Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 797 - 796: Terms of Cooperation

Under the summons of Megal III, the archbishops who had once left the conference hall returned one by one, and the scene quickly returned to the normal state of the meeting, with the only difference being—The Wanderer from Outer Realm sat openly beside the round table.

This indescribable entity was smiling as it looked at everyone present.

Magnan was the last to return, and as his figure solidified beside the round table, his first reaction was to glance in Gawain’s direction, then he sighed while rubbing his forehead: "Damn... I thought it was an illusion earlier... So what’s the situation now? Have we been corrupted by the Supreme Narrator, or have we already been eroded by the Wanderer from Outer Realm?"

His tone carried a hint of a resigned attitude.

Gawain smiled gently, his gaze landing on Magnan: "I don’t have the habit of corrupting anyone—but if you are interested, I can give it a try."

Gawain has quite a bit of trust in the power of mathematical concepts like the Riemann Hypothesis and Fermat’s Last Theorem. He pondered using his high-level permissions in the mental network to fragment these knowledge into chaotic bits and inject them into the target’s surface memory, which he thought could be comparable to the spiritual corruption of an Evil God...

And the words he uttered with a gentle smile almost gave Magnan a chill.

Not in good condition, Yuri glanced at Magnan again and then at the "Wanderer from Outer Realm" beside him, his face twitching slightly. He actually wanted to switch seats right away, but probably no one would be willing to switch with him — as an archbishop, he could only brace himself and continue sitting, feeling worse than before.

"Don’t be so tense, I am not soul-devouring monsters, nor will I siphon your souls like demons," Gawain said with a smile after successfully livening up the atmosphere, "I briefly searched through your mental network and found some of your views on me quite... amusing, with many misunderstandings among them, causing you to be overly tense around me.

"I have no interest in your souls or lives; I came to this world simply to..."

Gawain paused suddenly, his gaze swept across Selena Gerfen, and after a brief consideration, he continued:

"Simply to enjoy a journey and fulfill a promise."

Originally, he only wanted to say "enjoy a journey," but before speaking, he suddenly recalled Gawain Cecil’s mysterious voyage, remembered the "soul deal," and possibly the somewhat insider Selena Gerfen, so to establish initial trust and clear any future obstacles, he deliberately added the word "promise."

Although even he didn’t know what this so-called "promise" was, it’s enough that Selena knew.

Just as Gawain predicted, after his last words fell, the archbishops present appeared somewhat confused, while Selena Gerfen’s eyes subtly changed, glancing over.

As for Megal III floating in mid-air... Gawain still didn’t know how to judge this ancient Pope’s expression, although he thought that the "starlight polymer’s" expression change should have some similarities with Kamel, but the color spectrum of the two seemed not quite the same... Kamel hasn’t turned dark yet.

At the same moment Gawain’s words fell, Daniel also received information passed in secret, and this "Eternal Sleepers’ Security Director" stood up, looking at Gawain with eyes filled with disbelief and awe, trembling as he said: "You... can see what we placed in the mental network..."

Gawain looked at Daniel and couldn’t help but think: it’s really a pity that this acting talent didn’t go into the Magic Shadow Drama.

"Your mental network isn’t secret to me," while feeling emotional, he nodded, "Of course, I don’t have a hobby of invading privacy, I just found some things I’m interested in, there’s no need for worry about your memories being read by me."

During the conversation, Gawain continually reinforced the eerily powerful image of himself in the mental realm, emphasizing his degree of control over the mental network.

After a long setup, the time finally came to unveil his disguise, he decided no longer to hold back but instead make himself appear more indefensible, thereby keeping maximum initiative in his hand, and as to whether this would cause Eternal Sleepers to dread him... it’s simply not worth worrying about.

As the "Wanderer from Outer Realm," why should he care about being relatable in front of Eternal Sleepers? Better to continue intensifying on this persona, as in fact, he has already almost infiltrated their mental network.

The faces of the archbishops showed varying degrees of dismay; it’s quite unsettling to have your secrets and vital points controlled by others, especially for those long-standing in the sect’s upper echelons, but after a brief silence, they calmed down nonetheless.

They have been striving against imagined "gods" for hundreds of years, across generations.

Compared to personal emotional fluctuations, they’re more capable of enduring the pressure that ordinary people would shrink from for the sake of the greater good.

"So, since you’ve been ’watching’ all along..." A dignified female archbishop with half-elf features sighed, looking at Gawain and saying, "We don’t need to waste words anymore. What is your attitude toward the Supreme Narrator?"

Watching the archbishops on the site quickly adjust their mindset and show such performances before himself as the "Wanderer from Outer Realm," Gawain couldn’t help but sigh internally.

These are outstanding talents, but unfortunately, they’ve walked the wrong path.

He knew he might not be in a position to judge whether a civilization’s developmental path is right or wrong, but at least from a ruler’s perspective, he cannot tolerate the route of every dark sect.

Fortunately, Eternal Sleepers haven’t reached the point like the Oblivion Association where things can no longer be salvaged, where he still has room to intervene.

"I’ve already said, I agree with Selena Gerfen’s views," Gawain said slowly, "Regarding the ’monster’ brewing in Sandbox One, my standpoint is: it mustn’t break through confinement, nor be allowed to reign over the real world as a god.

"There are already enough gods in this world, each of them implies trouble. We need not add another.

"On this premise, we can cooperate."

"Then in what form do you wish for cooperation?" Archbishop Yuri said, biting the bullet as he stood up, "Are you willing to personally act against Sandbox One? Do you need our coordination?"

"It’s easier to communicate with smart people," Gawain smiled as he nodded, then while pondering continued, "Regarding Sandbox One, my understanding is not much greater than yours, I need to go inside to ascertain the situation, and my confidence lies in the mental pollution inside Sandbox One shouldn’t affect me. As for your alignment... I’m afraid I need more than just cooperation."

Gawain said as he slowly raised his head, surveying everyone present.

"I need you to strictly obey my instructions, both during the action period and after the action ends, once Sandbox One’s crisis is resolved, you must also... be recruited by me."

After finishing, he leaned back in his chair, taking a relaxed and observant attitude as he watched the archbishops on site plunge into a moment of wavering and discussion.

He appears very confident about the issue of Sandbox One, which is meant to increase his bargaining chip in this negotiation, but his confidence is not baseless—

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As a "satellite spirit," his mental structure is extremely special, almost naturally resistant to all mental attacks and pollution in this world. The psychic pollution inside Sandbox One should be no exception. Additionally, due to the influence of the "Deicide Fleet’s Legacy," he possesses a certain "natural adversary effect" towards the gods of this world, including divine relics and even the bodies of the gods themselves. The Supreme Narrator inside Sandbox One, which is not yet fully formed, should not surpass this level.

Even if one takes a pessimistic view that the situation in Sandbox One is more bizarre than he imagined, and that the Supreme Narrator breaks free from its restraints and becomes a god earlier than expected, he has contingency plans.

He has already sent a message to the sea demons Queen via Tiel, indicating the possibility of an extra meal soon.

To be honest, if the Supreme Narrator stays deep within the dreams without a medium to enter the real world, the situation is indeed tricky, as intangible and formless mental pollution is the most difficult to deal with. But if that "god" rashly ventures into the real world and gains a foothold there...

There’s a saying, once the health bar is visible, things become much simpler. Just throw it to the sea demons for a good chaotic feast...

Of course, there is also the possibility that all means fail, and even the sea demons cannot resist the Supreme Narrator, a truly malicious god directly descends and destroys the world. Gawain is prepared for this:

He would attempt to alert the Dragonkin, even prepare for another "Inversion Tide War," so that everyone could die with more dignity...

One cannot blame him for being pessimistic; it is mainly to be mentally prepared for facing the gods—the Defier of old mostly went into that dreadful business with similar resolve.

In the hall, discussions rose into a clamor, as the high-level members of the Eternal Sleepers could not accept Gawain’s terms immediately.

Gawain merely smiled, sitting in his place, waiting for their discussion to end.

Some issues must be explained in advance, otherwise, after the resolution, there’s only awkwardness and suspicion when big eyes stare at small eyes.

On the other hand, taking over a dark sect after a crisis is something he had never dared imagine before. Even at this moment, he’s not sure of success, as not everything can be achieved through a single deal, a single crisis, and a few empty promises to make one of the Three Great Dark Sects bow down—even if he is the "Wanderer from the Outer Realm" in their eyes.

Indeed, it’s his identity as a "Wanderer from the Outer Realm" that makes the Eternal Sleepers more resistant.

After all, their efforts over all these years were to break free from one shackle—they would not welcome another shackle upon themselves.

Finally, the discussion in the hall gradually quieted down, with many eyes first on Gawain and then on Megal III suspended in mid-air.

After a long silence, Megal III finally spoke.

"This so-called ’incorporation’... what exactly do you plan to do?"

"As I said, I’m not interested in your lives or souls, but I will not allow a dark sect to continue existing within the order I implement—though I know your primary activity area is Typhon, my order wouldn’t necessarily just be in Cecil," Gawain said unhurriedly. "I will transform you, from the whole evil-cult to every individual; I will judge many because, as evil cult followers, you have committed many sins, but if you actively accept transformation, I will also allow most of you to live to atone for these sins. I also promise that under the new order and law, you can still be devoted to your cause—you want to break the shackles left by the gods? Continue, for I am also interested in this."

Gawain paused for a moment here and smiled.

"In some sense, this is actually a brighter future for you—as a dark sect, you will have the opportunity to return to the sunlight, and what you need to give, is merely to accept ’transformation.’

"Lastly, I will add: I am not a god, nor will I become a new god. You may pledge allegiance to me as you would to a mortal king, without worrying about gaining a new shackle."

After Gawain finished speaking, the hall fell into a brief silence.

The Archbishops were waiting for Megal III to take a stand.

Selena Gerfen’s gaze remained on Gawain the entire time.

"We cannot give you any response now," the writhing starlight polymer finally spoke, "We wish to conduct discussions without interference or surveillance and inform you of the results at the next gathering."

Gawain felt a sense of relief in his heart.

As expected.

Incorporating these Eternal Sleepers clearly won’t be so easy and smooth.

But as long as Megal III shows a tendency to discuss, things are already moving in the direction Gawain hoped for.

"A reasonable choice," Gawain said calmly as he slowly stood up, glancing around the room, "but I must remind you all — you don’t have much time, the Supreme Narrator won’t wait for you."

"We understand this," Megal III said in a low voice, "but we must also emphasize—regardless of your terms, all of this will only take effect after the crisis is truly resolved. If the crisis of Sandbox One cannot be lifted, then even cooperation itself will be meaningless."

"Indeed so..."

Gawain said with a smile, and as his voice faded, his figure gradually disappeared from the hall.

Until that authoritative, sturdy silhouette vanished and the hall remained silent for several more minutes, only then did an Archbishop break the silence: "This time... has He really left?"

"I don’t know..." Yuri said with a grim expression, moving awkwardly, seeming not in the best state, "I always feel... there’s still someone around."

Magnan pondered, "How about I try throwing a mental storm again?"

"Dammit! Enough! Your mental storm here can only hit our own people, it’s ineffective against the Wanderer from the Outer Realm!"

Gawain, who merely dissolved his invisibility and hadn’t left at all, sat beside Archbishop Yuri, nodding in agreement.