Within the Royal Palace of Karshvar Draconis…
Inside a conference room, several people were currently seated facing each other.
The Dragon King and the Steward of the Crystal Palace sat in the middle.
They were the mediators and arbiters of this meeting.
Hereswith and Lux were sitting on their right side.
While the Sovereign and the Founder of the Divine Army sat on their left.
There were also a few guests present, namely the Elf King, Kazimir, the Lizard King, and some neutral parties who were invited to serve as the witnesses of this ceasefire agreement.
"Let's get this over with," the Sovereign said as he tossed a storage ring toward Lux, which the latter caught with his right hand. "That is the compensation we'll give you in exchange for your agreement to this ceasefire agreement. Also, we are willing to sign a non-aggression pact with you that will last for five years.
"In those five years, the Divine Army, as well as our allies, will not harm a single hair on your body. Of course, this agreement also includes the people that are close to you.
"However, since we do not know the identity of these people, you must provide us with names to ensure that no accidents will happen in the future. Do we have an agreement?"
"Why not?" Lux replied with a smile. "Five years is good. That is enough time for me to tie up some loose ends on my part."
The world of Solais only had a few years before it was destroyed, so having a five-year ceasefire agreement was also beneficial to him.
But there was one thing that Lux didn't want to agree with, and that was giving out the names of the people important to him. Who knew what the Divine Army would do with this information? He didn't feel safe listing the names of his lovers lest his enemies use them against him.
"There is just one thing that we need to revise in the contract," Lux stated. "It is about the part where I list the names of the people that are part of my faction."
"Don't be unreasonable," the Founder of the Divine Army interjected. "How will we be able to know if they are your people or not?"
"Well, that's simple," Lux replied. "If they are my people, they will tell you guys that they are my people."
"Huh? Are you joking with us?" the Sovereign of the Divine Army asked. "You want us to believe that anyone that tells us that they are related to you is your people?"
"Yes," Lux nodded.
"How absurd," the Founder stated. "You can't expect us to agree to this."
"Well, if you don't want to agree to it then that's fine." Lux shrugged. "We will just continue our war then."
The corner of the Sovereign and the Founder's lips twitched after hearing Lux's reply.
Their world was on the verge of being invaded by Abyssal Monsters, and this Half-Elf still wanted to find them to look for trouble?
How unreasonable!
"Look here, brat," the Founder said with a solemn expression on his face. "We don't have time to deal with you because we are busy trying to protect our world from an Abyssal Invasion, so don't push us."
"You are busy trying to deal with an Abyssal Invasion, yet you still have time to potentially antagonize me and my people?" Lux asked back with a sneer. "If that isn't called stupidity, then I don't know what is."
"…" The Founder of the Divine Army was at a loss for words.
They could tell that Lux was adamant about not cooperating with them, which they found annoying.
Taking a deep breath, the Sovereign of the Divine Army spoke once more.
"Okay, so you are saying that if we are to find people that are getting in our way, we can't deal with them if they say that they are your people?" the Sovereign asked.
"Yes," Lux replied.
"And what if they are just pretending to know you?" the Founder asked. "What if they have ill intentions and just want to prevent us from doing what we must do? If we meet a group of bandits, and they tell us that they know you, should we just let them go? Is that what you are saying?"
Lux shook his head. "You're making things complicated."
"No." The Sovereign snorted. "You are the one who is making this complicated. We are just asking for a list of names so that we won't accidentally harm your people, but you refuse to provide it. Who is being unreasonable here?"
Lux smirked. "Like I said, you are just making things complicated. First and foremost, the only people who are aware of this agreement are the people inside this room.
Our guests and our mediators have signed a Contract of Silence, preventing them from spreading the things that we talked about in this meeting.
"Since that is the case, it is nearly impossible for anyone to know that your people are unable to touch them as long as they mention that they are part of my faction. Or are you saying that the two of you will divulge our meeting to others? If so, you are the ones who will be shooting yourselves in the foot."
The Sovereign and the Founder of the Divine Army glanced at each other because what Lux was saying was correct.
If no one inside the room spread the contents of their meeting, the chances of people using Lux's name to save themselves from the Divine Army were nearly non-existent.
"Fine," the Sovereign relented. "However, you are also not allowed to get in our way."
"Good, but I would also like to add one more condition to the ceasefire agreement," Lux stated.
"What is it?" the Founder snapped.
"I want to borrow the Pillar of Eternity that belongs to your organization for two days," Lux replied.
"… What did you say?" the Sovereign of the Divine Army narrowed his eyes. "How did you know about the Pillar of Eternity?"
"My Grandmaster told me," Lux replied in an innocent tone. "Isn't that right, Grandmaster?"
"Yes, that's right," Hereswith replied. "I did tell him that you old toads have one of the Pillars of Eternity in your possession."
The Sovereign scoffed. "This is unacceptable. How can we possibly agree to let you borrow the treasure of our organization?"
"Okay, how about this?" Lux decided to take a step back in order to diffuse the tension in the room. "I won't borrow it. However, when I ask you to bring it out, you will bring it with you."
"And why should we do that?" the Founder asked.
The Pillar of Eternity in their possession had the power to unlock the hidden potential of a person. However, the Divine Army took a different approach in using it, forcefully allowing Apostles to gain the power of Pseudo-Supremes in order to fight against the Abyssal Army.
"It's because I am also gathering the Pillars of Eternity," Lux replied. "Once I obtain the other four Pillars, I want the Divine Army to cooperate with me in order to activate the true power of the Pillars, once they are gathered together"
Lux's reply alarmed everyone inside the room. All of them were aware that the Pillars of Eternity were more than just Divine Artifacts.
They were artifacts that were made by the Gods themselves, holding powers that no mere mortal would be able to wield by themselves.
"Are you trying to become a God?" the Sovereign of the Divine Army asked. "Is this why you are gathering the Pillars of Eternity?"
Lux shook his head.
He knew that if he didn't tell everyone inside the conference the true reason for trying to gather all five pillars together, they would think that he wanted to ascend to Godhood and rule over the entirety of Elysium.
"The majority of the people here are Supremes, so you should be able to tell if I were lying or not," Lux stated. "My reason for trying to gather all five pillars is to save my home world. When the Abyss tried to invade Solais, the Hundred-Year War started, which mostly destroyed the lands of my world.
"The majority of the lands are now covered in miasma, and this miasma is spreading at a rapid rate. Soon, it will cover our entire world, killing everything in it.
"In order to prevent that and restore the world to its former glory, I will need the Five Pillars of Eternity. Since I am about to sign a non-aggression pact with you, I cannot forcefully take the Divine Artifact from your hands.
"But if you refuse to cooperate with me, I will also not sign this agreement.
"My home world is dying, so I can't take any chances. Either you agree to let me borrow the Pillar of Eternity in your possession, or I take it by force once I gather the other four Pillars. So, what is your decision? Do we all agree to help each other, or do we all agree to backstab each other after the Abyssal Invasion has come to pass?"
The Sovereign and the Founder of the Divine Army looked at Lux with serious expressions on their faces.
Of course, they knew that the Solaians were looking for ways to save their world when they entered Elysium.
Some of them had even migrated for good, building their own kingdoms, just like Aina's parents had done when they founded the Xeno Kingdom.
If the Solaians were truly forced to migrate to their world, another round of huge-scale conflict might take place, with the original inhabitants and the foreigners fighting each other for every piece of land on the planet.
This was bound to be a bloody battle, and it was something that every faction inside the Conference Room would like to avoid if possible.
In the end, the Sovereign and the Founder of the Divine Army relented and agreed to let Lux borrow their artifact. However, the Half-Elf could only take it once he had gathered the other four Pillars of Eternity.
Lux agreed to this condition, and with everyone inside the conference room as witnesses, both parties signed the non-aggression pact, bringing a temporary end to the grudge between the two parties.
After the contract had been signed, Lux returned to his Guild Headquarters and informed his guild members about the outcome of the meeting.
For a period of time, peace returned to Elysium, as all the Factions prepared for their upcoming war against the forces of the Abyss.
—------------
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