"In the end, are you trying to threaten us?

" Jacob asked while squinting his eyes. But what made Markus add a massive score of bonus points to the man's name in the former saint's inner evaluation system was the fact that the man didn't back out under his pressure.

"Call it a threat; call it to advise. I don't really care,

" Markus shook his arms as he replied.

"But right now, I still have yet to hear a single proper reason for you to stop this entire crowd at the gate. Since when people are forbidden from adventuring en masse?

" Markus asked, pressing his points.

'He wants to change the topic,' the former saint thought, trying to analyze the situation as calmly as possible. 'And that means he is just buying time,' Markus concluded before casting a short glance to the back. Even though the talks have yet to turn into a long stalemate, some of the people were already getting restless.

"Ever since this encounter started, you continued to claim that we have no right to stop you here,

" the high interrogator spoke up, gracing Markus with a lovely smile.

"So far, I ignored that part, but I guess it's time for me to address it,

" he added before taking a step forward. For a moment, Jacob entered a contest of stares with Markus, as if curious who would come out victorious from it.

But rather than continuing this meaningless stand-off, he then stepped to the side. He passed by Markus, clearly intent on addressing the crowd.

"The amount of goods that you are going to pass by the gate falls under the Logistical Regulatory Act,

" Jacob spoke out with his face towards the crowd. Still, no one had any doubts about who those words were truly aimed at.

"As such, I'm well within my right to strip you of roughly half of the possessions that you are carrying. While the tax would only require half of it, not reporting the excessive amount of cargo obviously results in a regulated fine,

" Jacob said in a calm voice. While it wasn't silent at all, given how massive the crowd ahead was, it was pretty doubtful whether anyone outside of the first few rows managed to hear **.

While this alone was enough for anyone with brains to understand that this whole act was nothing else but an extension of the earlier negotiations, Jacob still had some reasons to continue it.

"What's more, there is a strict limit to how large an exploring party can be,

" he said as he turned around to face Markus again.

"Tell me, are you going to claim that your party is actually only fifty people strong, with all the other people just happening to be here?

" he asked while a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Or do you want to tell me that you don't care about the regulations, the same regulations that the locals set up to prevent a single force from taking over the riches of the deserts all to themselves?

" he asked another question while taking a step forward.

"What the heck do you want?

" Markus asked, not keen to answer any of the man's questions. 'If I allow him to set up the pace of the talks, it will be his win no matter the outcome,' he thought. While on its own, this kind of statement would sound stupid, there was one great disparity between Markus and Jacob that made it so hard for the former saint to win this battle of wits.

And it was knowledge.

Without the perfect understanding of the local laws, Markus had no hopes of claiming victory over the legal grounds of what he was doing. After all, whenever he would strike down a single argument, the other party could use its authority to bring forth two more laws forbidding what Markus wanted to do.

And no one would be any wiser whether such laws actually existed or were just a story that the high interrogator came up with to confuse Markus' side.

"What do I want?

" Jacob smiled, sensing the blood like some kind of seasoned hunter beast.

"So you are not going to pretend any longer than you have those serial killers pacified and ready to strike us down at any notice?

" he asked with a vicious smile.

But Markus didn't reply. For a long while, he simply stared at the man's face as if trying to judge something out of it.

Then, instead of opening his mouth, Markus raised his hand.

"The moment I lower my hand,

" he started, finally looking back at Jacob's face,

"the massacre will begin,

" he said in a monotone voice as if he was too bored with the ongoing situation to care about it any longer.

"So we are back to threats. Do you really have nothing else...

" Jacob attempted to ridicule Markus' warnings, but he wasn't given the time to do so. Midway through his words, Markus simply brought his hand down.

"KILL!

" In an instant, several shouts erupted from the crowd. And while nothing happened in an instant, just this swift reaction to Markus' words was worthy recognition.

"Do you think that shouts alone will be enough to scare me off?

" Jacob asked, finally starting to lose it. 'This guy is pissing me off to no end,' he thought while gritting his teeth. 'But I can't challenge him directly. He is way too...' he thought, only for all the alarms to go off in his head in a moment that could only be called random.

Jacob raised his hand at the same time as he coated it with a layer of protective energy. It was all but an instinct acting out.

An instinct that saved his life.

As soon as Jacob looked up, he saw a massive ax embedded into his hand. While it somehow managed to break through his protective layer of energy, it appeared as it lost just the right amount of momentum to lock itself against Jacob's bone rather than cleanly cutting his arm off.

And then, the mess in the crowd became obvious. But it only lasted for a second, after which a small number of men walked out of the crowd.

'Who are they?' Jacob thought as the sudden rush of blood to his head prevented him from thinking clearly. The seriousness of the attack and how potentially disastrous this injury could be to him have yet to sink in.

But the people that Markus called forth didn't bother with giving the high interrogator any time to recover.

Each of their steps was worth three or four steps of his. The only reason why his head wasn't looped off yet, was how carelessly and slowly those people moved forward.

Yet, at the same time, Jacob couldn't help but feel as if both their speed and how lose their ranks were had some kind of meaning that was escaping from his attention.

His heart rate started to increase as more and more energy started to flow through his veins. It was Jacob's body reacting to the injury and attempting to mend it.

"You have time until they reach you,

" Markus said with a laidback attitude. He looked as if he was only interested in finding a good spot to watch what was about to transpire on the square.

"Time for what?

" Jacob asked, feeling how the first needles of panic started to sink in his soul. 'I'm a high interrogator... Just for injuring me, I could order them all to be executed on the spot!' he thought angrily when the devastating realization struck him. 'I could order them to be executed... But who would be capable enough to actually fulfill my order?' Jacob asked himself while taking a moment to judge the strenght of the approaching people.

But as he looked towards them, he noticed something weird. While their pace of movement was as slow as that of a snail, in this short moment during which he didn't pay any attention to them, they managed to close half the distance that initially separated them!

And then there were their eyes. There was no hint of mercy or remorse in them. Just a simple focus on fulfilling the task mixed with something that Jacob couldn't put into words. 'It's like this primal rage you can often see in infuriated monsters,' Jacob thought before involuntarily gulping down his saliva.

"I need you to let me and my unit accompany you to wherever you are going and accepting the claims we will make to the land we will find,

" Jacob suddenly said, surprising himself with this act.

"Denied,

" Markus instantly replied, not bothering to even think about the offer.

"Come on!

" Jacob protested, quickly reaching the barrier beyond which there was only a chaotic realm of panic.

"I cannot ask for less, but with that power on your hand, it's not like you believe the Star Emperor will have any means of enforcing those claims of ours, don't you?

"

In his panicked state, Jacob revealed the only way out for everyone to leave the place satisfied.. Markus people without any further obstacles standing on their path and Jacob without a warrant for the heads of him and his entire family.