"Is this your man?" she pointed towards him. The man was cuffed with thick metal rings from his neck down to his feet. His face showed how much he suffered in the past hours at the hands of the palace guards and Rigo's guards stationed here.

"Yes, he is," many merchants shouted at the same time.

"Good," Islinda smiled before snapping her fingers again. "See, this man was supposed to be… dead in the second upheaval of the monsters in the back of the palace couple of months ago," she said before showing a recording where a monster evolved and caused enough ruckus in the garden of the palace before James appeared, in his dragon form, and killed the monster with ease.

"As you can see here," the screen then rewinded and paused on a single frame, "he was standing directly in front of the monster before…" she paused and the screen moved for one second. "Boom," she clapped her hands loud causing everyone to be jolted in fear. "He died that day."

She then turned towards the man before adding, "can anyone tell me how on earth someone be killed like this be revived? Huh?"

Her words made the entire hall be silenced for long minutes. "Might I ask my lady if he wasn't that person, then who is he?" one of the merchants asked.

"He?" she pointed to the prisoner before adding, "you can ask him yourselves, after all he is all yours," she waved her hand and the guards just tossed the man like he was nothing, falling in the middle of everyone here.

And the next instant, everyone jumped over him and started fighting to get him.

"Some discipline please," she suddenly shouted after a couple of minutes, "after all the emperor himself is watching you right now."

Her words managed to drive back some logic into everyone's head. They retreated, while only the biggest merchants stood there not releasing the man.

"I'll save you the trouble and tell you who he belongs to," she said before pointing to the screen again, "see for yourselves."

The screen changed to show the shape of this man who was being tortured. "Tell us again everything," a harsh tone said while the man spat blood on the ground.

Blue blood!

"I'm not the man you are looking for," the man viciously laughed before adding, "I'm an agent made as a droid and was sent here by one of the strongest men in the entire universe. He wanted you dead, wanted everyone dead, and I'm just his mere tool to do so."

The man laughed before adding, "my face was made upon a face of someone who used to work at you. As everyone had seen me before, they would believe the words said and spread by that man's agents."

"What about the info leaked about the merchant caravans?" the voice came again, hidden from the camera recording, "who is responsible for this? You?"

"Me?" the man laughed before adding, "it's three merchant groups known as the triplet who sold their services and knowledge to that man and he just handed it over to one of his fleet and let the fleet disguise itself as Terases race fleet," the man said before laughing, "pathetic, didn't anyone notice the pattern of attacks? Not every single caravan was attacked despite the ability of the sent out fleet to do that! The caravans hit were all shared caravans with this Triplet group."

The man laughed and the recording stopped at this moment. "See? This is all just a treason between yourselves," Islinda said before shaking off her head, "all evidence is now presented in front of you, feel free to do whatever you want with them."

She shook her head while everyone in the hall was eyeing a group of fifty men and women with glaring eyes. "Now, about the damage you all caused to our reputation," her face changed and she wore a very serious face, "I'll be waiting for what you decide as recompensation. If the pay doesn't like my taste, believe me…"

She paused as she stood up and the entire hall stood up with her as she walked towards her own door, "you'll all regret making me disappointed."

She said those threatening words before vanishing behind the door.

And the next thing happened was for the entire hall to turn into a bloodbath fight between everyone and the group of treacherous merchants.

Islinda had the feedback from the hall just like James. Both watched what was going on after her departure, yet no one of them proposed to stop the fight.

"Hehehe, you are really quite capable," he laughed while she just shook her head. "This lousy tactic isn't something to be proud to crush," she said before adding, "but this is a signal, a warning."

"I know," he nodded before adding, "I will make sure the Terases empire is crushed sooner than planned before going on to make the entire grand sector ours."

She laughed before saying, "this is just half the solution."

"I know," he nodded before adding, "but we still lack the needed technology about how to jump between grand sectors."

She paused for a moment before saying, "after you unify the grand sector, you'll be able to have many information regarding this process."

"I hope so," he said before adding, "go back now and continue your training."

"Won't tell me what is this all about?"

"In time," he closed the call while muttering, "in time you'll know how much I dear you."

"Tsk, you are just a romantic man," the witch said in a sigh, "I hope you were stronger."

"If you like romantic men, then come and get a taste of me," he laughed yet she just ignored him.

Everytime she preyed on him, tried to say something, he would jump at her with his sexual offers, making her silenced by his persistence.

He used this way to make sure she wouldn't bother him a lot. He also didn't want to speak with her, as he knew for sure how deadly she was.

She might sense something from his words, and he didn't want to bring more trouble to himself.

Not when he was this weak and vulnerable.

"Release the news," when he returned to his commanding deck, he said to his droid, "make Dora and Rigo jump to aid in the penetration operation."

"All of their fleets will go with them?" the droid asked.

"Sure, send everything out," James nodded while sitting on his seat. "Wanna play dirty games with me? I will make sure to burn all your chips until you have nothing but your bare hands to play."