The rising sun signaled a new dawn of chaos.
News of the manite mine had spread and, during the previous night, too many had departed to its location.
By now, hundreds of people had gathered at the foot of the mountain, giving each other chilling glares.
All had affluent backings of at least a C-rank guild.
To prevent any sort of monopolization and ensure security, the Emperor assigned three Masters and a slew of Experts to guard the mountain.
You didn't think he would just give them for free, did you?
He had them cough up money to begin mining, and by spreading word that not many crystals remained, he sold it to the highest bidder.
Mana crystals allowed smooth and easy cultivation for those at Expert rank and below.
Having large quantities of this equated to having a large number of Experts to take on more and better missions for the guild or clan, which would increase their overall might.
With the purity decreasing by the second, it was bought excessively at extravagant prices.
With the Grandmasters thwarted, the Emperor faced his next big priority.
'Who stole the mana stones?'
The fact that someone had taken off with a bevy of mana stones from right under their noses was unforgivable.
It could be a power from Niton, and if it was so, another Grandmaster would soon be born.
But there was no proof that this Grandmaster would be an ally and not an enemy.
No, even allies could not be trusted after achieving Grandmaster-rank.
Now, he began a thorough investigation by having all surviving missionaries give their account of the outpost's destruction.
He hadn't done it sooner because of the impromptu siege on Avilla and the subsequent events.
The more he heard, the more furious he became.
Artifacts could only send short messages, so he was just getting to know that Rowan had died, that a snake stampede occurred, and that an A-rank snake came from within the mountain.
His veins almost popped when he heard the snake's body had vanished.
Then you had the Red wolf and White Iron guilds, along with a few mercenaries, who had plundered the mountain for a few minutes.
This made the Emperor snap as he slapped a missionary to death.
"You did what?" his gaze was cold as ice, same with his tone.
Loreta came forward to explain the situation with better details. Only then did the Emperor calm down.
'I see, they took advantage of the situation'
His eyes shone.
'Like Cavarl said, none of them seem aware of the presence of mana stones. I guess I don't have to kill them then'
But his questions hadn't been answered.
'Were they the ones who took them?'
It could be the guilds or the mercenaries.
Then he stopped. His assumptions were logical, but that was it.
He turns to Loreta.
"Tell me, what about the wave of blue flowing in the sky?"
She taps her head for a moment, then she remembers.
"Your majesty, its happening is not of my knowing, but I believe the Master should know"
"Go. I shall call on you later to give an account of every noticeable person during the incident. The Empire will not stand for such insult"
She left, leaving him to his thoughts.
'The findings of mana stones, I'll have to wait for the arrival of my men'
Niton had many citizens heading for Avilla from far places.
The group gathered to fight during the previous night were mercenaries and guilds nearby, but many more were coming.
He vowed to get to the bottom of this issue.
He was sitting on the throne of the Avillian king.
The city had procured massive damage during the battle, but the royal district was the least damaged.
The palace stood strong with but few scratches here and there.
There were no guards, for there was no need for them, allowing all to plunge into silence.
The Emperor's visage calmed, with his lightning sucked in completely. He let out a grunt with a hand on his stomach.
'What is this?!'
Hours after the battle, the Emperor was still battling the poisons in him.
Through that, he now understood the poison.
Made from a substance he didn't know, the poison was eating him from the inside, devouring his energy bit by bit.
At its pace, it would take several years to do significant damage.
If the Emperor tried to recover his mana, either by cultivating or potions, the poison would take its share from it.
As it did so, a problem popped up.
'It's getting faster'
The poison became faster the more energy it sapped, which allowed it to sap even more energy.
It was a vicious cycle that left the Emperor unable to recover.
'Who is it?'
Someone specifically targeted him. The question was who.
He had sent for the royal healer by messaging Bolton.
In the meantime, he had to avoid unnecessary usage of energy.
'I'll have to stay here for a while'
This setback made him unable to leave as people must not know of his condition, else, Niton will be turned upside down.
As he ruminated on the subject, a man reached him and gave his introductions without delay.
"Your majesty, I am the admiral of Whittown, Winston, and I believe I have news concerning the matter at hand"
The Emperor nodded.
"Go on"
Winston narrated his strange encounter with numerous guilds while coming to the outpost.
He then told of those scavenging, with one major highlight, that they arrived before he did.
Without elaboration, the Emperor connected the dots and formed a guess of his own.
'So, they knew of the attack taking place beforehand? Or is it something else?'
'They might even know of the stolen A-rank beast'
His gaze turned stern as he gave these thoughts some reasoning.
"Hmm, you have done well. Sir..."
"Winston, your Majesty"
"Sir Winston, such news was truly helpful, you will be compensated"
Winston was all smiles as he heard that.
"I will call on you at night or dawn tomorrow. Be prepared. You may leave now"
He left minutes after, allowing silence to descend once again.
Unwilling to stay idle, the Emperor wrote letters to all neighboring kingdoms.
With the news of the manite mine now public, he estimated the kingdoms to move within the week.
'The Grandmasters will soon gather. But with so many dead, they will hesitate. The death of four Grandmasters would have shaken them greatly. This should alleviate their worries though'
His letter would help the kingdoms decide faster.
'War is needed to clean out those unworthy'
Niton was in need of strong individuals in preparation for the coming of mankind's enemy, and war was one of the best methods to reveal hidden fighters.
At the same time, the strength hidden within the neighboring kingdoms would be exposed.
'Now, what rewards shall I present?'
To have the donkeys follow orders, a succulent piece of food was required.
Something that'll make not just mercenaries, but guilds, along with the noble families, willingly burn resources and embroil themselves in the war.
The Emperor found himself stumped for ideas.
All the items he could think of were either too low to garner great greed, or too good to be true.
The latter would deter those cautious and intelligent, along with most commoners, while the former would deter those of the top class.
'It seems I have something else for Bolton to do'
With no answer in sight, he put it behind him for further thought.
Plans were put in place as many moved to secure both fame and riches, for war was a delightful thing in the lands where the strong ruled.
Commodities took on higher prices, with weapons and potions having the largest increment, while food supply declined.
Like so, two days passed, and by the dawn of the third, Cabrera arrived in Kingsmere.
