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100,000 EXP obtained.]

For the 5th time, Daneel asked the system to repeat the notification.

A lopsided smile was on his face, while he sipped spiced wine from a crystal glass.

It was night time in the Kingdom of the Elves, and because of the elevation, he had to admit that it was truly beautiful.

After a long meeting with Katerina and Eldra who had needed to take time even to comprehend the scale of what he was talking about, he had hashed out a lot of details with them before they chose to return for the night.

He had had the option to go back to Lanthanor, but he had chosen to stay, as he still had matters to settle here. Hence, he had been given the grandest guest room there was which had a large balcony in which he was now sitting.

100,000!

Now that was a damn windfall!

It had taken this much EXP to upgrade the system to its present level. Yet, he had just earned this much in one go.

He couldn’t believe it, but he really felt happy.

The matter of those two Heroes was already tucked away in his mind, not affecting him anymore. At the end of the day, they were just pesky flies whom he would squat as soon as he had the ability.

Daneel wasn’t the kind to go into an intense vengeful wrath, especially when they hadn’t even done anything except cause a little pain, which was only comparable to a pinch when he remembered what he had been through in the pool during his breakthrough.

However, Marcus’s actions stayed back in his mind, making him understand that there were also such noble people among the Big 4. Sometimes, he had no option but to wonder whether the Big 4 was completely filled with psychotic lunatics.

Yes, the man’s debt was more than paid, and Daneel even felt that he might be in debt, himself, especially if that fight caused any long-lasting damage to the noble guy.

He was slightly worried about what that old man might want to talk to him about, but Daneel was pretty sure that it might just be to explain something about the Big 4, or to warn him about the alliance.

He had been expecting this, too, which was one of the reasons he had chosen to ’weaken’ Lanthanor.

A full scale, open alliance would have really brought a ton of problems which he didn’t want to handle at all right now.

Taking a few more sips, Daneel was about to ask the system how much EXP he had in total, but he was interrupted by Drakos’s voice.

"A sky like this reminds me of my childhood, before I was found by the Emperor."

This made Daneel choke on the wine.

Before the Emperor found Drakos...wasn’t he living with those ferocious beings that brought ruin to the continent? Why was he remembering that now?

As if sensing Daneel’s panic, Drakos continued to say, "Don’t worry. Then, I only remember lying on my mother’s broad head and staring at the stars. She used to point at each and tell me its name in my tongue. I forgot those exact names, but that moment remains with me."

Such an intimate memory was something that Drakos remembered?

Then...wasn’t he angry at the Emperor for killing his parents?

Daneel hesitated for a bit, but decided to ask anyway, as Drakos seemed to be in a chatty mood.

"No, Young King. I feel no resentment for my father."

Father?!

Daneel had guessed that this was what Drakos had been about to say all those times when he had had to fumble while addressing the Emperor, but hearing it confirmed was still pretty shocking.

So, the Emperor had...adopted him?

"Yes, my father, Young King. I would not like to hide that anymore. He raised me, taught me everything and made me who I am. What...do you think about the Emperor, Young King? I’ve noticed that many on this continent treat him like some greedy monster who destroyed his Empire due to his lust for power. That is not the case! To answer your question, let me tell you about one incident that happened when I was, say, 20 years of age when considering that as a Dragon, my lifespan and maturation speed was very different from a human. So, even though I had lived for longer, assume that that was my age."

Refilling his glass, Daneel sat back and stared at the endless sky again, which was probably why this Dragon had entered that melancholy mood.

After a few moments, he continued.

"At that time, I had just come of age, so, as per the rules, I was tested for my specialties before being given an option to choose my career according to my interests and strengths. Yes, even though my father was the Emperor, he wanted me to lead a normal life.

"After I chose the path of a Formation Master, he lead me into a vast forest where the traces of a high-level battle could still be seen even though decades had passed. I asked him where he was leading me, but he wouldn’t tell me.

"Soon, we reached an area that looked more devastated than all the others. There was a small stream running along in the ground, but apart from that, each and every rock and plant looked like they had been bombarded with high-level Energy. Again, I asked him where we were, and this time, he told me."

Here, the Ancient Dragon paused, as if what it was going to say was taking a toll on it.

From Drakos’s tone, he could tell that this was something very important to the Dragon, so he had already decided not to soil that in anyway.

Hence, he just kept sipping and waited.

"He told me that that was where he killed my parents, and that I had a choice. By that age, I had already learned right and wrong. He told me that I had a choice. I could give in to what was left behind my parents and become a true member of my race, or I could stay with him, as his son. He said that he would honor either decision. He even said that he would help me out even if I chose the former, but if I really did reprehensible things, he would have no option but to hunt me. Yet, he told me about reformed Dragons who fought every day and didn’t lose when it came to battling their own instinct to destroy. Young King, you know what I chose. He loved me, with all of his heart, like I was his true son. I had already heard about the disasters wrought by my people, so I had no intention whatsoever of following in their footsteps. I chose him, and for the first time, I saw the mighty Emperor, the man who was revered by millions...shed tears, as if he was nothing but a mortal who was happy."

A mortal man.

For some reason, this story resonated with Daneel, making him, too, get a positive impression of that giant of a man even if he was the same person whom Daneel had seen massacring countless innocent citizens.

Of course, it didn’t make him idolize the man, but it did make him wonder whether there really was more to his tale than what was known by everyone.

All in all, Daneel entered a reflective mood which led him to just want to sip more wine and stare out at the sky.

It tasted good, and he had a great view. Sometimes, such little things were enough to satisfy someone.

A few minutes later, Drakos spoke again.

"That is why I get angry when I see him being mentioned by so many in the Big 4 with scorn. He was greater than any of those people can ever be, but they dare to sully his name. He did always say that he didn’t care what others thought about him, and that I shouldn’t either, but it’s hard. You reminded me of him today, Young King. You never flinched once due to all that pain. Not once. Yes, it might look like you were being tormented on the outside, but in reality, you were just calm. I know it."

Raising an eyebrow, Daneel simply nodded, while Drakos continued.

"He told me about many times in his life, too, when he was subject to pain, but he just took it and didn’t complain. Each instance taught him a lesson, and gave him the motivation to stride forward. He learned and improved himself with each lesson, until there was no one who could cause him pain, even if he wanted. I believe you two are alike in many ways, Young King."

Daneel knew that Drakos was probably only saying this due to the mood he was in, where he must be missing his father.

So, he just took it in stride and smiled, not saying anything.

Drakos fell silent, too, and Daneel could tell that the overall mood of the Ancient Dragon was better, as if this talk had gone a long way in helping him...mature.

Regardless, Daneel retired, as he knew he had a busy day tomorrow.

The next day, in a large warehouse which was ironically near the spot where Daneel had saved the elf slaves, around 4000 elves were standing and whispering among themselves.

These were some the best of the best Enchanters in the whole Kingdom, and they had been told that King Daneel wanted a word with them.

Most of them had been in the festival, so they had been witness to the glorious feats of the King. Hence, they had been happy to oblige.

They had thought that it might be something random, but seeing that it was only fellow Enchanters who had been called, and that there was an Enchantment table laid down in the center of the warehouse, they understood that it must have something to do with their specialty.

The appointed time came and went, but no one appeared, which made a few grumble slightly.

Around 10 minutes later, when people had just started to get pushy, a display trinket enlarged itself right above the enchanting table.

"Hello, Enchanters of Eldinor. This is King Daneel, and I apologize for making you wait. I’m just dealing with something more...important. That’s not to say this meeting isn’t important. No, it is very close to my heart, as I have an extremely important task to give to you all. I need you...to find a way to mass produce this trinket. That is the goal. No par on materials, but the time matters. I shall be taking no questions. Just know that...those who succeed, and thus, win this competition will be designated as team leaders in this prestigious project that will make you all famous, as they will have proven that they are better than the rest. Good luck!"

By the time the last sentence was said by the King, the elves in the warehouse were bristling with anger and irritation.

First, it had been communicated to them that they weren’t that important.

Then, they had been given a task where, if they lost, it meant agreeing that those who won were superior to them.

To an elf, and to especially these elves who were proud of their craft, both of these were insults which they wouldn’t take lying down.

No, they would fight with all of their skill...to win.

As Daneel saw the mad fights filled with enthusiasm that broke out in the warehouse, he chuckled and idly had breakfast in the company of the Queen and the former Queen.

Seeing their looks of puzzlement, he explained, "I’ve found that nothing makes an elf perform like hurting their ego. So, just a little white lie to spur them along."

The two elves’ faces burned as they saw the King’s ’white lie’ working to great effect, as it made them feel slightly embarrassed that their race could be manipulated so easily.

After he was done with his breakfast, Daneel got started on his agenda for the day.

"So, our first item is to leak news about the expansion of the Network of Angaria."

"What?! Why would we do that? Wouldn’t that cause..."

"Pressure on us? Yes, that’s exactly what I want. Pressure is...publicity. And whether it’s good or bad, publicity is publicity. You two need to understand this. The more people start to talk about this, the more of a success it’ll be. So, let’s make a plan to perform a successful leak that will cause no suspicions."

Daneel said this and got down to business, but his mind was buzzing with the many ideas he was waiting to implement for this special project of his.

He had neglected to mention one little thing- who they were going to leak it to.

As someone from Earth, Daneel knew about the importance of opposing views in any topic. Competition was crucial in this industry. If there was just one source, then it would be cause for people accusing him of being partial.

So, the solution was to have competitors.

However, what if these competitors...were also secretly controlled by him?

What if he leaked the technology of transmission to only those who were in his control, giving the illusion that there would be competition, whereas, in reality, he would be running the whole show?

Sometimes, Daneel realized that his ideas frightened even him.