Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 120: Book 2: Chapter 34: Midnight Rendezvous

Read chapter 120 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 2: Chapter 34: Midnight Rendezvous Book 2: Chapter 34: Midnight Rendezvous The candles in the common room had burned low by the time the rest of the team had long since retired to their bedrooms. Silence had long since replaced the sounds of hushed conversation in the common room of the suite. Alex stood alone as he peered into the tall, silver-framed mirror near the fireplace. A half-finished cup of tea sat untouched beside him. He wasn’t actually tired. His mind ran hot with different calculations, spinning through every conversation, every deal struck, every handshake and hidden glance over the last few days. When everyone came in at the end of the day, they went over the status for all the potential votes. It was quickly found that they were still at a disadvantage, despite all of their efforts, and the vote was happening tomorrow. Four votes for. Five against. Three unknown. Close… but not enough. “When they kill you, who do you think will get my body? Or do you think they will just throw me out like garbage? Oh no, I might become garbage!” The the surface of the mirror shuddered just as the clock above the hearth chimed midnight. Just slightly. The silver plane rippled like disturbed water, and then there was light Soft and blue, thrumming with distorted aether. A voice followed shortly after, metallic and modulated, unmistakably altered in some magical way. “You’ve worked hard, Worldstrider. I suppose I should offer congratulations.” Alex rose from the seat and took a single step towards the mirror. “House Vaelros. I figured someone would show up eventually.” “Looks like you are smarter than I initially gave you credit for. Still, you have no leverage Strider Pierce. We already have all the information we need. You’ve paraded yourselves across the capital, spells, votes, duels… the show has been enjoyable. But for us, the show is over.” Alex folded his arms. His gaze didn’t leave the shifting aether surface. “You had a spy in our suite. That alone is enough to bring a case before the Arcanuum, for breach of diplomatic protocol.” “A servant. Disavowed. He acted alone.” He raised a brow. “House Duskmoor went with that same tactic, seems to be a favorite of this kingdom. Unfortunately, that plan would have worked again, would have, but not now.” “What do you mean?” He shrugged and tucked his hands into his pockets. “If the servant was working alone, he wouldn’t have went back with a message, a message that was delivered. To appear at the mirror, one this day, at a specific time. That’s not working alone, they working in consort.” “Who’s to say this conversation is even happening at all? You?” Then, slowly, he lifted his hand. Between his fingers glowed an aether-slate, runes softly pulsing. With help from Obby and the Terraxum library, he was able to figure out how to repair one of the aether-slates he took from the Dark Den dungeon. It didn’t have any valuable information on it, but that also meant once he learned to also record with the slate, it would be empty and ready to receive. Recording information, being a task he just recently learned to do in the library before the House Vaelros servant arrived with his empty silver tray. He flipped the aether-slate in his hand. “Already recording,” he said. “And unless you want the Arcanuum seeing the exact moment your ‘disavowed’ agent established a link through a state’s mirror enchantment… I suggest we stop pretending.” Silence stretched over the room for a long moment. Then, the voice let out a slow, artificial sigh. “...Very well. What do you want?” Alex didn’t smile, and he didn’t gloat. He just went straight to the point. “I want your vote. And your support. Not because you believe in us, but because you don’t want the world to know how much you already knew.” “You’ve made enemies.” “We had established enemies before we even enter the palace walls. Instead, we made allies. That’s what matters, that’s why you give us your vote.” The mirror pulsed one last time. Then