are so proud. If they could successfully take over the continent, humans would suffer a big time."
"If they are not part of my family, their hearts must be different," Anfey said in a low voice.
"Wonderful!" Anthony complimented Anfey. "This is exactly what I meant."
"But elves all love peace," Blavi murmured. In fact, these young people felt bad for what elves had suffered. When Anthony described elves as evil, they could not agree with him.
"If you had suffered humiliation and hatred for thousands of years, would you still love peace?" Anthony said coldly.
Anfey looked cold and distant. "When Suzanna was ambushed, there were elves and druids. What elves shot out were not olive branches."
Everyone remained quiet in thought.
Anthony saw the air was getting too intense. He tried to lighten up the atmosphere. "Maybe I made it sound more serious than it should be, but I still want to reiterate that we can trust them, but not completely. I hope you know what I mean."
Anfey took a look at Anthony. He found that all top level powers in this world were not easy to deal with, except for silly Deswright. The top powers did not only have strong fighting ability, but also special understanding and principles.
There seemed to be more suspicion about the honest and generous Bruzuryano.
Anthony’s warning made sense. The reason they would trust anyone was because they wanted that person to be on their side, but they could not completely trust that person in case they were not able to protect themselves or fight back, and end up in a worse situation.
Anthony’s warnings showed he sincerely wanted to work with Anfey. It seemed like it was time to claim his duke title once Baery got back to White Mountain City.
"It seems like we cannot attack Blackwater City right now," Alice said.
"At least not before we have more information about them. We cannot attack Blackwater City without thinking of the consequences," Anfey said slowly. "Master Anthony, do you have any spies in Blackwater City?"
"Yes, but now they do not report to me anymore," Anthony said. "Right now, David is the commander of Glory mercenary group."
Anfey was shocked when he heard what Anthony said. It took Anfey a while to get what Anthony meant. Maybe Marino had said something to Anthony, or maybe only David could get along better with the young people in the League of Mercenaries. Anthony had delegated his power to David.
"Master Anfey, I will send the reports to you once I receive them," David said.
"Thank you." Anfey nodded. "I will let Long and you be in charge of the reports. You guys can get together and discuss how to collect more information after the meeting."
"I understand," David said.
"It’s already noon. Let’s end the meeting." Anfey looked around.
Suddenly, someone outside the conference room excitedly called Anfey’s name. "Master!"