In the underground field of earth beneath the Black Raven Palace.
The Black Raven King let out a deep sigh looking out at the wide patches of land that were completely barren.
Just over 2 years ago, it had been lush with the unique plants which allowed them to train Black Ravens. Now, it looked like it had been abandoned for decades, wasting away due to its inability to sustain any life.
"Damn those Big 4!!"
No matter how many times the King said these words, there was no changing what had happened to these hallowed ancestral lands that had been set up by their deity to train his descendants.
Turning around and seeing the old man walk up to him, the Black Raven King wondered inwardly whether this day could get any worse.
Yet, remembering the sparring match he had set up with Elanev that evening, he slightly perked up because of the fact that there was at least something to look forward to.
The old man looked worse than ever; his skin was pallid and his eyes had dark circles under them as if he hadn't slept for weeks.
His clothes were drenched with sweat even though the temperature here was regulated to a balmy level which felt pleasant to the skin.
Reaching the spot beside the King, the old man also took up a similar, arms-folded stance before asking, "Any word from the mine hunters and scouts?"
"None," answered the King simply, not wanting to speak any more than necessary.
Knowing that it was kind of illogical to expect results so soon, the old man looked at the fields for a few seconds and said, "We need to find that healing method soon. Any word from the King of Lathanor?"
"None. A few months still remain for the harvest time to come."
Hearing another succinct answer from the King, it seemed that the old man had gotten irritated.
"What? No words for me? Too busy talking to that new friend of yours?"
This finally elicited a larger reaction from the King, making him turn around with both anger and fear that even this one thing which brought him happiness might be taken away.
"I'm always watching. Do what you want with him, but if there is even the slightest mention of this ancestral plane, …"
Even before the old man completed his sentence, the Black Raven King hurriedly nodded.
This location was definitely the most guarded in the entire Kingdom, and there was no way he would speak about it in front of anyone else.
Nodding to himself, the old man began walking away.
Relieved, the King turned back and was about to resume his brooding stare before he heard a final sentence from the old man float into his ear.
"Remember, one mention, and he dies….."
....
In a small meeting room in the Lanthanor Kingdom.
Helena and Dalia sat in the plush chairs while they waited for the official head of the Network of Angaria to arrive.
Indeed, after long thought, Helena had realized that the main problem plaguing her was lack of exposure.
Lanthanor city was a huge place, and there were numerous people who might end up buying her product if they got to know about it.
Hence, she had decided to use the newly obtained profit to perhaps run an advertisement which was the rave in the Kingdom right now.
No matter what the age of the person was, there had begun a trend where they would be looked down upon if they hadn't heard of the Network.
In fact, this was in part a result of Eloise's and Daneel's successful plan to use slogans such as
"A Network to make a wise man, wiser" and "The Network with the most learned listeners in the continent" to incorporate such an attitude.
On hearing the door open, both mother and daughter were snapped out of their thoughts as they saw a beautiful lady entering the room and smiling at them before taking a seat.
"Hello, I am Eloise, head of the Network of Angaria. You don't need to introduce yourselves, I already know that you are the reason for the wondrous Bank of Angaria! How can I help you, Helena?"
Hearing Eloise say these words in a pleasant tone, Helena smiled wide at the recognition before saying, "Miss Eloise, we came here because we want to run an advertisement on the Network. I know that there is a long backlog, but I was just hoping if you can add us to the list."
Along with Helena's humble request, Dalia also turned to look at Eloise with large puppy eyes and her upper lip covering her lower.
Seeing such an adorable expression, Eloise couldn't help but reach forward and pinch the cheeks of the little girl who smiled inadvertently feeling Eloise's soft hands.
"When you ask so cutely, how can I say no?", she said, chuckling at Dalia's blush and patting her on her head.
"The King has already told me that he plans to give as many benefits to 'Citizens in Need' as he can. He really trusts you to be a model example for others, so that they can be inspired by your success. Let me converse with him for a moment."
Saying so, Eloise took out a piece of parchment from her pocket before holding it and closing her eyes.
After a few seconds, she opened them to look at the two and grin, saying, "He's ecstatic! And he also insisted on a discount for all 'Citizens in Need'. You can't refuse! And also, all costs will be borne by your account in the Bank. If you brought any money to pay for the advertisement, keep it! You never know, some need might arise where you might not have the time to ask the Bank…"
On listening to the kind words, Helena couldn't help but ponder for a bit.
After all, her motive behind coming for the loan had been to clear the loan faster. Yet, by using an advertisement, she would be taking even more of a loan? Wasn't that counterintuitive?
Yet, when she imagined the entire city finding out about her store resulting in a flood of orders, she realized that she would be able to pay back the loan definitely.
Hence, thinking along these lines, Helena nodded and said, "Please thank the King for his generosity! I bless him with all my heart. We are truly blessed and lucky to have him as a ruler. And thank you, Miss Eloise!"
Seeing her mother's shining eyes, Dalia also grinned wide before turning around to look at Eloise with a much better impression than what she had had before.
"Miss, do you work with the King daily? Mother said that if I study hard, I can become like you! I really can't wait! Can you tell me how the King is? After Mother, he's my favorite person in the world!"
Eloise actually blushed hearing this question, reminded of the gesture from before in the situation room.
Taking Dalia onto her lap, she pinched her cheeks again before starting to speak about Daneel, telling what she could about her interactions with him.
As Helena watched on with a happy smile, the room became filled with "aah"s and "ooh"s from Dalia as she listened to tales about how Daneel repelled multiple Kingdoms and defended Lanthanor with a single hand.
....
Back in the King's Chambers, Daneel couldn't help blushing himself hearing the fantastical tales about his "bravery".
Of course, these tales were a continued product of the bards he had hired long back to write the story about how he had ascended the Throne.
When Eloise had closed her eyes, she actually hadn't contacted Daneel at all. That act had been pre-planned by the two, as Daneel had guessed that the citizens would come back with this request.
After all, as someone from Earth, he knew very well about the deadly concept of "spending money to earn more money".
This was actually fine up to a degree, if citizens did not get trapped in a never-ending cycle of doing the same.
Hence, he had told Eloise to do so if the citizens came asking after explaining to her about how important it was to raise public opinion about the ruling party at every instance they got.
As someone who wasn't new to politics, Eloise wasn't foreign to this concept, and even though it was a little disingenuous, she knew quite well that something obtained was always more valued and appreciated than something given for free.
Hence, she had agreed to the plan.
This resulted in the scene he had just observed, making him feel as if Eloise was now his 'partner-in-crime'.
Getting up from a satisfying round of training, Daneel took a deep breath before assembling his thoughts and heading towards the door of the chamber.
It was time to check on the Empire Spirit.