In the annals of the history of Angaria, there was only one place which had never been breached, no matter how much one looked through the past to find instances where it might even have gotten close to being intruded upon by the fell enemies of this great continent.
It was a hall situated deep, deep underground, and it was guarded 24/7 by a special team of Heroes. It was once even supposed to have had a special spell that would s.h.i.+ft its location on the continent, and even though that was not active now, the specific coordinates where it was situated was such a well-kept secret that since the apocalypse, not once had this information reached anyone that it was not supposed to.
Currently, this hall was packed to the brim, with over 100 people visible, and even more looking in from their abodes even though they had not moved because they were supposed to stay where they were and handle the major formations that protected Angaria from any and all threats that might wish to target it suddenly.
The structure of the hall would have reminded Daneel of the coliseum from back on Earth. There were rows of stands with increasing elevation, and there was an open, circular s.p.a.ce in the middle where those who spoke could stand and make their case. It was in the middle of this s.p.a.ce that prisoners would also be bound in case they needed to be judged, and many had always remarked that due to the singular structure, anyone would be unnerved because they would never be able to encompa.s.s everyone in their sight. They would always feel gazes stabbing into their backs, and this was something that would unnerve anyone, especially because the gazes would belong to powerful Heroes.
The walls of this coliseum were decorated with various paintings, depicting multiple instances from the history of the continent since the Apocalypse. There was even one from before that time, which was supposed to be the only painting that had survived from the Empire, and it was placed in a prominent location right at the top where the yellowish wall met the ceiling.
In the rest of the places, the triumph of Angarians over the apocalyptic beasts and everything that followed was well represented, and usually, the Heroes who had a.s.sembled would idly be gazing at these paintings while reminiscing about how conditions must have been during those times.
Yet, at the moment, all of them had worried expressions on their faces, and they were whispering between themselves hurriedly.
As a man finally appeared in the middle of the hall, all of this discussion ceased, and the gazes of over 100 Heroes all fell on the Head who almost felt like he was being pushed down by someone from above due to the pressure.
"Has it been verified? Is it true?", asked the hero who had always been known for never controlling his tongue, and in response, the Head nodded grimly and said, "Yes. The team has investigated the Energy resources that we took from one of the reserves of the Big Four, and they found a certain something inside which they couldn"t influence in any manner without inducing an explosive reaction in the resource. As you all know, all Energy resources can undergo a change where they release all of the Energy present inside them at once, causing an explosion. The problem with using this method to find out just what it was that was inside was that the explosion always killed that being, not leaving behind any clue as to its biological make-up which might have helped us to look for a remedy. Even I only noticed it by a stroke of luck - if it weren"t for that, and if it weren"t for me seeing something odd in the conversation between Ashah.e.l.l and someone from the Central Continent, we wouldn"t even have been able to spot that there was such a devastating scheme underfoot. Even if one absorbs the Energy resource, that thing inside has the ability to die by itself and leave behind no traces, so it is futile to even think that we can figure something out even if we employ the best minds."
His words which were filled with bad news echoed in the hall, and the whispers resumed. This time, though, there was much more panic that was visible, and the Head allowed these discussions to carry on for a few moments before finally saying, "Now is not the time for talking between ourselves. If anyone has any idea whatsoever, or any experience in dealing with something like this, they should speak out. I know that many of you have found secret inheritances left behind from the Empire or even from ages before that, and none of us have ever asked you to use what you found to benefit others. This time, though… It is for the benefit of our motherland, and I think I don"t need to tell you just how disastrous it will be if we cannot find a way out of the situation."
In his tense mood, the Head had not cared to regulate his tone. It was harsh, and it clearly showed that he was referring to the selfish individuals among the Heroes who always only cared about extending their own life span and increasing their power.
Besides that, it was also the fact that he had to lie. There were almost definitely individuals inside this room who might be looking for ways to ally with the Church even though there were many, many precautions against that, and hence, the Order had to be kept secret, just in case. It was the final defense of Angaria against its force, and hence, if even it was infiltrated… They might truly be doomed. That was why he had lied that he had found it out, as the information that someone from the Mainland was an informant had to be kept extremely secret.
"Preposterous! Head, who do you think you are to imply things about our character? It"s every man and woman for themselves! In fact, we wouldn"t even be in this situation if that d.a.m.n Emperor had not poked around with the Grand Inheritance and caused the protection of our continent to become null and void! Yes, he tried to set things right, but what did he accomplish? Nothing! Now, in this age, we have to pay the price again! For all his accomplishments, he was a failure and a loser in the end! I curse him, and his family, and if he were alive in this age, I would try to kill even if it meant that I would die in the process!"
These words were spoken by a man whose face was filled with scars, and most prominently, there was one which went from his chin to his chest which was visible because he was wearing clothes only on the lower part of his body while exposing his muscular accomplishments. He was a known Fighter who had always had this att.i.tude regarding the Emperor, and he was the reason why there were always many debates regarding the Emperor in this hall even though the topic didn"t really matter in terms of the current status of Angaria. The most deplorable thing was that he wasn"t the only one who held such an opinion, and there were those who supported him and blamed for that man.
The Head felt his mind filling with anger as he heard it all, and for once, he didn"t control himself. He had always been known for his cool-headedness that had allowed him to diplomatically diffuse many situations in the past, but this time… He just didn"t want to do that.
"One more word about the Emperor from you, Maloras, and my foot will be deep in your a.r.s.e!"
Such cra.s.s words which were heard from the Head for the first time startled everyone who was present, and a stunned silence took hold over the hall.
The man who had just been shouted on could only sputter, because this was the first time that anyone had opposed him so strongly. He was known for picking fights end never letting grudges go, and hence, people would usually just ignore what he said, but it looked like things would be different this time.
"Y-You-"
"Ues, me! I am the Head of the High Council, and even though I"m not the strongest Hero, I commend all of you normal Heroes who have reached your power level by the grace of the Willstones left behind by our ancestors! And you, Maloeas! We all know that you sabotaged and killed three of your disciple brothers who would have gotten the Willstone! Your selfishness is known to all- many say that you would even backstab your father if it meant that you could live longer! If even one more word about that man comes out from between your lips, I swear on my position and all the respect I have gained over all these years that I will fight you to the death! He was n.o.bler than anyone who lives today, and if it weren"t for him, none of us would even be alive! We all know the protection was fading anyway, and if it had faded at a time when there was no one like him present, what would happen to us? We would have been enslaved, and our freedom would be but a dream that is dreamed by millions around this world who have not been lucky enough to have someone like the great Emperor Fenoras who chose to stand and give up his life even though he could simply have gone to the Mainland and achieved so much more! Screw you, Maloras, but first, sit down! We have more pressing matters to discuss right now, and we can settle our grudge after this is done!"
An appalled expression came on the Fighter"s face as he heard all this, and he looked like he was going to positively fly into a rage and attack the Head then and there.
Yet, suddenly… He felt a strong pressure settle on his shoulders.
Anger appeared in his features, but no matter how much he looked around, he could not find the source. That… Was when he realized that it was probably one of the honorable Heroes who always stood hidden who seemed to be taking action, and they were not people that he could contend with.
Swallowing his words and cursing fervently in his mind, he sat down, following which the Head declared, "If no one else has useless comments that they wish to make, then let us move on to the decision regarding what we will do. The honorable Heroes whom I have consulted have given me two options. One is that there is a very expensive method which will result in over half of the Energy resources that we have being destroyed, but we will be able to save the other half. The other option… Is an all-out attack on the Church"s headquarters here, which might allow us to stop the detonation if we manage to take command of those who are stationed there. Let us begin the discussion regarding which option to choose."
With that, for once, order was maintained in the Hall as people began to put forward valid points regarding why one option was better than the other.
Meanwhile, in the simulation in his mind, a day had pa.s.sed, and it had been an eventful one.
A press conference had been held by the politician in which he had denounced all the claims, and he had made his son also appear in front of the media and say that it was all an absurd attack that was targeting his father of which he was a victim.
As Daneel watched all this, he had a pleasant smile on his face, as the second phase of his plan was underway, and everything was going smoothly.
As the end of the day approached, he realized that the end of his time in this simulation is also approaching. On the next day, everything would be settled, and he would be leaving here for good.
For the slightest moment, he got a temptation that he should just stay. Things were great here, and because of the way he had changed, he knew that he would be able to build a great life- one he would have been proud of if he had stayed on Earth.
Yet… The thought only lingered for the briefest of moments, following which the faces of all those he cared for on Angaria flashed in front of his mind.
It might have been different if this was real, but it was but a fake world created within his mind. Knowing that… There was no way that Daneel could shrug off all the responsibility and trust that had been placed on his shoulders.
Besides, he also had a vague feeling that being cut off from the outside world wasn"t really a good thing, as something might happen which could need him. So, he made the decision that he would finish everything tomorrow, and he would leave with happy memories.
With that, he went to sleep, and both in his simulation and in Angaria, the storm that he had set off continued to take its course.