Back in the Hidden Kill Sect, Stefan and Jaggrv were standing beside each other and looking at the long row of cells that hadn"t been occupied in a long time .
These cells had been designed for any non-Warrior level prisoners that the sect might take, and they were fully equipped with torture devices that could break even the hardest of men .
Once, the Hidden Kill Sect had used to accept contracts in other things, along with a.s.sa.s.sinations .
"Did you expect this when we realized that he was the fulfiller of the prophecy?"
As Stefan asked this, Jaggrv shrugged and shook his head, saying, "Are you [email protected]@king kidding me? No one could have expected this . The guy is… A monster . Are you sure that we haven"t invited the [email protected]@king calamity instead of finding someone to save us from it?"
Turning around and eyeing the sect members nearby, Stefan said, "Oh please . Look at them . They"re happy . When was the last time we could make such a… statement of power? And that too, one without too many ramifications . Being hidden all the time is such a pain . Sometimes, striking back is something which will give so much satisfaction that it just drives away everything on one"s mind . This guy knew that . Everyone was quite p.i.s.sed because of the situation with Axelor . He used that, to build a name for himself . "
As an expression of realization came in Jaggrv"s eyes, he asked, "Did it work?"
"Let"s go find out . "
Nodding, both of them exited the prison and headed to the peak of the mountain, where hundreds of people were gathered .
These were all the active a.s.sa.s.sins in the sect, along with those who were in training .
The Hidden Kill sect was not strong in terms of numbers, but where they lacked in manpower, they more than made up for in skill .
Almost each and every person here had high-grade talent as at least a fighter or a mage, and many were even quite talented in both aspects . Placed in any other force, they would have been regarded as a.s.sets and trained with each and every resource possible .
Yet, here, they were all just sect members in training .
When Stefan and Jaggrv walked through the crowd, they observed the expressions of all those around them .
Usually, a.s.sa.s.sins were a cold bunch who did not let emotions show .
However, right now, relief and even admiration was something that was common .
As the answer to the question that had been asked before slowly dawned on them, they reached the front and join ed the crowd in waiting for the sect master to address them .
It seemed that being late was a quirk of his, as he had called for the sect meeting 10 minutes ago .
However, almost no one seemed to be complaining .
As the door opened finally to reveal a man wearing a s.h.i.+ning fur vest, everyone in attendance stood up straight .
This wasn"t a kingdom, and these weren"t citizens to cheer and applaud when their ruler was in front of them .
No, it was respect that was most important in this line of work .
Apparently, with his first decision as sect leader, this man had earned just that .
Folding his arms behind his back, he walked forward and began to speak .
"I"ve never been someone much for speeches . I prefer to state things as they are, and keep stuff clear instead of complicating it and sugar coating it with useless words . So, I"ll be brief . As the top a.s.sa.s.sins have already told you, I fulfilled the prophecy and won the vote to become your sect leader . I know many of you think of me as an outsider who suddenly has the authority to command all of you . Believe me, if I were you, I would be equally doubtful and maybe even a little bit p.i.s.sed . "
At this, a few chuckles could be heard in the crowd, as it looked that the senior most a.s.sa.s.sins seemed to identify with whatever the sect master was saying .
"Be that as it may, I stand here to tell you that I take my duty as the sect master very seriously . You all had been pushed into a tight spot by Axelor, but you must have heard what happened today morning . Our cells are freshly occupied with new guests, and you all are free to talk to them as you please . We aren"t being threatened anymore, anyway . Just don"t kill them . Yes, if they get the chance, they might have definitely killed all of you, but I still ask you to show a little prudence . Anyway, that perfect operation was my way of showing you that things around here are going to change . The Basilisk is the ancient being that set up this sect, and it just so happens that my t.i.tle as the fulfiller of the prophecy is "Basilisk Rider" . As such, I will be riding with all of you to take the sect to new heights so that the glory of the Basilisk can be talked about throughout the continent once again . You don"t need to take my word for it . Just keep watching, and I think that you will be satisfied . That"s it for now . "
Saying this, the man turned around and was about to walk away but he paused when he heard something behind him .
It was the sound of a hand hitting something, and as the man turned around, he realized what it was .
In front of him, all of the a.s.sa.s.sins who had been standing still until now had moved to grasp the sheaths at their waists .
Due to its ease in concealment and portability, the dagger was the weapon of choice for most a.s.sa.s.sins .
Even if all a.s.sa.s.sins didn"t use it, many still carried it around in the sect for the sake of appearance .
Right now, their right hands were holding the daggers in their sheaths, and for a second, Daneel wondered whether they were going to take them out to attack him .
However, a message from Stefan enlightened him as to what was going on .
"Sect leader, this is an official sign of respect that is shown by an a.s.sa.s.sin . By clutching the dagger inside its sheath, it signifies that that person respects you enough not to draw his dagger at you . No one knows where it started, but it is used whenever someone needs to show that they trust someone else, or at least that they don"t consider them an enemy . "
This made Daneel smile, so, getting an idea, he looked down and pointed at his waist, making a crude belt complete with a dagger in its sheath made of metal appear there .
Looking up, he too grasped the sheath, which made those watching nod solemnly before starting to disperse .
Used to the usual cheering and over-the-top show of emotions that were usually accompanied by a ruler gaining the respect of his or her people, Daneel found this quite weird but also pleasant .
This was a gesture that held meaning, and as such, he treasured it and felt really glad that he had taken the right decision which had enabled him to take this step forward and be acknowledged by the a.s.sa.s.sins who were now under his command .
Walking back to his room, Daneel couldn"t take it anymore .
That list of three things had been bothering him too much, so he decided to award himself for almost being with handling things here in the sect .
He still needed to collect all the data in the archives to identify the treasures, but he decided to do that after this task, as it would take hours .
So, leaving a message that he was going out for a while, Daneel used the privilege he now had with the formation to directly teleport away from the mountain .
He was, after all, in full control of the formation protecting the Hidden Kill Sect . So, he could basically do anything to it .
Soon, he was back in Lanthanor, and as he paused to take a deep breath, he realized that he had missed it .
He had already notified just one person, Luther, that he was coming, so there was no problem at the border .
Soon, he was at the Palace with no one with wiser . This was a very short trip, so he did not see any need in making a fuss .
After heading inside the Palace while hidden, Daneel made his way underground, specifically to the place where the system had detected an ultra high-grade energy source ages ago .
The system hadn"t been capable of letting him advance past that point before due to a formation blocking his way, but it was now a piece of cake . In barely an instant, the weak points were found, and Daneel was on his way inside .
Antic.i.p.ation started to build up in him, as he realized that he was finally going to find out the secret of the energy source under Lanthanor that had evaded him for so long .
Each step made his heart beat faster, so by the time the pa.s.sageway ended in a room just as humongous as the one that he had been in before when he had been taking control of the formation of the Hidden Kill Sect, Daneel felt as if there was a hammer trying to break out of his chest .
With wide open eyes, he saw a very similar sight .
A glowing ball that, at first glance, seemed to be made by a snake coiling up too .
However, on closer inspection, Daneel realized that although a large part did look like a snake, there were areas which hinted that the middle part of this creature was much more…bulky .
Eagerly, Daneel told the system to take control of this formation too, and just like before, it was done in an instant .
However, to his extreme shock, he saw 5 items fall to the ground again .
Unable to believe it, Daneel quickly ran to the items and scooped them up in his hands .
Yet, as a notification sounded in his head, he froze, his mind going blank .
[System has detected something pertaining to pending task: Identify item found in eye of Basilisk Heart formation . Host has just come into contact with an item that is made of the same material and composition as one of the unidentified items found in the Hidden Kill Sect . It is likely that the two items are related . ]
What…the heck was going on?!