Chapter 262 Betrayal or Loyalty
The mage strolled away from the bustling foodie street, distancing himself from the vibrant atmosphere, and directed his steps toward a dock area not far from his current location. The shift from the lively street to the tranquil dock created a distinct contrast, almost as if he had entered a different realm altogether.
The rhythmic sounds of lapping water against docked boats and the distant calls of seagulls enveloped the air. In a more contemplative state, the mage moved purposefully towards the quieter surroundings of the dock.
Approaching an abandoned section with dilapidated warehouses, the mage headed for a specific one. Despite its outward appearance, this warehouse held a significant secret—it was the Path of Knowledge faction's secret base in this region.
Letting out a sigh of relief, the mage produced an orichalcum token, signifying his identity with Hightower clearance, and tapped it on the lock. The security mechanism responded, and the shutter door lifted, revealing the interior of the warehouse.
However, the mage was met with a surprising scene. Instead of the expected welcome or a scolding for his lack of manners, the warehouse was adorned with magical amenities, various furniture, and appliances resembling a living room. In the midst of it all, a small pile of corpses lay.
Seated there was a suave man with a trimmed beard in a blue suit, engrossed in a tablet, accompanied by a black man in a black trench coat. The two individuals were Odysseus and Viper, who had joined Odysseus in the mission to eradicate this base as a part of his commission.
"Oh... I anticipated only Mr. Eisenhart to survive, but instead, it's you who managed to make it? Mr. Turner," Odysseus remarked after briefly checking his tablet to identify the man standing before him.
"Who… who are you?" The mage name Turner asked with a shaken voice. He was never a courageous once in the first place, he joined this operation solely because of the benefit that the Path of Knowledge Faction promises to grant him.
Odysseus remained silent, choosing to ignore the mage as he stood up, expressing his complete disappointment.
"Haaaa... This means the secrets and information I need are forever lost... I doubt you know much about the Path of Knowledge faction anyway, do you?" Odysseus inquired, a tone of resignation in his voice.
"I... I... I'm not! But, but... I think I can help you! I know a lot of people—many of them are influential figures in the faction. They must know something! I can help!" The mage quickly responded, fearing that any delay might result in him being shot, considering the man in blue appeared to deem him useless.
"Hmmm?" Odysseus dragged out his voice, glancing at the mage intermittently while checking the information on his tablet, which was now filled with data extracted from the internal server of the secret base.
"Fine..." Odysseus nodded, then turned to Viper, who was engrossed in a gacha game, muttering a string of F words after multiple unsuccessful attempts to pull a five-star character.
"Mr. Viper, I'll pay you extra. Take this guy to your hideout and interrogate him," Odysseus ordered.
"Wait... Why are you not taking this guy to your usual spot? You're not planning to stab Mr. Emberweave in the back, right? If that's the plan, count me out! No matter how much you're paying, I'm not getting involved in this shit." Viper drew a clear line, standing up to emphasize his refusal. It was evident that he wouldn't be part of any scheme to betray Daniel Emberweave.
It hadn't even been a year since the Willow Clan, one of the most influential mage clans in the Tessia Kingdom, was wiped out. It wasn't that no one could do it, but executing such an operation without a single casualty was an entirely different story.
This event had instilled fear in the mage societies of the South East Asia Region. No one dared to cross paths with Daniel, especially Viper and Silencer. The two mercenaries happened to be on a yacht nearby during a fishing trip with some hired working girls when they witnessed an Atlantean Battleship unleashing an artillery salvo in the direction of the Willow Clan.
After investigating the origin of the battleship and discovering that it might be owned, or even built, by Daniel, the two mercenaries were left in shock. Since then, they had received numerous offers from the Hightower to mess with Daniel—steal his artifacts, acquire blueprints, or even assassinate Daniel himself.
Fortunately, the Syndicate Union's protocol usually kept the identity of the commissioning party confidential. If it were revealed, the two might knock on those dimwit doors and snap their neck in half! These commissions were nothing short of suicide missions.
"Haaaaa…" Odysseus released a long sigh once again before explaining, "You think I'm stupid enough to do things like that? That's a very rude way of insulting my intelligence, you know? I just wanted this matter to be a secret for now before I report this to Lord Emberweave," Odysseus clarified.
After listening to Odysseus' explanation, Viper nodded in understanding.
"Ok… I trust you." Then Viper's face grew solemn, his hand pointing at Odysseus with a warning. "I'm warning you, man… don't pull me into shit like that. If I were to find out that you pulled me into that shit, I'll put a bullet into your brain myself," Viper warned Odysseus before taking the mage into his hideout, leaving Odysseus alone in this Path of Knowledge secret base.
After that, Odysseus poured a lot of gasoline he had prepared around the warehouse, both inside and outside, before lighting the fire and burning it. He destroyed all of the evidence that he was there, along with the Path of Knowledge secret base.
"Alright, the final task before reaching out to Lord Emberweave. Time is ticking," Odysseus remarked, glancing at his wristwatch. The launch event is drawing to a close, and he needs to finish the remaining preparations to stay on schedule and contact his lord before any unforeseen factors can disrupt his plan.
In a lone, dilapidated alley not far from the foodie street, two Hightower mages in black coats await contact from their informer. With them is Sloth, sleeping soundly in her trusty wheelchair.
After her mana was depleted, she emerged from the dream realm, helpless and at the mercy of these two mages who arrived with a notification from their comrades infiltrated into Daniel Atlanteus' base.
This day sees Daniel's forces stretched thin, patrolling and guarding against disturbances from people sent by various countries and organizations to stir trouble and acquire Astral Tech technology. That's why these two deep-cover spies can move much more freely from the inside.
The two spies from the Hightower check their wristwatches with a bit of impatience before a man in a black robe comes into their sight.
"There's nothing here, what are you looking for!?" One of the men said aggressively, attempting to intimidate the newcomer.
"What I'm looking for is knowledge," the newcomer declared, fearlessly walking in.
The moment this passphrase was spoken, the two spies from the Hightower relaxed, smiling at the newcomer.
"So it's you! Our informer, you wanted to change your faction, right!?" One of the spies said with a friendly smile, patting the newcomer's shoulder.
The newcomer's words serve as a password identifying himself as an ally. The two smile in a very friendly manner, then look at Sloth who's still sleeping.
"It is as you told us, she appeared here helpless and sleeping. With this merit, if we can bring her to London, Lord Cyrus would reward us immeasurably. We might even have a chance to participate in a tournament to become new High Councilors!" The two said in a jubilant tone.
Suddenly, a hot feeling of pain ran through their necks. A moment later, their heads slowly slipped out of their necks. The eyes on their decapitated heads expressed shock as they were still able to move their eyelids and show expressions. They saw the face of the newcomer who attacked them from behind as the hood slipped off his head.
The two spies wanted to say 'Lord Odysseus!' with disbelief, but nothing came out of their mouths as their necks had already been cut off before their consciousness turned dark and entered oblivion.
Blood from the two necks splattered on Odysseus's face and clothes. He checked his wristwatch and saw that the time for the rocker launch event had ended some time ago. Quickly, Odysseus brought out his phone and contacted Daniel.
After a few moments, the phone was picked up.
"My lord, Ms. Sloth was attacked by the Hightower. Right now, she's sleeping, and I don't know how to wake her up. She seems to be ignoring everything, even when I try shaking her," Odysseus reported while gently attempting to rouse Sloth.
His face remained solemn, without any panic, as if he already knew that this would happen. Since Sloth's mana was depleted, it would take a few days before she woke up.
Odysseus proceeded to provide Daniel with a brief account of the events over the phone before Daniel ended the call. However, it's important to note that what Odysseus conveyed to Daniel was a combination of half-truths and fabricated details that he had premeditated.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢