Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 796 - 795: Surprise or Not?

What is Daniel thinking? What could he be thinking?

Right now he just feels the world is changing rapidly, the situation at hand is highly problematic, a bit panicky, but useless, the master is sitting across watching, yet he feels at a loss about what to do next, how did a well-structured meeting turn more difficult than calculus and surface problems...

But after all, he has weathered many storms, capable of handling the intricacies of Aldernon’s high society, and adapting to the sinister shadows of the Eternal Sleepers cult; after becoming a loyal servant to the Wanderers from Outer Realm, he gained a new excellent trait: adept at discerning higher intentions.

Gawain, sitting across from him, nodded slightly.

Daniel discreetly breathed a sigh of relief: he understood.

"I agree with Archbishop Selena’s opinion," the old mage stood up and said calmly and slowly, with a tone steady after deep consideration, "The Wanderers from Outer Realm is a viable choice."

Someone couldn’t help but speak up: "We have always kept a distance from Them, never collaborated before, only unpleasant interactions, now suddenly we have to entrust life and death to such an indescribable existence, this is indeed too bizarre..."

"The core issue isn’t about whether we entrust our fate to Them, but whether there’s a possibility of reaching a consensus with Them," Daniel said calmly, "The reasons Archbishop Selena mentioned earlier, I won’t repeat, I’ll just add two points—

"Firstly, we no longer have the privilege of leisurely planning, face reality, fellow countrymen, Sandbox One has gone out of control, the Supreme Narrators are gradually entering the real world, and compared to the Wanderers from Outer Realm, what’s inside Sandbox One is already a threat with a blade against everyone’s throat; we have no choice—it’s not that we chose the Wanderers from Outer Realm, but that they might be the only ones capable of confronting Sandbox One and potentially assisting us.

"Secondly, the Wanderers from Outer Realm are beings above humankind, and They have already begun to intervene in theocracy through religious reform. We have reason to believe They are interested in gods, in other words, once the Supreme Narrators truly enter the real world, it’s nearly certain They would be drawn to this new god, nearly certain to come knocking—waiting until They approach, it wouldn’t be easy for us to propose cooperation."

As Daniel’s voice faded, the hall echoed with low discussions, clearly, his additional points were highly convincing and nearly irrefutable, while Gawain across nodded satisfactorily: the old mage’s contributions were timely, and the second point provided Gawain with a pretext for involving himself in the matter, such outstanding subordinates are invaluable anytime.

Gawain was a bit curious about how Daniel precisely knew what he hoped he would say—clearly, he hadn’t indicated anything, nor had they discussed subsequent plans ahead, just a nod, letting him casually say something to address the situation...

The discussions in the hall continued for several minutes, gradually, the Archbishops seemed to have reached a reluctant consensus.

They hadn’t truly accepted this nearly fantastical "plan," but found no better choice through discussing afterward.

At this moment, Pope Megal III, who had been silently listening and hovering above the conference, abruptly broke the silence: "Then, this plan is decided."

"What an irony... we strive against gods, yet end up seeking help from god-like ’entities’... Has our efforts all these years been meaningful?" Archbishop Magnan murmured lowly with a gloomy face, yet the faint grumbling was audible across the entire hall.

"At least we’ve tried a new path," Megal III interrupted Magnan’s murmur in a flat tone, "Next, we should discuss establishing contact with the Wanderers from Outer Realm, how accurately to convey our intentions—this needs to be implemented quickly, our time is limited."

Gawain sat on his chair, once again gradually entering a state of transcendent thoughts.

"Such abrupt contact, gaining trust should be the most crucial," Yuri sitting beside Gawain stood up, "They should be somewhat wary and repelled by us, if we directly propose, They might reject..."

The hall erupted with voices: "Someone familiar with Cecil should go for contact..."

"I think too much cushioning might backfire, making us seem insincere, better to directly state our intention, which could perhaps gain Their favor."

"Clearly the Wanderers from Outer Realm are also observing us, haven’t They already analyzed our technology to invent a modified ’communication device’? We can use technology to win Their favor..."

As voices burst forth, the Archbishops dove into ardent discussion, while Gawain sat quietly among them, thoughts gradually calming down.

He surveyed the surroundings, a bold idea brewing within.

Now that things reached this point today, whether the mind network survives depends entirely on resolving the Sandbox One crisis... over the years, vast access to the mind network has effectively shifted into his and Daniel’s hands... must further strengthen the powerful image of the Wanderers from Outer Realm, make those Eternal Sleepers more "cooperative"...

Gawain nodded secretly: the timing seemed indeed almost right.

The Supreme Council of Bishops’ Archbishops immersed deeply in discussion, in analyzing the Wanderers from Outer Realm and speculating about "Gawain Cecil."

Then, Yuri Charlvin found someone had unknowingly seated beside him—

With short brown hair, an imposing face, a sturdy figure, carrying a tangible air of majesty.

Gawain lightly tapped the table, smiling as he surveyed the room, gently nodding: "I also agree with Selena Gerfen’s opinion."

The entire council hall instantly fell utterly silent.

Even the starlight polymer floating midair stiffened for an instant, no longer contracting and writhing.

After several seconds of indescribable silence, the hall suddenly exploded with intense vibration, numerous powerful peak and even legendary powerhouses’ minds simultaneously stirring in that instant, making the Church of the Three Goddesses of Fertility shake violently; horrifying cracks spread from the hall to the temple’s outer walls, amidst peculiar wailing and rumbling, before Gawain, twenty-two archbishops either abruptly stood up, leaned on tables wide-eyed, or gasped aloud, one after another fading from the shimmering hall—disconnected.

"Mental Storm!!"

A thunderous voice suddenly rang out, as if by reflex, Magnan raised both hands to cast his strongest and most adept spell, yet upon casting, he showed a grievous expression and maintained it as the connection to the conference hall broke.

As Magnan vanished, the mental storm swept through the council hall, engulfing the magnificent golden round table and each seat, crashing onto the few Archbishops who hadn’t disconnect yet, almost entirely kicking out those trying to stay calm and remain on-site.

After a moment of extreme chaos, only a mess remained in the Golden Council Hall. The aftermath of a mental Storm swirled at the hall’s ceiling, leaving scars on the intricately patterned pillars, the floor fragmented, the dome cracked, and the magnificent large round table had lost all its RGB lights...

Besides Gawain, only three "people" remained in the hall: one suspended in the air, still appearing rigid and stationary—Pope Megal III; another was Selena Gerfen sitting nearby, expressionless; and the last was Yuri Charlvin seated to Gawain’s left.

The latter sat there with a pale complexion, covered in scars, looking like he was not in good shape.

As for Daniel... To avoid detection and maintain concealment, the old mage instantaneously displayed all his acting skills, "fearfully" disconnecting from the network like everyone else.

Utilizing the high permissions he held and his strong mental resilience, Gawain resisted the assault of the mental Storm. He was utterly confused internally, yet his expression remained calm and dignified. After tidying his clothes a bit, he looked up at Selena: "Why didn’t you leave?"

Selena gave Gawain a deep look: "...I can only exist in the network; leaving here is meaningless."

Gawain nodded, then turned his gaze to Megal III floating in mid-air: "What about you? Why didn’t you leave?"

The starlight polymer finally resumed its expansion and contraction, and from it came the voice of the Pontiff of the Eternal Sleepers: "...I’m very curious about you."

Lastly, Gawain looked at Archbishop Yuri, who seemed not in the best condition, and asked with concern: "Are you alright?"

"...I’m okay."

"Why did you stay behind as well?"

Yuri’s face stiffened, his tone strange, as if reluctant to speak but compelled to say: "...I have relatively high resistance to Magnan’s mental Storm."

It sounded like he wasn’t happy about being able to resist Magnan’s mental Storm.

But Gawain was quite pleased, having not played around like this in a long time.

Moreover, he maintained his persona without it collapsing, leaving others with a deep and mysterious impression.

This aided in maintaining a good mindset.

Seated on his chair as if he were the master there, he shaped the image of himself as a "Wanderer from Outer Realm" in his mind, surveyed the entire hall, then smiled and said: "It’s a fascinating place; just from a technical prowess perspective, you seem quite impressive.

"What’s the next session of the meeting? Can we continue?

"Do we need to wait for the others to return?"

Selena was looking at the calmly seated Gawain, expression unchanged for a long time. After a dozen seconds, she finally exhaled, looked into Gawain’s eyes, and said: "You indeed resemble Gawain Cecil."

"In a sense, I am Gawain Cecil," Gawain nodded, casually saying, "Regarding this topic, you may discuss it with Beltira if there’s an opportunity."

Gawain calmly met Selena’s gaze, his eyes serene.

He knew that this "Lantern Saintess" had an undeniable connection with the mysterious voyage of Gawain Cecil seven hundred years ago. She might have known from the beginning that something foreign occupied Gawain Cecil’s vessel (though the term "Wanderers from Outer Realm" hadn’t appeared back then). She may know many details unknown even to him. But such matters could be set aside for now, to be explored gradually in the future.

"Beltira..." Selena murmured the name softly, frowning slightly, "It seems she survived in some form..."

"Yes, it’s not a secret. She is now a citizen of the Cecil Empire," Gawain nodded and said.

After another brief silence, Selena slightly raised the portable lamp in her hand. Invisible forces swept across the hall, causing ripples to spread across the devastated meeting hall. The data damaged by the mental Storm was swiftly restored, and the pillars, dome, floor, and round table reverted to their original appearance in the blink of an eye.

Gawain watched this scene and, unable to hold back, said helplessly: "Honestly, I just wanted to give you all a surprise."

"...We were surprised indeed, but not pleased," Pope Megal III’s voice came through, seeming much aged, "We always thought we had maintained a safe distance from you, believing we were secure at least within this network, but..."

"To be frank, your security measures did pose some trouble to me, especially after you reconstructed the network’s mental barriers and implemented various new security techniques—it became quite troublesome," Gawain said casually, discreetly helping Daniel cover up again, "But luckily, I understand the technical field somewhat, and your mental barriers, for me... weren’t too difficult to breach."

Pope Megal III remained silent for several seconds before cautiously asking: "When did you enter... this place?"

Gawain thought for a moment and deliberately replied ambiguously: "Sometimes, I act together with you all."

Silence, further awkward silence.

As the awkwardness intensified, Pope Megal III finally spoke.

"Call the others back. Let’s continue... the meeting.

"Tell Magnan to calm down before coming in."