Healers' Nirvana lost a huge chance to retaliate when its two prominent rankers got trapped inside the ruins in another dimension.
Amory was already a well-established ranker in his generation. And Nina had proved her mettle by mastering the Nirvana array. The absence of such powerhouses in the guild at the time of the attack made things more difficult.
The act of forcefully exiting the isolated dimension had made Amory expend his already dwindling life force. It was no longer possible for him to sustain a serious duel for a long time. Something that was required for a forced breakthrough.
Nina had tried to help Amory. But both of them had come to realize that their attempts were futile after exiting the Badlands with Eren. After all, it was counterproductive to help someone when the task was meant to be completed without anyone's help under tremendous duress as a requirement.
"Hehe. No need to worry about me, Uncle Amory. I'll be fine."
Jiana flashed an assuring smile to Amory that looked genuine. She then turned to Nina before speaking up.
"Master Nina, I'll approve your contract termination immediately if you wish to. There's no need for you to suffer with us. You are steadily rising in rank. We wouldn't want to hamper your growth because of the guild's setback."
Nina was glad that she got to work in such a caring environment. She smiled at her current guild master before responding to her.
"About that… Guild Master Jiana, there's someone else present here who wants to talk to you about the future of Healers' Nirvana.
Eren?"
Nina called out to the butcher who was watching their conversation from the sidelines. He stepped forward when Nina called for him and bowed to Jiana. Nina made brief introductions before Eren took the reins from her.
"I am sorry for all you are suffering through, Master Jiana. I understand that it is a difficult time for you and your guild. Due to the emotional turmoil you might be experiencing, I didn't want to bring up the subject so early.
However, I have a limited amount of time to devote to guild matters. And there's sort of an emergency in my guild. So I hope you'll forgive me for what I'm about to say. That's because I know it may come across as a rude thing to say even if it is spoken with only positive intentions. That is, if and when you permit me to speak on the issue."
Jiana had a visible frown on her face when she listened to an Adept-ranked junior as Eren spoke. She looked at Nina and Amory for an explanation. The latter did not know what Eren was about to say and the former pleaded with her to listen to Eren.
Jiana sighed before nodding to Eren. The latter had chosen his words aptly, giving Jiana a sense of control over Eren's opinions. It was the kind of control she was psychologically seeking to have in her life these days.
Eren pursed his lips and nodded to Jiana before speaking in a careful tone.
"Why don't you consider dissolving your guild into mine, Master Jiana? I'll take your guild members and your remaining resources under my umbrella. Of course, I'll look after the guild's current expenses for maintaining the guild lands."
Jiana was stunned when Eren tried to take over her guild using the most benign language possible. His words were soothing but his intentions were anything but. At least that's what Jiana felt immediately upon hearing his proposal. She was not the only one thinking that.
"You insolent brat. Are you trying to sully a Master ranker's pride?"
Amory's aura exploded in the room, creating a suffocating atmosphere for a few novice-ranked servants present in the room. They collapsed on the floor with their eyes turning red, as if they were subjected to the most brutal form of torture possible. This happened silently as if the Novice-ranked servants had lost their voice in the process as well.
The butcher was not affected by Amory's aura. His lack of response to Amory's presence shocked the three B-rankers the most.
"Pride isn't enough to fill an empty stomach, Master Amory. And listen to what I have to say first before passing judgment."
Eren said in a serious tone. He chose his words carefully. But one could feel that he wasn't scared of someone like Amory even with such a big ranking difference between them. The old man had one foot in his grave and the butcher had a home-ground advantage.
It could be seen as a humiliation for the B-Ranker if someone like Eren tried to have designs on their possessions. Still, there was something about Eren that made Jiana not take offense. His body language was non-aggressive yet confident. This was not the behavior of a hot-blooded ranker but of a veteran businessman who knew how to run an organization.
Jiana then looked at Nina who stood right behind Eren to show her support. Jiana finally sighed before giving Eren a green signal. She also gestured to Amory to cool down before that.
"No promises but I will listen to what you have to say."
"That's all I asked for from the beginning, Madam Goldy Wings. Thank you."
The butcher nodded and bowed once again to Jiana. He had referred to her kingdom-bonafide title to highlight the fact that he recognized her as a powerhouse.
The butcher first made all the Novice-ranked servants leave his study before speaking further.
"I intend this merger to be a friendly takeover rather than being seen as a hostile one. Of course, I neither have the capacity nor the intention to launch a hostile takeover of a wrecked guild in the first place.
To do so would be like a mortal disturbing a beehive, knowing that it will not have enough honey for them. A successful gambler and a successful businessman have one thing in common. They prefer to bet on a fit horse.
Please don't mind me when I say that your guild can't be referred to as a fit horse anymore. It's a dying horse that needs to get out of the race if it wants to survive."
While looking into Jiana's eyes, Eren spoke calmly.
'Damn, those eyes. She's a pretty elf. I'll give her that.'
Eren thought to himself as he maintained a stare-down. At the same time, for some reason, Jiana felt that the butcher was an apex predator in more ways than one.
