Solomon had a thoughtful expression on his face, and after a few seconds of silence passed, he stood to his feet.
"I can certainly understand why you have chosen to keep this information to yourself, Captain. If you were to tell this to anyone outside this room, you would surely be laughed at and seen as a joke." Solomon stated.
He then continued, "These brothers who claim to be from the Celestial Realm… Resseki and Kiren—they traveled to a place called the Danger Lands. There may be some clues there to validate your findings."
"There's a good possibility. However, I have no knowledge pertaining to the Danger Lands nor its whereabouts." Izroth commented.
In truth, Izroth believed there was a chance some clues would be revealed if he searched through Resseki's inheritance; however, he decided not to discuss it as he went over the events. Not to mention, he had not found the right time to open the keystones that contained the inheritance.
After leaving the challenge room, Izroth immediately came across Zanna's squad. Furthermore, his initial plan to check through it once he safely reached the camp had been derailed by his sudden meeting with Solomon.
Of course, more important than anything was the fact that Resseki referred to himself and his brother as "legendary" figures.
Izroth understood that the inheritance of a legendary being was enough to draw out the greed in others. While he did not think any of the three people before him had ill intentions, Izroth already witnessed the change of a person's nature in the face of potential gains too many times.
"Danger Lands? Wasn't that the home to many of the mysterious races?" Yan noted.
"You know your history well. If I'm not mistaken, the Danger Lands was turned to ruins by the end of the Fourth War of the Titans. Many cycles later, it was reborn into a land rich in magic energy and life. That same land is the modern-day kingdom of Proximus. However, if those brothers were journeying to the Danger Lands, that means the Shadahi has been in the Mortal Realm much longer than anyone previously estimated. This changes everything." Aurie explained with furrowed brows.
"Your words are correct, Commander. This shifts the way we have to think of the Shadahi and their ties to human organizations. It's impossible that a being of its intelligence lived for so many years without sinking its fangs into the Mortal Realm. The kingdom of Tempest may act as their main face, but something tells me it's not the only one. This is problematic." Solomon said as he walked towards the tent's exit.
"Commander Aurie, Captain Yan, Captain Izroth—what we've discussed here today, I would like you to keep it a secret for the time being. Without concrete proof, we will only be jumping into the tiger's den blindfolded. For now, I will send someone trustworthy to investigate within the borders of the Proximus kingdom. What interests me the most is this Celestial Energy. The Shadahi are known for their ability to adapt to anything and everything. If there is an energy out there that they cannot overcome, we must find a way to tap into it as soon as possible." Solomon followed up.
He then continued, "Captain Izroth, until we discover some type of definitive proof, I fear your reward will have to wait. That being said, the knowledge you provided us with regarding your fight against Ekquilore adds up. Although the scale is larger than you specified, that much is expected given the present circ.u.mstances. Rest assured, your contribution today has not gone unnoticed, Captain."
When Izroth spoke about his fight against Ekquilore, two skills, in particular, caught Solomon's interest. The first was Demonic Hellfire. There were no reports of such a skill being used on the battlefield; however, they could make certain preparations in advance now that they knew of its existence.
But, it was the second skill Solomon was most intrigued by, Power of the Seal. At random intervals, Ekquilore would become unable to act, and its defenses were rendered useless. Some reports listed Ekquilore's strange behavior of suddenly pausing out of nowhere before proceeding with his rampage; however, they never would have imagined such a huge weakness was right in front of them! If they could properly take advantage of this moment, then getting rid of the Shadahi Commander in one fell swoop looked to be quite promising!
"Come, the gathering is about to commence," Solomon stated.
At the same time, Izroth received an alert from the system.
〈System Alert: Your action has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +500 Contribution Points]〉
〈System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 500! [Total: 2,790.32]〉
Izroth was surprised by the number of contribution points he received. 500—that was the same amount he gained from leveling Vostracane! Of course, this did not include the additional contribution points he acquired from exterminating the Skounae population in the city.
Nevertheless, to obtain 500 contribution points just from disclosing Ekiquilore's skills showed the great importance placed on this knowledge. Still, the best part was that it required no effort on Izroth's part except a few words!
If players discovered that he gained 500 contribution points this way, there would be an uproar. They had to exterminate enemies or craft several items just to obtain a few measly contribution points, while all he did was speak a couple of sentences and gain 500?!
After he swiftly checked over his newly earned contribution points, Izroth closed out his system interface and accompanied Solomon, Aurie, and Yan. Their destination? The current most heavily guarded area of the camp, the conference tent.
'Solomon holds the highest authority in the Demilitarization Belt; however, that does not mean that he can freely decide everything alone. This gathering will determine the ultimate fate of the Demilitarization Belt. Attack or retreat—which will they choose?'
…
Around ten minutes later…
At the moment, Izroth was inside the conference tent. There was nothing extravagant about it except its size. Besides that, a simple circular wooden table with seven chairs placed around it was stationed at the tent's center. However, these chairs were not empty. They were filled with the various individuals who held power in their respective kingdom or war branch.
Representing Amaharpe's War Brigade was General Solomon. As for the others seated, it consisted of a representative from Proximus, Rosentarus, the Pzenium mercenaries, the War Intelligence Group, the Resource Management Division, and last but not least, the General Support Unit.
Of course, the one representing the GSU was none other than Izroth, which naturally caused him to receive several questioning looks.
Meanwhile, Aurie and Yan stood a few steps behind where Solomon was seated. Since everyone sitting at the table was permitted to bring two personal guards, Aurie and Yan were Solomon's choice.
"Then, since we're all gathered, I hereby announce that the conference b-"
"Wait." A voice interrupted Solomon as he was about to begin the conference.
"Hm? Is there something wrong, Controller Alkori?" Solomon asked.
The one who spoke was a well-built man with tanned skin, eyes the color of sand, and black hair. He was the leader of the Pzenium mercenaries with the title of Controller, Alkori.
"Is something wrong? I was about to ask you the same thing. During such an important meeting, why is there some unknown brat sitting at our table?" Alkori said without mincing his words in the slightest.
NPC Name: Pale Fang of the Sands, Alkori(Epic)
NPC Level: ???
"Controller Alkori, it was I who made the request that Captain Izroth attend this conference to represent the General Support Unit. At this crucial time, we cannot afford to turn away a single helping hand. Naturally, this includes the General Support Unit." Solomon said calmly.
"Even though he worded it somewhat crudely, I'm afraid I have to agree with Controller Alkori on this matter, General. Given Captain Yan's unique identity, I can see why you made an exception and allowed him to attend; however, what we discuss here today will decide the fate of the Demilitarization Belt. Just attending is already pushing it, but to let a Captain sit at the same table as us is a bit too much." The one who spoke this time was a man on the chubbier side with neatly parted dark brown hair and sunken beady black eyes.
NPC Name: Resource Management Division Manager Tonne(Elite)
NPC Level: 30
"Besides, when was the last time anyone from the GSU ever showed their face at an official meeting?" Tonne commented.
"I came to this place at the invitation of General Solomon. If anyone has an issue with me being seated at this table, there is no need to bother the General with such an insignificant matter. If anyone wants me to leave this seat, they are welcome to try their own hand at doing so. Otherwise, you should learn to silence yourself—or I won't mind doing it for you." Izroth said with an indifferent expression and to the surprise of everyone present!
