Village Head's Debauchery

"Does the Sleeping Fox Runaway City know about this?" asked a woman with a mane of short, shimmering silver hair and piercing blue eyes. She was clad in a tailored dark grey blouse and loose-fitting trousers, her waist adorned with a leather utility belt brimming with tools.

She was Mistress Isolde, Mistress of the Forgepalace. She controlled the Underbelly, ensuring the Runaway City's defences and systems were not just up-to-date and effective. Her role extended beyond maintenance, as she also ensured that the Devourer's bracelets and Gearweavers were always in prime condition, allowing the gods' chosens to continue protecting the Runaway City.

Upon learning about the vast deposit of Vylkr alloys, Mistress Isolde's mind ignited with possibilities. The thought of what she could create with these incredible Vylkr alloys, such as more powerful Gearweavers and other innovations, filled her with excitement and anticipation.

Her only regret was her inability to make a Devourer's Bracelet; otherwise, they would have the ability to create even more gods' chosens, significantly boosting the strength of the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City. Increasing the grade of the Runaway City to a Grade 2 Runaway City was a possibility she couldn't help but entertain.

"No, they don't know. They are all unaware of the discovery of the Vylkr alloy mine," Queen Eleanora shook her head in response.

Relief washed over Mistress Isolde's face like a cool breeze on a hot day. She turned her gaze to the side, acknowledging Captain Freya with a nod.

"You have done well, Captain Freya. Once we begin to mine these Vylkr alloys, I'll ensure my finest disciples craft the best and most powerful Gearweaver for you. I will personally handle the necessary check-ups for your Devourer's bracelets whenever you sense any issues," Mistress Isolde said with a smile.

She wanted to make the Gearweaver personally but figured she would be busy when the Vylkr alloys came in, so she entrusted the task to her disciples.

"Thank you, Mistress Isolde. I'll keep that in mind and hold onto your words," Captain Freya responded, her expression stern. However, inwardly, she was filled with incredible joy and happiness.

Despite being the Captain of the 1st Unit of the Vanguard team, Freya rarely had the privilege to meet with Mistress Isolde or any of the Inner Circle members. The opportunity to personally cooperate with Mistress Isolde, the foremost forge master in the Wanderlust Travelling Tortoise Runaway City, thrilled her, as it could potentially result in upgrades and advancements in her strength.

Mistress Isolde nodded and withdrew her attention.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's plan how to mine the Vylkr alloys and figure out what to do about the Sleeping Fox Runaway City," Lord Kael said.

As the Master of the Garden and Natural Resources, he restrained his eagerness to rush to the Vylkr alloy mine. Understanding the immense dangers and benefits the mine could bring to their Runaway City, he knew they needed a well-

thought-out plan.

Queen Eleanora nodded. "That is exactly why I called you all here. Due to the bizarre, prolonged Vylkr vine phenomenon and its immense disturbances, the Sleeping Fox Runaway City is likely using us to test the waters to avoid any dangerous casualties before taking action."

"They might also be waiting to snatch Patriarch Rylan and the Divine Artefact from our grasp once they are discovered. Given the shameful behaviour of some of our gods' chosen, who abandoned their mission and ran away, I suspect the latter option is more likely."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room. "Rather than waiting for them to respond to our movements, we will begin mining the Vylkr alloys and take a different approach. I've decided that we will inform the Sleeping Fox Runaway City of our discovery and propose a deal to jointly mine the Vylkr alloys. Considering the immense deposit size, there is more than enough for all of us to share equally."

Queen Eleanora wanted to ensure they didn't enter into a reckless and avoidable battle with the Sleeping Fox Runaway City, which would surely result in multiple casualties and hinder their city's development. By proposing a collaborative approach, she also wanted to prevent the nine leaders from infighting over the Vylkr alloys and unite them against a common potential enemy.

Although she trusted them, she didn't want to test their loyalty with enormous resources that even a Grade 2 Runaway City would kill or betray each other for.

Also, they still hadn't discovered what had caused the Vylkr vine Phenenom or who was behind it, making it too early to take significant risks. Involving the Sleeping Fox Runaway City would help them address this unknown threat together, turning it into a common enemy.

As for Patriarch Rylan and the Divine Artefact, they would determine their course of action once they located them.

"That's a brilliant idea," Lord Asher nodded, commending the Queen's foresight in handling the situation. He had also considered a similar approach.

The other ten leaders nodded thoughtfully at the Queen's words. Despite their current disputes, they recognized the necessity to collaborate to seize such a vast opportunity for wealth.

"However, there might be a problem," Lord Asher continued, his tone serious. "My network has detected unusual movements around the city. While we haven't identified the individuals or captured anyone, I have some suspicions. It's possible that 'The Journeying Jaguar' Runaway City has dispatched spies to monitor our progress in retrieving the Divine Artefact, intending to intercept it. And if we have spies, it's likely that 'The Sleeping Fox' Runaway City does too. Whether they are aware of our discovery remains uncertain."

The Journeying Jaguar Runaway City was the Grade 2 Runaway City that had assigned them this task in exchange for incredible resources. Initially, his focus was solely on completing their mission, disregarding the presence of spies, as they had no means to withstand a Grade 2 Runaway City.

However, dealing with the spies posed the risk of attracting even more powerful spies to monitor them upon their return.