FULL NOVELXO
Chapter 409 The Hunt Begins
They wanted to say, 'Wait wait wait!' But couldn't even find the opportunity to do so.
"Rastran," Lyrian faced the man sitting across from him at the round table, "I trust that you will have these search parties ready as soon as possible." He said with a stern tone.
Rastran had barely said a word this entire time. He simply sat with his arms crossed, a serious expression donning his face. He continued staying silent, as the others tried to work out what was going on.
"Don't you think it a bit too hasty to do that? Shouldn't we look into it more?" Hanol from the Jade Spice Cove finally spoke up. He seemed slightly nervous, but also serious in his speech.
Lyrian looked at him, but before he could reply, the Third Head exclaimed through his orb, "I agree. What will you do if you happen to find the base of the Black Petal Sect? Are you planning on waging a war? That will lead to mass destruction."
The Third Head inwardly thought, 'I can see it from the look in this boy's eyes that he is nowhere near willing to back down from his plan. I am not trying to change his opinion here. I just want to learn his plan of action so that I can dismember him from the inside when he tries to enact it.'
Lyrian paused for a split moment before replying, thinking to himself, 'It would be foolish to reveal the plan to the enemy. My current plan is to sneak into the Black Petal Sect as a kidnapee, and slowly destroy it from the inside.'
"My plan is exactly that. To wage war. Not to hide away or anything like that, but directly confront the enemy." Lyrian said brazenly.
"Oh... I see." The Third Head exclaimed in a slightly delighted tone, smiling inwardly.
"Hmm..." Rastran began to speak for the first time in a while, capturing everyone's attention.
"I support you Lyrian." He stated, surprising a few in the midst.
"However, I cannot act without the permission of the majority of the board."
"Then let's hold a vote. For a thorough investigation of the Black Petal Sect, and a war waged for the protection of the kingdom, raise your hand."
As Ounz said this, a silence settled itself in the room. Everyone looked at each other calmly, wondering what decision they would make.
After 20 seconds, a hand finally rose into the air slowly. It was of the Mayor of the city, Ounz.
"I support Lord Lyrian. His decisions will surely grant us fruition. Right now, war seems imminent to happen. It's not as though the Black Petal Sect will just disappear away. If we don't act now, they will only continue growing their evil. War is not good, but sometimes necessary."
Ounz's words had depth and meaning. No one could refute his statements.
Just like that, more hands began to slowly rise into the air.
"I want to see where this will end up," Metaal exclaimed with a grin, raising his hand.
"War is a risk to a merchant, but one with many benefits. I guess I have no choice but to risk it." The merchant sighed.
"The Black Petal Sect will be nipped in the bud before it can grow." Rastran joined in.
"We will avenge our fallen ones." Sir Hyroon spoke with dignity.
"Fine. We are ready for war." The chief of defense sternly said.
At that moment, the Third Head's orb lit up brightly. "I agree with this notion. May we prosper in war and destroy the other side."
'Other side huh?' Lyrian scoffed inwardly. 'If he had come in real life, I would have definitely killed him here. The meeting could wait... plus, this meeting is only for information and materials. Even if I didn't have those search parties, I'm sure a war would eventually be waged where I could succeed in finishing this mission.
In total, that was 8 hands raised out of the ten, including Lyrian.
The only two who refused were Hanol and the chief Buildsmith.
"I agree with Sir Jalan when he says that a war is a risk. After all, he is a merchant, so he knows these things. However, this risk is too big to take so early." Hanol laid out his reasoning, which, in simple terms, was just saying to 'wait.'
'A choice made from foolishness or fear.' Ounz mused to himself when he heard Hanol's explanation.
"War is the worst thing for Buildsmiths. I won't be rebuilding this beautiful nation until the day I die." The chief Buildsmith said. His explanation was valid, but in Lyrian's eyes, it was a sacrifice for the greater good.
"That settles it then. For the next undecernable amount of time, we will be hunting the Black Petal Sect." Lyrian's words made a few in the room chuckle.
"Aye!" Most of those who agreed to the premise of war retorted in unison.
And so, from that day began the development of an immense deployment.
The next entire week after this meeting was used to organize search parties and gather adventurers. Word needed to be spread, and the news had to get even more popular.
After a week's worth of preparation, a final bounty poster was stamped onto the quest board of multiple Adventurer Guild buildings near Hogolsworth. contemporary romance
"Hunt Down The Black Petal Sect! Reward: 1000 Gold."
This was giant. Not only did it shock the kingdom, with the taboo knowledge of the Black Petal Sect quickly spreading throughout Veridrake, but it was also an amazing reward amount for nothing more than finding a sect.
It was like a treasure hunt! Adventurers from several towns and cities across the nation accepted the proposal, and 14 teams of 4-6 adventurer groups were deployed all across the outskirts of Hogolsworth.
The beginning of this war had finally begun, and with it came a long duration of search which extended for a total of 2 months...