Seeing Pompey suddenly become so approachable, Ruby immediately forgot how crushing his presence had felt just moments ago.
Just like the time she'd dared to throw shade at Nineveh right after leaving Hollow Zero, the moment Ruby sensed there was gossip to be had, her curiosity flared out of control. She lunged straight toward the table, eyes sparkling as she asked eagerly,
"City companies getting aggressive? Come on, tell me more!"
Pompey glanced up, his brows knitting together as he turned to the Class President beside him.
"Your friend?"
"Classmate," the Class President replied honestly.
"And the two behind you?"
"A director my mom's company sent to negotiate business, and his assistant."
At that moment, Phaga stepped forward at just the right time and extended his hand.
"Investment Department Director, Phaga. This is my assistant, Ellen. A pleasure to meet you. I've heard Mr. Pompey is the Outer Ring's overlord and has held the position for several consecutive terms—truly impressive."
"A pleasure… Likewise," Pompey replied, shaking Phaga's hand briefly before letting go. "To achieve so much at such a young age—heroes really do emerge early."
He didn't seem to mind that Ellen showed no intention of acknowledging him at all.
Compared to surface-level politeness, pushing forward the Outer Ring's march toward civilization was clearly far more important to him.
Following Phaga's lead, Pompey continued,
"To stand out among so many exceptional figures is no easy feat—especially at your age. Compared to that, the weight of my title as 'overlord' feels rather insignificant."
"You shouldn't say that," Phaga replied, the corners of his lips lifting slightly, clearly enjoying himself. "The winner of the Tour de Inferno is called an 'overlord,' but not every generation's overlord is named Pompey."
"Before entering this city, the Outer Ring was nothing more than a wasteland in my eyes—rebels everywhere, gangs carving up territory, no cohesion, no technical foundation. Just loose sand."
As he spoke, Phaga's gaze deepened, fixing firmly on Pompey as he continued in an encouraging tone,
"But after entering this city, I realized I'd found the budding seed of civilization."
"But it's still only a seed…"
The next moment, however, Phaga was caught off guard.
Instead of pride or satisfaction, Pompey merely shook his head with a bitter smile and let out a heavy sigh.
He stared into his wine glass for a long time. The clear liquid reflected his aged features—and the bitterness beneath them.
Finally, as the wall clock let out a crisp click, Pompey drained the glass in one gulp.
Bang!
The wine glass slammed heavily onto the table.
"When skyscrapers block out all the light, how is anything down in the Outer Ring supposed to grow?"
Skyscrapers… New Eridu?
Phaga raised an eyebrow, calmly refilling both their glasses and sliding one back to Pompey.
"Mr. Pompey, that metaphor isn't quite accurate. New Eridu isn't a single, mindless skyscraper. I'll admit that some merchants are as greedy as jackals—but there are also those willing to give up part of their profits and do business in good faith."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here now, would we?"
"You're right…"
Pompey nodded slightly, accepting the refilled glass. This time, he didn't drink it all at once, only taking a small sip.
"In that case, regarding future cooperation—"
"In that case," Phaga cut in smoothly, "why don't we spend some time discussing the Outer Ring's difficulties? Maybe we can do a few small things within our means."
Pompey had originally planned to steer the conversation straight into business.
But Phaga deliberately interrupted.
He was here to gather information.
As long as he could confirm that the assassination attempt wasn't Lucius's personal decision but an order from the Vanquishers as a whole—
Then he wouldn't hesitate. Even if Pompey was the hope of the Outer Ring, Phaga would still eliminate him with his own hands.
Yet, to Phaga's surprise, Pompey showed no sign of displeasure.
Or rather—he was already used to this.
When negotiating with Outer Ring peers, you had to overpower them first.
When dealing with city merchants, you had to sit through several meals of idle chatter.
Compared to that, Phaga's approach felt perfectly normal.
Pompey nodded and began,
"As you all know, in the Outer Ring—or more precisely, the Old Oil Field—Cinder Lake is our primary energy source. Our technology is limited: we can't explore Hollows properly, nor do we have the capability to build Shiyu Towers to extract Ether for daily use."
"Cinder Lake is everything to us."
"But Hollows are also resources."
…
"In recent years, Ether companies from the city have repeatedly sought to cooperate with us—to jointly explore Hollows."
Ruby tilted her head, puzzled.
"Isn't that a good thing? Going from barely getting by on one leg to walking on two."
She genuinely didn't understand. Cinder Lake energy and Ether energy advancing together—wasn't that ideal?
"If only everyone were that kind," Pompey said, giving Ruby a long look before shaking his head.
"Most merchants are insatiable. Bite off a little more from someone else, and they grow fatter. Greed only expands—day after day. And when that's no longer enough, what will they use to feed it next?"
"In Ether-related fields, the Outer Ring is at an absolute disadvantage. Fair treatment is out of the question."
"If we open up Ether cooperation too early, cheap Outer Ring labor will flood in immediately."
"Then the Ether industry will expand rapidly, even overwhelming the original Cinder Lake industry."
"And once that happens, the Outer Ring is trapped."
The Class President slurped up his rice noodles, then reached back into the pot with his forks, rummaging as he spoke.
As a top student—and the family's sole heir—he'd seen more than enough.
"The Ether industry grows too aggressively. The economic boom comes fast. Even if some Outer Ring elites realize it's a poisoned cake, they'll still take a bite because it looks good—let alone those who don't understand at all."
"In the early stages, merchants might not raise wages. When growth slows later, they'll likely cut them."
"But can workers run? They can't. With Ether industries everywhere, where would they even go? Back to Cinder Lake industries? Don't joke—they'd already have been squeezed into the margins."
Finally, under Ruby's horrified gaze, the Class President delivered his conclusion with absolute seriousness:
"If we cooperate with the city without any preparation, then the Outer Ring's people won't be partners—they'll be nothing more than cheap labor."
Bang!
Like a bolt of lightning, Ruby was completely stunned.
Pure-hearted as she was, she'd never imagined business dealings could be this twisted. She froze on the spot.
Then, applause rang out.
Clap clap.
Ruby turned toward the sound—both Phaga and Pompey were clapping, their expressions filled with approval.
"I never expected the little boss to have such insight," Pompey said with emotion. "Your company truly has a worthy successor."
"Indeed," Phaga added, pretending to wipe away tears. "Independent thinking—how touching."
The Class President, however, was far from pleased.
Hey, what are you doing?
You're supposed to be playing an employee sent by my elders—why are you acting like this?
Don't look at me with that proud expression!
Grinding his teeth, he nearly reached out to grab Phaga.
"But we aren't completely unprepared," Pompey continued.
The Class President paused, turning to listen.
"Cooperating with city Ether companies isn't impossible," Pompey said. "Just as this young lady put it—walking on two legs is always better."
"But that extra leg must remain under our own control. We can't let it grow stronger just because it gets more nourishment, until we end up becoming someone else's puppet."
"The Cinder Lake industry must never be abandoned. It's the entire Outer Ring's—hm?"
Mid-sentence, Pompey let out a quiet sound of surprise.
Everyone turned toward the door.
It burst open.
Amur—who had left earlier—charged in, drenched in sweat and clearly panicked.
"Boss—!"
He staggered forward, slamming both hands onto the table and gasping for breath. It took him several moments to recover.
"The Sons of Calydon… are causing trouble… Our second-in-command—"
"They've taken him."