Chapter Ninety-Four: The Spread of News

"All right." Sonia nodded slightly and made a note when she heard that it was to be custom-made.

"Once you have dealt with this trivial matter, you may act freely until the others come to visit the island."

After Harvey gave his instruction, he waited patiently.

It would still take some time for the news to spread, but he was certain that within a few days someone would come to visit.

In the ruthless, survival-of-the-fittest cosmos, whenever there was a chance to gain power, there were always those willing to take the risk, no matter how steep the cost.

Sonia was unsurprised when she heard she could move about freely.

What she truly wanted to ask was how Mr. Kassadin intended to spread the name of the Church of the Void, and to bring more people into contact with the faith of the Void.

But seeing that Mr. Kassadin remained entirely unhurried, she no longer worried.

She left the hall and returned to her room, then contacted the relevant parties to handle the matter directly.

She had them mail the items straight to this island, to be signed for upon arrival.

Meanwhile, news bearing Kassadin's name quietly spread through the bounty world.

Kassadin's name was one known to all in the bounty world.

In the past few months of his activity, he had not released any news in that sphere.

But not long ago, messages bearing Kassadin's name had begun to circulate.

Among them, the bounty hunters of Xandar gathered directly at a bounty bar on Xandar.

"Seer, you saw the message too?"

A silver-haired man in a silver cloak, dressed with extravagant style, spoke when he saw someone arrive.

"And you didn't?"

The one called Seer was a bandaged man wrapped head to toe in a black cloak. He walked into the bar, and upon hearing this, replied without surprise.

"Join the glorious evolution, huh? Renoli, Seer, what do you think? Is this opportunity real or fake?"

A towering brute, two meters and thirty centimeters tall, bare-chested with spiky blond hair, asked.

"Willing to give everyone a chance to change their fate? The Kassadin I know, the god of the Void, doesn't seem like the merciful sort."

Hearing the question, the silver-haired Renoli said.

"Kassadin rose to the very top of the bounty world in just a few months. Mysterious and powerful."

"Unfortunately, in my visions, I cannot see anything concerning the future tied to Kassadin."

"Otherwise, if I were to lurk near the place above, I should be able to learn something."

Seer spoke after hearing this.

Foreseeing the future was his greatest reliance, yet now there was someone whose future he could not predict.

If Kassadin wanted to kill him, he would be no different from a defenseless mortal, with no room even for resistance or escape.

"I think you're all making this too complicated."

"The power of the god of the Void, Kassadin, is unquestionably above every person and every faction on Xandar."

"I don't suppose any of you doubt that Kassadin could destroy Xandar all by himself, do you?"

The big man, named Kael, looked at his companions, who often worked with him, and said a little speechlessly that they were already frightened to this degree before even seeing the man.

"...That is indeed true."

Renoli wanted to argue after hearing Kael's words, but strength did not permit it, so he could only agree.

Seer also nodded at this, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Then a man capable of relying on himself alone acts according to his own will."

"We don't need to speculate so much. Better to simplify matters and interpret Kassadin's actions by the plain meaning of the words."

"This message mentions the Church of the Void. Neither you nor I have ever heard, after all these years wandering the cosmos, of any planet with even the shadow of such a force."

"Then the fact that Kassadin has established the Church of the Void can be understood as him intending to form a power base on Xandar."

"And if you're forming a faction, you can't be a bare-knuckle commander with no subordinates. So that line about being willing to give everyone a chance to change their fate makes perfect sense as a recruiting slogan."

Seeing that both men agreed with him, Kael clapped his hands and said directly.

"With his strength, does he still need to establish a faction?"

Though Renoli had come to accept Kael's reasoning, he could not help but voice a question that surfaced in his mind.

"Rather, it is precisely because he possesses such power that he would want to build a faction."

"Think of Odin of Asgard, and Zeus of Olympus."

"Or Thanos, the Collector, and others who have stirred up storms in the cosmos in recent years."

"They are strong enough that few in the universe can stand against them; no one can deny that."

"And while they are powerful, they all share one thing in common: each has built a force of his own."

"Aside from major matters, most things can be handed down, and others will see them done for them."

Kael explained to the two of them with a very serious expression.

"Now that you've put it that way, I get it. But Kael, why do I feel like you're rather excited about this?"

Renoli understood after hearing Kael's words, but he looked at Kael with a somewhat strange expression.

Kael had only three interests.

One was training to grow stronger, running every day while clutching massive boulders as exercise. Another was making big money through his own strength. And the last was spending that money on women of different kinds.

By his own account, his heart was full of great love, and he wanted to give every homeless woman a safe harbor.

Beyond those three interests, Kael cared very little about most things.

Now, however, he was speaking so enthusiastically about Kassadin suddenly releasing news whose truth and danger could not yet be determined; to Renoli, it looked stranger and stranger.

"Of course I'm excited, because this is our chance."

Kael admitted it very straightforwardly, then said with a solemn expression.

"You didn't even discuss it with us, and now you're dragging us into it?"

Seeing Kael's manner and hearing these words, Renoli also realized what he was thinking, and said with some helplessness.

"Brothers, isn't this exactly me discussing it with you right now?"

"I was born with divine strength, Renoli, you're the one who moves at supersonic speed, and then there's Seer."

"If the three of us go together, we'll have an advantage over everyone else."

After hearing Renoli, Kael thumped his chest and spoke.

"Let's go. He has finally convinced us."

At this, Seer stood up and said.

"How did he manage that?"

Renoli was not surprised that he too had been persuaded, but he asked with some curiosity.

"As usual, by duel."

Seer paused for a moment before speaking.

"I see. Then let's go and take a look together."

Renoli, hearing that it was the old method, looked at Kael, whose eyes were shining with excitement, and understood.

"Truly, my good brother."

Seeing that the two of them had agreed to go together, Kael stretched out both arms to put them around their shoulders and celebrate.

Seer immediately stepped back two paces, and Renoli vanished in a flash to reappear three meters away, neatly avoiding the bear hug that could have crushed a person's bones.

"Kael, don't get too happy too soon."

"Whether this works or not still depends on the will of that god of the Void, Kassadin."

Renoli said after dodging.

"One must try, no? If Kassadin wanted to kill people, there'd be no need to use the pretense of forming a faction."

"I have a feeling this will absolutely be our chance."

Kael missed his embrace; his body pitched forward as though about to slam into the floor, but with a forceful push from both feet he straightened back up and smiled.

Just as the three were about to leave, a woman's voice sounded nearby.

"Wait a moment. Could you take me with you?"

"Yes."

Seer answered directly upon hearing this.

Renoli and Kael turned, and when they saw that it was Lacey, they realized what had happened.

"She hopes to change herself through this."

"That reason convinced us."

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Seer said.

"Then let's go."

Upon hearing this reason, Renoli and Kael glanced at Lacey and understood.