Duke flipped the cooperation proposal to the last page but did not continue reading it. Instead, he closed the booklet and gently placed it on the obsidian tabletop.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Selena, Baroque, and Zephiris, then began to speak in a tone slower and more solemn than when discussing the cooperation terms.
"Before discussing specific cooperation, there is something I need to clarify with you three first." He clasped his hands on the table, his body leaning slightly forward, "My backing forces have no intention of enslaving the Oracle Plane. I won't establish colonial rule here, nor will I ask you to dismantle your Divine Halls or abandon your beliefs.
