If the influence Daniel felt at Karea Academy was from the residual energy of the remnants of gods and devils, then the feeling he experienced at the headquarters of Dragonscale Bank was entirely different.
The atmosphere here… seemed to originate from the God Realm.
As soon as Daniel arrived here, he could vaguely sense that something was off, something unusual about this place.
So, after the grand steward proposed his suggestion, Daniel agreed without hesitation.
After conducting a thorough investigation of the area, Daniel could finally confirm it.
The aura left behind in this place was indeed related to the God Realm.
Under the influence of this unmistakably powerful energy, which seemed to transcend the natural laws of this world, the environment within the Dragonscale Bank headquarters was extraordinarily beautiful.
It reminded Daniel of the lake he had created back at Crossbridge Academy.
However, the lake at Crossbridge Academy was created through Daniel’s use of vast amounts of forge magic, whereas the beauty of this place had been naturally bestowed by the energy from the God Realm.
The terrifying power of the God Realm’s energy was evident in how the environment was transformed.
Moreover, the divine object that the Dragonscale Bank possessed was directly from the God Realm.
It wasn’t a leftover artifact from the god and devil battlefield, which raised a serious implication. Explore more at empire
This divine object might be far more powerful than the one at Karea Academy.
In fact, there was something even more concerning to Daniel.
The real question was… who was responsible for bringing this artifact here?
Whether it was under someone’s ownership or not, the fact that it was from the God Realm could not have been a random occurrence.
It must have been intentionally brought here by someone.
And if someone had done this intentionally, the question was, why?
Daniel couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding.
If this world was indeed on the brink of destruction, then without him, it was likely that the world would perish in a matter of centuries, influenced by the residual energy of gods and devils.
No one could save it by then.
Daniel had a sense that the truth was just beyond his reach.
“Daniel headmaster?”
At that moment, a familiar voice, tinged with exhaustion, reached Daniel’s ears.
He turned around, and sure enough, it was Elise.
But she looked drastically different from the confident figure he had first encountered.
Her demeanor now was drained, and she reeked of alcohol.
Her clothes were disheveled.
“Have you been here the whole time?” Daniel asked, gazing at her.
“Yeah, I’ve been here ever since I returned. I didn’t expect to see you here. I guess this means you’ve decided to…” Elise gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“…Right, I suppose Dragonscale Bank has a lot to answer for,” she continued, speaking in a tone that seemed detached, as if she had no connection to the situation at hand.
“I’ll see how things go. If everything goes smoothly, Dragonscale Bank might not face major changes,” Daniel replied, his tone calm.
“Really? I envy people like you, strong enough to decide your own fate and the fates of others,” Elise said lazily.
At this moment, Elise seemed to have let go of all restraint. If it had been the old her, she would never have dared speak like that in front of Daniel.
For Daniel, this was a challenge.
“Are you resenting me because of your sister’s death?” Daniel asked bluntly.
“No, in fact, I don’t resent anyone. Though my sister died at the hands of your student, it was her own choice to participate in the Battle for Dominance,” Elise answered.
“If there’s anyone I should resent, it’s myself. I couldn’t protect her,” she added, her eyes filled with regret as she looked at the sky.
Daniel found himself at a loss for words.
Some things simply couldn’t be reconciled.
It was just like the Battle for Dominance—Imora had tried to kill Nora, and Nora couldn’t just stand there and let herself be killed.
In the end, Nora had killed Imora.
Similarly, if Dragonscale Bank sought to destroy this world, Daniel would not simply do nothing.
In the end, everything depended on the position of the parties involved and, more importantly… their personal strength.
After a while, a man walked up behind Daniel, respectfully saying, “Lord Daniel, the high-level meeting has begun. Please follow me.”
Daniel nodded and followed the man.
As he walked, a green leaf appeared in his hand and then vanished.
Not long after Daniel and the man left, Elise, who had been drinking, suddenly noticed a green leaf in her right hand.
When she looked at the leaf, Daniel’s voice suddenly rang in her mind.
“If you don’t know what to do, then go back to Riverside City.”
Riverside City…
A vision of Riverside City appeared in Elise’s mind.
It was the place where she had spent most of her time observing after her first encounter with Daniel.
There, she had seen the terrifying changes at Crossbridge Academy, and she knew that the leaf in her hand was an invitation from Daniel.
By going to Riverside City with it, she would certainly be treated differently.
But should she go?
Elise asked herself that question in her mind.
Suddenly, her eyes turned red, and in a burst of anger, she threw the green leaf into the lake.
But just as quickly, something seemed to click in her mind.
Her expression shifted, and with clarity in her eyes, she dove into the lake and retrieved the leaf.
At the same time, in the Dragonscale Bank headquarters’ meeting room, a similar scene unfolded as in Karea Academy.
Powerful figures sat around, their gazes focused on a young man seated at the head of the table.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce this man. He is the master of Crossbridge Sanctuary and, not long ago, also the head of Karea Academy, at the 5th Realm, Lord Daniel,” the grand steward said, standing beside Daniel and making the introduction.
At the mention of the first part of the introduction, many of the figures scoffed, but as soon as they heard the second part, their disdain faded, replaced by solemn expressions.
What was going on?
When had Karea Academy gone through such a change?
And had the entire 5th Realm really shifted as well?
Though these people were all high-level figures of Dragonscale Bank, they weren’t entirely cut off from the outside world.
After hearing the news from the grand steward, they immediately contacted their friends to verify the truth of the matter.
It didn’t take long for those initially skeptical to be convinced.
They received confirmation from their friends that Karea Academy had indeed undergone a drastic change, though the news was still not widely known.
The change had occurred recently, which explained why only a few people were aware of it.
However, the impact of the change was so significant that the attitude of everyone in the room toward Daniel shifted in an instant.
From Daniel’s arrival at Karea Academy to the Academy being subdued, and even confirmed by the former headmaster himself—this was enough to demonstrate his power.
The former headmaster of Karea Academy was not just anyone.
“As I mentioned earlier, Lord Daniel has come here only for the divine artifact. After that, all we need to do is submit to Crossbridge Sanctuary. That is Lord Daniel’s faction,” the grand steward added smoothly.
In the meeting room, the senior officials of Dragonscale Bank were silent.
For them, the real decision-makers of Dragonscale Bank, it seemed that the situation hadn’t changed much.
The chief never directly participated in the decision-making process anyway.
Even if Daniel were to become the new chief, it didn’t seem like it would make any difference.
Once they understood this, they realized they had no reason to oppose Daniel.