Chapter 698 (1/2)

Naffur’s back itched terribly, but he dare not scratch it. Neveah was sitting beside him at a large table. She was in her androgynous form, but she still beamed around at the other members of the table with palpable good cheer. The other people around the table seemed more focused and grim after every Order at the table had given its report on numbers and growth.

Some orders, such as the Order Valorus and Order Fide, seemed pleased with their monthly progress. They were led by a sharp-eyed woman named Alana and a tattooed man named Alumuran respectively. Both were difficult to look at, for different reasons. When one looked at Alana, one’s eyes would begin to water. And whenever Naffur snuck glances at Alumuran, he instantly noticed and peered back.

Meanwhile, it seemed that the Order Ferocitas, Veritas, Caelim, and Umbra were less impressed by their progress. Compared to the first two, these Orders had experienced extremely disappointing growth. But still, Naffur paid close attention to them, mostly because Sydney was the representative of the Order Caelim.

Seeing her there was a shock to his system, and immediately Naffur was wracked by doubts regarding the flower crown in his interspatial watch. What if Mareen thought he was an idiot? Getting a flower crown for a nineteen-year-old? What was he thinking! It was a children’s toy!

But nothing else had seemed to fit. And now he was stuck with it.

To distract himself from his worries, Naffur considered the last group of the Orders, at the far end of the table. The Order Sapienta wasn’t present, due to their leader being otherwise occupied. But both the Order Ferrum and Order Infandus had sent individuals. The Order Ferrum was a gruff man who had introduced himself at Kelly. He wasn’t the leader of Ferrum, but he spoke with the leader’s authority.

And the thing from the Order Infandus was one of the people transplanted into the body of a monster, due to Father Foster’s experiments. Just looking at the scaly claw at the creature’s side made Naffur shiver.

“Does everyone agree that we continue to remain inactive in regards to the Ogre Gorge and the portal to another world?” No one spoke, but the previous argument was exhausting enough that Naffur was glad that the powerful individuals at the table didn’t have the energy to continue. The worst of it was that every once in a while, other leaders would spare glances for him and Neveah.

Neveah just smiled blandly and Naffur began to sweat more and more behind his mask. They couldn’t expect him to have an opinion on the issue, did they?!?

“Alright, onto the next order of business,” The leader of the Order Veritas led the meeting. Naffur believed her name was Tessa, but it was hard to remember. That itch had spread up to his neck, and it was making things very difficult to focus. “Order Ducis, do you have any recommendations regarding the establishment of new Orders?”

Naffur was busy sliding up and down in his chair to use the back to scratch himself when he realized that everyone was looking at him. Immediately, he froze. Neveah poked him under the table.

With a jump, Naffur produced the two letters from Orders he thought sounded okay enough and slid them to Neveah. Smiling, Neveah took them. “The Order Ducis has two recommendations. Ah… The Order Sanus and the Order Machina.”

For the first time all meeting, the quiet man from the Order Ferrus looked up. “Order Mechina?”

“An association built around Ghost’s experiments and Erickson Technological Conglomerate, I believe,” Tessa said, glancing towards Neveah. Neveah nodded simply. “With the Order Sanus being entity pushed for by Mrs. Northwind.”

Alumuran made a low sound. “An Order for both Zones. Equitable.”

“An Order for Donnyton,” Sydney said sourly. She turned and looked at Tessa. “Is this put to a vote? I do not see the need for additional Orders.”

“Indeed, clarification is necessary.” The pale-faced woman who led the Order Umbra said. She cracked her knuckles methodically. Naffur remembered her name was Illya. “So… I believe that neither the entities that we spoke of have been put forward by the Order Ducis. The Order Dinaris or Order Currus. Without an order to control the rail lines, our talks will undoubtedly fall through. It is… an interesting choice by the Order Ducis to ignore this issue.”

“Isn’t it just a railroad? Don’t act like it’s the end of the world,” Alana said dismissively. Although it was difficult to look at her, Naffur liked her. This whole time, it was clear that Alana was fighting off the urge to nap while sitting at the table.

“Zone 1 needs System relevant equipment, and Zone 32 needs the market expansion,” Sydney said with a sharp look towards Alana. “Both would benefit from something more reliable.”

For the first time in a while, Neveah spoke up. “What about another portal? Like between Donnyton and Star Crossing.”

A few of the people at the table grimaced. Finally, it was Alumuran who spoke. “The teleporter is, of course, available to us… however, I fear that none but Donnyton have the points on hand to construct such a thing, let alone operate it as freely as they do. Without Classer Squads harvesting points for months, it is an impossible expenditure.”

“Also, the Village Spirit of Donnyton has become… unreliable recently.” Kelley said, giving Alana a knowing look. “Although to afford such a thing is feasible… let us consider that a backup plan.”