“W-Who are you? Stay away from me…no, don’t come near me like this or I will yell. You, do something to help me out.”
Baron Luke yelled and hid behind 21. He forced Ashura to step forward and Ashura looked a little lost. He feared this unknown person as well, but he held his ground.
He needed to be brave for Mahiru’s sake and he could not let her come to any harm.
“We do not mean too hard you all. We are just trying to get to the second floor of this tower. Do you think you can help us out?”
Ashura asked once more as he stood his ground. The owner of those glowing eyes stopped to give Ashura a look of search. He looked Ashura up and down but he did not speak.
Since this person refused to speak, it made Ashura even more concerned about what was going on. But he held his ground and waited for the other side to give him a response.
The unknown person looked at Ashura and then at Mahiru and then back at him. Ashura positioned himself in front of Mahiru to get her out of this person’s eyes. He did not like how their opponent was taking note of their youngest.
“You all want to get to the second floor of the tower? Sure, we can help you out. I will also tell you all about the condition of the second floor if you would like me to.”
The unknown person pulled his robes back and his bald head came to notice. It had a few black-inked tattoos and red eyes. Now that Ashura looked at him, he looked like a normal human being he could trust.
But Ashura was still a little hesitant to trust him, but Mahiru made this decision for all of them.
She took a step forward and everyone else was forced to follow. Ashura had to walk faster to keep pace with the unknown person.
“Hey, we are not going anywhere until you tell us who you are and what you want from us. For all we know, you might be planning to sacrifice us to a demon as well.”
For the first time, Baron Luke had a point. But Ashura could not help but feel as if he could have worded this all better. Baron Luke’s sharp words could make this person agitated if they were not careful.
But contrary to their beliefs, the bald man only took their suspicion in stride.
“I will introduce myself. My name is Sherman and I am a Shahadi. I will promise on my honour not to harm you, people, for the duration I am your host.”
Light flashed across Sherman’s hand and a symbol appeared on his hand.
“This is a mark of my promise. If I break it, then I will die instantly. Now, if you all would follow me, it would be appreciated. We need to go back before the forces of the alliance ravage this place once more.”
Sherman spoke before he led them across the portal. As soon as they were on the other side, Sherman looked up and his eyes narrowed. He pulled everyone behind the boulder and asked them to wait.
Baron Luke and the others could not contain their curiosity. So, despite Sherman’s insistence not to look out, they dared to look.
A high-tech mecha landed near the portal they had entered from and it exited the portal. They all watched and the heavy machine walked around effortlessly.
“W-What the hell is that? Is that some kind of robot? How does it work?”
Baron Luke asked with greedy eyes. He was always hungry for more power and authority. If he could get that mecha then he was sure he would be able to become a king in the outside world.
So, he wanted to know everything about that machine.
“Whatever stupid thoughts you are having, forget about them. That was an alliance mecha and you will be killed before you can even touch it. Alliance is a ruthless organization made up of outsiders who occupied our native lands.”
“We, Shahadi people were the natives of this floor once but then the alliance came and occupied our lands. Now we are fighting for our land and our freedom. I would like all your help with this. In return, I will fulfil one wish you all have for me.”
Sherman explained this to the people he had brought back and they all looked at him with surprised eyes.
“So, you can help us return to the outside world? Is that possible?”
Ashura asked with desperate eyes. He wanted to get out of this deadly tower as soon as possible.
“Of course, it is possible. But first, we will need to gain control of the central main system of this world. As soon as we have it in our hands, we can send you back. We will also reward you with riches and other stuff. So, what do you say? Will you participate in the raid tomorrow with us?”
Sherman asked the group this question and it was a no-brainer for Baron Luke to accept.
Not only will he be allowed to go back home, but he would also be allowed to take a lot of riches back. Baron Luke would ask for a high-tech mecha suit and then rule the outside world with it.
“We accept your deal, Sherman. We will help you out.”
Ashura looked concerned but he could not go against his master once this decision was made. He just had a bad feeling about this situation and he hoped that he was wrong about it.
…………………
There was only so much time Alex could spend sleeping and relaxing. He had to wake up after some time and stretch his body out.
His joints made a cracking noise as Alex stretched them out and it hurt as well. But his body began to loosen up after some time.
Alex went out of his room and into the dining hall when he felt hungry. The maid quickly got him something to eat and Alex began to fill his stomach. He was halfway done when he felt another presence sitting in front of him.
General Mei had taken the seat in front of Alex and she held a holographic newspaper in front of her. The language written on the paper looked vaguely familiar to Alex.
Alex had never learned how to read or write, but the knowledge he had gained from the goddess of lust gave him the ability to do so anyway.
“You can continue eating. I am almost done with this newspaper and I don’t think local news would interest an outsider like you.”
Alex shrugged once he heard the general’s words. They were mostly true and Alex truly did not care for any local news outside of his Baron Luke’s arrival.
“The others you mentioned have not made an appearance on our floor yet. We will continue to monitor the situation and help you out as much as we can. After all, this alliance was formed on the notion of helping others flourish.”
General Mei seemed to have a lot of pride in her status and the alliance. Alex refused to comment on the situation since he was not sure about it.
“That reminds me. What are your plans for staying here? We cannot have you all roaming around freely but we also cannot have you all do nothing all day. So, I was thinking, how about you and your companions temporarily join my squad as soldiers?”
General Mei asked this question and Alex was taken aback. He had not expected to be given such an opportunity. It was too good to be true and it made him suspicious.
General Mei noticed the look she was getting but she did not get defensive about her words. Instead, she looked serious when she faced Alex head-on.
“I am not joking around with you. I can see that you have more power and skill than an ordinary person. You and your companion also have this weird aura surrounding you that makes me curious.”
“So, you can say that I am offering this to you more for my own sake than your well-being. I want to see what you are capable of out in the field.”
Alex looked into General Mei’s eyes. Her body was surging with her violet aura and it seemed even brighter with eager eyes.
But the most prominent feature she had were her eyes. They had a hint of red in them but they looked mostly violet right now. Her aura was bleeding into her eyes which made her shine even brighter.
‘This female…she is a dangerous one. I need to be careful around her or she would eat me alive.’
Alex hesitated but he ultimately decided to take General Mei’s offer. If nothing else, then it served to better Alex’s relationship with her.
General Mei looked satisfied to have Alex’s cooperation. She looked at him with a calm look before she stood up.
“Good. I am happy to see that you are so agreeable and willing to humour me, Then, I will register you into my system. Don't worry, you will have a good time with me as your captain."