Elijah sized up Darius much in the same way as Darius sized up Elijah, different thoughts going through their heads. While Darius was comparing the half-step Master stage expert to his two Journeymen vampires, Elijah was stunned by the fact that both Darius and Gunner were Adepts.

Darius radiated Mind Power, which proved that he was an Adept mage, however that didn't surprise the Royal Seneschal. The young lad was far from being a faceless fellow, his name alone was like thunder in the capital nowadays, ever since he arrived and introduced himself to the Equality Faction in Listo.

That was also why Darius had been confident enough to merely report his name and nothing else at the gate of the camp. All upper echelon members of Andrato Kingdom knew who he was and his recent meeting with the Crown Princess had only sparked a new wave of heat.

However, that had not reached the camp yet, not exactly. After all, the fellows here were more focused on the task at hand rather than noble gossip from the homeland.

No, what really shocked Elijah was the fact that Gunner who had been marked as a likely Journeyman pretending to be Amateur at his master's behest, was now standing in front of him an Adept!

But how many months had it been? Not even a single one!

These two had been around for less than a month and one of them was already an Adept? Could it be?!

No, Elijah shook his head. It was likely that the fellow had been constrained at the Journeyman level for a while and just broken through, he told himself as consolation.

Still, two Adepts below the age of 16 years… Elijah did not know how to feel anymore. While this was a good sign for the future of the kingdom, he couldn't help but compare it to how old he had been when reaching that stage.

Then his eyes fell onto the two vampires who were looking around the tent with interest. His eyes gleamed as he used his power to pierce through them, testing their strength.

He saw tendrils of Mind Power around the duo, but estimated them to be weak undead Adepts. Either Initiate or Halfblood Vampires new to their power, since Elijah refused to believe that Darius had somehow managed to turn two Pureblood Vampires into his subordinates.

Not only due to Darius's age, but the pride of the Vampire clan. Two Purebloods who could already start their own Family/Clan would rather perish than agree to serve someone less powerful.

The moment he made his move, Mikey and Joneson reacted by turning their attention to him. Mikey frowned while Joneson smiled stupidly, yet the end result was their combined Mind Power slapping away Elijah's and even pushing him back to deal damage.

Elijah was right about one thing; the fact was that Mikey and Joneson were new to such a thing, so they did not have good control. As such, the Royal Seneschal was able to escape the backlash, though his face was pale as a sheet.

The two undead stopped there, but their differing expressions chilled Elijah. He realized that these two were not a lot weaker than him, so they had to be Adept Purebloods!

Just the thought of it alone made his body shiver, as he turned his attention back to Darius who was smiling softly. The boy pretended as if he had not noticed anything, but how could it escape him when he too had Mind Power?

Elijah sighed and gestured to a seat opposite himself. "Baron Stone, please have a seat so we can chat."

Darius took him up on the offer and sat down, still smiling pleasantly. "Thank you very much, Esteemed Royal Seneschal. It's my humble pleasure to make your acquaintance at this time."

Elijah's lips twitched, but he also responded positively. "Good to make your acquaintance as well, Baron Stone. It is rare to see someone of your talent in our humble kingdom nowadays."

Darius laughed softly. "Andrato is a fine kingdom to settle down in, and I'm sure the local talent will rise in due time."

Elijah decided to stop with the pleasantries and get to the matter at hand. "May I inquire as to why you've visited our little outpost this time?"

Darius' eye glinted slightly. "Naturally I've come to acquire the rewards put up by the so-called Master-stage expert. I'm here to lend a hand in the efforts, and I daresay I have the aptest means available."

Elijah remained silent for a while, understanding what Darius was saying but not questioning him on it. Rather, he moved onto the next issue.

"Baron Stone, while your power and status grant you many freedoms, frolicking with cursed undead is a bit overboard, don't you think?"

Darius nodded. "I agree with that sentiment. However, Lord Seneschal, I believe you understand why I've brought them along and how useful they can be in our endeavor."

Elijah opened his mouth, but was forced to close it in the end. With 99 points in Intellect, of course he could tell the possible uses for these undead given their power.

Given the development of their last meeting, or more precisely the lack thereof, it could be said that these two could be the answer to many of their problems.

Ironically, making use of them could result in a whole new slew of problems, chief of them that the priests would never agree to work with undead, even if you beat them to death.

They might even stop clearing the blight infection away as punishment if the council dared to accede to Darius's ideas and the possible plans they could cook up.

This put Elijah in a tight spot, something Darius did not fail to notice. As such, he moved on to the next phase of his takeover plan and leaned in toward Elijah as he made a suggestion.

"Lord Seneschal, allow me to propose you a deal. Call together a meeting of executives for tomorrow and let me take the floor. All I ask for is a seat and a chance to express my plan without interruption and you might find that all your problems will go away."

Elijah frowned. "I can do that certainly, but how exactly will you help me with our problems?"

Darius chuckled here. "If you can spare me a bit more of your time, it shall be my pleasure to discuss all the matters plaguing you. You might be shocked to discover that there is always a solution to every problem. Sometimes one just needs an outsider's perspective."