Chapter 572: Solution And Invitation

"Same old problems. But while you were gone, the Goblin Guild’s been getting more and more hostile toward us," Lana briefly explained the situation.

Apparently, while Daniel had been inside the tower, a meeting between the leaders of the country’s top guilds had taken place to discuss the terrorist attacks and their possible involvement within the country.

During that meeting, the Goblin Guild proposed the theory that spies or collaborators might exist among them.

After all, some of the incidents claimed by the terrorists clearly showed signs of internal interference.

At the time, everyone found that theory reasonable, even the Everlight Moon Guild agreed.

But who could’ve guessed that this was only the beginning of those bastards’ schemes? It didn’t take long before, in the second meeting, the Goblin Guild shifted all accusations toward Everlight Moon, claiming they might be the ones secretly working with the terrorists.

The so-called evidence they brought was laughable and proved absolutely nothing, but since they controlled the media, they were able to show the situation to the public however they wanted.

The problem was that the people actually believed it, that Everlight Moon was under government investigation and truly suspected of collaborating with terrorists, while in reality, it was nothing more than talk.

"If this keeps up, the government might actually be forced to start a formal investigation. That would completely destroy our reputation," Varnos said, rubbing his temples.

"The problem is," Lana continued, "they don’t want to be seen as weak or submissive in front of the public. As one of the top three guilds, they can’t bow to anyone, not to other guilds, and not even to the government.

For years, they’ve maintained the image of being independent and equal in status to the government itself.

If they allow a government investigation, that image will collapse.

Once that happens, people will automatically see them as being beneath the government and the other two top guilds, unworthy of their position."

"It’s better if we make the first move," Daniel said calmly. "We should request the investigation ourselves. Announce that we also suspect the Goblin Guild of cooperating with the terrorists. If the government finds nothing against us, then they’ll have to investigate the Goblin Guild too."

He knew that stopping the government investigation was impossible, it was exactly what the Goblin Guild wanted, and they’d definitely push for it to happen.

The investigation would certainly damage their reputation, but if they took the initiative and allowed it willingly, it could leave a good impression on the public.

Of course, the Goblin Guild might use this as an excuse to cause them trouble during the process, but as long as they stayed alert, they could prevent any traps or mistakes.

Even better, this move would give them the right to demand that the Goblin Guild also be investigated, and if they refused, their reputation would take the hit instead.

It was the best move they could make under the current circumstances. Daniel knew the guild master didn’t want to bow before the government, but there was no other choice.

"Good idea. Then we’ll do that," Varnos said after a short pause, accepting Daniel’s suggestion.

He also knew that pride wouldn’t help them now, it was smarter to act wisely, at least until his father completed his ascension and became a Heavenly King.

When that happened, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Goblin Guild anymore.

"Ah, guess there’s no helping it. I’ll start preparing everything," Lana sighed, seeing her father’s decision. She didn’t try to stop him; she only wanted what was best for the guild’s future.

"Good. Is there anything else I should know?" Daniel asked, smiling as he saw how smoothly everything had gone.

"Not about the guild, no," Varnos said. "But remember the prison break? The terrorists claimed responsibility for it, and now they’ve announced that more attacks are coming soon." His expression turned serious.

"They announced something like that?" Daniel frowned.

"Last week," Lana added. "They sent a letter to the government, making a list of demands. The government refused all of them, and in response, they threatened to launch a major attack if their requests weren’t met."

"What kind of requests?" Daniel asked.

"They demanded a section of the eastern territories," Varnos replied. "Mostly desert and wasteland, nothing of real value. They said if we handed it over, they’d sign a peace treaty. Of course, the government refused."

"Why would they want desert land? Is there something there?" Daniel asked again.

"That’s what we wanted to find out. We investigated, but found nothing," Varnos said.

"Then you didn’t look carefully enough," Daniel said thoughtfully. "There’s no way a group of terrorists would demand land for no reason."

Lana and Varnos fell silent, exchanging glances. The government and other guilds had thought the same thing, but despite their efforts, they had found nothing there.

Most likely, the terrorists simply wanted to expand their territory.

Either way, the government couldn’t agree with them. Doing so would be considered cooperation with terrorists and would destroy their international reputation.

"In any case, that’s the government’s problem, not mine. If something happens, I’m sure others will take care of it," Daniel said with a shrug.

"So, what are your plans now? Planning to challenge the fourth floor, or take some rest first?" Lana asked, changing the subject.

"I’ll rest for a bit, then challenge the fourth floor. But first, I need to enter seclusion for a while," he replied after a moment’s thought.

He wanted to deepen his understanding of the laws before the next challenge, whether it was the Law of Death or the Law of the Moon. He also wanted to see if he could evolve the Undying Body of Death into something stronger.

And, of course, there was his soul. It was about time to finish developing the Undying Soul of Dragon.

He had also gained many new Fallen, and needed to review their skills, perhaps some of them had abilities worth absorbing.

"Is there a place that could help me deepen my understanding of the Law of the Moon?" he asked, looking at Lana.

"For that, you could use that private dimension I mentioned before. It would be perfect for your seclusion," Lana said after thinking for a moment, glancing at her father for confirmation.

"Indeed. It should be quite helpful, and I’ve heard you’re cultivating several Laws. That place can help you refine your understanding of all of them," Varnos added with a smile.

"Thank you both. I’ll take you up on that," Daniel said, standing up.

"I think I should get going now. I’ve got a guest tonight, and I shouldn’t be late."

"Of course. But before you leave, Goblin Guild is planning a ceremony soon to officially announce their next leader. They’ve invited us as well, and strangely enough, your name was specifically mentioned," Varnos said, remembering something.

"A ceremony for their next leader? Who’s it gonna be, James?" Daniel asked with interest.

"So you know him?"

"You could say he’s an old friend. I’m sure there’s a reason they invited me in particular." Daniel laughed. He could already see through their intentions.

"So, are we going?"

"Of course. Why not? It’d be rude to refuse, don’t you think?" Daniel smiled and nodded.

"The ceremony should be held within the next two months," Lana added. She had done some digging into Daniel’s past and knew enough to understand the situation.

Daniel nodded, said his goodbyes, and left the room. He could already guess that the true purpose of the ceremony was to humiliate him, or maybe something even bigger, like trying to kill him.

After all, he knew James well enough to understand just how much that bastard hated him.

But he wasn’t worried. In fact, he was looking forward to it. Maybe he could finally put an end to that hatred once and for all.

"Don’t disappoint me, James."