Chapter 1434 — Chapter 1434 Danger analysis II

Lex could not even begin to imagine what such a situation was like, nor did he try.

"Hey Mary, do you know anything about the Universal Mandate?" Lex asked.

"Yes, I know it exists," she said. "But beyond that, it was a little out of my reach. Even the head of the Celestial Court is not qualified to look at the Universal Mandate. Perhaps the leader of the entire Humanoid Alliance would be qualified, but such matters were far too removed from me to ever concern me."

Lex was surprised by that response, just as much as he was surprised by the fact that she was even able to give a response. More importantly, he had always thought that Mary was one of the strongest beings in existence, but the matters of the Universal Mandate were far beyond even her. In fact, she spoke of the leader of the Celestial Court as if they too were far stronger than her.

But as curious as he was about these things, it was best to focus on the things that were much more pertinent to his present.

After going through a couple of teleportation formations, the group was eventually brought to what looked like a suburban residential area, with numerous houses placed side by side in neighborhoods.

"Each of you have your own residence to enjoy, though the schedule you all have is the same. In about eight hours, a vehicle will come by to collect you and bring you to the other sponsorees of the bank, and your briefing will begin. In exactly six days, everyone will depart from the bank to the Expo.

"It is imperative to learn all that you need to know about the Artica realm, its rules and norms, as well as what to expect in the Expo. The Artica realm is far from as friendly and habitable as the Uzuz realm."

"Should we expect any more problems?" Gerard asked. "I mean the kind we encountered on our way here. Considering the scale of your organization, I expect they will be able to handle the threat and that there won't be a repeat of such danger. For all the apologies you have given us, it does not make up for the fact that we got pulled into an unaffiliated conflict that we still know nothing about, and suffer the risk of facing more dangers. If that is the case, then perhaps we should avoid the Expo altogether."

Lex was surprised by Gerard's sudden firm stance, but then again it made sense. He had been the head of security at the Midnight Inn for a very long time, so he was used to seeing these things from a different point of view.

Bagheera sighed.

"I know it doesn't mean much, but I once again extend our sincerest apologies for getting you involved in this situation. I can assure you, there will be no repeat of this incident, and that the bank will thoroughly make up for it as well. You will also be given a detailed explanation of what happened and why, just as soon as the bank finishes handling the situation.

"In fact, the relatively undamaged container you three specifically brought out played a great role in expediting the search for how the containers were targeted, and the responsible parties as well. Rest assured that there will be an additional reward for this as well."

"In that case, I'm looking forward to seeing what a reward from the famous Bank Versalis looks like," interrupted Lex suddenly. "If it's entirely possible, I'd like to request the possibility of determining my own reward. Naturally I won't overreach, so if I know what options can be available to me, that would be great."

"I will forward your request to the bank, though I cannot determine their response," said Bagheera. "Please, enjoy your stay here. I will go report to my superiors."

Lex and the others stayed and watched as Bagheera left, though Lex's expression became solemn once the panther had left. He said no words, but a single exchange of glances was enough for the other two to follow Lex into his own home.

The houses came equipped with numerous formations and features, so Lex immediately enabled all the isolation and protection formations available, before he began putting up his own, personal formations around them for additional security.

"This matter is far from over," Lex said gravely. "I sensed extreme danger when Bagheera said that our container played a great role in their investigation, and each time he mentioned giving us an explanation or update on what happened, the sense of danger became even greater.

"This matter is entirely outside the scope of what we can handle, and so we have to tread carefully. To begin with, we have to avoid taking any and all information about what actually happened, and who was behind it. In fact, knowing the name of Bouldadin might already be too much of a danger."

"I sensed as much," Gerard said. "The way they handled this situation is unusual. Even the Inn is swift in handling and responding to all threats, not to mention very clearcut in our response. In contrast, the bank has already spent many hours but no result has been reached. For an organization with numerous Dao Lords, this is highly unusual. More importantly… Bagheera mentioned that their bank is involved in anything that allows them to make a profit.

"Not only does that sound like they would even be willing to bury this incident if the outcome seemed profitable, it also indirectly means that they would also have competitors. Otherwise, they would be a monopoly, and much more aggressive in matters of profit than they appear to be.

"Competition implies that there are other banks, or organizations of a similar scale operating in the universe. Considering that one of the bank's partners just gained sole control over a major realm, I'd imagine many of their competitors feel threatened, and so would take some kind of action. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if allowing their partners to gain control over a realm, in itself, was a trap set by someone else, ready to cause them a grave loss."

Lex raised an eyebrow, sincerely impressed by Gerard's thorough analysis. But before he could comment, Gerard pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to Lex.

"This was given to me from… her."