Michael and Alice would never discuss specific topics while others were present because they could never be certain who belonged to the traitorous families and Descendants. To be precise, this was one of the reasons they chose to avoid discussing so topics in public.
Another reason was everything they said publicly could be used against them. Alice belonged to the Zenovia family. Everything she said could be considered an official statent of her family. The sa thing could be said about Michael. It was just a little bit different in his case. He didn't have to speak in his family's na to gain a public voice. Everything he said was important to the most influential mbers of the Tritan Alliance. He possessed Extraction and the ans to transform every family into the strongest – if he was willing to support them.
Therefore, Michael and Alice wouldn't speak about the Supre Human Alliance, Bloodhound and stuff revolving around Hyumans, High Society, and such publicly.
Alice's behavior in Olivia's presence was far from normal. Her actions left Michael perplexed, sensing that sothing was amiss. This deviation from her usual self was unsettling, to say the least.
Alice wasn't scared of Olivia Blaze but was vigilant and tried pointing out sothing without naming it directly. Why would being vigilant in front of her best friend be necessary? And how did Alice know so much about the Supre Human Alliance in the first place? Olivia Blaze didn't know the topics the couple had spoken about, but Michael couldn't rember revealing much about the SHA, the Nest, and his Curses.
He would have loved to tell Alice about everything, but Eren told him not to reveal too much about Curse Users and everything related to them to ordinary Awakened. Why was that the case? It was fairly simple. The more an Awakened learned about Curses and Curse Users, the more likely they were to be affected by the presence of Curses. The Awakened would notice the Curses easier and thus be noticed as well, resulting in a more-or-less problematic situation if not treated with great care.
He could have told Alice so secret information about the Supre Human Alliance, but it was not like Michael knew a lot about the SHA. He learned most things about the SHA in the Nest. That's why it was even weirder that Alice learned so things he had only gotten to know a while ago.
Michael didn't tell Alice much, yet she seed to have learned a lot about the Nest and SHA. She was also asking too much about the Nest. He knew Alice was curious, but his girlfriend wasn't nosy. She would wait until he told her willingly, no matter how curious she was.
'But why would she speak about so many unimportant topics as well? Alice is not that talkative.' Michael wondered while continuing to chat with Alice. He never cut their conversation, and neither did Alice. They talked about mundane things they'd never discussed under normal circumstances. If anything, both would talk about their progress, their territories, their plans, and things like that.
Yet, none of those topics ca up for more than a few sentences.
Tiara, Lilica, and the others arrived at so point, Michael saw them through the walls of the wooden manor with Spirit Eyes and used Whispering Energy to talk to them.
["Please stay outside and call Hiraku, Rebecca, and the other Human Awakened as well. No...Just bring every Awakened from the Tritan Alliance."] He urged Tiara and the Forest Elves, who could only turn around to follow his order.
Danny didn't talk much to Michael. Instead, he listened intently to everything Alice said.
[Your girlfriend learned from soone about the Nest and the Supre Human Alliance. She didn't speak about your Curses, but I'm certain she knows sothing. Alice ntioned Fenrir without any context. As far as I know, you never told Alice that we're part of the Fenrir bloodline.]
This confird Michael's theory. He didn't like it, but there must be more traitors in High Society. Traitors who've switched their strategy from passively spreading the influence of the SHA to actively dropping information about the Nest and the Supre Human Alliance.
Michael was about to continue speaking when he saw Olivia Blaze's reflection doing sothing. She gestured sothing to Alice. A deep frown appeared on her face, but she covered it quickly with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. There are so High Society etings I have to attend. The heads of the Zenovia family fell sick alongside..." Alice stopped mid-sentence, a pained groan escaping her lips, "Either way, I have to attend the etings instead of my parents. Let's stay in contact. I missed you. I'm glad to see you well. Grow stronger and co back with the Nest."
Michael nodded slowly, "Stay healthy. I will call you again soon. Maybe you can show more about your territory the next ti we call. I've never seen your territory."
"That would be great. Maybe I can show you my territory...soon," Alice nodded slowly, "Bye. Love you."
Before Michael could say sothing, the call was cut off. He doubted that Alice cut him off but didn't say anything. Michael fell deep in thought instead. He tried telling Alice they should call each other in the Origin Expanse, where Olivia Blaze and others couldn't spy on them. That would make everything... easier, to put it in simple terms.
Nonetheless, Michael got a good gist of the situation, he guessed.
Michael put the Expanse Prism away and called the Untad Awakened into the living room, where Frederik, Tiara, and Lilica greeted him with a tight hug.
Hiraku nodded seriously in his direction, the corner of his lips curling into the hint of a smile.
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for working tirelessly in the developnt of the Untad Jungle and Paradise Valley. I didn't have the ti to read the reports, but I can feel the Links of Loyalty and how firm they are. The summons are happy. That ans everyone here and outside this room did a great job," Michael praised the Untad Awakened.
"Once I finish reading the daily reports, I will distribute Jungle Points and additional rewards according to your contribution and progress. Like always, I will reward those who work the hardest with the best rewards. You won't regret it.
Michael's expression turned more serious after he finished the initial segnt of his 'speech'.
"I talked to Alice just now and heard a few things that seem a little bit…weird," He pointed out slowly, studying the change of expressions before him intently. Unfortunately, there were little to no changes in the expressions of the Untad Awakened.
Frederik was the first to respond, "Are you talking about the sudden breakthrough of so powerhouses and the expansion of stagnated territories, or about the diseases that have been affecting millions of Awakened, including the heads of the Zenovia family, the Piedra household, and others?"
Michael's eyes narrowed to a narrow slit.
"Tell everything that has changed since I left. Anything that seems sowhat weird. No matter how insignificant it seems, tell about everything!" He ordered while preparing himself for so long hours of information.
Frederik and Hiraku looked at each other, a trace of confusion passing through their eyes, but they complied. They, alongside the other Untad Awakened, began summarizing the happenings of the last three months.
First, Michael was surprised that not much seed to have changed. At least, that was what Frederik and so other Awakened pointed out. Fortunately, Michael had soone like Rebecca Zauber in his territory as well.
Rebecca Zauber was far more knowledgeable about the Tritan Alliance and politics. She was an active mber of the High Society and its crumbling relationship with the other mbers of the Tritan Alliance.
Hiraku and Frederik, just like many other Awakened, didn't care much about politics. They didn't go around to ask about the changes that had been happening and were more focused on other things – such as growing stronger. They didn't notice that anything was off, obviously.
However, it was a well-known fact that the tension within the High Society reached a new height. It had always been rather tense in there, but it was worse than ever at this point. Two major factors caused the climax of the High Society's tension.
One was the outbreak of a disease that seed to affect only Awakened, who were a lot around other races in the Origin Expanse and outside. At least, that was what a bunch of researchers pointed out after they did intensive research about the disease's origin. So said that the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs were infected with a contagious disease that didn't affect them. The sa infectious disease would kill humans, according to their thorough research.
The Researchers proposed that all Awakened avoid the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs. So families supported this, banding together to isolate them.
These pieces of information were the exact opposite of what Alice told Michael. Even if he didn't want to acknowledge sothing was wrong, Michael was now 100% sure that sothing was off. He guessed that already, but receiving affirmation didn't make him feel better. His worries intensified.
The second major factor that resulted in more problems within the High Society was that the families supporting the Researchers grew stronger. Their power skyrocketed over the last three months. Their progress and the sudden expansion of their territories were unreasonably fast, to a degree that shouldn't have been possible…without any help.
The Blaze family progressed the most. Their growth surpassed the other families by leaps and bounds.
'Do you think the Supre Human Alliance started acting after realizing that the Nest arrived as well? Or is it because I'm not there anymore?' Michael asked his brother.
[I think you're too self-centered. You think everything revolves around you, while it does, in fact, not. Jokes aside, I think the Supre Human Alliance is getting impatient. Bloodhound nearly died because of Eren, and they must have noticed that you are a bigger problem than initially expected. They must have missed that the Fenrir bloodline's descendants were born and raised in the Tritan Alliance. That and probably a few more factors were enough for them to start acting now that you and Eren left.]
Michael ignored his brother's provocation and nodded slowly. He had to determine how extensive the Supre Human Alliance's influence was. It was important to know how closely tied the Blaze family and others were to the Supre Human Alliance at this point and what they planned to do now.
But he couldn't talk to anyone other than the Untad Awakened. Michael would have loved to talk to Kraft Viton personally, but he couldn't reach him easily. Not without attracting suspicion.
With that in mind, Michael chose toward use Mind Reader on the Untad Awakned in the room to find out if one of them betrayed him or the Tritan Alliance by out-witting the Links of Loyalty and Soul Pacts. He asked the Untad Awakened first before prying into their mind and was fortunate enough not to et any resistance. It was even better that Mind Reader didn't find a traitor in his rows.
Even if he hadn't been too worried about getting betrayed, Michael knew that the SHA had ways toward find loopholes and Soul Pacts and the ans to 'widen' the loopholes, creating openings for betrayals. A tinge of worry that soone might betray him was still present until he used Mind Reader to ensure that no Untad Awakened considered betraying him.
A tinge of worry was enough toward cause cracks. But cracks were only the beginning of doom. They might spread and widen slowly until Michael lost his trust in his people. His distrust and worry would be the end of everything.
Fortunately, he had Mind Reader to dissolve his worries regarding betrayals.
That gave him enough leeway toward devise several great plans to use the Untad Awakened to acquire information regarding the Supre Human Alliance's extensive network and inform Kraft Viton that he was still there.
Well. Basically.
He might co back. Michael was rely unsure how long it might take before he could return.
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