"I do have some intel on the supply of monsters for lease having increased a few-fold. Considering they are equivalent in strenght to C Rank Blessed, and that they will fight each other without any issues, it wouldn't be strange to start seeing families use them as disposable forces.

" And the atmosphere of the entire room froze, as even Marcel stared at him dumbfounded.

'Noah, I think you just said something really outrageous,

" Lilith's voice echoed in his mind.

And in line with her thoughts Marcel's mind roamed into a realm where a single family could, by mustering all their liquidity, hire half a hundred monsters as powerful as C Rank Blessed unnanounced and wipe out an opposing family's lower rank circles. Not only that, if anyone could take all those under their control, it would be possible to shake the entire structure of Eyrin's underground.

And Noah, realizing where their thoughts could be going, spoke once more,

"But you shouldn't worry about anyone managing to buyout the entire supply at once. Also, the contracts given to the leasers are very detailed, and if persuaded properly, can contain some requests for the greater good,

" Noah spoke, calming them down and bringing them back to the table from their daydreamings of doom.

"Even more so, the contracts are not irrevocable, and that guy over there has the power to rescind and recall the monsters any time he wishes. Of course, doing that too much would hinder the business, but it can be done,

" Noah kept throwing more bait, waiting for the sharks to start biting.

"I would guess you, Elder Noah, have a direct line of contact with that man on the picture, isn't that so?

" One of the first sharks started biting, a middle-aged man dressed in a fancy suit, that probably cost as much as Noah's now wrecked car.

"Unfortunately, I do not. That person wants no recognition or position within Eyrin or those involved in the events that take place here. I do, however, have a very close relationship with the person responsible for pricing and sales, who is also the manager of the leasing venture. With his help, I am sure our dearest maked individual would listen to our requests,

" Noah kept reeling him in, waiting for the key question.

"So, if we provide enough reasoning, we can bring them to our side, isn't that so?

" Another shark bit the bait. This one was a woman, dressed in a dark purple tulip dress. From appearances alone, she looked fairly young, but Noah could feel a lot of experience in her voice and tone, that which comes with age for most people. And what she was proposing was exactly what Noah wanted. But his playing around was also noticed by those who knew him, namely Marcel and Michael, who frowned their brows. The bearded warrior on the other hand, had a broad smile on his face.

"I would not say bring them to our side, as they are neutral,

" Noah pulled the proverbial fishing line, enlightening the Elders to the benefits of courting his and Carlos' little thing. 'However, we could always reap some benefits, even if just easening the vetting process to members of our family.

"

"It's good, it's good!

"

"Indeed, the Khan Family is already deeply indebted to you!

"

"It would be great if we could have them on our good side!

"

"We should discuss the reward to Elder Stern for his deeds towards this family, else we would look bad!

"

Just like he expected, based off of his words and having their funds taken away by Marcel, the sharks inside the Khan Family quickly decided it would be best if their lost money were invested in this arrangement, so maybe they could recoup some of that loss in benefits themselves, so long as they could overpower Marcel, and offer Noah a warmer welcome than he would otherwise. Or so they thought, not understanding this was his plan all along, and that they wouldn't get much if any benefits off of this deal.

"Noah, it would be wise if you stopped feeding the lions while you have no risk of them biting your hand,

" the bearded warrior said sternly, silencing the other elders.

"Marcel, you may continue.

"

"Thank you, Elder Sardak,

" Marcel thanked the bearded warrior using a name Noah hadn't heard before, not even once.

'Huh... Tyrel Sardak, where did I hear this family name before?' Noah wondered, knowing he had heard this name at least once as a child, but unable to pinpoint where from.

"Back to where we were, I would like to address some things. First, do not expect to have a say on where I spend the money we recovered from your wrongdoings. The only reason the names and amounts are not disclosed to this entire meeting is to not bring shame upon your names in front of everyone, and I hope you keep that in mind, before I start disclosing that information,

" Marcel started off by provoking the ond sharks Noah had tried to fish, which annoyed him a little.

"However, what you said has value, and the Khan always rewards those who gift them. But in this instance, all rewards will be negotiated and handled by me, and me alone. I will not have the likes of you taint this negociation,

" he spat out with disdain, standing atop of the elders, even if just a group of them. Noah didn't understand why he was doing this, since it would clearly make it harder for him to do anything that required those guys' approval. But again, considering how he had two of them killed and issued fines at will, Noah didn't quite get the reason for elders even existing.

"Marcel... I think this is going a little too—

" Michael started speaking, but was silenced by Tyrel, who raised a hand.

"Like I was saying,

" Marcel cleared his throat.

"Today's most important issue is with the matter of the leasing of the monsters. Half of whatever our family gets assigned to us, or more if available, will be directly under me, to ensure the safety of our main building and personel. As the head, I will assign one of our bodyguard squads to the head of this endeavor, Carlos, so long as he accepts it, and with Noah here, I think he will, and another for Noah and his family. I will also assign one of those monsters to each, as a token of good will.

" Noah almost let escape a laugh at the thought of having his own imps assigned to him while being paid for it, but thankfully managed to keep that urge down.

'I see you are enjoying tormenting those poor souls a lot... Are you becoming even closer to the ruler of hell?' Lilith joked around with him, which was clear by her cheery tone and the occasional giggles in her voice.

'Aren't you also enjoying this? After all, we'll have a lot more time to rest if they take care of the hard stuff,' Noah answered her with another question, feeling the snake's mind become more relaxed. What he didn't know however, was what exactly she was thinking about when he told her more time to rest, or the fact that waking up today the way he did was not accidental at all... which would make him a bit more wary if he knew.

"Noah,

" Marcel addressed him direcly,

"we are counting on you to make sure no family is able to overthrow one another by using massive numbers of those small red goblins.

"

"I can give you my words that no family will ever be able to pull it off with them alone. And seeing the fact all present here are at least C Rank Blessed, I wouldn't fear us being one of the first targets,

" Noah said it trying to make the atmosphere lighter, but in turn, made it worse.

"That's exactly our fear. Now that the Hyu Family is known to be far weaker, some of the other families may try to overtake them and turn them into a branch. If that happens, the entire balance of Eyrin would collapse. We must not, under any condition, let a family be destroyed, or annexed. Unless we are the ones taking them under us. Else, things would start getting bloody.

" Marcel's words could be counted as a warning, but were something Noah was already aware of since the very beginning. Eyrin was a city small enough not to harbor the attention of the powers of this planet or others, but if it were to have its power structure shaken enough someone could have a shot at taking over without being noticed, things would quickly turn bad for both the Nine Families, and the people living here.

"All that said, and everything set in motion, there's one less matter that I want to take into consideration before we finish this meeting. As you all know, now we have two members of the main Khan bloodline in this Elder Council. That being the case, it is part of the traditions, in order to easen the rulership of the entire Khan Family, that it is set to the vote who is to be the Head of this family. This also marks the end of my time as the Intermn Head of the Khan, and the result of this vote will define the next head for its entire lifetime. I could have waited a few more weeks, but after the efforts to clean the Khan Family of dissidents and enemies, this is the perfect time,

" Marcel said, taking a deep breath and drinking the remainder of the water in his glass..

"Elder Michael Khan, please take the seat at the opposite corner of this table.

"