A Noble Council

Having lost all her companions, Ganatica was undoubtedly frantic. With no food aid whatsoever, the impoverished people who had joined the Mutual Aid Society were still going hungry. Although Pandora had not yet spent all the gold coins she had received from Punk, no matter how much money they had, the nobles would never sell off their already scarce food supplies.

Thus, the Mutual Aid Society was in an utterly desperate situation. But in truth, the nobles of the Scott Imperial Nation were just as anxious at this moment. Several great nobles were beyond mere anxiety—they were practically going mad.

The reason the great nobles were anxious certainly was not because vast numbers of poor people were about to starve to death. There was only one thing that filled them with anxiety and even terror: a gray crystal had gone missing!

Inside Scott's imperial palace, five lavishly dressed nobles sat gathered together, while the nation's nominal "emperor" sat blankly upon his throne. Under the cover of night, the entire palace was deathly quiet, and even the painted murals in the magnificent hall seemed muted by the silence...

"What is everyone doing... Say something! What... what are we supposed to do?!"

Naturally, the first to speak was the emperor seated upon the throne. But at this point, "His Majesty the Emperor" had long since lost his usual majesty and composure. Even his voice trembled violently and uncontrollably, the terror within it echoing endlessly through the empty hall.

Unfortunately, the emperor's words did not break the silence. The five great nobles present still lowered their heads without saying a word. Some of them were Formal Level professionals who had lived for centuries, yet even now, they had no idea how to respond.

Seeing this, the emperor's lifeless eyes dimmed further as he