Chapter 397: The Other Side

Maerr-viki Continent, Seraph Kingdom, inside an inn.

"A spy?" Vanadir could not help but look at the First Prince in front of him like he had a few screws loose or something. Naturally, as one of the people that's vying to become the crown prince  in the war for the throne, Vanadir had already thought of planting spies in the teams of other princes in the past. However, he wasn't so heartless to plant spies in the teams of other princes just because he wanted to increase his chances of winning. Instead, he worked on the principle of retaliation. If a certain prince planted a spy in his team, then he would plant a spy back on that team. In his mind, it was basically trading blow for blow.

Since no one had dared to plant spies in his team, he had eventually placed the thought at the back of his head, thinking of it as a trifling matter. However, with Zeldrion entertaining the thought of planting a spy in the Third Prince's team, he instantly could not help but ask, "Are you sure you want to plant a spy? The other princes haven't planted spies on our teams, right?"

"Yeah, but why should we care about them?" Zeldrion replied. "They've formed an alliance with the Third Prince, meaning that the Third Prince is the main target of this plan. Of course, we could utilize the members of the other princes' teams, but the efficacy would be lower compared to if we just directly planted a spy in the Third Prince's team."

"Alright. Let's say we do agree on planting a spy in the Third Prince's team. How are we going to do just that?" the Ninth Prince soon asked in response before continuing, "You do know very well that just like us, he's handpicked all of his members for their unwavering loyalty."

"That is indeed the case, but just like our members, there are still a few ways to get around such problems," Zeldrion said with a light smile. He then explained to Vanadir, "There are exactly two methods lingering in my mind that could be used in planting a spy into the Third Prince's team."

Not waiting for Vanadir to ask the question, a hint of killing intent emanated from him as he continued, sporting a slightly malevolent grin, "The first method is to obviously kill one of his members and force him to hire a member that would swear fealty to us rather than him. Naturally, that member wouldn't show that he's close to us, but at certain times, he would act as our informer, telling us of the Third Prince's plans in advance."

Although Vanadir wasn't against killing, he did not think it was good to implicate people that just wanted to improve their lives into this plan they were making. Shaking his head, Vanadir looked at Zeldrion and said, "I instantly refuse that plan. There's no need to implicate someone who just joined Arshe's team because they wanted to make their lives better. If you think it in the long run, it would be better to just not do that, lest we lose a person that might become incredibly capable in the future."

Hearing the Ninth Prince's words, the First Prince could not help but let out a chortle as he said, "Well, I was already expecting you to decline the first method. I just wanted to let you know that the option was still possible if you ever agreed to it."

"Anyways, moving on." Zeldrion then rummaged something in his pocket before placing the item he had brought out on the table in front of them. Looking at the item that Zeldrion had brought out, Vanadir could not help but wonder what was so different with it. With a cursory glance, it was obvious that it was a small pouch used for carrying coins. Just as he was about to ask Zeldrion what was inside the pouch, the latter took the initiative, allowing Vanadir to see its contents.

In an instant, Vanadir was left at a loss for words as the currency contained inside it was something he had rarely come across. Inside it…were Mana Stones! Of course, they're not just ordinary Mana Stones, but Rank 7 Mana Stones! On top of that, there were five of them!

"How…how were you able to procure something as precious as this?" Vanadir could not help but mutter in stupefaction. If it wasn't because of the fact that the two of them were allies under a mutual agreement, he would have probably snatched the pouch of mana stones from his brother already.

Seeing the dazed expression on Vanadir's face, Zeldrion could not help but let out a light chuckle as he replied, "These are all of the Mana Stones I've accrued during the past few years. In total, I think I spent around 80 million gold coins. If I were obtain one Rank 8 Mana Stone instead, then it would have cost me way beyond 100 million gold coins to get it. But of course, the second method would work out better that way. Too bad no one was willing to sell their Rank 8 Mana Stones."

Hearing how many gold coins Zeldrion spent to procure the Mana Stones in the pouch just blew Vanadir's mind even further. He knew very well that Rank 7 Mana Stones were rare and expensive, with auctions typically starting their sell prices for the stuff at around 10 million gold coins. But knowing Zeldrion, he was certain that he had only bought the Mana Stones when they were at their lowest. Even then, he still had to spend around 50% more than what it would originally cost!

Nevertheless, Vanadir already knew what Zeldrion was planning to do, taking in a deep breath as he asked to make sure, "So, you're going to use these Rank 7 Mana Stones to bribe one of Arshe's members, right?"

"Well, yes and no," Zeldrion nodded as he replied. In response, Vanadir tilted his head in confusion, not understanding what the First Prince meant by that. Fortunately, the First Prince's next words clarified it all up, telling him, "To be more exact…"

"We're going to bribe Arshe's advisor."

…

After talking some more regarding the second plan of bribing Arshe's advisor, Zeldrion had eventually left the inn late into the night, leaving Vanadir and Dane on their own in the inn, save for the few staff that were still there to attend to the two.

Letting out a sigh, Vanadir took a sip of the drink he ordered from the inn as Dane sat in front of him. Seeing Dane sit in front of him, Vanadir then asked him, "What do you think the chances are for this plan to work?"

"Judging by how much the First Prince is willing to sacrifice, then I wouldn't be surprised if it succeeds in the first try, Your Highness," Dane replied. "Then again, we'll be notified of its results instantly through the information network, so there's no need to be so anxious."

"It's not that I'm anxious of the plan not working, instead I just wonder as to what would have happened if Zeldrion did not form a mutual agreement with me," Vanadir said as he slightly shuddered in fear. "To think that there's the possibility that all of my allies would turn their backs on me in that scenario, it's quite terrifying."

"But that didn't happen, right?" Dane replied with a calming smile on his face. "Right now, the First Prince is working with us to help fight against the Third Prince, even though our reasons might be different. Nevertheless, that's a good thing, no?"

"Well, you're right. I should really look at things from a more positive angle," Vanadir said in response, letting out an awkward chuckle, only to stop as he noticed that Dane's expression had become serious all of a sudden.

"What's wrong," the Ninth Prince asked, prompting Dane to look at him straight in the eye as a hint of hesitation could be seen in his gaze. Eventually, Dane let out a sigh as he thought it was better for Vanadir to know. With that, he told Vanadir, "Your highness, we've obtained news that there's a being near the outskirts of the kingdom going around destroying villages and killing its inhabitants for no reason."

Hearing that, Vanadir could not help but put on a solemn expression as he asked, "How many villages has the person destroyed? How many people has the person already slain?"

"According to the latest reports I've obtained, the person has destroyed three villages and is moving to their fourth one. As for the casualties…give or take 5,000 people, Your Highness," Dane replied, making Vanadir suck in a breath of cold air.

Pondering in silence for a bit, the Ninth Prince then asked Dane, "What's the name of the person?"

"According to those that were able to send a message before they were killed, the person called himself The Great Calamity," Dane replied, prompting the Ninth Prince to scratch his head as he asked in response, "Do you think there's a possibility that he would become a hindrance to our long term plan?"

"In terms of our long term plan as a whole, it's not much of an effect as most of the continent's strongest forces are congregated near the kingdoms and provinces," Dane explained. "But killing future pillars is quite a problem, don't you think, Your Highness?"

"Well…we'll have to wait and see if the problem gets worse or dies down," Vanadir said as he suggested for the two of them to head back to the pavilion. In response, Dane nodded as he gave the remaining staff a small bonus, telling them to close up as the two of them teleported back to the pavilion.

By the time they came back, they noticed that Valentia and Griselle were still awake, seemingly waiting for the two of them to arrive. In an instant, the two asked both Vanadir and Dane as to what they talked about with Zeldrion. Unfortunately for the two, Vanadir and Dane decided to keep mum about it for now, telling them that they would tell them at a better time.

With that, the four of them then headed to their respective rooms, resting up for the following day as all of them more or less dreamed about the fun time they had with Erea on her birthday party. However, once sunrise had appeared, rather than waking up peacefully and heading down to the kitchen to make some coffee, Vanadir was instead rudely awakened by Dane in his room, who had also just woken up, judging from the sleepwear he was still wearing.

Rubbing his eyes as he gradually came to, Vanadir asked in a groaning manner, "What is it, Dane…? Why did you come to my room so early…?"

"Your Highness, it seems we have some horrible news," Dane replied, his tone that of a fully awake person. Forcing the Ninth Prince to turn the gear in his mind, Vanadir eventually entered a slightly better state of alertness, asking, "Is it…The Great Calamity?"

"Unfortunately, it is." Dane nodded as he told Vanadir, "We've only just received this news, but according to the reports, Red Juniper Town and Darkstone Town, two towns that contained Rank 5 class holders, was destroyed in one hit by that person calling himself The Great Calamity, not even sparing the inhabitants that lived in those towns."

"Are you…serious?" At this moment, Vanadir had no choice but to become fully awake, wondering how worse it could get. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Vanadir, Dane went silent for a bit more as his expression changed between that of shock and anger. Eventually, he let out a sigh as he told Vanadir with an even graver tone, "Your Highness…there's some…"

"Just tell it to me straight, Dane. I think I have a feeling as to what has happened," the Ninth Prince said as he interrupted him, standing up from his bed as he changed into his usual clothes, listening to Dane in the meantime.

Ignoring the fact that the Ninth Prince was changing clothes, Dane lightly nodded as he said with a solemn expression, "Before I tell you this, let me just say that this piece of news was just received by me right now. Being assisted by the First Prince's information network, the speed at which I receive news has been…"

"Just get straight to the point, Dane."

"…Alright. According to the news, the person calling himself The Great Calamity has gone on a rampage, obliterating eight towns within the span of thirty minutes. Just like the previous incidents, he has not spared any of the inhabitants at all. Judging by how our class holders are distributed, around 10 or so Rank 5 class holders have been killed. As for those at Rank 4, it might range around 200 to 300 people."

At the exact moment Dane was finished talking, Vanadir was coincidentally finished changing his clothes as well. Placing his sleepwear by the side, he then let out a light sigh, scratching his head as he looked at Dane.

"Well, that's a problem."