On a leisurely afternoon, the imperial capital of Gefra had just been washed by rain.
The damp air after the rain carried the fragrance of earth. Some plant in a flowerpot was stretching out its branches, with droplets of rain clinging to its flowers. Everything made people feel so comfortable and at ease.
Behind the windowsill beneath the flowerpots, several gentlemen sat together. Some held Kolef, while others held large tobacco pipes. Each of them was pondering the news brought by the Prime Minister.
The Federal President had personally called to extort a sum of money from them.
When they had first heard the news...they had all thought the Prime Minister must have been terribly bored and was trying to trick them for amusement.
But when he had actually gathered everyone together, they realized that it was not a joke.
"I think...we can give them some money. It isn't much, and our current situation doesn't allow us to make any other decision at this time."
The first to speak was the Army Minister. Rather than send his subordinates to their deaths, he felt it would be better to give them money. Either way, they would have to pay in the end.
If he turned the money into pensions for the families of fallen soldiers, not only would the Department of the Army become even more dissatisfied with him, but people might also throw stones into his courtyard at night or smear dog shit across his car's windshield.
Giving the money to the Federation, on the other hand, would neither cause casualties among their own people nor prevent Gefra from demonstrating its role in the entire affair.
He added, "This time, we still have to send a military observation delegation. We need to reassess the military strength of the Federation and