Chapter 428 Entering the Central Tower
Walking to the central tower, Daneel was trying hard to curb his excitement.
He had actually spent a bit of time with those 4 after glaring at the fatty with embarrassment and ignoring that...mishap again. They shared a bottle of wine, before he set off with the gems.
He was finally going to uncover something that had been hidden from him for ages, and he was trying hard not to let his eagerness show.
After reaching the central tower which went high up into the sky, Daneel went to the right, entering a secluded walkway that was smaller than the rest.
These were the instructions he had gotten regarding the man who allowed people to peruse the secret archives in exchange for money.
Walking towards the end, Daneel first saw a dilapidated house with creepers growing everywhere, but weirdly, it was protected by one of the strongest barriers he had ever seen.
Through his elementary vision, he could tell that even a peak Champion might require quite a few strikes to get through it.
What could such an old house be hiding for it to be protected with such extensive resources?
Although Daneel was curious, he set it aside, as he needed to focus on his own matters.
On reaching a small, single floored house a little distance away, he knocked three times-1 long, 2 short.
After that, he directly made his way to the back of the house, where there was a small semicircular hole in the wooden wall, which almost looked like something a counter at some place which accepted customers would have.
Surely, this wasn't designed for that, right?
Proving his words wrong, a hand suddenly shot out of the hole, startling Daneel and making him take a step back.
He had never been a fan of horror movies back on Earth, and such sudden things were still uncomfortable to him, even though he now had the means to protect himself.
After extending outside till the elbow was exposed, the wrinkled hand which looked like it belonged to a man beckoned and made the universal sign for money-he rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
Taking the cue, Daneel walked forward and slowly handed over a large bag, which was immediately grabbed.
How was the hand going to fit the sack of Ker Gems through that tiny door?
He received the answer soon enough: after hefting the bag 3 times as if checking weight, the hand dropped the bag, but before it hit the ground, it disappeared.
[Based on speed of space elementary particle manipulation, the person in the proximity of host who has cast this spell is at least an Eminent Champion]
Well, it made sense that someone in such an important post must have the power to back it up.
It also explained why such an exorbitant fee was being charged: although it felt very high for them, it was pocket change for a Champion.
After this, the hand returned inside the hole, which made Daneel a bit nervous, making him wonder whether he was scammed in return.
Thankfully, a few seconds later, the hand returned, this time holding a key that looked special.
When Daneel held out his hand to take it, he felt a small prick in his index finger, which made a drop of blood land on the key.
"It'll work only for you, and you can stay inside for 24 hours at most. Use the back entrance. Pay 10,000 more to extend your stay. Get out before 24 hours, or the sect officials will throw you out."
A gnarly voice said these words, before the hand disappeared after which the sound of footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door.
Taking the key, Daneel noticed that it had changed color. Clearly, it was some kind of trinket.
Wondering why this man seemed like such a weirdo, Daneel headed to the tower, as he had gotten what he wanted.
The tower was made of grey stone blocks, which seemed to be melded together with almost no perceptible gap. They were rough on the outside, like regular rock, but according to the system, this was some kind of special material which was a lot more durable.
The tower was at least a massive 30 meters in diameter, as it did contain the entire official wing of the sect. The front door was made of wood, and it was carved with flowers to lend it a touch of grand beauty.
There were many other entrances to the side too which were also decorated, but the back entrance was just a plain door.
It was hidden away from the others, and the back side of the tower had a jungle which made it easy for Daneel to make sure that no one was looking/
Besides, he also had the system to check for eavesdroppers.
Putting in the key, Daneel entered it just like a normal door, but the color of the key, which had been silver before, started changing slowly to green, which was what it had been when the man had held out the key.
Understanding that this was some sort of countdown, Daneel put it away before heading down the stone passageway that he found himself in.
The passageway was quite wide, and although it had chattering officials walking around, no one took notice of him.
On the way, he saw quite a few interesting rooms, one of which was the armory.
However, when he tried to enter, a formless force seemed to stop him from doing so.
[The Sect of Hedon core formation is stopping host from entering places which host does not have permission to enter. Should the system begin to look for vulnerabilities?]
Yes!
Daneel had been very worried that the system might be completely powerless inside the central tower, but thankfully, it seemed that the situation wasn't that bad.
"You said before that the formation can't be controlled right?", he asked, wanting to know everything the system could and couldn't do.
[Core formation is already under the possession of an individual. Thus, brute force possession is impossible with system's current level. Vulnerabilities can still be found and used in certain areas that aren't prioritized very highly by the core formation.]
This made Daneel rejoice, as it meant that he had a way now to try and find out what he wanted.
If what he was thinking was right, then the core formation definitely only protected a certain core part, like in Lanthanor where the coiled dragon with treasures inside had been protected until Daneel managed to take full control of the formation.
Giving up on trying to enter rooms where he didn't have the authority, Daneel headed inside the one that was titled "Secret Archives".
Rows and rows of bookshelves greeted him, and as he counted, he realized that there were at least a thousand books here.
It would take a long time to touch all of them.
Also, there were people around, who glanced at him and got back to their books, so they would definitely notice when Daneel did something that ridiculous.
Just as he was about to try and decide his next step, he spotted something familiar: a podium, which a sect member was holding with both his hands.
Yes! It was a sect interface trinket, just like the one in the library of Lanthanor!
After waiting for his turn, Daneel walked up to it and held it tight, as if nothing in the world could dislodge him.
[1132 books found. Assimilating data.]
As the system started absorbing all the information, Daneel looked around, wondering why no one was asking any questions even if he was someone new in the central tower.
Everyone was busy with their own work, but Daneel saw two bearded men sitting side by side while talking to each other.
Eavesdropping was something that had helped Daneel time and time again, so while the system carried out its task, he asked it to magnify what these two were saying.
It turned out that they were talking about food.
Well, not every conversation he eavesdropped on could be vital.
Next, still bored, Daneel asked the system to magnify each and every conversation in the room while giving each 5 seconds.
Most were casual, about the principles of elementary particles or the difficulties faced in breaking through a level.
Some were talking about the menace gripping the dormitory, and how they would have to step in soon if it didn't get resolved.
As he was flicking through conversations like this like one flicked through channels on a TV back on Earth, one caught his attention.
"Yes, I'm not kidding! The 'seer' from the Goddess's Sanctum saw something. Their Matron is here to have an audience with our sect leader, as he is the leader of the High Council. Let's hurry, it's happening in the Main Audience Chamber."
Daneel couldn't believe his ears. Hurriedly, he asked the system just where this conversation had been eavesdropped from.
After finding out that it was between two people who had just passed the door, without caring about whether the data collection was complete, he hurried out while trying hard not to run.
After exiting the secret archives, Daneel looked around before finding two people in black robes heading somewhere with quick strides.
Following them, Daneel made it to a large door which was slightly opened.
Each door was at least 20 feet wide, so that sliver was enough for people to enter through.
As he tried to walk inside, Daneel was once again stopped, but this time, he asked the system to find the weak point before using it and casting a quick spell to enter.
As soon as he walked inside the large, crowded room, he heard a statement spoken with such passion that he would never forget it.
"This continent is my home, and I will definitely do anything and everything in my power to save it. Trust me. I. Will. Save. Angaria. No matter what it takes."