After confirming once again that it was only a few small fries who had signed their death warrants by giving in to their greed and contacting the Church, Daneel set off in the direction of the Sect of Hedon.
Beside him were Eloise and Kellor, both of whom had said that they wanted to come with him on this trip.
The others had various responsibilities that they all left to perform. Aran, Ca.s.sandra, Robert, and Luther all had to continue the training of the people as they were the commanders who were in charge of it all, while Elanev and Faxul both wanted to train, as it seemed that they had gotten quite a lot of motivation from the spectacular scene of the war where they had seen that they would have to be very powerful if they wanted to impact a battle where there were spells flying around at that scale.
Faxul had also said that he had gotten inspired, so Daneel looked forward to seeing what his friend would come up with, but at the moment, the most important thing was to ensure that at least the minimum criteria that he had placed for this plan were being met.
Glancing to the side, Daneel saw that Kellor had a faraway look in his eyes, as if there was something that he wanted to say, but for the moment, it was hiding deep within his heart as he felt that it was not yet time for it to come into the world. Having no intention to hurry the man, Dane turned to Eloise and saw that she was also deep in thought, but in her case, he knew that she must be thinking about what he had just said. She was someone who had grown up while being in close contact with the divide, and as she had had a foot in both sides for quite a long time, she knew, more than anyone, just how hopeless that feeling could be where one felt as if their life was severely controlled and constricted by factors they could not possibly affect in any way.
He left them to their own devices, and soon, they were at their destination.
It seemed like the Sect of Hedon was the go-to that Daneel always chose for most of his purposes relating to the Big Four, and he couldn"t really be blamed for this as this was the sect that had the most diverse group of individuals. In the Fortress, due to the many reasons, many were like-minded, and the same could be said about the G.o.ddesses.
Still, he would be going there, too, to find out just what affects his war had had on them, but first, he was sure that this sect would be the one with the most accurate results.
The first thing that struck him right as they entered the barrier which hid the sect from the view of the world was that tensions seemed to be very high all over the place.
It was starkly different from how it had been before the war: then, people had been bustling around everywhere, and there had been that sense of purpose that would make an entire place seem as if it was filled with energy and drive. Now, it was more like it was a field of gra.s.s doused with gasoline, which would go up in flames due to the smallest spark.
Currently, they were above the central area of the sect, where there was the large gathering ground which had been the location of many of Daneel"s acts in this place. Usually, as it had to be crossed by most people on their way to wherever they were going, it would be filled with groups of individuals talking about various things while they went about their lives.
Now, the groups were still there, but all the discussions were hushed. Moreover, quite a few groups looked suspiciously at specific other groups, and it almost looked as if they were ready to fight or flee, in case there was any kind of provocation from those that they were watching.
It was the same with Champions, too. The only difference was that the Warriors" groups were bigger.
Watching it all, Eloise and Kellor both frowned with confusion, but Daneel had a slight inkling of what exactly was going on.
Without speaking, though, he first traveled to the headquarters, as he wanted to check on the Heroes, too.
Just as expected, none were present, and that meant that all of the Heroes were probably up to their own private discussions in places that he could not access, unless he wanted to kick down a lot of doors.
With a shrug, Daneel returned to the central area where he had left his two sovereigns, and it looked like they were finally ready to ask a few questions.
Before they did, though, Daneel raised his hand and said, "Let this be a test for you. Just keep watching. We have some time: the rats are still debating regarding whether they should take the risk of not. I knew that they would do so- my knack for making plans is quite well-known throughout the continent, after all. So, observe, and see whether you cannot answer your questions on your own."
All of the sovereigns were highly compet.i.tive people who had always excelled in their fields until Daneel had come along, so just the mention of a test made both Kellor and Eloise get expressions of determination on their faces before they turned around and narrowed their eyes so that they could concentrate and focus on the people of the sect below them.
A half-hour pa.s.sed in this manner, with Daneel also engaging in this activity. He could directly have asked the system to break through the spells that those below were using so that their words wouldn"t be heard by others, but he chose not to cheat.
"Watch their body language. Watch how their faces change when they see a few certain individuals. Watch the attire of these individuals, and guess from where they are. Watch everything, and then rise above it all so that you can-"
"GET HIM!"
By that time, he had already gotten all of his answers, so Daneel had chosen to give his sovereign some clues. Only… A shout interrupted him, and as all three of them instantly turned in the direction from where it had come, they saw that a very strange scene had begun to unfold.
An Amateur Warrior was clutching a few books to his chest while looking fearfully at the group that had surrounded him.
It was obvious that he was very young, as he was slightly chubby and there was still baby fat in his features which gave him quite the adorable look. Only, those features were now filled with terror, as all of those around him were at least at the Peak Warrior level.
He was wearing quite normal clothes, and for all intents and purposes, he did not look like he was anything more than just a normal sect member who had just come out of the library.
However… Anyone who was watching would know right away that this was mostly not the case, as all of the Warriors who had gathered were looking at him as if he had committed some hateful crime which made wrath and loathing that appear on their faces while they looked at him.
One of the Warriors from the group made his way forward, and from the way that the others quickly moved aside, it was obvious that he had a lot of authority among them.
Without speaking a word, he walked towards the Amateur Warrior, and the moment he reached the spot right in front of him, it looked as if he would be unloading with all of his strength on someone who would have to go to the infirmary if he received even one attack from him at full strength.
All three of the sovereigns in the air tensed up as they saw this and prepared themselves to stop him, but surprisingly, all that the Peak Warrior did… Was raise his hand, and pull the books that were being guarded at the youngster"s chest.
"NO!"
He screamed with terror, but he was just too weak-there was no way that he could stop the Peak Warrior, and a second later, all of the books had tumbled to the ground.
At first, this looked just like a cla.s.sic act of bullying, but the moment the books. .h.i.t the floor… They all opened to let out a thousand pieces of parchment that flew into the air and folded themselves into aerodynamic shapes before trying to quickly get away.
Sadly… It looked like the rest of the Warriors were prepared, as they had already created a barrier that stopped all of them.
One by one, the began to be plucked out of the air, and as the Warriors read them, the three sovereigns in the air could see them, too.
"Break down the divide! Support the King!"
"For Angaria! We know where we came from! Now, it is time to give back!"
"Such an opportunity will never come again! Let us rise! Convince all those that you can find!"
"Down with the Big Four! We have much more support than you think-even the G.o.ddesses and those of Fortress will support us! All sect members from the central continent, awake, and rise!"
"We saw our future! Now, act to change it!"
As each parchment was read, the anger present in the Warriors increased, until finally, one of them acted to burn up all of the fluttering pieces in the air before advancing in his direction.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d. The sect took you in and gave you a chance, and this is how you repay it? We should never have opened our doors to the Central Continent! Everyone, kill him! He"s the one spreading it the most! Don"t let him take advantage of that vision!"
Taking heed, the Warriors all began to run forward, and at this juncture, anyone in the position of the youngster would have begged for help.
Instead…he used all his strength to shove the Warrior in front of him away and run.
While doing so, he raised his head and began to scream, and his words…were heard all over the sect.
"You can kill me, but you can"t stop the Big Four from ceasing to exist! You lazy f*cks who were born ent.i.tled don"t get it! YOU ARE IN THE MINORITY! You"re only angry because you"re scared you won"t continue to have everything without doing anything if it happens! THE REST OF US DON"T WANT TO DIE! We know that with our talent and hard work, we will still do well if the continent is united! YOU"LL REGRE-"
By this time, the Warriors had reached him, and it looked like he would be pummelled into a thick paste in the next moment.
To stop such a thing from happening, the three of them finally moved.
Until now, they had been concealed by a top-notch formation which hid them from the eyes of even Heroes, but to act, they had to break it.
Breaking the formation was the sign for them to move, so the moment it happened, Eloise and Kellor both shot forward.
They had expected the King to come with them, but seeing that he didn"t, they a.s.sumed that he was leaving it to them.
However, if they looked back, they would have seen Daneel frozen in the air with an expression of shock on his face, and the reason behind it…was that a message had just begun to play near his ears.
"King Daneel Anivron. I knew I would be able to find you if I placed a spell that would activate and search when there was strife in the Big Four. I am from a force you are quite familiar with- in fact, we even housed you in our branch, once. Remember the Tri-Cobra Sect? Well, we have a small proposal…but I need to speak with you personally. Please come to this spot in the Endless Sea three hours from now. It is related to the survival of your continent, so please…don"t be late."