Ethan finally spoke, his voice cutting through the heavy tension like a chilled blade. "If you're so desperate for resources, you could have just asked. Should I write you a check?"
The blatant sarcasm hung in the air. A few muffled chuckles escaped from the back of the hall, but the auditorium quickly plunged into an oppressive silence.
The Scavenger Leader didn't flinch. "I think there's a misunderstanding. We don't need your money. What we need is security. My troops have been completely relocated to our core territories to defend against the increasing attacks from the Outsiders. As far as I know, the forces of Celestial and Desert Oasis have done the same. Every Obsidian-rank group has been forced to pull back due to the immense pressure we are facing on our primary borders."
He paused, glancing toward the middle rows. "Every Gold-rank group and below can testify that two months ago, we ceased collecting protection fees. We simply can no longer guarantee their safety."
