Birth Of The Crafts-God

In a conference room, a meeting was currently ongoing with seven men present in the room, of which six of them were seated while the last stood in the middle. Continue reading at empire

"Hugo, explain yourself this moment." An aged man stared at the man who stood before him.

The man standing was the chief examiner for the EVL, who had a confrontation with Lucas right after the results of the exceptional basis exam was released.

Hugo was a man who lusted power and praises, as such, he didn't like it when he was looked down upon by people whom he felt were inferior. When Lucas had challenged the results, albeit rightfully, this incensed Hugo especially since Lucas was just a human. Ever since then, Hugo saw Lucas as nothing more than a stain that displeased him, but he had left Lucas to be after the event, thinking nothing of him.

However, as Lucas began to rise in popularity, this irked Hugo even more. It felt as if Lucas was jeering at him while retaliating against his decision. As a consequence of his suspicions and twisted logic, Hugo accepted the suggestion made by the alliance of the top fifteen vestige-smith companies to release an official statement against Lucas and the Seven Sparks Forge.

This wasn't difficult as the head of the Eretrean Vestige-smith League branch in Baylands city-state was currently out of the region. As for the vice-head, Hugo was confident that the latter wouldn't have an issue with this, after all, there was no lie on the notice; the vestige-smith behind the Seven Sparks Forge had indeed not registered with the league. The notice was simply stating a fact, and why the timing might seem obvious as a targeted decision, so what about it?

With the way the vice-head saw things, the store owner was a human, so, there was even less reason to be bothered about their opinion.

Hugo understood exactly how the vice-head thought, which was why he was confident that he could get an official statement. So, after accepting the bribe from the alliance, he gave the suggestion to the vice-head. Upon receiving approval, he then proceeded to publish the notice denouncing the Seven Sparks Forge store.

However, the Seven Sparks Forge, in just seven days, had turned the entire momentum against them. The public's support for them was at an all-time high. Many other vestige-smith companies that were previously on the fence in this matter, were now scrambling towards their side for a slice of the pie.

The EVL, which stood on the opposite side, was now looking like a joke.

"I, I'm sorry." Hugo kneeled and pleaded.

But deep inside, he was cursing at the vice-head. The latter was the one who had approved the notice otherwise it wouldn't have been publicised. It was obvious that he was trying to push all the blame towards him at the moment.

"Tch. Damn it. This matter is now getting out of hand."

One of the present figures, a senior executive of the organisation, grunted.

"It can't be helped. It was a miscalculation on our part. Rather than blaming Hugo, we should try and find a way to solve this." Another man said.

From the contents of his speech, it was clear that he was close with Hugo and wanted to relieve the blame on the latter.

"While that is true, the manager of the store is someone we should focus more on." Someone suddenly said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Haven't you guys noticed it yet?" The man said as he glanced at the other executives present.

"That young human had given a response to everyone else. For the two commissions, he paid a visit and settled the complaints easily. This was simple thanks to the amount of wealth he had accrued as well as Novanio Tech's influence. For the alliance, he responded by releasing a new set of vestiges targeting them even harder than the previous two. But for us, he's done nothing.

"Isn't it clear to you yet? He's looking down at us." The man said with a cold voice.

All six of the others present, Hugo included, widened their eyes in shock. At first, they were astounded by this deduction, but they realised that it was true. The Seven Sparks Forge, or rather Lucas, had given a response to three of the four organisations that had targeted him with public notices. Yet the EVL, which was supposed to be the most troublesome of the four, was left on read [1].

"That can't be right, maybe he's leaving us for last?" One of them said.

This was the thinking of the majority. It was a well-known tactic to leave the best or the most difficult task for last. As such, the executives had not thought much about the fact that Lucas hadn't given a response to them yet.

"Maybe, but some part of me suggests that it could be otherwise." The man who brought up the idea said.

"Just think about it. Based on his actions, we can determine a lot. The young human kid might be a bit lacking when it comes to running a business properly, but his responses have been apt. He bowed his head to the government and cleared his debts, even though it cost him a lot. Rather than falling for the alliance's tricks, he worsened the situation and even targeted their various businesses directly this time around.

"You don't think that the fact he created an accessory and clothing type vestige was just a random thought? It's obvious the message he was trying to pass across. He was informing the alliance that his master's skills weren't just limited to weapons. Some in the alliance weren't weapon manufacturers, yet they still targeted him. With this move of his now, they would be on their toes and the alliance might even break apart due to fear.

"This shows that whether it be the young man of the vestige-smith behind him, either of them or even the both, are cunning individuals. They know how to pass a message without even making a sound.

"But isn't it weird that all this time has gone by and there's still no moves from them? It can't be clearer than this; they simply do not take us to be anything."

*Bang*

The vice-head of the league's branch pounded his fist on the arm of his chair, breaking it apart.

"Hehe. A measly human and an unknown vestige-smith dare to be this arrogant? Even if they were a peak Tier 1 Master, such rude behaviour can not be tolerated by the league. This is an insult to the league's honour and status!" The vice-head roared.

"Since they dared to mock us like this, then we have to show them the true power of the EVL."