23 hours later.
As Daneel walked out of the Central Tower while holding the key that was about to completely turn black, he couldn't help but bite his lips with frustration.
Each and every part of his body was aching, and he even had a very bad headache due to constantly changing camouflages and having his mageroot overly taxed for quite a long time.
Using various disguises, he had searched through almost every nook and cranny of the entire Central Tower, save for the core spot on the ground which the system couldn't infiltrate into, and a few other places.
Besides, he knew that there was probably nothing there except the core control mechanism of the formation, which was actively in the possession of someone.
At least three times, he had had very close shaves where the person he was disguised as had almost walked into the room he was in and realized that there were two of him.
At the last moment, using the Basilisk's Breath, he had been able to change disguise and avoid suspicion.
In this process, the only consolation was that he had come across various bookshelves in other parts of the sect which he had run his fingers over and collected information regarding the finer workings of the sect.
At one point, he had even infiltrated the living quarters of the sect leader himself, but what was strange was that the bed looked like it hadn't been slept in in a very long time.
It was then that he had heard while eavesdropping on the maids in the central tower that the sect leader very rarely spent time here, instead opting to disappear somewhere.
There was one other thing - when Daneel got to the top floor of the sect, the system had notified him that there was actually a camouflage formation which was making it appear to everyone outside that the Central Tower only had eight floors.
Apparently, there were many more floors, but the system couldn't push through as this was also another area of priority by the Hero level formation which made it so that the system's level wasn't enough for it to find vulnerabilities which Daneel could use.
Basically, he had exhausted each and every place he could look inside the Central Tower, but he had found no indication whatsoever about the true nature of the sect leader.
With his time up, he had no option but to give up and go out, lest he risk being discovered by the sect officials and being fined and thrown out.
As soon as he walked out, the key crumbled into ash before being swept up by a breeze.
While Daneel watched the ashes floating away, it was as if he was also watching his last hope of finding the truth leaving him.
He didn't know what to do. Even the Watcher had had no concrete plan - he had trusted that whatever the sect leader wanted to deliver, Daneel would be able to find it and identify it for what it was - an element which could be used to destabilize the continent.
Regretfully, there was no such thing.
Although the possibility was there that it might be stored in the higher portions of the central tower, Daneel had no way of ascertaining whether this was true.
What was he supposed to do now?
It would take at least three and a half weeks for him to exit the sect again, and by that time, if the Watcher was true, then it was very possible that the end of Angaria might come to be.
Hopelessness and desperation surged through Daneel, but no matter how much he tried to find a way, he really couldn't see any hope.
Besides, there was also the nagging feeling that the Watcher might be false all along, and that he might be better off handing over whatever he had to Ashahell.
However, whenever he thought about this, a chill would creep up his spine, as if to warn him not to do anything hastily.
Walking back to the dorm, Daneel asked the system to tell him about any information that he needed to know from all the data that had been gathered inside the central tower.
[High Council: The High Council consists of all the Hero level elders of each member of the Big Four. The number of elders from a sect determines its position in the hierarchy of the Big Four. A force can only be considered to be part of the Big Four if they have at least one Hero level individual on the High Council. The leader of the High Council is the only one not at Hero level - typically, the leader is chosen from the Peak Champions in all of the Big Four, with the objective being that the one who is most likely to become a Hero next should be in possession of the role of 'head' whose responsibility it is to act as a bridge between the regular sect members and the members of the High Council.]
Well, that was established. So that was where all the Hero level individuals of the sects were.
[Hero Level: The level that is beyond Champions. The key to becoming a Champion is to choose some aspect which resonates with the individual, and either being capable of casting spells related to that aspect without using a Mageroot(in the case of a Mage) or being capable of exerting power and affecting reality without using their body(in the case of a Fighter). This is the information pieced together from the journals of those who have already become Champions. As for the Hero level, it has only been written that an additional aspect is needed, and that the difference between Champions and Heroes is much more than that between Warriors and Champions. Core information about reaching Champion or Hero level is exclusive to the core inheritances of the sect, which is not included in the data that has been gathered.]
This made Daneel stumble slightly, as he finally realized the meaning behind the system's notification during the Olympics when it had said that mageroot-less spell casting was key to becoming a Champion.
He had already expected that the most important inheritances wouldn't just be lying around the Central Tower for him to gather. The formation would definitely prioritize such information, so it would only make sense that he hadn't been able to access them.
Although all this stuff about the Hero level was very interesting, he knew that it was very far from him right now.
Too far to think about, especially when he considered that if he didn't accomplish something soon, it was very possible that Angaria itself would not exist for long.
Again and again, Daneel couldn't help but think this and frown with extreme frustration.
[Comprehension and potential levels: Unlike in the Central Continent where comprehension and potential levels are capped at top grade, according to the information that has been found in the secret archives, there are two additional levels, denoted as "S" and "SS". Comprehension level and body potential level dictate the farthest power level that an individual can train to. Top grade comprehension and body potential means that an individual can become a Warrior without too much difficulty, given the right resources and training method. But beyond this, it is almost impossible for them to move forward, unless external mechanisms are used to increase their comprehension and body potential level.
S level means that one can become a Champion.
SS level means that one can become a Hero.
Very few people are born with S level comprehension or body potential. One example of those born with S comprehension and body potential level are 'seers'.
Since the collapse of the Empire of Angaria, no individual has been born with SS level comprehension or body potential.]
His head reeling with all this information, Daneel realized that he had finally found out just what kind of level his own comprehension had reached after that experience so long ago with the remnant spirit.
On a whim, he asked the system to show him his status.
[Host status updating. Please standby.
Host status:
Host Fighter Level: Warrior-1(67%)
Host Mage Level: Warrior-1(84%)
Host Body Potential: A+
Host Comprehension Level: S
Host Condition: Nominal]
Clearly, whatever he had been through when he was attacked by that remnant spirit had in some way changed his comprehension level and improved it. If he remembered correctly, it had all been about pressure.
Right now, he could bet that whatever the sect members of the Big Four went through to become a Champion was definitely closely related to what he himself had gone through.
Again, another mystery solved, but this time, it gave him no satisfaction.
Reaching the dorm room, Daneel fell on the bed.
There was still no new news about the Mad Doctor, as it seemed that Percy was still searching and trying to find out just where his father was hiding his brother and those cronies. Of course, he had been waylaid by Daneel.
Daneel slowly realized that there was only one thing he could do- a last hope of sorts: Ashahell was going to meet with him, and during the conversation, he would have to try his best to find out something or anything about the man's real motives.
There had been instances before when a personal meeting had helped Daneel and allowed him to understand the other person, so he could only hope right now that the same would repeat.
He threw himself into training, waiting for the three and a half weeks to end, so that he would be able to leave while also hoping that Ashahell wouldn't move his schedule forward.
Thankfully, no such thing happened, and after 25 days, Daneel made sure that Ashahell was going to come to Lanthanor in five days before leaving the sect.
As he stepped out of the barrier, he took a deep breath.
These past few weeks had been very tough on him, as his anxiety regarding the future had reached new peaks, not even allowing him to get a good night's sleep.
The stakes were just too high.
As he had just exited the sect, he could choose to contact the Watcher if he wished, but Daneel held off on doing so and also made sure to disguise himself as someone else, as that guy must definitely be watching right now.
Without being sure, he couldn't risk going to the Hidden Kill Sect again.
In five days, Ashahell would be appearing in Lanthanor, and that meeting might well decide the fate of Angaria itself.