The next day, Minos was already aware of Sender's approach to the level 115 Supreme in time for him not to accept Jade Chainsaw's offer.
This was already a minor victory for him. In Minos' opinion, even if the man didn't accept his offer, Tiolos would have to think twice before acting against him. After all, he had clarified that he knew about the enemy's interests, which meant that dealing with him wouldn't be easy.
That alone was much better than the situation in which Tiolos would receive the enemy's proposal before knowing about Minos' alternative and the consequences of accepting one of the two proposals.
As soon as dawn broke, he left the headquarters and returned to the surface of Examire to meet the man in person before he had Tiolos' definitive answer.
Tiolos would not be foolish to act before confirming payment with one of the two sides, so Minos was not afraid that the man would act against him.
...
As Minos made his way to where Tiolos was staying, the leaders of the Jade Chainsaws were trembling with worry at their headquarters. On the floating island that was the Armhands' headquarters, somewhere in the guild's inner area, four high-ranking Sovereigns were now huddled together, worried about Tiolos' position and what Minos might have offered.
"How the hell did Minos find out about our attempt to use Tiolos against him?" One man asked.
A level 112 Sovereign suggested the obvious: "We found out about Tiolos from a third party. Minos may have found out the same thing and figured out an easy way to deal with us."
"But that's a serious crime! He's the head of the Law Enforcement Hall. Would he dare to use an outside guild member against us?" One of the gathered men asked, his hypocrisy seemingly invisible to him.
"We can use that against him if Tiolos decides to stand against us..." The faction leader suggested.
"That would be dangerous, boss. What if some superior asks us how we know that? Minos is the supervisor of the Law Enforcement Hall. Before he goes down on a charge like that, he could end up taking us down with him." That was a reasonable concern. The evidence they had of Minos' possible agreement with Tiolos to act against them was the same as the evidence Minos had of them trying to do the same!
If Minos fell, he probably wouldn't fall alone!
"That..."
"That's true. It probably wouldn't be a good idea."
"So what do we do?"
"We are at a crossroads of fate. Either Tiolos takes our side and we win, or we'll probably be slaughtered by the enemy," muttered the most pessimistic of them, feeling fate against them.
Since they had already used almost all of their cards and understood Minos' current abilities, this group knew they wouldn't be able to eliminate Minos without Supremes. Even if Tiolos didn't help their enemy against them, the supervisor of the Law Enforcement Hall could certainly take them down himself in the near future!
"Let's hope he chooses us. Otherwise, we are dead!"
...
Meanwhile, Tiolos walked through the central streets of Examire, thinking about the decision he had to make.
He had spent the last 14 hours thinking about it and had come to several conclusions. Minos would pay him more if he acted. However, the Jade Chainsaw's mission would be easier, as there was only one target. Minos would surely leave something valuable behind when he fell, but it was no guarantee of a high return for a Supreme. Against Jade Chainsaws, each kill would be easier, but he might have to spend a long time in Examire. The advantage was that he could collect resources from the aliens he killed, just as he could do against Minos.
Minos would certainly be the most cautious, so it was very likely that of all Tiolos' potential targets, he would be the one who could cause the man the most trouble and the least return once he was dead.
Amidst the many doubts in this Zocarro native's mind, he suddenly saw a young man of level 105, brown hair with a few white strands mixed in with the brown, standing in front of him.
Seeing the Armhands symbol on the human's forehead, it took Tiolos only four seconds to identify the person.
"Minos Stuart, I suppose," he said with a smile on his face, noticing the artifact that gave Minos his abilities beyond what was normal for him.
'This is the artifact the guy mentioned... A powerful item for Sovereigns indeed. But it won't help me in the same way it can help a Sovereign.'
"Senior Tiolos, it's a pleasure to meet such an eminent figure as you. May we speak for a few minutes?" Minos nodded toward a green area of Examire, where the man was to make his decision.
"Of course." The man agreed, curious about what Minos had planned. Although he hadn't decided yet and had no signed agreements, Tiolos knew he could capture Minos and negotiate with the men of the Jade Chainsaws later. If this human was there to talk to him, risking himself like that, he must have something important to talk about!
After walking to a less crowded area of the city, Minos said to Tiolos, "Senior, I have some opportunities ahead of me I'm afraid Jade Chainsaws will never have. Besides being a seer, I have far more potential than those guys. While they have only offered you resources, I am at your disposal for a deeper arrangement, a long-term alliance."
"Alliance? You know I'm not part of any power, right? My goal is to get away from Oqia and reach Uzira. We won't have much chance to help each other after this agreement."
"Uzira? The alleged continent of the Supremes?" Minos was interested. "Can the Senior tell me more about it? I also have interests in Uzira."
"Uzira may only be a legend. But it's the oldest place in Zocarro. In the distant past, when Zocarro was inaccessible to other civilizations, the powers of Uzira ruled the world. In self-defense, they created powerful phenomena in the world's oceans, making it difficult for any non-native of Uzira to enter their ancestral home.
Since then, Uzira has become a mysterious domain for those from Oqia. Even Supremes stronger than I would find it difficult to travel to Uzira, but these are the difficulties that prove the value of the ancestral continent.
If there are beings strong enough to manipulate the planet in this way, then they are stronger than the leaders of Oqia! Reaching the Upper Realm will be easier for someone who can reach Uzira!'