The human heart was the most unpredictable thing. Your best friend of many years might shield you from a sword, and then stab you in the chest the next minute. However, developing paranoia and being excessively suspicious of everything would be a huge disadvantage. Well, it would be impossible to make everyone sign a Soul Contract anyway.
“Well, there is no perfect system in this world, and since we know there are flaws, we will have to find ways to make up for it. However, the fairness of the contribution system is undeniable. The fair standards are exactly why our mages have faith in us and are more driven to strive for better,” said Pereira, who was the mage in charge of the pharmaceutical business, in a bid to give them an out.
Lin Li did not make any comment about the conflict. Instead, he turned to look at Gavin, and calmly said, “Leave Cassano’s matter aside. Go on, tell me what you found out.”
“Yes, Mr. President,” said Gavin, who was less anxious after seeing that Lin Li was not angry. He continued, “After those potions and weapons appear on the market, we immediately conducted a series of investigations on the background of the business operators, and discovered that there is a wide network of forces that are involved.”
“Oh? How wide is it?” asked Lin Li, somewhat interested.
“This is the list that we got through our investigations. To put it simply, it includes most of the forces in the Breezy Plains, apart from the forces in Doland. However, many of the various forces of different sizes are all connected. Hence, after we sorted it out, we could infer that the obstacles that we have faced in various aspects are likely to be caused by more than a dozen forces. Their names are at the top of the list.” While speaking, Gavin handed a document to Lin Li, and then distributed the other copies to several other senior executives.
“What? How… How is that possible!?” the senior executives exclaimed in unison after taking a glance at the document as it gave them a huge shock.
Due to the fact that they were afraid of arousing the suspicion of others, Gavin had always been responsible for the investigation of the rival forces. He did not expose the details to the senior executives at all. Hence, the several senior executives did not know the exact severity of the issue even though they knew that the Tower of Dusk was in serious trouble.
After all, the last time Lin Li returned from the Sky Castle, he sent the mages of the Tower of Dusk to attack a group of unruly forces with their weapons. Although the focus of their attacks was on Doland City, the power exhibited by the Tower of Dusk managed to create a significant deterrence to the forces in other regions.
The list of the forces in the Breezy Plains had clearly exceeded the psychological tolerance of the senior executives. The list meant that the enemy faced by the Tower of Dusk this time was not just a specific force, but almost half of the Breezy Plains.
Indeed, the Tower of Dusk was developing rapidly, and also had extremely powerful capability. It had integrated the large and small forces of Doland and become the top power in the entire Breezy Plains. However, while the Tower of Dusk was powerful compared to the individual forces, it did not mean that they could really fight the entire Breezy Plains.
“Well… Mage Gavin, are you sure that this list is correct?” The senior executives hurriedly tried to verify the accuracy of the list. Although they knew that Gavin definitely wouldn’t be careless in that aspect, they still couldn’t help but hope that he got it wrong. They couldn’t help panicking, because the 10-odd forces at the top of the list were not inferior to the Malfa Family from Aminya at all. It wouldn’t be too bad if there were only one or two. However, there were a total of more than 10 forces.
Upon seeing their reactions, Lin Li shook his head a little, and thought to himself, This is just some of the information on the surface. If they were to find out the real culprit who’s instigating those forces, they would probably get a great shock.
“Are you guys already feeling flustered by these?” Alan questioned in displeasure when he saw the way they behaved. At the same time, he also secretly felt thankful for the fact that he did not immediately tell everyone about Lin Li’s conjecture. Otherwise, the Tower of Dusk would have been in a mess.
“Is that not enough? That’s almost all the top forces of the Breezy Plains. I’m not belittling our power. I believe that none of these forces will pose any threat to us, even if they join forces. However, we’re now facing all of them, not just one or a few,” Seth said in a tone that was full of anxiety. He had also gained the approval of several other senior executives.
“President, the Tower of Dusk is developing too quickly, and it’s inevitably going to arouse the jealousy of other forces and cause them to covet what we have. I think it is time to slow down. Those forces are undoubtedly just after benefits. As long as we give them some benefits, they probably won’t really fall out with us,” Pereira suggested, putting forward a conservative idea. Although it sounded a little unambitious, it was also a form of self-protection in a way.
Of course, as soon as Pereira voiced his idea, Gavin, Beckley, and Alan immediately glowered at him before Lin Li could even say anything. If it weren’t for the fact that Lin Li was present, they would have probably gone forth to beat the timid Pereira up.
Seth originally agreed with Pereira’s idea, but when he noticed their peculiar expressions, he frantically changed his mind, and said, “President, I doubt those forces have a tight alliance. We can definitely give them some interests and talk some of the forces around to break them up. By then, our crisis will naturally be resolved.”
Seth’s suggestion would also harm the interests of the Tower of Dusk, but it was obviously more acceptable. Even Gavin and Beckley nodded slightly. Alan sneered, and said, “Unfortunately, they’re not just after those interests, and their alliance is not going to be divided easily.”
“Mage Alan, what do you mean by that? Do you know something?” After Seth voiced his idea, everyone got interested, and Seth even felt a little smug and complacent. Hence, when he heard what Alan said, he found it hard to accept.
Alan first took a glance at Lin Li, and then turned to look at everyone after seeing Lin Li nod. “These forces have colluded, and that’s indeed a good way to accumulate some strength. However, it’s not that easy to make all of them stand on the same line, unless there’s someone manipulating them from above.”
“Someone manipulating them? You mean, there’s someone behind them who instigated them to collude together!? It can’t be. They’re already the top forces in the Breezy Plains. How can they be manipulated by others?” asked Seth, who did not quite believe Alan’s words. Those forces were already the top forces of the Breezy Plains. Usually, even the royals would not be taken seriously by them. How could they allow other forces to control them?
On the other hand, Gavin had followed Master Basel for a long time, and had also spent a lot of time learning in the Doland library. Hence, he had read through many books and materials beyond the field of magic. At this moment, he could not help but say with shock written all over his face, “You mean… they’ve also participated?”
However, in an instant, Gavin’s eyes glistened, and he bitterly added, “Yeah, who else in the Breezy Plains apart from them can be powerful enough to do that?”
“Mage Gavin, Mage Alan, just what ‘they’ do you mean?” asked Seth, even more puzzled after seeing Gavin’s expression. The other senior executives such as Beckley also seemed to be rather curious.
Seeing that Lin Li did not stop them, Gavin turned to say to Seth and the rest, “You guys are probably no strangers to the Glittergold Trade Union. How do you think these 10-odd forces compare to the Glittergold Trade Union?”
“They’re probably far behind the Glittergold Trade Union. The Glittergold Trade Union is an actual trade union that covers the entire Anril. Do you think the Glittergold Trade Union is the culprit? But, don’t they have a cooperative relationship with us?” Seth asked in disbelief.
“No, what I’m trying to say is, which forces do you think can compare with the Glittergold Trade Union?” Gavin said, his voice turning a little low as he exposed his concerns.
Gavin’s words were like a bolt from the blue for Seth and the rest, who were so shocked that they almost got up from their chairs. In the hearts of most people, the Glittergold Trade Union should be second only to the Supreme Council and the two major shrines, the Brilliance Shrine and the Darkness Shrine. It could be considered the fourth greatest force in Anril. Although the Glittergold Trade Union might still be worlds apart from the three forces, it would be unbelievable for there to be another force that was on par with the Glittergold Trade Union.
“Actually, it’s no wonder that you guys don’t know. Although we have a relatively high status in the Breezy Plains, we’ve only been established for a very short time, after all. If I hadn’t read some information about them, I probably wouldn’t have known about their existence. Speaking of the real top force in the Breezy Plains, we must mention the Ashen Warlock, Roland, who lives in Gran Town in the northern part of the Breezy Plains.”
Gavin was on the topic about forces that were comparable to the Glittergold Trade Union, and yet the first item he mentioned was a person. However, when Seth and the rest heard his name, no one raised any objections. It might sound absurd to include a person in the ranks of the top forces, but no one in Anril would find that statement an exaggeration. As natives of the Breezy Plains, how could they have not heard of Roland, the Ashen Warlock? How could they not know the stories about him?
Roland, the Ashen Warlock, had always lived in the small Gran Town in the northern part of the Breezy Plains like an ordinary old man from the countryside who often lived a quiet and regular rural life. In the small Gran Town where there were only a few hundred households, a sneeze could be heard clearly from the other end of the town. However, no one there knew that the protagonist of the terrifying stories used to stop children from crying, Roland, the Ashen Warlock—and one of the most infamous butchers in the Felan Kingdom after the Highlord Osric—was their neighbor.
In the eyes of the villagers in the small Gran Town, the Ashen Warlock was just a wealthy but lonely old man. He disliked being in contact with people or talking to them. He would spend his time hiding in his house and doing some strange things, or sit around in the field and space out all day. Although he only had two or three servants by his side, they were older than him, and seemed to be on the brink of death. However, many of those who thought that the servants were going to die anytime soon had all died, yet the old servants would still show up at the door every day and bask in the sun sluggishly.
However, those who practiced martial arts or magic outside of Gran Town would be warned by their teachers from the beginning not to set foot in Gran Town even if they were going to explore the Haiga Mountain Range to fight the monsters. If they were to die in the Haiga Mountain Range, they would die alone. However, if they angered the Ashen Warlock of Gran Town, their entire family would be affected.
Those who heard the warnings would definitely not think that it was just a false warning, because the last time the Ashen Warlock was infuriated was merely 50-odd years ago. Compared to the myths and legends that happened thousands of years ago, it was a relatively short period of time, and it was as if it happened right in front of them. The reason that the Ashen Warlock flew into a rage was only because a dog he raised was trampled to death by the Felan soldiers stationed at the border. Avenging his dog, he smashed half of the barracks with Hellfire.
However, the matter did not end there. At that time, the commander of the border was a prince of the Felan Kingdom, and the forces of the Breezy Plains, which had always been exclusive to foreigners, did not inform the prince of how horrifying that old man was. Perhaps they felt that he wouldn’t believe it even if they told him about it.
Hence, after being shamed, the prince immediately ordered for tens of thousands of soldiers to break into Gran Town and arrest all the villagers of that town, after which he threatened them to hand over the murderer.
However, that prince ended up facing the scene of the Ashen Warlock opening the door of the Abyss and summoning a high-level demon that took thousands of lives overnight.
Afterwards, the royals of the Felan Kingdom deployed their most elite Sky Knights, and wanted to kill the Ashen Warlock and the demon he summoned at all costs. At the same time, the Adventurers Guild also offered a reward of up to 5,000,000 gold coins to anyone who would kill the Ashen Warlock. It was an unprecedentedly high bounty, which immediately attracted countless adventurers.
However, in the end, the Sky Knights who had 500 Gryphons ended up fleeing back to Alanna with only less than 100 survivors left. The adventurers who took on the mission were reidentified in the files of the Adventurers Guild, and there was the word “deceased” annotated neatly beside their names.
