Undercurrents of Collapse

"A ruby?" Vhiny stared at them, "What am I supposed to do with a jewel? Wear it and flaunt my wealth or something?"

"Haha, you're funny." Lady Vonne patted her thigh and laughed, impressed by Vhiny's joke, "But no, this isn't a jewel. It's a weapon."

"A weapon?" Stunra stared at the ruby and focused her Faith on it, unable to detect anything unusual about it, "I can't sense anything special from it."

"Well, the Garobu Faith isn't strong enough to see through this." Lady Vonne shrugged, "Probably only the Sickle Deity can see what's up with it. After all, a Spirit of the Devil, Gallardo is on the same level as the Sickle Deity himself. And this is a product specially created by a Spirit."

"I see…" Vhiny felt powerless when the Sickle Deity was compared to a mere Spirit of another faction. Even though she had decided to betray the Garobu Faith, it was still the Faith that had nurtured her. So, when exposed to the reality of its weakness, she was startled.

"You should swallow it." Lady Vonne didn't seem to care about their thoughts and spoke casually, pushing a gem towards each.

"What happens when I swallow it?" Vhiny was a bit scared, after all, the Devil Gallardo was infamously called the Pest Devil. It ran direct counter to the Garobu Faith.

"This might resemble a ruby, but in truth, it's an egg containing an Insect Queen." Lady Vonne stated in all seriousness, "It's created to be compatible with the Garobu Faith. When you swallow it, the egg absorbs your Faith and hatches. The Rave Beast will become subservient to you and follow all your orders."

"What happens when I lose my qualifications as a Spirit?" Vhiny asked next.

"As long as it's not before the egg hatches, you'll be fine." Lady Vonne continued to explain, "The Rave Beast will remain in your stomach while its shell would fuse with your body. You will develop one Extreme Capability similar to a Rave Beast. You can then lay the Rave Beast's egg and hatch them. Since the Insect Queen remains in your stomach, all the hatched insects will consider you as the Queen."

"So, we'll be able to control a swarm of insects." Vhiny nodded in understanding before pointing at the ruby before her, "So, what Rave Beast is within this egg?"

"I don't know." Lady Vonne shrugged, "I'm just the messenger that is supposed to give you this alongside a message."

She paused, inhaled slowly and then spoke, "If you're able to generate a sizeable amount of Fear from this region, you'll qualify to become a Merit Shaman."

"That means…" Vhiny's eyes glinted in desire as she stared at Lady Vonne.

"Yes," Lady Vonne nodded, "You'll gain the same status as myself."

"And suppose," Stunra calmed herself and spoke with a bone-chilling tone, "Suppose my contribution is greater than Keyn, would I become a Spirit instead?"

"The possibility always exists." Lady Vonne didn't negate her desire, "But, it'll be difficult. Of course, it's guaranteed if you're able to find the Fisherman Devil's corpse."

"Alright," Stunra grabbed a glass of water as she swallowed her ruby and washed it down her throat with water, facing some difficulty before managing to settle it within her stomach. She felt an immediate depletion of her Faith as the ruby consumed it voraciously.

But, it didn't affect her much as Faith continued to stream into her body from the Sickle Deity. As long as she was within Garobu City, she would never run out of Faith.

"That was fast," Vhiny was surprised for a moment before she too swallowed the ruby, partly out of peer pressure. She then got up and bode her farewell, "We'll have enough power to take care of the other Spirits."

"Have fun," Lady Vonne waved her hands, watching the two Spirits leave. She then unfurled a scroll and continued her accounting work, "Those rival merchant houses are a bit problematic."

'They are leaving.' Nedy moved farther away, staying beyond the sight of the two Spirits as she heard their footsteps. Once they left the mansion, she walked out of hiding and knocked on the study, entering upon gaining permission from Lady Vonne.

"I've finished my task of spreading the rumours," She spoke.

"I can see the results already," Lady Vonne smiled, "The stock price of my rival merchant house has dropped by five percent. That's pretty decisive. As long as they fall further, they'll have to drop out of the stock market."

"But…" She made eye contact with Nedy, "Is that it? I thought the rumours will give them a greater blow?"

"Rumours can only do so much," Nedy smiled wryly, "And it will only backfire if I went hard on the rumours. Which is why,"

She cupped her fists in request, "I wish to apply for two weeks' leave. I can influence the rival factory workers next and bring them over to this side. As long as you make preparations, Lady Vonne, it's possible to give them a decisive blow."

"Well, you're the expert in this field." Lady Vonne pulled out a scroll and wrote some details before handing it out to Nedy, "I can take in the number of skilled workers specified here. So, make plans accordingly. If possible, get their best to defect to our side."

"It's a pleasure," Nedy received the scroll and smiled. But, she stood there in silence, calmly.

A few seconds later, Lady Vonne sighed, massaging her forehead as she waved her hand, "I'll credit 50,000 Robu to your account. When you finish the job, I'll credit another 50,000 Robu."

"Perfect!" Grinning chirpily, Nedy exited the study, sporting the same happy expression until she left the mansion. Once she was out of sight, her expression morphed, turning cold, 'So, Lady Vonne was a Merit Shaman. And judging by the conversation, her powers alone probably rival Lord Keyn Garobu.'

'Moreover, there's a conspiracy at play. If nothing else changes, Garobu City would collapse. The value of Robu would plummet.' Thinking as such, she muttered, "It seems I need to create an international account and exchange Robu for a stabler currency."

"But more than that," Her eyes revealed a heated gaze, one of avarice, 'Judging by her interest, it seems the Fisherman Devil's corpse is well maintained. If I get my hands on that, I'll become powerful!'