After letting himself revel in the feelings for a few seconds, he decided to ask the system something he hadn"t asked in a very, very long time.
"Has any information been unlocked about the creator of the system, or about just how I arrived here from Earth?"
[Negative. This information is still locked. It is unknown when it will be available.]
Well… It looked like those mysteries would still be plaguing him for the time being.
Putting them aside, for now, Daneel looked up as the sun began to set on the continent.
The system was one step ahead of him - it was already ranging lighting equipment and bug repellent to be teleported to the center of the continent using his clones so that the party could continue unabated.
He now knew all of the changes made to the system in the upgrade, so finally, Daneel could no longer get away from something he had been avoiding until now: the fate of his master.
He still had to have a long discussion with the system regarding just what they were going to plan for the war that was coming in a month, but that could come later, so all the crus.h.i.+ng grief that he had been forcefully resisting until now engulfed him all at once, making him feel as if he were suddenly carrying a mountain on his chest.
His throat felt dry, and tears came unbidden to his eyes. Trying to make them stop, he looked up at the stars that were just appearing in the sky, but even then, he only continued to remember all the time he had spent with his master.
The news that his true ident.i.ty had been exposed could only mean one thing: he was either dead, or he would soon die. Even if he was being kept alive due to some reason, the Church wasn"t foolish - they would definitely have taken complete control of him through multiple formations or even Artefacts, so his fate was pretty much sealed.
Even with the upgraded system, he was not sure whether he could save his master, and that was why the waves of sadness kept coming, as there was a very strong probability that he might never see that incredible man again.
Looking down, he saw that Faxul had separated himself from the group and was also looking up at the sky, just like him. Remembering that he was not the only one who had been a disciple of his master, he cursed himself for being forgetful and immediately ordered the system to make him enter the invisible domain that he had created.
Faxul was only surprised for a brief moment, and after that, without a word, he walked forward and hugged Daneel.
Daneel felt his shoulders getting wet, and that was how he knew that even his friend was crying. They stood there, taking comfort in each other"s embrace for a few seconds, before separating and wiping their eyes, as they knew that even in his death, their master would not want them to mourn them in this manner.
No words needed to be said. With a flick of his finger, Daneel conjured 30 bottles of wine. With a nod, Faxul conjured a chair and sat down before grabbing the nearest bottle and pouring its contents into two gla.s.ses.
These gla.s.ses went down quickly, and it was only after three more rounds that Daneel finally spoke.
"Even when he was drunk, he always had that stately pride about him. Do you remember when…"
Thus began a night filled with the sorrow that came from remembering someone who was lost to them.
For a few hours, they completely forgot who they were - Daneel was no longer the G.o.dking, and Faxul was no longer a sovereign of Angaria and the Black Raven King. They were just two disciples, meeting together to remember a man who had taught them both, and as the wine continued to disappear down their throats, their grief started to change into something else.
It took a long time, though. The other sovereigns retired after sending a message to Daneel, who told them that he was busy, even though he was right behind them. Hence, as they were tired, too, they left to get some rest, a.s.suming that Faxul had done the same.
The people below started to fall asleep, tired and drowsy due to all the food and wine that had been devoured on an enormous scale. The system had thought about this, too - the moment they fell, feather mattresses would appear below them, and a blanket would be teleported instantly which would fall to cover their body and keep away the cold.
For those who had abstained from going over their limit, tents were also made so that they could sit inside and continue to converse between themselves. All the needs of all the millions of Angaria were met perfectly, so above them, the Kings continue to drink.
Daneel had to conjure bottles of wine three more times until the effects of the alcohol were finally felt by them both. All the time they had spent talking about their master had done wonders in helping them process their grief, and even though a lot of tears had been shed, they felt more at peace.
Finally, after silence had dominated the hidden s.p.a.ce they were in for quite some time, anger suddenly surged in Faxul, and the moment he felt it, a surge of the same emotion appeared in Daneel"s eyes, too.
Together, they shared a look which said just one thing: they…would do everything they could to help their master, if it was possible, and if it was not…then he would be avenged.
With another nod, Faxul tried to teleport away, but he failed to cast the spell.
With a smile, Daneel asked the system to conjure two beds, and together, the disciples of Master Jonah went to sleep while continuously vowing to themselves that his sacrifice and everything he had done would definitely not be in vain.
Just before the world of dreams took him, Daneel had one last, drowsy thought.
"29 days to go. I"m waiting for you…Bishop. If what we fear is true… His name shall be uttered whenever one of you dies, and you shall know that the moment you decided to kill him was the moment you were doomed to destruction. Mark… My words. Master, I…hope you can be saved. I just wish… I could see you again to tell you that I didn"t…let you down. I united them, and I will…save them. Thank you, for everything…"