Return of the Shattered Constellation - Chapter 244

Chapter 244

“Hmm?” Chang-Sun tilted his head in confusion upon seeing the crowd that stretched from the Frankfurt Central Station to Romerberg.

As if a festival was underway, a lot of people were on the street. What caught his attention the most was that most of them were wearing white tops with owl drawings, the Illuminati’s symbol, on them. ‘I did hear Minerva has made Joachim Wolff her apostle. Is that related to this?’

Chang-Sun wasn’t aware of Joachim’s prayer incident, which was now called the Frankfurt Miracle. After the incident, Minerva’s followers from all around Europe gathered in Frankfurt to celebrate the birth of her first apostle.

『It doesn’t look like everyone is Minerva’s follower,』Kali said.

Chang-Sun nodded in agreement. Some of the people were wearing clothes that weren’t related to the Illuminati.

‘They seem to be from dozens of organizations. Among them, four stand out the most,’ Chang-Sun thought.

One of the symbols belonged to the Revenant Clan, which was led by the Immortal Overlord, whom he had met in France. The other two were a blazing black flame and a two-headed Dragon, which were the symbols of the most famous Clans in Europe, just like the Revenant Clan.

‘Hellfire Club of England and Zmeiof Russia.’

『They’re followers of Saxnot and Veles.』

‘That’s right.’

Saxnot was one of the solar Celestials and could utilize the dagger of light. On the other hand, Veles was the Celestial who oversaw luck and good harvest, spreading magic wonders around the world. Their divine classes were also very high, so their religious orders—their Clans—could become powerful enough to represent their countries.

‘Why are they all here?’

The Illuminati, Revenant, Hellfire Club, and Zmei shared two common denominators: they all represented Europe’s powerful countries and were led by an Overlord. In essence, they were Europe itself. Chang-Sun couldn’t take the sudden gathering of such figures lightly.

“The news of the Blue Wolf Duke becoming an apostle is certainly worth celebrating, but for so many Clan delegates to come and congratulate him…”

“Hahaha! That shows how influential our Illuminati is!”

“Even though we didn’t have an apostle, the Illuminati still managed to become one of the Five Great Clans. Now that we have an Overlord, we’re bound to rise higher!”

“Hahaha! You bet it is!”

The pedestrians sounded excited.

“From what I’ve heard, the Immortal Overlord and Mage Overlord are coming over themselves.”

“Hey, man! Haven’t you heard the Flying Dragon Overlord is also planning to pay a visit?”

“Ah, really? I didn’t know.”

“It was announced just this morning, so that’s probably why you haven’t heard.”

“Gosh! The four ‘kings’ of Europe in the same room? In our city? That moment will go down in history!”

Chang-Sun deduced several facts from the people’s conversations.

Joachim, who used to be a Duke-Class Player, was now recognized as a ‘king,’ an Overlord. To celebrate the event, countries around the world had sent delegates, which was why four of the Ten Overlords and several European high-rankers were here in Frankfurt.

Every piece of information was noteworthy. People had already come up with cool names for the event, including “European Meeting” and “Four Overlord Conference.”

‘Four of the Overlords are visiting as delegates to congratulate Joachim…? The leaders of Europe having a meeting here means they’re about to make a big political deal.’

The Illuminati and Revenant Clans were two of the Five Great Clans. An alliance between them alone could disrupt the world’s power balance.

‘I was planning to use the Illuminati as a cover to conquer Europe little by little… but this might just make things easier.”

It seemed something big had happened during the several days Chang-Sun was away. He had to find out what exactly it was before meeting Joachim and Team L.

[The Skill ‘Wind-Stalking Tiger’ has been activated, manifesting the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

Chang-Sun disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

‘… Should I call them delegates visiting to congratulate me or thugs from the streets? I’m confused.’ Joachim sighed quietly, looking at the people sitting around the large round table.

The Revenant, Hellfire Club, Zmei, Red Star, Venomous Serpent Fang, Blue Ocean Evil Spirit… All the Clans present were major Clans in Europe. The leaders of the delegates, who were currently sitting at the table, were at least level seventy Marquess-Class high-rankers.

They exuded auras to flaunt themselves, causing the building they were in right now to shake so hard it seemed as if it would crumble down at any second. Joachim wished they had never come here if they were just going to compete over who had the biggest fist. He felt even more annoyed since he didn’t even want them to visit in the first place.

‘Still, I should hold myself back,’ Joachim thought.

This was the first public event he was attending since becoming the leader of the Illuminati, so he couldn’t look weak. His title, Blue Wolf Duke, had changed to Blue Wolf Overlord, but people just called him that to show respect to the Illuminati, one of the Five Great Clans. Compared to the other three Overlords, Joachim wasn’t really famous.

“Everyone took out time from their busy lives to come here themselves and congratulate the Illuminati, our forever ally and friend, for this momentous occasion. This is certainly an auspicious day.”

The first one to speak was Flying Dragon Overlord Sergei Zolotov, the leader of the Zmei. He was the famous Dragon Tamer who reared dragon-type monsters like Wyverns, Drakes, and Wyrms. Like a typical Russian, he was hot-tempered but unlikely to hold a grudge.

Many people paid attention to Sergei when he started talking eloquently. Mage Overlord Ben Eddy had always been on bad terms with the Flying Dragon Overlord, so his eyes narrowed at him. Meanwhile, Immortal Overlord Jacque Valentine just nonchalantly closed his eyes as he always did.

“I’m sure everyone found it difficult to spare some time to be here today, so I hope we’ll achieve a very fruitful result. I believe everyone is on the same page with me here.” Sergei took a look around. His eyes, which were as sharp as a Dragon observing its prey, narrowed. “I doubt anyone would back out now that we have come this far.”

“… Cough!Cough!”

“Mmmmm!”

‘I knew it. This is why they’re here.’ Joachim smiled bitterly as he watched the delegates turn their heads to the side and clear their throats.

Sergei seemed to be uncharacteristically polite for some reason, but it turned out he was just starting to blackmail everyone that this meeting wouldn’t end well if the people didn’t do as he said.

“If you talk that way, the other delegates may have a wrong idea of you,” Ben said.

“Ha! Stop acting all noble. There is nothing to misunderstand right now. The fact that you’re all here now means you’ve all done your calculations.” Sergei scoffed quietly, his eyes still as sharp as a Dragon’s. He looked as if he would attack anyone who would try to contradict him again.

Clap, clap!

“Now, now, let’s not think of this too hard.” Ben clapped lightly to brighten up the mood.

If Ben left Sergei be, he would just keep suppressing everyone. As a noble and a knight that represented Great Britain, Ben really didn’t want this meeting to have such a conclusion. The delegates should be free to participate in or withdraw from the current agenda.

“The Flying Dragon Overlord might have put it in strong language, but he isn’t wrong. All of you must be aware of the numerous incidents that have started to change the world,” Ben elegantly said. Befitting a noble, his voice carried the irresistible dignity of a ‘king,’ which he always talked about.

Ben continued, “The U.S. defeated Mexico much faster than we originally anticipated, and they’re now beginning to influence South America. When Korea and Japan took their side, the U.S. also started trying to get their hands on the Pacific Ocean. That made China feel threatened enough to speed up its operation to branch out to the South China Sea. China and the U.S. will most likely clash in the near future. North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Africa are currently taking China’s side.”

Gulp!

Someone nervously swallowed their saliva.

“The world is splitting in half with the Pacific Ocean in the center, just like it did during the Cold War. In this situation, what should we, Europe, do?” Ben asked.

“Work… together?”

Hearing the right answer, Ben smiled contentedly and nodded. “That’s right. It isn’t those Asians or parvenus of the New Continent that has been leading the world since the Age of Discovery. It’s us—the Europeans. We still have great potential. We have four kings right here today, and two of the Five Great Clans are based here in Europe. However, the reality is that the EU is now all flash and no substance. Its self-serving members are divided among themselves. Hence, despite its potential, Europe can’t use its full power.”

Everyone paid attention to Ben. Although Joachim was the owner of the building they were in, Ben was currently the one leading the conversation because he had been voluntarily working as the leader of Europe for a long time now.

“Right this instant, we have to start working together and create a third force before the U.S. and China become strong enough to try to rip us apart.” Ben caught his breath, then enunciated his next words. “If we can build a proper force, we, Europe, can become the leader of the world in the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries.”

Since four Overlords and two of the Five Great Clans basically accounted for half the Players around the world, Ben suggested building one giant community with them.

Badump!

Badump!

The delegates’ hearts raced as they imagined rising victorious in this new hegemonic competition and becoming the new leader of the world.

When Dungeons and Gates first opened up on Earth, humans had to fight for their survival. That marked the start of the first generation, the Survival Era. Afterward, humans built organizations called Clans and began to raid the Dungeons. When people found out how amazing the resources from the Dungeons were, related industries thrived. That epoch was later called the second generation, the Profit Competition Era.

The Profit Competition Era had now come to an end. Unlike before, almost all the countries could now protect their citizens even if Dungeons suddenly appeared. Now that the countries had reached stability amid the appearance of Dungeons and Gates, it was time for them to use their powers outward.

This was the beginning of the third generation, the Hegemonic Competition Era.

From now on, they would be competing in a race. Whoever fell behind in this race would go down for good, and the people and countries in the lead would take everything.

“So I, Ben Eddy, would like to make a proposal on behalf of the United Kingdom, England-Europe Union, and the Hellfire Club. Let’s create a community that will unite all European countries and efficiently manage the Clans and Players.”

As a matter of fact, Europe’s countries and Clans had almost finished negotiating the creation of that community before this meeting. Hence, everyone already knew that the Mage Overlord would make such a proposal, but they couldn’t help tensing up now that they had heard it with their own ears. Many people held their breath, feeling as if they were becoming a part of a moment that would go down in the history books decades later.

“I, Sergei Zolotov, agree on behalf of the Russian Federation and Zmei.” Sergei raised his hand.

Despite having fought each other for the right to lead the European Continent for hundreds of years, England and Russia joined hands for the first time. Hence, the other countries couldn’t afford to hesitate anymore.

“On behalf of Spain…”

“Portugal…”

“Finland…”

“Greece…”

While the European Union only had twenty-seven members, over thirty countries’ delegates were present here today. In total, this meeting had a hundred and thirty-six Clans participating.

When everyone finished declaring their stances, Ben, Sergei, and everyone looked at Jacque and Joachim. The Immortal Overlord represented France and the Revenant Clan, while the Blue Wolf Overlord spoke for Germany and the Illuminati. They didn’t say anything, but without them, the community would be just another ‘all flash and no substance.’

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll do it,” Jacque nonchalantly answered, not caring how this meeting would end.

Ben and Sergei quietly heaved a sigh of relief and clenched their fists. For the past decades, Jacque had remained the strongest Player in the world, so having him as the community’s symbol would make the community more influential.

All that remained now was for Joachim, the leader of the Illuminati, to agree to the creation of the community. Since the Illuminati had the most followers in Europe, the Clan was essential in uniting their continent. However, Joachim remained quiet, seemingly pondering about something.

The sight made Ben and Sergei slightly frown. To build Joachim up, they recognized him as an Overlord, even though he hadn’t even reached level 90 yet, and were helping him mark his celebration by granting him the achievement of creating a new European community. Nevertheless, after receiving all the benefits, Joachim delayed giving his answer.

Not long after, Joachim’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Ben and Sergei.

“Before I answer, I would like to ask you a question,” Joachim said. “If we do manage to create a new community, what will the first item on its agenda be?”

On behalf of everyone, Ben asked, “Does it matter?”

“Of course it does. The community’s first agenda will set the main direction on how the community will work.”

“Unlike the EU, the community won’t be nominally about protecting human rights or equality. That will just divide and pit us against each other again. It’s going to be all about profit… Europe’s profit and hegemony,” Ben explained.

“Which means…?”

“The biggest obstacle to our community’s growth is the United States. Korea, where the Sword Overlord is, has just joined the U.S.’s side. Hence, there is a high chance that the U.S. will continue getting in our way. I have also heard rumors about the Tyrant defeating the Killer Overlord… I don’t know how much of it is true, but we can’t just disregard it,” Ben continued.

When Chang-Sun was mentioned, Joachim’s expression subtly changed. Everyone knew the news about the Killer Overlord’s sudden disappearance, which was how Joachim managed to become one of the Ten Overlords as the Blue Wolf Overlord in the first place.

However, some claimed that the Tyrant should be the new Overlord since he was the one who had defeated the Killer Overlord. Joachim knew the whole truth.

“Once the Tyrant gets to the United States, which is his next destination… It’ll be like giving wings to a tiger. I don’t even have to mention how much stronger the White Tiger Clan will become with two kings.” Ben shook his head.

The Merdane Clan, which the Blood Overlord led before, used to be one of the Five Great Clans, but the White Tiger Clan had taken over its position. After Chang-Sun’s business trip, the White Tiger Clan would be unstoppable. The Five Great Clans could even be reduced to just one. At that point, even the U.S. would likely have to tiptoe around Korea, their ally.

“We have to stop them, don’t we?” Ben asked.

“… Please tell me your plan in detail,” Joachim quietly requested.

Ben clicked his tongue, then coldly said, “I’m going to ask the Tyrant to leave the White Tiger Clan and join us.”

“What if he refuses?”

“We should nip trouble in the bud.” Ben shrugged.

“…!” Joachim sprang up from his seat, looking very angry.

Chang-Sun was his savior and the master he would serve one day, so he naturally opposed the plan.

“Hold it. If you move any further, things could turn ugly,” Sergei muttered under his breath, coldly smiling. His hanger sword, his favorite weapon, was already under Joachim’s chin.

Drip!

Sergei’s hanger sword left a scratch on Joachim’s neck. Blood dripped down from his wound and flowed down on the weapon’s blade.

Joachim’s clenched fists trembled.

“Blue Wolf Overlord, I know how close you are with the Tyrant, but to become a true ‘king,’ you have to learn how to sacrifice the lesser good for the greater good.” Ben smiled coldly.