A few days later, inside an extremely private and heavily guarded conference room of the Convent, the first crucial negotiation regarding Laguna's future landscape quietly commenced.
Around the massive circular conference table, the representatives of the various factions were seated in distinctly divided sections.
On the Mortari family's side, the old Family Head, Francis Mortari, sat in the seat of honor. Hale and hearty, he wore the shrewd smile typical of a businessman, looking as if everything was perfectly under his control.
Beside him sat the young heir, Coletta Mortari, who appeared slightly nervous but tried hard to maintain her composure.
Today, she wore a well-tailored silver-gray formal suit, attempting to make herself look more mature and reliable. However, the glances she occasionally cast toward Rover on the other side of the circular table still betrayed a trace of a young girl's concern and worry.
Zanni stood in the shadows slightly behind Coletta's chair. Still wearing her crisp white suit and black pants, her sharp gaze swept across the room. Like the most vigilant guard, she constantly monitored any movement that might threaten her Second Young Miss.
At the Fesale family's seats, Cantarella Fesale sat completely alone on one side. Despite having the fewest people, it didn't prevent her from unintentionally exuding a powerful "strangers keep away" aura.
Today, she had chosen a deep purple Family Head robe with black trim. Her posture was languid, yet carried an unquestionable majesty.
As her fingertips tapped lightly against the tabletop, Cantarella's blue-purple eyes were half-closed, seemingly lacking interest in the meeting's content. In reality, she was taking in everyone's minute reactions.
She didn't spare Rover a single extra glance, as if he were merely an inconsequential bystander. But that deliberate ignorance itself was a silent declaration.
As for the Convent's delegation, six high-ranking priests sat opposite them, forming a delicate trio of internal factions.
Antonio and Marco sat in the middle-left positions, their faces bearing a deliberately piled-on amiability and anxiety. They were the initiators of this meeting and the faction most eager to obtain the support of the two major families.
The other four priests sat divided on the sides. Some had gloomy faces, some looked indifferent, and some bore scrutinizing hostility. They clearly represented other different voices and factions within the Convent.
Among them, one priest wearing glasses looked very familiar to Rover. After thinking carefully for a moment, he finally recalled the man's name—Alex.
Actually, despite Alex's gloomy face right now, with his hands crossed over his chest as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him...
In reality, this Supreme Priest was panicking out of his mind.
As the formerly most loyal lackey of the deceased Prelate Finlay, he had single-handedly overseen the cooperation with the Fractsidus and manufactured the underground vault incident under Finlay's orders.
Now that Finlay was buried in the Hidden Sea Proving Ground, he had lost his biggest protective umbrella. Who knew how many people in the Convent were eyeing him, hoping to topple him to take his position, or even step over his body to ascend to the Prelate's throne.
The several priests of the Convent had very little eye contact with one another; their internal rifts were obvious at a glance.
Rover sat alone on the opposite side of the three factions at the circular table. This position belonged to no faction, yet allowed him to clearly see everyone present.
His posture was relaxed, his golden eyes calm and waveless, as if he were purely a bystander.
But without a doubt, his very existence was the heaviest weight in the meeting. An invisible pressure blanketed the entire venue, especially over the Convent's side; almost no one dared to meet his eyes for long.
The meeting was filled with verbal sparring right from the start.
Old man Francis was the first to speak, setting the tone with a beaming smile: "The prosperity and stability of Laguna cannot be separated from the joint efforts of all parties. Whether it's the Convent, my Mortari family, or the Fesale family, all are very important."
"Now that the Convent has encountered an unexpected disaster, my Mortari family is deeply pained, and we are willing to join hands with the Fesale family to help our friends in the Convent weather this storm. Therefore, I see this 'Provisional Council' as highly necessary."
With just a few words, he emphasized the phrase "help the Convent," implying where the dominance would lie.
Priest Antonio immediately chimed in, his tone urgent: "Mr. Francis's words are absolutely right! The Convent urgently needs stability and strong leadership. The Provisional Council must be established as soon as possible, granted sufficient power to integrate resources and restore order! We are willing to do our utmost for this..."
His words were filled with a thirst for power. Since he had long decided to rely on the support of the two major families to ascend to the Prelate's seat, he naturally stepped forward quickly to state his stance and secure a front-row spot.
Another gloomy-faced priest immediately interrupted with a cold sneer: "Integrate resources? Restore order? I'm afraid some people just want to use this opportunity to seize power! How can the Convent's traditions and doctrines be so easily altered?"
The meeting rapidly devolved into an argument between the reformist and conservative factions of the Convent. They attacked each other, blaming one another for the Prelate's death and the incident at the underwater Proving Ground. The scene was chaotic for a time.
Watching this chaotic scene, Coletta tightly clenched her small hands under the table.
She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and proposed according to the plan she had agreed upon with her grandfather beforehand. Her voice was crisp but carried a nearly imperceptible tremble: "Esteemed Priests, please calm down. The most urgent task is to quell the internal disputes in Laguna."
"I believe that in its initial stages, the Provisional Council should first focus on public livelihood and economic stability. The Mortari family can take the lead in establishing a Commerce and Resource Allocation Committee to ensure market supply and pacify the people..."
Her proposal was pragmatic and specific. It immediately earned an approving glance from Francis, but also drew dissatisfaction from some priests, who believed Mortari was trying to use the opportunity to expand their commercial influence.
Right at that moment, Cantarella suddenly let out a soft chuckle. The laugh wasn't loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention, causing the arguments to stall.
She languidly lifted her eyelids, her gaze sweeping over the arguing priests as if watching a boring farce: "Have you argued enough? You can go back and argue about the Convent's internal affairs later. But right now, we are discussing the future of Laguna."
Her voice seemed languid but carried a trace of icy oppression: "The Provisional Council naturally requires power. But this power is for getting things done, not for satisfying the selfish desires of certain people."
She sat up slightly, tapping a fingertip against the table. "I propose that the council establish a 'Security and Order Committee' underneath it, responsible for integrating city defense, maritime patrols, and... the management of affairs related to public Echoes. In this regard, the Fesale family has some negligible experience and can reluctantly shoulder the burden."
The moment these words came out, the expressions of several priests changed drastically.
Echo management and portions of the armed forces—these were among the Convent's absolute core domains of power!
"That is absolutely impossible!"
A previously silent priest suddenly stood up in opposition, and the other priests chimed in in agreement.
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