Chapter 147: Elves & Company, South Kingdom Branch

The Elves are nothing more but one of the few mythical creatures allowed to be in complete residence within the South Kingdom. While they enjoy some form of extraterritoriality in their sole Branch located in the affluent Eastern Revergerent region of the South Kingdom, a place that is well within the border of the Commission on Appointments, the District of Peace has no direct control over its affairs, duties, and contractual obligations.

The Elven presence in this part of the universe is purely on the basis of commercial interest, and nothing more. Even though the South Kingdom granted accreditation into hosting the Elven & Company within its realm, the powers of the Commission on Appointments do not directly apply to them, and only the sole prerogative of the South Kingdom can hold them to account on their mercantile dealings within the jurisdiction of the Commission.

The main business endeavors of the Elves & Company are five major substances that, when mixed in the forging of swords and steel, reinforces its effectivity by up to five times its maximum strength. The potency of these substances are even further amplified by the select alchemical properties when mixed with the appropriate concentration of the Love Dust.

Yet, there was treachery involved about the seemingly innocent commercial endeavors of the Elven kind as they seek to experiment about the potential use of the Spindle of Hate into the manufacture of more advanced weaponry, a move that is seen to accommodate the return of the Vampires in their original land. Based on this supposed hidden alliance, the Vampires will return to their ancestral home with a vengeance by overpowering the defenses of the District of Peace.

The current menu of the "concentrates" available from the Elves & Company are five substances as enumerated below:

• Drugstenstein
• Ultreptin
• Mizzium
• Orckens
• Bluttersheen

The Tenth Kingdom has always been very vocal in criticizing the purpose of the Elves in securing a Branch within the domain of the South Kingdom, while the South Kingdom points out that the Tenth Kingdom also hosts the Astrologers within its borders for no apparent reason, which makes their position on the matter purely hypocritical. This long standing opposite interest in issues of vital concern is the main reason why the two competing powers had become archrivals in the arena of political and economic discourse in the arena of the Commission on Appointments.

Particularly noted in numerous debates are the lack of transparency in the production of the Elven concentrates while the Commission on Appointments is excluded from exercising regulatory inspection in scrutinizing the quality and compliance of its business affairs. While debates in the Commission are immediately followed with "preliminary audits" of the Elven Laboratory through the regulatory function of South Kingdom's parochial concerns, nothing more concrete was ever conducted that will ensure the safety and effectiveness of the products produced by the said Branch of the Elves & Company.

The issue became silent much later after, and as the time passed by and the headlines changed, the issues of contention took a different route until no one remembers it anymore. It is true; not even the journalistic excellence of The Glass Muse was safe from distraction.

x-----------x

The Chapter is sponsored by Versace.