Chapter 1037 Setting Out 1
As soon as Eloise said this, the other individuals in the room reacted in different ways.
Elanev looked excited. He had been quite vocal about the fact that he had not gotten into a fight in quite some time, so he was itching for all the action that would soon come.
Kellor was pensive. He was clearly still thinking of the best way in which they could approach this, using his age and experience which were valued by all those present.
There was no visible change in Faxul's face, but his eyes did glimmer a bit, which meant that he shared Elanev's emotion.
Xuan looked fierce. Eloise knew that she had made a decision after recovering, so from this, she could tell that what they were going to do was going to be the first test of whether she had begun on that path.
Finally, Perfect was anxious, as he couldn't believe that it was finally time for his family to come to justice.
Not 'Perfect'… Mark.
That was his name, which he had told them after that moment in the Order where Daneel had taken control.
And of course, there was Eloise, herself, who looked serious as she knew that they had to make a decision on the plan right away, as the time to act was now.
The Head had given them everything they had asked for. There was a provision in the Order which allowed one to directly disavow members in case the evidence was overwhelming, and secretly, Mark's family had been thrown out of the institution of which there were thinking that they were still a part.
They knew the locations of all the members of this ancient family, too, which were supposed to be kept confidential by the Order, but the entire idea behind the Order's existence was that it should be able to perfectly locate all the people of power on the continent. Hence, all of the effort that they had apparently gone to over centuries to ensure that the place where they resided be kept secret was for naught, and Eloise and the four of them who had come together to follow through on the oath given by Daneel were ready to knock on their doors and do whatever they wished.
It wasn't that simple, though. Mark hadn't been understating it when he said that his family was powerful: their roots went deep, and even though the Order knew a lot about them, the exact extent of their resources and capabilities of the defensive formations that they were in possession of was not known.
The main threats, of course, were the Hero level individuals: there were a total of 40 of them, and even though only 18 were talented enough to have become official members of the Order, the rest were no joke.
There were also rumors of a combination formation that had been created over generations of family members who had all researched extensively to find a method to use the strength of the entire family at once if it was needed, so all of them had been looking for a plan which they could accomplish without having to call on their Godking, which would defeat the entire purpose of them taking on this task in the first place.
They knew that he had a lot of things to do, so their intention had been to take at least one thing off his mind.
It was still unknown how this family which had apparently sworn themselves over to the Church had resisted an official order to deploy themselves and fight Daneel. After discussing, it had become obvious that this was, in fact, the biggest variable: anything, or anyone that was capable of going around the precautions placed by an advance force such as the Church was definitely something they should be worried about.
All in all, it was a tricky situation, but the sovereigns had one trick up their sleeves, too: the Godnet.
Eloise brought it up now, as she sought to end this discussion quickly.
"The Godnet. I am in agreement with Elanev and Faxul on this matter. We must draw out everything that they have with our own power before exposing our trump card. So, Kellor, we cannot use the Godnet from the beginning - they will grow cautious, or worse, hopeless. We all know that there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered beast - so if possible, I would like to enter a fight in which the possibility of there being casualties is as low as possible."
Kellor narrowed his eyebrows as he heard this, as he had been advocating strongly for their safety, which would be guaranteed if they used the Godnet from the beginning.
However, after ruminating on her words for a bit, he nodded, so Eloise proceeded to enter the final stage of their discussion.
"It is time to choose the final plan by voting, then. There are three plans in total: Faxul and Elanev are of the opinion that we use the Godnet to isolate them, and then pick them off one by one. Xuan wishes to deploy the Big Four and the Order, if needed, with us leading the fight to take on the entire family head-on. My plan is one that is fashioned about those that Daneel usually comes up with: it strikes two birds with one stone. Let us vote."
Only Elanev and Faxul voted for their plan. None voted for Xuan's, not even herself, as she had only been spitballing to further the discussion. So finally, Eloise was victorious.
She showed no happiness, though.
"In a way, it could be said that my plan has the most danger, as if things go wrong, it can be disastrous. But if we're careful, it'll all be wrapped up without a single casualty. Let's make that happen. Sovereigns… In the name of our Godking, let's get this done!"
With steady nods, each of the sovereigns departed from the strategy room.
Xuan left last, and before she did, she glanced up, at the sky, and then shared a look with Eloise.
"Soon," she said, to which Xuan nodded and then disappeared.
She was left with Mark, whose head was bowed as he looked like he was thinking of something.