"Li Lin! Finally, you're here."
As Li Lin stepped through the doors of the tavern, he heard Vander's somewhat anxious voice coming from the inside.
Today, the Last Drop Tavern was more crowded than usual. Besides Vander, Benso, Sevika, and the big bald man Li Lin had seen before were all present.
While Benso and Vander sat at the bar, others were scattered in small groups throughout the tavern.
"Why the rush? It's not even late yet," Li Lin questioned, glancing at the clock on the wall. It wasn't even ten o'clock.
They had agreed to meet at twelve, giving them more than two hours.
Surveying the crowd, Li Lin asked, "Why so many people today?"
"Forgetful me! I've been too busy lately and forgot to send you a message through the transmission tube," Vander admitted, slapping his forehead with a hint of frustration.
"A week ago, the Chem-Barons agreed to meet, originally at the tavern. However, they suddenly requested a change of venue."
Li Lin raised an eyebrow, sensing an ominous premonition. "Did they specify where to move the meeting?"
"The Plant Cultivation Center. That's Chem-Baron Chross' territory," Benso answered for Vander.
Sevika added, "It's near the Border Market, the territory of that fool Finn, and also close to the College Of Techmaturgy. They likely formed an alliance."
Li Lin's expression tightened, a sense of unease settling in. He turned to Vander, "Did they mention why the change?"
Vander sighed, fully recovered in health and color. "I said it before, three of the five Chem-Barons I've fought alongside are part of this group."
He sighed again, "I suspect Lorre and Bonnie joined them too."
"Hmph, a bunch of backstabbers! Vander, you should've abandoned those damn bastards, let them face their own demise on the streets," Benso coldly remarked.
"Don't say that. We've been through thick and thin together," Vander responded, a complex emotion weighing on his chest.
Only a few years ago, they swore together for the cause of Zaun, as brothers and sisters bound by shared struggles and sacrifices. Now, for personal gain, they were willing to exploit people who once shared their identity, even going as far as uniting against him.
People change.
Vander understood this truth, but he hadn't expected them to change so rapidly.
Li Lin, noticing Vander's conflicted expression, pondered for a moment before asking, "Who are the other two newly appointed Chem-Barons?"
Sevika, finishing her beer, replied, "One is Lady Volcova, who controls several mines in the Sump and takes pleasure in tormenting miners, a complete sadist. The other is Lady Lannarel, who built her fortune on Viktor's chemtech patents, primarily dealing in the manufacturing of robotic automatons. She has transactions with the topsiders."
Li Lin admired Sevika's impressive intelligence gathering skills. Even Vander and Benso were unfamiliar with these two Chem-Barons, yet Sevika knew them in detail.
"Lady Volcova enjoys torturing miners, causing at least five deaths each month under her sadistic hands," she continued. "In contrast, Lady Lannarel is relatively benevolent. However, due to her early life in the Sump, her health is deteriorating rapidly."
Sevika, her beer refilled by one of her subordinates, tilted her head back and finished it off. "Honestly, I don't understand why, given Lannarel's health conditions, she agreed to attend this meeting."
Li Lin paid little attention to Sevika's final comment. It wasn't the focus.
The focus was on how to deal with the alliance formed by Vander's five former comrades and the unpredictable, possibly mad, patent thief, Lady Lannarel.
Her likely objective? The underwater armor Li Lin had invented few days ago.
The air was thick with uncertainty, and Li Lin found solace in the notion that his dreams held the key to realization.
After all, the powered armor differed significantly from the streamlined diving suits provided to Kiramman's workforce.
This technology was precarious, demanding firm control in her hands.
Yet, these were mere speculations, born of Li Lin's own musings.
Lanarel might have ulterior motives, a fact not entirely implausible.
"I sense these rascals harbor ill intentions. How do you plan to deal with them?" Benso's harsh voice interrupted Li Lin's contemplation.
"To ascend the lift to the upper levels of Zaun and then rush to the Botanical Cultivation Center, how much time will it take?" Li Lin inquired of Vander.
"This..." He wore a pensive expression, calculating momentarily. "It should take about half an hour."
"Well, considering the lift journey and the potential wait time, it might add up to over an hour..."
Li Lin pondered for a moment. "Let's wait until eleven."
"What?" Vander, Benso, and Sevika were taken aback.
"We agreed on twelve; shouldn't we be early or at least on time?" Vander questioned, baffled.
Li Lin chuckled softly. "its called flair, Vander."
"Flair? What does that mean?" Vander scratched his head, evidently unfamiliar with the term.
"It's not fitting for leaders to wait for subordinates. Imagine if they arrive after you've waited, like a fool. Where's your dignity?" Li Lin explained, not too bluntly.
"If you're worried that these Chem-Barons are in no rush to leave, won't you look foolish waiting for them like a fool?" Sevika added silently to herself.
As expected, Vander surveyed Benso, Sevika, and the other subordinates.
Noting their varied expressions, he lowered his gaze, deep in thought.
After a while, his eyebrows eased slightly, and he looked at Li Lin, unable to resist another question, "Fine, we'll delay a bit. But what if they don't cooperate? What's your plan then?"
"This question, didn't you ask me last time?" Li Lin pointed to his "Infinite" armor.
With a mental command, he activated the armor's weapon modules, revealing shoulder cannons, hand blasters, a beam emitter, wrist blades, and a high-frequency vibration blade.
Vander's subordinates were startled by her actions, fearing he might threaten their leader.
Fortunately, the bond between Li Lin and Vander reassured them, preventing any rash reactions.
"This..." Vander's face showed a conflicted expression. "Are you planning to resort to force? I don't think that's a good idea."
"It's just a last resort. I'm a reasonable person," Li Lin reassured.
Vander's nostalgia didn't necessarily reflect the sentiment of his subordinates, especially those like Sevika who wished for Vander to be the sole authority in Zaun.
Li Lin, aware of these dynamics, believed that removing uncooperative Chem-Barons and letting Vander's subordinates take control would be the best course.
This way, the resistance from the dark forces during the construction of Zaun would be significantly reduced.
After a brief pause, Li Lin chuckled lightly. "I'll respect the wishes of the Chem-Barons. If they don't cooperate, I'll try to persuade them..."
(The end of this chapter)
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