For a few seconds after Daneel made this statement, only silence could be heard from the thousands who were in attendance.
Then, a menacing growl brought everyone back to their senses.
"You m*****f*cker! Stop spouting bullsh*t! Noone's dumb enough here to believe everything you say! Everyone, there isn't a smidgen of truth in what this guy is saying! Don't believe him! I'm not willing to share leadership with him, either!"
At this point, the main problem with a Gathering that was being out in this fashion was displayed.
Because only audio was available to the thousands of bandits, they had only the voices and tones of those speaking to study and judge on before making decisions.
A claim so absurd…would definitely have been thrown out the window, normally, if it was brought up by any bandit.
Yet…Daneel wasn't basing this on nothing.
"Pfft. Shut up, Riordan. Everyone knows how you entered the circle of bandits wearing clothes that belonged to high-profile citizens. Everyone knows how you much you enjoy your luxuries. Hell, I heard that you even brought a bed to your lair to be comfortable while the rest of us sleep on cold, hard ground! As for your family…anyone can go check them out as soon as this Gathering is over. Or…asking around about the family would be enough."
This made discussions begin in the bandit groups, more specifically, in the ones that were under the leadership of Riordan after pledging to follow him during the last Gathering.
Bandits…loved gossip, as they didn't have much else to do in their free time. Hence, the eccentricities of this man were talked about a lot in hushed tones, as he was also known to kill those who talked about him behind his back.
Daneel had heard these things from Skylar, whose place he had taken, and using them, he had formed a really…convincing tale that twisted what was there into something he could use for his own purpose.
This was really nothing too different from what politicians always did back on Earth. A mountain could be made out of a molehill just to aid a politician's cause, even if the molehill was nothing but a pile of phrases taken out of context.
"You! I dare anyone to go to that family, right now! Yes, I do like my luxury! But that doesn't mean that I-"
There it was!
Hearing this made Daneel smile, as what he had hoped had come to be.
Anger would often loosen one's tongue, and make them say incriminating things which might not have been so harmful in normal circumstances.
Until now, Riordan's 'luxuries' had been rumors spread by the large bandit group he was directly in command of. However, now, it had just been confirmed, meaning that there was a possibility that what Daneel had said was also right.
It seemed that Riordan had also understood the same, as he cut off his sentence midway.
Daneel didn't even step in to say anything at this point, because there was always a line which, when crossed, would make it look as if he was trying too hard.
Someone who was confident that they were telling the truth wouldn't feel the urge to step in and repeat themselves every opportunity they got.
So, Daneel held his tongue…and waited for the dominos to fall.
He had had no option but to use such a roundabout method, as the locations of each bandit group was really a very well hidden secret, such that it was impossible even for him to find any other bandit group than the ones Skylar was in control of.
Otherwise, he could directly have gone to kill these two leaders who were just Exalted Humans.
In the silence that followed, Daneel could tell that many full-blown discussions had started in many bandit groups regarding whether what he was saying was true.
Yet, they were all interrupted by three screams.
These…were followed by a chilling voice which said, "Well played, Vincent, or whatever your name is. It looks like you've been planning this for a long time. Nothing I say will work in this situation, anyway. So, I think the best thing to do is let our actions speak for us. The truth is a murky object which can switch hands at a moment's notice. We can argue all day, but at the end, it all comes down to one thing: whether you're willing to back up your words with strength. I'm not willing to share the leadership with you, either. Come to this location and fight me. The winner will be the one who's right. Unless you're too cowardly to step forward, in which case it will become clear that you're just a coward who's hiding underneath neatly woven lies."
Daneel was honestly…shocked.
Shocked…at the utter stupidity of this guy.
Yet, how could he know that he wasn't just a newly ascended Exalted Human who had killed Skylar by chance?
At this moment, the King of Lanthanor really felt like bursting out with laughter, as this was just too funny.
This whole thing had started because he couldn't find the locations of these bandits. Yet, this guy was delivering himself to Daneel on a silver plate.
Well, who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?
"Come at me, Richie Rich."
"Hahaha! Here we go. Asher, pause the Gathering for 5 minutes. That's all I'll need. You…I'm sending the location via the trinket only the leaders have. Come meet your death."
A few seconds later, Daneel was whistling a merry tune while waiting at the spot indicated by Riordan.
As the man appeared, Daneel finally couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing while clutching his stomach.
This made Riordan, who really was wearing the luxurious clothes of a high-profile family, frown and say, "What's the matter? Found it funny that you're going to die to uphold a lie?"
Daneel had to take a few seconds to control himself. When he finally did, he wiped the tear that had appeared at the corner of his eye and said, "No, but you'll get it soon."
"Enough talk. Let's get this over with quickly."
Saying this, Riordan let out a battle cry and heroically conjured a globe of fire around his fist, with metal spikes to boot, which really did look like a terrifying attack.
Clearly, this was someone who was treading the path of a Fighter cum Mage.
Although the man was a little alarmed that his most famous signature attack handn't elicited even a flinch from his opponent, he charged forward anyway, punching with all his might with the intention to break any and all barriers that came in his way before crushing the smug face of this lying bastard.
Weirdly, no barriers stopped him, and his opponent even stood still.
Rejoicing and taking it as a sign that the man might be scared silly, Riordan waited to hear the sickening crunch that he loved which came when multiple spikes drilled into one's face and brain.
Only…at the last moment, he suddenly found himself frozen, in mid-air, with an impossible sight in front of him.
This guy, who was supposed to be an Exalted Mage who had just reached that level, was holding a single finger up, which had stopped his attack in its tracks.
It wasn't just his attack. His whole body felt as if it had been trapped in a quagmire, and he was unable to move no matter how much he tried.
Daneel enjoyed the look of befuddled shock on the bandit leader's face for a moment, before he decided to end this without stretching it for too long.
"You idiot, all I wanted was for you to come out of whatever hole you were hiding in. I really should thank you for saving me the effort."
Shaking his head and saying this with a smile, Daneel used Mind Control and extracted all the valuable information, such as the locations of all the hideouts of the bandit group under this leader, before conjuring a bed of knives that impaled him in hundreds of spots around his body.
After that, he even separated each limb, before finally letting the 5 parts of the man fall to the ground, where they would stay as a chilling memento to those who came to check what the fate of the bandit leader was.
The idea was to scare anyone who came and leave no illusions, whatsoever, that this hadn't been one-sided. And to incite fear…the best way was to bring one's nightmares to life.
With his work done, Daneel dusted his hands, quite pleased as to how this had turned out. If this guy hadn't asked for a fight, some groups might have voted to stay with him, meaning that Daneel wouldn't have gotten their locations. Also, the man might even have stayed in his role.
That was all a thing of the past now. He now had the locations of 2/3rds of all bandits, and they were at his mercy. All that remained…was Joselyn.
At the last moment, just as he was about to teleport away, the system sent him a message.
[Surveillance Module has detected an object that is spying on host from a spot 150 meters south-east of host.]
An object? Did that mean…that someone had sent some sort of communication eye to watch the fight?
Other than him and Riordan who was lying on the ground below in 5 parts, only one other person knew that they were fighting in this spot.
Joselyn.
In an instant, Daneel reached that spot and saw that he was right.
It really was a communication eye, which was in the form of a small globe that hovered in the air.
"Drakos, can you give me the location of who is controlling this thing?", Daneel asked, wondering whether he had hit the jackpot. If that was the case, he would simply go over and Mind Control Joeslyn now, bringing this whole issue to a satisfying end.
Yet, it looked like he wouldn't be having it that easy.
"No, Young King. There are three trinkets in between this one and the actual source. Whoever is using this is very skilled in hiding themselves. Even if I could give you the location of the next trinket, they would be gone before you went to the next one after that."
Great. This woman had even managed to outsmart the Ancient Dragon!
Honestly, Daneel was impressed, but he had to stop her.
Yet, all he could use right now were his words.
So, he decided to throw the dice.
"Hey, I know who you are, and I know that you probably know who I am, too. If you don't, let me tell you. I am the King of Lanthanor, the leader of the Alliance which you are trying to break apart with all your might. Joselyn, I know what happened to your family. But, trust me, that doesn't mean that all elves are bad. I really must advise you against seeking revenge from the whole of Eldinor for something done by a few rotten individuals. I-"
"You really think I'm doing all this because I resent Eldinor?"
Seeing that same garbled voice interrupt him and say this, Daneel's eyes widened.
"Then why are you doing this?"
When he heard her answer, he couldn't help but raise both his eyebrows in disbelief.
"I'm doing this because I'm a human who doesn't want even more humans to be discriminated against. I only managed to target and kill those responsible for my family's death. Other than them, there are hundreds who still engage in activities like those and go scot-free, because they are essential to the economy. They can't be touched. They are the main ones benefiting from this alliance! They will grow and gain even more influence over many more humans! I cannot allow even one more family to suffer what I've been through. So, I have no choice but to stop your alliance. You're powerless against them; if you targeted them, Eldinor, itself, will collapse. If you really care for your citizens, I suggest that you stop this, yourself. Our two races can never co-exist. You might have changed some of them, but they will change back. Trust me, I know them better than anyone else."
So…that was her cause.
Hearing the anguish and passion in her voice, Daneel could tell that it was also her strong motive which enabled her to work so effectively.
At this moment, he really wished that he had someone like that under him, too.
As for the news about the elves, he was sickened, but he knew that she was right. He had had no time and no way to investigate each and every elf, and only those who had been careless had allowed their actions to be known by others.
But….was he really powerless? Was there really nothing he could do?
A bold idea entered Daneel's mind.
"Consider this. What if…all of these elves confessed their crimes to the public? Out of…well, let's say…guilt, because they were saved by humans? Wouldn't it be a sight to behold? And if you see the way the other elves react to that, wouldn't it help you to change your opinion about them?"
"Pfft. Stop speaking nonsense. Those black-hearted elves would never confess."
"Don't be so fast to judge. Who knows? Maybe they will be visited by someone who can be very…convincing. Maybe they will see the light, and start to praise it, too, while confessing everything! Would you cancel your plan if that happens?"