NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 397: A Warning from the Capital
The four of them stood in silence at the doorstep, exchanging uncertain glances. Ritchie and Jeremy both felt that the situation had become uncomfortably awkward.
So, Ritchie decided to speak up.
"You must have some news for us, right? If it's not convenient to talk here, we can go inside and discuss it," Ritchie said, then turned his gaze toward Jeremy.
Jeremy nodded slightly, pushing open the door to his house.
The others followed him inside.
It seemed that Liam and Bonnie had finally gathered their thoughts on how to begin.
Liam was the first to speak, directly addressing Jeremy. "I do have some very bad news. The thing is, it's only bad news for you."
Jeremy didn't say a word. He didn't make any move either. He simply waited for Liam to continue.
Liam hesitated for a moment before finally revealing the bad news he had brought.
"I just received a new order from the capital. While they don't intend to force you to return, they have instructed all official organizations to cease any cooperation with you. This includes the Special Circumstances Bureau, which will no longer provide you with any assistance. As the director of the Bureau, I am forbidden from cooperating with you. However, if you find yourself in danger, I can still offer some help in a personal capacity."
After saying this, Liam anxiously looked at Jeremy.
Jeremy's expression remained unchanged. He seemed to be waiting for Liam to say more.
Experience more on empire
Once it became clear that Liam had no further information to share, Jeremy calmly asked, "Is that all the bad news you brought?"
"Isn't that bad enough? You can no longer rely on our help. From now on, you'll have to face things on your own. And keep in mind that the difficulty of the apocalypse game's instances and monsters has greatly increased. Going solo will bring you a lot of trouble. Not only that, but your companions won't receive any assistance from us either. The dangers they face will likely be even greater than yours."
Liam spoke with a somewhat anxious tone, expecting that Jeremy would be deeply worried.
Liam had even prepared many comforting words for Jeremy. However, he never expected that Jeremy would be completely indifferent to the capital's actions against him.
After hearing Liam's words, Jeremy simply smiled.
"Stop with the jokes. You've indeed helped me in some ways. But even without your help, I would still be able to rely on my own strength to solve any problems that come my way.
My companions may not be strong enough, but I'm confident I can ensure their safety. And I believe the capital hasn't just stopped at this little bit of targeting, right? There must be more actions against me, isn't there?"
Jeremy's response left both Liam and Bonnie stunned. While they both knew Jeremy was someone who wouldn't panic in the face of danger, they never expected him to be so unafraid when facing the direct threat from the capital.
"You're right," Liam finally admitted. "The capital has not only ordered all official organizations to cease assisting you. They've also asked me to deliver a personal warning to you. The people at the capital do not want you to head there. If you go to the capital, you'll become a direct target of the military's headquarters and the high-level federal forces. Additionally, all the major families within the capital will also turn their forces against you."
Upon hearing this, Jeremy let out a cold laugh.
"Tell them not to worry! If they don't bother me, I won't go to the capital! But, of course, I still hope you'll remind Kean. He won't be my opponent, no matter what kind of schemes he tries, he can never defeat me."
With that, Jeremy turned to leave, intending to head to his bedroom to rest. After all, he and Ritchie had been all over the place today.
Liam and Bonnie watched him leave in silence.
At that moment, Ritchie slowly spoke up.
"Do you have anything else to say? If not, I'll also be heading to rest. I need to head out with Jeremy tomorrow."
Bonnie glanced at Ritchie and slowly shook her head.
"We don't have anything else to say. But, could you tell me what you and Jeremy will be doing tomorrow?"
Bonnie seemed deeply concerned about Jeremy's actions the next day.
To Bonnie, it seemed that whatever Jeremy was doing now was crucial.
After hearing Bonnie's question, Ritchie smiled and said, "My level has already reached 50."
With that, Ritchie turned and walked away.
He felt that the information he had shared was enough for Bonnie and Liam to make their own conclusions.
Ritchie's assumption was correct.
Upon hearing Ritchie's words, Bonnie and Liam immediately reacted.
"Ritchie has already reached level 50?" Liam exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and a bit of envy. "Doesn't that mean he's about to undergo his awakening? Are Jeremy and Ritchie looking for a suitable awakening instance for him?"
Liam spoke quickly, his tone a mix of surprise and admiration. He hadn't expected Ritchie's level to rise so rapidly. Liam himself wished he could reach level 50 and access his own awakening instance as quickly.
Bonnie didn't respond to Liam's question. She was feeling quite distressed.
She had always thought that, aside from Jeremy, she would be the first to undergo her awakening. She never imagined that Ritchie would surpass her in progress.
"Since we've delivered the message, we should head back and report," Bonnie said, clearly anxious. "We shouldn't waste any more time on this. I need to level up quickly."
It was obvious that Bonnie was growing impatient. She felt that Ritchie's progress had left her behind, and now she had to make up for lost time by leveling up as quickly as possible.
Liam nodded, and he and Bonnie returned to the city center of Moonlight City.
The first thing they did was meet with Benjamin and recount Jeremy's reaction in full.
Benjamin sighed deeply after hearing their report.
"I honestly don't know whether the current situation is good or bad for us. Jeremy seems incredibly confident. But his confidence may not necessarily be a good thing."
Although Benjamin had always had great faith in Jeremy, he couldn't shake the feeling that the crisis Jeremy was facing now was immense.
Benjamin wished he could help Jeremy resolve some of his troubles. However, the information coming from the capital made him feel as though he couldn't be of any use at all.
"I think your concern is a bit unnecessary," Liam said. "Jeremy is absolutely a genius. He will definitely be able to solve all the problems he faces. All we need to do is watch from the sidelines."
Liam was trying to reassure Benjamin, believing that Jeremy would handle everything on his own.
Benjamin silently nodded.
Liam and Bonnie both understood that it was time for them to leave. However, just as Bonnie was about to walk out of the office, Benjamin's voice called out from behind.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Do you have something important to take care of?"
Bonnie, without turning around, replied calmly, "Of course. My level is now far behind that of my companions. I need to level up quickly. Once I do, I'll be able to protect Moonlight City."
Her tone was flat, almost as if the matter was not of much significance to her.
Benjamin didn't say anything further. He simply glanced at his daughter before waving his hand.
Under normal circumstances, Benjamin wouldn't want his daughter to take risks in order to level up. But the situation had escalated beyond his expectations.
Reluctantly, Benjamin had to allow his daughter to focus on leveling up because the higher her level, the safer she would be.
Bonnie left Benjamin's office and headed straight home to organize her gear and weapons.
She had made up her mind: she would go to an instance alone. Clearing instances by herself would allow her to gain more experience points.
In Bonnie's view, the high-difficulty instances around Moonlight City had already been thoroughly cleared. She didn't anticipate encountering much danger during her actions.
Her sense of urgency was strong.
Bonnie didn't even wait until dawn to head out to an instance; she went out at night.
Although the difficulty of the instance wasn't particularly high, the monsters within would still get a boost at night.
During her clearance of the instance, Bonnie did encounter some danger. However, in the end, she managed to handle the situation through her own efforts and successfully cleared the entire instance.
By the time the sun rose, Bonnie realized that her level had finally reached 49.
"I just need to push a little more, and I'll reach level 50. Maybe Ritchie will take longer than me to complete his awakening. If I reach level 50 and unlock my awakening instance, I might even surpass him!" Bonnie muttered to herself, a bit excited.