"Welcome to England, Mister Mykel," A man in a black suit said as soon as Mykel and the others walked down the private jet that Alfredo sent for them. "Please come this way, the cars are waiting and Sir Alfredo has been waiting for your arrival," he continued.
Mykel glanced at the seven most expensive luxury sedans parked and those were their rides. Each car was exclusively for two people so they could ride comfortably, and those sedans were enough to buy a few private jets. They couldn't believe there was someone who could be that rich and finally understood why the Redshield family was the richest family in the world.
"Are we the last one who arrived?" Mykel asked the man that sat in the front with the driver.
"Unfortunately, yes. All the guilds have been gathered in the castle as we speak, and they have been wondering why the conference hasn't started yet," The man answered with a flat tone and without showing any expression like a robot.
"I should apologize to Alfredo then for being late," Mykel said as he fixed his tie and the surgeon's cuffs.
"You should. Sir Alfredo has never waited for anyone before, and this is his first time," The man replied and his tone showed that he was annoyed.
Elena who sat next to Mykel immediately glared at the passenger seat in front of her. The man felt a chill down his spine so suddenly, and when he glanced at the rear mirror, he saw Elena was deadly staring at him.
"I don't like the tone you're using to my brother. If I hear you use that tone again, I will rip your back and take your heart from here before you can react," Elena said coldly.
The man was frozen still and tried not to look scared, but his hands were clenched and his shoulders stiffened after he heard that.
The two-hour journey became dead silent and awkward after that, and Mykel wasn't bothered by it. He was in fact enjoying the view because he had forgotten how beautiful England was.
"We will arrive in fifteen minutes," The man said and his shoulders were still stiffened because he was on guard.
Mykel saw the big gates and the walls in front of him, and he was surprised that the gates were there even though they still had fifteen minutes before they could reach the castle. He was amazed by how big the land the Redshield family had and wondered if they had a hidden or secret building there that nobody knew.
"How many buildings are there within the walls?" Mykel asked since he saw palaces in the distance.
"There are exactly fifty-six buildings within the walls. Five of them were for the maids, servants, and the other workers. Twenty palaces for the family members and their descendants. Two theaters, three training grounds, and ten palaces for the members of the Redshield Guild. Five towers near the walls, and two castles that especially for the head family and the wife," The man answered. "There are flower gardens, mazes, glasshouses, a museum, and a cemetery," he continued.
"You should make something like this, for your future generation," Elena said as she looked at Mykel.
Mykel only chuckled and didn't respond to Elena's words.
"We are here, Mister Mykel, Miss Elena," The man said as he pointed at the wide castle in front of him.
The sedans were parked right next to each other, and then the servants opened the doors for them. They weren't amazed by the castle because they had seen something more beautiful inside the towers.
The man guided them into the castle and went straight to the main hall where all the guilds had gathered. He asked them to stand in front of the giant door because the announcer was going to announce Mykel and the others' arrival before they could enter the hall. It was a tradition for nobles to show their respect for the guest.
"Fancy," Rozan said quietly as he checked his suit and made sure there was no wrinkle on it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rebirth Guild has arrived!" The voice of the announcer could be heard from behind the door.
The door slowly opened and the hall was so quiet to look at the last guild that made them wait for hours. Mykel was walking in the front while everyone else was walking behind him as they entered the hall. He could feel the gazes that were poking him, but he ignored it as he grabbed a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and put a cigarette in his mouth.
"This isn't a place for smoke, Mister Mykel," The man said as he looked at Mykel.
Mykel glanced at the man with a cigarette in his mouth, but then Alfredo chuckled as he walked down the stairs. "Let a man smoke when he wants to smoke. He's an important guest of mine, so I want him to feel comfortable here," Alfredo said.
Mykel raised his eyebrow and slightly smirked at the man as he lit the cigarette with fire magic. He then approached Alfredo as he puffed the smoke to show who was the real guest in the hall.
"Why are you smoking that cheap stuff? Did the money that I paid isn't enough for you to enjoy the best quality cigar?" Alfredo asked as he offered his hand for a handshake.
"Old habit is hard to break," Mykel answered with a smile as he shook Alfredo's hand.
"Then I'll let your mouth taste the best quality cigar later," Alfredo smiled and kept shaking Mykel's hand. "Anyway, let us go to the auditorium and start the conference," Alfredo said.
They gathered in the auditorium and sat in their designated seats that had been carefully placed to avoid dissension between the guilds that already had a conflict with each other. Mykel and the others were placed in the center of the auditorium which made them the center of attention.
"I know that some of you or almost all have known each other from the hall earlier, but let's introduce ourselves formally here," The announcer said as he stood on stage.
The announcer introduced the number one guild in the world, the Olympian's Guild. There were twelve Chosen Ones, and each of them represented the Olympian Gods. The leader's name was Lazarus Demetri, and it was so obvious that he represented Zeus.
The second one was the Valhalla Guild with twenty Chosen Ones, and they looked at the Olympian's Guild with despise. The leader's name was Magnus Borrson, and he represented Odin because of the eye patch that he wore.
The third one was the Sun Guild with only five Chosen Ones, and yet they were enough to compete with the Olympian's Guild and Valhalla Guild. The leader's name was Shanka Amer, and he still wore that white cloth to cover the bottom half of his face. Not only him, but the rest of them were also wearing the same white cloth. He represented Ra since he held the staff with the sun carved on it.
The fourth one was the Golden Lotus Clan with nine Chosen Ones, but there should be more of them because the Gods had chosen more Awakeners. There would be fifteen more, and they could take the first spot as the strongest guild. The leader's name was Zhang Chen, and nobody knew which God that he represented.
The fifth one was the Shinshi Clan with nineteen Chosen Ones. They were more secretive about their Gods and they weren't given much information about them. The leader's name was Ren Kimishima, and rumors said that he was the son of the patriarch of the strongest and most feared Yakuza in Japan.
The sixth one was the Sinhwa Clan with twenty-one Chosen Ones and their numbers kept rising since originally there were only six of them at first. They weren't interested in the ranking system because they only cared for the safety of their people. The leader's name was Jeong Ahn, and he was the youngest Chosen One and leader compared to the others, he was only sixteen years old.
The Golden Lotus, Shinshi, and the Sinhwa Clans had formed an alliance that made them the strongest in Asia.
The seventh one was the Zoroaster Guild with only four Chosen Ones but powerful enough to stand in the top ten just like the Sun Guild. Their Gods were basically Mykel's children in the novel world which were Angra, Spenta, and Ahura Mazda. The leader's name was Darius Azar, and rumored to have said that he was a fierce leader like a dictator and a tyrant.
The Goldmane, Oath, Conquerors, and Silver Cross guilds were introduced after. The other guilds and clans looked at them as if they didn't belong there since none of them had been chosen.
"Now, let me introduce the Rebirth Guild with a total of fourteen members. The leader is Mykel Alester from New York," The announcer said as he pointed his hand at Mykel.
Mykel stood up with the cigarette still hanging in his mouth and then sat down again after everyone had seen his face. A second after he sat down, someone opened the door and just barged into the auditorium.
"Sorry, we are late," A man said, and his voice echoed throughout the auditorium.
The whole auditorium's atmosphere became so heavy the moment that man entered. Mykel and his team looked at the man, and then four other men and two women walked in. They could tell they were different than anyone in the auditorium, the familiar pressure and presence that they had been feeling their whole life inside the novel world.
"Let me introduce the Redshield Guild with a total of five thousand members. The leader is Agares Andreas," the announcer said.
"Agares, one of the seven Dukes of Hell," Rozan said quietly.
"To think we found all the seven Dukes of Hell here," Mykel smirked as he stared at each one of them.