After the newly arrived Warriors finished their greetings, Basil turned to Ione. She immediately nodded her head and then explained why she had only gathered nine Warriors despite having unified twelve Dungeons in total.

"They have lost the blade in their hearts, they said? I wonder if it is merely scepticism burying the blade," was Basil's response to the information. "What do they want to do for the rest of their lives then?"

"They just want to stay in the Dungeon and do nothing," Ione answered.

"Have they become a fustilarian[1] after spending two millennia trapped in the Dungeon? Nothing but a fudge[2] methinks!" Basil frowned lightly. "They must yearn to see me—to see the living proof of the claim."

Rather than thinking that the Warriors had lost their will to fight, Basil assumed that they were just too sceptical to believe in Ione's words. It was not far-fetched to think that way considering what they had gone through two millennia ago.

Even if it wasn't the case, still, Basil would meet them one by one. All of the Warriors had a Seal on them that would allow the Church to control them when it was convenient, so he couldn't just leave them alone.

His main reason to visit them was to break the Seal. If it turned out that they still refused to join him even after he met them directly, he would be fine since the fear of having to fight them in the future had disappeared.

"When are we going to return to the surface, My Lord?" Xander asked as he arrived before Basil.

"As soon as all of the Warriors have gathered."

"Are we going to go against the Church, or in this case, the Braxtein Kingdom?" Anthony asked solemnly.

"Not yet, my dear friend.. This one still hath an issue he hath to solve," Basil replied as he thought about the Dragon Curse he had. "We are going to head to Huaxia, which is the only place in this world that neither the Empire nor the Church dares to touch."

"Oh, I know the safe way to go there, Brother!" someone exclaimed from the crowd, earning the people's attention.

As the people turned to the speaker, they found a tall young man with long, black hair and a feminine look. He was Wei Xiu Li, Basil's prided student, one of the people in the room who came from the Country of Hua, which was also known as Huaxia.

"I can also be of help, so we may not encounter any obstacles in the way," another person spoke; this time a female with a very melodious voice.

The people turned their eyes toward the woman who had just spoken and widened their eyes. She was a beautiful woman with extremely fair skin and hair that is as black as the silent night, which flows down her hips like a beautiful waterfall.

She was the fourth concubine of the former King of Braxtein, the mother of Edward Enderheart Braxtein, Margaret Ziesta, who was also known as Yang Mei Qi, the daughter of one of the strongest Daoists in Huaxia, Yang Tian Long.

"There were some speculations but to think that they are true.."

"Oh my.. the fourth concubine really comes from Huaxia."

Anthony looked at the reaction of the people and none of them reacted repulsively, which was not what he had expected. He had thought that a lot of people in the West didn't like people from the East and he was glad he was wrong.historical

Turning to the only woman who he considered to be his second wife, he asked, "Is it okay to expose your identity? You have done a good job hiding it for so long—you may invite danger upon yourself."

The worry was evident in his tone but Mei Qi merely smirked at that. "I have a husband and four sons that can protect me—what is there for me to be afraid of?"

"That is right, pops. You seem to forget that you also have us," Cameron remarked.

"Well, I think I have been calling the wrong woman mother for my entire life. This is my first time being called son by a mother," Dwight lamented jokingly.

"We are lucky that Edward doesn't mind sharing his mother's love, aren't we?" Brenton commented as he gestured at the faintly smiling Edward.

Two years ago, none of them dared to dream the scene would ever happen. They were aware of how distant they were from each other so they believed it was impossible.

When Basil came, after being beaten many times, they got to know each other better. They had let their past feud down the drain by the time they knew it and they acted like true siblings as they proclaimed themselves to be friends with Basil.

They knew what the meaning of family was and found the real family that they had yearned for. All of it was just because Basil entered their lives.

"Family, huh? Of all family, I never thought I would be jealous of the Royal family," Iliana commented as she looked at the scene.

Basil smiled sardonically at that and said nothing. The Royal family was the only family present in the room, so they were not the only ones who felt bitter as they saw the heartwarming scene—the others did too.

"Very well, everyone. I will be counting on you in the future," Basil declared, regaining the attention of the people. "For now," he glanced at Ione, "let us tell you the truth behind the history of the Empire."

He took out a Projection Talisman and projected the scene he had recorded with it. The people were bemused at first but as soon as they witnessed what had happened in the backyard of the palace and the conversation he had with Jaheim, they immediately turned solemn.

He showed what had actually happened in his escape, allowing the people to see the atrocity the Priests had done to the civilians. Afterwards, he let Ione explain the history behind the Empire and the Pacifer Clan's fall, which further appalled the people.

"This is.." Blake covered his mouth in shock. "We have been keeping a Demon under our blanket for all this time."

Cray and his peers clutched their hands to suppress their anger. "Because of their fear, Basil is .. This is pure evil—a ridiculous slander!"

"As I expected.. this is the reason, huh?" Anthony smiled bitterly. "The Elf seems to have figured out the truth, so it won't be an exaggeration to assume the other race will join us too. Braxtein—no, Arthean is bound to meet its end."

Even though the reaction from the people made it clear whom they were going to side with, Basil still looked at the people neutrally. He felt the need to explain himself, so they didn't expect something they shouldn't from him.

"Hearken! What I want to achieve is a world where my family can live happily. I care not about your opinion hence I am not forcing you to stand beside me. You can turn a blind eye and walk away or even stand in my way and perish. Either way, decide it now."

Silence filled the room after the question was asked. The people pondered their choices, meanwhile, the Warriors and the other two Pacifers wondered why Basil felt the need to discourage them from helping him.

"Afeard I am for the tragedy that happened in the past," he muttered.

The question the people had was answered: Basil wanted to make sure whom he could really entrust his back to.

For someone who had lost his trust in humanity, it was a very surprising action of him. If it was him from three years ago, he would kill all of the people in the room to prevent information leaks, no matter how highly unlikely it was.

"That kind of world, will you let my family live there too?" Anthony was the first person to speak.

"As long as thy family knoweth how to cherish a peaceful life, why not?"

"Then, allow me to accompany you on your journey. I want to see the world you are going to make."

Basil waited for the others to speak but all of them were merely looking at him intensely. He took it as them agreeing with Anthony and then smiled softly.

Spreading his hands, he declared, "Choices have been presented and you have made one. The path we are going to pave is thorny and bloody. Survive and you shall prosper; die and you may regret your choice. I promise you, not your life but the victory of the war."

Despite the speech that wasn't encouraging, none of the people budged. Their friendship wasn't the only reason why they stayed; they had seen the winner of the war and, therefore, they would side with him no matter how hard the struggle would be.

"Hoh, what a gallant bunch," Basil, in the end, remarked. "Very well, why don't we talk about what we should do from now on?"

The first strategical meeting began that way. Despite there being a lot of experienced Mages and Knights amongst the people, very few of them threw in their two cents.

The plan Basil explained to them was flawless, so they felt that they would only ruin the plan if they gave their input. Most of the time, they would only listen to the explanation or ask about what they should do if the unexpected happen.

"So, for now, Basil, are you going to gather all of the Warriors?" Blake asked.

"Yes. One of the Warriors will remain here and train you lot while the rest look for their fellows. Thou shalt not be afeard of having to spend thy time wastefully," Basil responded, answering the question that hadn't even been said.

By the time the meeting ended, it was estimated that they would return to the surface in 22 days. They would avoid battle with people from the Kingdom to the best they could but they still had to use the 22 days to train vigorously.

Currently, they didn't know if the neighbouring Kingdoms would meddle in the matter. They had to prepare for any possibilities even though the world's attention might be taken by the 27th Obelisk's Outbreak by the time they returned to their surface.

"Do you think they will still uphold their deal now that you have been declared a world-class criminal?" Iliana asked Basil as they stood before the west gate with the other Warriors.

"Who knoweth? Whether the Elf will fight by themselves or with the help of the other five Kingdoms, it doth not affect us," Basil replied. "Either way, there will be people chasing after our heads."

"Well, that is true."

Using his Mana, Basil opened the gate before them. As soon as it was opened, they shot forward, instantly disappearing from the people's eyes.

Basil visited the Warriors who had lost their hearts, meanwhile, Iliana, Ione and the Warriors sought those who hadn't.

———

[1] Fustilarian: an old way to call someone who wastes his time on something useless.

[2] Fudge: nonsense, in this context.