CHAPTER 71: ORDERS
Aurora reviewed the latest reports from the group of adventurers that was affiliated with the Apicius Enterprise.
Like any guild affiliated with the Apicius Enterprise, they were quite obedient and organized, which made it easy for Aurora to communicate with them, as Zerzura headquarters had already informed of their arrival.
Being an affiliate of the Apicius Company resulted in great economic benefits and political influence.
That they were the controllers of the neutral zone was because no one wished to mess with a company that had a city at its command.
Just as no one wished to interfere with the Cosmos Company that had the mighty Atlantis City as a major force.
—Liam’s reports have come in. He has re-compiled information for the ‘Assault’ mission, and the local situation.
Her system interrupted her in the middle of her reading, and Aurora nodded.
She opened her holographic watch and read the local situation, only to have her expression turn cold.
“Tch... They’re bastards.” Aurora muttered after reading the report of the atrocities they committed.
General Kavuri’s forces acted as they wished and did what they wanted.
Rape, cold-blooded murder, cruel games, and torture... All that information was being hidden by General Kavuri’s forces every time they performed it, only leaving the reports in their local command network.
Nobody acted against them and the forces of the ‘Lord of Mombasa’ just took a defensive position and let it be.
The major reason was that thanks to these atrocities, the local militia groups were beginning to lean towards the Lord of Mombasa’s forces, which meant an increase in their power.
Those orders had come from above... Aurora was seeing it thanks to Liam hacking into the network of both armies.
Who was worse, the one who performed heinous acts or the one who profited from them?
“Aurora, I’ve finished the review,” Akira said, suddenly entering the room, and with a serious look, stated. “A problem has occurred with the trucks.”
Aurora regained her composure.
“Aren’t there enough of them?” Aurora asked with a frown.
The Apicius Company got the trucks needed for the trip for all the refugees.
It would be very difficult to lead a journey walking through the magical forest, not to say impossible and dangerous.
The trucks were the vehicles needed to increase the speed of the journey and safety, being specialized for long-distance travel.
“No, that’s not what this is about. It seems that the forces of the ‘Lord of Mombasa’ have confiscated our vehicles. The drivers could do nothing even though they reported their status as members of the Apicius Company and Citizens of Zerzura.” Akira reported and, with a serious expression, asked. “What are we going to do?”
Aurora frowned at that question.
The Lord of Mombasa had already agreed that she would take the refugees, that the trucks had arrived here meant that individual did his part.
That meant that the local headquarters was the one who decided to commandeer her vehicles, for if it was the higher-level forces, they could have commandeered it earlier.
Of course, the worst outcome would be for the Lord of Mombasa to antagonize them, but that would be stupid and the action of a lunatic.
For someone seeking to seize power, antagonizing the Apicius Company was like making an enemy of Zerzura City, which could deploy several S-ranks and was an important neighbor with enormous influence in the area.
Just by saying, the General of Zerzura City’s armed forces was a powerful SS Rank, it showed the might of the city.
“I’ll go look for them,” Aurora replied in a simple tone.
If they were looking for trouble, it was necessary to settle diplomatically first before taking any more aggressive action.
Trucks were necessary for transporting the refugees. She could not abandon the group that had agreed to head with her just for lack of vehicles.
“Do you want me to accompany you?” Akira asked with a serious look.
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An S-rank would be excellent for deterring anyone, however, Aurora shook her head.
“I want you to take care of the refugees. You know, reveal your face, help a little, and give confidence. You and Cardinal Brousseau are the pillar of trust for the refugees to follow us.” Aurora replied with a sincere expression.
Going through the magical forest that was considered some of the most dangerous areas in the world was challenging and suicidal for some.
That Akira and Cardinal Brousseau were present on this mission gave enough confidence for the refugees to follow them.
They were powerful, S-Ranks!
Their image would comfort the refugees and prevent other forces from taking malicious action either against them or the refugees.
“Good,” Akira replied in a submissive tone.
Aurora’s lips trembled, she was sure that young woman was looking to be comforted, unfortunately, there was no time, and she ignored her.
Leaving the office where she was, she made her way to the living room of the building.
Since it was the headquarters of a guild, it had its own building and was very well kept.
The guild was called Manwell and was based in Nakuru, taking care of dungeons that produced high-quality food and magical ingredients important to the Apicius Company’s food industry.
It was a Rank A guild, known locally, but they were slightly strong in the area.
Now they, along with the hero in charge of the area, were monitoring their area of influence so that no problems or mishaps would occur that would endanger their business or the lives of innocents.
“I’m done with the preparations for the long-distance portals.” Reported a man as soon as they arrived in the room.
That man was Richard, the hero who supported a humanitarian organization and was in charge of protecting local citizens, along with his group.
He was quite young in his early twenties, which was quite good for Aurora, as he was open-minded and had not complained about her being the leader of the group that would take a thousand refugees.
“Thank you. We’ll start now.” Aurora replied with a simple tone and looking at Cardinal Brousseau, who arrived from outside, she asked. “Tired, or can you still go on?”
She was an old woman of a lofty age, despite her younger appearance. Aurora was being considerate not to push her too hard.
“I can go on comfortably for a few days,” Cardinal Brousseau replied with a slightly enthusiastic joke.
Aurora didn’t doubt the truth of that answer and nodded, giving a signal for them to follow.
With Akira, Hero Richard, and Cardinal Brousseau, they headed to the back area where a portal was set up.
While small, it proved to be very useful.
Aurora had a portal that could move to most of Zerzura City’s zone of influence and slightly beyond. However, she could not create a portal to this location.
That did not mean that Zerzura City did not have a kind of long-range fixed portal.
Oscar, who was arranging the portal with other specialists, started it by generating a connection to Zerzura City, where the church forces were waiting for them.
“You know how it goes, Cardinal Brousseau. Children, sick, pregnant women, and all those in need will move quickly. The quota is about a hundred people a day until the energy is completely exhausted. You have to take advantage of it,” Aurora said in a serious tone.
The Cosmos Company designed this portal, but because of the high technology, it used it was not allowed to be sold to random people and they had a rigorous control of who they sold it to.
These kinds of portals in the wrong hands could cause serious damage to humanity and while a powerful space wizard could create these kinds of portals, such individuals were rare.
This portal was given by the Church of Time and Space, specifically Cardinal Brousseau herself, so she nodded in understanding.
“I will take care of resolving conflicts and improving tempers when the refugees are informed.” Cardinal Brousseau replied in a sympathetic tone.
Due to the amount of energy expended, the portal had a limit to how many people it could carry and some people knowing that fact could cause some problems.
They did not intend it to separate families, but to ensure that those individuals in need who could not endure the journey were sent directly.
Aurora was determined to protect all those she needed to protect, but she also wanted to make sure that unforeseen events did not happen during the trip.
Having someone in charge of talking to the refugees to make them understand their quota issues and trying to make sure that everything went smoothly without starting panic or chaos was of utmost importance to Aurora.
There was no one better suited for the task than Cardinal Brousseau, a recognized member of the Church of Time and Space with the strength of an S-Rank.
Normal people would respect her decision and trust her, even the most troubled would hesitate to object.
“Thank you. I’ll take it upon myself to go out and solve the truck problem.” Aurora commented with a sigh.
Cardinal Brousseau nodded with a reassuring smile.
“With my group, I will take care of organizing and preparing the refugees for tomorrow,” Akira said and, with a serious look, added. “Take Alice and Captain Sadiya with you, if necessary.”
She could tell Akira was worried and wanted her to be prepared if the situation worsened, but Aurora shook her head.
“Captain Sadiya has to take care of talking to the local militiamen who will follow us and, as for Vazquez, after securing the information, he will also see if any adventurers or mercenaries want to follow us. High Priestess Xaali has to protect the support group and take care of distributing the goods we brought.” Aurora replied, getting Akira to give a strange look.
Aurora had already given the necessary orders for the day occupying each group that had come with her and each hour of the day.
Captain Sadiya was taking on the task of talking to the militiamen that would follow her group and organizing them to prepare for the journey.
Some were inexperienced, and some were rookies, but she represented an important force for this trip.
Vazquez was performing a similar task by inviting adventurers, as surely some adventurers or mercenaries would want to join for a ‘free’ trip to safety.
Not to mention the church that had to protect its supporting members, but also distribute the supplies they had brought with them for the other refugees.
They were only taking a large group of refugees with them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t help those who remained.
They filled the space rings of the church members with food, clothing, and other goods to meet the basic needs of the refugees.
Everyone had their task and their job. Aurora had to do hers as well.
“At least take some members of your group with you,” Akira added with a sigh.
Aurora nodded so as not to worry Akira.
She thought that her inseparable and gluttonous friend would be enough, however, it never hurt to have extra support.