A heavy silence hung over the reception hall as everyone absorbed the shocking revelations. The weight of Nile's words settled deep within them, making them rethink everything they had assumed about the situation. Jessica's expression, which had been filled with certainty and suspicion moments ago, was now clouded with doubt and contemplation.
Lyra and Arin sat quietly, their brows furrowed in deep thought. Jennifer was deep in consideration, her sharp mind already analyzing the situation from multiple angles. James and Veena exchanged knowing glances, each aware that this situation required careful planning.
Then, in the midst of the silence, a calm but firm voice broke through the tension.
"That's all well and good, but now the real question remains."
It was Veena.
She leaned forward, her sharp gaze sweeping across the group before finally settling on Nile. "What do we do with the ones in the basement? And more importantly, how do we move forward from here?"
Her question seemed to snap everyone out of their contemplative state. As if on instinct, their eyes all turned toward Nile, expecting him to have already mapped out the path ahead.
Nile, who had been resting his elbows on the table, slowly lifted his gaze to meet theirs. He wasn't surprised by their expectation—he had anticipated it the moment he walked out of that basement.
He sighed lightly before leaning back, his expression unreadable. Then, after a brief pause, he finally spoke.
"We have three possible paths moving forward."
His words immediately drew everyone's attention, and the group instinctively straightened in their seats, waiting for his explanation.
Nile's voice remained steady as he presented the first option. "The simplest and most straightforward path is execution. We kill them."
The bluntness of his words sent a cold chill through the room.
Jessica's brows furrowed. "That seems… extreme."
"It is," Nile admitted. "But let's be honest here—if we let them go, what do you think will happen? They'll report back to the Iron Fang Syndicate and the surrounding gangs, and then we'll be in even bigger trouble. By executing them, we eliminate all loose ends."
A grim silence followed.
"But is that really necessary?" Arin asked hesitantly. "Not all of them seem like hardened criminals. Some of them might have been forced into this life."
Before Nile could respond, Veena interjected, her voice calm but firm.
"It's not just about whether they deserve to die." She folded her arms. "Killing them might have consequences we can't predict. We don't know if others saw them coming here, or if anyone else outside the gang was keeping track of them. If we kill them and people start asking questions, we might be exposing ourselves unnecessarily."
Her words made everyone pause.
Even Nile nodded slightly. "That's a fair point."
Killing them would remove immediate threats, but if someone outside the syndicate noticed their absence, it could bring more trouble.
"So, execution is risky." Nile concluded. "Let's move to the next option."
Before anyone could voice their opinions, Nile continued. "The second path is enslavement."
Jessica's expression turned into a scowl. "Are you seriously suggesting we enslave them?"
Nile didn't react to her tone. "It's an alternative to execution. We can use slave seals to bind them to our service. That way, they won't be able to betray us, and we can control their actions. We'll gain manpower, and they won't have the option to turn against us."
Jessica crossed her arms, visibly displeased. "That's no different from what was done to Lyra and Arin."
At that, Lyra and Arin instinctively tensed.
Nile shook his head. "No. It's different. Lyra and Arin were innocent. These men aren't. They attacked us unprovoked, intending to kill and rob us. If we spare them, it should be on our terms. Otherwise, they'll just return with reinforcements."
Jennifer, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
"There's a major flaw in this plan."
Everyone turned toward her, curious.
She continued, her voice measured. "Some of these men might already be branded with enslavement seals by the Iron Fang Syndicate leader or even the village head of Ravenspire. If that's the case, we can't brand them with a second seal."
That realization hit hard.
Nile's expression darkened slightly. "You're saying that they might already be bound to someone else."
Jennifer nodded. "Yes. And that means we have no way of ensuring their loyalty. Even worse, if Mason was secretly branded without his knowledge, then he might already be a ticking time bomb."
That made the enslavement idea far less appealing.
"So, this path isn't as viable as I hoped," Nile admitted. "Let's move on to the last one."
Finally, Nile presented the third option. "The last path is to release them—but only if we can alter their memories."
Jessica scoffed. "And how exactly do we do that? None of us can manipulate memories."
Nile nodded. "That's the problem. Right now, it's not possible. But I was hoping to acquire a Level 3 Spiritual Cultivator from the Slave Market tonight—someone specialized in Memory Manipulation spells."
That revelation caught everyone off guard.
James raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for someone like that?"
"Yes." Nile confirmed. "If we had a skilled spiritual cultivator, they could erase the last few hours from these men's minds. That way, we could release them without risk."
Jessica tapped her fingers against the table, thinking. "And if you don't find such a person?"
Nile exhaled slowly. "Then this path isn't an option. We'll have to choose between the other two."
His words left the group in contemplation.
They now had three clear paths:
Execution, which was final and effective but carried unknown risks.
Enslavement, which was practical but potentially impossible due to pre-existing seals.
Release, which was only viable if they could erase the captives' memories—something they currently lacked the means to do.
A long silence followed as everyone processed the weight of their choices.
Then, Veena finally spoke, her voice steady.
"So, which path do we take?"
Everyone looked toward Nile once more, waiting for his final decision.
Nile took a deep breath and exhaled.
"That," he said, "is something we need to decide carefully."