The hall was moderately large, sizable enough to comfortably fit a few hundred - which was awfully convenient as Silas looked around and saw exactly that. He had known from the start that he was only a big fish in a small pond, but meeting Katerina, Aengus, and Ajit yesterday had put that thought into concrete for him. This morning, he had sat down with Dom and Elise to discuss what they had all learnt of Brightmoor and on how to behave at the congress. Only they could attend from Riverside since only they had the invites.
Mentioning Riverside to an attendant, the three were shown to their seats around the second table. The hall was filled with five circular tables of increasing size, each one snug against the next, with nameplates spaced out on their surfaces. Silas was sitting directly next to Dom and Elise, and while his and Dom's nameplates displayed just their names, Elise's nameplate went further by listing her as Riverside's mayor.
The hall gradually filled in, and in the meantime Silas scanned it for people he knew and also to put faces to the names he had seen for forever on the leaderboards. By the fourth table, he saw Floyd and Skully, who nodded in his direction when their gazes met. By the first table sat Emmanuel, Katerina, and another from Dresden, and on the opposite end sat Ajit and Aengus.
Others around this most exclusive first table included Freddie Littlewood (Mayor of Newford and a Dreadnought), Vivienne Durant (Mayor of Léonois and a Beastmaster) who sat beside Volkan Burch (a Pyromancer), Zhang Bao (Mayor of Jinzhou and a Barbarian) who very grumpily sat next to an equally moody Hou Yu (an Artificer), Dolkar Letho (Mayor of Palyul Monastery and an Aeromancer) who sat beside Sandip Mand (a Windwalker) and Dewi Alatas (a Broken Shard), Elisha Luna (Mayor of Lisa's Homestead and a Primal Healer) who sat beside Conan Hughes (a Druid), and finally Lavanya Sanghvi (a Monster Bane). Notably, at the front of the table were two seats for Lucian Grimes and Sophie Chandler (a Demolitionist) who had both yet to appear.
As expected, the hall was dense with palpable auras which effectively browbeat Silas, but there was little he could do about it other than endure the discomfort. There was some level of conversation in the area, but most of it was hushed and idle comments as most people instead used their time to scan their peers as Silas did.
Finally, Lucian made an appearance with Sophie walking in beside him. He was dressed as before in a navy cashmere coat over a cream suit, regarding the hall with his dazzling smile. While Lucian's appearance brought ease to Silas, Sophie's was the opposite as she caused him to tense up, although through no fault of her own. She had hair as dark as slate, which she had elegantly tied up in a topknot. She was bright-eyed with pale skin and lips the colour of freshly spilt blood. There was no denying she was beautiful, but her features vividly reminded him of Raven, the Voidcaller. It was surreal as Sophie looked so similar to Raven and yet was dressed in clothes Raven would have never been caught dead in: a thick woollen jumper and jeans.
Taking a seat, Lucian clapped loudly to get the hall's attention. "Welcome, friends. I hope you've all enjoyed what Brightmoor has to offer so far. It's fantastic to see so many powerful men and women; no doubt the ratkin thought we would break under their pressure, but here you all stand as a testament to human perseverance and strength. We have a number of issues to discuss in today's congress, and I want you all to know that your voice deserves to be heard. You were all invited here for good reason, so don't waste this opportunity by keeping quiet when you have thoughts to share."
"Now, onto the first matter: cooperation. In case any of you missed my speech yesterday, I said there that the reason billions of us fell during the Apocalypse was primarily due to our separation, and I thoroughly believe in that. There is no race on Idroa, and I repeat not a single race from Xiivet or Caen, which is superior to mankind. In fact, I can guarantee you that if they had been on Earth with us, well," Lucian said, shaking his head with a cheeky smile. "Let's just say that you would have had a larger variety of meats to choose from in the store. But either way, we need to set up human order on Idroa again. We need supply chains and transport of goods and people; we need the world governments to reform and cooperate; we need to share all the data we've collected on our enemies out there. I believe our first step in this is to invest heavily into teleporters, every single one of us, as that will allow us to move equipment and forces to their required positions as quick as possible."
"Wait up," said Freddie, pointing his finger at Lucian. Where Lucian was young and charming, Freddie Littlewood was aged and fearsome, an ogre of a man with grey locks of hair hanging over his weathered face. His voice was hoarse and commanding, and his gaze was striking. "You said we need the world governments to reform. What world governments? Tell me where you see the United States or China on the map."
Lucian chuckled agreeably. "Fair point. But to clarify, I meant we make the new world governments. China and USA may be gone but there are Newford, Jinzhou, Léonois, Hyderabad, and so on. Sure, we're pale imitations of the past, but it's just a matter of rebuilding back up there."
"So who's going to head this New World Order of yours? Who's going to be organising where the equipment goes? Who's going to be checking if anyone's withholding information from the collective, and more importantly, who's going to be enforcing the rules?" Freddie continued.
"Well, me," Lucian replied, patting himself on the chest. Silas was surprised not only by the content of his words but also by the calmness with which he said them. "For a time, of course, as currently Brightmoor is the only city which can handle all your numbers. We can facilitate the movement of thousands of goods and people per day to other places, so it's fitting we organise the rest as well. But after we all grow a bit, well, then we can elect someone separately to enforce the rules we collectively agree on. Does anyone have any issues with such an arrangement?"
While there was a general grumbling in the hall, no one openly spoke up, which further shocked Silas. He had expected there to be a power struggle similar to the one Riverside had faced in its founding days. Regardless, Lucian addressed the grumblings. "You've all seen my city, so you tell me who you think is better suited to lead for the time. We're no longer in the olden days: we've all faced mind-numbing amounts of death, and we've all been remade by battle. In respect of that, I won't mince my words: Brightmoor can enforce the rules in a way the rest of you can't. Am I wrong?"
"Wait, let me just open my leaderboards," Freddie said. "Oh, what's this I see: two big names who I don't see present in this hall. I'd rather number 1 and 2 spoke big instead of number 3 here. Are they exempt from these rules, or is it just you can't punish them if they do something bad?"
"He makes a good point," Zhang said. The Barbarian's wild appearance fit his class well, his hair long and untamed, his body marred by scars and a gross mix of muscle and fat. "Why are they not here right now?"
Lucian's good humour devolved into something far sharper and menacing as he laughed at their words. "Because they're not human. This is a human congress, so why I would I invite animals? And it's not a matter of them being exempt from the rules; it's a matter of them not even deserving rules like us civilised sort. I'll kill them the second I see them, that's all," Lucian said, shrugging.
"What have they done that is deserving of death?" asked Dolkar. The Aeromancer was dressed in a Buddhist monk's robe. "We have all done regrettable acts since the Apocalypse, but that does not make us any less human."
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you guys don't know this," Lucian said, "But Dahlia is an actual beast, through and through. Simply look at her class name. In the tutorial, she ate her teammates, and she hasn't looked back since. As for Kuraim, he leads a horde of zombies and people who are, miraculously, even lower than Dahlia. Cannibals, pillagers, rapists, torturers, pedophiles, the deranged - you name it, they've got it. Kuraim has collected all of them in a neat package, and he drives them forward like a pack of unfettered animals. There's no saving them; they've fully embraced the monsters inside of them. But rest assured, like I've said, the second they come into range, I'll lead my forces to deal with them once and for all."
****
The congress wrapped up after two hours, at which time it was agreed on that Lucian would head the New World Order. It wasn't so much his strength that convinced the other rankers in the hall, but rather the strength which Brightmoor itself displayed. One powerful person was only so much but the power of a settlement several tens of thousands, perhaps even a hundred thousand citizens strong was undeniable. Other than this, however, not much else had been settled on in the congress.
Teleporters would need to be improved and envoys from each settlement would take to Brightmoor to set up friendly relations. They would facilitate the trade of goods between the settlements soon enough, and a second congress was planned in two weeks, at which time Lucian said he would bring the first draft of proposed rules.
As the rankers and mayors were heading out of the hall, Silas was about to join the stream when he noticed Lucian making a beeline for him with, thankfully, a warm expression. The Duellist barely had any time to worry over how he had attracted the Warlord's attention when Lucian reached out for a handshake, and clasped Silas's hand in both of his. "Silas, so good to finally meet you. I'm sure you're a bit mystified by me coming up and all, but you've actually already done me a great service, so it's only right of me to extend my gratitude."
Silas raised an eyebrow with a faint frown. "I did?"
Lucian laughed. "Yes, you absolutely did. Do you remember a certain Meera Campbell?"
Nodding, Silas tried to make the connection. He had rescued Meera, the Huntress, from Raven, after which Meera had left by herself to find her husband and son. Could it be?
"Yes, she's married to one of my captains, Booker. He was thrilled when she made it here to Brightmoor and beyond thankful that you saved her from that demoness after he heard her story. I've kept an eye on the leaderboards for you ever since, and I'm glad you could make it here. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask away."
Although overwhelmed, Silas wasn't going to waste this chance. "I'm searching for my sister, Chloe Wycliffe. I already listed her at the Logger's Office, but I was separately told of some other details which maybe you can make sense of. A Seer told me that the Eiffel Tower was in her backdrop, and an Oracle told me that there are people my sister knows here at the congress. If you know such a settlement, I would really appreciate it."
Lucian maintained a thoughtful look on his face for a moment before he answered. "Roxanne told you that, eh? Well, as far as I'm aware, there's no Paris being represented here, but there is one notable French-led one here: Léonois." He glanced around the hall, then to the doorway. "It seems Vivienne's already made her getaway, but you should still be able to catch her if you hurry. However, in case it's not Léonois, I'll make sure to have my men look up on the matter and get back to you. Don't you worry, I'll do my best to see that you're reunited with your sister."