Second World

The meeting in Thereath Palace's war room continued for the entire day. The meeting with the country leaders had concluded but John resumed with a meeting with their allied guild leaders. The meeting was so everyone could organize their forces to synchronize with the native forces.

They also discussed about Master's convention for outworlders one week from now. This would be the largest gathering for outworlders. Considering the venue, only high-level outworlders could make the journey. This was probably Master's way of saying that only the capable had the right to voice their thoughts. The weak would just have to accept the decision made by those high-level players attending the convention.

Jack already tuned out after the meeting went on for some time. Most of the main points had been laid out and they were currently just discussing the details. He was not into all those details, but he had to stay in the room out of duty. He felt bored and wanted to go out and do other things.

He ended up chatting with Four Winds on occasion. Four Winds took the chance to thank Jack for allowing him and his guild members to use the Space-time Chamber. They had used it for a few days but had to go back to handle the election tourney and prepare for this meeting. They would resume training again after they settle everything they discussed in this meeting.

Jack also took the chance to ask if he could go to the island inhabited by the Volatile Firefly Ants near Cipher Flight's guild headquarters. Those monsters were good targets to expressly level up someone to the mid-level range.

Four Winds told him to go ahead. No one went to that island to farm exp points anyway. those monsters were too dangerous for low-level players. He did ask why Jack wanted to farm there. The Volatile Firefly Ants had an average level of 60. They wouldn't provide Jack with sufficient exp points. Jack's level was too high already.

Jack said he wanted to use that island to power-level someone.

Their chatting earned a sharp glare from John. Jack went back to sitting nicely like a puppet doll, bored to his bones.

As he was lamenting this boring situation, he received messages from the investigative team he had sent to Palgrost. This team was tasked to investigate the attack on the Blacksmith Circle's faction leader.

Unfortunately, it was not good news.

"We've been ambushed," the leader of the investigative team, Daichi, reported.

"Ambushed? By who?"

"We don't know. We couldn't get a clear look at the assailant. It was blurry. Its body was covered by dark smoke. What we can be sure of is that the assailant was one individual and used spells when attacking."

'Blurry individual. It fits the description of the one who attacked the faction leaders,' Jack thought.

"Where were you attacked?" Jack asked.

"At the crime scene where the Blacksmith Circle's leader was assaulted," Daichi answered. "It was as if this assailant was waiting for us. Several rune diagram traps were there. We are incapacitated. The players who escorted us as our bodyguards were killed without being able to retaliate. All of us are now back to level 1 because the rune diagram also caused us to return to life there and were killed again."

The investigative team's prowess was not their fighting capability, so it was not a big loss. It was still a loss, though, especially for the bodyguard players. The guild would have to compensate and help these players regain their levels. Jack would let Jeanny deal with this. He was more concerned about the fact that the investigative team was ambushed.

"Did anyone from your team tell someone about what you are doing and where you are going after receiving my instruction?" Jack asked.

"No. We came straight to Palgrost after receiving your request. We only learned about the exact spot of the crime scene after talking with the Blacksmith Circle's people. That was earlier today. We went to the spot immediately after that."

"I see… We will send more players to protect you when you go back to the crime scene."

"I doubt we can learn anything by going back there," Daichi informed.

"Why?"

"Before we were attacked, I had a quick look at the crime scene. It was an old warehouse owned by the Blacksmith Circle. They assured me that nothing had been touched since the attack on their faction leader. I've gathered the accounts of their confrontation. From what I saw before we were attacked, the crime scene had been tampered with. It was too clean to be a place where a battle had broken out."

"I see…"

"I can still go back if you wish, but the chances of finding anything are small. The perpetrator was expecting us. He surely covered his tracks after the deed."

"He might still miss something. Please go to the crime scene again. I will talk with Jeanny to provide stronger bodyguards."

"All right," Daichi replied.

Jack told Jeanny about what had happened. He also asked everyone to excuse him. With this new development, he didn't want to just sit here. John continued the meeting with the guild leaders after he left.

He used Pandora to move around the capital quickly. He first visited the League of Champions. Gruff was in the building so he met Jack. Jack asked if anything happened to the leader of the League of Champions yet.

"Boy, do you want something to happen to our leader?" Gruff asked.

"No, but I might have found something related to the case," Jack answered.

"Really? That is good to know. I received news that another victim had fallen. The leader of the Cartographer Society."

"Sigh… If only they allow me to check these fallen leaders' bodies," Jack lamented. He had gone to the league factions whose leaders had confirmed to be assassinated and asked if he was allowed to investigate the corpses. He was denied. Like Willem and Ducasse, they considered their leaders' remains sacred.

"Do you think you can find anything if you check their bodies?" Gruff asked.

"I don't know, but those bodies were one of the possible places to get clues," Jack answered. "Anyway, as I said. I found something, but I might need your leader's help for the next step."