Chapter 256: Fighting! To him, she was not just a companion but insurance against disaster. Even if stray spells ripped through the neutral ground, even if mountains fell and rivers boiled, she would shield him without fail, guiding him to safety. The idle store he meant to reach lay only a few meters away, yet in moments like this, those steps might as well have stretched across continents. And then, just as the first spell gathered on a grandmaster’s lips, Noah moved. His voice split the tension between the dark and light elves alike. "STOP." The word thundered with an authority that did not belong to his apprentice rank. It was not loud, yet it carried, threading through the roar of magic, sinking deep into the fury-clouded minds of warriors who should have been far beyond his reach. A weight pressed into their thoughts. For an instant, light and shadow hesitated, caught off balance, as if the battlefield itself waited for his permission to move. The magical buildup froze as both factions recognized the source of the interruption, remembering the territorial rules that governed this location. "No fighting within one kilometre of my establishment," Noah declared, his voice steady, unyielding, and absolute. His gaze swept across the gathered warriors, light and dark alike, meeting eyes without hesitation. The firmness in his tone was evident to everyone present. The elves knew that Noah wasn’t requesting, but demanding, just like he had before. "But they insulted our queen!" Elena burst out, her green eyes burning with fury that threatened to ignite into flame. Her aura still blazed around her, and every syllable dripped with outrage. "They spoke indecently about Her Majesty’s honour! We cannot allow such disgraceful words to stand unchallenged!" "Why should we tolerate such corruption?" another light elf demanded, his voice raw with indignation. Sparks of magic snapped around his form, ready to be unleashed at the slightest provocation. Noah gave them both a curt nod, an acknowledgment that their anger was not without merit. He understood their grievance, but understanding was not permission. He turned then, slowly, toward the dark elf delegation. His expression hardened into a colder expression. "This is your first warning," Noah said, his voice edged with steel. The weight of his authority pressed down like a hammer, and even Kael, who had been leaning back with that smug grin carved into his face, moved uneasily. "If there is a second incident of deliberate provocation, the auction ends immediately. You forfeit your right to purchase the luxury smoothie, and your entire delegation is barred from future transactions." The words landed like a blade at their throats. Kael’s smirk faltered, then collapsed entirely as the true consequences became clear. He had wielded mockery as a weapon, confident it would push the light elves into reckless rage. Instead, it had backfired. Noah had stripped the satisfaction from his taunts and replaced it with something far more dangerous: the threat of losing access to the very resource their faction required. "I trust you understand the seriousness of this warning," Noah continued, his tone no less sharp, but calm in its precision. "My neutrality is not weakness. It is the foundation that allows this auction to exist at all. I will not tolerate insults designed to incite bloodshed in my establishment. All customers are entitled to dignity here, regardless of their banners or beliefs. Any violation of that principle is an attack on me, and I do not overlook attacks on what is mine. As for attacks outside my establishment and immediate perimeter, you are allowed to do as you please without caring about my rules." His words did not roar. They did not need to. The dark elves exchanged uncertain glances, unease flickering across faces that had moments ago radiated nothing but malice. The realisation struck them hard: their mockery had come within a breath of costing them the very prize they had come to seize. The light elves remained taut with fury, auras still shimmering, their pride demanding satisfaction. Yet Noah’s presence pressed on them as well, forcing restraint. Their rage could not find an outlet without defying him, and none dared test that line. Sensing their rage, Noah said. "As for you guys, you are also free to do as you please outside my territory. I’m not here to stop your war; I don’t have the right to. I don’t know much about what you’ve been through; both of you, that is. So, you can ignore or exact your revenge another time, away from my establishment. This was my rule from the beginning: you are free to choose what you want. The neutral zone thrummed like a drawn bowstring, the tension stretched thin enough to snap. Both factions stood balanced on the knife’s edge. Before the auction resumed, Noah held up his hand to signal a brief pause in proceedings. "Lola, please wait here for a moment," he instructed calmly. Both factions watched with curious attention as Noah disappeared into his shop, their magical auras still elevated but their immediate combat readiness slightly diminished by uncertainty about his intentions. A moment later, Noah emerged carrying multiple bottles of iced tea. "Before we continue, please accept these refreshments. It’s refreshing and cooling." He moved between both groups with careful neutrality, offering each grandmaster a bottle of the mana-enhancing drink. "It’s on the house," Noah explained as he distributed the drinks. "You will not be charged for it." The light elves accepted their bottles with grudging appreciation, just like the dark elves. As both factions consumed the magical tea, the calming effects became immediately apparent. It wasn’t that the iced tea had calming effects, but the gesture itself made them calm down. The rigid tension in their postures relaxed, their elevated auras subsided to manageable levels, and the dangerous atmosphere of imminent violence dissipated. "Much better, now, shall we continue with our business in a more civilised manner?" Noah observed with satisfaction as he watched his plan of calming them down work. Both sides nodded with renewed composure.