The war against the Mernars surprised the kingdom, especially since they were on the lookout for their neighboring kingdom, Alva. Therefore, the King summoned the lord of every city to Livia in a war summit.
The summit threw the city into a festive mood, as everyone realized that the wealthiest people in this kingdom were gathered in one place. This was a chance for auctions, trades, or new partnerships to be forged.
Like a river that poured into the ocean, carriages and flying mounts made their way into Livia, where life was colorful and bright. The King summoned the lords of the cities at an expected time because that would significantly weaken the cities.
Anyone would think it was an unwise choice, but Arthur didn't think the king was a fool. Of course, there was no evidence to support this assumption, but a fool was quickly spotted, and wisdom always aligned with confusion.
Before their departure toward Livia, Rae told him that she needed to leave the city and return to their headquarters. But, as one would expect, she refused to tell him the location of the base. The only thing that she said was that it lay beyond the gates, the same as Solomon has told him.
"Before I leave, I have to convey the council's message," she said while sitting in front of Arthur's desk. After he gave her his attention, Rae resumed talking. "We want you to create a blacklist."
"A blacklist?" he was confused.
"We are aware that the artifacts you provided so far are nothing but the tip of the iceberg. While we encourage arming the people and increasing Freda's strength, the artifacts might fall into the wrong hands at this rate."
"Are you talking about the corrupt people?" Arthur asked, and the white woman nodded. "You do realize that will greatly hinder the growth of my city."
"It would, no doubt," she didn't try to deny it. "However, this path is of self-destruction. If you strengthen these people, then it would backfire in your face one day and bring your city to ruins."
"You misunderstand something. Whatever I am trying to sell, it would be the excess. My city takes priority, and I'm planning to have every knight of Hidden City armed to their teeth."
"As we speak, countless people are trying to decipher the runic lines of the Ghost Runemaster," Rae shook her head. "The distribution of these runes to the wrong hands will only accelerate that process."
Arthur was quiet as he understood her point of view, and it wasn't an unreasonable thing to ask. However, simply being uncorrupted by the Enders doesn't equate to being a good person.
Some uncorrupt humans were worse than the Enders themselves, and one of them was the Knight of Nobility, who sacrificed a city by betraying the kingdom.
"I understand," Arthur thought for a moment before he agreed. "If this is happening this way, then we are going to focus on rarity rather than numbers."
"That is a good choice too," Rae nodded as she took out a letter. "These are the names of those we know to be corrupted, but you should be wary of others too."
"You are going to hand me this sensitive information this easily?" Even though he said that Arthur took the letter without hesitation. After all, it was a good advantage to know who your enemy is.
"This is the least we can offer in exchange for your help," Rae smiled. "You are, after all, the last good ruler of this kingdom."
After saying that, the white woman left, saying that she would return once again when the war was over. The headquarters were beyond the gates, so it was dangerous for Arthur to send someone after her, and he was sure that everyone would be found out.
Arthur opened the letter when she was gone and found the council's name that fought against the Enders in this world. Weirdly, the name wasn't that unfamiliar, even if it was the first time for him to hear it.
"The Council of Recreation," he muttered the name before reading the rest of the letter. It was directly addressed to him, thanking him for his cooperation. There was also a list. Finally, at the end of the letter, there was an address and a few more lines.
"If you have any questions, please contact The Last Straw," was written at the end. Arthur had no idea what The Last Straw was, but he simply kept the letter for now.
He did indeed have questions, and his questions were about Ori's look-alike youth. That youth was visiting an earthen analyst who studied Temporal Fissures all of his life. If anyone knew about that youth, then it must be the council.
However, it can wait until the war is over and after they find a way to protect themselves against the hydra. The Knight of Courage was worried about his absence from the city, especially since Diana would be accompanying him.
"I can return to the city in a few minutes," Arthur reassured her, and she looked at him with doubt. He handed the knight the hand mirror that Gala gave him and Dia to communicate. "Use this to summon me if anything happens."
The Titled Knight had no choice but to accept that. Usually, she would have rushed back toward her king if a war was about to start. However, the city wouldn't survive without her.
Arthur realized that the knight was starting to care about this city more than he did. After all, she spent every day interacting with the people in her civil affairs office, so it was understandable to grow attached.
His knights wanted to accompany him, but Arthur was hesitant about taking them. He wanted to train them properly before using them as bodyguards, but it was hard to find the time to do so. That's why he promised to strengthen them enough to be of use after he returns.
Their faces said it all.
"I am sorry," Arthur apologized for the hurtful words, but there was very little he could do for them. "You are responsible for your strength. If you have spent the past days playing the chosen, then it would show in the assessment after I return."
It was a low move to scare them, but Arthur wanted them to independently grow before he helped them become stronger. The knights looked as if they swallowed a piece of burning coal when Arthur left the city.
"They are pitiful," Dia said as she sat beside him, their thighs touching. They have grown quite intimate after Arthur tore down his walls, allowing them to enjoy each other's warmth without answering the big questions.
"And also useless," he pointed out as he leaned back. Dia turned to him with a smile before resting her head on his shoulder.
"You are the one who picked them," she pointed out.
"I know, but I don't have the time to train them myself, and they are growing slower than I imagined."
"Your standards are the abnormal ones," Dia raised her hand and placed it on his chest. "It has been a week or so, but you want to see their growth. They are quite the monsters, too," she said.
At her words, Arthur realized that he was comparing their growth to his, which was unfair. He had a leveling-up legacy that allowed him to grow exponentially stronger in a short amount of time.
He grew from a nobody to a peak-rei-ranker in nothing but a few months. If he truly focused on leveling up only without the need to evolve every time he reaches certain thresholds, he would have grown a lot stronger by now.
"How do I allow them to grow without feeding them like little chicks?"
"Instead of giving them food, teach them how to fish," Dia said with a smile.
"How to fish..." he pondered and soon realized that he didn't need to give them strength as he did with his goblins. Instead, they can train on their own as long as he teaches them how to.
Arts!
"You are so smart," he smiled as he turned to her, and their noses were almost touching. "Thank you," he said.
"I receive gratitude in a different way," she smiled as she leaned over to kiss him. Their lips met, and Arthur fell in a daze as her tongue teased his. Then, she pulled away.
"I have a lot of gratitude left," Arthur said as he pulled her closer and leaned over. His body pushed her on the seats, and her hair spread beneath her.
"I can't refuse it, it seems," she said with a smile as she grabbed into his neck, and the two kissed again, their tongues intertwining as their hearts started beating faster.
Arthur would have normally avoided decreasing the gap between them, as it was dangerously close, to begin with. However, this time, he didn't try to shy away from her. As the carriage traveled to Livia, Arthur wanted to feel alive before he could feel nothing.
The war against the Mernars surprised the kingdom, especially since they were on the lookout for their neighboring kingdom, Alva. Therefore, the King summoned the lord of every city to Livia in a war summit.
The summit threw the city into a festive mood, as everyone realized that the wealthiest people in this kingdom were gathered in one place. This was a chance for auctions, trades, or new partnerships to be forged.
Like a river that poured into the ocean, carriages and flying mounts made their way into Livia, where life was colorful and bright. The King summoned the lords of the cities at an expected time because that would significantly weaken the cities.
Anyone would think it was an unwise choice, but Arthur didn't think the king was a fool. Of course, there was no evidence to support this assumption, but a fool was quickly spotted, and wisdom always aligned with confusion.
Before their departure toward Livia, Rae told him that she needed to leave the city and return to their headquarters. But, as one would expect, she refused to tell him the location of the base. The only thing that she said was that it lay beyond the gates, the same as Solomon has told him.
"Before I leave, I have to convey the council's message," she said while sitting in front of Arthur's desk. After he gave her his attention, Rae resumed talking. "We want you to create a blacklist."
"A blacklist?" he was confused.
"We are aware that the artifacts you provided so far are nothing but the tip of the iceberg. While we encourage arming the people and increasing Freda's strength, the artifacts might fall into the wrong hands at this rate."
"Are you talking about the corrupt people?" Arthur asked, and the white woman nodded. "You do realize that will greatly hinder the growth of my city."
"It would, no doubt," she didn't try to deny it. "However, this path is of self-destruction. If you strengthen these people, then it would backfire in your face one day and bring your city to ruins."
"You misunderstand something. Whatever I am trying to sell, it would be the excess. My city takes priority, and I'm planning to have every knight of Hidden City armed to their teeth."
"As we speak, countless people are trying to decipher the runic lines of the Ghost Runemaster," Rae shook her head. "The distribution of these runes to the wrong hands will only accelerate that process."
Arthur was quiet as he understood her point of view, and it wasn't an unreasonable thing to ask. However, simply being uncorrupted by the Enders doesn't equate to being a good person.
Some uncorrupt humans were worse than the Enders themselves, and one of them was the Knight of Nobility, who sacrificed a city by betraying the kingdom.
"I understand," Arthur thought for a moment before he agreed. "If this is happening this way, then we are going to focus on rarity rather than numbers."
"That is a good choice too," Rae nodded as she took out a letter. "These are the names of those we know to be corrupted, but you should be wary of others too."
"You are going to hand me this sensitive information this easily?" Even though he said that Arthur took the letter without hesitation. After all, it was a good advantage to know who your enemy is.
"This is the least we can offer in exchange for your help," Rae smiled. "You are, after all, the last good ruler of this kingdom."
After saying that, the white woman left, saying that she would return once again when the war was over. The headquarters were beyond the gates, so it was dangerous for Arthur to send someone after her, and he was sure that everyone would be found out.
Arthur opened the letter when she was gone and found the council's name that fought against the Enders in this world. Weirdly, the name wasn't that unfamiliar, even if it was the first time for him to hear it.
"The Council of Recreation," he muttered the name before reading the rest of the letter. It was directly addressed to him, thanking him for his cooperation. There was also a list. Finally, at the end of the letter, there was an address and a few more lines.
"If you have any questions, please contact The Last Straw," was written at the end. Arthur had no idea what The Last Straw was, but he simply kept the letter for now.
He did indeed have questions, and his questions were about Ori's look-alike youth. That youth was visiting an earthen analyst who studied Temporal Fissures all of his life. If anyone knew about that youth, then it must be the council.
However, it can wait until the war is over and after they find a way to protect themselves against the hydra. The Knight of Courage was worried about his absence from the city, especially since Diana would be accompanying him.
"I can return to the city in a few minutes," Arthur reassured her, and she looked at him with doubt. He handed the knight the hand mirror that Gala gave him and Dia to communicate. "Use this to summon me if anything happens."
The Titled Knight had no choice but to accept that. Usually, she would have rushed back toward her king if a war was about to start. However, the city wouldn't survive without her.
Arthur realized that the knight was starting to care about this city more than he did. After all, she spent every day interacting with the people in her civil affairs office, so it was understandable to grow attached.
His knights wanted to accompany him, but Arthur was hesitant about taking them. He wanted to train them properly before using them as bodyguards, but it was hard to find the time to do so. That's why he promised to strengthen them enough to be of use after he returns.
Their faces said it all.
"I am sorry," Arthur apologized for the hurtful words, but there was very little he could do for them. "You are responsible for your strength. If you have spent the past days playing the chosen, then it would show in the assessment after I return."
It was a low move to scare them, but Arthur wanted them to independently grow before he helped them become stronger. The knights looked as if they swallowed a piece of burning coal when Arthur left the city.
"They are pitiful," Dia said as she sat beside him, their thighs touching. They have grown quite intimate after Arthur tore down his walls, allowing them to enjoy each other's warmth without answering the big questions.
"And also useless," he pointed out as he leaned back. Dia turned to him with a smile before resting her head on his shoulder.
"You are the one who picked them," she pointed out.
"I know, but I don't have the time to train them myself, and they are growing slower than I imagined."
"Your standards are the abnormal ones," Dia raised her hand and placed it on his chest. "It has been a week or so, but you want to see their growth. They are quite the monsters, too," she said.
At her words, Arthur realized that he was comparing their growth to his, which was unfair. He had a leveling-up legacy that allowed him to grow exponentially stronger in a short amount of time.
He grew from a nobody to a peak-rei-ranker in nothing but a few months. If he truly focused on leveling up only without the need to evolve every time he reaches certain thresholds, he would have grown a lot stronger by now.
"How do I allow them to grow without feeding them like little chicks?"
"Instead of giving them food, teach them how to fish," Dia said with a smile.
"How to fish..." he pondered and soon realized that he didn't need to give them strength as he did with his goblins. Instead, they can train on their own as long as he teaches them how to.
Arts!
"You are so smart," he smiled as he turned to her, and their noses were almost touching. "Thank you," he said.
"I receive gratitude in a different way," she smiled as she leaned over to kiss him. Their lips met, and Arthur fell in a daze as her tongue teased his. Then, she pulled away.
"I have a lot of gratitude left," Arthur said as he pulled her closer and leaned over. His body pushed her on the seats, and her hair spread beneath her.
"I can't refuse it, it seems," she said with a smile as she grabbed into his neck, and the two kissed again, their tongues intertwining as their hearts started beating faster.
Arthur would have normally avoided decreasing the gap between them, as it was dangerously close, to begin with. However, this time, he didn't try to shy away from her. As the carriage traveled to Livia, Arthur wanted to feel alive before he could feel nothing.
