The announcement regarding the temple’s completion ceremony at Amamiya Tower was not solely sent to the Mikusen Temple.
It was also distributed to prominent figures and influential merchants in the other three cities where Teleport Gates were installed.
Of course, it wasn’t sent to every influential person or merchant.
Alec selectively chose those he deemed appropriate and sent them the invitations.
From the Tower’s perspective, there was no absolute necessity for them to attend.
The invitation to the Tower was, in name at least, for the temple’s completion ceremony. Commercial transactions and political maneuvering were ostensibly not part of the agenda.
No one would believe such a statement.
This was the first official event held since Amamiya Tower began external contact using the Teleport Gates.
Everyone who received an invitation likely believed it would undoubtedly decide the future of the Tower town.
That was precisely why Alec only sent invitations to those who merited such consideration.
Alec confirmed the relevant information by gathering intelligence from those in the surrounding areas.
Furthermore, information gathered by the Defreya Clan through Wahid was also provided.
Invitations were sent out based on the compiled information, and the reactions varied.
What was common was that they would either make time for the event or send a representative to attend the ceremony.
In the first place, opportunities for the influential figures of towns across this continent to gather in one place were rare.
This was due to the time it took to travel and the frequent occurrence of incidents like Monster attacks.
In that sense, the gathering of influential figures at a place like Amamiya Tower was immensely significant.
Even so, it was unknown how many of the participants were acting with such considerations in mind.
Some simply wanted to see the inside of the Tower.
Others intended to use this opportunity to conduct business within the Tower.
Some were plotting to disrupt Liralamamiya’s monopoly.
And some hoped to meet the Tower’s manager.
The reasons were varied.
Among them, Rhines Kraken from Ryusen city was also one of the recipients of an invitation.
“……Hmm.”
After reading the contents of the invitation, Rhines placed the letter on his desk and adopted a contemplative expression.
“What did it say?”
Rick Buster, considered Rhines’s right-hand man, asked.
Rhines handed the letter on his desk directly to Rick in response to his question.
Rick, upon receiving it, excused himself and began to read the letter.
The text itself was very brief.
It stated that a temple completion ceremony would be held in the Tower about half a month later and requested their attendance.
“What do you think?”
“Frankly, it feels like, ‘Why now?'”
It was common knowledge that there was no temple within the Tower.
While they were aware that some within the Tower were dissatisfied with the lack of a temple, it didn’t seem like something that needed such urgent attention.
Furthermore,
“I don’t understand the point of gathering influential people for this event.”
Of course, it wasn’t uncommon to gather influential figures for such events.
In fact, it was common practice to use such events as a pretext for later discussions and negotiations.
However, this invitation and the accompanying letter contained no such indications.
“Well… this is purely my speculation, mind you…”
Rhines continued, prefacing his remark.
“It feels like their sole objective is to gather influential people.”
“?? What do you mean?”
“If their goal was to foster interaction among those connected to the Tower, they would have given prior notice and arranged a forum for discussion. But there’s no indication of that. Of course, there’s a possibility it could be arranged later.”
“Indeed.”
“If that’s the case, then perhaps this event isn’t about fostering interactions, but rather about showing something to people like us?”
Upon hearing Rhines’s words, Rick’s expression became thoughtful.
Rhines, while speaking to Rick, was also consolidating his own thoughts.
Incidentally, Rhines’s prediction was correct. However, unfortunately, he didn’t know what they intended to show, so he couldn’t predict beyond that.
“Something to show… I doubt it’s the completed temple itself.”
“Hmm… I doubt that very much. But from this letter alone, I can’t infer any further.”
The letter sent this time contained too little information.
It was impossible to make further predictions.
Rhines had already decided to participate upon receiving the letter, but he wanted to gather as much information as possible.
He felt it would be necessary to discuss the matter with others who had also received invitations.
“……Hmph.”
The man threw the paper he had been looking at onto the desk.
A subtle twist distorted the corners of his mouth as he looked at the text.
The content revealed that the Tower’s conqueror would appear at the upcoming Amamiya Tower completion ceremony.
The appearance of the Tower’s conqueror, who had remained hidden until now, presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the man.
It was extremely difficult to deal with someone who secluded themselves within the Tower and never showed themselves publicly.
At least, that had been the case until now.
However, if they stopped being reclusive and appeared in public, the situation would be different.
Even if it was within the Tower, once their presence was revealed, the man believed there would be ways to act.
Until now, he had been unable to curb the expansion of Liralamamiya.
Organizations, by nature, inevitably experienced at least temporary confusion when their leader fell.
He could take advantage of that confusion to manipulate events for his own benefit, or to act himself.
The man had repeated such scenarios many times.
Therefore, he believed this time would also be successful.
“…Hey. Call Earl.”
The man gave a brief instruction to a slave standing nearby.
The slave immediately complied and left the room.
“……Until now, I could only watch silently… Fufufu.”
The man understood the usefulness of the Crown Cards issued by Liralamamiya.
Even if he couldn’t acquire the organization itself, he desired to obtain the know-how for issuing such cards.
If he could acquire such things amidst the chaos he created, it would be immensely meaningful to him.
The thought alone brought a smile to his face.
At this point, the man had no doubt about his impending success.
His confidence stemmed from the fact that he had succeeded in similar endeavors many times before.
…But the man did not know.
He did not know that the information about the Tower’s conqueror appearing was intentionally released by the Tower itself.
Nor did he know that what Kousuke was planning would shatter such schemes.
Unfortunately for the man, who lacked any precognitive abilities, the events at the Tower would be far beyond unexpected.
So, what was Kousuke planning to do?
The temple completion ceremony will take place in subsequent installments.
June 3, 2014 – Typo corrections
