— Louisiana Frontline - Mobile HQ —
Ragnar and Pride walked back to the Mobile HQ. When they entered the exclusive command center of Astral Tech, they found Daniel sitting at the command desk, talking on his cellphone. Two people stood in front of him as if they were his subordinates.
Pride didn't recognize these two, but that's not the case for Ragnar. He rembered them well. They were the two most notorious mage guild masters who rose and fell during the late 1700s and mid-1800s. Their guilds were situated on the British Isles.
He recalled that they were the fiercest guild leaders who nearly succeeded in destroying the Hightower during the skirmishes and scuffles in the Curtained World, the battles that ultimately decided who would govern it.
The first was Albert Worseley, the guild master of The Whispering Hall, and the second was Jack the Ripper, the guild master of the Reaper Gate. They were the most notorious figures in the Curtained World back then, and Ragnar had even faced them in battle. Of course, he was young at the ti and lost, but he survived the encounter thanks to reinforcents from the Hightower.
"You an… soone or sothing unknowingly opened the prison within Envy's soul that she used to cage Leviathan, the Hell Lord, then let him out, and now she is in a weakened state!?" Daniel asked worriedly into the phone, then waited for the response from the other side.
"Yes, it's a relief to know that she's safe and just exhausted. Thank you for telling this, Koyuki. I'll try to catch the bastard who did it and Leviathan." Daniel said with relief, then listened to the other side.
"Yes… I love you too." Daniel said goodbye, ended the call, and placed his phone on the table. His fingers tapped on the table several tis as he thought about the best course of action.
"Mr. Worseley," Daniel started, looking at Albert.
"Yes, my lord."
"Help find that Leviathan. Also, if possible, find out who's responsible for releasing him. When you know where he is, tell , and I'll personally deal with him," said Daniel. He paused, as if he had just rembered sothing, then added, "Also, help Mr. Jack establish his foothold in North Arica. After we've returned to Sector Alpha City, I'll reconstruct the Whispering Hall for you."
"Yes, my lord," replied Albert, then he and Jack left the command room.
Ragnar's gaze followed their backs until the door closed, then he shifted his attention to Daniel. Ragnar wanted to ask Daniel about the two, but Daniel's voice stopped him.
"Old man," Daniel started with a smile. "I heard you fought with this guy." He tapped on the console on his desk, and the screen inside the command room changed from the news about the eting with the CEO of Astral PMC and the US president to Alexander Vance's data sheet.
"Can you tell what happened in detail?" asked Daniel, gesturing to a seat.
Ragnar paused, then decided to tell Daniel about the encounter with Alexander Vance while Pride chid in from ti to ti. The three enjoyed tea and cookies from Maria, who now had a lot of free ti since most of her job was distributed to Albert. She spent her hard-earned free ti with her lord.
— anwhile - San Francisco —
The eting had just concluded, and Cao Cao was escorted out of the Liberty House. Within his limo, he sat alongside Heracles, who wore a black suit. His bulky stature made the suit appear as though it wouldn't fit, but the buttons held, albeit barely.
Cao Cao looked at his tablet, reviewing the contract and compensation he received from the US. It should be noted that the terms were quite mild considering Cao Cao's personality. He requested only two things aside from monetary compensation: the right to build a training facility in the US and the right to retain volunteers and keep them in Astral PMC if they entered a special training program.
The reason for these terms, of course, was because of Greed, one of his lord's wives. Greed was the true master behind the current US Congress and the primary sponsor of the president's previous election campaign.
The limo drove through the streets under the dusky rays of sunlight and arrived at the hotel the US governnt had prepared for him. It was one of the most prestigious hotels in the country, though not owned by the Golden Empire Group. This decision was influenced by the president's opposing party, who sought to use even minor details to attack and undermine President John Malcos' reputation.
Recently, the president's popularity and confidence had surged due to his successful reclamation campaign.
Cao Cao and Heracles exited the car and went to their respective rooms. Heracles' room was opposite Cao Cao's, as he was now serving as Cao Cao's bodyguard.
"Call if there's anything, okay?" said Heracles, waving at Cao Cao. They still needed to have dinner with one of the three-star generals who supported the president. The general wanted to discuss an "unofficial deal" with Astral PMC.
"Yes, Mr. Heracles," Cao Cao replied with a smile before entering his room.
The mont he closed the door, Cao Cao felt sothing strange. His instincts kicked in, sensing an unusual danger within his own room. Reflecting on it, he realized that this hotel was not part of the Golden Empire Group, which was suspicious enough for him.
He recalled the president explaining that he couldn't assign him to a Golden Empire Group hotel due to a congressman ready to make a fuss over it. President Malcos, preferring to avoid unnecessary trouble, decided not to intervene and let his staff handle the accommodations.
Yes... that guy, John Malcos, is just like Liu Zhang, thought Cao Cao. But unlike Liu Zhang, he has a good master and will obediently follow him.
Cao Cao didn't imdiately take off his suit. There were many things within it that could help him survive if his life were threatened.
Cao Cao went to the coffee stand and brewed himself a cup of coffee. While waiting, he pulled a book from the nearby shelf and took a pair of glasses from his suit pocket.
He could feel it—his instincts were telling him that sothing was definitely strange about this room. It was the sa instinct he had felt when facing Emperor Xian's plot against his life. Cao Cao looked ahead and smirked; the glasses he wore revealed sothing interesting.
Cao Cao took the coffee and imdiately splashed it forward.
"Argh!" A man's cry erupted as if hot water had spilled over him.
Cao Cao quickly materialized his Jian sword from within his suit and slashed forward.
Splash!
His sword cut through soone invisible, sending blood spilling out in an arc, but Cao Cao could tell his slash wasn't deep enough.
At that mont, the figure of a man, an Asian man in a black suit, materialized in front of him. The man's concealing magic imdiately vanished.
"A Han man? How nostalgic," Cao Cao uttered in amusent before rushing forward. He aid to cut the assassin's leg to prevent his escape and to take his ti interrogating him.
Clank!
Cao Cao's sword clashed with a dagger the assassin had concealed in his sleeve. The assassin then fired a concealed weapon from his other sleeve at Cao Cao, but it missed. Cao Cao was not just a governor or minister; he was a warlord who had led his n into battle. Thus, it was necessary for him to have martial arts skills and inner qi for protection.
He wasn't a master like Guan Yu or Lu Bu, but he wasn't to be underestimated either. He could survive long enough for one of his generals to assist if they were nearby. Additionally, Cao Cao was now empowered by the mysterious force from his lord, making him several tis stronger than his forr peak.
As sword and steel clashed, the assassin was pressured and pushed into the corner of the room. Cao Cao noticed a glint of glee in the assassin's eyes and smirked. His glasses revealed a magical activity in the corner, taking the form of a human silhouette.
The mont Cao Cao and the assassin entered the corner of the room, Cao Cao ducked under the assassin's attack and imdiately slashed at the empty space in the corner.
"Arrrrggggghh!!"
Blood splattered as two severed arms appeared out of thin air along with another scream. Another Asian man in a black suit materialized, clutching his leg stump as his invisibility spell failed due to the agony.
The first assassin didn't even flinch at his comrade's grave injuries, focusing entirely on fighting Cao Cao.
Clank!
Cao Cao's sword cut through the dagger, destroying the assassin's weapon and stunning him in disbelief as he stared at his broken dagger. Cao Cao used this chance to sever both of the assassin's arms and cut one of his legs to disarm and prevent the assassin from escaping.
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