Legacy of the Dark Sage

The grimoire shown by the second neutral faction was met with interest by several clans. Although they still had to validate their claim that the Four Greatest Minds wrote it, there was no harm in investing in it. Even if the grimoire's author turned out to be different, it should still have value depending on its content.

Muffled discussions among leaders and representatives followed soon after, and the second neutral faction's spokesperson smiled in satisfaction. When he declared the origin of the grimoire in his position, his faction was already 60-70% sure that the Four Greatest Minds wrote it. The remaining 30-40% were only to validate it further by cross-referencing some documents that the other clans had in their possession that belonged to them.

While the spokesperson was waiting for the congregation to start voicing their offer, he was immediately silenced by the first one.

"The Solis Clan will provide all necessary materials, talents, and technology in validating the grimoire's origin and, in turn, will only request to allow His Majesty to read its content."

The first one to make an offer was the Solis Clan executive acting as the meeting's master of ceremonies.

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The spokesperson raised his eyes toward the high chair atop a platform where The Emperor was seated. As he did, he was met with the latter's daunting yet indifferent eyes, and he reflexively flinched in fear.

"D-Does His Majesty wanted our faction to surrender the grimoire?" the spokesperson lowered his head at once and asked, his pitch increasing a little because of his nervousness.

The Solis Clan executive did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned to look at The Emperor, who only glanced at him for a second before returning his attention back to the spokesperson.

On the surface, the offer sounded good. It even appeared that the second neutral faction gained a lot. It went without saying that validating an item from before The Fall, especially when it concerned the Ancients and the Four Ancient Minds, cost a lot of resources. They would also require the assistance of mages specializing in the study and research of the Ancients.

For The Emperor to only require reading the grimoire's content first was an offer that anyone would find advantageous.

However, this was only if one failed to understand the subtle implications of their request.

The critical phrase to their offer was 'read the grimoire's content first.'

Reading its content first might not be different from reading it after, but that only applies to normal grimoires.

Grimoires, especially those written by known and powerful mages, could have different content depending on who read it first.

Some grimoires even have set requirements, and the content will not appear unless the holder fulfills all requirements. Unfortunately, those grimoires cannot be read easily because their requirements are not shown.

Another type of grimoire contained two variations of content. Occasionally, the initial person to read or open it would be the only one able to view its actual contents, while later readers would only see a generic version. This also applied the other way around— the first one to read the grimoire does not see the actual content, while the second or the last one would see it.

The Emperor's request made it apparent that he wanted to be the first to read it. He considered it a type where the first person to read it would be the only one to view its actual content. In a way, his judgment might be the most accurate since he had been alive before The Fall and was one of the remaining few familiar with how the Ancients operated.

Cold sweats trickled down the second neutral faction's spokesperson's back. He was chosen as the spokesperson of their faction because of his wise judgment and understanding. Thus, he knew the subtle implications not presented when the Solis Clan executive gave their offer.

"T-Then..." the spokesperson stammered in reply.

It was then.

"The Dragon Clan offers to arrange joint research, including the clans initially involved in studying the grimoire, as well as Aide Ducal and his team. We will provide necessary resources to validate the grimoire's origin, and both sides can decipher its content, offering transparent sharing of all research findings."

Doom.

As soon as Eissen finished talking, Lucian's magic pressure covered the auditorium.

Everyone in the congregation braced themselves, with the leaders and representatives activating their defensive barriers simultaneously.

Among them, there was one clan that remained unfazed by The Emperor's sudden act.

The Dragon Clan.

Ames, Attor, and Eissen looked calmly toward the platform where Lucian sat.

Similarly, Lucian looked at them with unreadable eyes. Nonetheless, his daunting aura was too pronounced to be ignored.

The Solis Clan executive, who was unaffected by The Emperor's pressure yet felt the ominous aura seeping from him, was suddenly drenched in cold sweat. He cautiously looked at The Emperor, who was still focused on the Dragon Clan's spot among the congregation and gulped nervously.

On the other hand. the second neutral faction's spokesperson could barely keep standing. He was mid High Sovereign, yet the pressure was still too much for his body.

The Emperor's pressure came unexpectedly and also lifted in an almost abrupt way. He then said, "A joint research... Does that mean that the Dragon Clan will open their doors again?"

Ames did not show much reaction. However, if one had paid attention from the start, they would have noticed her brow twitching slightly.

"Only to those who will participate in the research," Ames replied, not one to back down from Lucian's attempt at twisting the content of their offer.

"Is that right? Then, if my Solis Clan wants to participate, does that mean we are also welcome?"

"I don't know," Ames replied while shrugging exaggeratedly. "We are not the ones who will lead the research. Besides, it is not like they have accepted our offer."

At her words, the congregation's attention immediately returned to the second neutral faction's spokesperson.

The spokesperson, whose face had already turned pale and looked as if he was about to have a nervous breakdown, cringed at the intensity of being the center of attention once more.

"What do you say?" Lucian asked while looking at the spokesperson as if wanting to burn a hole right at him.

"Y-Your Majesty..." the spokesperson stammered, glancing furtively toward the second neutral faction corner.

The leaders and representatives in that corner glanced nervously at each other and, after a few seconds, could only make eye contact with their spokesperson to convey their decision.

The spokesperson nearly fainted after receiving their decision. But he managed to stay standing and answer The Emperor simply because he believed the Dragon Clan, especially Lady Ames, would not allow any injustice to happen even if The Emperor incited it.

"W-We shall review all submitted offers, and if... let me emphasize that it is only an if scenario that we accept the Dragon Clan's offer, our faction will allow other clans to send their request to participate in the research. Details of how to proceed from there will follow if— and only if— we

Did

Accept the Dragon Clan's offer."

The spokesperson managed to answer without stuttering too much, surprising even himself. Nevertheless, he felt his knees almost caved under him when he looked up and saw The Emperor's eyes.

Lucian's eyes were devoid of emotion. But precisely because of this, he looked even more intimidating and scary.

A tense silence followed the spokesperson's answer that any sudden movement could potentially cause one side to explode.

In the end, Lucian took a deep breath and closed his eyes before waving his hand at the Solis Clan executive. It was a gesture telling the latter to continue.

A significant number of attendees could not help but sigh in relief. This was especially true with all the leaders and representatives of the second neutral faction.

"Since there are no more offers, we will now proceed to the next faction, which will provide their report," the Solis Clan executive announced.

The first neutral faction was a little unique. This was because there were only three clans in it, and they did not particularly have a close relation. Apart from this, all of them were considered a medium-sized clan. Nonetheless, they were considered the first neutral faction because they were the only neutral faction with an Overlord— Oceanus.

That was right.

The Ogen Clan was part of the first neutral faction.

The spokesperson for their faction came from a merchant clan. Before the start of the conference, the three clans had already shared their achievements and decided on what to report.

Contrary to the expectations of others, their achievement was not as groundbreaking as the second neutral faction. Their clans were only able to explore forgotten regions and discover three new planes that provided good resources.

No one also showed interest when they mentioned the latter. This was because their faction already had a merchant clan, and obviously, they would not want to share the profit they would gain by exploring those planes themselves.

Finally, the spokesperson of the main faction in the Higher Realm stood up. It was easy to guess which clan he belonged to from his white robe.

"I will now report the achievements of The Emperor's faction."

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