Golden sunlight spread across the land as Durlag awakened from sleep.
More and more people appeared on the streets, and the bustle of a new day began again.
The Union's headquarters was exceptionally lively. Staff members streamed toward the compound one after another, guards assembled, security was tight, and everyone wore serious expressions, their eyes carrying hints of excitement and anticipation.
Outsiders had no idea what was going on. Their curiosity was piqued, and they speculated whether some major event was about to occur again. Quite a few people gathered at the notice board across from the compound to wait.
At this moment, in the conference room of the Union headquarters, every senior figure who could still draw breath had arrived, their expressions solemn.
The seat of honor at the head of the long table was empty. Anser Holrewen sat opposite it, facing the gazes of everyone present with calm composure.
Quentin swept his gaze across the room and gave a light cough.
"The meeting will now proceed to the final vote. Those who agree to appoint Mr. Anser Holrewen as President of the Durlag Union, please raise your hands."
Under the complicated gazes of all the senior members, nearly all the councilors raised their hands at almost the same time.
"Passed unanimously!" Quentin stood up. The tension on his face dissolved into a smile as he gave a slight bow toward Anser. "Now we invite the President to take the seat and give a speech."
Even Anser had not expected things to go so smoothly, without even a single dissenting voice. After all, no one could really claim to know him well.
This outcome was inseparable from the support of Iris and Quentin. Even if others had objections, they could only swallow them.
He rose, walked forward, and sat in the seat of honor. Iris sat on his right, Quentin on his left.
"Thank you all for your trust. At present, Durlag faces both internal troubles and external threats. I hope everyone will cooperate sincerely and together defend this one of the few remaining places of peace."
"I am not yet familiar with how Durlag operates, so for now everything will remain as it is. I ask everyone to put in a little more effort," Anser said with a faint smile.
"Of course…"
Seeing that the new president did not begin issuing commands or interfering, everyone's smiles grew even brighter, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed.
Next, they discussed how to announce the appointment, as well as the major problems Durlag was currently facing.
In the end, everyone unanimously decided to continue concealing the news of the former president Stoll's death. Officially, it would be said that he had suffered severe injuries and had temporarily stepped down, while Anser would assume the position of the new president.
After the meeting dispersed, only Anser, Quentin, and Iris remained in the room.
Quentin was the "chief steward" of Durlag—everything passed through his hands, and he had a thorough understanding of the city's situation.
He was Stoll's confidant and had neither foundation nor background of his own.
Aside from him, the other five councilors were no ordinary figures. Behind each stood organizations or families powerful enough to influence the balance of the city, such as Fort Jacqueline, which stood behind Iris.
Quentin knew why Anser had asked him to stay. He took the initiative and laid out everything he knew without reservation.
Durlag was neither large nor small, with a permanent population of fewer than ten thousand. The Union had roughly more than four hundred people, including over three hundred and fifty guards and more than seventy staff members.
The guards combined military, police, and judicial functions into one, and their duties were varied, including public security, judicial affairs, patrols, defending the city... They were Durlag's core armed force.
Sheriff Pardo had been personally appointed by Stoll and counted as one of his direct subordinates, so he was trustworthy.
Little Harold, the finance and tax officer, came from Fort Jacqueline. He was the old steward's second son and controlled Durlag's purse strings. That was also why Iris understood Durlag's economic situation so thoroughly.
"You may need to pay closer attention to Councilor Graham. Governor Rein was also recommended by him. Over the years, his Iron Crown Chamber of Commerce has developed with fierce momentum, seizing most of the weapons market, and its conduct has become increasingly flamboyant," Quentin reminded him.
"Iron Crown?" Anser asked in confusion.
"I suspect it is a subordinate chamber of commerce of the Iron Throne. Iron Crown is merely a disguise." Iris curled her lip. "The evidence is that they used to behave themselves, but in the last few years they have repeatedly targeted my chamber of commerce, and their methods have been underhanded."
Fort Jacqueline was involved in every kind of business. It had multiple farms, wineries, and ranches, but its core products were high-end weapons and equipment, which were in great demand in Durlag.
Competition had always existed, but anyone who dared use dirty tricks against Fort Jacqueline necessarily had something backing them.
Anser said nothing. So this girl had also had selfish motives in making him President.
The Iron Throne had only just schemed against him. If the investigation confirmed it, there was no way he could simply stand by and do nothing.
"It could also be Amnians." Quentin felt this possibility was somewhat greater, because the Amnians had once bribed the Union, and only Graham's attitude had remained ambiguous.
"That probably isn't it. Graham's parents, wife, and children all died because of Amn." Iris gently shook her index finger.
After thinking it over for a moment, Anser decided to go and take a look himself. "Mr. Quentin, organize a dossier on Councilor Graham and the Iron Crown and get it to me as soon as possible."
"Also, have the guard recruit people as quickly as possible and bring its numbers up to three hundred and fifty. Going over strength is also acceptable. Things are going to become very chaotic next, and the military is the top priority. Also, I brought two people..."
He arranged for Giant Tail and the green dragonborn to join the guard together. Giant Tail would command a unit of his own, with status second only to Sheriff Pardo.
On the one hand, this could strengthen his control over the guard. On the other hand, it could also enhance the guard's combat strength.
Kaleno would temporarily serve as the President's assistant and remain stationed at the Union, conveying Anser's orders and, on his behalf, managing and supervising all kinds of affairs.
He had proposed this himself. He was worried about his older sister and did not want to remain shut away in Holrewen. In the city, he could receive all kinds of information, and there would always be a chance to learn about the outside situation.
Anser could not have asked for more. Kaleno was a level 4 Psi Warrior—powerful, intelligent, and highly knowledgeable—so he could handle this with complete ease.
"No problem. I'll take care of it right away." Quentin stood up, carrying something of a swift and decisive air.
Since the person had been chosen by himself, he could not waver from one moment to the next.
"Wait—find a place and I'll take out the spoils of war. There are quite a few muskets among them, which can be issued to the guard," Anser called out to stop him.
"These… are all for us?" Quentin was startled, then immediately showed delight.
Muskets were very expensive. Even an old one cost dozens of gold coins, while the annual salary of an ordinary guard was less than forty gold coins.
"To be precise, they are spoils from the Union's participation in the battle. There are also some weapons and armor. After some repairs, most of them can still be used. As for the specific distribution, we can discuss it later," Anser emphasized.
He was now the president and already regarded the guards as his own force. Strengthening their combat capability was imperative.
"Mm, I understand." Quentin's smile was full of wrinkles; he had not expected Anser to be so generous. "The guard training base next door has warehouses, and there is also a logistics department specifically responsible for repairing weapons and equipment."
"Let's go."
The group left together and headed for the guard's warehouse.
After driving out the unrelated personnel, Anser waved his hand, and batch after batch of weapons and equipment piled up in one corner of the warehouse.
In yesterday's battle, the Amnian army had come but none returned. More than three hundred and twenty people had been captured, while the rest were either severely wounded or dead. The cost of treatment was too high, so they had all been abandoned.
Among the thousand soldiers were three musket units. Three hundred muskets were left behind; fewer than half were damaged, and nearly two hundred remained intact and usable.
After discussing it for a moment, the three decided to leave one hundred and twenty muskets for the guard, fully equipped with weapons and ammunition. If it was not enough, they would buy more and establish a musket unit of around one hundred men.
Anser took the remaining dozens of muskets and their ammunition, along with two hundred sets of intact weapons and leather armor. Holrewen would sooner or later form its own army, so it was best to prepare in advance.
After leaving more than a hundred weapons and leather armors for the guard, all the rest were handed over to Iris for disposal.
After looking through the register of magical items, she only took two Antimagic arrows and asked for nothing else.
Anser knew she was being considerate toward a pauper and did not stand on ceremony.
There were nearly thirty magical items, and their value was considerable. He decided to let Salian and the others choose first, then keep a few good ones and sell the rest.
After all the commotion, by the time Anser left the guard's compound, it was already noon.
Meanwhile, the entire city of Durlag had exploded into an uproar. The Union's announcement was like a bomb dropped into deep water, stirring up towering waves.
In streets and alleys, everyone was discussing the news that the Union had a new president, and Anser's name was spreading everywhere like wildfire.
This man had directly caused the destruction of a thousand Amnian elite soldiers and had even killed a black dragon. More than two hundred people had witnessed his feat.
This news was even more shocking than his election as president!
Especially after the battlefield was exposed. Some adventurers had "stolen" soil soaked in black dragon blood, further confirming the truth of the report.
The title of dragon slayer was placed upon the new president.
However, a certain piece of news, its origin unknown, began to circulate quietly through Durlag, causing the heated atmosphere to become tense once again.
The former president, Stoll, was dead!
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