บท 154: The Meeting (I)
In a dazzling light, they appeared before a small council of five, all sitting in a circular table. They were three seats free for Audrey, Mike, and Snow to sit. Without hurried steps, Snow took the seat in the middle where Mike and Audrey sat on each side.
Mr. Rogers was sitting across from her. The moment she had entered, he had straightened up from his lazy position. He then winked at her and gave a blissful smile that would have swayed any gender. It was definitely a dangerous face as Snow acknowledged his presence and looked away, not to linger too long.
Jonet Jack, with her tight buns and glasses, shuffled a few papers around in her hand before she glanced up at the three's entrance. She was the grand head mage of the Red Flower Nation and an ex-holy maiden. Her typical golden eyes were similar to Snow's, and when she saw the drastic change from Snow, she stopped and silently stared, unable to say anything.
Emily Clairson was sitting next to Jonet Jackson, the only elf in the room. Out of everyone present, she was the only one who sat straight and elegantly. Her sharp eyes and beautiful features couldn't be easily hidden in the loose clothing that she had worn today. Instead, it made her look much more regal as if she was from the royal elves. She was one of the founders of the Hunter Association.
Snow was a bit surprised the three titans were here as she was here to meet up with the heads of the Dragon Express.
Holland, the CEO of the Dragon Express, was present in his usual blue suit. His hair was slicked back, and the typical broad smile that he had was present every time he met anyone, disarming them quickly.
Finally, the last person to be in the crowd of five was a serious-looking man in his late fifties. The number of medals on his dress coat was ridiculous to the point where the medals were stacked on top. His high nose bridge, sharp eyes, and jaws, glared towards the group. His shiny bald head was quite an eye-catcher as if he purposely put oil to make it glow.
Snow wondered who this man was, but she didn't ask yet as she knew he would be introduced.
"Mr. Holland," Snow was the first to speak. "I was wondering why you have called all of us here?" She wanted to get out of this stifling meeting.
In the past, she would have frozen up, fell over, or been terrified. Sometimes, she was unable to form words into a sentence, but after the constant battle with the monsters and death experiences, she didn't find anyone terrifying anymore.
She couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for not succumbing to her mind and sat quietly before the five. The four of the five were impressed at her sudden change from the last meeting they remembered that day as if it was yesterday.
"Well, Ms. Snow. I'm glad that you and the Players have come here. This here is Mr. Zack, who is the leader for the newly awakened forces from the Sleeper community."
Snow leaned forward, crossing her hand in front of her. Wondering why he was suddenly brought forth. She knew that this day would come when the highest personals would come together.
"We are here to discuss the final dungeon." Mr. Holland said casually. "I know the Players, and the Hunters are doing a fantastic job of clearing out the last three dungeons as well as your immense contributions of keeping them in check."
"I wouldn't say I keep them in check," Snow replied. "They are just friends and business partners with the same goal in mind."
Mr. Holland chuckled, pleased with Snow's answer.
"Yes, but you have applied to the guild under the Gold Phoenix, correct?" asked Jonet Jackson. She was carefully watching Snow.
"Yes."
"Why did you decide to go on such a route. Someone who works for the Dragon Express to join a guild doesn't happen often. I understand the number of guilds you can join can be up to three, but why a Player?"
Snow had a feeling that they would grill her with questions and the decisions that she had done. It was something she was ready for. With a confident voice, she spoke. "I am just an advisor for the guild. I joined them to have a better understanding between our people and us. I personally believed that having closer ties with the Players is a step forward to making a better bridge between two people." She took a moment to breathe before she continued, stalling out her words slightly. "Since the Players' appearance, we have sent them out to do the quest and sell items, but haven't fully immersed them into our community. I don't think keeping it divided would be good for our future."
Jonet Jackson was surprised by her answer. Even Mr. Rogers was thinking deeply about what she said. The only person that didn't seem to phased by it was Zack and Emily, who just saw it as another opportunity.
"I am sure that the Sleepers, like Mr. Zack here, would also be taking part in the many activities of the magical community. Every single one of them is now awakened, and the words coining Sleepers is of no use. They would be another large force in getting these Dungeons under control." Snow turned her gaze towards Zack. "I heard that the number of new dungeons that appear can range from one to five in a day. The number of high-level dungeons can be just one every seven days, and those are the most difficult to clear. Right now, we only have one high-level dungeon in Atlantis, while lower-level dungeons have been reported outside the city."
Mr. Rogers held up his hand, he seemed interested in the topic. "We have found a cluster of low-level dungeons away from the city, but they are not as big a threat. The last high-level dungeon is expanding. A few have gone out to control the Overflow that has been happening for the past few weeks."
To hear that Mr. Roger's group of vampires had finally taken the initiative to make more moves made Snow happy. The last time she called him, he was reluctant to even send out of his people and, in exchange, wanted a favor from her.
"We are thinking about raiding the dungeon in the next couple of weeks." Mr. Rogers said. He drummed his finger on the table, "This meeting is solely to have a raid team ready to do a dungeon dive."
"I'll be sending a handful," Jonet said.
"I would as well," said Emily.
"My guild Gold Phoenix will join on this expedition," Mike replied. Snow didn't speak up for them as she didn't have the power too.
"Here too." Audrey lightly raised up his hand.
Both of them knew the rewards for this expedition was huge. Mostly, when Audrey heard about the bountiful harvest that Mike's guild went through, it made him jealous, cursing himself for not taking part. Not only that, but Snow had also joined in on their guild, making them a direct link to the Dragon Express. He wanted connections with the titans of Atlantis.
"My army is going to be taking part in these dungeon raids," Mr. Zack said with a stern voice. It seemed like he didn't want to be left behind.
"But they have just awakened," Jonet spoke with concern, looking over Mr. Zack, who wasn't swayed by her words. "It takes a while for people to get accumulated in the dungeon raids. It would be better to go after the low-level dungeon to get some experience before heading into something so dangerous."
Mr. Zack snorted. "We are the army; our people will not turn a blinds eye when the city is under attack. You guys have kept this secret because God knows how long and now feel some sympathy for us?" He gritted his teeth. "As the commander, I do not believe what you say is even a partial truth. All this wealth, magic, and even history should have been a part of us withheld until this day."
With a slam of his fist, Mr. Zack scowled and stared down every single person. "You have brought aliens into our country, brought monsters to our peaceful lives, and dare to say that we are just children that need to be coddled?"
The air around Mr. Zack was exploding to the point where everyone felt a bit annoyed at his outburst.
"We are not the one who summoned up the dungeon," Mr. Holland retorted back. "This whole magical event that is happening now is something even I don't understand."
"He is right," said Jonet. "Right now, it's an anomaly, and we are in the same boat as you when the explosion of dungeons and monsters appeared. If we could have stopped it in the past, we would, but with no information but the things that are happening now, we can only move forward."
Mr. Zack didn't believe in them completely. "This is why we want to take part in this expedition."
Snow sighed. The hardheadedness and the dangers that came with this dungeon dive was something that Mr. Zack wasn't fully grasping. She had wondered if he lived under a rock all this time with this forceful approach to things.
"Plus, you brought these so-called bloodsuckers into this meeting," Mr. Zack said, glaring at Mr. Rogers, who wasn't phased by his glare. Instead, he seemed to be a bit enjoying the attention that he was getting. "To have such a dangerous race in our midst is that even wise?"
Mr. Rogers stopped drumming his fingers. He clasped his hand together and straightened up. With a broad smile, showing off his white canine teeth, he flicked his tongue across before speaking. "You humans are so caught up in the idea of races and superiority that you can not see the problem in front of you." He scoffed at Mr. Zack. "I wouldn't be surprised if all your teammates get wiped out when you join us on the dungeon dive."
His words were dangerous. The air around them grew deadly and silent.
Snow glanced back and forth, unsure of what to say but to watch the drama unfold. There was too much at stake, but she knew that the newly awakened people weren't strong enough to enter the dungeon that they were planning for.
Even still, Mr. Zack did not back down but was sweating in his seat.
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