BXBX NOVEL Chapter 452: Extra Thread
The driver glared back at Albert, his boss. "What the hell did you just ask me? You know that it's absurd! Why would anyone who serves our lord betray him?"
The driver had lost it. This was the most effective and painful way of asking for death. The driver was, of course, one of Albert's employees, and also a person actualized by their lord, Daniel.
Seeing the reaction, Albert let out a smile. "Your reaction has already answered the question."
"What do you mean?" the driver asked suspiciously.
"Because it's written into our very existence that such a thought is absurd and impossible for us to entertain! It's as impossible as humans achieving everlasting peace without conflict on their own. It's that degree of impossibility," said Albert.
"What are you trying to say?" asked the driver, with a slight hint of hostility.
Noticing the tint of hostility in the driver's voice, Albert let out a chuckle.
"What I'm trying to say is, working for a small fry like that vice president to earn us some money and critical information such as this," Albert said, patting the metal briefcase that held information about the Qing Empire's operations in North America, "is not treason."
"You know that this information was kept separately in a secret vault in paper form, right? That's why Ms. Maria can't get her hands on it—she's too busy running between here and Europe. I'm not belittling Ms. Maria, but she is just an operative. No matter how good she is, she is just one person.
She cannot achieve massive information gathering like we did."
"What does that have to do with all this? Get to the point!" the driver urged.
"Don't you see? If working for that pig to gain all of this information was considered treason, the thought wouldn't manifest in our heads in the first place! The only reason my idea of working for that vice president to gain these resources and critical information even occurred is because, in the long run, this serves our lord."
"Besides, we're just cleaning the house for that vice president and withholding this information from Cao Cao. All of this will eventually go into the report for our lord to peruse. We didn't ambush Cao Cao; we just did our job, and it just so happened that our job came from that guy. No harm done.
If our lord asked us to take care of that vice president, we would do it, no matter what he offered us," Albert explained at length.
The driver digested what he heard and lowered his guard, but still asked, "Why are you so sure that the thought of betraying our lord would not manifest if it was considered treason?"
Albert smiled knowingly. "Because Jack and I already checked. There is some kind of additional element infused into our very being, and it's not mana or magical energy. It's not a curse or enchantment. It's something woven into our very essence." Albert paused, then continued.
"It's like this: if our essence is a silk cloth, when we came into this world, our very being was woven from silk thread labeled as our essence. In the process of weaving, an extra thread from whatever power our lord used was woven into our being. That thread is foreign, yet it becomes one with our existence to the point that even if we died, it would still be part of us.
It's impossible to extricate that 'extra thread' from our existence." Albert's explanation left the driver in awe of their lord's power.
"That 'extra thread' serves as a filter. We become loyal pawns without feeling forced. Even if our lord wanted us dead, the best we could do to protect our lives would be to run away and stay as far as possible, but believe me, if it was our lord's command, we would return and gladly end our lives. The thought of betrayal will not manifest, no matter what.
This is why our lord is the most dangerous and powerful being I've ever seen," Albert said with awe and fear.
"Weaving and creating our existence… Isn't that the power of a god? The biblical God," said the driver.
"I don't think our lord is a god, just a very powerful mage with the power of a god."
"Why so?"
"Because gods see mortals as pawns and resources. Our lord sees us as people. Didn't you see our lord's eyes? His eyes tell us everything," replied Albert.
The driver closed his eyes, let out a sigh of relief, and then nodded. "I'm sorry, Lord Albert, for doubting you. I'm ready to face any punishment," he said.
"Never mind. If I were you, I might have done the same, maybe even been more aggressive and not listened like you did," Albert replied, shrugging off the suspicion of treason from his subordinate.
"Thank you, Lord Albert. There will be no second time where I doubt you," the driver said with gratitude before continuing to drive the car back to their base.
There was one thing Albert didn't disclose to the driver: their loyalty only applied to their lord. Giving a hard time to fellow subordinates, such as Cao Cao or Odysseus, without severely sabotaging them and leading to their death, was not considered treason. If his lord didn't command him otherwise, he was determined to charge from Cao Cao and Odysseus for his services too.
— Qing Dynasty - Forbidden Palace - Meeting Room —
The meeting room within the Forbidden Palace was adorned with varied tapestries, signifying imperial grandeur and austere elegance. Rich, dark mahogany paneling lined the walls, intricately carved with scenes of historical triumphs and legendary figures from the Qing Dynasty's storied past.
The floor was adorned with an exquisite hand-woven rug featuring a dragon motif, symbolizing power and authority.
At the center of the room stood a large, rectangular table made of polished ebony, its surface gleaming under the soft glow of intricately designed chandeliers. The chandeliers, crafted from fine crystal and gold, cast a warm, regal light that illuminated the faces of the participants.
Seated at the head of the table was Tianhao Wenzhong, the current emperor of the Qing Dynasty. His presence was commanding, exuding an air of unassailable authority. Instead of traditional dress, he wore a formal but luxurious suit, emanating an aura of modern nobility.
Opposite him sat Owl, the enigmatic leader of the Olympian Court. Unlike the emperor's attire, Owl was dressed in a dark robe adorned with owl feathers. His wooden owl mask remained on his face as he looked at the man in a white Hanfu robe, exuding the air of a scholar.
This man was slowly fanning himself with a white feather fan. His mustache and scholarly goatee made him look more refined. This man was none other than Zhuge Liang, or Kong Ming, the Sleeping Dragon, the minister and strategist of Shu-Han during the Three Kingdoms era.
"Your plan failed, Mr. Liang. Is your legend fake? Why couldn't you kill Cao Cao? We used all the puppets and pawns we had within the US, and now they're all dead!" Owl said angrily, his frustration palpable as all his sleeper agents had perished in the operation, and one of his mages, a specialist in bound fields, had been captured.
"Lord Owl," Zhuge Liang began, "I clearly stated that without a thorough understanding of the situation, our plan had only a 50% chance of success. Patience is a virtue; I advised waiting until we had a clearer picture—knowing whom to beware of and understanding the structure of Daniel Emberweave's faction.
Yet, you insisted on taking immediate action to weaken Daniel." Zhuge Liang's words silenced Owl.
After ensuring Owl was quiet, he shifted his attention to the screen within the meeting room.
"Although we have failed," the screen changed to show pictures of people confirmed to be on Daniel's side, "we have gathered significant intelligence regarding Daniel Emberweave's forces. Judging from Cao Cao's survival of the assassination attempt, I can confirm he is indeed the same Cao Cao, the Grand Chancellor of Wei, whom I faced in my time.
From all the evidence and fragments of information we have collected, he appears to be even stronger now than during his prime."
Zhuge Liang continued, "Furthermore, we must concern ourselves with the ancient hero, Heracles. From his legend, he is one of the mightiest heroes in Greek mythology, if not the mightiest. We know he is Achilles' nemesis from their encounter. If we cannot forge a stronger spear for Achilles, we can abandon any hope of defeating Cao Cao, as Heracles now serves as Cao Cao's bodyguard."