Chapter 849 An Audience
It was only after standing in a daze for a few moments that Daneel finally got back to his senses.
From the beginning, the biggest proponent that the Overseer was not someone with ulterior motives was that he had done nothing so far to indicate that he did not really have the best interests of the continent at heart.
True, he had acted quite cold in many situations, and had taken many decisions that would make him seem outright evil, but all of these could be explained away by the logic that they made sense when one viewed them with the big picture in mind.
Yet, with this… Everything changed.
It now made sense for whoever had taken the role of the Overseer to wait and bide their time, as no matter what their objective might be, it would only be in a time of war when they would be able to act with the most freedom.
Getting back to what the system had continued on to say, Daneel found out that during times of war, even the rules surrounding the Overseer became lax, as it would not make sense to have to check with the rules each and every time whenever a crucial decision had to be made. Hence, for anyone wanting to accomplish anything with that role, they would have to wait for an invasion to occur.
By the grace of the Heavens, no such danger had befallen the continent for a long time. Yet, now… An invasion was imminent, and as soon as it struck, he could almost visualize the Overseer completely turning on everybody and commanding the strongest Heroes to do his bidding.
But what could his bidding be? Could he be someone from the Church? No, that was impossible, because his master had told him that the Church was a relatively new entity that had not been present at the time when the continent had been attacked.
Could he be acting on his own agenda? In that case, would he want to surrender the continent, itself, to the Church, thereby allowing him to gain the best bargaining chip possible?
There were many, many possibilities and eventualities, and Daneel couldn't even wrap his head around all of them.
Yet, there was still a small chance that he could be overthinking things. Only… When he thought about how hard he had had to work in order to get to the stage where he had this information in hand, this possibility seemed more and more moot.
This was the absolute worst case, and it was a good thing to think about it and put something in place to counter it. Before he got to that stage, though, Daneel decided to listen to the last topic the system had listed as important.
[Conditions to be chosen as an Overseer:
1. The role of the Overseer should be empty
2. There must only be one individual participating in the test
3. The individual must pass the test and show their loyalty to the continent
4. The individual must swear the oath to follow the rules, and never overstep their boundaries
5. The individual has to obtain the approval of the Saviour(if the Saviour is present).]
That was it. Although Daneel turned it over in his mind, he did not really see its importance at the moment, and that was merely because he had no idea regarding the conditions surrounding the Order at the time of the attack before the Apocalypse, as there was no data recorded even in the Library of Origin. Even his master only knew that the Order had been targeted, and that its leadership had been killed successfully before the attack even commenced.
So… This meant that it was in that period of time, between when the attack commenced and before the Emperor used the Grand Inheritance to force the enemies back after dealing them a devastating blow was when the individual who was currently acting as the Overseer had taken his position.
Who could it be?
There was also something weird about this. Initially, he had had the impression that the Overseer might be some sort of an artificial consciousness that was acting completely on cold, hard logic. Yet, now, he had discovered that it was a person, which did not make sense at all.
True, there was still a case to be made that living for such a long time might make one become almost robotic, but if so, what was the reason behind the decision right after the Apocalypse to not open the doors of the Order and save those who could have been saved?
The supposition fell apart when this was taken into account. This tidbit about the past was why Daneel had even begun to think that the Overseer might just be some form of consciousness.
For all intents and purposes, the Order was just a normal organization that had been established for the good of the continent. Its specialty was that it had a very unique set of rules, and it also had a system which would check that those who were enforcing them were definitely loyal to the continent. Only, somehow, it had changed over the years to become an organization that was headed by a coldly logical entity whom no one could understand, and whom everyone took for granted as a perpetual being who would enforce the rules and always keep the good of the continent in its mind.
All of it was a sham. All of it.
The public perception about the Order, itself, had been methodically changed over the years to become like how it was now.
It was almost like a leader transforming themselves and their followers into a cult where they were the God, and where they would be treated as being greater than human!
But why?
Why?!
So many questions made Daneel's head swirl, and he could only sit back and hold it between his hands in order to make it stop.
However… a message suddenly interrupted him, making him snap his head up and look into the distance with an extremely bewildered expression on his face.
"The Overseer requests your presence for a meeting. Please head to a nearby Obelisk at once."
That was the message, and hearing it made his heart suddenly start beating out his chest.
He felt cornered, like a rabbit who had been found stealing from a garden by the gardener, and only a hatchet awaited him.
He first had to take a few moments to calm down, and then think.
Was it a coincidence?
No, that couldn't possibly be the case, right?
He tried to put himself in the place of someone who had somehow taken on the role of the Overseer and was waiting for the chance to betray the continent.
If someone intruded upon the place where there was information which could throw light on his objective, what would he do?
Of course, the most direct thing was to kill off this individual, just to be safe.
After all, in matters like these, one would not even hesitate before being as ruthless as needed. Only, in this case, the Overseer was bound by the rules of the Order, and that meant that he couldn't possibly go on a killing spree if he wished.
What did it leave, then?
Daneel had been very careful to make it seem as if it had been casual, but anyone who was being cautious would want to make sure that there was no chance that their true objective might be being investigated. In that case, the logical conclusion was to find something that would allow them to find this out for sure.
How, though?
No matter how much he thought about it, he did not find the answer.
He did understand one thing, though. If he hesitated now, that would only throw even more doubt upon himself, so he decided to go to the meeting.
Still… He could not stop himself from feeling just a tiny bit of fear.
If he took a gander at everything and everyone he had had to go up against in this continent, then it would become clear that it was always the intelligent forces that had given him the most difficulty. So far, he had managed to outsmart them, but in front of someone like this who had fooled generations and generations of Heroes… It was possible that he might have met his match.
It was a worthy match, though, for sure, and it even felt like this was the final foe that Daneel would have to defeat before facing the Church in the inevitable War that would soon begin.
This was the one thought that made him puff up his chest with confidence.
Yes! If he could rid this powerful organization of this individual who was quite probably someone with a different agenda in mind, that he could calmly go about his preparations for defeating the Church without worrying about anyone backstabbing him while he was absorbed in that matter. Hell, he could even try to become the Overseer, himself, if he made the role become empty!
That was also the Word that he had given as the World Dominator and also to Cassandra, and to fulfill it… he was willing to do anything that was necessary.
As for the role of the Saviour, the requirements were too vague, and it was also strange that it was the same term used in reference to the matter with the Golden Lightning.
He had no time to think of that now, though, as the Overseer awaited him.
Nodding to himself with an expression of resolution, Daneel teleported away after leaving behind a message detailing everything he had found out which could only be read by his sovereigns. If anyone else even touched it, it would turn into ash.
As soon as he got to the Headquarters of the Order, itself, everything felt different.
This place which had once seemed like a safe haven where he could calmly show his power and reap the rewards that he would use both for the outside world and for himself, now felt like a pit of vipers.
There was only one snake, but just this one was so powerful that it could gobble him up without his knowledge.
Taking another deep breath, the King of Lanthanor made his way to an obelisk, as he had been instructed.
In the next moment, he found himself transported to the same room where he had first met the Overseer.
There was that same creepy globe filled with the faces of those who had seen so far, and those he had yet to see, and in the surroundings, there was naught but the nebulous darkness which symbolized his own position after finding out everything that he had.
As always, the Overseer's voice echoed from all over the place.
"The Order has been keeping a close eye on your achievements. Your power has exceeded all expectations, and it is a pleasant surprise to see that someone of such talent has existed on the continent for so long without being spotted. As such, the Order would like to extend a special offer to you. If you agree, you will be mentored by the top Heroes of Angaria, who typically only focus on their own power and seldom see the light of day. Yet, to honor the favors that they have been granted by the Order, they will be called upon to give you the best instruction possible. With their help, and with the resources that you will be provided, it is possible that you might be able to break through to the Hero realm before the war even commences. This is the goal of the Order, as it has become clear that you will be an excellent addition to our forces if you're able to go further on your Path. Do not fear, because the tenets of secrecy the Order has always stood on will still be maintained. None shall know of your true identity, and the Order shall also put forth more effort to make sure that this shall remain the case. As I have asked once before, I must do so once again. What do you choose?"
Those last three words echoed continuously in the room, and Daneel had to gulp before stating the most obvious question.
"I gather…that this comes at a cost? I need to swear further oaths, right?"
In an almost offhand tone, the Overseer replied, "Of course, but that shall be no different from what generations of individuals with even more talent than you have sworn, and it is something that they have never come to regret. In fact, they are even thankful of the opportunity."
No more needed to be said. There was no way that Daneel would swear something like this. Still, he acted as if he was thinking for a bit, before finally saying, "I respectfully decline, at the moment. I would like to go as far as possible on my own before choosing to take help. That has always been the way I do things."
Daneel's words were followed by a pregnant pause which made cold sweat spring to life on his back.
The timing of this was so circumspect that Daneel was half convinced that he would be attacked next.
Yet, thankfully…nothing of the sort happened.
"Very well. Choose the newly added mission in the obelisk if you wish to reconsider."
With that, he was teleported out, and as he reappeared in front of the Obelisk, Daneel realized that for the whole time, he had been so tensed that his fists had been closed so tightly that his nails had dug deep into his skin.
Letting out a breath, he teleported away, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that something…was wrong.