Chapter 51: Official Partners
The time for the second phase of the delegation came swiftly and Roy returned back to the council chamber.
The heavy bronze doors of the Palace of the Twin Serpents sealed shut once more, locking out the frantic noise of the city’s heightened guard patrols.
Inside the circular malachite amphitheater, the atmosphere had completely shifted from the previous evening’s interrogation.
The air was no longer thick with condescending judgment; it was heavy with an uneasy, deeply calculated respect.
The silent erasure of the northern spy cells—and the chilling realization that Roy’s faction could operate flawlessly right under their high-grade arrays—had forced the four rulers to re-evaluate their entire script.
Roy stood casually at the center of the dark-green malachite floor, his hands slipped into the pockets of his black coat.
"Greetings my dear Governors" Roy’s lips curled faintly, "How was your night" he stepped forward, acting informally before the esteemed Governors.
Yet there was nothing they could do.
"It was good" Governor Corin cleared his throat, "We accept your terms, let’s summarize the trade negotiations" he added.
"Oh?" Roy raised an eyebrow, "That was quite fast" he chuckled, "Honestly I was expecting some back and forth discussion today" he exhaled a deep sigh.
"But this is good..."
He faced Governor Vance, "Joining sides with us is a hundred times better than partnering with Norona City, isn’t that correct?" he asked.
Governor Vance of the United Shark-Kin Trade Syndicate was the first to break the silence, leaning forward from his water-cooled, dark abyssal dais.
"We are merchants, Apostle Jarden, not suicidal maniacs ," Vance rumbled, his rows of serrated teeth gleaming under the dome lights.
"The Western Coalition has squeezed our trade lanes for decades, demanding a high premium of our minerals just to keep their frost vanguard from marching south."
"If Tempest City can truly guarantee the absolute security of the southern, northern and eastern routes, the Yeren will support you."
"The United Rhino-kin Guilds agree," Governor Kaelen grunted, his massive ivory horn pulsing with earth-element light as he raised a heavy, clawed hand.
"We will divert our rare minerals exclusively from the new Tempest City In exchange, you provide us with the protection of the God of Beasts"
"Protection of the God of Beasts huh?" Roy chuckled, "Even when you’re not his followers?" he asked.
"Yes" Governor Sorsha answered calmly.
A faint, lopsided grin played on Roy’s lips as he observed the Governors for a moment.
The eastern region were officially locked into his economy.
"That isn’t something I can guarantee for now" Roy sighed, "What about the information I requested?" he asked.
"It is here, do not quickly celebrate, Apostle"
Governor Sorsha of the United Hawk-Kin Enforcers interrupted smoothly, her majestic, midnight-blue feathery wings rustling as she looked down from her soaring sandstone pillar.
"Securing the trade lines is simple." she paused, "Overthrowing Norona City is a completely different madness."
"Our high aerial scouts have risked their lives to gather intelligence on the Troll King’s personal evolution... and he is no longer a standard warlord."
Governor Corin of the United Leopard-kin Army leaned forward from his obsidian platform, his amber, slitted pupils narrowing with a rare, grim solemnity.
"The Troll King has awakened an ancient, higher-plane active skill," Corin revealed, his gravelly voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
"He calls it the Frozen Death Star"
"The Frozen Death Star..." Roy mumbled.
Roy raised an eyebrow, his golden-crimson eyes flaring with interest. "An Ice-path skill?"
"Worse," Corin explained, gesturing broadly.
"It is also wicked domain-path skill."
Corin grumbled "When activated, the Troll King can instantly freeze the ambient moisture and mana cores across a three-kilometer radius, projecting a massive, restricted blizzard of absolute zero."
The Governor hesitated for a second, he clenched his fist "Anyone trapped within its boundaries has their internal mana frozen instantly. Their mana cores shatter, their blood crystallizes, and they are turned into hollow, brittle ice mummies within seconds."
The Governors shuddered as they recalled those nightmares.
Nightmares of challenging the Troll King.
"It doesn’t matter how high your physical defense is—if you breathe in his frost mist, you are rewritten into a frozen corpse." Corin continued.
"We knew a clash with the west was inevitable," Governor Kaelen added, reaching into his brass chestplate and pulling out a heavy, tightly rolled scroll made of treated dragon-scale parchment.
With a heavy toss, he launched it down onto the malachite floor.
The scroll unfurled smoothly across the dark-green stone, revealing a massive, incredibly detailed tactical map.
"My scouts and Sorsha’s high marksmen have spent more than two decades secretly drafting this in preparation for an invasion of Norona City," Kaelen said, pointing down from his dais.
"It outlines the entire northern topographical breakdown." he paused, "It marks every hidden passage, the subterranean volcanic heat vents that can be used to bypass the arctic frost barriers, and the exact patrol routes of the Troll King’s heavy frost giant soldiers."
Roy stepped forward, his boots making no sound as he looked down at the sprawling tactical layout.
The map was flawless, complete with structural blind spots in the fortress walls and the exact coordinate nodes of the city’s outer defense arrays.
"The Troll King is currently gathering an army of five thousand colossi under his new favorite, General Tagar," Sorsha warned, her golden-ringed eyes fixed on Roy.
"They intend to march through the Hudeii Desert straight toward your city. This map proves our loyalty to the new Tempest City, Apostle." he handed the map over to Roy,
"Use it to cut his throat before his Frozen Death Star can descend upon the desert."
"We still have no idea what the Troll King’s divine blessing is, but this should suffice, right?" Governor Sorsha asked.
Roy stared down at the secret parchment, his golden-crimson eyes reflecting the intricate lines of the northern fortresses.
The governors thought they were handing him a tool for a mortal war—they had no idea they were leading him to the location hidden in the depths of Noron.
Where the most diabolical ritual took place.
Roy let out a satisfying sigh.
"You’ve done well, Governors," Roy murmured, a sharp, dangerous grin spreading across his face as he memorized every coordinate line.
"Starting today....the new Tempest City is now officially in partnership with Yeren City"