"What is going on in the Untamed Jungle? How is it possible for more than 50,000 participants of the Jungle Expedition to die just like that? The Jungle Expedition shouldn't have left Xiltra until tomorrow?!" An old man of the Destors race thundered through the humongous marble hall.
He pointed at a Lionheart with silver fur, demanding an explanation.
"Explain to me why your idiotic subordinates decided to start the Jungle Expedition before the Tier-3 Adventurers arrived, Senator Keltos!!" He shouted at the silver-furred Lionheart.
Senator Keltos, the silver-furred Lionheart, shrugged nonchalantly.
"Everyone here said that it was unnecessary to hire Tier-3 Adventurers for the Jungle Expedition. Thus, I decided to give my subordinates permission to act on their own accord if an unexpected situation was to occur. And that is exactly what happened since every Mercenary and Adventurer disappeared after leaving the security of Xiltra's walls," Senator Keltos said without seeming to care about the old Destors.
"But do not assume that I am happy with the Jungle Expeditions' results. My investment into the Jungle Expedition was the highest, so I'm the most annoyed about the failure. More than three-quarters of the Expedition members died, and the rest suffered a great mental setback. They won't be able to fight for the Zentika Empire until their mind has recuperated and their confidence renewed."
The old Destors slumped back onto his seat. He had nothing else to say since it was true that Senator Keltos used his own wealth to fund the Jungle Expedition. Only some of the funds had been added from the Zentika Empire's treasure vault.
"How about we stop fighting for today? I think today's council meeting is held to take care of a few more important things," A middle-aged Jeglaw – a woman with certain charms – said calmly. The warmth in her voice shattered the tension in the room, soothing the anger of the Destor and Lionheart.
"I heard rumors about a Lord in the Untamed Jungle. Some reports said that they saw Forest Elves and Humans fighting side-by-side with the monsters of the Untamed Jungle," She revealed what had been reported to her not too long ago before she carefully added, "If the reports can be trusted, the Lord is presumed to be living near the outer ring, and to have reached the 2nd Tier not too long ago."
When the Jeglaw's words rang through the marble hall, some of the older members of the council began to murmur. The two dozen seats around the round table squeaked as the old men and women turned to each other to speak quietly.
"I've heard about Forest Elves. They're quite intelligent and strong combatants within any kind of forest. Dealing with them is definitely a hassle. But…Humans? I have never heard of that race," A Zantur mumbled quietly – barely loud enough for every council member to hear – before he gave it a shrug. It was not really important whether he knew the human race or not.
"The undeniable fact is that the Jungle Expedition failed, miserably at that."
Senator Keltos sighed upon hearing this. He knew that it was true and that he had grossly underestimated the enemy in the Untamed Jungle.
Until now, he presumed that the Forest Elven Adventurer team in Xiltra had been at fault for his subordinates' continuous failure. Senator Keltos thought that the Forest Elves tricked his subordinates into believing that there was a Lord in the Untamed Jungle who was hunting them down one after another. However, that couldn't have been further from the truth.
The Forest Elves never lied to his subordinates. There had actually been a Lord in the Untamed Jungle, and it was the incompetence of his subordinates that led to one failure after another.
The Jungle Expedition had been an attempt to conquer the Untamed Jungle's outer ring and get one step closer to his final goal, yet it made him look like a fool.
It was about time to change something.
Senator Keltos cleared his throat loudly. He accessed his War Rune and retrieved dozens of tattered documents that he spread across the large round table.
His action attracted the interest of the remaining council members, who picked up some of the tattered documents.
"Initially, I didn't want to reveal these documents because they're the result of decades of research. I found some of those documents in ancient ruins, while others were procured from all over the Zentika Empire. My subordinates found them in rifts, dungeons, and mazes within the last 50 years. But since it seems like my subordinates are too incompetent to do the job, I decided to stop hiding the documents. I think it's about time that the council works together to deal with the Untamed Jungle – and these ancient documents should be more than enough motivation for everyone here!"
Senator Keltos' voice was calm and composed as he spoke. However, the glint in his eyes clearly depicted the greed that had infested his entire being. Senator Keltos was unwilling to share the gains of the treasure he'd been looking for even now. Nonetheless, he was not stupid.
Greed may have turned him into an impatient man, but he didn't turn into a brainless fool – not yet.
The council members read the ancient documents swiftly. Their comprehension was high from decades – if not centuries – of experience, and they quickly understood what kind of treasure trove Senator Keltos had revealed to them.
"You're telling us about this…NOW?!?" The old Destors who had barely managed to calm down earlier, exploded again. He jumped up from his chair and smashed one of his hands flat down on the large table.
Senator Keltos' attention moved to the old Destors, whom he stared at with an unperturbed expression.
"So what?" He asked calmly. "Am I obliged to tell you about the personal gains I make using my own wealth? If you really think that, you should question your own intelligence."
The old Destors saw red when Senator Keltos' provocation rang through his ears. However, a single motion from the upper side of the table was enough to calm the old Destors.
His eyes widened slightly and he sat down immediately, looking over to the old man, who had lifted his hand earlier.
"Calm down, Gerald," A hoarse voice echoed through the marble hall, silencing all noises in an instant.
"It looks like we'll have to continue dealing with the Untamed Jungle," The hoarse voice continued. He added, "Let's send out the 13 Paladins. Since they spent several weeks traveling to the Untamed Jungle to join the Jungle Expedition we might as well let them loose."
"They can collect intel about the Unknown Lord in the Untamed Jungle, or maybe finish him off immediately."
The words of the oldest council member resounded through the marble hall. It was the first time in years that he participated in a council meeting, and it was a first for him to show interest in the Untamed Jungle.
"How insightful of you, Lord Targes. Your Paladins are Tier-3 Adventurers. They're certainly strong enough to deal with the Unknown Lord, and the Untamed Jungle's outer ring as well…. IF ONLY these idiots of the Jungle Expedition had waited until the arrival of your 13 Paladins, we wouldn't have been embarrassed like this…" The old Destors said respectfully to the oldest member of the council, Lord Targes while taking a dig indirectly at Senator Keltos.
Lord Targes didn't pay attention to the provocation thrown at Senator Keltos. He was more focused on the documents spread out in front of him. His bony fingers tapped against the large table rhythmically as he fell deep into thoughts.
"Let's wait for the report of the 13 Paladins. If they fail to find and kill the Unknown Lord, we can always change our approach. A large-scale battle against the Untamed Jungle is unavoidable if we want to raid the ruins with peace of mind. And these ruins seem quite interesting. I want to find them."
"I agree with Lord Targes. I support the preparation of a large-scale attack against the Untamed Jungle. It's about time that we take care of this annoying jungle!" The Jeglaw woman said, clenching her fists tightly, "We should start preparing for the large-scale battle immediately. The earlier we start our preparations the earlier we can attack!"
However, the man next to Lord Targes shook his head faintly. "For now we'll be focusing on the Lord Rift. It will open soon, and we've yet to collect all entrance tickets."
"Once the Lord Rift has been raided, we can focus on the Untamed Jungle. Let the 13 Paladins take care of everything first!"