OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 139: The First Talk

"Can these guys learn how not to interrupt someone?" Lily complained, her frustration

evident in her voice.

Emir couldn't help but chuckle softly at her reaction, an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

Waving his hands in a gesture of silence, they took it as a signal to hush, their anxiety hanging heavy in the air.

The room grew still as they awaited his next move.

But Emir was still, his mind racing with possibilities and potential outcomes of how this conversation would go.

He then turned his attention to the terminal in his hand, the screen displaying the ongoing call.

[Lyra, can you track the call?] Emir requested, aware that the caller on the other end likely had countermeasures in place for any attempts at tracking.

He knew the odds were against them, they always were... But he was willing to take any chance, no matter how slim, to gain an advantage.

[Already on it,] Lyra responded, her voice calm.

Bringing the terminal closer to his ear, the call automatically answered.

"....."

But neither of them spoke.

Emir stayed silent, bracing himself for the consequences of their conversation.

He knew that every word he uttered, every decision he made, could have significant consequences.

And as the moments ticked by, the tension in the room continued to grow.

Emir and the caller maintained an unyielding silence, neither willing to break the stalemate. The minutes stretched on, each passing second only amplifying the weight of the situation. Ten minutes had now passed, an eternity in the context of the room.

No one had expected this prolonged silence, not even Emir himself.

His family looked at him with downcast eyes, their expressions a mix of fear, hope, and silent pleading.

They wanted him to end this confrontation, to put an end to the mounting pressure that was slowly devouring their spirits.

But Emir remained steadfast, his gaze fixed on the caller ID that displayed a single word: [Manager.]

He scoffed, and with subtle movement, his finger hovered over the screen, the weight of his decision pressing upon him.

In a single, decisive click, he ended the call without uttering a word, the sudden silence reverberating through the room.

The tension in the air seemed to intensify, as if the weight of the unspoken conversation lingered, with uncertainty hanging in the atmosphere as it was unclear what repercussions this silence would bring.

Emir's family exchanged glances, their anxiety now mixed with a sense of relief that the prolonged standoff had come to an end.

They longed for answers, for a resolution to the mounting conflict that had enveloped their lives.

But at that moment, all they had was a lingering sense of unease and a multitude of unanswered questions.

Leaning back in his chair, Emir let out a long sigh.

He looked at the three women in front of him and simply smiled, saying:

"Well, that went better than expected."

His family looked at him with confusion, and for the first time ever, Lyra was confused too.

They glanced at each other and then back at Emir, asking the same meaning question:

"But how, bro?"

"What do you mean, dear?"

"Is there something you didn't tell me?"

And even though they all spoke at the same time, it was obvious to Emir, who asked what.

Putting his terminal back into his pocket, he chuckled out of nowhere, the smile on his face not reaching his eyes.

Eyeing the ceiling, he simply said:

"Greed."

Letting out another sigh, he continued:

"Magnus is greedy, and what would a greedy man do when there is something he wants but can't have?"

Raising his palm, he answered his own question:

"He will do anything to get it, and he wouldn't sacrifice what he has to do so, but now that comes with a question. What does a successful, greedy man have?"

Seeing that he stopped talking this time, Lily raised her hand once again, wanting to answer. Seeing him nod, she spoke, "A greedy man... A successful one must have, personnel to do his bidding... Influence of a certain level allowing him to do whatever he wants, causing all his doors to be open, while he obviously must have money, to buy whatever he wants too..." "And finally, power, if any of the above can't be of use, he would force whatever he wants to be his possession."

Looking surprised, Emir smiled at her.

"Perfect answer, I'm proud of you sis."

Lily giggled as her mother squeezed her hand, saying the same thing silently.

While Lyra simply nodded at her and asked something that she already understood, only wanting to clarify the situation to her family:

"So now you're saying that Magnus has all four, and we are currently dealing with his hounds, the Elite, but that is something we already knew... So what does that have to do with his

silence?"

His smile vanished as those words left Lyra's lips, and he said with a solemn tone:

"Magnus believed I would give him the advantage there, but now seeing that neither of us spoke, what would he do? Find something that would hurt us, but now you might be wondering... He already did with the court hearing, right?"

He chuckled.

"But no... That wouldn't be enough, he needs an edge over me so that he could make me give in, and lose our silent confrontation, so I ended the call, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere." Squeezing her daughter's hand even tighter, Laura asked, her voice showing panic:

"Does that mean that he would now use any of those who want his favor to cut ties with our company?"

With a nod, he confirmed, "Correct, he would use the Elite and their influence over the relic market to isolate us entirely, and the UEF can't do anything about it. While we never intended

to work with them, we might need to do so now."

He looked at Lyra and asked:

"Did you involve him? And have you made him trust us?"