Annan couldn't make sense of their behavior.
It was only after the deed was signed that a new official from the Ministry of the Interior quietly told him someone had apparently set their sights on the Sorendor Ruins and wanted to stop Annan from getting them.
After all, the Sorendor Ruins were valuable for more than the land itself. They also led to the Lower Hive, making them a natural breeding ground for crime.
Olin's explanation fit Annan's understanding better: The Faction that had invited the Rikaner Kingdom had suffered a major setback, but had no grounds to make trouble for Annan. So they had seized this chance to test how far the Old Ancestor would go to protect him.
But Annan had only needed to mention "Sister Eliyes" to scare them into backing down.
In any case, with the deed in hand, Annan was now the legal owner of the Sorendor Ruins.
The first thing they needed to do was hire workers to clear the ruins. Idelia knew Annan had wanted access to the Lower Hive for ages, so she found a gang familiar with it. By the time that gang learned the lord of the Floating City had his eye on them, they were already making arrangements for their own funerals.
"Know why we called you here?"
Francois stared at the nervous leader of the Black Wolf Gang.
"No..."
The gang leader, so imposing in front of his men, now hunched his shoulders and trembled like a bullied little girl.
"You've had dealings with the Lower Hive for a long time?"
"That had nothing to do with me!" the gang leader pleaded loudly, his lips quivering. "They trafficked people, robbed and killed them. We in the Black Wolf Gang just collected a little protection money..."
"I know. That's