Amid the uproar of condemnation, Fogg took a deep drag on his cigarette. Nekla, their guest, only smiled more broadly.
"Come on. Emerald City strictly controls lethal weapons." Good Guy Tommy coughed and poured cold water over everyone's enthusiasm. "Forget military crossbows—you can't even get ten big cleavers in the city. How are you going to fight? Swing clubs or wave kitchen knives?"
"Raid the Vigilant Hall. That's the fastest way to get weapons," Jaga said sarcastically. "Or the Emerald Legion would work too—they have the best weapons."
The entire warehouse fell silent.
"Calm down, everyone." Frango tried to cool things off. "We're not discussing a minor matter."
"Uh, everyone, I'm not trying to be discouraging, but have you ever thought about this?" Zeka the Newspaper Seller wiped his glasses and tucked the cloth back into the pocket of his expensive coat. "If Black Silk really did it, why didn't they come straight for you leaders? Hmm? Why not slit your throats and hang you upside down, for example?"
The bosses around the round table frowned.
"That makes sense." Good Guy Tommy spoke slowly. "Now that Roger mentions it, it seems all the people who died were enforcers, street cleaners, bodyguards, fist fighters..."
"The best fist fighters," Gutierrez said coldly.
"They were my brothers, earning their meals under me!" Roger was highly displeased as well.
Sangare shouted angrily, "And my dog!"
Tarimi protested with a frown, "Hey, the one who died was my brother-in-law! My wife's own younger brother!"
Jaga chuckled beside him. "Which wife was that again? Your seventh or eighth?"
Zeka raised both hands to suppress the noise and continued.
"I know, I know... In short, you suffered neither major losses nor crippling damage that affected your businesses. You were merely left perfectly intact, with every reason to