yasinovel Chapter 925: Return to the Red Palace (2)
Chapter 925: Return to the Red Palace (2)
Chapter 925: Return to the Red Palace (2)
Erik stopped just a few inches behind Emma as she halted before a massive oak door.
The intricate carvings on the wood hinted at the importance the room held.
Emma turned to him with a serious expression. "Captain Lain is waiting for you inside, but I don't think she will be alone. And I can't come with you."
Erik looked at the woman for a second.
"Who do you think will be inside?" The young man asked.
"I think you might know that already."
Tom Van Dyke. It was likely that the Red Palace's principal wanted to see with his own eyes who Erik Romano was and what he was capable of. If Erik were in the man's shoes, he would have done the same.
Erik nodded. "All right..."
He gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you for everything, Emma."
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Now, go. They're waiting for you."
Erik took a deep breath and placed his hand on the doorknob.
Opening the door, Erik stepped into the room. The first person he saw was Captain Lain, standing in front of him with two other people at her side. Truth be told, she was a little bit behind the other two people.
At her immediate right was Major Fischer, who was grinning ear to ear as he looked at Erik. The two became friends during the months in which Erik helped the resistance set foot within the city and basically created the resistance.
There was also a third person in the room, a man that Erik recognized: Tom Van Dyke, the 81- year-old Red Palace principal. He was right in assuming the old man was going to be here.
Erik had only met him once before, when the Blirdoth attacked, and he left an impression. His brain crystal power was insanely strong.
This man was a legend within the city walls and beyond. Becker and the Fierce Lioness wouldn't hold a candle to him if he were as strong as when he was in his prime.
His powers were terrifying, and his prowess was even more scary than his brain-crystal power. His fighting technique was nearly perfect; many said it was flawless, and maybe they were right.
His battle acumen was also high, and he had a great mind.
And yet, he needed the Fierce Lioness' help to kill the Blirdoth. However, no one would have said that was because of weakness; it was because of age. Against that, strength and power could do nothing.
Erik stood frozen for a moment, but was not surprised at the sight a bit.
Major Fischer broke the silence. "Erik, welcome."
"You've certainly made quite an impact in just three years."
Erik nodded. "Good morning, sir. I'm honored to meet you again."
"Oh? When did we meet?"
Naturally, Van Dyke was aware of Erik's identity; during Becker's tenure as general, he assigned the elderly man to monitor Erik and provide updates on his advancements. He also knew how fast Erik was ascending the Red Palace's ranks; it caused quite a stir back then, after
all.
Erik paused for a second. "It was when the Blirdoth attacked around here, sir. You came to the rescue of a group of students, and I was one of them."
Van Dyke studied Erik for a moment. The young man was certainly athletic, had a fierce look, and seemed smart. Yet, what he heard about him seemed far from what he was seeing.
Fischer and Lain, on the other hand, told him he had multiple powers. Of course, the Blackguards, or Volkov, didn't disclose that information to the public, but since Erik stopped caring, he made the resistance aware of it at a certain point.
"Fischer and Lain speak highly of you. They believe you'll be a powerful ally in our battle against the dictator, Volkov."
The man paused. "But to be honest, I'm not sure that a single person will be able to help us. You see... Even if Fischer and Lain talk highly of you, I struggle to believe that you alone did everything they said. I think most of it is fake, a simple lie to push me to accept your request
for help."
Erik sighed. "Sorry for me being impolite, sir, but you understood nothing. I didn't come here to ask for your help. I came here to offer mine."
Erik said it without batting an eye. It might have looked arrogant for him to say something like that to a living old legend. Yet Erik knew this guy, and the elite in general, needed to have
fear.
It wasn't because of loyalty that they obeyed Becker, but because of fear. The general was too strong, and his army was strong enough to give him time to kill most of the Red Palace's higher-ups if something went wrong.
There were other factors, primarily interests, at play. Becker gave a lot of money to Van Dyke; after all, he needed to create something that would produce people he could use to fight the
blackguards.
He chose to use the elite and not common people, who would be much more loyal to him than those pompous rich guys, only because their wealth would make it simple for them to get
stronger.
It worked, because in not a lot of time, the Red Palace became an even bigger institution than
it previously was.
That reply shocked Van Dyke, but not Lain and Fischer. The latter was smiling like an idiot. It looked like he was worried about nothing.