Peter the Great and Catherine the Great snapped their heads up and stared at the shark that was standing before him.

Their greatest fear had come true. They were now faced with the question that they hoped would never be asked of them.

Aristotle’s identity was far too important. He was one of the leaders of the Sages of the Round Table, the Vice President of the Assembly, one of the original creators of the Forbidden Arts, and one of the top brass of the Argosian Underworld. In other words, for all intents and purposes, he essentially represented the Argosian Underworld itself!

The initiation module that was in the Russian Underworld’s possession was given to them by the Argosian Underworld. If they didn’t agree to the exchange now, would the Argosian Underworld continue to render them aid in the fields of Forbidden Arts in future? Moreover, the Russian Underworld had clearly already stepped on the toes of Hell, while the Hindustani Underworld and Aegyptian Underworld were located too far away to be of concern right now. Naturally, that leaves only the Argosian Underworld that can assist the Russian Underworld. They couldn’t simply leave Aristotle out in the lurch.

But… could they really give up on the Resentment Crystals at hand?

It was a decision so agonizing it felt no different from plunging a knife straight through the heart.

The pain was excruciating. Even then, they knew full well that this was beyond their bottom line! Their assent now would mean that everything that they had invested to date, spanning decades on end, would completely go up...