Chapter 459: Guesses of cooperation

After a short conversation, Idan and Arabel learned a lot of new information.

As they understood it, the situation between the Guilds, the Association, and the Federation had reached an impasse.

The Association has publicly denied all the Guilds’ accusations of collaborating with outsiders. However, they found out about the existence of Esma, Essora, Essora and Milla’s younger brother.

They demanded that the Guilds hand them over to the Association. But when Irene refused, the Association used this information against the Guilds, accusing them of colluding with outsiders.

As a result, the situation remained tense, and the parties exchanged accusations without resorting to force.

The guilds knew almost nothing about outsiders: how many they were, what their motives were, and what powers they possessed. In this confrontation, the outsiders remained in the shadows, having a more advantageous position, while the Guilds were in the light.

The Association also did not take any open actions.

Irene and the others had their suspicions about this.

According to their observations, outsiders were deterred by the existence of Esma. They don’t know who she is or where she came from, and only those who are in this room at the moment know about it.

Besides, everyone was convinced that the outsiders were afraid of Idan and Arabel.

They bluntly told Idan and Arabel that the Association was already aware that Ethan Goldwing and Isabella White were hiding Irene’s younger brother and a descendant of the famous Morgan family.

“So it’s become known after all?” thought Idan.

“Well, that’s what we expected,” Arabel said without surprise through a mental link.

“Two Diamond—ranked creatures died that day,” Rachel said with some admiration. “And they were killed not by other outsiders, but by local residents, the same as us, representatives of humanity. It scared them.”

“Especially when even after what happened at the end, it was not confirmed whether they died or not,” Yulaya added.

“Without confirmation of the death of my younger brother and Arslan’s older sister, outsiders are unlikely to act openly,” Irene shared her opinion.

Idan and Arabel nodded inwardly, agreeing with the others’ opinion. But it also meant that their true identities were most likely the target of almost all outsiders and other powerful beings who targeted their world for various reasons.

“But doesn’t that mean that you two can become the target of outsiders?” asked Arabel. Although she remained calm on the outside, anxiety began to overwhelm her inside. If their true identity was exposed, then their loved ones could be in danger.

“Yes, there is such a possibility,” Irene nodded. “That’s why we decided to stick together for now, next to this Esma.”

“Esma, right? And who is she, if it’s not a secret?” asked Idan, as if he didn’t know her.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ignis, but I can’t disclose this information,” Irene shook her head. “However, you can ask Arslan’s older sister about her when she returns. Esma is connected to her.”

“Oh, is that so? I didn’t know, I didn’t know,” Idan pretended to be surprised. “Then that’s what we’ll do if we find them.”

“Dan, we urgently need to figure out how to protect them,” Arabel said in her mind. “I’m not sure if the presence of Esma and Bera will fully ensure their safety.”

“I agree,” Idan replied, sharing Arabel’s concern. “What about your parents?”

Arabel didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, she didn’t feel much love for them, but on the other hand, they were her parents who gave her and her brother life. Although they did not actively participate in their upbringing, they also did not create difficulties for them.

“I don’t know yet,” Arabel admitted.

Idan, seeing how she hesitated, did not interfere. He decided to give her the right to make her own choice, and whichever one she chose, he was ready to support her.

“From what I’ve heard, the so—called beings of Light are cooperating with the Association,” Idan said.

“Beings of Light, then? So Aliya is also a being of Light?” Hailey asked herself mentally as she stood to the side and listened intently to Idan and Arabel’s conversation with the others.

“Yes, you’re right,” Yulaya nodded.

“And? Have you found out why the Association decided to cooperate with them?” asked Idan.

All the characters exchanged glances.

“We don’t know for sure, but we have assumptions,” Rachel decided to express a general suspicion.

“As awakened ones, you should have already visited the world of Junonia several times and should already be aware that people both there and here are not much different from each other?” asked Rachel.

Idan and Arabel nodded: yes, they were aware.

“Many awakened ones who visited the world of Junonia easily took possession of the first volumes of the manual on the Path of Mastery and brought them to our world, hoping to help humanity grow,” Rachel continued. “I’m sure you already know that ordinary mortals from our world are unable to cultivate along the Path of Mastery.”

Idan and Arabel were stunned by this revelation. How were they supposed to know about this? But they nodded, pretending that they knew it.

In fact, they were not aware of this, because they did not address or raise such a question.

“However, if that’s the case, then what about the Path of Beast Tamer?” wondered Idan, which he himself wanted to realize in his world.

“We have discovered that at this stage in the growth of the world, mortals cannot cultivate naturally, but this does not mean that they are completely deprived of the opportunity to improve,” Rachel’s words were enough for Idan to understand the reasons why the Association cooperates with outsiders.

“Outside help,” he exclaimed, and Rachel and the others nodded their heads in agreement.

“The Association probably cooperates with outsiders because they have a way to help ordinary mortals develop without a System,” Rachel confirmed Idan’s assumption.

“Heh, — Idan chuckled to himself. “An external force, yes. Can Soul Crystals be considered an external force? Of course, it can. So, my plan has every chance of success.”

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