"So, whatever has happened, whatever we have been doing up to this time, was known by the Emerald Leaf Guild!"
Soul Stealer let out a sigh of relief as the interrogation of the Auctioneer, whose vitality she sustained using the souls hidden inside her totem, a Blessing of the Ancestors, concluded. Maintaining a being's existence was one thing, ensuring he answered every question during an interrogation that lasted exactly sixteen hours was another.
"We have caused you great inconvenience as well. Please accept our apologies!"
Clemens Holzmeister, aware of the situation, did not compromise his politeness despite his open-collared shirt, his tie-like piece of cloth tossed aside, and his bloodshot eyes. The leaders of the other two factions also honored the orc warrior by slightly bowing their heads, but the sleepless Wind of Death was not as civilized as them.
"If you are done, we can move on to the second step; Soul Stealer, make your final move!"
The Leader of the Elite Ten, after opening the mottled wooden stopper of the small vial that appeared in her left hand, drank the liquid inside in a single gulp. Her movements were striking, everyone was watching her, but even though ten breaths passed, nothing visibly changed.
Then, a whitening starting from the tip of her nose continued until not a single green spot remained on her skin, and perhaps the greatest proof of her being an orc, her teeth, retreated into her flesh, completing her transformation into an attractive lady.
"Unbelievable!"
"Are you actually human?"
Completely different reactions rose from two different fronts; while the merchant Dona Gracia poked his servant to applaud the transformation in astonishment, the orc warrior nicknamed Boss reached for his weapon beside him.
"Calm down, champion! This serum is the invention of an ally of ours and something we must use to do what you are about to see."
Wind of Death was not as moderate as she was at the beginning of the night they left behind; she mercilessly chewed out the leader of the faction constituting the military power of the Heart of the Sand. She wasn't wrong either; if he had waited a few more seconds and kept his mouth shut, he too would have been able to see the soul of the Auctioneer enter the body of the transformed orc.
The soul, struggling for life outside the body it belonged to for hours, didn't say no to this; like a puddle of snow melting rapidly upon seeing the sunlight, it disappeared from sight within seconds. Soul Stealer's eyes shone purple, and along with the soul entering her body, her physical appearance began to change again.
Her height grew a little taller, her physique slimmed down, and most importantly, her face gradually transformed into that of someone many in the room knew very well. When everything was over, an exact replica of the lifeless body lying on the floor was right beside them. Soul Stealer had changed not only her race but also her gender.
"Well, well, well, all the big shots of the City of the Heart of the Sand are here. Tell me, what are you doing here secretly?"
The traitorous man was before them in flesh and blood; his tone of voice, his manner of speaking, his movements, and the energy he emitted were entirely unique and peculiar to him.
"If I hadn't seen what just happened, it would be impossible for me to understand that this person is your subordinate and not the Auctioneer I have known for years. I don't want to hide my astonishment in the face of the potion the lady drank and the array of abilities she displayed."
Chief Engineer Clemens Holzmeister, unlike his son who remained silent because he hadn't closed his gaping mouth, did not hesitate to voice what he felt, and those on the other side of the table agreed with him.
"We no longer need to fear being attacked by the Emerald Leaf Guild. Thanks to your subordinate who will continue to exist as the Auctioneer, we can manipulate them as we wish."
Dona Gracia, probably due to his habit of always thinking one step ahead, questioned the consequences rather than the reasons of what was done, and it seemed the outcome pleased him exceedingly.
"Wind of Death, are you going to tell us what we will do in the third step?"
Boss, representing the military power, wanted to learn the action plan; his warrior instincts must have been telling him a war was approaching.
"We are in no hurry; first, we will gather all the forces wandering aimlessly in the vicinity. You don't need to look at me like that, I know there are strong groups that have managed to survive in the Desolate Realm outside the Heart of the Sand, and I can guess where things will lead once we step outside the city's protective shield.
Even though I and Soul Stealer won't step outside the city, the other nine members of the Elite Ten will lead your forces and pave the way. I assume you know very well who they are and what they can do, even if you are a resident of the Heart of the Sand.
Our operation plan is very simple; we will hunt until we render the region called the Desolate Realm completely harmless. The ones we capture and tame will remain, the others will turn to dust to give life to these barren lands.
No help whatsoever will come from over the Orc Steppes, the Wild Swamp, or the Hell Realm; whatever we do, we will do it here, with the power we gather ourselves. I will only meet with one person, but first, we need to strengthen our hand before appearing before him."
Wind of Death, explaining many things in a single breath, had clarified almost everything, but perhaps the most important point was still covered by darkness.
"Well, how much time do we have to take care of all this?"
Boss asked as soon as the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Orc Empire Armies finished; missing one of the fundamental pieces of information needed to make the necessary planning, he couldn't wait any longer.
"Starting from today, we have one year. The time we have to bring under our command the small groups within the Heart of the Sand, the common folk, the merchants, those hiding among the sands of the desert surrounding the city and waiting to swallow us at the slightest weakness, is exactly one year.
Clemens Holzmeister, you and your son will pause your work regarding the city's defense and work on inventions that will be useful to us during our advance. Some of the necessary resources are inside this ring; if you have any other needs, do not hesitate to say so. The Orc Empire will be supporting your research and the successes you will achieve with all its resources."
The tired energy of the engineer approaching his fifties dissipated at that moment; hearing the promised things alone was enough for him to regain all his freshness, and taking a quick glance inside the ring, he began to radiate a brightness almost enough to replace the sun that set a few hours ago.
"Dona Gracia, even though your poker face tells completely different things, I know that as a businessman you blame your downfall on us, the Orc Empire, and I must confess you are entirely right in your thoughts. We will also undertake the task of getting you out of this situation we dropped you into; we will provide however much gold is necessary to strengthen your connections which you legally terminated but have managed to maintain through secret channels. I want you to create all the commercial problems you can create on the lands of the Emerald Leaf Merchant Guild."
The merchant with a triple-chinned neck made no sound. His dwarf servant coming before Wind of Death took the spatial ring containing millions of gold pieces, bowing respectfully, and carried it with the same seriousness until he dropped it into his master's palms.
"Boss, you already know what you will do, but as far as I can see, the warriors under your command have a great lack of both training and equipment. Do not think that I have plans regarding your group after these words of mine; all decisions regarding your core team are yours.
Those outside of it and those who choose to join our forces instead of dying will be trained by the Elite Ten. Here are the equipments forged specially for you and your men by orc blacksmiths; I leave its distribution in your hands!"
The orc warrior nicknamed Boss gave the ring, resembling a rusted piece of metal, to the woman who was his assistant without looking at its contents, and began to speak looking straight into the eyes of the Commander-in-Chief of the Orc Empire Armies.
"Tell the orc blacksmiths, they shouldn't stop working even for a day, otherwise they won't be able to supply weapons for the army that will appear here a year from now!"