Chapter 521 Advancing the Discussion
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The room grew silent following Xorgrah's unexpectedly quick answer. Based on his expression, it was apparent that this wasn't an impulsive decision. While it was true that both he and Apollo had gotten off on the wrong foot, which also meant there was a very high chance that the early stages of a possible relationship were spoiled, Xorgrah wasn't one to mull over a negative situation.
After all, his position within the Council wasn't given to him solely because of his relation to its Chairman. While that was the case for most individuals presiding within the Council, Xorgrah's circumstances were different. Contrary to normal means of acquiring a position, Xorgrah earned his standing by presenting the capacity to accomplish all missions given to him with stellar results.
Therefore, after cultivating his mindset and amassing an abundance of experience, it wasn't difficult for Xorgrah to shift his perspective to understand where Apollo's ideal came from. Not to mention, his clash with his son also served as an eye-opener. It was the first time that Xonnomor had vehemently chastised him and it had a large effect on Xorgrah's attitude.
Perhaps it was time to abandon the methods of the Council and adopt more flexible outlooks.
Nevertheless, the answer despite Xorgrah's demeanor, still came as a surprise, causing even Apollo and Fuhrer to fall silent. They exchanged looks but not words as the messages conveyed through their gazes were quite easy to decipher.
Eventually, Apollo turned his attention back towards Xorgrah while rubbing his chin with a contemplative expression. 'Has he truly considered the disadvantages of this deal? He's far too smart to not realize the uncertainty laced within my words. This type of dodgy deal is typically the type one should avoid.'
Even Saehtyn felt it was premature of Xorgrah to readily accept this deal. "Ahem, forgive my intrusion as I mean no disrespect to you, but are you sure it's in your best interest to trust another demon so thoroughly? As you know, it isn't common for our kind to renege on their promises and defect to another side when more favorable circumstances present themselves."
Because of Saehtyn's word, Xorgrah was forced to reconsider his decision. And despite the combative words of Saehtyn, Apollo took no offense to them. After all, Apollo's thought process was similar if not identical. The last thing he wanted to be was a hypocrite after passionately voicing his concern for the fate of the Demon Race.
Sadly, while Apollo's response was tame, the same couldn't be said about his followers. Valac immediately sprang to his feet and pointed his fingers towards Saehtyn, "Oi! Are you openly doubting my master? If he has given his word, then he is to be trusted without any shred of doubt!"
"Sadly, no one is to be trusted indefinitely. No matter what you claim, you should understand that nothing is impossible, the so-called impossible is in fact improbable but still possible. Therefore, you should always guard your rear," Saehtyn retorted while shifting his gaze to Valac.
Despite the disrespectful act of Valac, Saehtyn didn't react with hostility. For one, he didn't want to have a falling out with the old demon by Apollo's side. Based on his lax demeanor and the ease with which he pinpointed the issues with his power, it was clear that a victory was uncertain.
Besides, Saehtyn learned from earlier events that Valac was the type of individual whose mouth moved before his mind could catch up. Thus, it was pointless to try and argue with someone like that.
Regrettably, Valac was someone who only needed his voice to argue, it didn't matter whether there was a recipient of his argument or not.
"I don't want to hear what you have to say! Do I have to open your ears myself for me to get my point across? I will gladly do it so that you understand the loyalty we have towards our Lord," Valac said with narrowing eyes.
At first, Apollo moved to silence Valac but after listening to his argument, Apollo decided against doing so and removed his hand. Learning of Valac's loyalty delighted Apollo enough to even consider exhausting some of the experience pool to elevate Valac's evolution.
However, he couldn't do so now as he recalled Fuhrer mentioning something about a curse. He wasn't sure if it was strong enough to prevent the system from performing its essential actions, but more importantly, it wasn't the setting to use that type of power.
Apollo had no doubt that if he revealed this type of power before three Lords he'd fall under extreme scrutiny. He may even have to risk being monitored when entering every Ring. While it wasn't exactly restrictive, it could hinder the pace Apollo had in mind.
"I understand that you're loyal to fault, but you must also realize that not everyone is obligate to feel the same way you do," Saehtyn said. Whereas Valac spoke from the influence of the system as well as Apollo's special abilities, Saehtyn spoke from experience. After all, the Lords had witnessed their fair share of corruption over the years, so it'd be difficult to make them believe otherwise, even if the individual in question hailed from unknown origins. In fact, that made it that much harder for the Lords to accept Apollo's words as genuine truths.
Be that as it may, Xorgrah shook his head with a solemn expression. "While your words hold some truths to them Lord Saehtyn, there are times when we must set aside our skepticism to place the race's benefits at the forefront of our motives."
"Precisely! Even this guy gets it, and I don't even know how he is!" Valac commented, aggressively nodding his head while pointing towards Xorgrah. While doing so, he continued, "You all should learn from him. A flexible mind begets a flexible body and that is the only way to attract a mate―with a flexible body."
Suddenly, the room grew silent as everyone looked at Valac with a blank expression. Once again, his words traveled the route of foolishness, which caused Apollo to consider slapping his face. However, he had to admit that Valac oftentimes provided a certain amount of amusement.
And, given the atmosphere of the forge room that appeared after mentioning this topic, perhaps the room was in need of some lightening. Thus, Apollo decided to refrain from making any hasty moves and allow Valac to keep the momentum of the room.
Nevertheless, even Xorgrah paused for a moment as he looked at Valac with an incredulous gaze. "It astounds me how lighthearted you can be despite the looming peril we must face. But, while it is somewhat unnerving, it could also be considered a blessing."
"My very existence is a blessing. Even my Lord admits it; I am quite the amusing one. When times are hard, you can count on me to soften them. That is, unless your a appreciator of hard things," Valac commented.
Towards the end of his words, Valac's gaze fell back towards Asmidia with a salacious girin. However, unlike Belphegor who received treatment befitting of his disgusting appearance, Asmidia gave Valac a seductive wink.
Of course, with her dense amount of Luxuria lurking around her in his ear.
22:04
"I may have allowed you to keep the attention, but if you keep going body, the wink was enough to make Valac's heart flutter. Sadly, that fleeting flame of happiness was doused by Apollo's cold voice echoing in his ear.
"I may have allowed you to keep the attention, but if you keep going on such a perverse tangent, then I'll have to remove you from play," Apollo warned.
An audible gulp echoed within the room as valac gave a strained nod. After all, he was well aware of the harsh punishment that Apollo was capable of inflicting, and truth be told, he didn't feel like being subject to that pain at this time. Therefore, Valac took a step back while pinching his lips.
In the meantime, Asmidia pursed her lips in frustration. "That's no fun~. An entertaining fellow has appeared in light of your uptight behavior and now you silence him~? No fun at all!"
"Forgive my inability to support your banter. But, I've appeared to speak of serious matters, not to joke around with those who should be doing everything in their power to correct the instability in their powers. Maybe we can visit this topic once everything is resolved, but for right now, our primary objective would be to create ironclad relationships," Apollo responded before averting his gaze from Asmidia and turning towards Xorgrah.
After a slight pause, Apollo continued talking, "As I said before, the deal I propose has some lacking content, but that is just to show you how honest I am being with you all. Although there's a chance that my side may fall through, I'm leaving it up to your discretion to choose whether you believe the future possesses the same instability or if you're willing to put your faith in your fellow demon."
"Faith?" Saehtyn muttered. "Since when have we demons operated on faith? Wouldn't it be more reasonable for you to ask us to operate upon what we see now? If you want faith, perhaps you're addressing the wrong race."
"No, perhaps he is right. Faith may be the one thing that is needed to consolidate the shaky relationships of the powerful demons. With that being said, why don't you tell me about the intrinsic uncertainties and certainties of your offer?"
"With pleasure," Apollo said with a faint smile before stepping forward.
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