Lord Shadow

Chapter 1333 Choosing A Side II

　　In the ancient times, the Seven Seas are the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, The Black Sea, The Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. 

　　Then before the Fall, it is the North Atlantic Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean, the South Pacific, the Arctic Ocean, the Southern and Indian Ocean

　　Then when the era of the Seven Great Powers began, the name of the Seven Seas also had changed. 

　　There is the Pandemonium Sea which is basically the renaming of the South Pacific Ocean. There are also the other seas named after the Seven Great Power.

　　The World government called the sea under their control the Gaia Sea. Sometimes they would change the name

　　It is the same for the other world powers. 

　　And then there is the Multiversal Convergence which once again redefined the established seven seas to the current Ten Seas.

　　The Sevens sea might have been used to describe the world water bodies but there actually even before the Multiversal Convergence, about fifty water formation that can be called a "sea"

　　It is only redefining it back. 

　　The battle of the Multiversal Convergence had birthed a new world, a new world of new possibilities, a rebirth.

　　And that also applies to Arthur. He opens this city and when he created his city lord residence, there is a design in his mind. 

　　The Centre Palace or more famously known as the Pandemonium Palace. He imitates many of the architecture of Pandemonium Palace

　　This balcony is one of them. 

　　He had many things in his mind right now, and he could not help but feel that this seems to be destined.

　　There is a reason why his thought suddenly thinks about "that person" 

　　He walks to the edge of the balcony and look at the thriving city in front of his eyes. He saw the large market with people scurrying around.

　　Every once in a while he would see people flying in the sky, leaving the city and sometimes he would see people landing from the sky to the ground

　　Some people uses super speed. Others use the teleportation hub. Most of them are designed like the old telephone booth.

　　It was kind of his input on the matter. He kind of like the retro vibe of it. 

　　He looks at all of this, seeing the lights, seeing the people, seeing the city breathing and alive and he sighed

　　'This is what I see. And this is what I feel. But, I wonder, when you look down on the world, what did you see? What do you feel? I truly wonder what you see' he mutters to himself.

　　The "you" in his word refers to only other person that have the same balcony as his. Death Monarch, the strongest person in the world. 

　　He doesn't know what the strongest person in the world sees when he looks out from his balcony. 

　　But Arthur knows what he looks at. He looks at his people and when the city is thriving, prosperous and full of people, he feels his heart is full, like he was living his dream life

　　That is all he ever wanted. It is quite unexpected coming from a man with such a colorful past as him.

　　He too was once a pirate. He was more than just a pirate. He also had ties with many of the criminal families that now headed the Red Table. 

　　He knew all the Pirate Lords and he is acquainted with all the players of this sea. Arthur, before the Fall, before all of it, he dreams to become an architect.

　　Dreams are for fools, he once thought. The funny things are he is not that good at it. 

　　And his family circumstances were not good and so he ditches that and do anything that makes money

　　life has brought him to different paths in life. He sighed thinking of all of this. His advisor who was standing beside him did not once interrupt his thoughts.

　　Even when he is speaking to himself. Ahmad pretend not to hear anything. 

　　Arthur then look at his advisor and said

　　'It's him, isn't it?' he said with a bitter smile on his face. 

　　Ahmad look at Arthur and then said

　　'I'm not sure'

　　But Arthur shakes his head. 

　　'I'm pretty sure it is him' he said with a snort.

　　'A girl who could use element related powers. And coincidentally that power is ice. An old man that could easily defeat Gabe. Gabe might not be some powerful warrior in the ranking of the world, but he sure as hell not is that weak to be defeated like that. In all probability, that is a disguise'

　　Ahmad frowned and said

　　'It is too early to make a conclusion' then there is silence for a few second. Ahmad was thinking of something and then he narrowed his eyes looking at Arthur.

　　'Arthur…. did you… you didn't, did you?'

　　Arthur look back at Ahmad and raise his eyebrows. 

　　'What?' 

　　  'Why didn't you tell Sam? All of this. I didn't notice it until just now. If Sam knew…. he would not have spoken like that. He doesn't know, right?' Ahmad look at Arthur like he couldn't believe it. 

　　Arthur sighed as he looks at the clouds above. 

　　He saw a few griffin flying around. 

　　From the distance, it looks small.

　　He also saw the dark clouds that are gathering in the distance. 

　　He smiles bitterly. There is only one man that he knew in this world that would invoke such a heavenly phenomenon.

　　Even though Arthur is not exactly the most powerful existence in the city, what he excels the most is the identifying of energy signature.

　　And this energy that he felt gathering above his city, is the Heavenly Will. 

　　He looks at the sky and he could not help but scoffed. 

　　Not out of anger, not out of frustration.

　　Just the feeling of being powerless. There is a force that seems to pressure his entire city, an invisible force. 

　　And out of the many people in the world, there is only two beings that could mobilize the Heavenly Will

　　One of them is the Heavenly Will Avatar which is the Heavenly Will personified. Arthur knew some secrets of course.

　　He is after all also a Disk Formation leveler. 

　　So, he understood very clearly about the connection of the Heavenly Will with the world. 

　　He knew that the Heavenly Will, this force that they have named, has an avatar. 

　　A solid personification of this capricious will that tries to maintain order according to its logic. 

　　And the other one….is the only being that managed to subdue this Heavenly Will

　　Death Monarch! 

　　Seeing the dark clouds, the slowly gathering storm in the distance, the roars of thunders and the illumination of the lightning, which one of this does not remind you of the theatrics of the strongest person in the world 

　　He could only scoff and shows a bitter smile to the sky. Ahmad who was standing beside him is waiting for an answer.

　　He looks back at his front and then sighed.

　　'I want to test him' Ahmad frowned.

　　'You doubt his loyalty?' Arthur smiles but he did not answer. Any other day, Ahmad would leave it alone.

　　But not today. 

　　'I need an explanation' Hearing this Arthur knew he could not just swipe this away so easily.

　　'Sam...is not like between you and me. He's.... hard to read. Even I don't know his true identity other than he used to serve under Jean army. Maybe, he is one of Jean famous generals. Maybe, he was just a foot soldier in the Europe campaign. Or maybe, all of it was a lie'

　　Ahmad shakes his head and said

　　'It never bothered you before'

　　Arthur laughs and then said

　　'It bother me now.' Ahmad close his eyes, trying to understand this person who he works for and also a friend and then as he contemplated the matter, he understood it.

　　'The Trickster?'

　　'That and many others. There is the Red Table. The Syndicate. Karasu. And who knows how much more. They are eyeing me, trying to find an opening. And Sam is one of the opening'

　　Ahmad then said

　　'I am also one of that opening.'

　　'You're different' Ahmad raised his eyebrows and Arthur then said

　　'We know each other. We fought against each other and then with each other. I know you and you know me. We have a history together. We have a bond, a comrade that fought side by side, back to back. But I don't have that with Sam. I trust him to do his job. But, I don't trust him enough with my life'

　　Ahmad frowned. He also knew the pressure that Arthur is facing

　　Arthur then changed the topic 

　　'They have great presence in the other sea. But not here. Not in the Turbulent Sea' 

　　To Ahmad, Arthur words is like a promise to himself. Arthur position in the sea is very precarious. 

　　There was silence between them for a few moment 

　　Ahmad close his eyes and shakes his head. There is a heavy silence that hangs over them. Then Ahmad said

　　'One wrong move and we could offend somebody that we could not afford to offend. If you are right, and this old man is really "him" then it is not good offending such a person'

　　Ahmad no longer pursues that matter and instead pointed out Arthur decision to send Sam to the tavern.

　　Arthur smiles and said

　　'I have countermeasures. It is a gamble really. If I lose, I might lose everything. But if I won.... if I won…' and he laughed

　　Ahmad is Arthur advisor. 

　　He is the one that helps him keep his status as the city lords. 

　　Arthur might have created the city, but Ahmad was the one that maintains it. 

　　Even amidst the pressure of so many different faction bearing on this island, Ahmad had managed to secure Arthur position in the City Council. 

　　But, this does not mean he knows all of Arthur plans. Arthur himself is no fool. Six months has honed him to be very astute in the matter of politics. 

　　He is not that wide eyed idealist anymore. 

　　But he is also not quite the cynics. There is a tempered optimism and a hint of skepticism, just the perfect amount

　　To have hope and dreams but not be too enchanted to these two things while realizing the reality. It is very hard to balance between the two. 

　　'if you don't mind me asking, what countermeasure?' Arthur smiles and said nothing. Ahmad just nodded.

　　Arthur look back at Ahmad and smiles.

　　'It is not that I wanted to hide from you. It is just that if it does not go well, I am too ashamed of my scheme. If it does work, then at least I could brag in front of you. That I formulate a plan without your help'

　　Ahmad chuckles.

　　'If you could do that, then that would mean I would be useless; he said but Arthur shakes his head. 

　　There is another silence and then there is the sound of thunder so resounding that it almost seems like it shakes the Heavens.

　　Arthur look at the skies above and he tensed his jaw.

　　Even Ahmad who wanted to wait for confirmation, had half a mind of believing Arthur claims that the old man is "that person"

　　Dark clouds gather above the skies of this island. The vast area was covered by this dark clouds and it felt pressuring. 

　　Lightning strikes all over the clouds and each strikes created lights in the sky. 

　　Ahmad ignored the thunders and the storms. 

　　As long as it did not reach the City Lord residence he wouldn't care

　　And even it does, the internal weather system around the palace would be very much handy to change the weather.

　　He looks back at Arthur and ask

　　  'And what about the Tavern Keeper?'

　　'I think he sent you a message' Arthur smiles and nodded

　　'He did'

　　Ahmad narrowed his eyes but Arthur did not immediately explain anything

　　Arthur look at the city in front of him, he smiles a bit and then said

　　'between the Hanging Head and the strongest person in the world…who do you think I would choose?' He smiles and then he laughs

　　Ahmad then understood that his lord has already made his decision and he just chuckles and then he looks at the same direction that Arthur is looking and he too also smiles. 

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