On the day after the unveiling of the two institutions which had caught the attention of Central Angaria.
Daneel sat on the chair in front of the Dragon's heart, alone, while staring into space as if he were lost in his thoughts.
Now that his schemes to increase the satisfaction level of Lanthanor were afoot, he felt a sense of satisfaction as if he were a father who had just sent his children out into the world.
Yet, Daneel knew that the true test began now.
If his current position were likened to the lives of those on Earth, it would be like so: he was a businessman who had just spent a fortune to set up two businesses. In any business, more than the beginning, it was the long-term sustainability which mattered.
Hence, although he had been successful in at least launching the businesses, it was his skill in making executive decisions based on circumstances which would define the future of these investments. Would he reap what he wished, or would all the money invested be duped due to factors he might not have considered?
These were the concerns which were on Daneel's mind while he repeatedly went over the details of the initiatives.
Indeed, instead of opting to set up a hospital where the standardized rates would have to be subsidized in order to be affordable to the people, Daneel had proposed the option of setting up a Healer Academy.
Although the initial investment would be higher, Daneel believed that it would pay off in the long run.
After all, he had seen on Earth that some of the most successful institutions were those that dealt in crucial knowledge.
His offer had been that the prices to heal would be low, but the price to teach their methods could be set at whatever amount they wished.
Just like the Magic Academy of Eldinor, the idea was the bring in the main income using those who came to learn.
Although this was nothing new, there was something which gave Daneel the confidence that the investment he put into the Academy wouldn't go to waste: the Network of Angaria.
Indeed, equipped with a channel with which he could spread information about the academy to all the corners of Central Angaria, Daneel was confident that he would be able to attract enough people so as to make a steady profit on the whole.
Hence, the deal had been struck that the healers would take a set fee. This had been in part due to the fact that none of them believed that the academy would be a success.
After all, there was nothing unique about it which would attract people and make them choose it over other academies which had already been established for a long time.
Of course, this was only in their eyes. Coming from a world where the art of advertisement and sales had reached peaks that would shock those in Angaria, Daneel had already made many plans to pull people to the Healer Academy of Lanthanor.
As for the matter of the school, he had already received reports of positive response from the people. Although many were still skeptical as to what purpose would be served if one didn't know the route a child would take in the future, they were enticed by the fact that a solid foundation could be obtained for free.
When one thought about it, what was the harm in learning new things regardless of what path they chose in the future?
Daneel had chuckled when he had seen these reactions. As this was a world that focused on power, it made sense that the primary goal was to become powerful if one had the talent to do so.
Thus, they underestimated the benefits a standardized education would give to an economy.
With these two matters settled for now, Daneel turned towards those remaining on his mind.
Although he had managed to gain control of Eldinor, he was still far away from uniting Central Angaria in order to combat the threat of the Church of Rectitude.
Putting aside this overarching dream, more imperative matters included handling the issue of the Echer seeds and the fulfillment of the promise to bring the escaped nobles to justice.
So far, not a day had gone by on which Daneel hadn't remembered and cursed the two nobles who had escaped the execution.
His guilt at not fulfilling his promise to the people was only matched by his yearning to somehow kill at least the one whose location he had a general idea of.
Unaware to him, the person who he was thinking about had also just awakened from a slumber during which he had brushed against death multiple times.
....
A few days later, Daneel was training as usual when Luther contacted him through the Oathstone with urgent news.
The batch of spies he had specially trained and sent to perform reconnaissance over the no-trespassing zones had finished their task!
Scrambling to his feet, Daneel made his way to the situation room where he had previously directed the matter of the Ker Gem Mine.
On the screens set up inside the room, multiple viewpoints could be seen of a massive forest which seemed to have some kind of mist all around it.
After bowing to the King, Luther started speaking about the current situation.
"My King, the spies we sent have finished investigating all the no-trespassing zones around the area you marked. Of these, there is only one which fits the criteria: the Valley of Mist.
"The valley of Mist is one of the most dangerous zones in all of Central Angaria, boasting a 100% rate of death for all those who dare to trespass. In fact, the mist is seasonal, but its peculiarity has lent this name to the Valley."
As the King nodded, the group of spies were slowly making their way forward into the bushes and shrubs at the beginning of the Valley. Seeing the shift from the present location of the spies which was mostly barren to this valley which was teeming with life, the contrast made those watching widen their eyes as they wondered how it had come to be.
"The spies have orders to enter till the line which marks this zone: the area where trees begin to appear. The main reason that we believe this to be the hiding place of the rogue sect is that one of our spies managed to spot a group of people entering the area carrying goods of some kind. Although he only caught a glimpse, he says that it definitely wasn't someone who had lost their way."
Goods had been seen entering the area? Wasn't that too much of a giveaway?
Seeing the puzzled expression of the King, Luther couldn't help but sigh and say, "Yes, My King, it is very suspicious. If there really was someone living inside the zone, there is no way that they managed to hide their existence all this time only to slip up now. Most likely, it could be a trap."
As he heard Luther's words, Daneel was reminded of the face of the vice sect master of the Withering Leaf Sect.
Arrogance and a promise of revenge. These two emotions had been quite apparent, and Daneel had dismissed them at the time.
Now, he wondered if it had been the right decision to do so.
Getting an uneasy feeling, Daneel said, "Move them back. We have everything we ne-"
Right as he was about to finish the sentence, all the screens inside the situation room blinked out in sequence.
As the people in the room got up with shock, Luther frantically tried to contact the team of spies through the communication trinket in his hand.
Yet, all he got was silence.
Although there were many questions that were swirling in Daneel's head, one took precedence: what the hell had happened to the Lanthanorian spies who had gone to investigate on his orders?
It seemed as if the ones who were the cause of the situation were listening, as he got the answer in only a few seconds.
One of the screens came back into focus to show 8 bodies hanging from the branches of a tree with blood still dripping from the wounds that could be seen all over their bodies.
In blood, a message was written on the trunk which branded itself into Daneel's mind as the most rage-inducing provocation he had ever experienced in his life.
"Death to Lanthanor".