Chapter 332 Unveiling Secret
Listening to the two arguing with each other, Daniel caught the key message: the reason why the Hightower had sent people to hunt him down is because of Vlad's actions in Europe. They need to kill him or show those protestors that they are still in control.
"I could let you off the hook, along with your boss and your comrade this time… but you must agree to answer some of my questions," said Daniel.
Echo-3 warily looked at Daniel. He still didn't trust him, but then, when he seriously thought about it, he didn't have a choice either. Since Daniel is stronger than him, he might have killed him and used some absurd artifact to ask directly from his soul.
The best outcome for him is to accept the deal. At least, this way, he can keep his life to fight for another day.
"What do you want to ask?" Echo-3 inquired.
"I've heard from a trustworthy source that Cyrus was only demoted and put on probation, not outright execution. So why are you guys from the Hightower executing him?" asked Daniel.
"Your source is quite good, but still missing the key part. Lord Golden Scale let Cyrus off on one condition. That he needs to succeed in restoring the world mana in limited time and with the limited resources we granted for his last attempt gone because of your attack on that freighter and destroying the Hell gate. You had indirectly sealed his fate.
Also, he had come here and break another rule of the Hightower to not interfere with the politic here, but he also break it. Maybe he feels that he's untouched here, or maybe his habit of breaking the rule because he used to be a Grand Councilor didn't change that's why he did it," answered Echo-3.
"So… That's why you come here to deal with Cyrus," said Daniel then mulling about it some more. "And targeting me is just a dessert, right?" asked Daniel.
"No… It's the opposite, Cyrus is just a dessert, and you are the main target. That's why we are well equipped, along with enough people to deal with you and have permission to use the time freeze magic that we had prepared here."
"Time freeze?" Daniel repeated, thinking about the magic that caused the people to stop on track as if they were in a daze while wind, nature, and animals did not affect.
"Not Time stop? Does this mean time freeze is just a partial time stop that only stops time within people's bodies or something?" asked Daniel.
Echo-3 nodded. "That's right, Magitek. The true time stop cannot be achieved by human effort, since it means stopping the time of the entire universe to be called time stop. With the time from all the places truly stopping, the earth will stop moving, and the sun will not rise and fall, including other planets. The area of effect is beyond the scope of human abilities," explained Echo-3.
"I see," Daniel nodded in understanding.
"So… in order to use it, you guys modified it, creating a new magic that works similarly but with lesser effect and manageable mana cost. I get it…" Daniel muttered under his breath.
While Daniel muttered under his breath, Pride, who stood not far from him, made a face as if she had realized something.
"Wait! Doesn't that mean the Hightower had a branch here?" She asked Echo-3, but Echo-3 kept his silence since he only made a deal with Daniel, not Pride.
"Yes… but only a small cell and a few people stationed here in case they need to do something like coordinate. I'm sure they also have a small cell like this all over the world too." The one who satisfied Pride's curiosity is Nikkos, who earned a glare from Echo-3.
"Then last question, before I let you go." Said Daniel before his face grew solemn. "You should know my origin, right? I was supposed to die in some kind of ritual back then, ten years ago. I wanted to know, is it Victor's own doing, or someone else instigated that to happen?" Daniel asks.
Back then, He had zero knowledge about the Curtained World and Mages' business, so he thought that he had got to the bottom of it and ended all the loose ends… But no, it's the opposite.
It turns out that he had only scratched the surface. Victor is a mage but he's too foolish to become a mastermind, let alone that he got that damn Satan Seed inside him making him more deranged and becoming more of a douchebag.
Also, he only had a hunch and didn't have any evidence but, He doesn't think the Curtained World in Tessia Kingdom had enough power to perform the sorcery that can draw useful aspects such as the Origin Element by themselves.
Hearing Daniel's question, Echo-3 was stunned then looking at the face of his leader who had already lost consciousness.
"I don't know much, and I don't think my leader knows about it either. I only know that ten years ago there is a result about the research on a new way to utilizing human resources, which involves pulling out only their origin element for other mages to use.
But… the project on studying more about this was suspended because of three main reasons.
The first reason is that they are too costly to do that, the material to use in this ritual is very rare and expensive, to increase the chance of success they need at least Mythical grade material." Echo-3 expanded to this point, and Daniel raised his hand wanting to ask something.
"What is the Mythical Grade Material?" asked Daniel.
"It means that the material cannot be replicated by both technological and magical means of the current era. Usually, it would be material such as Ancient Unicorn horn that is more than 1 or 2 thousand years old, Yggdrasil leaves, or the feather of True Phoenix. Something like that." Pride explained to Daniel.
"I see." Daniel nodded at Pride, understanding the term, then turned toward Echo-3 "Please continue." Said Daniel, gesturing Echo-3 to continue.
"The second reason is that there's no way to know which 'human resources' have a worthwhile 'Origin Element' for us to utilize all that expensive and rare resources. Because for us to check their Origin element, their mana vein needs to be awakened first.
And to do that ritual is to expose normal people to the Curtained World, and the cost of the ritual itself isn't worth it either. Because most of the Origin Element will be either fire, ice, water, or something like wind; 60% of the earth's population, including mages, would have those common elements. Even when it comes to rarer 39% origin elements, such as plant, ice, puppet, or words like our leader here who has 'Word' as his origin element, still do not cut it. Even when the talent's grade is higher, like those people in the High Council, it still does not worth it.
Third, the project got suspended indefinitely by Grand Councilor Golden Scale and Grand Councilor Envy." Echo-3 explained all the reasons.
Hearing this, Daniel pondered what he heard then inquired further, out of pure curiosity.
"I understand about Envy putting an end to this research, but why did that Golden Scale guy too? Isn't it true that most mages see the lives of normal people as resources?" He asked.
Hearing this, Echo-3 let out a chuckle. "And rightly so, why not? There are more than three billion such resources to utilize. But, to answer your question. It was because some people in the Hightower used this research to get their hands on some mages with good Origin Element, and used it to steal those mages' Origin Element." Answered, Echo-3 then continued. "That's why Lord Golden Scale put this research into forbidden study categories and sealed all of its research material within the 'Secret Library'."
"In case you ask, the secret library is the labyrinth-like space of a library that consists of many traps and anti-theft measures." Echo-3 added.
"I see… thank you." Daniel nodded in understanding then took a glance at Echo-3. "You may go."
Hearing this, Echo-3 let out a sigh and decided to bring his unconscious leader along with him, but before he left, Daniel called out.
"Before you go… what do you feel about 'Creation' Origin Element?" Asked Daniel.
Echo-3 stopped, then he took a good look at Daniel.
"Is that your Origin Element?" asked, Echo-3
"..."
Daniel didn't answer. He decided if his Origin Element belongs to the 1%, he will immediately kill these two here to prevent the leak. And it seems that Echo-3 knows about this as well.
"You don't have to silence me, Magitek. Your Origin Element belongs to the 39%, even if it is of the highest grade. It still is not worth that cost. Besides, Hightower didn't just put the test on you, there are 100 more specimens that are going through such a test.
In the eye of the Hightower, your origin element is not that special." Said Echo-3 before he brought his leader away under Daniel's watch.
"He speaks the truth, Daniel. There are a lot of my employees in my company's artifact workshop that have the same Origin Element as you." Pride added.
Daniel nodded and finally put his hand down and decided to let it go… for now. If he had a chance, he would visit the Hightower and check that so-called 'Secret Library'.
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