Chapter 55: A Brewing Conspiracy

The opening of the steel door drew the attention of the elves in the room. The sight of Zaos approaching them caused both elves to spring up from their seats.

"Boss!" Darfin hurriedly vacated his seat and offered it to Zaos.

Venom Panther, on the other hand, gave a wary smile as he greeted.

"I haven't seen you in months, Scourge. It's good to see you're fine," He said.

"Haha, it's good to see you too, Venom Panther. What brings you here today?" Zaos asked as he sat on the chair Darfin prepared for him.

Venom Panther forced a smile at Zaos' statement.

"I'm here to inquire about your plans for the market district. We are allies after all," Venom Panther said, placing special emphasis on the word allies.

Zaos watched the elves opposite him sit before speaking calmly.

"I plan to seize control of it, and not just the market district but the entire mercenary city," Zaos said with a plain expression.

Venom Panther appeared shocked for a few seconds before asking in a solemn tone.

"What about the organizations present here? Are you going to subdue them too?" His voice was laced with anger and fear.

With a simple smile on his lips, Zaos spoke calmly, "You're a smart individual, I admire your prowess. You should join me, I will make you one of my generals in the rebuilt settlement." His words sounded more like a command than an offer.

Venom Panther's expression twisted horribly. His body language suggested that he was about to strike but he restrained himself at the last second.

He slowly rose to his feet, causing Darfin who was beside him to cautiously do the same.

"I will think about it," Venom Panther said in an agitated tone before storming out of the room.

Zaos watched his residing figure with his smile still plastered on his lips, he didn't take any other action and just watched him in silence.

Once the other party had departed, Darfin who had watched from the side during the entire conversation spoke up.

"Boss, should I take care of him?" He asked.

Zaos shook his head, responding in a relaxed manner, "Let him be. He will serve as a messenger to the other forces judging by his reaction. All I need from you and Goren is to be prepared, we'll be having an eventful week," Zaos grinned wildly.

"Understood boss," Darfin bowed slightly. Although he was also a high elf like Zaos, he had no confidence in defeating the monster he referred to as his leader. However, that didn't mean he had no ambitions.

He planned to watch the upcoming battle closely and make a decision based on the results.

An impeccable smile formed on his lips as he slowly exited his bow.

***

After vacating the black market, Venom Panther took several odd turns before heading to an inn located in the residential areas of the mercenary city.

He made his way past the innkeeper's desk and into the ground-floor hallway where the rooms were.

Stopping in front of the last door in the dark hallway, Venom Panther knocked on the door with a unique rhythm.

He stood in silence for a few seconds before the door slowly creaked open. Venom Panther wasted no time as he hastily made his way into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Were you followed?" A voice resounded in the dimly lit room.

Venom Panther shifted his attention to the speaker: a fire elf with crimson-colored hair, a long crimson goatee, and an eye patch covering his right eye. He was one of the most renowned figures in the settlement; the leader of the Raven Guild: Ash Raven.

"No, I made sure of it," Venom Panther replied.

"Good. So? What was his answer?" Ash Raven pressed.

Venom Panther scanned his surroundings, gazing at the faces of the other guild leaders and gang leaders present. He slowly exhaled before responding to Ash Raven's question.

"He said he wants to rule the mercenary city." Venom Panther stated. He cleverly omitted Zaos' invitation from his speech.

"What?!" A short dark elf with a slight hunchback screamed, his eyes burning with rage.

"What does he take us for? Does he think we will let him do that?!" He continued his furious rants.

"That's absurd!" Another elf echoed the dark elf's opinion. He wasn't the only one, most of the elves present also shared his sentiment.

"But… he is extremely powerful," A wind elf with a meek appearance interjected.

A hush fell on the room. The wind elf's words reminded everyone of the terror associated with the name: Abyssal Scourge.

"Hmph! He may be powerful, but can he take down all of us at once? Even if his Crimson Rogue's Legion has grown exponentially during the past months, it's still not enough to challenge all of us!" An elf from the crowd scoffed. His words caused most of them who had been startled by the earlier comment to regain their confidence.

"That's right!" "We can win if we overwhelm him!"

The group of elves became lively again.

At this moment, Ash Raven who had been silent finally spoke.

"Enough! Although that plan is plausible, would you be willing to lead the assault against him?" He asked the elf who had spoken earlier.

The large earth elf shrunk back, not daring to utter a word. While his plan was solid, whoever led the assault would face the brunt of Zaos' retaliation. In that position, the possibility of death was too high.

Ash Raven snorted at the earth elf's reaction and turned to Venom Panther.

"You have fought alongside him before, how powerful is he?" He asked calmly.

Instantly, everyone's attention shifted to Venom Panther.

Venom Panther shook his head and answered, "I didn't see him fight so I am unsure. However, I know that he was able to dispatch the leader of the Obsidian Rings in a few minutes…"

Expressions of shock and horror filled the faces of many of those present.

"Impossible! Fights between high elves can take hours before a victor is decided! How can he kill a high elf in a few minutes?!" The large earth elf from earlier screamed in horror, his earlier haughtiness vanished completely.

Ash Raven contemplated for a few seconds before announcing to the group.

"As you just heard, our opponent is extremely powerful. Direct confrontation with him would be suicide, so we will take an alternative route…" Ash Raven paused deliberately as he scanned the expressions of the elves.

"Which is?" Venom Panther asked. His interest was piqued.

With a smile, Ash Raven announced.

"A trap! We will lay an ambush to first weaken his capabilities, before assassinating him!" He spoke with a wide smile.

His words seemed to resound in the minds of those present, causing many of them to nod fervently.

"Lord Ash Raven is insightful!" "Sir Ash Raven's plan is incredible!" "The Abyssal Scourge wouldn't know what hit him!"

The weaker leaders quickly expressed their support while also utilizing the opportunity to suck up to him.

Ash Raven waved his hands, dismissing their comments. He turned to Venom Panther and asked.

"What do you think?"

Venom Panther mused over the matter briefly before responding with a nod.

"It is plausible, I can also help with that…" As he finished, he produced an orange vial from his pocket.

"This is my latest creation, it should be able to weaken him enough for us to finish the job quickly," Venom Panther explained.

Ash Raven stared intently at the vial and nodded.

"Splendid. We can now discuss our strategy…"