The entire room fell silent.
Wolf and the others calmly processed the Emperor's words.
Meanwhile, the Emperor and the rest of the officials waited for their response with bated breath.
"We can understand hiding information like this, as it puts you in a bad light. However, we will not tolerate it," Elias seized the opportunity to speak. "We've already said that we'll do whatever it takes to help this Empire, and we won't hesitate to fulfil our promise. However, if you continue to hide such important information from us, then don't be surprised if we choose to do otherwise."
In his view, regardless of whatever the Empire had done in the past, they were still obligated to help deter the Red Sea King if they wanted to complete the main quest. However, that didn't mean they couldn't threaten to do otherwise if the Empire continued hiding valuable information from them.
To Elias, it was just standard negotiation.
"Yeah, Sunshine is right. You brought this apocalypse on yourselves and dragged the entire world into it. So you've got no reason to hide any information from us. Because it would do you more harm than good to do so," Iron Maiden said with a narrowed gaze as she leaned in with a smile. "Or do you think we can't work with the Red Sea Giants to eliminate everyone within this Empire?"
Emperor Gravnik and the other officials' expressions paled in surprise upon hearing her words.
"I'm just saying," Iron Maiden snorted after seeing their terrified expressions. She hadn't forgotten that they needed to gather 500,000 merits to complete the side quest, and it would be hard to accomplish such a feat if the people they had to save were terrified of them.
***
[Live Chat — Special Dungeon Dimensional Thread #9983 | Audience: 12.45 Trillion Connected]
[Technova_19]: BROOO did that Emperor just drop "the villain was my dad" like it was a weather report??? (X_X)(X_X)
[AbyssChefWithNoFilter]: If the Emperor's dad caused all this, that's a FAMILY MEETING you can't recover from.
[HereticNinjaAlt]: Nah, but why did the general hear 'miracle seeds' and instantly choose murder + theft? (X_X)
Peak human behavior.
[Paladin_Of_BadDecisions]: "Let me water this legendary seed in a battlefield covered in corpses," AND THE MAN WAS SURPRISED IT WENT BAD???
[Lazy_Eternal_Intern]: Bro, even the Red Sea Giants were like, "Nice staircase. Let's invade."
***
"Hold on, what happened to the giant ferocious beasts that you brought back from the other realm? Are they dead?" Lyrac asked, his mind reeling in thought.
From Emperor Gravnik's words, he could discern how powerful the Red Sea Giants were for so many nations to fall to them. So, although the possibilities were slim, he pondered if these giant beasts could aid them in facing the Red Sea Giants and their King. Since they came from the same realm, their abilities shouldn't be far off from each other.
He didn't think about how they had managed to capture such terrifying beasts, because from the strength the Red Rose Knights had shown, he could discern that they were powerful. So if they were this strong now, then how powerful was the Empire at its peak? Of course, there was also the possibility that the Empire had already used these beasts to fight the Red Sea Giants and lost, and that was what he was most afraid of.
A look of understanding emerged on Elias, Iron Maiden, and the others' expressions. As awakeners themselves, they naturally understood the intent behind Wolf's words.
"We only sacrificed a few of them against the Red Sea Giants to give the impression that we had exhausted all the beasts we brought back from the other realm," Emperor Gravnik replied with a tired sigh. "The rest of them are all hidden within the Empire, awaiting our final battle with the Red Sea Giants."
Wolf's expression lit up with excitement.
"Can we take a look at these beasts?" Wolf asked, regaining control of his emotions. He could finally see the hope of conquering this special dungeon.
"Of course you can. We were already planning on giving you control of these beasts so you can lead them into battle during our final stand against the Red Sea Giants," Emperor Gravnik responded. "Though we were unsure if you would want them, or if they would be a burden to you."
'We want them,' Wolf nodded sincerely within his mind. But outwardly, his expression remained calm and inquisitive. "If that's the case, then I think I can speak for everyone here when I say that we want them to accompany us to face the Red Sea Giants," Wolf said, glancing at the others beside him.
Elias, Iron Maiden, Silver Knight, and Night Ninja nodded decisively in agreement. With their current level, they understood they had no chance against the Red Sea King, but with these giant ferocious beasts and the Dawn Empire's forces, they could create an opportunity to slay it and obtain merits at the same time.
Just thinking about how the plan might unfold, they couldn't help the itching in their palms at the thought of gathering enough merits to complete the side quest before them.
Emperor Gravnik nodded, then turned to Kaland with a passive expression, giving him a silent signal.
"My second son will take you to the places where these giant ferocious beasts are being held," Emperor Gravnik said, gesturing toward Kaland. "But before then, I think it's best we wait for General Avandal's return before making any moves. He is currently the strongest warrior in the Empire and is clearing out the rest of the Thorn Juggernauts that infiltrated the castle. With his presence, I can guarantee your journey will be much safer, leaving room for no mistakes."
Wolf reluctantly nodded in understanding.
The others did the same.
Although they wanted to help, some of them had been injured or had their most important skills on cooldown. They had faced the Thorn Juggernauts soon after defeating the beast guarding the special dungeon, leaving them weary from battle.