"Mr. Caden!" The store manager opened his mouth as he gaped at the tall and thin man who was standing in front of him. "Please forgive me for keeping the great Oracle waiting." He bowed in respect and only dared to lift his head a couple of seconds later.
The fairy's glittering eyes seemed to be mesmerized as he stared at the person with veneration. At this moment, it was as if his entire attention was focused on this person and only this person.
And this was not just the store manager. Every single fairy in the hall, not to mention the human beings who were also present, everyone had eyes only for this single person.
The moment he stood up and walked into the hall, he was the center of attention, and for all they knew, he was the center of their whole universe.
The feeling they had for him had already crossed the boundary of respect and entered the realm of complete and utter worship, so much so that it bordered on blind devotion.
They had even forgotten the anger and worry they had about their future and the nightmarish insects. Everything was going to be okay as long as this person in front of them wished so. All they had to do was pray to him.
The faith and belief they had in him perhaps even outclassed the gods they had been worshiping all their lives.
However, as opposed to the look in their eyes, there was nothing particularly special about this man.
He was a young man, seemingly in his twenties to thirties. He had a tall and thin frame with an austere expression and wore extremely plain and simple clothes, a plain shirt, and pants.
He was clean, he was calm, and his eyes which were as dark as the endless abyss, were framed by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. The only thing that was even remotely special about him was his silver hair which had a mysterious glow to it.
Otherwise, he was not even memorable. He had a plain face that was neither too handsome nor too ugly. If he were in a crowd, he wouldn't stand out and rather blend in the background, completely unnoticed by anyone.
But at the same time, this exact face left an impression that was ever-lasting and made countless powerful people worship him. It was almost as if he chose the effect he wanted to leave behind. To be forgotten or to be worshiped was his whim and wish.
Even the politicians that stood transfixed at the moment were not an exception. Though they have all seen him countless times, none of them could ever remember how he looked.
Just seconds after their meeting, they wouldn't be able to recollect his face or any of his features or even his name. Only the feeling of respect remained, along with the faint memory of the pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
The most shocking aspect of this was… no one had ever really thought to question why this was the case! Such a thought did not even appear in their head.
The oracle, or rather Caden, calmly gazed at the store manager and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "Let's go inside and talk."
The fairy nodded his head like a dog and quickly obliged, leading the way for the two of them. They then disappeared somewhere inside the store right in front of everyone's eyes.
Only a couple of minutes after they left, the others came back to their senses. The politicians and government officials, who were cackling like a pack of hyenas before, had all suddenly calmed down.
They inexplicably felt assured that everything would be taken care of, and that simmered them all down. Kouske, standing on the side, smirked at this sight.
Naturally, he was different from these idiots. Unlike these brainless sheep, what he and the fairies had for the Oracle was not blind worship but a sense of respect firmly backed due to logical reasons.
This was why Kouske also knew that his big brother already had everything under his control. He probably even predicted that the nuclear weapon wouldn't be triggered in the first place.
Now the only thing that he wanted to know was… what was his brother's next course of action?
Kouske did not have to wait long to see this because soon, the store manager and the Oracle returned from their private discussion.
And this time, the Oracle was not empty-handed.
On his right hand, he was holding a dozen small marbles, all of them a light blue shade in color. More importantly, they seemed to have some sort of mysterious marks etched on them.
Everyone gaped at these mysterious marbles, wondering what they were.
But the Oracle did not bother to explain his actions to the whole room. Instead, he looked at Kouske and Barrett, who quickly followed him back to the corner where he had been sitting all along.
The three of them then discussed something. A few minutes later, Kouske alone came forward and announced to everyone.
"We will be dealing with these hive hills in a slightly different way. Those who want to come along with us and witness the event are welcome. The others can leave and attend to their guild affairs."
Kouske's address was also quite short and did not give any explanation.
Normally, someone would have questioned him or at least shown a bit of displeasure, but the bunch of government officials simply turned around to leave for their respective guilds.
"Heh… At least these puppets know how to behave when." Kouske sneered. He then, along with the 20 Generals, quickly moved. In his hand, there was only a single marble.
After the two groups left, Barrett, who was still standing beside the Oracle, politely asked in a low voice. "Sir, will this really work?" Even though he also had unshakeable faith in the man next to him, there were still lines of worry on his face.
However, the Oracle, on the other hand… only smiled casually.
There were no signs of anxiety or hesitation in his demeanor as he simply closed his eyes. The next second, a mysterious aura enshrouded him from top to bottom.
Barrett's eyes widened in shock as he took a step back subconsciously, and even the fairies in the shop suddenly quieted down.
Everyone's eyes were now fixated on the single person once again as they swallowed. The Oracle was making a prediction! What was it going to be?
Only the store manager already knew the answer to this question. This time everything was going to work out!
Of course, he knew this because he understood the situation quite well, and he also knew about the isons beforehand. But this did not stop him from feeling amazed at the powers of an Oracle.
It was no wonder that these blessed beings were respected in all the myriad realms.