Leaving the Merchant Union building, Ms.Violette headed east towards her family manor in a carriage.
"Stop"
After several hundred meters, Ms.Violette had the carriage stop by an area shaded by dense foliage. Thump! The carriage door opened, and a figure that seemed to know that Ms.Violette would stop here entered the carriage.
"My Lady."
The figure bowed to Ms.Violette.
"Please, sit. Uncle Norman!" She pointed at the seat across from her and smiled.
Under the sunlight shining through the window on the sidewall of the carriage, Norman's face looked very unnatural. He had a huge beard on his face that went till his chest. His age seemed to around fifty.
For some time no one talked. Ms.Violette seems to be in a trance looking out the small window at the pedestrians walking past them.
Finally, she turned her head towards her trusted aide that had been like a brother to her father when he was still alive.
She said out of blue, "No one is following us."
Norman, her aide nodded and after some time asked her "My lady, how was the meeting."
"Just like it has always been. They are trying to save their asses now after they lost the bet. Anyway, please tell me what happened there."
Violette's face was a sheet of ice showing no expression.
"My lady, it's completely out of anyone's expectation. Even I am still shocked by the turn of events that happened in Dorbank City."Norman said with a sigh.
"Oh?"
Violette's eyes gleamed, a hint of surprise finally revealing itself.
"What do you mean?"
"Darren Dorbank lost the war." Norman stopped for a little while as if he was remembering what he saw today.
Ms.Violette looked confused as this was actually what everyone thought will happen.
"Darren Dornank lost the war but so did Cole Jordan and those Riverland Mountain Sect disciples. You will be surprised to know that an entirely unknown third party came to power yesterday ending the war before evening though I did not get to see it, I heard from the people talking about it between themselves." Norman completed his sentence after some thought.
Violette was completely taken up by surprise but she still waited for him to further explain.
She had sent Norman today to scout the situation inside the Dorbank city because of his special ability as her personal spies stationed there had stopped sending any information back to her since yesterday.
Not only her but even other members of the Merchant Union were also blind about the situation there. No matter how many people she sent there no one returned back.
Norman opened his mouth and started to retell what he saw there today with a grim smile.
Violette listened to him seriously form the start to the end never stopping him in between.
'Alex Mordrake, a teenage boy around sixteen years of age has become the new ruling Lord after the war between Dorbanks and Jordan's. Interesting.' she thought in her mind after completely listening to her aide.
"Uncle Norman, as you say this is really unbelievable and should definitely outside of everyone's expectations," Violette said cleary looking surprised.
"You are right. I only got to learn about his past from some of the citizens discussing it between themselves after the public trial came to an end. Not only is he the Pro-disciple of Master Alchemist Clayton cliff, but it seems he also has two uncles at the Early Dantian Formation realm. No one really knows how this boy came to have such a large amount of strong followers but one thing is very clear...this boy is not to be taken lightly." Norman said.
"What about our men stationed there. What happened to them?"
"They are either dead or have been captured and thrown to the prison. The security inside the city is very heavy. Our contact person there have all disappeared somehow. Even outside the city when I was returning back, I found numerous patrolling guards lying in wait for any suspicious person to pass through there."
He oddly looked at Violette's face for a moment as if in thought.
Violette also felt his gaze so she asked: " What is it?, Uncle."
"How long are you going to stay in this place? That old bastard Kon is conspiring to kill you and the other members want you dead as well since you are getting in their way of business. How long are we going to keep pretending to be ignorant in front of them that we do know the truth?"
"Uncle Norman, actually we can stop now. They already know. We don't really need to act in front of them anymore. They have already been suspicious of my dealings with the Count of Nehmor and should be using this time to scheme against me. But with you and Blossom here with me, I don't fear them at all. Plus with Count of Nehmor's help, I am sure I can finally avenge my father." When she said that, suddenly a suppressed hissing sound came right from inside the pouch tied on her waist.
Violette smiled listening to that sound.
Norman shook his head and said: "My lady, even Blossom doesn't like that Count. He is not trustworthy. His intentions for helping you are not pure."
"Uncle Norman, I know of his ill intentions very cleary but we have no other choice. Right now there is a balance of power between me and the other six members of the Merchant Union. I cannot destroy them and they cannot kill me. To tilt this balance in our favor, I need a strong ally." Violette said so while looking outside."
"My lady, I have a suggestion. Why don't we try contacting Alex Mordrake? Maybe he can be of any help to us. I don't know why but I have a very positive feeling about this boy. "
Violette was again surprised not because her Uncle recommended the boy to her for alliance but he said he had positive feelings about him.
"Uncle Norman is that really true?" Violette asked seriously.
Norman nodded his head in affirmation and said, "When I got near to him, I suddenly felt very positive energy coming out from the body of that young man. I wanted to meet up with him but never got the chance. My instinct can never be wrong and you know that."
Violette agreed with him because the person sitting in front of her was not a normal human but a real druid of the forest. Being a druid, Norman can feel from the invisible energy leaking out of a person whether they are good or not.
Druids also have a unique ability that allows them to change into various animal forms and that's how Norman easily traveled to and from the Dorbank city in disguise of a seagull without getting noticed by Alex or his puppets.
Violette thought for a moment and then said: "But Uncle Norman, him being good does not mean that he will help us without any compensation in return."
"I know but we still need to give it a try."
"Alright then, Uncle Norman you go and meet him tonight. But before you discuss anything with him test him first for me," Violette said.
