Chapter 17 - Phoenix Badge

Arnest arrived at the Merchants Guild headquarters at the dead of night. The festival celebrating the next Zanako and his twentieth birthday was still being joyously held throughout the city. However on Malaren Road, it was silent. Not even the crickets chirped or the bullfrogs croaked. News of what happened at the Zanas Mansion spread quickly to all members of the guild.

They all feared for their lives or the lives of their friends. The Merchants Guild, allied themselves mainly with the Aster clan over the past years, but they also maintained friendly relations with the other two great cities. There was also people who originated from Ralom and Crul who were members of the Merchants Guild. It was unsure whether they would be able to stay within Zanabo or would also be expelled from the city.

For the past hundred years, the guild maintained the balance between the three great powers for the longest time, at least until tonight. It was clear the balance was broken by Kamu and that no longer could they all remain neutrally peaceful. Sides were going to have to be taken and guild members didn't know whether they were still allied with Zanabo or they would switch allegiances to Ralom and Crul. Either side, it was at least certain that Ralom and Zanabo would be at war now since all the Raloman representatives were killed. News of this massacre would easily spread since the Cruls were allowed to leave.

The guild leader sat at his desk, with his head buried in his hands, contemplating the recent events. "Who taught Kamu to do this? I carefully instructed all his teachers not indulge his dark mind. This clearly is the method of a ruthless ruler." he thought to himself.

"The Ralomans and Cruls never would've allowed Kamu to be taught such methods...Did he come up with it himself? Or maybe he has another teacher we don't know about?" Illius's mind jumped around, trying to figure out the cause of everything that happened. But before he could fully explore his thoughts, a servant hurriedly entered the room.

"Who is it?" Illius asked in an annoyed tone.

"Master, a boy has come to see you." the servant quickly replied.

"A boy?"

"Yes, he carries a Phoenix Badge."

"I don't remember giving a boy a badge. Maybe someone's son?" he muttered but continued to order out loud, "Send the boy in."

Arnest walked into the room and the guild leader took a moment to recognize him. "You are Arnest, right? Whitebeard's apprentice?"

"That's right, I am Arnest."

"I do remember Whitebeard setting up an appointment but he didn't say only his apprentice would be arriving. Also I heard that you are carrying a Phoenix Badge, may I see it?"

Arnest paused for a moment, trying to figure out what a "Phoenix Badge" was. He remembered the golden medallion of a bird that Feliti had given him and pulled it out. "Is this it?"

Illius reached out to hold the badge and carefully looked it over. He then was dazed in disbelief. "Did Feliti give you this badge?" he asked.

"Yes, Feliti gave it to me so I could enter the ninth floor to meet her again and tell her some stories."

"That girl actually wanted to meet with the same person again? And that person is a boy?" Illius inwardly thought and was appalled.

He knew Feliti's temperament. Feliti grew up being attacked for her appearance. Anything that didn’t conform to the norms in Lanex usually was shunned. Having white hair and red eyes made one look more like a demon rather than human. Even Illius did nothing to stop it due to pressure from his advisors. This childhood trauma caused her to become reclusive, unwilling to go outside or talk with anyone.

It wasn't until she met her current master that she became a little more outgoing and willing to talk to a few people. Feliti only spoke a few words with himself and he was his father. Illius imagined that the only person she truly communicated with was her mysterious and powerful master. But she gave a badge to an apprentice of the guild. The boy also claimed that Feliti wanted to see him again to hear some of his stories.

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Illius momentarily forgot all about tonight and focused solely on the boy in front of him. "You may call me Illius. A friend of my daughter is a friend of mine."

"Feliti is your daughter?" Arnest asked, surprised.

"She is my daughter, but probably did not tell you. She can be a little shy about matters like these.”

"But you look nothing alike." Arnest wanted to say, but only thought it to himself.

"So what is that you wanted to meet with me for?"

"I wanted to talk about the guilds relationship with the Aster clan."

Illius frowned. He suddenly remembered the grave situation they were in and in the back of his mind, he truly didn't want to discuss it with this boy who was only an apprentice. He wished his advisors were here so they could try to figure out a solution together because he was at an impasse. But right now all he had was this boy in front of him.

"After tonight, you should realize that having Kamu in power would be detrimental to the guild. Without Ralom and Crul trading at Zanabo, profits will drastically plummet. Additionally Kamu seems to be hell bent on making himself the strongest power in Zanabo. How long will you wait for Kamu to eventually decide there should only be one power in Zanabo and also expel your Merchants Guild?" Arnest pointed out the main fear Illius felt in just a few breaths.

Illius sat thinking for a while until finally responding. "There are many things that make up the sea. There are fish, coral reefs, water, men and their ships, but there are also monsters. Monsters that can sink ships with a single whip of their tails or monsters that hunt men for fun in the cities. They are like forces of nature, a typhoon that destroys everything. It cannot be stopped or prevented." said Illius.

"Kamu is a monster. But he is just one of them. Ralom, Crul and the guild have their own monsters but I'm unsure which are stronger. Whether or not our phoenix can win against the tortoise depends on mainly luck. But like a phoenix, the guild will never truly die. We will weather this storm and rebuild anew once it passes."

"I know you want me to fight against the Asters and that Kamu, but the guild will not directly fight with them.”

Arnest smiled. "That's all I wanted. I know the guild is powerful but the Aster clan has been amassing a lot more money recently with their new taxes. It's obvious that they've been preparing for today but what exactly they'll use the money for is still a mystery for me. To fight them head on without knowing anything would be foolish."

"For now, I hope the guild will remain as neutral as possible. But remember that it only take a single hero to take down a vicious monster."

"No wonder Feliti likes this boy. He seems fairly bright and confident for someone so young." Illius thought to himself.

"So what do you get out of opposing the Aster clan?" Illius asked.

"Simple. I want to make the third son, Talas, the next Zanako." Arnest said without hesitation.

Illius was taken aback. He was unused to people, especially new members of the guild, to be so forthright and honest. Usually those who joined the guild were doing so out of self interest but hide their true intentions. That's why new members are usually treated initially as outsiders however what made Illius treat Arnest so seriously was the fact that he was close to Feliti. Someone Feliti trusted with the Phoenix Badge definitely wasn't two-faced because someone who lied to her or treated her poorly wouldn't have gained her favor. Feliti was the kind of person to repay double what she got, whether it was bad or good.

"Why are you being so honest?"

"Well, if you do tell Kamu, I'll just tell him while he interrogates me that you're the one who actually intends to make Talas the Zanako. Once he hears that, whether or not he believes me, he'll never trust you and probably find a way to kill you."

"Manipulative brat. No wonder Feliti likes you so much, the two of you are very much alike." Illius cursed under his breath.

"If that's all you wanted to talk about, you can leave now." Illius said.

"Thank you for meeting with me." said Arnest as he walked out the door.

"That went well.” Arnest breathed a sigh of relief to find that the guild master was more reasonable than he imagined.

"Now then, I think it's time to leave Zanabo."