"All right. I will pass down the instructions right now, and when all the authorizations are done, I will send you the instructions through which you can visit each of the Big 4. I would advise you to finish everything you wish to do in one trip, as it would be too much of a hassle for you to go and come as you wish. There are protocols to be followed each time an outsider is allowed into a sect, you know."
"Of course! I will certainly plan accordingly."
'Believe me, once will be enough. All I need is the location of the Sects, after all.'
With this thought in mind, Daneel smiled broadly as the Head nodded in response.
The Watcher had been a part of the Sect of Hedon, which was why it had been easy for him to set up all that with Travis to enable Daneel to infiltrate the Sect, as he had already known most of what he had to take care of. Hence, the man couldn't be depended on if Daneel wanted to make a trip to the rest of the Big 4.
As Daneel watched, the Head stroked the ring on his right hand, which seemed to be a communication trinket, while closing his eyes to send messages to make Daneel's journey possible.
While he waited for the man to be done, Daneel excitedly began to list everything he wanted to accomplish on his trip.
It was almost like he was back on Earth, planning a sight-seeing trip to a famous tourist location, instead of venturing into a place filled with arrogant and overpowered Fighters and Mages, all of whom would definitely be looking down on him and making sure to come in his way.
At least, that was what he was expecting from the Big 4, based on what he had seen so far.
On top of the list was, of course, to go through each and every book he could find so that the system could pick up as many clues as it could regarding the things which concerned him, which included both the Race and the secret behind the ascent to Hero level.
After that would be to try and estimate what the fighting ability and power of each sect was, so that he could get a clear gauge of the resistance that Angaria was going to put up against the Church.
What else could he do? In the Sect of Hedon, there had been a clear goal to stop Ashahell and whatever he was planning. Was this all he was going to do in the rest of the sects?
Daneel felt that he should aim high.
After a second, a bold thought occurred to him.
He had already spread his tendrils of control as far as they could go in the Central Continent. Except for the two forces which were both being controlled by those who could resist him, the Central Continent was his.
Yet, he sadly couldn't come out in the open regarding the other two forces as that would definitely draw the attention of the Big 4, whom he couldn't handle yet.
Also, after seeing the benefits that came from openly dominating a force instead of doing it in the shadows, Daneel had already shifted his focus to continue his pursuits in that direction instead of like before, when his goal had been to take control of as many forces as possible in the shadows.
That bold idea was regarding these puppeteering skills that were currently gathering dust in his cupboard which contained all the skills which he wasn't using right now.
Could they, somehow, be put to use in the Big 4?
It was a tall order, for sure, when considering the fact that Champions were those in command, on the ground in each sect, while Heroes also constantly oversaw all operations.
Still, Daneel decided that he would see what he could do.
The Head opened his eyes and spoke as soon as Daneel made this decision in his mind.
"It's done, the process has begun. Should be finished in a few days. After that, I'll send you the details. Now then, let me come to the main reason I wanted to speak to you before."
Hearing this, Daneel leaned forward. So there was a different agenda to this old man's summons, too?
"First, your alliance. The oldest rule on Angaria is that no unified force shall be born in the Central Continent. It is the duty of the Big 4 to ensure that that doesn't happen, even if it means that we have to step in and use force. I do not know if you have any designs on the rest of the forces, but even if you do, I urge you to shelve them. And don't bother asking me the reason behind the rule, either. I don't know it, and it will not change. At any point in time, the power in the Central Continent must be divided between at least 3 forces. That is what the rule states, but we like to play safe as we can guess the reason behind the existence of this rule. There was clamor from a few Heroes to disband your Alliance, too, but I, and a few others simply said that the overall power distribution remains the same, and that the rule is still being followed. Besides, it is a crucial time, and it is best that we do not step in and waste our time and resources unless it is absolutely necessary."
'WHAT THE F*CK!'
On the outside, Daneel nodded solemnly, but in his mind, tempestuous winds had begun to form which gave birth to feverous excitement.
3 forces! That meant that…if he was careful, he could go ahead with consolidating the Black Raven Kingdom and the Hidden Kill Sect openly!
As for why it was this number, Daneel thought that it was a coincidence, at first, but as he thought about it, he realized that it was because the main reason behind the rule's existence was that there shouldn't be a singular power which united the entire Central Continent. If there were two, a single takeover would be enough to result in that, which would be a risky position. So, 3 was the minimum number which was safe.
Although he still only had a few clues about the reason, itself, Daneel didn't care about all that right now.
instead, he was hard at work hiding the shine in his eyes which would signify that he was happy due to this revelation
Thankfully, the Head looked like he hadn't noticed anything, as he continued to speak.
"Lastly, your Inheritance."
These words served to give Daneel the opportunity to shelve all his thoughts and focus.
Right. The Paragon Inheritance that he had used, which must have been identified by all those from the Big 4 who were watching.
Was the old man going to ask for it?
This question made Daneel tense up a bit, but he had already prepared for that. After all, the moment he had asked Drakos and obtained it, the whole objective had been to keep himself safe from prying eyes.
Opening his mouth, he was about to begin the tall tale about the Inheritance where it's physical location had been destroyed, but he was stopped by the Head who noticed his expression and chuckled before saying, "Don't worry, my intention is not to ask for it, and obtain it for the Big 4. The Inheritance you obtained is already in our records, and we know what it contains. As such, in the present state of things, there is no Paragon who can utilize it anyway. Besides, even if I wanted to take it from you, all those from the Empire always take steps to make sure that their Inheritances aren't coveted by those whom they don't need to be worthy. Keep it. But be careful. Even though you gave a brilliant warning to the whole continent, there might be others who will still want to obtain such power."
Daneel nodded in response, as he knew about this, too, even though he was surprised that the Head wasn't acting like those antagonists in stories who would always seek to make trouble for the Hero.
The Head continued after pausing for a moment and taking in a breath.
"And, of course, I don't think I need to tell you that although you pursued it till now, it is best to abandon the Paragon Path. Champion Paths either give one an additional trump card while evolving their Mageroots to a different level, or they aid in battle directly. Regardless, a Mage must still focus on the types of Elementary Particles that they are most proficient in to launch most attacks. So, the journey of a Mage after becoming a Champion is to become more even more adept in using their newfound level of power with the Elementary Particles they have specialized in all their life, while also refining their Champion Path endlessly to bolster the advantage it gives them. At this stage, focusing on all Elementary Particles, like you have done till now on the Path of a Paragon, is just a waste of time. Also, there is another problem that one faces if they do this when they wish to become Heroes. Back in the Empire, it was said that this warning was given to all Paragons who became Champions. Yet, many didn't follow it, and ended up regretting it later as they all died without becoming Heroes and extending their lifespan further. The one who left behind your Inheritance is an exception: he is known to have had no regrets. Still, I don't think you would want the same end. You might know all this from the Inheritance, anyway, but I just wanted to repeat it."
The Head paused here, as if for emphasis, and looked into Daneel's eyes for a few moments with seriousness before continuing to speak on seeing that the King was listening attentively.
"After deciding on your Champion Path and becoming a Champion, leave behind the Paragon Path and choose the Elementary Particles to focus on. Also, about the-...I don't think I need to repeat everything regarding the difference between Mage and Fighter Paths, too. Just keep it in your mind. I've spoken enough, my presence is needed elsewhere. We shall speak again, if needed. If you need to contact me, just go ahead and use this trinket. Goodbye, King Daneel."
After this long speech which felt as if it had been going on forever, just before he said the last part, the Head had gotten interrupted by something, as his face had taken on a slightly unpleasant expression for some reason. At the same moment, he had stopped saying what he had started and given that 'summary'.
Even before Daneel could nod, he found a bronze ring flying in his direction before the Head vanished, while the Throne of clouds he had been sitting on began to lose form and float away, slowly.
Daneel caught the ring, but was then startled when he received a message from Kellor.
"My King, a man arrived at the Palace doors looking for you! He said his name was Rayen! But then, he disappeared after getting an irritated expression on his face, just a moment ago! He asked me to tell you that the agreement you had with him still stands, and that he's still under lockdown, but that he might be free, soon! Do you know him, My King? He was shrouded in darkness!"
As Daneel heard this, he couldn't help but laugh out loud heartily.
So that was the reason behind the Head leaving like that. Clearly, he must have detected that the Hero he was watching had left while he was busy talking to him. As for why these two weren't using clones, Daneel had no idea.
First, Daneel was about to stop and ponder on what the Head had said, as quite a few interesting things had been revealed to him.
Yet, he stopped that as the system spoke in his mind.
[Instance 4 of sub-routine "Keep a watch on Mind-Controlled Network Trinket Competitors" has been triggered. Eavesdropping trinket placed on target 4 has intercepted communication which signifies that target 4 is close to deployment. Host has been notified as per the subroutine.]
Oh? That was pretty fast.
He had created this subroutine so that the system could monitor those competitors and save him the hassle of constantly checking up on them. According to the complexity of the trinket that needed to be made and the funding that was available to each of them, his estimate had been that they would be ready to launch by the time he was ready to launch the Network for purchase by all, instead of it being an invite-only program like now.
Although he was still in deep thought regarding what he had learned, he decided to check it out.
Teleporting to the location of this elf who was in Eldinor, Daneel was startled when he simply asked how it was possible and found out that the elf had received a massive influx of funds from an unknown person.
Slightly concerned, Daneel commanded the elf to call for that person, so that he could begin trailing the breadcrumbs to find out which wealthy figure had taken such an interest in this project.