Jacob respectfully reported, "On our guild's campaign against the Heroes, we were ambushed by Heroes from Riverside... Aren't we supposed to be on the same side against the Empire's primary enemy, the Dark Lord?"
"Such actions, attacking allies, are utterly unacceptable. I urge you, Mayor, to intervene, to demand a satisfactory answer from Riverside and ensure they pay the price for their deeds!"
"Really?" Louise hummed in contemplation.
East Sea was her family's territory, passed down to her from her grandfather, then to her father, and now to her.
As the sole heiress of East Sea, she grew up pampered.
Her greatest pleasure was to flaunt her newly acquired treasures, enjoy fine food and wine, and scheme to meet influential figures from the imperial core.
She hadn't had the chance yet.
Her ultimate wish was to marry into the royal family.
Ideas of peaceful dwelling for the common folk and world peace didn't intrigue her.
She viewed tales of the Dark Lord and Heroes as stories to entertain her.
She knew quite a bit about Riverside but only about the city's mayor, Rose.
For Louise, who was desperately expanding her social circle, Rose achieved everything Louise had longed for, even as a woman.
Rose had defeated many powerful Dark Lords, even captured a dragon, and earned the empire's approval at a young age.
Rose held her territory, achieved by her own power...
For the social-networking focused Louise, Rose was the ideal target, but they had yet to cross paths.
The recent conflict between the Heroes of both cities offered her an opportunity.
She truly didn't care about how many Heroes died; what delighted her was that she received a personal letter from Rose.
In the letter, Rose expressed dissatisfaction with East Sea's Heroes but was willing to compromise for the greater good.
Riverside would take out the culprits and take action against the Sea King Guild.
Louise instantly agreed to Rose's plan, indicating she wouldn't support the Sea King Guild.
Who would've known that Jacob would survive and return... If he had died, there would've been far less trouble.
Louise rubbed her forehead, pondering.
Her lack of interest in managing East Sea didn't mean she was politically ignorant.
If she were, she wouldn't have peacefully been a mayor for so long.
If she mishandles Jacob's case, East Sea's Heroes might become an uncertain factor... Let's wait and see.
That was the wisdom she learned from her elders.
Let the people fuss if they want.
At the end of the day, she just needs to stand by the winner and appease the public as the mayor.
Louise nodded, saying, "Mr. Jacob, I deeply regret your misfortune... I will do everything I can to negotiate with Riverside to return the captured Sea King Guild Heroes."
"I will also submit an official report to the imperial capital about this incident. As you've said, the Empire's biggest enemy will always be the evil Dark Lord. Such blatant attacks on allies are unforgivable."
"You should return to your mansion to rest. Trust in the Empire, trust in East Sea. We will surely provide a satisfactory answer."
Jacob looked at Louise and, although feeling helpless, had no choice but to nod and step down.
With most of Sea King Guild's elite fallen in this battle, even if he wanted to negotiate, he didn't have enough chips in his hand...
As for the grandiloquent words of the Lord Louise, it's well enough to lend them an ear, but to truly believe them would be utter foolishness.
Jacob, with a darkened countenance, left the lord's mansion.
Indeed, he couldn't count on these NPCs; to seek revenge, he could only rely on his own two hands.
Returning to the guild's base, a place once bustling with activity now stood desolate.
Jacob couldn't help but sigh.
He summoned the remaining guild members, distributing bags of gold coins to each of them to maintain morale.
Afterwards, Jacob set out to contact the other guild leaders within East Sea, hoping to gain their support.
The days passed in a seemingly peaceful manner in East Sea.
Both sides tacitly ignored the massive operation against the Sea King Guild as if it never took place.
Having freshened up, Louise changed into a fine new outfit and opened Rose's reply with eager anticipation.
The letter was quite straightforward.
Rose was very satisfied with Louise's wise decision, stating that Riverside and East Sea, being neighbors, should put aside their grudges and become solid allies.
In the letter, Rose invited Louise for a meeting at a vacant spot between their cities.
Both would bring only a small personal guard for a private chat.
Rose also hinted that she had prepared a special gift for Louise.
"A gift?" Louise's eyes sparkled with curiosity, a faint sense of anticipation and excitement welled up within her.
Regardless of the future development of the conflict between the two cities, she had achieved her aim of befriending Rose.
"What gift should I prepare for a ladies' meeting?" Louise pondered for a while before finally opening her safe and taking out a sapphire from overseas.
"This gift should be a sincere enough gesture... I wonder what the 'special gift' Miss Rose mentioned is?"
With these thoughts in her mind, the agreed-upon day arrived quickly.
Louise, escorted by her private guard, went to the meeting spot mentioned in Rose's letter.
The meeting place was at the bank of the Angry River, by a slow-moving shallows.
By the time Louise reached the meeting spot, Rose had already arrived.
Beside the river was a simple wooden bridge, and next to it, a small boat where the meeting would take place.
Assisted by her maidservant onto the boat, Louise was greeted by Rose, who was dressed in military attire.
"Hello, you must be Lady Louise." Rose extended a hand in greeting, which Louise eagerly shook with a smile.
Rose's hand was incredibly slender, cool and silky to touch, much like jade.
Rose was dressed in a form-fitting imperial military uniform.
Her uniform's collar was slightly open, unable to conceal her voluptuous figure.
High boots elongated her already long legs, making her look even more striking.
Her makeup was light and her long hair was simply tied back in a ponytail, adding to her heroic charm.
While Louise was discreetly sizing up Rose, Rose was doing the same.
Louise was a classic imperial beauty with her golden hair and blue eyes, markers of an ancient and aristocratic lineage.
Her elegant face, bright eyes like precious gems, exuded an alluring mystery.
Her figure, accentuated by her fitting silk gown, was enchantingly graceful.
Despite having been the city's lord for a long time, time had left no marks on her.
Every movement she made was filled with a girlish charm.
After the brief greetings, they walked into the cabin.
It was spacious but oddly furnished - a grandiose sofa and a table piled high with various fruits were the only pieces of furniture.
Once seated, Louise signaled her maids to hand over a jewelry box to Rose, saying:
"Sister Rose... If you don't mind, let me call you 'sister'. This is a gift I've prepared for you. I hope you like it."
"Really?" Rose accepted it with surprise and delight.
Opening the jewelry box, a sapphire as big as a fist lay quietly inside.
The brilliant radiance of the gem was dazzling.
"How beautiful... Thank you, little sister Louise." Rose took out the gemstone and examined it under the light for a good while.
Despite her many titles and honors, at her core, she was still a woman.
After accepting Louise's gift, Rose blinked and whispered, "I love the gift you prepared for me, Louise. The special gift I have for you, I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
"Really?" Louise looked at Rose curiously.
Rose, however, did not rush to present the gift.
Instead, she said, "But this gift is a bit special and can only be seen by you, Louise."
Rose glanced at the two maids standing next to Louise.
Louise nodded and asked the maids to leave.
Her curiosity about Rose's gift grew stronger.
"Come out," Rose commanded, once they were alone in the cabin.
A tall, strongly masculine servant walked towards them.
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