Seven in the morning, Faoken, sixth floor of the Governor's Office.
John stood on the balcony in military uniform, looking down over Fang City. His eyes flickered.
Behind him, Wendy read aloud from a confidential letter that had just arrived from the Morning Star Clan: "Following the coup, the Morning Star Clan's Council of Elders has passed a resolution to cooperate with Faoken on development by nine votes. The current clan chief, Adam Morningstar, has also agreed to step down in three months."
"Furthermore, his daughter Sanna Morningstar is engaged to Leon Li of the Victoria Kingdom. They have not yet formally married."
"Once these arrangements are finalized, Chief Adam may, given his temperament, lead some Morning Star Clan members to the Victoria Kingdom to join the Francis Family. We trust the governor will take note."
"Uh, so, Captain, that centaur elder Gray Hoof actually pulled it off?"
Wendy was surprised. She had thought a coup would involve at least some bloodshed. She had even planned to use it as entertainment, gossiping with Laiya and the others that evening.
But these centaurs of the Morning Star Clan had turned out to have no fire in them at all. They hardly seemed like Beastfolk!
Tch. What a letdown!
Robbed of her chance to host an evening gossip session and be its star speaker, Wendy pursed her lips in displeasure.
"What did you expect? Did you really think they'd bash each other's brains out? If they were that stupid, the Morning Star Clan could never have become a sizable Beastfolk tribe. Or rather, what used to be one."
John shot the Pighead Squad Leader an exasperated look, took the letter from Wendy, and skimmed it to make sure nothing had been missed. Then he asked, "Where did you put that centaur envoy,