"Communication has been restored to you because your master stated that you might have experience which could help the continent in this situation. If you wish, this mission can be put on hold temporarily so that you can leave. You will be able to resume it whenever you wish."
The robotic voice of the Overseer was heard soon after, and Daneel finally understood just how he was able to get so many messages even though all communication was supposed to be cut off for him.
The system had only told him about everything that he had started to receive abruptly since a few hours back, and even it had not known the reason behind why that had happened.
Perfect, Faxul and Elanev were all looking at Daneel with strange expressions on their faces. They had been waiting for quite a long time, and they had passed that time by exploring the other regions of the dungeon so that they could create a map which they could use to go wherever they wished after Daneel woke up. None of them were willing to take the Test of Self by themselves, because it would be too risky, so they had decided on this plan of action even though it had been quite risky to escape the damn dogs which had somehow made their way inside before and pushed Daneel, resulting in the test starting in the first place.
Perfect had said that this was not their usual behavior, and it only happened rarely. They had apparently obtained the short end of the stick, which meant that the dogs would be more aggressive than ever. Apparently, this was something that really was related to luck which changed randomly with each time the Nightmare Dungeon was chosen, and even though they had thought about it, Elanev and Faxul had not figured out the reason behind why this must be so.
They had been about to settle in for an even longer wait, as Perfect had said that on average, the Test of Self would need two weeks to finish. However, just after three days, their King had woken up and had ignored them before shaking his head while looking into the distance with a smirk on his face.
If they didn't know him, they might even have thought that he had gone crazy.
Unable to control himself, Elanev asked, "So how was it? Perfect, here, was telling us about how people either find places that are very comfortable for them, or those that are hell. Either way, he said that they're filled with such nostalgia that many choose to stay back if they feel that they cannot pass, and that results in them entering a dream-like state from which very few can recover! Those who pass, though, are supposed to get a lot of benefits which cannot really be explained, either. What did you get?"
This was something they had been discussing quite a lot, so they wanted to find out.
Yet, the words that the king said startled them.
"That can come later, as first, we have a small decision to make: do you three mind if we put this mission on hold? There are pressing matters to attend to outside…"
After a moment, Perfect raised his eyebrows with derision and said, "Putting the mission on hold? That's absurd!"
Of course, Faxul and Elanev had no doubt in their king, so they simply nodded.
Daneel neglected to explain, because he knew that time was precious. He just sent a message in his mind to the Overseer, and the next second, they found themselves once again teleported away by a force which could not be resisted.
Perfect had been about to scoff more, but the words stopped in his throat when he looked around and saw that they were back in the headquarters.
"H-how…", He began, but Daneel cut him off and said, "Explanations can come later. We will come to find you again when we are ready to resume the mission. Farewell, for now."
With that, Daneel directly teleported away once more. He had already been filled in with all the details that had become public in the Big Four and the Order in their highest echelons, and he had stated that he wanted to check on something in his kingdom to the Overseer who had allowed him to leave immediately.
His sovereigns followed, and soon, Daneel was in his chambers.
"I guess I picked the wrong time to enter a test which completely cut me off…Hey, I'm not even responsible! It was those damn dogs which kicked me into it. When I go back, I'm definitely going to cut 'em to pieces and make some delicious bone soup before leaving. Anyway, is there anything else that my master said?"
The sovereigns had all had relieved expressions on their faces as they saw the man who had been the one to set everything that was happening right now in motion return, but as they saw his almost nonchalant attitude, there were quite puzzled.
Robert directly decided to ask, as he had no reason to worry about what his own son might think.
"Daneel, aren't you worried? This is half the resources of the continent! They're talking as if it won't matter, but it is us who will be hit the hardest! A lot of people will go bankrupt, and the economic situation of the entire Central Continent will devolve into chaos! It might be followed by a recession the likes of which has not been seen in the past few centuries, and it might even result in a lot of death and destruction. That is really not what we want at this time!"
The others nodded as they heard him speak, and Daneel did so, too.
"It's not just that, father. Yes, they might act as if it might not affect them too much, but the truth is that I know that it is all bravado. They do not want to admit that just this plan of the Church will put them completely on their knees, so they're acting as if they can make do with what is left after half of the resources are destroyed. Just think about it. Just the daily expenditure of all the formations and barriers that are in place throughout the continent is a staggering sum that will definitely make us faint if we find out just how much it amounts to! Besides, in times of war, there are many, many weapons all of which will require a large number of resources to function properly. Add to this the maintenance resources which are needed for the troops, both young and old, to maintain their power levels and increase their power… I think it is a safe thing to say that it will be such a devastating blow that it will eveaffectct the chances of us winning or losing the war- and that's exactly what the Church wants. It's obvious that they only chose that route because there was no other choice, but the reason that I am not panicking like the rest of you is… That I already have a plan."
Grim and grave expressions appeared on the ones who were present when Daneel added all those things to what Robert had said, and some of them had even started to despair that the war that had already seemed unwinnable was looking more and more like so.
Yet… The last line of the king made hope suddenly appear in their eyes, and they all remembered just in whose presence they were standing.
This was Daneel Anivron, and although he was currently on the path of domination, his mind which had always been his greatest asset had not slackened, at all.
"What is it?", asked Kellor. He had been practically pulling his hair out as he had been thinking of ways in which all of this could be avoided, even though he knew that all the top Heroes of the continent were also on that task. Still, he hadn't been able to stop himself from putting his entirety forward, but all of it had come to nothing.
With a chuckle, Daneel said, "Well, it's-"
Suddenly, the Head appeared in the airspace above Lanthanor, and Daneel had no option but to stop and say, "Just a moment. The Head is here."
He had not planned on keeping his plan a secret from his sovereigns, and actually, they had even seen its signs before.
However, the Head had a pretty urgent expression on his face, so Daneel had decided that he would talk to this man first.
As soon as he appeared in front of him, he said, "You're finally here! You were right! So, by the Heavens, please tell me that you guessed this, and thought of a way to counter it, too!"
Daneel couldn't help but laugh as he heard this, but he also appreciated the trust that was already apparent in the eyes and the words of the Head who had seemed unreachable just a few months ago.
Daneel folded his hands behind his back and said, "Well, this is actually a stroke of luck. I started something right after I found out about all this, and it is a coincidence that it matches perfectly with what we are dealing right now. All I have to do is a little more research, and after that, I'm confident that I will be able to do something to affect the situation. Leave me to that first. What is the schedule that you're following, though? When do you plan on blowing up all those resources?"
Relief instantly appeared in the Head's eyes as he heard this, and even the thought didn't pass his mind that whatever the king had planned might fail. That was the amount of confidence he had in this man he had had to re-evaluate more times than he had ever thought that he might need to, and this was even his elder disciple brother whom he really did respect.
However, that last question made him check the time in his mind and exclaim, "Six hours! Yes, there was a decision to do it as quickly as possible before the news spreads to the Church, which might result in a premature detonation from their side. You only have that long, but I can try to extend it if…"
Raising a hand to interrupt him, Daneel said, "That's not needed - that time should be perfect. If I need it to be extended, I'll contact you, but act as if I have not arrived. The way that we handle this should be very delicate, and I haven't decided yet just how I want to go about it. I'll decide quickly, and contact you- at that point, I'll only need you to do a few things. For now, you can leave."
With a nod, the Head left right away, and it was obvious that the man had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders which he had not hesitated to put aside to come meet him.
Once again remarking on just how incredible an ally he had obtained in such a unique fashion, Daneel returned to his chambers and said, "I did not plan on concealing this from you, but it seems that I am on a deadline. I need to finish quickly, or they really will go ahead and strike a blow against Angaria which will be very difficult to recover from, so time is of the essence. Don't worry - you'll see my answer soon."
Saying that, Daneel teleported once again, and he found himself in the underground room in which he had used to train.
There was a large glass box in one corner of this room, and it was this that he walked to before beginning to rattle off a few commands to the system that he had already thought of after he had found out that it was a bug which had infested the Energy resources of Angaria.
This would take a few hours, and in that time, he also began to marvel at how his guess had been right.
Indeed, he had guessed it, but it had been very vague. He had almost dismissed it was just something which was weird, but it looked like he had been right, after all.
In that memory, after that Firwind Dragon had disappeared, Daneel had been on the spot, so he had noticed that there were a few strange bugs which had burrowed into the ground. They had looked almost normal, and anyone would think that they were just the leftover creatures which were fleeing from the destruction of the pub. Yet… They had felt strange, and it looked like his suspicion had been right.
As for this current plan, he had begun it for a different reason, and it really was a coincidence that it was going to be effective in handling those things, too. It would put a strain on his resources, but it necessary.
Wait… Resources?
As an idea suddenly appear to Daneel, a new plan sprang to his mind, and even though it was a bit… Selfish, he decided that he would use it.
With an almost diabolical light in his eyes, the King of Lanthanor continued his work, while at the same time, the continent began to brace for the event which would definitely go down in history as the first sign of the coming War, much like the relative calmness that would always be present before the onset of a devastating storm.