The next day brought new developnts as Magus Rosia, Chumo, and Yuria returned from their respective tasks. Ery wasted no ti in gathering his friends and the officers of Terra City to discuss the situation. The eting was held in the Terra hall, with the atmosphere tense but hopeful.
Magus Rosia, tasked with investigating the legality of the Nephilim claim on Terra's land, presented her findings. She had delved into a labyrinth of bureaucratic and historical complexities, uncovering crucial information.
Eight hundred years ago, Lord Izta had completed his 1,000 years of service to the Nephilim faction. With his earnings, he purchased the land and established the Terra faction. Like any fledgling faction, Terra needed substantial backing and a guarantor. Given his ties to the Nephilim family, Lord Izta was forced to rely on their support.
Rosia's investigation revealed that about 300 years ago, the Terra faction faced severe financial difficulties. During this period, the ownership of Terra's land temporarily reverted to the Nephilim faction as collateral. For a few years, the Nephilim faction held ownership of the land until Lord Izta managed to repay the debt and reclaim full ownership.
Magus Rosia revealed a critical complication: the Nephilim claid they never received the repaynt from Lord Izta, and the records supporting these transactions were mysteriously absent from the capitol building's archives. This revelation caused a stir among the gathered officers and friends.
Ery imdiately recalled the docunt ntioned by Victoria Qin during his infiltration of the Croft family estate, a piece of information he had already shared with his inner circle. The others couldn't help but see a connection between the missing docunts and the Nephilim's current claim.
Speculation buzzed around the room as they discussed the possibilities. Many believed that the Nephilim had either destroyed or hidden the crucial docunts to strengthen their claim. However, without concrete evidence, their hands were tied.
Magus Rosia had also consulted with several legal experts to better understand their situation. She explained that the forced eviction by the Nephilim was unlawful unless it could be proven that the Terra faction posed a harmful danger to the inhabitants of the planet or the sector. This revelation provided a glimr of hope but also highlighted a new obstacle.
Camilla, her face flushed with anger, voiced what many were thinking. "Let guess… proven by the sector governnt in charge… The Golden City Council, isn't it?" Her tone was sharp, her annoyance evident. The realization hit hard: if the Qin and Croft families managed to dominate the council, they could easily fabricate evidence implicating Terra in colluding with pirates, thus justifying a forced eviction. Ery considered the gravity of the situation and outlined three potential solutions to his friends and officers.
The first solution was to locate the missing supporting docunts, which would prove Lord Izta's repaynt and invalidate the Nephilim's claim. This would require extensive investigation and possibly infiltration of Nephilim or council archives.
The second solution involved garnering support from the Golden City Council. They needed allies who could vouch for Terra's integrity and counter any false claims. Building political alliances and leveraging their achievents and reputation would be crucial.
The third solution, albeit the most daunting, was to repay the debt owed to the Nephilim. Magus Rosia took a deep sigh before revealing the staggering sum involved. "The amount owed is 50 million spirit stones, plus 300 years of accrued interest, bringing it to a total of half a billion spirit stones."
Thrax, unable to contain his frustration, cursed loudly. "That damn bastard!"
Leaving the legal matter aside, Ery turned to Chumo, who had been gathering intel from his enforcer allies. Chumo's expression was grim as he shared his findings. Due to the upcoming election, the Golden City Magus Alliance HQ was being heavily restrained by the sector governnt, significantly reducing their authority over events occurring within the city. This situation added extra insecurity to the Terra faction, heightening the anxiety in the room.
This situation added extra insecurities to the Terra faction. Seeing the anxiety of the people in the eting, Ery revealed that they still had the full support of Zodiac City, which even had a Grand Magus realm expert on standby.
Hearing this, Grand Magus Fantas shared her concerns. "Lord Ery, while your strength and the support from Zodiac City are reassuring, Terra needs more Grand Magus warriors. Our current strength is barely that of a peak grade 1 faction. Not including the Nephilim, even fighting the full force of the Croft family would be foolish. We need more allies."
Ery nodded in agreent, acknowledging her valid point.
The Qin and Croft families were grade three factions. Although they didn't have any Supre Magus within their ranks, they still had a dozen Grand Magus, which was a significant concern. To be completely safe, Ery needed at least three Cosmos Grand Magus to support him or another major ally within Golden City.
His thoughts returned to Tessa and the Karat faction.
Turning to Yuria, who had been tasked with investigating the Karat family situation, Ery listened closely as she provided her report. Yuria explained that there was an inner conflict within the Karat family, forcing Tessa into hiding. Yuria had been unable to locate her, but she had managed to get in touch with Armand, who had beco one of Tessa's trusted guards. She expressed hope that they would receive news soon.
While the tension in the eting room lingered, Ery received a sudden guest; Cedric the apothecary senior who manages his apothecary shop. His face was grim as he delivered the alarming news. He held a letter in his hand, his face filled with frustration and concern.
Ery read the letter and found that the council's decision was harsher than expected—they not only rejected their application to remove the 5-year penalty but unreasonably demanded the imdiate closure of the apothecary shop.
"Ery, they've sent people to seal the shop! What should we do?!"
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