Slime Evolution

Chapter 412 - Two Paths

Lisa, who had stayed online discussing task distribution and the organization of important, vital positions for the new members approved in the in person recruitment with Dylan, showed a slightly tired look beneath her white fur.

However, the fox’s golden eyes were fully alert. She lifted her head from the wooden basin where she rested, looking with immense, sharp anticipation toward Halon the moment his gelatinous body settled in the center of the meeting hall.

"You were extremely fast, Halon," Lisa said, her voice, despite carrying a trace of coldness, showing worry as its clearest note. "Now that we’re all gathered here, tell me, did your clones manage to get the proof we needed against Gideon’s group?"

Dylan adjusted his glasses, his posture serious, polished, and focused, despite already having worked there for over 16 practically nonstop hours. "We’re ready, Vice President. Alice is still a little dizzy from the real world time zone, but she remains one hundred percent operational to handle everything."

"I’m fine, I swear," Alice murmured, shaking her head to clear away her drowsiness and flashing a determined smile toward the Slime. "Being completely honest, if Halon says the hunt against those idiots is starting now, I can even stay awake for another ten hours if I have to. Tell us what you heard in their mansion, Halon, because I’m dying to smash some golden armor with my gauntlets."

The arrogant, hostile attitude the Broken Suns kept up toward Astralis had bred deep resentment among the members, with Alice being the one most eager to deal with it physically.

Lohan moved his mass to the center of the meeting table, letting the Collective Synaptic Sync open the data link directly with the minds of the three leading officers present. The mental connection established instantly, sharing the images and voices his clone had recorded in the meeting room on the Broken Suns’ second floor.

"Their plan is pretty dirty, but nothing entirely outside what we already expected." Lohan said, his mental voice coming out firm and loaded with seriousness. "The clones I left scattered throughout the Broken Suns’ upper floor monitored an emergency meeting among their senior officers. Surprisingly, Gideon wasn’t present in the discussion room, which makes it clear the officers are acting in secret, afraid their own guild leader would find out what’s going on because of his emotional instability, which could be useful information for us."

Lisa tilted her ears forward, intrigued by that unexpected internal division, still processing the information and memories Lohan was sending into their minds. "Gideon doesn’t know anything? That’s very strange, considering how authoritarian he usually is with his subordinates. What would the officers be hiding from their own leader inside the headquarters?"

"The magical suppression seal they placed on Thalendor’s northern rift is showing serious leaks of corrupted energy." Lohan explained. "To get their sovereignty contract approved by the Elven Council, the Broken Suns bribed, and were bribed by, a few minor noble families, promising to purify the rift cheaply while cashing in on the fame that would bring them."

"The problem is that now, with the void mana pressure about to collapse their entire temporary seal, apparently no one wants to take responsibility for it, neither the bribed nobles nor their allies." Lohan explained.

Dylan let out a low whistle, his eyes gleaming behind his lenses. "A magical fraud against Thalendor’s Council... that’s surely a high treason offense under elven law. If the authorities find out about this, the Broken Suns will be kicked out and banned from the city the very same second, losing every investment and resource poured into this capital, and the Players who just joined the guild out of self interest would hardly show them any leniency... They’d be completely destroyed."

"Exactly," Lohan continued, his gelatin glowing with determination. "The messenger from their noble ally warned that the Council is already suspecting something is wrong because of the mana fluctuations in the region. If the barrier collapses, the noble will abandon them completely, leaving them to face the criminal consequences alone under local law. That’s why the Broken Suns officers decided to act in desperation and secrecy. According to what my clone heard, they’re going to move sometime tonight, using maximum discretion, to try to reinforce the failing seal using level 20 runes to hold the leak temporarily, at least to try to buy more time until the guild gains more power and influence in the city."

Alice leapt up from her chair, slamming her fist on the living wood table. "This is our golden chance! We can catch those idiots red handed in the middle of the night right at the rift! What do we do, Lisa? Should we call Archmage Yrneha and her guards to arrest his entire group at the crime scene and finally destroy their reputation for good?"

"Calling Yrneha would be the safest choice to guarantee validation of our contract with her..." Lisa pondered shrewdly, though her expression showed she was also weighing other, more lucrative options for the guild’s future. "But if we do that, the glory of the discovery and cleaning up the rift will end up under the control of Thalendor’s NPC guards. We’d gain a small amount of political reputation, but we’d lose the chance to extract the real value of this whole mess for Astralis Requiem."

Lohan’s core vibrated in agreement, a smile forming on his "face" upon realizing Lisa was thinking exactly the same way he was. "I think we have a chance to do something much better if we act alone first. Even if they manage to reinforce the seal, we already know the secret. We could reveal this to Yrneha at any time, but if we move before them or set up an ambush at the rift with no guards around, we could analyze the magical corruption problem ourselves before deciding how to act."

"Analyze it ourselves?" Dylan asked, looking at Lohan with curiosity. "Do you think we have the capability to handle void rift energy without support from the capital’s archmages?"

"Being completely honest? Probably not, but it costs nothing to try..." Lohan confirmed, his core pulsing with resolve. "My abilities and my new control over Sacred Light could react in a unique way with that corrupted rift’s energy. If we could manage to understand how the corruption works and purify the site using our own mystical structure, obviously in a way that lets us take the credit for it, Astralis Requiem wouldn’t just destroy the Broken Suns politically, everything they’ve built up until now by having "handled" that would come to us instead."

"I like this plan..." Lisa said, her fox muzzle curling into a proud, defiant, and very beautiful smile. "We’re Elysium’s elite, everyone. We don’t need the guards to clear our path. We’re going to reap that feast ourselves and earn the right to write some of the rules of the game in Thalendor."