"Let's maximize our gains from your remaining time with a few more questions," Ken said with an amiable smile that harbored no good intentions.
"Why did you follow the supreme elders' arrangements if you weren't compelled by the collar anymore?"
"Their strands of consciousness would let them know I've gone rogue, and they'd hunt me down if I ruined their plans and managed to ascend. I tried to scheme under the radar. Besides, I couldn't open the coffin by myself."
"And when did the collar stop affecting you?" Ken wanted to be sure his hypothesis was correct.
"After Elder Galen, the owner of the collar, ascended," Edmund confirmed Ken's theory. He was losing hope and tried to think profusely of a solution to his death.
"What prizes do you think I will find useful in the realm, and can you get them for me?" Ken asked his new slave greedily. Now that he had control of the man that knew the whole area, he wanted to maximize his benefits.
