Chapter 196: Dog Eat Dog

Some of these Admirals were sent to the Black Tower, where their conditions and the number of years they had been kept there remained unknown.

There were also other Admirals who had decided to leave Gaia to enter other planets and organizations.

Shocked by this information, Aisha fell silent.

No wonder Ares had come here to retrieve the miasma-suppressing pod and given her a deadline. He was actually being generous to her due to her relationship with Zeke. If she had been a stranger or Zeke had not shown her any kindness, Ares would have dragged her out and ransacked the entire residence, whether she fought back or not, to keep them from reaching Zenick.

"That’s why the Association is in a dire situation." Kane sighed.

Just in time, a news flash slid across the screen and replaced the current news.

The headline was eye-catching enough.

It read: [Eyewitness claims Admiral Valaerion abandoned an S-rank Guide to her death during his recent mission. Is this an accident or Karma?]

Aisha’s eyes narrowed.

"Damn it!" Vesper shot to his feet and pointed at the Telescreen. "They’re crazy! They’re all out of their minds!"

Sabel’s expression darkened as well. "This has gone out of control..."

Even Kane paled at this. "How could this be...?"

***

Several minutes after the news about the S-rank Guide’s death and the Admiral’s name was announced, the Association’s leaders were gathered on the top floor of the tower.

The room was heavy with tension, and no one spoke for a long time.

However, their eyes were all drawn to the holographic screen on the wall, where a young and handsome man in the uniform of the Federation was sitting and speaking in a calm and cold tone.

"The Federation understands the situation the Admiral and the Association are in. And we will send in as many Guides as we can afford to. However, most of the S-rank Guides have gone inside contaminated zones to take on their missions and haven’t come out. I can’t simply pull them out of there, knowing that their lives could be endangered if they’re made to move hastily."

It was Amber Cedar, the current Commander of the Golden Wings faction of the Federation.

He sighed. "We can send a few of our support Guides. Though they will vary in rank, I’m sure they can at least alleviate the Admiral’s dire situation until the high-ranking Guides of the Federation return in three days."

"Of course, if the Association can give something just as precious as the temporary suspension of the activities of the Federation’s high-ranking Guides, we can accommodate that as well."

On another screen, the Imperial Family had also sent a video in response to their request for a high-ranking Guide. The response was about giving their support and allowing their S-rank Guides to help. However, they asked for a different condition.

"The Emperor extends his sentiments after what happened to His Excellency Valaerion. He has also informed the S-rank Guides in the Imperial Army to show support and help the Association out of this situation quickly to appease the minds of the civilians, Sentinels, and Guides."

"However, after receiving the current physical and mental health records of the Admiral, many of them have voiced their concerns. If the Association can convince any of the Guides, we would have no problem sending them over."

At the head of the table, an old man with streaks of white hair along his hairline glared at the Federation’s commander.

Lloyd Valaerion felt as though there was a ball of raging fire burning inside his chest. His pupils contracted as he forcefully resisted using ice shards to pierce through those screens, imagining them stabbing the men on the other side.

But he resisted the urge to lose his composure in front of everyone.

His son... His own son was currently in a grave situation. Yet, what everyone was more interested in was what he was willing to give up!

"Chief Master, these are the responses from the Federation and the Emperor to our request."

An Elder of the Association with flaming red hair turned to the Chief Master of the Association.

Just like that, everyone’s attention moved from the screens to him. Time slowly passed while they waited for him to speak. Lloyd couldn’t respond immediately as they waited for him to speak.

However, no one showed impatience or dissatisfaction at his hesitation and reluctance to decide which side to accept. They were just as conflicted and resistant to the demands of the Federation and the Imperial Family.

Who would have thought that they would take this situation as a way to cut off the Association’s support?

When the Federation and the Imperial Family needed help, they never asked for much. They only asked that the rewards from conquering a contaminated zone be divided equally.

When their own Sentinels and Guides were trapped in a contaminated zone, who came to save them? Wasn’t it their Admiral who came to pull them all out of that dangerous situation?

Now that the situation had reversed, they had all wiped this from their memories, only trying to get as much as they could out of the Association!

Lloyd only felt a chill of sadness from all of this. He regretted sending Zeke to the dual-contaminated zone. If he hadn’t, his son wouldn’t have ended up this way.

But Zeke had a strong sense of justice and responsibility. Once he heard there were still survivors inside the contaminated zone and the miasma value was rising, he felt the need to do his duty to lessen his father’s and the Association’s burden.

"What do the Guides of the Imperial Army want?" Lloyd asked.

The Imperial representative didn’t explicitly reveal what they wanted in the video. Rather, they sent a separate document written by each Guide by hand.

A young aide had already prepared the documents to be shown on the screen, replacing the enlarged faces of the two men on the screens.

The written words on the documents had brought enough shock and surprise to everyone.

Especially the repeated request to be matched with the Admiral as their partnered Sentinel.