Staring at Uwa's body lying in a pool of blood, Basali could not find peace. She was no killer, and now that her revenge was complete, she felt an unexpected emptiness. Together, the mother and daughter buried Uwa's body.
"Let's go," Basali said to her daughter. "It's been ten years. It's time we tried to live a normal life."
In the wake of Uwa's death, relations between the City-State and the Nine Stars United steadily deteriorated, erupting into several minor skirmishes. De Silva was deeply troubled; this was the exact situation he had dreaded.
In the administrative building of Zi City’s Northwest District, on Al-Dabsha Island, twelve members of the Grand Elder Council were seated—a rare occurrence in recent years, convened only when a matter of great importance arose. De Silva was among them, serving his final year in the post.
The rules for the Grand Elder Council's election were as follows:
The first council of twelve was composed of the founders. Each term lasts five years, at the end of which six members must step down, and six new members are elected to replace them. An individual can serve a maximum of two terms (ten years) in their lifetime. The six outgoing members are determined by a vote of the entire council. The six new members are chosen from individuals who hold the rank of Knight's Committee member in their respective city-states. Each city-state may nominate two Knight's Committee members as candidates. If there are more than ten nominees in total, the current Grand Elder Council votes to narrow the field down to ten. These ten candidates then campaign through public speeches, and the final six are elected by a popular vote of all New World citizens.
A man in his forties, dressed in the traditional attire of the City-State, spoke first. "The Nine Stars United have already captured thirty of our City Guards. We must take some—"
"And why did they take our people?" a red-haired woman interjected.
The man was slightly annoyed at being cut off but explained nonetheless. "Melanie, I'm sure you've heard. Since Lady Uwa's death, Bayu has become the new chairman of the Nine Stars United. His two sons are extremely belligerent and have been constantly testing our patience. Not long ago in Asia, they forbade the City-State from establishing a new city and injured four of our Knights. And this time, they've directly abducted thirty of our City Guards and two staff members from the new city's preparatory office."
Melanie was in her thirties, with a delicate, apple-cheeked face, expressive, captivating eyes, and long red hair framing a slender, well-proportioned figure. Having grown up in the City-State, she had a deep affection for it. Hearing this, she shot to her feet in a fury, slamming her hand on the table. "This is outrageous!"
"We should still try to negotiate. It would be best if we could all sit down and talk things over calmly," said another man who appeared to be in his fifties.
Melanie retorted angrily, "Mr. Jonathan, at this point, what is there to talk about? We need to be firm, capture some of their people as an exchange."
Jonathan looked at the first man who had spoken. "Josh, what are your thoughts?"
Josh didn't answer directly, instead turning to De Silva. "You've always had a good relationship with the people from the Nine Stars United. Why don't you give negotiations a try?"
De Silva shook his head helplessly. "Mr. Josh, you give me too much credit. In the past, I was only able to resolve conflicts through my connection with Uwa. Now that she is gone, I'm powerless. This Ethan fellow is extremely difficult to deal with, and hot-tempered. He's always believed that they saved the City-State and that we should defer to them in all matters. If I go to him, I probably won't even get through the door."
"De Silva, you are one of the twelve members of the Grand Elder Council. Why do you speak of yourself so humbly?" Melanie asked, puzzled.
"The reality is that within the Nine Stars United, Ethan is now the number one figure. His father is chairman in name only. He would listen to Uwa, but he won't necessarily listen to Bayu. I'm just an old man on the verge of retirement. Why would he pay any attention to me?" De Silva explained.
Silence fell over the room as everyone contemplated the apparent necessity of force. Jonathan then spoke up with a suggestion. "What about sending Alena?"
"Why her?" De Silva asked, confused.
"I've heard that Ethan is quite fond of her. Perhaps sending her could ease the tension between our sides."
De Silva refused immediately. "Absolutely not. I will not let her take that risk."
"How can we use a woman to resolve a conflict?" Melanie supported him. "It would be a disgrace to the City-State. I also disagree."
Jonathan's face flushed, and he fell silent.
A moment later, a staff member entered and whispered something in Josh's ear. Josh's expression shifted, a flicker of anger in his eyes. After the staff member left, two council members asked in unison, "What happened?"
"Six of our captured City Guards have been killed by the Nine Stars United."
"This is an outrage!" Five members, including De Silva and Melanie, shot to their feet in anger.
Jonathan, ever the calmer one, asked, "Do we know why?"
"It appears they were executed after a failed escape attempt."
"There's no point in seeking talks now," Melanie said furiously. "It's time to teach the Nine Stars United a lesson."
De Silva nodded. "I agree with Melanie. If we are too weak, they will think our City-State is an easy target."
For the first time, their opinions were unanimous. The discussion turned to how to retaliate. "We must first rescue the remaining people, or their situation will become dire," Jonathan said.
De Silva stood up and volunteered. "I'll handle it."
Melanie was surprised, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "Spoken like a true man of the City-State. I'm impressed."
Buoyed by her encouragement, De Silva felt a touch of pride. He glanced at her, only to find her looking back at him. "When you return," she said, "we can get dinner together."
"Are you two arranging a date?" Josh asked with a smile.
Knowing her brother was once again going off to rescue people single-handedly, Alena was worried and wanted to go with him. De Silva initially refused, but she pestered him until he had no choice but to agree.
The next day, they set off from Zi City with four stealth robots. Their destination was Brazil, in South America. They boarded a private jet provided by the City-State, and after a two-hour flight, they landed at a small airfield. The two of them deplaned, the stealth robots following close behind. De Silva decided against using stealth for himself this time; it would be a disadvantage, as it had only caused trouble last time.
After waiting for about ten minutes, two people from the City-State's reception team—a young man and a young woman—approached them. Seeing De Silva and Alena, they quickened their pace. When they reached them, the girl spoke. "Excuse me, are you the two from Zi City?"
"Yes," Alena said, displeased. "And you're later than the agreed-upon time."
The girl looked apologetic. "I'm so sorry. We took a wrong turn."