Chapter 324 Showcasing Power
After a brief negotiation, the details were ironed out in the form of a magical contract between Daniel and the Takaki Clan. It could be said that the patriarch of the Takaki Clan is satisfied with this contract because, other than the protection, he also receives some nice benefits from Daniel.
If he didn't know that Daniel is one of the most powerful mages in the world, he would have thought that Daniel was just a normal businessman. The conditions, details, and benefits in the contract, all in all, are considered fair and reasonable.
For the Takaki Patriarch clan, which has made contracts with many noble clans in Japan and some of the powerful onmyoji, and usually got the short end of the stick in the contracts, this is a nice change.
—
Within the franchise coffee shop on the first floor of the hotel, Daniel is sitting with both Heracles and Momotaro and a few people from the team who survived the crash without too many injuries. Daniel is listening to the report after they had separated.
From what he listens to in the report, thanks to Heracles, there are no fatalities. The worst injury the team received is just some bone fractures, and that's just a few. Most of them are still in good condition, suitable for both working and combat.
As for the reason why Daniel's communication device can't receive the voice from the other side? That was because when Heracles threw the VTOL, he aimed at the hardest part of the VTOL and the part that could effectively absorb the shock to reduce the crew's injuries.
And that part was, of course, the shock absorption box that contained the black box where Daniel designed it to also house the communication artifact.
It worked like a charm and absorbed all of the power and shock from the crash due to Heracles throwing it like a charm, but since it was used as a cushion, it was damaged, and the communication artifact did not work properly since then.
After hearing all of that, Daniel let out a sigh of relief and also wanted to curse at the man who dictated Murphy's law once again. Here he worried for nothing and went into a lot of trouble to find some scrap to build a communication device. And when he built it, Momotaro came to him and said that everything is fine.
He doesn't know whether to feel happy or depressed right now.
"Okay, so our next job is to force that Kuroda to abdicate according to the contract we made with the Takaki Clan. Momotaro, during this time, until we force that idiot Kuroda to abdicate his rule, you continue to protect the Takaki Clan Patriarch and follow his orders that do not conflict with mine," Daniel ordered Momotaro, who was sitting in front of him.
"As you wish, my lord," Momotaro accepted the command and went toward the lobby.
As of right now, the Takaki Clan Patriarch is still waiting in the lobby for Daniel to have this meeting. He still didn't go back, as the Patriarch needed a form of protection from Daniel, and this was also written within the contract.
Momotaro returned to the Takaki Clan Patriarch, resuming his Hannya-Sensei persona under Daniel's orders to protect the Takaki patriarch.
"Until Daimyo Kuroda has abdicated, I'll stay by your side and protect you. This time, I am ordered to follow your command as well. As long as that command doesn't contradict my lord's command and intention, I'm all yours," Momotaro said after wearing the mask.
The Takaki Clan Patriarch was smiling from ear to ear. He knew how powerful and skilled Momotaro was in the way of a sword. He also wanted some of his bodyguards and generals to learn a thing or two from Momotaro himself.
While waiting for Daniel, he learned from Pride and Gluttony's conversation that Daniel somehow knew how to bring back ancient human heroes from ages gone by. This Hannya might even be someone from the era of gods, explaining his incredible combat power.
"Onegaishimasu, Hannya-Sensei," Lord Takaki bowed toward Momotaro before leaving the lobby for the car waiting in the VIP parking lot in front of the hotel.
—
As for Daniel's group in the coffee shop, it was, of course, bought out for an entire day by the Syndicate Union. They were crafting a plan on how to attack the Daimyo castle and compel the Kuroda clan patriarch to abdicate his rule.
They meticulously outlined a strategy to achieve this without excessive bloodshed and without revealing their intentions too overtly, considering the need to handle the Shogun as well.
It took some time, but by the afternoon, the plan was finalized. However, at that moment, a news show on the screen transitioned to a special news program, creating a somber atmosphere that hinted at a grave announcement.
On the screen, the breaking news revealed Kuroda Goro, the Kuroda clan Patriarch and ruler of Naha State, dressed in a traditional Japanese black kimono, standing on a podium prepared by the news station.
"Good afternoon, beloved people of Naha State. I'm Kuroda Goro, the Daimyo of Naha State. Yesterday, a sorrowful event unfolded—a sudden terrorist attack in the heart of Naha State near the Grand Privilege Hotel. We lost many officers in this incident," declared Goro Kuroda, pausing with a solemn expression.
"According to our investigation, the terrorist is Daniel Emberweave, the founder of the Astral Tech Company. It is of utmost importance that I need to mobilize the army to catch and eliminate this threat, so we'll impose martial law…" The true aim that the Kuroda Daimyo wanted is a solid enough reason to tell his people so that he can mobilize his army without much fuss.
However, for Daniel, this slander goes way beyond his tolerance threshold. An intense surge of frustration and anger hits him.
This shameless individual is throwing dirt at him. He recalls the events of the previous night, realizing that if it weren't for his intervention against the Oni, they might have stormed the city already! Many innocent lives might have been lost. Now, this idiot is blaming him for the Oni's attack and the casualties!
For Daniel, among the many things he detests, being falsely accused ranks at the top. He feels the urge to unleash his board clearing spell and obliterate the entire Daimyo castle.
Feeling the surge of intense rage, to regain composure, Daniel forcefully immerses his mind into his mindscape, a mental space that helps him temper strong emotions like anger. After a few seconds within this mindscape, he emerges with restored rationality.
Daniel opened his wrist console to assess the situation and noticed that the communication channel with Oceanos was active. This signaled that Oceanos had traveled within the nearby area, close enough for him to establish contact.
"Change of plan. We will reveal one of our ace cards to that fool," Daniel declared to Heracles, who was sitting not far from him. While Daniel fiddled with the console on his wrist, he contacted Odysseus, standing by at the base.
"Yes, My Lord? How may I help you?" Odysseus asked from the other side. Daniel didn't respond; instead, he opened the camera on his wrist console and pointed it at the TV screen.
"You see this shit, Odysseus?" Daniel asked.
After Odysseus listened for a while and even used the base screen to tune into this channel, he nodded.
"Yes, My Lord. Do you want us to annihilate this sorry excuse for a Daimyo Clan?" Odysseus asked, his anger palpable, his face reeking of murderous intent.
"No, hack the channel, block this island's communication to the outside world, and use the Godslayer cannon on my command. I want to show him that I don't need to cause useless terror like he's trying to frame me for being a terrorist," Daniel said with a murderous tone.
Odysseus, understanding Daniel's intentions, let out a satisfied smile, as if he had been anticipating this for a long time.
"Yes, My Lord, as you command!" Odysseus quickly accepted the command and immediately went to execute what Daniel ordered.
Within a minute, the signal was captured by the intelligence officer at the base, and Odysseus sent a signal to Daniel confirming that he had arranged everything according to Daniel's requests.
The screen in the coffee shop changed to the camera on Daniel's wrist console. Now, his face and the shop background replaced the lives of the news channel.
"Hello, people of Naha State. I'm Daniel Emberweave, the one who is being slandered as a terrorist by your Daimyo, Goro Kuroda." Daniel said in English, with Japanese subtitles appearing below the screen.
"I'll say that I'm not the terrorist. I'll show you what really happened last night." Daniel then shows the video that one of his metal scarabs had recorded.
The screen displays the recording when the onmyoji called the oni to fight with the hotel security, and Daniel came to help with many of his blade drones. The metal scarab also shows that the summoned oni is the one that killed innocent people around the street, and Daniel is the one who came to help, contradicting everything that Goro had said
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