Helania watched as Fredrick tried to impress her with the secret entrance and organization. Based on what he had divulged to her, this organization was likely the one plotting against her Master. A part of her wanted to kill them all, but spending time with Fredrick made her decide that such a thing would be too compassionate. There was also some doubt about their ability to hinder her Master, so she suspected there being someone else more powerful.

"Fredrick, you finally made it!" A fat man called out, as he had a woman on his lap and a rib of meat in his hand. "We were worried that you were killed by bandits on your way here," the man laughed at the idea.

"As always, it is a pleasure to see you again, lord Samworth," Fredrick replied cheerfully, but the forced smile on his face revealed his true thoughts. "Will the Emperor be arriving soon?" He asked.

An older woman sitting next to the man answered, "His Imperial Majesty will be arriving shortly." Looking at Fredrick, she smiled coyly and mentioned, "He seemed to be interested in seeing you at this meeting."

Though Fredrick looked calm, Helania knew that he was panicking on the inside from hearing such news. Even with his elevated position, Fredrick was someone who lacks confidence and was a schemer. Watching how he acted inside of the castle inside of the Kingdom, she understood that many of the people inside there were afraid of him. This allowed Fredrick to command the castle, while the King was unable to rule. The problem was that Fredrick was weak against those who had more power than him and unexpected scenarios.

Often, Helania would offer comforting words to increase her hold on him. With her physical and emotional charms, getting Fredrick to become dependent on her was simple. These ties helped to get Fredrick to open up about his relationships and schemes, which also helped not to allow those she was hunting to be aware and go to the shadows.

"Fredrick, who are your guests?" A relaxed woman inquired when several of the members looked to see Helania and her servants.

Turning to smile at Helania, Fredrick indicated with an arm. "This woman is someone who has journeyed from across the sea to open trade with her kingdom. The women behind her are the servants she has brought along to assist her during the journey."

"From across the ocean? That is rather interesting." A tall and gaunt looking man stated. "As someone who dabbles in trade, I would enjoy talking with you and learning more about your kingdom." He casually nodded his head in respect to Helania.

"I would be honored to speak with someone of such worth, my lord," Helania bowed. "We are a minor kingdom and always searching to bring in new items to sell to our people."

Lord Samworth laughed, "Fredrick, she is not only quite pleasing to the eyes but also seems to be of some worth if she is able to remain calm in such a situation." Looking at Helania, he said, "though introductions are a bit late, I am Lord Samworth, a close confidante to the Emperor and the Imperial Family." Pointing with his hand that wasn't holding the rib, he pointed to the older woman next to him. "This is Countess Elizabeth, who works inside of the intelligence unit inside of the Empire. There are very few things she is not aware of inside the continent."

"My lord, you flatter me. I simply help to organize the information to later present to the Emperor. Instead of a spy, I am closer to a mail courier of information." The Countess placed a hand on her bosom in modesty.

"I would be happy to learn more about this continent, my lady, Countess," Helania bowed. She smiled behind her mask, thinking about what she would do with the Countess. Behind her, Helania's servants were also grinning at this new information.

After several other members introduced themselves, Fredrick guided Helania over to where his seat was located at the table. The servants inside of the secret chamber had already set up several couches and chairs for Helania and her servants. A part of her was impressed with how smoothly the humans performed their tasks and imagined that they would fit well working inside of the Stronghold. As she looked around, Helania admired the structure where this meeting was taking place. There was a dome that likely had some mana stones behind frosted glass, providing a comfortable amount of lighting. The columns holding up the ceiling were elegant looking, and there were various decorative items to make the place appear luxurious. This organization was obviously wealthy and had sufficient connections.

"Elizabeth, what information have you gained from that newly discovered city, inside of the desert?" A man asked the Countess, bringing Helania out of her thoughts.

Everyone at the table quieted down once they understood that severe topics were being discussed. Elizabeth tilted her head and seemed to recall information buried inside. "As all of you know, there seems to be a new power that emerged without anyone being aware until the last minute." Many of the members were nodding their heads, remembering how they learned about the sudden appearance of the city. "From what my agents have revealed, the city is completely different from anything we have seen before. The best way to describe it is that it defies common sense. Inside of the city, there is no monetary system to facilitate the trade of goods and services. To make matters worse, my agents tell me that there are an abundant amount of resources within the city. This allows the people to continue to create and consume, to the point where they can give everything away for free due to the nearly non-existent cost of production." The Countess sighed in frustration after thinking about how ridiculous the situation was.

"If goods and services are provided at no cost, do they even keep records?" A relatively young lady asked, sounding concern.

The Countess nodded her head in understanding. "Even though the people do not have to pay for goods and services, the city itself seems to maintain some kind of records. There is some type of system laid out, so if a store is about to run out a new shipment is received. This "just-in-time" system allows them to keep low levels of inventory, freeing up space and providing a better experience for customers." She raised a hand to her temple and began massaging it, saying, "somehow the city is able to prevent my agents from gaining access to locations where the decisions are made, so we only have information that any traveler could learn from visiting the area. They are not shy about explaining how the city functions, which is all useless considering the essential parts are unknown."

"I heard that there was a powerful mage that was the master of the city, and he is the one that created the place." Another member chimed in.

"Yes. It appears that there is someone who is running the city, but none of my agents have been able to learn what he, or she, looks like." Elizabeth explained.

"Sounds like you need to hire better agents," Samworth teased her.

"I have lost several irreplaceable agents trying to gain any information," Elizabeth answered frostily. Samworth placed his hands up to let her know that he didn't mean what he said, though it was apparent he didn't care what she thought.

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"How about you, Fredrick? I know that you sent in some people." The Countess looked towards him.

Helania looked at Fredrick a smile on her face, thinking about how foolish he and these humans were. They actually thought that their agents were able to surpass them in skills. Even without having people actively watching for spies, her Master's city was designed to notify the comings and goings of people.

"Yes. Many of the citizens located inside of the capital had moved to Felicitas, seduced with the opportunities the city advertised. To learn more about this place, I had sent in one of my most trusted resources but have not heard back from them. With their skills, I do not think they were killed, but I do find it disconcerting how they have not reported back to me by now." Fredrick explained to the members.

Elizabeth nodded her head after hearing his story. "Yes, this is what my agents also reported to me. You had hired the Shadows to infiltrate the city. They were living inside of the city, gathering intel, but my agents eventually lost track of them."

"That woman is coming along very nicely, at least that is what Minatoria has informed me." Helania thought to herself, as she remembered the last time she saw the woman who tried to infiltrate her Master's domain.

"As you have said, Shade was one of my most talented assets and would always complete the objectives I assigned to her. Though her personality was rotten, I would be confident of the results after she completed a mission." Fredrick elaborated.

"I do not see any reason to be concerned about this city. My merchants have been able to test out our wares inside of Felicitas, assisting us in determining which wares will perform well in other cities." The guild master of the merchant guild casually mentioned.

"What will you do when the city begins to branch out to other locations? You may be able to sell your wares now, but later when they begin to share their economic model with other cities, your merchants will be unable to compete. From what I hear, their products are vastly superior compared to what your merchants are able to offer." A voluptuous woman mentioned to the guild master. "Unlike you, I do not need to worry about such things as men will always utilize the services my women provide." She winked at the guild master.

"I think you may be overestimating your client base. Those who utilize the services of prostitutes frequently use it as an escape from their current socioeconomic position, but if they are in a secure place, men will tend to use socially accepted methods. I have heard that the population of the city is a healthy one, with a proper distribution of men and women who are good marriageable candidates. With the availability of a healthy diet, both genders have improved in their physical appearances. If a man has the choice between going to a prostitute or finding true love, I believe the choice is obvious." A man with glasses answered.

Samworth laughed at the man's analysis. "It appears that the minister of economic policies is a secret romantic!" Looking over to the woman, he sneered, "Valery, I do believe the minister brings up a good point. Why would a man chase after your diseased women, if they are able to find satisfaction with a woman that is not being passed around."

Helania looked at the woman named Valery and considered that it might be a good idea to talk with her in addition to Elizabeth. The two of them seem to be women who have access to a lot of information, due to the nature of their respective industries. [I want those two women to be observed.] She informed her servants.

[I have already assigned several people to watch them, Mistress] Astaroth answered. Observing the humans was an easy task for them, so they would only need to wait until an opportunity presented itself.

"We still have not reached a method of dealing with this city," one of the members said in frustration, slamming his fist on the table. His cup tipped over and spilled wine all of the table and onto the floor. Several servants rushed to clean up the mess created.

"There is no need to worry about that city," A voice stated from the darkness.

Many of the members stood up, yelling out, "your Imperial Majesty!"

"Sit. In this location, we are all equals and do not fall on such formalities." The Emperor stated as he motioned for the others to sit down as he and his children, along with a woman, walked into the room.

"I kind of enjoy seeing them all flustered," one of his sons sneered at the members.

"You would enjoy such simple things," the Emperor's daughter commented, causing the other to glare at her.

The Emperor noticed Fredrick and said, "I see that you have made it to the meeting, Fredrick. I hoped to talk about how you have caused me to lose hundreds of soldiers, as they entered your kingdom. Those men were supposed to have free access to your kingdom in order to gather volunteers, but I learned that they were all killed. I hope that you are not thinking of backing out of our agreement?"

Standing up quickly, Fredrick denied such actions. "Your Imperial Majesty, I would never dream of backing out of our agreement! I am as surprised as you are about the attacks against the Imperial Soldiers and Knights. The Kingdom has no connection to such things." Fredrick's face was covered in sweat, as he tried to convince the Emperor.

There was a shadow across the room as everyone held their breath. Glancing over to Samworth and Elizabeth, Helania found it interesting how calm they appeared. Elizabeth was intently looking at Fredrick, while Samworth had a hidden look of amusement.

The emperor's face broke out into a grin, eliminating the oppressive atmosphere. Several of the men and women breathed in after holding their breath for so long.

"It appears like I have won the bet, your majesty," Elizabeth quietly murmured.

"I need to stop gambling against you, Countess. Though it also indicates your ability to disseminate information. Your assistant seemed convinced that it was Fredrick and his personal shadow group acting against us." The emperor sighed at having lost but didn't appear too surprised.

"Allen is an imbecile and one of these days his stupidity will get him killed," Elizabeth sighed.

"I do not understand," Fredrick stammered, confused at the sudden change. He looked back and forth at the emperor and Elizabeth.

Giving Fredrick a patient smile, Elizabeth explained, "there were some in the empire who believed that you had betrayed us." She glanced over at the emperor and his children. "Based on my years of experience, I was confident that this was not the case. From the reports I received, my guess is that we have our new friends to thank for those crushing defeats. The timing of the city and the defeats by this new group is too much of a coincidence."

The emperor turned to the woman behind him. "Lady Ash, what do you think of this?"

Helania glanced over at the woman, who also looked at her and seemed to be able to see through the mask. Looking back to the emperor, the woman stated, "though there are some concerns on the number of people assigned to excavating the Tower, I do not think they will be an issue to the greater plan." She smiled, appearing unconcerned with such matters. Motioning to one of the maids to bring her a seat, she confidently walked over and sat on the chair. There was a feeling of serene confidence surrounding her, contrary to the mindset of some of the members.

"Lady Ash, I do not mean to be disrespectful, but is the Tower essential? The amount of resources being diverted to it is nearly crippling the Empire." Samworth tried to explain, but appeared hesitant about stepping on her toes.

"To allow the emperor to reach his desired goal, the tower is needed to accomplish this," Lady Ash answered.

"With the wisdom of Lady Ash and the resources from my father, the Emperor, we will be able to accomplish our goals of purifying this continent and provide a safe place for humans to thrive in," the emperor's daughter addressed Samworth and the room.

Several members began clapping joyously at the declaration. A couple of them started chanting, "Emperor Lucifeth! Emperor Lucifeth! Emperor Lucifeth!"

Raising his hands to calm the room the Emperor looked at each member, a confident smile on his face. "As my daughter has stated, we have for far too long have had to deal with nonhumans acting as if they have a place in civilized society. These ideas must be squashed and washed away so that those who are pure of heart can rebuild this land. Through the hard efforts of Lady Ash and the people she works, the Tower that was discovered has allowed us to take a step in gaining dominance over all those who would oppose us." Taking a moment to let this information sink in, the emperor continued, "for the first time; humans will be able to influence the Overflow and use it as a weapon!" He raised a fist into the air and slammed it onto the table.

Meeting such a statement was silence, but once the implications were understood everyone stood up and cheered. Even Samworth looked rejuvenated by such a reveal.

Though Helania and her servants stood up, she soaked in the knowledge she had gained. Even with the Overflow, Helania knew that there was no way for the Empire to be a threat. What was concerning was how the woman known as Lady Ash had figured out where this Tower was located. Feelings of admiration for her Master passed through her, as she understood further how great He was to be able to sense these machinations.

[Mistress, I believe that this Tower is what our Master was talking about when he asked for Mistress to investigate his suspicions.] Astaroth voiced her idea to Helania.

Helania nodded her head in agreement. For the humans to somehow stumble on top of something as powerful as the Tower, which could influence the Overflow, meant that plans were being set in motion beyond the limited understanding of these creatures. Regardless of how confident she was of her own ability and her Master, it would be prudent to take caution. From the reports she received from the other Guardians, even the people who created this planet were unable to eliminate the monsters which make up the Overflow. The question would be whether this Tower was something left behind by those ancient beings or was placed after the fact by someone else.

"It looks as if it is time to return to my Master." Helania thought to herself as she looked at the woman calmly sitting in her chair, who was looking back at Helania.