In the northern district of Brighton City, many half-timbered buildings stand, with interiors that resemble palatial splendor. The most famous of these is the Worsley Manor, located near the central council. This is where the current lord of Brighton City, Edwards Child, both works and resides. Worsley Manor symbolizes the pinnacle of human power on the Southern Continent, covering 1,800 acres, encompassing one-third of the land in the northern district. The manor consists of three buildings arranged in a fan shape around a central garden. The main building serves as the city's parliament hall and is built in the traditional Southern Continent style, with an elliptical roof under which the flag of the Human Alliance flies.
As previously mentioned, the human population today consists of people from both the Southern and Eastern Continents. While Eastern Continent hosts four major human cities, Brighton City stands out as the most advanced in terms of technology and military power.
The day after the Moon of Thunder's arrival, within the parliament hall of Worsley Manor, a large rectangular rosewood table was surrounded by several high-ranking military officials. There was an active general, two brigadier generals, three colonels, and eight majors seated on the left side. On the right, members of Brighton City's nobility included two dukes, four marquises, and seven earls, facing the military leaders of the Human Alliance. At the head of the table sat Lord Edwards Oubrey, the ruler of the city. They were all attentively listening to a report from the captain of the enforcement team, who was dressed in a penguin uniform.
"According to the report, two days ago, the chief of the Arosa Tribe, Crazy Blade Arosa, went to meet his rival, Iron Shield, the chief of the Masai Tribe. Following this, Arosa approached the winged tribe near the Elven Forest, and soon after, the leaders of the Zuloo, Boma, and Oba tribes, who had been embroiled in civil strife for years, arrived at Masai Tribe's territory. A long meeting lasting 16 hours took place." The captain, after finishing the report, saluted the high-ranking officials at the table and stepped back to stand near the door.
"The six major tribes—no, according to the latest report I received, there are ten tribes gathered in Masai," General Horton said as he absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the back of his hand, squinting at Lord Edwards, who appeared serious. "Have the Elves been notified?"
Horton's voice carried an imposing presence, filling the room with a tense silence, broken only by his rhythmic tapping. The captain of the enforcement team nudged his colleague, Dodge, a rare participant in this high-level meeting. Dodge, who had brought the information about the tribes gathering, was a team leader from the Etzikri Enforcement Division.
Dodge, coming back to his senses, took a few steps forward and leaned toward General Horton, responding, "An enforcer has already been dispatched to the Elven Forest to report to the Queen."
"We need to meet with the Elven Queen as soon as possible. It's truly troublesome that these Elves refuse to use telegraph machines," Horton muttered. On the opposite side of the table, the only duke in Brighton City, Jamis Oselay, spoke, "Have any of the generals sent people to investigate why these tribes, who have been in constant civil conflict, are now holding such a large gathering? As I understand it, the last time these senseless Orcs held a meeting, it was due to their alignment with those miserable and insignificant gods..."
Jamis' voice grew quieter as he reflected on the past. Despite humans having opposed the gods during the Great Fall of the Gods, a significant portion of the population, especially the farmers, believed that the gods supported and helped them. A few nobles were also aligned with that faction, including the Oubrey family. Although Edwards' title was lower than Jamis', in terms of wealth and power, Jamis couldn't compare to the influence of the lord of Brighton City. The room fell silent for a moment.
Edwards, showing little sign of anger or joy, appeared to ignore Jamis' words. He leaned forward with his hands clasped under his chin, focusing on the military leaders sitting to his left. "Generals, I only want to know one thing: Will these Orcs invade Brighton City's borders?"
"We don't know. We don't even understand their purpose for gathering," replied a brigadier general, previously stationed in the Elven Forest. He had been reassigned to oversee the situation regarding the tribal leaders.
Edwards shifted in his seat, his posture becoming more intense. "You say the Orcs are gathering together to plan something. Meanwhile, here we sit, a room full of people who pride themselves on being wise and intelligent, yet we all rely on the generals and earls for guidance. Does that not mean we, the so-called humans, are no better than those mindless Orcs?"
"Don't think you can speak so recklessly just because you're the lord," a marquis who held a title comparable to Edwards' retorted.
"Then why is it that, despite this being a meeting of over twenty people, not a single one of you has proposed a solution or even a suggestion regarding the Orcs' gathering?" Edwards suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up angrily. "I gathered you all here not to sit idly by but to use your military forces to deter those damn Orcs. General Horton, Duke Jamis, you two command the largest land armies on the Southern Continent, and yet, all we know about these Orcs is that they've gathered together, and we don't even know whether they intend to attack Brighton City. As the lord of Brighton, I am deeply concerned. I fear that these Orcs may break into our city, sever the heads of our citizens, and eat them! I implore you, Duke, to allocate funds to General Horton so that he may take action and intimidate the Orcs to understand what they are up to. Is that acceptable?"
Jamis attempted several times to interrupt but couldn't find the right moment. He kept signaling to General Horton with his eyes. The two had already agreed beforehand to downplay the lord's influence and ignore whatever Edwards said. But now, General Horton had taken the initiative and even softened his stance, apologizing to Edwards.
"I did not realize how deeply you care about the residents, Lord Edwards. My earlier remarks were wrong," Horton said, offering a military apology. "With financial backing, I will lead the troops south and uncover the Orcs' intentions."
Jamis immediately sensed that things were going awry. According to their earlier plan, they were supposed to ignore Edwards' requests, but now Horton was aligning with him. Realizing this, Jamis, though reluctant, spoke up, "Since General Horton has decided to lead the troops, I shall not lag behind. I am willing to contribute 50,000 to the military funds to investigate the Orcs' purpose and protect Brighton City."
"50,000 for the investigation and 50,000 for defending the city. Truly, the generosity of the highest-ranking Duke of the Southern Continent is commendable. I thank you for your contribution," Edwards responded, immediately converting the 50,000 into 100,000, signaling the end of the meeting.
As the nobility left, their conversations centered not only on the Orcs' gathering but more on Edwards' cunning. They had initially planned to weaken the lord's authority and strengthen the military and noble factions, but Edwards turned the tables on them. Even Jamis, who had believed he could manipulate the situation, was left with the costly lesson of underestimating Brighton City's ruler.
For Jamis, one of the most powerful nobles on the Southern Continent, the Orcs' potential invasion of Brighton City held little personal consequence. His own forces were more than enough to protect him as he fled to the Eastern Continent. His main goal was to leverage this rare event to gain more power and wealth, reflecting the self-serving nature of the aristocracy in human society.