The negotiation between Alex and the first elder of the divine butterfly tribe ended soon after that.
In return for Alex's service, the divine butterfly tribe promised to give Alex a gold pendant. But it was not just any gold pendant. It was a unique pendant that signifies his identity as an ally of the divine butterfly tribe.
The pendant was made from an alloy of gold and some other metal. A beautiful butterfly image was engraved on it, signifying its origin. The pendant was small. It was circular and looked slightly larger than a coin.
Alex took the pendant happily and stored it in his inventory.
'This can help me immensely. With this item, no one can question my identity. With the divine butterfly tribe as my backer, I can walk sideways in any city without arousing suspicion.'
'The pendant is worth more than any material wealth they could give me.'
But it didn't mean that Alex refrained from asking for material wealth. He also casually asked for a hundred thousand gold coins from the divine butterfly tribe.
Although it was a bit much, the first elder finally agreed to it after Alex promised to use it within the confines of the city. It's just redistribution of wealth, the first elder thought.
Some of the members of the divine butterfly tribe vocally expressed their displeasure in the meeting once Alex gained all the benefits. But once the first elder described the benefits of this partnership, most realised their mistakes and refrained from talking anymore.
With that, Alex ended the negotiation about his remuneration.
In reality, the divine butterfly tribe had the power to get everything they wanted without asking for Alex's permission. They could spread misinformation about the white-robed man and make him a hero.
They could have manipulated the public view on the matter without lifting a finger.
But they had to do it right to befriend Alex and have a fighting chance in protecting their homeland. Although the person behind the mask was currently hidden, the divine butterfly tribe believed that it wouldn't be the case for long.
Even the primal chaos tribe supports the white-robed man.
Befriending him was the best action they could do in this situation. By spending some money, they finally allied with a possible future powerhouse. That was a worthy exchange.
–
The negotiation with Alex ended peacefully, but the meeting has yet to conclude.
Currently, the divine butterfly tribe decided to compensate those affected by the evil organisation. They also befriended Alex, decided to create an information network and took the initiative to find and destroy the evil organisation called the divine arm.
However, they had one crucial thing left to decide.
"The last thing on our agenda will be the information we extracted from Kain." The first elder stood up.
"The prisoner Kain is the evil mastermind behind many horrible things in the city. I have collected detailed information that he had committed." The first elder took a giant book and slammed it onto the table.
"You can read about them." He stated while looking at the book.
"We are conducting a serious investigation to uncover the goals of the spider gang, Kain, and the evil organisation." The first elder stated and paused.
After a slight delay, the first elder continued. "We also found some information I wished to share with everyone."
'It seems like the first elder is different from all the others. He had done his due diligence.'
"To simplify it, I have compiled a list of all the people that may have directly interacted with the evil organisation. The relationship between them is spread out like a spider web. So, our first mission would be observing and extracting information from these people.
"Secondly, we will inform other tribes and carefully destroy them. And the best time to do that would be during the champion's tournament. I am saying this to prevent individuals from causing chaos within the system."
"We have to be systematic and deliberate with our actions. We cannot allow our rage to blind us. And there is a reason for taking action like this." The first elder directed his gaze at the members of his tribe.
This time, he was speaking his mind to prevent those from his tribe from acting out. Many lost their life in the night battle. If appropriately addressed, it could avoid problems in the future.
"Now, let's begin by informing you about my findings."
"Kain is a mage from the western continent. He used our city as a hub for his human experiments. But the evil organisation had different goals from him. They wanted to unravel the ancient city's secrets buried below Pushpam."
"Ancient city!" This word caught the attention of everyone, including Alex. The ancient city was new information for Alex.
"Not many, even in our tribe, know about the mysterious city buried beneath our feet. But, it seems like the evil organisation knows about it. And they were doing experiments with mages to unravel the formation covering the ancient city." The first elder began to explain in detail.
Alex, who heard it, gave special attention to the words he was speaking. He, too, wanted to know what it was.
"The information we gathered about the ancient city during the hundreds of years since the founding of Pushpam was minimal. We could only excavate the outer layer of the town and observe. No one could pass through the formation and look at what is inside it. But we still believe it is a city due to the architectural construction found in the peripherals."
"Many of you might already know what I am speaking about. But the genuinely shocking part of the information is the ability Kain showed. He could somehow control the ancient formation near one of the defensive nodes."
"Protective nodes are where the ancient formation that covers the entire ancient city originates. There are hundreds of protective nodes all across the city, buried deep underground. Kain showed us that he can take control of the protective node."
"So, it is right to believe that the evil organisation can take control of the hundreds of nodes below our city." The first elder paused after saying that. He could see the people near him panic.
"But don't worry. They have yet to do that." The first elder spoke in a lighter tone.
"Did you check it personally?" Finally, an elder couldn't hold back and asked. It was the second elder of the divine butterfly tribe.
"Yes. I checked it personally."
"And what did you find out."
"The good news is that other than some newly excavated areas, we have yet to find the intrusion of the evil organisation. However, the bad news is that Kain destroyed one of the nodes." The first elder spoke his mind.
"Why is that bad news? Wouldn't breaking the node help us gather more information about the ancient city."
"Yes. But it would also be the same for evil organisations. They could also find more information if they want."
"How about stopping unknown people from excavating the node? Wouldn't that prevent evil organisations?"
"Ah! It's also what I wanted to discuss. And the reason why we should take the initiative in combating the intrusion of evil organisations. If we want to stop the evil organisation from excavating the remain of the ancient city, we have to make the existence of it public." The first elder stated as a matter of fact.
And his words held reason. Without making their existence public, how can they guard it? More than a few members who know about it will be needed to protect the hundreds of nodes. It is time that they publicised their existence.
The divine butterfly tribe kept it hidden till now because it had no effect on the city above it. But that was about to change.
"Is there no other way?"
"No."
"Leader?" The second elder called out to their tribal chief, Salwa. "Do you also believe this is our last resort?"
"Yes. That is also why we invited the primal chaos tribe to this meeting." Salwa spoke.
"After making their existence public, we will invite all the other tribes to find the mysteries of the ancient city. Everyone is allowed to research ways to find the entrance to the buried ancient city." Salwa said.
"Yes, we will place a bounty on it. This will be the opportunity the city desperately needs. It will be a focal point to invite more people into the city." The first elder commented from the side.
"Once it is publicised, there is no turning back." This time, it was Karthi that spoke. As a representative of the primal chaos tribe, he wanted to remind them of that.
"We know. This is the best time to do it. This is better than letting the evil organisation intrude on our territory." The first elder responded.
'What is this? A play? A drama? It seems like everything has already been decided. Somehow, I have also become an actor in this play.' Alex realised that a little later.
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