Chapter 51: Code 0

Jacob was thoroughly shocked by the answer. The fact that seven Queens existed simultaneously in a single dimension was staggering on its own, but what truly unsettled him was what he had just learned from Smith.

​ the entire reason they had been discussing the topic. Jacob had initially assumed Smith possessed only one uncontracted high ranked Titled Queen from that dimension. But according to Smith, there were actually five.

​Adding those to the two Queens Smith had already bonded with meant that while still in the Novice rank, Smith possessed the potential of a total of seven Queens. Such an achievement was entirely unheard of. In all his years, and in all the recorded history of the Browns family, there was no record of anyone contracting seven Queens while still at the Novice rank.

​Tensely, Jacob asked another question, his voice laced with hesitation and uncertainty. "Smith... are you absolutely sure there are five more Queens in that dimension?"

​Smith noticed the disbelief on Jacob’s face. Unaware of why five Queens was such a earth-shattering revelation to the man, he simply nodded. "Yes. If I’m not mistaken, there are five others in that dimension. Last time I went, I only asked for the nearest one—Brenda—because time was tight. I just used the extra Queen Item on her and left in a hurry. But I am certain there are five more."

​Hearing this shook Jacob to his core. Smith hadn’t deliberately chosen Brenda out of the six; it was pure coincidence that she was the closest one, and pure coincidence that she happened to be a Legendary Titled Queen. The sheer probability of it made Jacob doubt his own reality.

​This time, Jacob made no effort to hide his shock. "Smith... if you don’t mind me asking, what are the Titles of those other Queens?"

​When Smith heard the question, he paused. The room fell dead silent as he sank deep into thought, contemplating how to answer.

​To Jacob, those few seconds of silence felt like sitting on a bed of needles. It was the crucial piece of information he needed to verify, and every passing second stretched like an eternity.

​On the other side of the desk, Smith was simply trying to figure out how to explain the situation clearly, as he wasn’t entirely sure of the details himself. When he snapped out of his thoughts, he saw Jacob anxiously leaning forward, looking like a cat ready to pounce.

​Realizing how eagerly Jacob was waiting, Smith didn’t waste any more time. "To tell you the truth, I don’t really know. From what I was told, they are all more or less in the same situation. I can’t be sure if they are all have identical titles rankes to Velvet and Brenda. So forgive me if I can’t give you a definitive answer—even I am not entirely clear on what’s happening over there but from them it is more or less the same.

​Smith was telling the absolute truth. Although Velvet had mentioned that the others went through the same training trial, and Brenda—whom he had summoned—was also a Legendary Titled Queen, he couldn’t be a hundred percent certain about the rest.

​To Jacob, however, that answer exploded in his mind like a nuclear bomb.

​He shot up from his chair as if propelled by a spring. The sudden, violent reaction startled Smith, who stared at him in confusion.

​Jacob felt like he was losing his mind. If Smith’s words were true, this changed everything. The implications were far too massive for him to handle alone; it was completely out of his weight class.

​Without wasting another second, Jacob pulled out his phone, opened the Elders’ group chat, and frantically typed "Code 0" three times before hitting the emergency broadcast button.

​Elsewhere, the Elders—who had just finished meeting with Jacob a few minutes prior—were all returning to their respective cities. Suddenly, their phones began vibrating violently, as if trying to burst out of their pockets.

​They froze. When they looked down and saw the emergency notice—a Code 0—their expressions turned grave. Instantly, they manifested their full Auras. Paying no mind to their surroundings, they launched into the sky, flying at breakneck speed toward the coordinates indicated on their screens.

​Back in the study, Jacob paced back and forth frantically, looking like a man sitting on hot coals. His mind raced as he calculated the consequences of what Smith had just revealed. Five more Queens meant a total of seven—and these weren’t just low-tier Queens. Even if the remaining five were only Golden Titled, it would still completely shift the balance of power in any place.

​Amidst his frantic pacing, Jacob glanced at Smith, who was sitting there completely relaxed, watching Jacob as if he were a bizarre zoo animal. Jacob knew Smith simply didn’t grasp the gravity of the situation—a classic case of ignorance is bliss. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to blame the young man.

​Smith was totally in the dark. Since Jacob hadn’t spoken a word since jumping out of his chair, Smith simply waited for the man to calm down and explain.

​Suddenly, a heavy, suffocating pressure exploded from the floor below.

​BANG!

​The study door was blown off its hinges as a figure burst into the room like a enraged beast. The oppressive aura filling the room was suffocating—it was none other than Caesar, fully manifested and roaring with rage.

​"Jacob! What happened?!" Caesar bellowed, his eyes sweeping the room. "Is there an intruder?! Where are they?! I swear, if I catch them, I’ll grind them into a bloody pulp! How dare they interrupt my precious time with Sarafina?!"

​He was met with absolute silence. Two pairs of eyes—Smith’s and Jacob’s—stared back at him as if he were the zoo animal.

​Realizing he might have misread the situation, Caesar blinked, promptly deactivated his aura, and cleared his throat. "Uh... what’s going on?"

​Before Jacob could answer, five more suffocating pressures descended rapidly from the sky. To Smith, it felt as though massive, turbulent ocean waves were crashing relentlessly against a cliff. The combined force of the five pressures nearly solidified the very air in the room.

​Five distinct streams of colored aura materialized outside the villa. Without even bothering with the front door, the figures crashed straight through the roof, landing inside the study in a shower of debris, looking ready for war.

​However, just like Caesar, they were greeted not by a battle, but by three people standing in a ruined room, staring back at them.

​Seeing no immediate threat, the Elders suppressed their auras and surrounded Jacob and Smith, their expressions just as bewildered and demanding as Caesar’s.

​When the dust settled, Jacob cleared his throat. "First, I sincerely apologize for disturbing whatever you were all doing. But this matter is of absolute, critical importance."

​One of the Elders stepped forward, his eyes stern. "Jacob, you’d better have a very good explanation. You sent a Code 0—the highest level of emergency, reserved for an ambush by an opposing faction or an existential crisis. Why did you cause such a massive commotion?"

​Jacob nodded grimly. "As I said, I apologize for the disruption. Earlier, we planned to discuss this tomorrow, but due to a certain someone..." He cast a brief glance at Caesar, who didn’t even flinch, "...we ended up at Smith’s villa ahead of schedule."

​He took a breath and continued. "I originally intended to just brief Smith on our initial plans regarding how we could help him maximize his potential and contract more Queens. But while speaking with him, I made a sudden discovery."

​Jacob turned his gaze directly toward Smith before addressing the Elders again. "Smith has additional High-Titled Queens that he has not yet bonded with."

​The Elders froze, their expressions instantly turning to pure shock. They stared at Smith as if he were a monster.

​Having two Legendary Titled Queens at the Novice rank was already unprecedented in history. But to hear there were more? Even if the remaining ones were only Gold-Ranked, it was unbelievable.

​"He told me," Jacob added, his voice heavy, "that there are five more waiting for him in that dimension."

​The sentence hit the room like a megaton warhead.

​Even these seasoned veterans lost their composure completely. Unintentional bursts of intense emotional pressure leaked from their bodies before they managed to regain control. Speechless, they stared at Smith as if he were an alien dropped straight from another planet.