My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 132 Undercurrents

The dimly lit, secret room was only illuminated by a single golden crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling, which emitted a faint light that barely lit up the surrounding black outlines.

On the high-backed chairs on both sides of the long table, there were several tall, dark figures whose faces were completely obscured by shadows, making them indistinct and leaving only their eyes, which were of different colors in the darkness.

Seated in the main seat was an elderly man with graying temples, dressed in a dark-patterned brocade robe. The robe was of luxurious quality, and the "Giant's Hand" emblem on his chest was particularly eye-catching.

The old man's aura was slightly weaker than that of everyone else present, but it clearly held a dominant position.

Because this man was none other than Garrison, the head steward of Stonehenge and Baron Glover's agent.

Garrison's fingertips were rhythmically tapping on the ebony tabletop, making soft "tap, tap, tap" sounds.

Each sound seemed to be a demonstration against everyone, gradually tightening the atmosphere in the conference room.

A moment later, Garrison suddenly stopped typing, his fingertips hovering above the table, his gaze sweeping over the shadows on both sides of the long table, finally settling on the far right.

It was a tall, imposing figure with heavy breathing, exuding an aura of fierce courage. It was none other than Conrad, the guild master of the Pinewood Town Adventurers' Guild.

However, facing the powerful figure who controlled a region, Garrison showed no mercy, his voice low and carrying an unquestionable tone.

"Conrad, where's your brother?"

"As the guild master of the Surge City Adventurers' Guild, why is he absent at this crucial time? What does that mean?"

Upon hearing this, Conrad, at the very end of the right-hand side, slightly raised his head, and a rough voice rang out, his tone full of disdain.

"I'll handle it. Does it matter whether he comes or not? It's all a guild matter anyway, and I have the final say."

"the difference?"

Garrison sneered, and his fingertips, which had been hovering in mid-air, slammed heavily on the table, causing it to tremble slightly.

"This meeting concerns the life and death of the entire city of Sergei. If he doesn't come, does that mean he's already prepared to run away?"

"After all, your Adventurers' Guild is best at deserting in the face of battle, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, a very soft "pfft" sound echoed in the room.

Though the sound was faint, it reached everyone's ears clearly, like a needle piercing Conrad's heart.

Conrad instantly flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead, and slammed his fists on the table with a loud "boom," roaring as he did so.

"Garrison! You're nothing but Baron Glover's dog. The fact that I'm even here is already giving Stonehenge Castle a lot of face!"

"you..."

Garrison was held down by an invisible pressure, unable to move, and even his words were choked in his throat.

The two were a full rank apart, and Garrison was no match for Conrad.

Just then, the dark figure who had just made the "pfft" sound raised his hand slightly, and Garrison immediately relaxed, the oppressive aura around him vanishing without a trace.

All eyes turned to the person who had made the move.

In the dim light, a man adorned with jewels emerged from the darkness. His ten fingers were adorned with rings inlaid with various gemstones, each radiating a magical aura, and an overwhelming sense of wealth emanated from him.

William, the president of the Serge City United Chamber of Commerce, always had a smiling face and was always cheerful to everyone he met.

Garrison gave William a grateful look, and was about to speak up against Conrad, but William spoke first.

"Alright, everyone calm down. This is not the time to argue; we have more important things to report."

William gently stroked the gemstone ring on his hand, ignoring Garrison's unpleasant expression, and continued speaking.

"The Chamber of Commerce's intelligence network indicates that an abyssal aura appeared in the black market yesterday, almost identical to, or even stronger than, the abyssal aura of Mount Tabora."

"And I have confirmed that the source of this abyssal aura is Eugene O'Connor."

"The recent failure of Operation Wolf Annihilation was most likely due to his machinations in the shadows, colluding with the forces of the Abyss to sabotage the bandit suppression operation."

These words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere; the shadowy figures around the long table rustled and whispered amongst themselves.

William's gaze was fixed on Conrad, his tone accusatory as he questioned him.

"Conrad, Eugene has been working for your Adventurers' Guild for a long time. Now that he's colluding with the forces of the Abyss, you, as the guild leader, can't escape blame, can you?"

Conrad froze, his anger subsiding slightly. Knowing he was in the wrong, he could only sullenly sit back in his high-backed chair, but after catching his breath, he whispered his explanation.

"Eugene was suspended and expelled from the guild more than two months ago. This matter has nothing to do with our guild."

"Suspension?"

William pressed his advantage, his tone laced with sarcasm as he relentlessly pressed forward.

"Eugene's collusion with the forces of the Abyss was not something that happened overnight. How could you, as the guild leader of the Adventurers' Guild, be so negligent about such a huge hidden danger? Don't you find that absurd?"

The words were aimed directly at Conrad's dereliction of duty.

Conrad was rendered speechless, gritting his teeth but unable to refute, so he could only shift the focus, glancing at the second high-backed chair on the right, a hint of hostility in his eyes.

"Eugene is still a member of the O'Connor family. Now that he's colluding with the Abyss, isn't that also related to Speaker George and the O'Connor family?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes in the secret room turned to the second high-backed chair on the right.

The figure there was burly and wore a dark, parliamentary-style robe, simple yet dignified with minimal decoration.

It was Speaker George of the Parliament.

Despite the probing gazes of the crowd, Speaker George remained seated, his expression calm, and his soft voice rang out slowly, without the slightest hint of panic.

"Eugene officially broke away from the O'Connor family ten years ago and severed all ties with the family."

"I do not have this brother. His actions have nothing to do with me or the parliament."

These words were spoken lightly, carrying a chilling indifference.

But everyone present was shrewd. Although they didn't show it on their faces, they each had their own plans in mind. They were clearly half-believing and half-doubting, but they didn't expose it on the spot.

"That's enough!"

Garrison roared, regaining control of the meeting with his voice and introducing the main topic of the meeting.

"Now is not the time to assign blame; the situation on Mount Tabora is urgent, and we must come up with a solution as soon as possible!"

Garrison's gaze shifted to the dark figure at the far left, who was dressed in a snow-white priest's robe embroidered with a golden cross emblem.

Even though it was dark around them, the priest's robes faintly glowed, exuding holiness and solemnity.

"Bishop Grievis, what is the current situation at Mount Tabora?"

Facing this highly respected bishop, Garrison's voice involuntarily softened, his respect evident.

Bishop Grievis, with his hands crossed over his chest, slowly opened his eyes upon hearing the question. A faint white light flashed in his eyes, and his voice was solemn and clear.

"According to the investigation by the church's paladins, the outer perimeter of the Tabora Mountain canyon has been completely eroded by the power of the abyss, forming a solid abyssal barrier."

"If we force our way through this barrier, it will likely consume a lot of our combat strength and result in heavy casualties."

"The best approach is to attack from within, using overwhelming force to break through the barrier and weaken the abyss monsters' power. This will minimize casualties."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted between light and dark, and no one responded.

They were all high-ranking figures who were more or less aware of the overall strength of the besieged abyssal monsters. If they were to use "overwhelming power," they would undoubtedly have to deploy second-tier professionals.

The second-tier professionals of Sergei City were basically all gathered in this room.

So this was Zhenshibao's true purpose.

Garrison's eyes were sinister as he slowly swept his gaze over each of the bigwigs present, his tone firm and carrying an unyielding command.

"Let me make this clear from the start: this matter is not just about the succession to the baronship, but also about the life and death of the entire city of Sergei."

"The Baron has spoken: if everyone lends their full support, Zhenshi Fortress will certainly not be stingy with its friends; but if you stand idly by..."

Garrison didn't say what he was going to say next, but everyone understood Baron Glover's decision.

The assembled leaders remained silent, and no one raised any objections, which could be considered a consensus.

Garrison breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and pressed his advantage by continuing.

"Since everyone agrees, let's immediately assemble an elite team to break through the deep erosion blockade around the Tabora Mountain Canyon, open up a rescue route, and pave the way for the main force to follow."

At this moment, President William slowly spoke up and made a suggestion.

"On the merchant map of my joint chamber of commerce, there is a hidden underground river in the Tabora Mountains. This river runs through the outer edge of the canyon and avoids most of the abyssal monsters."

"We might be able to use this underground river to bypass the frontal defenses of the abyss monsters and reach the interior of the canyon directly, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of breaking through."

Garrison's eyes lit up, a glimmer of hope flashing in them, and he quickly encouraged him.

"Please elaborate! Where exactly is this underground river located?"

William nodded and slowly recounted the details of the underground river.

"The entrance to this underground river is in a hidden cave on the west side of Tabora Mountain. The only problem is that the river is too fast for boats to navigate."

After listening to William's words, the others joined the discussion, adding details and refining the plan.

The previously tense atmosphere eased slightly, and the core plan to break through using the underground river was quickly finalized.

Garrison raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet, and concluded.

"The plan is almost finalized, and the most important thing now is personnel allocation."

"We have already finalized most of the candidates, and each faction has sent its elite experts, but we are still missing one person."

"This last person must be proficient in ice magic, capable of completely freezing the underground river, paving the way for the advance of subsequent troops."

After the words were spoken, the secret room fell into a brief silence once again, as everyone pondered their own suitable candidates.

President William turned his head and looked at the dark figure at the far left.

There stood a mage in a robe embroidered with dark gold magical runes, the "Eye of Wisdom" emblem faintly visible on the cuffs—it was none other than President Patrick of the Mage's Guild.

William smiled, then abruptly changed the subject.

"I do have two candidates—Ice Guardian" Caldwell and Frostwhisper" Lyra. Both are professional mages proficient in ice magic, so they should be good choices."

Patrick remained seated, expressionless, and retorted directly in a cold voice.

"Caldwell was sent to guard the western border, but the monsters in the western border were acting strangely, and he was unable to leave."

"As for Leila, she went to the Arctic three months ago for training and has not returned yet. She will not be able to come back in the short term."

William raised an eyebrow, his voice light and sarcastic.

"Oh? Is it that they really can't come, or is Chairman Patrick reluctant to send out his association's elite and wants to keep them for self-preservation?"

Patrick's eyes narrowed instantly, the magical fluctuations around him intensified slightly, an invisible chill swept out, and his tone was icy.

"President William, what do you mean by this?!"

"That's not what I meant."

William spread his hands, feigning innocence.

"I just feel that everyone here has sent their best personnel, and Conrad even sent two people, but Chairman Patrick has not yet decided on the person to send. It's hard not to wonder."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the secret room became peculiar once again. All the big shots turned their gazes toward Patrick, their eyes filled with inquiry, suspicion, and even a hint of watching the spectacle.

Patrick's chill intensified, yet he maintained a calm facade and said nothing more.

Just then, Speaker George shone a beam of light in the direction where Patrick was.

"I do have someone in mind, Mark from the Magicians' Association."

"As far as I know, this young man possesses the bloodline of the Frost Giants, and is not only proficient in ice magic, but can also cast 3..."

Ice magic is perfect for this mission.

Everyone looked on in astonishment.

Who is Mark?

Why is he attracting so much attention from George, the head of the council?

In contrast, Patrick remained seated, his expression calm, as if Speaker George had recommended not a mage from his own association, but an insignificant stranger.

Then, Patrick slowly spoke, retorting with the arrogance and disdain of a mage.

"George, your suggestion is very inappropriate."

"Mark is just a newly promoted official mage. No matter how talented or strong he is, he is still shallow in foundation and lacks practical experience. He is simply not capable of undertaking such an important mission."

"If something unexpected happens and disrupts the entire plan, who will take responsibility?"

George simply smiled upon hearing this, offering no further explanation, and withdrew from the scene with a smile.

However, Garrison, sitting in the main seat, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then his eyes darted around before he made the final decision.

"He's the one. It's hard to find a satisfactory ice mage right now."

"If this young man lacks magic... I can request the Winter's Horn from Earthquake Keep," which should be enough to ensure he completes this mission.

"But..."

Patrick wanted to try again, but everyone's attention had already shifted to discussing other details.

Patrick could only shake his head helplessly and accept the fact.