Location: Conference room, Prince Ghareeb's palace, Main-City-4.
A brown-skinned man who had a petite handlebar moustache sat at the head of a long rectangular table. He was dressed in white trousers, a white shirt beneath a white blazer, and a navy blue tie knotted around the shirt's collar. There were three medals of honour on the right side of the blazer's chest.
Three electrically powered chandeliers hung in a straight line in the centre of the room. Seat frames around the table were patterned to match the built-in decorations on the walls and ceilings. The seats, table cover, walls, and ceiling were all painted in gold and white.
The man in the white suit wore a neutral face as he waited for a scheduled online meeting to start. Three holographic figures appeared, sitting on three seats to his right. The man in the white suit knew the contents of the report, which two holographs were about to deliver. But he had matters that he wanted to talk about with them.
Chief Idris Emmanuel was one of the holographs. He had a huge build with a big pot belly and pale skin. The other people were a middle-aged, beautiful elf named Fatima and a lean man who wore circle-framed glasses. Idris was bald. Fatima had long blonde hair that reached her bum, and Marcus, the lean man, had thick black hair. They stood from their seats and bowed, greeting Prince Ghareeb, the man in the white suit.
The prince's hair was styled in a buzz cut, showing off his facial features: a long, pointed nose, a diamond-shaped jaw, and wide lips. He nodded at his subjects, and they returned to their seats.
Chief Idris said, "My lord, I would like to speak. Can I?"
The prince waved his right hand, gesturing that Chief Idris was allowed to speak.
"My lord, Blue Box Minicity, survived the beast raid," Chief Idris began.
The prince did not react to the message, so Chief Idris continued after a brief silence.
"A rank-A beast showed up to the raid, but a hunter killed it."
Prince Ghareeb said, "Idris, who is the hunter?"
Chief Idris said, "The hunter sold off the carcass of the rank-A before they disappeared."
Prince Ghareeb said, "You don't know the name of the hunter."
Chief Idris became silent. He was mad at the prince's arrogance, but he managed himself, not revealing his inner emotions.
Chief Idris said, "I have found whom the unknown hunter sold the carcass to. It will be an insignificant matter of time until we unravel the identity of the hunter."
Prince Ghareeb said, "But Blue's Tiger is adamant about revealing the hunter's identity."
All the while the prince spoke, he showed no emotion. Chief Idris' head as he was cornered in his lies. He didn't know what else to say.
'I will murder the imbecile who keeps updating this royal baboon!' He mused.
Chief Idris took his seat without asking for permission. The prince said to him,
"Did I clear you to sit?"
Chief Idris stood up.
"You can have your seat," Prince Ghareeb said the moment Chief Idris was on his feet.
His face was calm, but he was glaring at the prince.
Prince Ghareeb said, "Oh, you like standing?"
Chief Idris slowly took his seat.
"Your highness, I would like to speak," said the beautiful elf lady.
Prince Ghareeb cleared her. She stood up and began,
"Blue Box Minicity is on the verge of cementing an alliance with the Gold Republic."
Chief Idris stood up as he barked, "That is a big lie. I have Blue Box City under control."
Prince Ghareeb said to Chief Idris, "Yet an unauthorised and undocumented foreigner snuck in and conducted business on our home land."
The prince assumed Niklas to be a foreigner who had superpowers.
Chief Idris said, "Pardon me, my prince, but remember that you are the one who removed national guards from the interregional borders of Blue Box Minicity. The settlement is singlehandedly securing itself and the rest of the homeland."
Prince Ghareeb said, "You are saying that you are incompetent in spying on a small settlement, which I assigned you to do. You have insulted me."
The prince didn't show signs of anger. His temperament was that of an adult flawlessly guiding a kid. Chief Idris seethed, and he was now frowning. He returned to his seat, looking at the surface of the table.
Prince Ghareeb said, "Fatima, you can continue."
"Patriotic hunters of the Gold Republic have been spotted hunting in alliance with Blue Box Minicity's hunters," Fatima said. "Day after day, they venture deeper into the deserted lands on the path leading to Zone El Dorado."
Prince Ghareeb said, "That's enough, Fatima. Thank you."
Fatima sat down.
"Elina, dismiss Fatima and the chief," the prince said to his 'omnipresent' artificial intelligence assistant.
The holograms of Chief Idris and Fatima vanished.
"Elina, please make sure that I'm not disturbed," Prince Ghareed instructed his assistant.
He placed his hands on the table and directed his gaze at the lean Marcus.
"Prince Ghareeb, my faction has added three more S-rank demigods to our roster," Marcus said.
Prince Ghareeb frowned. He was troubled. Marcus words were a reminder to him that he was still a mere user of Buff decals. He wanted to join Marcus' faction, the Scar faction. The requirement to join was that one be an A-rank demigod. Marcus was an S-rank demigod, but he did well to hide his aura to seem like a regular person.
"I supplied the rank-S beasts and enchanted items to your faction two days ago. I don't remember faltering in any way for me to be graced by your presence," Prince Ghareeb said. "To what do I owe this visit?"
"The scar faction is considering kicking you out and maintaining ties on trading matters," Marcus said.
Prince Ghareeb was a member of the Scar faction but not a full-fledged member, as he had yet to fulfil the requirement of being a S-rank demigod. The reason he was ignored until this moment was because of the resources he provided the faction.
"Kick me out?" Prince Ghareeb laughed. He thought that he was about to be defrauded. "The Scar faction cannot kick me out without the president of the faction, your faction, notifying me!"
Marcus was enraged. He barked, "Ghareeb El Nino! Outcast prince and son of Galatic emperor El Nino! I, Marcus, the statement maker, am the new president of the Scar faction, but you dare make jest of me!"
Elina's voice echoed in the room. "My prince! Marcus, the statement maker, is the new president of the Scar faction!"
Prince Ghareeb's eyes widened in shock, and his face lost a bit of colour. This was bad news. Marcus was among the bunch of members of the Scar faction that did not like him.
"Ramos the scar maker, the former president of the faction, is dead. He was killed in a coupe led by Marcus, the statement maker," Elina added.
The prince gulped and humbly apologised to the faction president.
Marcus said, "Your apologies will be accepted in full when you become a demigod under a month's deadline! Failure to do so will result in you getting kicked out, and the only ties you will have with us are trade relations, which you cannot refuse. If you fail to join us and refuse to have trading relations with us, we will invade and seize control of your territory."
Marcus severed the connection, and his hologram vanished from the conference room. The prince rubbed his face with his hands.
'Why can't they find me a demigod's legacy?" He yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. The table broke in almost equal parts under the impact.
The white gloves he wore on his hands were buff decals that enhanced his strength.
"Your highness, you have an incoming call from your father," Elina informed her master.
Prince Ghareeb took a deep breath and exhaled.