Chapter 799

Antonio Griffin, dressed in black robes, slowly stepped into a somewhat dim hall.

Heavy curtains sealed every window, cutting off all outside light. Only a few candles flickered weakly within, their yellow glow casting mottled shadows across the walls. The faint scent of wax filled the air. The hall was quiet and mysterious, its lofty domed ceiling swallowed by darkness, with only the flickering candlelight illuminating the exquisitely carved beams and pillars.

Antonio approached a large round table in the center of the hall. Ten people dressed in similar black robes were already waiting there. When they saw him arrive, they all stood and bowed—not to Antonio Griffin the Emperor of Gabella, but, more precisely, to Antonio Griffin the leader of the Secret Art Society.

Antonio raised a hand slightly, signaling for them to sit.

He sat down first. The back of his chair was somewhat higher than those of the other ten, marking his status as their leader.

"Ahem!" Doughty Matt, a member of the Ten-Man Council, cleared his throat. His status in the Secret Art Society was second only to Antonio's, and he handled most of the organization's routine affairs.

He was also presiding over this Ten-Man Council meeting.

Doughty Matt announced the first matter of the day. "Your Majesty, everyone, the first thing we need to discuss today concerns Barnett and Odennell."

"What's there to discuss?" another member of the Ten-Man Council, Enoch Christopher, shouted. "Those two have been gone for so long. They're either dead or have betrayed us. Just remove them from the organization and be done with it!"

Barnett, a master of Enhancement Spells, had been missing for nearly ten years. Odennell, a master of Mental Spells, had also been gone for a long time.

Both men had been stripped of their Ten-Man Council