Chapter 655 A Meeting End
Daneel had to admit that although he was surprised, it wasn't to a level where he would have to pause and think whether he had heard correctly.
Indeed, since the last time he had met the Queen, he had accomplished a lot of things that should have made it clear just what he was capable of.
Hence, anyone who wanted to go against him would definitely want to try first to unite with him, even if that someone was as powerful as an Empire Spirit who used to command the armies of the Emperor, himself.
Still, it did catch him a little bit by surprise as he hadn't really expected that her ego would take so many steps down so soon.
However, he could understand why she had chosen this time to give him the offer.
After they engaged in a full-on confrontation, it would definitely be difficult to build those bridges that might have been burnt in that process.
Maintaining a calm composure, Daneel also turned to look at the stars that she was gazing at.
In that moment, a slightly despondent expression appeared on the Queen's face that anyone would have missed as it was present only for the briefest of moments.
Yet, Daneel had already activated the subroutine in the system which enabled it to detect micro-expressions, so he was immediately notified about it.
This puzzled him. According to the system, her expression contained both a little bit of frustration and a little bit of sadness. The former, he could understand, as she might have been expecting that he would jump at the opportunity, as any normal man would. After all, the capabilities of an Empire Spirit could not be doubted.
Only… What about the latter? Why would she feel sad?
Storing this question for later, Daneel opted to stay silent for a little bit as it looked like her mind was the one in flux. In situations like these, it was always better to see whether an individual might blurt out something important just because they wanted to fill the silence instead of allowing it to bear down on them while they felt the pressure from waiting for an answer.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, the Queen spoke after glancing at him for a few times, all while acting as if she were still gazing at the stars serenely.
"It has been so long that even the constellations have changed positions from where they used to be. As a little girl, I remember looking at the stars and wondering whether anyone could be powerful enough to reach them. Even though so many years have passed, I have seen none with the potential to do so. The only one whom I believed could achieve something like that was the emperor, but he…"
It looked like she had been about to speak about the secret regarding what had led to the apocalypse, but she paused, as, after all, it wasn't a topic that anyone would want to get into casually.
Of course, Daneel knew everything that had happened, and even he agreed. That man, with his amazing intellect and his penchant for making perfect plans, would definitely have achieved so much more if he hadn't taken that misstep that had let him to attract the attention of an entity he couldn't go up against. Even then, it had to be commended that he had stayed and tried to right his wrongs instead of running away and just caring about himself like many others would have.
Thinking about the Emperor's demise did make even Daneel feel a little bit of despondency, but he covered that up while he waited for her to continue.
And when she did, it was in a calmer tone.
"Never mind that. The Emperor always used to say that only those had the determination and willpower to get answers should be the ones who ask questions. After seeing everything you've done till now, I believe that you are someone like him. You casually went to one of the Big Four and you somehow got crowned as their leader, even though there are conditions. However, you are still a Warrior with a long way to go, even if you break through to become a Champion right now. The opponents you will be facing from the Church will all be at at least the Hero level, and you are naïve if you think that you will be able to reach that level in the span of time before they arrive. Hence, I do not see why you are so against my offer."
This statement elicited a response from Daneel - a tightness appeared around his mouth, which indicated the seriousness with which he was thinking about what she had just said.
This wasn't something that he was finding out about for the first time - he had always known about it, and he had tried to increase his power by leaps and bounds as fast as possible just so that this would not be the case.
Yet, just like she said, even if he broke through, he would be quite far away from the Hero level.
Of course, there was an obvious solution to this- the Grand Inheritance.
With the power to wield the entire world, it could be said that such a small gap would be nothing to overcome.
Of course, he knew for a fact that she must not be thinking about it as no one would be mad enough to use that again especially after what had happened the last time, except if there was no other option. She wanted to win the Race for the other rewards that were also included, part of which was that she could get back her body.
That… Was exactly the point that differentiated the both of them. Due to all of the Emperor's plans, Daneel was confident that he would be able to use it, and there were even other methods for him to increase his power that lay within the Emperor's memories.
Only… He would first have to break through, and this statement from her had only made him once again decide that he should speed it up, instead of delaying even longer.
The pressure was building up with each day, and the excuse that he wanted to find the perfect one for himself was growing weaker and weaker.
This couldn't go on anymore. Hence… He made a decision.
Three months. Three months from now, he would break through, using the best option that he had at that time.
As for the reason behind this number, it was simple.
A month felt too short, and two months still felt as if it was a bit on the shorter side.
Nine had always been a holy and lucky number on Angaria, and three, as its multiple, was also given a lot of priority by many.
So… Three it would be.
With this decided, Daneel felt calmer, and also more focused. He knew that he would have to do everything he wanted to regarding the research for his path in this span of time, as at the end of it, he intended to follow through with whatever he arrived at, no matter what.
This gave him a measure of peace, as he felt that pressure lessen by a degree.
Eager to get back to his research in all the Champion Paths he had obtained, Daneel decided to end this conversion of theirs, but before that, he had just one question.
"Before I tell you my reasons, I have a question for you, as well. You keep speaking about vanquishing the Big Four and ruling the entire continent. How do you seek to accomplish that? I've been to one of them, and they aren't weak by any means."
Hearing this question, the Queen thought for a few seconds, but after that, a sly smile appeared on her face as she said, "Join me, and I'll tell you. I can't simply give away my secrets willy-nilly, right?"
That was it. Since the moment Daneel had met her, and even in their subsequent meetings, Daneel had felt more and more that hers was a character that he just didn't like.
He hated to be pushed into something. By anyone.
So, deciding to break off all ties, Daneel was just about to retort with a lot of choice words, when something suddenly struck him.
Wait… If she wanted him to join her, and if she wasn't afraid of him leaking her secrets, as he hadn't told the Big Four about her status as an Empire Spirit anyway, why wouldn't she try her best? Again, she wasn't someone without the smarts to realize that his character would not allow him to follow someone who wasn't sincere, and was holding back things in order to try and pull him in. If so… How did this make sense?
That was when it clicked. That despondency he had seen before on her face, her history, and the way she had just talked about the Emperor, comparing him with himself.
Was she… Transferring her unrequited feelings for that man to him?
It seemed laughable at first, but as he thought about it, he realized that it was definitely plausible.
And if that was true… Then this whole thing was a test. If he really was like the Emperor, then he would never accept this, and he would want to stride forward alone.
True, this was what he had been about to do anyway, but this realization did allow Daneel to change some plans and decide to throw the dice, in order to gain a potential follower later on.
Instead of rudely breaking off all ties, he decided on something more moderate.
Also… He decided to take advantage of what he had.
"System, give me a list of the most iconic quotes of the Emperor. Shortlist them based on what I can use in this situation to let her down, in a manner that will remind her even more of him."
[Acknowledged. Scanning Emperor's memories. Outputting list…]
After looking like he was in deep thought for a few seconds, Daneel raised his head and straightened his back before speaking up in a composed tone.
"Interesting, but no thanks. I do not speak from arrogance, or ego. I do so from my self-confidence that I will keep moving forward no matter who is in my way, and that I will save this continent, whether you help me or not. So, I see no reason to ally with you and take a risk. I seek to stand at the top, and I cannot do that if I do not walk my path alone. Goodbye."
Not giving her any time to reply, Daneel turned around with a flourish before disappearing.
The turning around part was unnecessary, but he had done it in order to let the system detect her reaction.
As he appeared in his room, to his surprise, it was exactly what he had been hoping for.
[Micro-expressions detected: admiration, frustration, nostalgia, hope.]
…
Meanwhile, in his dorm, Percy closed the door and fell on his bed.
He couldn't believe just how much of a close shave he had just had, and with a worried expression on his face, he took out the trinket and once again listened to the instructions that had been recorded inside.
"Remember, the trinket in your mind is an active one that I will be monitoring day and night. If you so much as breathe a word about the Church, or if you try to leave the sect, it will immediately detonate, and everyone will think that you just had a mishap. It is good that you agreed. It is tough to smuggle things inside, so I'll be sending over the cure for your father as soon as possible. Before that, just relax."
It had been that, or death. So, Percy had agreed.
As for the target that the guy had been speaking about… He knew very well that it was probably his elder brother, who was the only one easily reachable who was connected to what had happened to his father.
No. He couldn't let it happen. But what could he do?
"Oh master, where are you?", he mouthed desperately, while thinking about just what the heck he was supposed to do.
…
A few hours later, Daneel had already put the meeting with Arafell out of his mind.
He had just come back from a trip to that house in the middle of nowhere where the pyramid scheme was going on, and he was still pretty dazed.
In order to use his time in the best manner, he had set up a meeting with Helena and Dalia, and seeing them waiting, he shook his head in order to calm himself down before appearing in the room where they were sipping tea.
Immediately, they rose to bow, and after they did so, Daneel said, "Originally, I had called you two find out if there were any problems, and because I had some plans that I want to talk to about. However, I just found out that I have a large, large fortune that I want to use. So… What are your thoughts on expanding into other businesses? You know, once, I heard a tale about an organization that spanned across multiple industries and was a powerhouse that could go toe to toe even with a government of the nation. It was called an MNC, a Multinational Corporation, but because we have Kingdoms here, let's call it an MKC. The first proper MKC of Angaria. How does it sound?"
MKC. It was a weird name, and the same was reflected in little Dalia's eyes.
Chuckling, Daneel continued.
"Okay, fine, not that name. Maybe we can call it what I want it to be? A corporation that will stomp down on many, many others and make it so that Lanthanor will be the prime location that each and every settlement in Angaria will want to migrate to. Oh, yes, that does sound much better. What do you think?"