I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 183: Heading to a Test

"Access to our knowledge? What does that mean?" Margaret Ellis asks.

"He means it literally," Jonathan replies. "He wants his team to have access to our knowledge."

"That is impossible! He’s not one of us, nor is he an apprentice," Margaret snaps.

"Jonathan," Victor interjects, "what does the Vitari think?"

He notices that the Vitari faction has been unusually quiet throughout the video conference call.

This call has become routine ever since Maeve’s report, a regular meeting between the Vitari faction and the Neutral faction.

Jonathan brings up his meeting with Arthur from the previous afternoon and explains Arthur’s request to the floor.

He looks at Martyn and Eleanor. Both of them nod.

"Yesterday, right after the meeting, we discussed it among ourselves. We even called Maeve and asked her for more details about Arthur’s team."

"We believe this is a good opportunity to share our knowledge of magic. According to Maeve, there is no better group of people she would trust."

"That’s one," Jonathan continues. "Two, I like Arthur Montrose. He’s smart and straightforward. It’s clear he trusts his team. Even though I don’t know him as well as Maeve does, I’m inclined to believe she’s right."

"Three, it’s a good deal. As it turns out, there’s an overwhelming amount of bureaucracy and paperwork just to enter a dungeon. If we try to do this ourselves, we’ll drown in it. Arthur said he’ll take care of all that."

"I did consider the possibility that he was lying," Jonathan admits. "But this is Arthur Montrose of Montrose Corporation. The CEO. The man who rebuilt the company. Why would he lie about this?"

Jonathan pauses, giving his friends time to think.

"I admit, it does sound good," Margaret says slowly. "But this is still the Custodians’ accumulated knowledge. Knowledge collected over thousands of years." She tries to defend her stance, but even to her own ears, it sounds less convincing than before.

"I have another matter to share," Edmund says.

He sighs before continuing.

"The Arcanus already has a team clearing dungeons. We’ve all heard about this, right? Ethan’s team. Isabelle’s apprentice." He pauses. "Yesterday, she told me that the heartstones Ethan gathered will not be shared with us."

Collective gasps ripple through the call.

"They want them for themselves?" Margaret exclaims.

Edmund nods. "Unfortunately, yes. She gave me a long list of reasons. That Ethan risked his life, that he found the dungeon himself, and other arguments I don’t even want to repeat."

"But has she forgotten that it was the Custodians’ knowledge that enabled Ethan to clear the dungeon in the first place?" Margaret frowns deeply.

"Greedy bastards," Edmund mutters.

"I’m afraid we need to consider the possibility that Arcanus will act more and more independently from now on," Victor says, his expression somber. "We all know they’ve wanted their own people. Their own inner circle."

"I have to admit, this is not an ideal situation," Victor continues. "But if we sit still and do nothing while Arcanus grows stronger and stronger..." He trails off, leaving the implication hanging.

"We’ll become old, outdated, and powerless against them," Catherine Rowen says quietly. "I don’t see a future where Arcanus doesn’t reserve magic knowledge for their own."

"We need to prepare ourselves," Thomas Calder adds. "We need our own people. Not to accumulate more heartstones, but to protect our legacy."

Silence falls. Faces on the screen study one another.

"I suppose we’ve reached a consensus?" Jonathan asks at last.

Most of them nod.

"But we need boundaries," Victor says. "Rules. We cannot grant them the same level of access we have."

"Agreed," Jonathan says. "Let’s move on to that. I need an answer ready for Arthur."

------------------------------

"Here we are." Claudia says, guiding Rhaenas toward a Monfort building.

The six of them walk to the reception desk, and the receptionist looks at Liam and Claudia in turn, visibly confused.

"We are here to see Mr. Linus Monfort," Claudia says, perfectly professional.

The poor receptionist blinks once. Her expression shifts into a mix of fear and confusion.

Theo has to bite back a smile.

He really likes Claudia, he does. But sometimes... she can be a little too much.

Both Monfort children are standing right there. One of them is the Monfort heir himself. And yet, they choose to report to the reception desk like regular guests instead of heading straight upstairs to their father.

It’s both hilarious and slightly terrifying.

Hilarious to Rhaenas.

Slightly terrifying for the receptionist, who doesn’t know what else to do except follow protocol and report back to Linus’s floor, just like she always does.

A few minutes later, the receptionist returns and says to Claudia, "Mr. Monfort has asked you to go straight to the rooftop, Miss Claudia."

Claudia nods calmly. "Thank you."

She turns to the people behind her. "Let’s go. Follow me."

When they enter the lift, Theo immediately notices something unusual. There are no number panels. No buttons. No touch screen. The walls are perfectly clean, smooth, and seamless. There’s nothing to press.

An AI voice speaks instead.

"Please tell me which floor you would like to go to, Miss Claudia."

"Rooftop, please. Thank you," Claudia answers without hesitation.

"We are going to the rooftop."

The doors slide shut smoothly, without a sound, and the lift begins to move upward.

They ride in silence.

A few seconds later, a soft bell dings.

"We are on the rooftop, Miss Claudia. Please disembark carefully."

The lift doors open, and everyone steps out.

A man dressed entirely in black is waiting just outside. When he sees them, he bows slightly and opens the rooftop door for them.

As Rhaenas steps outside, they’re greeted by the sight of a large helicopter waiting on the landing pad.

For the first time since entering the building, Claudia grins.

"Show off," she mutters under her breath.

She turns back to her team. "Apparently, we’re going straight to the gate. I guess Dad must already be there."

"And that’s how we’re getting to the dungeon?" Maeve asks, pointing at the massive helicopter.

Liam nods. "Yes."

Rhaenas boards the helicopter.

Once inside, Arthur and Julian immediately recognize it as one of the most sophisticated helicopters in all of Altheon. It’s equipped with the latest technology, and unlike regular helicopters, the noise is minimal, almost unnervingly quiet.

The man in black turns out to be the co-pilot. He takes his seat beside the pilot, and less than five minutes later, the helicopter lifts into the air.

Flying toward a level eight gate.

And Linus.