Somewhere in the Central Continent…
"Boss, someone is looking for you," a skinny man reported as he walked towards the main hall of their base.
A handsome man who seemed to be in his late thirties opened his eyes and glanced at his subordinate with an even gaze.
"Name?" the man asked. He ran his hand over his short red-hair, as he shook the last vestige of sleep from his system.
The skinny man could sense that his boss was feeling grumpy, so he decided to cut to the chase and stop talking nonsense.
"H-He said his name is Ezio," the skinny man replied.
The handsome man's body stifferend before standing up from where he sat. He hurriedly left the main hall, leaving his subordinate behind with a shocked expression.
Their boss had always had a calm expression on his face, but after hearing the familiar name, a trace of shock and happiness appeared on his handsome face.
A few minutes later, the handsome man appeared outside of his camp. Currently, several of his subordinates crowded around a man, who was wearing a black robe, with their weapons drawn.
The black-robed man's face couldn't be seen, but his current posture was quite relaxed as if the hundreds of weapons aimed at him weren't a big deal.
"Ezio, is it really you?" the handsome man asked with a smile. His subordinates made a path for him to pass. Just like the skinny man that had delivered the news, all of them also had shocked expressions on their faces.
Their grumpy boss who didn't bat an eye when killing people was actually smiling!
"It is I, Young Master," Ezio replied. "It's good to see that you are hale and hearty. The Commander will be proud."
Morgan happily gave Ezio a hug and patted his back. He knew for a fact that his Father's Shadow Guard wouldn't travel far from where his grandfather was. Since Ezio was around, that could only mean one thing. James was also in the Central Continent!
"Did father send you to find me?" Morgan already knew the answer to this question, but he still decided to ask for clarification. "Let me guess. This is about William's achievements in the Tower of Babylon."
Ezio nodded. "The Commander has sent me to find you. He said that you should pack up and go to the Tower of Babylon. He still needed to go to the Misty Sect and someone has to watch over the family's properties while he is away."
The corner of Morgan's lips curled up into a smile. Truthfully, when he heard the world-wide announcement, he had been very tempted to go to the tower and find William. However, there were still some loose ends that he had to tie up at that time.
He had just finished dealing with an internal struggle a few days ago, so he wasn't in the mood to go to the Tower of Babylon to look for William, whom he hadn't seen since he was a baby.
"It has been eighteen years." Morgan sighed. "To think that the baby I brought back to Lont would shock the entire world. I never saw this coming."
"Neither did I, Young Master. Little Will is such a handful. Even now, I still can't believe that he has conquered the 51st Floor," Ezio commented.
Morgan chuckled and patted Ezio's shoulder. "You rarely speak more than three words. It seems that my nephew made a deep impression on you, old friend."
Ezio didn't deny or agree to Morgan's words. Deep inside, he was feeling proud because he was one of William's Masters, who had taught him on how to make his mark on the World of Hestia.
Morgan didn't mind Ezio's silence. He knew that the man wasn't an expert when it came to socializing, so he raised his hand to catch the attention of his subordinates.
"Tonight we feast!" Morgan ordered. "And tomorrow, we head towards the Tower of Babylon!"
The men surrounding the two raised their weapons to the air and cheered. They didn't know what they were going to do in the Tower of Babylon, but the members of the Red Plague had quickly learned that asking questions was futile.
All they needed to do was follow Morgan, and move unhindered across the Central Continent. They were the famous mercenary group that was feared by many. Once the Red Plague made its move, the lands would be dyed with the blood of their targets.
The next day, the Red Plague marched towards the Tower of Babylon. Countless flags were raised, and the red hornet, which was the symbol of their mercenary group, fluttered in the breeze, like a plague that was about to descend to the land and make those who dared to oppose it die a very gruesome and horrible death.
This great movement alarmed several Empires who were paying close attention to Morgan's movements. It had been a few months since this group carried out an expedition, and the outcome had wiped out an entire Clan that was considered to be one of the Overlords in the Central Continent.
There was a popular saying among those who knew of the Red Plague.
"When the Red Plague ascends, Calamity descends."
This was why even the mighty empires of the Central Continent turn a blind eye whenever the Red Plague crossed their borders. They knew that as long as they didn't do anything to stop them from completing their mission, their sting wouldn't be pointed in their Empire's direction.
—-
"That Morgan has finally made his move again," the Emperor who ruled the Empire where the Red Plague was currently stationed had a grim expression on his face. "Where are they headed this time?"
The Commander of the army had personally flown using his flying mount to check the direction the Red Plague was headed. After confirming with the head of their Logistics Department, they had come to the conclusion that Morgan's band of mercenaries were headed towards the Tower of Babylon.
"The Tower?" The Emperor frowned. He had just returned from the Kraetor Empire where the Tournament of Champions was held. Half a minute later, the Emperor slammed his fist at the armchair of his throne as a shocking realization appeared inside his mind.
"Ainsworth!" The Emperor gasped. "Morgan's surname is Ainsworth!"
Everyone in the conference room looked at their king in surprise. They had almost always referred to Morgan as the Red Plague and they had completely forgotten that his surname was Ainsworth.
It didn't take long for them to connect the dots and the Emperor immediately issued a decree.
"Commander, tell all the towns and cities that the Red Plague will pass through to open their doors and not bar them from entering," the Emperor ordered. "Also, if they need supplies, like food and water, give it to them with a 50% discount! If they have any additional requests, I give you my permission to carry it out to the best of your abilities! Go and do not fail me!"
"Yes! Your Majesty!" The commander saluted and left the conference room.
The Emperor had already sent an envoy to the Tower of Babylon in order to negotiate with William for a collaboration. However, the other party was not present, and only an old man was holding down the fort.
The leader of the envoy had reported that James was very hard to deal with and the negotiation wasn't producing any results. Now that Morgan was going to the Tower of Babylon, he decided to try and cozy up with the Red Plague in order to smooth out the process of their proposal.
The Tower of Babylon had rich resources that couldn't be found anywhere in Hestia. Rare metals that came from higher worlds could be mined on these floors, and were sold for high prices across the continent.
If their Empire could have a partnership with the Ainsworth Family then trying to be on their good side would definitely be worth it. Right now, everyone was like wolves trying to get their share of the fat herd that was waiting to be eaten.
The only problem was that instead of a young man, they were up against an Old Fox who was determined to suck their wallets and blood dry. Because of this, the envoys of the different factions were having a headache.
No matter what they did, James wouldn't budge. He was like a dam that was blocking the water source. Even though everyone was thirsty and wanted to drink their fill, he refused to release the water and kept it for himself!
This made all the factions feel miserable. More than anything else, they wanted the old man to disappear and be replaced by a fox that was not as old and as stingy as him!
If Morgan were to take his place, there was a chance for their Empire to enter negotiations. This was what the Emperor was hoping for.
"All of you, draft a new proposal for the Floors on the Tower of Babylon," The Emperor ordered his ministers. "It's fine if we bleed a little. Once we manage to make Morgan agree, we will be able to regain our losses after a few years.
"Give him an offer he can't refuse! I'll be preparing for my departure to the Misty Sect. When I return, I only want to hear good news. Do I make myself clear?!"
""Yes, Your Majesty!""
The officials of the Kora Empire started to brainstorm how to create a proposal that Morgan wouldn't be able to refuse. The Emperor looked at this scene with a satisfied look on his face before leaving the rest to his Prime Minister.
"I shouldn't put all the eggs in a single basket," Shamus, the Emperor of the Kora Empire thought as he walked towards his chambers. "The owner of the floors is that boy William. I need to make him understand that working with the Kora Empire is a win-win situation."
The Emperor narrowed his gaze as he looked in the direction of the Savadeen Mountains.
"Misty Sect." Shamus sneered.. "Let's see if your arrogance will be able to overcome this hurdle that is going to knock on your doorstep."
