Italy, Portofino.
Colorful houses surround the emerald bay, bathed in the warm Mediterranean sunlight, accompanied by the July sea breeze, which flows through the narrow stone-paved alleys, weaving between lush trees.
At the back of the verdant, mountain range stands a lonely, pure white fortress. Its outer walls made of solid marble, facing the bay, weathered and aged like an old man, burdened with the weight of time.
This place was once where ancient monks underwent intense meditation, later purchased by the Gattuso family, and used as the venue for the secret European meetings held each year.
This year, due to the trouble caused by Cassell College in Japan, the board meeting was called early.
In the dimly lit room, there was only a row of candlesticks on the long table. The flickering flames illuminated four men and two women. These were the influential family heads who held the power within the Secret Party.
Typically, the content of the meetings could be summarized as follows: expressing gratitude to the board members for their contributions to the dragon-slaying cause.
After all, without the support of these "deep pockets," Principal Hilbert could never have managed to run up millions of dollars in expenses each year, nor could he have lived so freely around the world.
Of course, the reason the families of the secret party were willing to foot the bill was simply because no one else could replace Hilbert.
However, today's atmosphere was different.
Every board member wore a serious expression, even a bit grim. The low pressure in the air seemed to signal the calm before a storm.
An elderly man, leaning on a cane, looked dark and grim. He shook the brass bell beside him, and his deep voice sounded like the scraping of rust: "Hilbert, the briefing on the Japanese mission said the awakened White King was killed by 'divine punishment.' Is this true?"
The first person to speak was Frost Gattuso, who, in terms of family ties, was Caesar's uncle and also the acting head of the Gattuso family.
Strangely enough, the Gattuso family's representative should have been Caesar's father, Pompeii Gattuso.
But due to his eccentric nature and being a carefree playboy, he invested a large sum every year but never bothered to attend board meetings.
As a result, his brother Frost took on the role of representing the family's interests at the board.
In the distribution of power within the board, the Gattuso family held the greatest share, with considerable influence in the hybrid factions.
Facing Frost's question, Hilbert, sitting at the head of the table, reacted indifferently. Holding a martini, he gently swirled it and said, "Of course it's true, Frost, my old friend."
The old man, fiddling with a sandalwood bead bracelet, shook a bell and said, "Hilbert, we've received some information that contradicts your story. Would you like to hear it?"
Before Hilbert could respond, the old man continued, "When the Sky Wanderer reached the coordinates, after dropping all the tungsten rods, it was intercepted by an unknown force at 6,000 meters above the ground, and it didn't kill the White King as expected. So the question is, where did the White King go?"
"Oh? Something like this happened?"
Hilbert raised an eyebrow, showing a very surprised expression. "That's really unfortunate. I thought the White King was dead."
Frost shook his bell, his tone clearly filled with anger, and said in a deep voice, "Hilbert, we're not joking around. During the incident in Takamagahara in Japan, when the White King awakened, you hid something from the board of directors. We invest large sums every year and have the right to know the truth!"
"The truth?" Hilbert said nonchalantly, "Didn't I submit a report? It should be clear in there."
"Your report didn't mention that the White King is still alive!" Frost shook the bell, his already grim expression darkened with anger. "Adam Anglewid stole the authority of the White King. Do we need to spell it out more clearly?"
The Secret Party could tolerate Hilbert's indulgence in pleasure, even watching him expand his power and reach into the inner circles of the party.
But that didn't mean they could accept the existence of someone who might be the 'White King'!
"Oh, since you already know, why are you asking me?" Hilbert said casually.
"Hilbert, we need an explanation." The veiled girl, Elizabeth Laurent, gently shook a bell, her bright eyes narrowing slightly as she spoke softly, "The newly awakened White King, Adam Anglewid, is a student at Cassel, and it seems like you're quite close to him."
"Don't use such easily misunderstood words." Hilbert remained calm, shaking his bell, "To be precise, it should be considered 'collaboration'."
"Have you ever seen a jackal and a lamb cooperate?" Frost's gaze was intense, filled with pressure as he shook his bell. "Hilbert, you're getting old, even becoming foolish. Now we have reason to suspect whether your loyalty still lies with humanity, or should we believe you've already been controlled by the White King?"
"It's truly heartbreaking, my old friend, Frost." Hilbert sighed regretfully and said, "After all these years, I'll defend it for a moment. Cooperation is based on mutual equality, but there's an additional factor—shared needs between us."
"Shared needs?" The other board member, Lisa, rang her bell and asked.
"A belief, a religion, a symbol."
Hilbert spoke calmly, "Compared to those vague religions, all it takes is some faith to completely end the 'Dragon Clan' era. Don't you think this deal is quite a bargain?"
There was a brief silence in the boardroom. The board members furrowed their brows, their expressions ranging from skepticism to shock, or even mockery.
"Absurd! We don't need any belief!"
Frost sneered and shook his bell, saying, "And the White King's promise is even more of a joke!"
"According to our intel, the newly risen White King seems to have the ability to control people's hearts."
The elderly man, who was playing with prayer beads, slightly lifted his eyelids, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "So, we've decided. From now on, you'll be relieved of all your duties, and you'll undergo investigation and isolation. Frost will temporarily take over as the principal of Cassell College. As for the new White King, Adam Anglewid, we'll implement an extermination policy."
"And if… I refuse?"
Hilbert leaned back in his seat, resting his chin on his hand, a half-smile on his face as he looked at the board members. "What are you going to do? Kill me? Or declare war?"
"Hilbert, I must admit, you are strong." Frost said indifferently, "But that doesn't mean we can't deal with you. Do you understand?"
"You've been brainwashed by the White King, Hilbert."
The elderly man turned his beads, his voice cold. "Otherwise, I really can't believe that someone who once harbored such hatred for the Dragon Clan would willingly cooperate with the White King, especially in such a ridiculous way."
"It seems there's nothing left to discuss."
Hilbert sighed, regret evident in his voice. "To be honest, I don't feel like I've lost anything. After all, all it takes is a little faith to secure the future, don't you think?"
"Hilbert, have you ever considered that the future promised by the White King is one where humanity returns to a world ruled by Him?"
The veiled girl rang her bell softly, her tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority. "No matter what, we cannot hand over humanity's future to a promise from a Dragon King."
"I certainly won't believe in an illusory promise."
Hilbert said lightly, "But Adam Anglewid gave me enough reasons and showed me the 'truth' of the world, so I decided to cooperate with Him."
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