Chapter 149 Chapter 148-Setting a Trap, Testing the Waters（3rd update, Cheer me with Power Stones!）
Time trickled by.
The teahouse was so quiet it felt as if the air had solidified.
The hopeful glow in Daniel and Benjamin's faces began to dim little by little.
After what felt like forever, they finally heard John's voice. "I indeed know some secretive matters. I thought these wouldn't be a secret to you officials, but it seems I was overthinking. You are completely in the dark about the Godslayer Continent."
"The information players are currently capable of gathering is mostly superficial..."
The two men perked up instantly.
However, John suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He looked at Daniel quizzically and said, "Mayor Daniel, forgive my boldness, but even as the highest official of this city, you surely do not have the authority to inquire into these matters on behalf of the officials, right?"
Daniel laughed. "You're remarkably astute. Indeed, I'm merely the vanguard. My goal today is simply to confirm whether you hold significant secrets about the Godslayer Continent."
"If I verify this, higher-ranking officials will be in touch with you."
John gave a bitter smile. He was, after all, drawn into the plots of these two sly foxes.
He had sensed something was off.
How did a casual conversation suddenly turn so serious?
In hindsight, it was all a set-up by these two.
First, through Daniel's introduction, John learned about the background of Godslayer's development.
Then, by expressing their anxiety over the uncertainty of humanity's fate, they coaxed John into revealing his knowledge.
Mayor Daniel sighed, "Actually, had you continued just now, I would've had to interrupt you."
"Because even I don't have the authority to know all the secrets of this otherworld."
"Even the background information I just shared with you about the Godslayer game development was only temporarily relayed to me before I came to Graceful Waters Manor. The higher-ups knew I was meeting with you," Daniel Roberts revealed.
John fell into silence once more.
With a light chuckle, Daniel added, "You may not know, but currently, several big shots are closely monitoring any news about the ID 'Galewind'. When they learned that 'Galewind' was in this city, they contacted me almost immediately."
"Once you give your response, John, those big shots will fly over here..." As he spoke, Daniel gestured towards the sky, an air of mystery playing across his face.
Not just John, but even Benjamin became restless.
For Daniel to refer to them as 'big shots', just what level of officials could they be?
Benjamin was about to ask, but Daniel silenced him with a glance.
His mind raced to recall a few individuals he had encountered only on specific occasions...
Daniel sighed heavily, his face grave, "You have no idea how shocked I was when I first heard these secrets."
Benjamin empathized, "Things like another world, occupations, deities... Things that used to only exist in novels and films, now they're about to emerge in reality. Who could sit still after hearing that?"
Daniel shot him a glance, "Yet your face didn't show any shock. Did you have some insider information?"
Benjamin replied nonchalantly, admitting, "I indeed heard some rumors... I have a few good friends in the capital, one of them happens to be a top physicist."
"Last year, when I was on a business trip to the capital, he mentioned some odd things after a few drinks. It caught my attention."
"After that, I pulled some strings, gathered some information, and slowly pieced together an answer that's quite similar to what you've told me."
"Do you think I would've invested so much money and effort into a field that the Taylor Group has never ventured into without a good reason?"
Daniel Roberts simply scoffed.
John, on the other hand, was quite surprised.
Benjamin had built the Taylor Group into the leading business in the city from scratch in just over a decade.
Clearly, this was not a simple matter of luck.
The man's intuition was remarkably sharp.
Just a cryptic drunken comment from a friend had motivated him to spend a significant amount of time and effort gathering information.
In the end, he managed to construct an answer closest to the truth from the disjointed pieces of information.
This level of determination was something not everyone could muster.
"Supernatural abilities, huh..." Benjamin sighed wistfully, a glint of longing in his eyes, "If everyone could wield such earth-shattering powers, what would the world look like?"
John replied without a change in expression, casually stating, "If that were the case, the world would plunge into chaos. Laws could no longer restrain people's actions and the law of the jungle would become the norm again."
"When that happens, those in power like you, Chairman Benjamin, might have a hard time sleeping at night."
Despite John's calm tone, his words struck Benjamin like a thunderbolt, shattering his illusion.
That's right, in today's civilized society, his capital and business empire elevated him.
But if it became a different world, could his wealth still guarantee his position?
"All things considered, we should be preparing ourselves more for what's to come. If not for my busy schedule, I'd even consider getting a holographic gaming cabin to experience this otherworldly charm firsthand," Daniel Roberts mused, emptying his tea cup with a wistful sigh.
Benjamin, however, seemed relatively composed.
Despite his gaming studio not having made significant strides in Godslayer, they'd managed to gather a fair amount of basic information about the game's world.
"I am truly curious about the mysteries that this other world holds…" Benjamin's words trailed off.
At that, John, who had been casually toying with his bronze teacup, replied, "Soon enough, you'll both know. At that point, these mysteries won't be mysteries anymore."
Benjamin and Daniel Roberts froze at John's words, picking up an astounding piece of information from his casual statement.
Daniel Roberts widened his eyes in shock, "Are you implying we'll soon witness this other world in reality?"
John lowered his gaze, his voice steady, "All I can share is that the convergence of the Godslayer world with our reality is accelerating..."
Daniel Roberts and Benjamin were taken aback.
This news was too shocking, even for them who had weathered many storms in their positions of power.
The revelation left them reeling.
John didn't say any more after that, focusing instead on savoring his aromatic, and expensive, Dragon Well tea.
He had already said too much.
It wasn't a conversation these two were yet equipped to handle.
The more people knew about Godslayer's secrets, the worse it could potentially be, stirring public panic and possibly causing a premature breakdown of order.
Perhaps this was the underlying reason why governments were going to great lengths to hide the truth about the Godslayer game.
After a while, Benjamin sighed, "The world is truly becoming more and more fascinating, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for old-timers like us to keep up..."
"John, I've also formed a guild in Godslayer, the Tide Guild, although its development has been less than satisfactory. If there's an opportunity for collaboration in the future, I hope you could lend us a hand. The future truly belongs to you youngsters. We're just being swept along with the tide. You're making a name for yourself now. If there's ever anything you need from me, don't hesitate to ask. I'm not worried for myself, I've seen enough ups and downs over the years. Everything I'm doing now, it's all for Mia..."
Benjamin's voice was filled with sincerity, almost begging by the end.
His parental concern was touching.
John chuckled and nodded, "Rest assured, I understand..."
It wasn't until now that he learned that the little girl he saved by the river was named Mia Taylor.
Only when he saw John agree did Benjamin feel relieved.
His soft side vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by the calm demeanor of a seasoned businessman.
Benjamin smiled again, "No matter what the future holds, we still need to live our lives now, so let's not worry too much. Jonathan, come with me later to see Mia, the little girl you bravely saved that day. I want to see how she's doing now..."
John smiled and nodded, "I would love to."
The only thought in his mind at that moment was how frighteningly adept these veterans of the business world were at dealing with people.
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