Klaus and the rest of the party quickly disembarked when the white bus arrived at the Port of Miami.
"Everyone! Before we leave, I have your attention!" Justin exclaimed in front of the party.
While the Guild Master briefed his men, Klaus looked over the situation at the departure point. A sea of people filled the harbor, and white ships lined the docks.
Klaus could not help but smile.
All the ships that would be used to sail the Bermuda Triangle had been equipped with the latest products from Mors Industries. Klaus received a large amount of incentives from the government for this project. Thanks to that, the company no longer had to worry about making a loss for the past 6 months.
It was a starting point for Klaus to build trust between Mors Industries and the government. If the dungeon quest was a great success, Klaus was sure that he could gain the government's trust, and it was likely that they would give Mors Industries their trust in the future.
Justin reported to Klaus after briefing the party. "Everything is ready. Are we going to use 'it' now?"
"Not yet. We'll wait for the right time."
Justin squinted. He wasn't sure what his boss meant. "Okay."
All the members of Rays of Hope were in military-grade combat attire, wearing gray t-shirts covered with vests and long pants with boots.
Joanna looked uncomfortable in the clothes that clung to her body. All the way here, she couldn't stop complaining on the bus.
"Uh, this shirt is so itchy. What kind of person finds fabric like this?" Joana sighed in annoyance.
"You're not the only one who feels it. We do too." Sylvia soothed the girl with a gentle tone.
Unlike Joanna, who had never worn clothes made from non-premium materials, Sylvia was used to wearing various types of clothes. Her difficult economic situation forced Sylvia to accept any circumstances.
"Yeah, if I'd known he was telling us to wear these shit clothes, I'd have had my personal tailor make them," Olivia chimed in.
On the other hand, a similar scene was also shown by Olivia. She was a girl born with a silver spoon. Classy fabrics had always clung to her skin since she was a kid, even after living independently in New York. Now, the military outfit she was wearing made this busty woman scratch her neck.
Of course, Klaus was aware of his subordinates' complaints.
The entire party had prepared their equipment and combat suits inside the spatial ring, but Klaus told them not to use it until he gave the order. He was waiting for the right moment because he had already prepared a plan to increase his guild's prestige among the awakeners.
Grinning widely, Klaus looked into the distance among the thousands of humans gathered in this harbor. His eyes fell on the Oathkeeper's entourage. He still had not forgotten the face of the woman who tried to cheat him in the coin toss bet.
"Where are the others? Why haven't they shown up yet."
Klaus was still waiting for the other two guilds from the Five Pillars. To execute his plan, he needed to wait for the three best guilds in the USA to gather in one place. The more of them, the better.
The awakeners who gathered in this place would see that there was a guild other than the Five Pillars that had high-end combat equipment.
In the middle of thinking about his plan, a girl's shrill voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Klaus! Come on! I can't take it anymore. When am I going to take off these damn clothes!"
Seeing Joanna complaining like a child, Klaus pinches her forehead to shut her up. "Stop being childish, Joanna. Why did you come here if you don't like wearing those clothes? You should have stayed if you could not hold it."
Joanna pouted. "I know. But it's more like burlap than cloth."
Klaus sighed. He then told Justin to get Joanna out of his sight.
"Return to your line. The other members are watching you. Don't make them think you can do whatever you want." Justin reprimanded her.
Joanna snorted. "Okay, okay, guild master." She said it with a sarcastic tone. She stuck out her tongue before turning back.
Facing Joanna's anti-warning behavior, Justin could not help but shake his head.
"Your sister, unruly," Justin complained.
"Do you realize that?" Klaus said rhetorically.
"Yeah." Justin sighed in exasperation. His facial expression said everything. "How about we go there? Mingling with the others seems like a good idea."
Klaus pursed his lips briefly. "Okay."
Klaus joined the awakeners crowd while waiting for Morning Star and Sunstrike's arrival.
The air became sultry as they mingled with them. They were in the sun, so their bodies were sweating and wafting an unpleasant odor. Olivia and Joanna looked annoyed by this situation but still refrained from complaining.
And Klaus pretended not to notice it.
After waiting a long time, Klaus opened his eyes wide, seeing the Morning Star entourage in blood-red armor walking towards Elizabeth and the Oathkeeper party.
"Just one more," Klaus muttered.
He saw the two guilds chatting interactively from a distance. Not long after, a group of people in black and gray clothing approached them.
Recognizing who they were, Klaus grinned widely. They were the strongest guild in Colorado, Sunstrike. The Guild Master, Hugo Musgrove, was also with them.
The opportunity Klaus had been waiting for had finally arrived. It was time for him to execute the plan.
"Hey, Justin. We're going to go near the docks. Order them to use their original equipment when we're in front of the crowd. Got it?"
Justin squinted for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I got it."
Klaus rubbed his palms together as he grinned.
He intended to show off the latest products from Mors Industries that had not yet been released. It was arcana made in equipment with a sophisticated and futuristic touch. Klaus was sure that the Rays of Hope party would be a magnet for attention when these awakeners saw it.
Klaus would dim the spotlights shining on the three best guilds in America; Morning Star, Oathkeeper, and Sunstrike.
"Follow me."
With a confident stride, Klaus and the party cut through the sea of people standing in their way. Imagining the surprised looks on the faces of these influential people, Klaus could not help but grin.
However, shit happened all the time.
A black limousine suddenly appeared in front of the crowd. Instantly, Klaus got a bad feeling as he watched the luxury car stop. For some reason, he felt very familiar.
"Who are they?" Klaus wondered silently.
His face darkened as a blonde woman in an elegant dress exited the car. She was accompanied by a group of bodyguards wearing black suits.
Anna Lee took center of attention the moment she appeared. Her fluttering hair and gentle blink of her eyes oozed beauty, while men froze, mesmerized by her beauty to the point that they were left gaping.
Instantly, whispers about Anna echoed among the awakeners.
"Goddamn it, why is she here?" grumbled Klaus.
The opportunity he'd been waiting for was gone. When Klaus thought he was out of luck, things got even worse.
Suddenly, he heard Anna cry out.
"Klaus! Joann!"
Anna waved from a distance, spotting her two children mingling with the crowd of awakeners. Suddenly all attention was on Klaus and Joanna.
"Fuck... how did she see us here?" Klaus muttered.
"Oh my god!" Not only was Klaus surprised, but Joanna was too. The girl ruffled her hair.
"Klaus! Joanna! Wait there, Mom is coming!"
Anna's voice echoed through the air. The blonde woman ran over to her kids, and Luis and a group of the Lee Family's elite bodyguards quickly surrounded her and cleared the way for the mistress to pass.
"Get out of the way!"
"Fuck off, please!"
"Don't touch her!."
The guards pushed everyone standing in her way. Some of them were annoyed, trying to retaliate, but the bodyguards were A-Class awakeners. These people were frightened as Luis showed his fierce face.
"Klaus, my baby!"
"Mo—ugh." Klaus was wrapped in Anna's arms before he could ask her why she was there.
"Jonna, you too! Come here, honey!"
"No, ma! I—go." The same thing happened to Joanna.
The mother hugged her two children very tightly before thousands of eyes.
Justin dropped his jaw, seeing Klaus treated like a child by his mom. The cold-hearted, calculative man looked helpless in front of his mother. It was enough to make Justin astonished. Even the other guild members were the same.
"Well, well. We didn't know our mastermind was a mama's boy," Akio muttered.
Michael nodded his head. "Yeah. I didn't expect it either."
At the same time, Olivia was trying her best to hold back her laughter, as tears almost seeped, and Sylvia could only smile grandly.
Meanwhile, Klaus could only resign himself. His plan had failed, and he couldn't be angry about it.
