Chapter 204 A New Challenge (V)
Jacob Blake sat comfortably on the sofa, his ever-confident smile suggesting hidden intentions. Of course, Klaus knew this, but he wanted to find out what offer Jacob was bringing.
Without beating around the bush, Jacob took a brown envelope and placed it on the table. He then gestured for Klaus to open it. As Klaus read the first sentence on the paper, his eyes narrowed.
"The Superhuman Project," he muttered.
"Don't pretend to be surprised," said Jacob. "I know you've received it too. You're not the only one offered this project."
Klaus wasn't surprised that Jacob had received the offer, considering that the Divine Ursine Alliance was one of the country's largest foreign exchange contributors. The government probably offered the same project to Jacob.
Meanwhile, Justin furrowed his brow as he watched the two of them. He had no idea what they were talking about.
"If you knew I got this, shouldn't we be rivals then?" Klaus asked.
Jacob nodded. "Normally, yes. But we are part of an alliance, I hope you haven't forgotten that."
Klaus chuckled ironically, and Jacob raised an eyebrow behind his glasses, slightly offended.
They hadn't communicated for almost a year since the election. Jacob even deliberately ignored Alexa's calls regarding the production process. Klaus found it amusing that Jacob was now reminding him of their alliance.
"Why are you laughing?" Jacob asked, a bit miffed.
"Nothing. I'm just reminded of my little sister."
Jacob snorted. He then went on to explain the Superhuman Project.
The Superhuman Project aimed to transform ordinary humans into awakeners, either through weaponry, serums, or various other methods, all for the sake of national security.
The number of awakenings among humans had been increasing over the years, but their interest in becoming government employees was minimal. This included joining the military or police forces. This made it difficult to control awakeners. The Awakener Association was created to address this issue, but it proved ineffective when dealing with guilds like the Five Pillars. For now, the Five Pillars might still be open to compromise, but what if other guilds like them emerged? That would pose a new problem.
Therefore, the government attempted to create its own force—a force that could be controlled and commanded for the nation's benefit.
"I know the broad strokes of this project. But I still don't know why you came here," Klaus said firmly.
Taking a deep breath, Jacob elaborated. "Before I received this offer, Hugo and I had already attempted to create our own Superhuman Project."
Hearing the guild master mentioned, Klaus raised an eyebrow, growing even more interested.
"As you know, Sunstrike's foundation is in pharmaceuticals. Most of its members are healers and alchemists. They excel in dealing with medicines and potions. Hugo and I tried to make a fortune by selling a serum to the market." Jacob took off his glasses and gave a serious look. "We called it Serum K."
Naturally, Klaus raised an eyebrow. He was genuinely intrigued.
"My crew and I went dungeon hunting to find materials, while Hugo worked tirelessly to create the serum. It took us two years to make significant progress."
"So, did you succeed?" Justin chimed in. He had been listening since they sat at the same table.
Jacob nodded. "We did. Serum K worked as expected. The experimental volunteers gained varying superpowers even though they used the serum at the same dosage."
"If the serum works, then why haven't I heard about it?" Justin was even more curious now.
Jacob sighed. "Because we didn't sell it to the market. Serum K can awaken humans into awakeners, but the effect doesn't last long. It only lasts for 30 seconds." Disappointment briefly crossed his face. "The materials needed are extremely hard to come by. If we were to buy them on the market, we'd easily spend at least $500 million. With the short-lived effect and high production costs, it's hard for us to sell it to the market."
Klaus nodded. Now, he had a better idea of why Jacob had come here.
"So, you've come here to seek my help in perfecting your serum," Klaus concluded.
Jacob narrowed his eyes upon hearing those words come out of Klaus's mouth. For some reason, it offended him.
"Need your help?" Jacob retorted, a bit annoyed. "Well, you could say that, but Hugo and I have reached the final stage of our research. We only need one last material, and it's incredibly hard to obtain."
"What is it?" Justin asked, curious.
"Elder Elf blood."
Naturally, Klaus widened his eyes.
Elder Elves, also known as "Elder High Elves," were the highest-ranking monsters of the High Elf race. Among all the monsters in the dungeons, they were exceedingly rare and valuable.
The High Elf race itself was unique, with magical abilities and deep knowledge of the magical arts. However, among the High Elves, Elder Elves were considered the wisest, strongest, and most experienced. They possessed a deep understanding of the secrets of nature and wisdom that only came with old age.
"You know we don't have that, right?" Klaus said skeptically. "Don't tell me you're inviting me to hunt an Elder Elf."
Jacob grinned broadly. "Yup, we need your strength."
Hearing that response, Klaus sighed.
Finding an Elder Elf was no easy task. They weren't creatures that could be found in any dungeons. Elder Elves could only be encountered in the Orange Dungeon. Even if there were High Elves inside the dungeon, there was no guarantee that an Elder Elf would be found.
"Let's assume I'm willing to help. But where can we find an Elder Elf?" Klaus asked.
"Exactly," Justin added. "Orange Dungeons are very rare, and even if we find one, there's no guarantee we'll encounter an Elder Elf inside."
Jacob nodded, acknowledging the difficulty they faced. However, he smiled faintly as he gave his answer, "I have a friend in Germany. He said that two weeks ago, there was a dungeon break in Oberstdorf, and it was an orange. So far, no one has returned from the dungeon."
Justin swallowed hard upon learning that no one had survived the dungeon.
"Many consider it a rumor," Jacob continued. "But my friend has reliable information. He said the monsters inhabiting the dungeon were High Elves. What's even more interesting, one of the awakeners managed to capture an image of an Elder Elf and sent it out before he died."
Justin was excited to hear Jacob's story. But Klaus remained skeptical. He found it hard to believe him without seeing it in person.
"Do you have any proof?" Klaus asked.
Jacob nodded. He then tapped the smartlink on his wrist several times. Shortly afterward, Klaus's smartlink vibrated, indicating an incoming message.
Squinting, Klaus examined the photo Jacob had sent.
It was a woman of extraordinary beauty. She wore a white gown that contrasted with her flowing golden hair, which reached down to her feet. The violet eyes of the elven woman stared at her victim with an arrogant gaze.
"You believe it now? Is she an Elder Elf, right?" Jacob asked.
Klaus nodded. "Yeah, there's no doubt."
Justin peered at the image of the Elder Elf with curiosity. For a moment, he was mesmerized by her beauty.
Jacob went on, "Right now, Germany needs assistance from other countries to conquer the dungeon. Our country is one of them, and luckily, the Awakener Association has assigned me to do this job. They've allowed me to bring two guilds with me. Is your guild in?"
"Who's the other one?" Klaus inquired.
"I'd like to include Sunstrikes, but Hugo hasn't given me an answer yet. But he's definitely joining this project. The rest depends on you. Whether you join this project or not depends on your answer. I invited you considering our alliance."
Klaus pursed his lips. It wasn't a decision he could make quickly, but with the current dungeon break situation in Germany, he couldn't delay it. Besides, cooperating on this project wouldn't be detrimental to him. He could learn a few things from Sunstrikes for his own research in the future.
After a considerable silence, Klaus finally gave his answer. "Alright. We'll join in this quest, Jacob. This is too big an opportunity to pass up."
Jacob nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. I'll contact you as soon as possible. We don't have much time, so prepare everything quickly."
Klaus and Justin stood up from their seats, as did Jacob. They both shook hands.
With nothing else left to discuss, Jacob left the Morning Star Guild Master's room with a thin, unreadable smile.
Outside the building, Jacob took out his phone and called someone. When the call was answered on the other end, he spoke calmly and firmly, "Everything went as planned. He took the bait."
On the other side of the phone, a voice that wasn't too friendly greeted him, "Alright, we'll take the necessary actions soon. Make sure everything goes according to plan."
Jacob ended the call decisively. There was more going on behind the scenes than met the eye.
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