The first thing to be done was to send a message to Priya, so she could contact the Morgana Fortress City directly, and notify them that Wolfe, a ranking Demon and some of the more powerful Witches would be coming to visit to talk about the city's trade networks and daily operations.

He had let Reiko run things on her own for as long as he could, and while he did feel a bit guilty that he was going to cut short her attempt to take over the Fortress City as was her birthright, there was no reason that she couldn't continue to be the head of the Coven even if the city was under a Guardianship.

[Priya, did you get all of that?] Wolfe asked when she didn't reply to his mental message.

[I got it, I just need a second to process it. You, along with the Demon that has taken over Gormana, are going to show up at the Morgana Coven's Fortress City and inform them that they are becoming part of the alliance, with trade routes and a working international agreement, including roads.] Priya replied.

[I mean, we can start by asking politely, but they're not well known for their ability to be reasonable, and they're not going to last long as an isolated Fortress City that no longer has access to the territory and the farms.

They've already lost control of everything that you can't see from the city walls, and the locals just call it Morgana Coven Territory as a courtesy due to historic significance. They're no longer part of the Coven, and they've already got a working agreement with Gormana to trade goods.

Technically, the villagers have one with me as well, though not all of them. I only dealt with a few dozen, and we send them trade flights a couple of times a week.] Wolfe explained.

[Stop and pick me up, I've got to see this.]

If it hadn't already been clear to Wolfe that this meeting was going to be a shitshow, Priya's reaction would have made it clear. Maybe he should bring a potential Guardian with him? A friendly Fae would do the job well enough, and the Morgana Coven didn't have anything against the Fae. Oh, and the Headmistress. Peach was friendly, and they were still sending regular deliveries to the Academy.

In fact, Wolfe was reasonably sure that one of the Nymphs that he had seen here during the Festival was hers, as it had a habit of escaping to go do fun things every time it found a loophole in her orders.

Wolfe turned to the Demon Guardian of Gormana. "We should find a Fae Guardian for the Fortress City. They have a thing against Demons, and they actually ban them from the city with a curse. That should be broken now, or it will be once I arrive and use Mana Purification on the area, but they still won't be all that happy to see Demons among the crowd.

That includes me, of course, as they were the ones that cast the Demonic Curse on me."

The Demon laughed at the thought that they would have attempted to curse a Magi as a Demon, then recalled that they had often referred to the Magi that way as an epithet, as if Demons were lesser beings than witches.

Kira, the Kitsune who was among the first Demonic residents of the town, before it even had a proper forest around it, was passing by and overheard their conversation.

"I know of a good one. I mean, she's a bit under levelled, but it's just a town, even if it has a lot of people." The fluffy Demon suggested.

"Oh, bring her over, and we will see if she's fit to be a Guardian." Wolfe agreed.

She ran off into the underground area, headed for the school, while the Gormana Guardian and Wolfe sat at a table behind the exchange stall and sipped tea. A new group of Witches had taken over, and Wolfe was mostly just there in case someone had a considerable batch of currency to convert, so he could put it right into a cube for them.

But he had charged one to make the transfers, so unless someone fabulously wealthy or looking to convert a large amount of foreign currency came by, they should have enough.

"I don't suppose that you would be open to trading some magical weapons, would you? I can make some of my own, but I am told that yours are top-notch." The Guardian asked while they waited.

"We don't trade the magical rifles. They're on our prohibited trade list, Frozen Wastes military use only. But if you want bows, swords and such, I will make and trade those." Wolfe explained.

The Demon frowned. Gormana was an advanced nation, they didn't use bows or swords much anymore. Everything was technological.

"I suppose that makes sense, given the history of the region. I will have to come back later with a proposal for a military arms deal, after we have this issue with Morgana Coven sorted out." He reluctantly agreed.

"That should be fine. I'm sure you understand the reluctance to give the humans magical weapons, given the history of aggression. Even the humans from other worlds have been a menace lately." Wolfe added.

That made the Demon laugh. "I am not sure that the word menace is appropriate, given the survival rate of their rulers after attacking the Frozen Wastes. As I recall it is best measured in minutes, not percentages."

Wolfe waved his hand, dismissing the concern. "Minor details. Besides, we called on half the continent's Guardians and village protectors at that time. It is understandable that they didn't have a fighting chance against that sort of concentrated power.

If they hadn't attacked during the Festival, we could have been in trouble. In fact, we've got a military unit at the location of their portal now, making sure that nobody else tries to follow them here."

The Guardian nodded. "Yes, my cousin is there now, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the reinforcements. The signs of the portal to our world should have faded by now, though, so they will return soon enough."

Wolfe chuckled at that. "I am certain that they will be immensely disappointed that there were no more attacks. But they know the trick to coming back without being followed now, so it should be safe for them to return once the traces have faded."

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