"I can’t explain every detail yet," I say, setting the cup back down on the table after another sip. "First I need to orchestrate the pieces. But if this works, it’s going to be far safer to rescue my father than trying a frontal raid on a Deepwarden base."

The name of the guild hangs heavily in the air.

Even inside the private room of the tavern, the simple sound of that word feels wrong. As if the entire world had learned to fear them so much that even the walls react.

Veric starts serving himself some stew.

His hand trembles slightly as he holds the metal ladle. A little. Almost imperceptible. But I notice.

He stays silent for a few seconds before lifting his eyes to me.

"Well... all of this is insane."

I think about saying something sarcastic, maybe to lighten the tension. But he continues before I can open my mouth.

"But my father told me why I should help you at any cost. So I’m in."

Ah...

So Garen really did tell him everything. Or at least enough.

The fall of the kingdom. His own death. The political collapse of Azure both in Thirstfall and on Earth. And probably Veric’s own future as well—a man surrounded by influence but empty of legacy. A famous face trying to survive in a world that had already moved on without him.

I decide to confirm without making it too obvious.

"You’ll help even with nothing in return?"

Veric raises an eyebrow on the spot, visibly suspicious. Then he closes his eyes and crosses his arms, letting a breath out through his nose.

"When you play not to lose everything, that’s already a win." He opens his eyes again. "We’re up against the Deepwarden, right?"

"Exactly..."

I take another sip before looking at the next member.

"Oliver?"

The man scratches his throat and rests both elbows on the table.

"I already promised I’d follow you. Doesn’t matter where."

I nod slowly.

Oliver then points his spoon in my direction.

"Just pay my wife’s bills. I’m broke."

I laugh. He laughs along, joining me immediately.

"You’re definitely broke."

"I’m being serious, boss. She’s going to kill me when she finds out I bet almost everything I had on arena fights. Lucky thing I won."

"Lucky? Thanks for the share of credit. Anyway. You’ll get your cut," I promise.

And I really do intend to keep that.

Oliver wasn’t just useful. He was the rare presence holding entire structures together quietly, while smarter people believed themselves to be the protagonists.

Then I look at Rhayne. She’d been staring at the stew with a wrinkled face. And then she catches me completely off guard.

"Can I order something else? I’m starving."

I blink a few times.

I have no idea if she dodged the question on purpose, or if she just considered her own answer so obvious she didn’t feel the need to say it.

She only wanted to keep eating.

"You can order whatever you want. It’s on me."

"See?"

I tilt my head.

"Hm?"

The three of us look at her, not understanding anything.

Rhayne holds the menu with both hands. Her eyes scanning every option cautiously.

"That’s why I’m going to follow you forever."

I smile without being able to help it.

"Because I feed you?"

Veric almost chokes again, laughing.

"No! Obviously not..."

She turns two more pages of the menu before finally finishing her thought, after swallowing the embarrassment of speaking up.

"You were the first person who helped me after Arthur. I know you won’t abandon me."

The mood shifts at once.

Heavy.

Silent.

Hard to sit with.

Even the distant noise of the tavern seems to vanish for a few seconds.

Then I point at the menu in her hand.

"In that case, pick the most expensive dish you can find."

She breaks into a giant smile.

"Yes! Awesome!"

Oliver raises his cup.

"Another round?"

Veric and I confirm at the same time.

The waitress appears shortly after the bell rings and takes the orders. I wait for her to leave before getting back to the important matters.

"Oliver. You’re going to be in charge of manufacturing the LDP Potion."

The big man immediately straightens his posture.

"We need automation and serialized production. Can you do it?"

"Maybe. Is the formula complicated?"

"Not really. I made it myself using a Tier 1 alchemy kit."

"Tier 1?" Oliver’s eyes widen. "Uhm... does it use runes?"

"Yes. I’ll pass you the formula later."

A few minutes later, the waitress returns with the new drinks and Rhayne’s absurd order. We wait for her to leave again before continuing.

Oliver seems to be finishing some mental math.

"I can manage it," he says finally. "But we’ll need plenty of capital for large-scale production. How many do you want to make?"

"About a thousand a day. Thirty thousand a month."

"Wow..."

Oliver slowly rests his spoon on the table.

"That’s a lot, boss. If we use drowneds as labor, we’ll need at least twenty or thirty employees. And that’s without counting raw materials, since I haven’t even seen the formula yet."

I look at Veric.

I give a small half-smile.

He immediately shakes his head no, before I even speak. Because he already knows.

"We already have the money. Veric’s father is going to finance it."

"You bastard... he hasn’t even said yes or no yet..." Veric growls, sulking.

"He will."

He lets out a heavy sigh. He’s been doing that a lot lately.

"And what exactly do I do in all of this?"

"Marketing."

Veric furrows his brow.

"You and your father are men of business. We need to turn LDP into collective desire before the competitors understand the size of the market."

Veric stays quiet for a few seconds.

Then slowly begins to smile.

Because now he can see not just the plan, but the size of it.

Then I look at Rhayne.

Her cheeks are completely full of food, as if the world were ending in five minutes and she didn’t want to die hungry.

"And Rhayne..."

She lifts her eyes immediately.

"You’ll be our spokesperson. You’re beautiful. You’ll draw the attention we need."

"Whaaat??"

She answers with her mouth full, so surprised that some of the grains don’t even look properly chewed.

Oliver starts laughing in that funny way of his, and Veric starts laughing at Oliver laughing. For a moment, I feel that the friendship in this room is a real, built thing.

"And the second part of the plan?" Veric calms down and asks, after going back to a few more spoonfuls of stew.

I slowly run my thumb along the Crest of Monarch that Garen gave me.

The metal still feels too heavy to be carried by someone like me.

"That part I keep to myself. I’ll tell you when I’m sure it works."

The room goes silent again.

Then I smile.

"Let’s shake the world a little."