Chương 75: No Friends, No Enemies

"Oh, all the big shots of the city having a meeting here. Let me be included in the meeting. Everything you have agreed upon, I will take part in, no questions asked." Edgar walked with big strides, wearing a big smile on his face. A long sword hung at his waist. The faces of the big families gathered in the room turned solemn. They had just concluded their meeting and finalized the agreement pact after big discussions, but now, this guy charged into the meeting.

"You lunatic, are you tired of living?" Lothaire asked. He still sat at the head chair, a face of irritation present.

"If it isn't the great city ruler Lothaire Van Zandt himself, present here to rule the trial," Edgar sassed. He showed no care for the threat he had just received.

"So, what was the main topic of the meeting? Give me the quick minutes of the meeting." Edgar swept his gaze across everyone, expecting someone to speak. Suddenly, another volley of footsteps could be heard. Another group of people walked into the meeting chamber.

"Oh, Deano, Tantoo, come and look at what I have found: the city ruler and the Lords of the city," Edgar called out to the people entering the chamber.

"Ruler of the City, long time no see. The last time we met, I was in a half-dead state. Thanks for the mercy." Deano, a towering man who literally looked like a 7-foot giant, walked with heavy steps. A big war hammer rested on his back. Beside him stood a young woman in her mid-thirties, holding an amusing smile.

"I did expect these power-hungry people to already be here, so I do not have any surprise. If they were not present here, that would be the surprise," Tantoo commented, witnessing the group. Upon hearing the mocking commentaries, the faces of the five people in the meeting turned grim. If they had been outside, a fight would have already broken out. Since they were on a trial, they controlled their anger. They gritted their teeth to suppress the urge to kill the lunatics.

"Let's end the meeting here. We will talk further when needed," Dejan said. Nodding his head, he walked away from the group. The others also started to leave. Lothaire, who still sat, slowly stood. He gave a quick glance before exiting the chamber.

"I will take the head chair," Edgar declared.

"You wish. I will be the correct person to sit there," Deano said. He moved his mountain of a body toward the seat, which, in fact, would not fit him.

"Deano, sit on the ground. The chair would not hold your weight," Tantoo said. She swiftly moved to the main chair.

"Oh, you witch," Edgar cursed, occupying another chair nearby.

"Hehehe, now I am king," Tantoo snickered.

"Okay, since I have taken the Ruler's chair, I must get a fifty percent share of everything you all earn," Tantoo declared mockingly.

"You wish. Do you not know the rule of the trials? No enemies and no friends. What you deserve, you have to bear the weight of it," Deano said.

"Oh, you shut up. Rules and regulations, who cares? Just cut a share of your gains." Tantoo waved off the things Deano philosophized.

"Everyone, settle down." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. While these guys played around, a rough voice suddenly came from behind them. It was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his mid-forties. His stature was modest, not too tall and not too short. His hair was combed neatly, and he possessed no weapon on himself. Upon hearing the voice, everyone settled down. Tantoo quickly got up from the front chair and moved to one on the side.

The middle-aged man sat in the front chair. He did not immediately start to talk. He simply stared at the empty space, pondering something. The other members all waited silently without speaking. After more than a minute of thinking, the middle-aged man spoke.

"Lothaire asked me for cooperation to work together!" the middle-aged man said. He gave a pause to look at the people in front of him. Everyone's face shifted from neutral to disgusted. However, before they could strongly rebut, the middle-aged man raised his hand as a stop signal and continued to talk.

"He said he had the means to open the Torical Secret Chamber. What do you think?" the man said. Suddenly, all the different ugly reactions vanished, replaced with shock and doubt.

"And you believed him?" Edgar asked, doubt dripping from his tone. The Sector A people were cunning and vicious; they could go to any length just to earn power and wealth. Edgar had seen it all concerning these people throughout his life. Although the temptation of the Torical Secret Chamber was high, he was not born yesterday to believe and follow those bastards.

"What do you think, Master? Do you think they are telling the truth? Do they truly have a way to open the chamber?" Tantoo asked in a serious tone. She could not help but seek confirmation, because the Torical Treasures were one of the main reasons why the Concentric Trial became so famous. In the Concentric Trial, there was one thing that mostly everyone talked about and vied for. That was to reach the center of the trial, kill the Omega Standard monster, obtain enormous power and wealth, and exit.

That goal was talked about extensively. When everyone thought about this trial, their first reaction was that it was an impossible feat. But only a few knew this trial offered many things equal to, or even greater than, completing the trials. Among them, one of the most sought-after treasures in the Concentric Trial was the Torical Secret Chamber. When someone discussed this topic, one thing came to mind: opening the chamber was impossible.

Only a few rumored stories spoke of opening the chamber and gaining every treasure from it. Most people believed that story. The man who claimed he obtained that treasure was a founder of the Union Government. He was considered a pioneer in new world exploration. When someone like him made the claim, using his strength as proof, everyone believed it. However, he did not reveal how he opened the chamber. After that, no one ever claimed they opened the chamber and obtained the treasures.

Or rather, they never lived to see the next day. Whoever claimed they possessed the treasure was targeted and killed brutally. The story went like this: people saw the real, undefeated power of the founder. Meanwhile, those who claimed they obtained the treasure fell like flies. Over time, people formed a theory.

Either the founder was a genuine person and the treasures granted true power, or the founder lied and the Torical treasure was not as powerful as he claimed, since everyone who made the claim ended up dead except him. Now, this was their time to witness the truth of the Torical Secret Chamber. Everyone felt a little cheerful, even though they had to team up with the vicious people who were their enemies.

"Even if what they claim is true, do you think there will be peace once we open the chamber? The desire and greed of the people, especially these power-hungry guys who are ready to take over the City's rule, will not let things go smoothly. People get corrupted by power," Edgar said.

"I agree. Even if they agree to share the treasure equally, we do not know how much treasure the chamber holds. Even if the chamber holds enough treasure for everyone, I guarantee there will be bloodshed in the end," Tantoo said. Everyone shared their thoughts and opinions. Everyone knew and had heard of the power the founder of the UG held. Thus, everyone wanted that power and the authority that came with it. People would go to any extent to attain that power.

Furthermore, there were too many stories about the founder; it was like a fairy tale everyone had heard since childhood. There were some stories that the founder even summoned a dragon to fight when a dozen of the strongest people challenged him. Who would not want to summon a dragon as their mount? Even though those stories were a little skeptical, no one knew what the other person thought when it came to power.

"The world became one of mere power."

"Toni, what do you think?" the middle-aged man asked the man who sat next to Tantoo after hearing all the opinions. He was a very puny-looking man, very short in height. He possessed a slim figure, and his hairline was almost gone. He did not look like a person who had awakened his class, but rather a patient at a hospital.

"We lose nothing," Toni said.