Chapter 357 Entrapment
Garen quickly arranged for Astraeus to be seated and instructed his disciples to prepare coffee for him.
This time, he emphasized that the service must be exquisite and attentive, with every detail perfected to show respect to Astraeus.
Given Astraeus's peculiar temperament and Garen's evident unwillingness to provoke him, he was very strict with his disciples to avoid any minor mistake that could cause unnecessary conflict.
Meanwhile, the leaders of other Guilds also gradually entered the grand hall, with the atmosphere becoming increasingly solemn and tense.
Some of them had actually arrived at the foot of the mountain earlier, but seeing Astraeus's grim expression, they dared not approach and waited for a while.
Only after seeing that the Emerald Lion Guild's grand hall wasn't turned upside down did they dare to enter.
As they all believed Garen's strength had significantly increased, they thought it was almost inevitable for a confrontation with Astraeus's arrival.
Upon entering the grand hall, the guild leaders exchanged greetings. Some of them also noticed Alice and William sitting there. They had heard about Alice's formidable strength the previous day, so her presence there was not surprising. However, William sitting next to Alice was a bit odd.
"It seems Alice is very fond of her secret lover!"
They didn't think William was Alice's regular partner.
Given the vast disparity in their strengths, William could only be seen as Alice's plaything.
The guild leaders tacitly understood this, not daring to mention it explicitly or to speak out of turn.
Seeing more people arriving, Alice gathered her thoughts and courageously asked in a soft voice, "Is everyone here?"
She could have remained silent, but William had pushed her into a corner. It was better to address the matter quickly and leave as soon as possible.
Alice's voice was soft and mellow, lacking any air of authority or dominance.
However, given her previous display of power, almost everyone regarded Alice as a peerless powerhouse. Her gentle manner of speaking might be an attempt not to intimidate them.
What a benevolent and peerless powerhouse!
Garen responded, "Almost everyone has arrived, except for the members of the Crimson Emissaries Guild."
The Crimson Emissaries Guild, with a long and ancient lineage tracing back to powerful wizards of ancient times, derives their power in a manner distinct from other Soulmancers.
This guild has always been shrouded in mystery, with a long history and rarely involving itself in worldly affairs. However, over a thousand years ago, Garen had nearly died at the hands of the Crimson Emissaries.
Now, when Alice brought up this matter, his first instinct was to have Alice confront this enigmatic guild, to share his burden.
Astraeus, with his deep voice, said, "The Crimson Emissaries Guild doesn't involve themselves in worldly matters,they are unlikely to participate in this meeting. And do you really think your telepathic message could reach the Crimson Emissaries Guild?"
Garen remained silent.
His invitation was only extended to Demi-God level powerhouses.
As for organizations like the Arcane Society, despite their founder Merlin once being a Lesser Deity, they now lack powerful Soulmancers and are hardly considered a top-tier guild, thus not qualified to join this meeting.
As for the Crimson Emissaries Guild, Garen didn't even know their exact location, let alone sending them a telepathic message.
Alice, not wanting to stay long, cleared her throat and said, "Then everyone is here."
"I'll keep it short. Guild leaders, I hope you will promptly construct magical barriers to protect your guilds and publicly announce the criteria for recruiting apprentices, to prevent disrupting the lives of ordinary people."
"Similarly, I believe none of you would want your guild bases to be surrounded by crowds of ordinary people."
Alice, being a rich heiress, had witnessed board meetings in corporations and now spoke with the authority of a chairperson.
"Rest assured, Alice, we will complete the construction of the protective magical barriers for our guilds by tomorrow. As for the apprenticeship requirements, how about we standardize them and have Steven announce them? Those who wish to become Soulmancers can register and be listed, and then we can choose an appropriate date to collectively recruit apprentices?" Garen's mind became active.
From the moment the Sword of Soulbreaker was drawn, he instantly understood the gap between himself and Alice.
Both he and Alice used swords as their weapons. Alice's sword technique was unparalleled in the world. If he could gain Alice's favor and learn her sword technique, wouldn't that be wonderful?
He also realized that in pursuit of the ultimate in swordsmanship, even if Alice wanted him to be her secret lover, it wasn't something he couldn't accept.
"That's settled then!" Alice said. "Please complete the protective barriers for the guilds as soon as possible. As for recruiting apprentices, you can discuss it with Steven."
Having said this, Alice started sweating on her back.
She wasn't a fool,all the people present were real big shots, and she was the real weakling, yet pretending to be a big shot.
If William weren't sitting beside her, she probably would have been scared stiff.
"Rest assured, Alice, we will definitely complete the magical barriers soon!" Garen was now eager to please Alice in any way he could.
"Then we'll take our leave first," Alice said as she stood up, sneaking a glance at William.
She wondered if William had any other opinions or...
He wasn't planning on causing more trouble, was he?
William looked at Alice, smiled slightly, and stood up, saying, "Let's go then."
Alice let out a sigh of relief, finally able to leave.
Steven then said, "Why don't you two go ahead, and I'll discuss the matter of apprenticeship recruitment with the Guild leaders."
William looked at Alice with a smile.
Alice's eyelashes fluttered, quickly understanding William's intention, and cleared her throat, saying, "Then we'll wait until everything is discussed."
William had already stood up and it was unlikely for him to sit back down, so he said, "You discuss, I'll just take a walk around."
He had come today for those "Chosen Ones," and with Alice present, Bradley definitely wouldn't dare to make a move.
How could William, always so understanding, not give him a chance?
Entrapment, William had always been good at it.
"Alright then!" Alice naturally couldn't object, but once William left, she felt somewhat anxious.
Not long after William left the grand hall, Astraeus also excused himself to leave.
He had never really regarded Alice as significant, let alone the others. When he decided to leave, Alice naturally didn't dare to raise any objections.
Without William by her side, how could she dare to ramble to a Quasi-Deity level powerhouse?
Was he seeking a premature end to him life?
As soon as William descended the mountain, Bradley indeed followed him.
True to his title as a "Chosen One," he never considered that if Alice really were a peerless powerhouse, even if William was just a novice Soulmancer, could he kill William from such a distance?
Bradley's only concern was to prevent William from sending a distress signal and to kill him instantly, leaving no trace.
Living well wasn't good enough for him,he was seeking his own demise.
Hiding in the shadows, Bradley was unaware that his every move was under William's control.
Not just that, Astraeus had also locked onto his aura!
"Die!" Bradley, with a face full of resentment, suddenly launched a Steel Needle at William from 300 feet away.
The next moment!
He exploded on the spot!
Astraeus directly shattered Bradley's soul.
The Steel Needle flying towards William hovered a few inches away from him, unable to move any closer.
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