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Chapter 363: The Curtain Rises
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“What is it?”
Although the right side of her face was covered by her long hair that had strands of blue in it, and her left side was covered by that half-faced opera mask... since she was right beside him, Siva could clearly see the beauty in those passionate eyes.
“N-Nothing.”
He felt flustered by the question and awkwardly faced Higginson to avoid the brewing ‘wants’ that screamed to fill his manly ‘needs’.
“Ehem…” Higginson cleared his throat, trying to change the air in the area. “Assuming that what you’ve said is true… is this a good thing or a bad thing for us?”
Siva returned the stare of the Real@D holograms, the ‘preying’ eyes of Hojer, and the inquisitive set of gaze that Higginson and Scion was looking at his direction.
He heaved a sigh and then presented her. “She is the one qualified to resonate with the Artifact.”
“What?!”
“I knew it! This was your plan all along!”
“This is all part of your plan?!”
“Mr. President, we have brought a scourge to our domain!”
“All of you, shut up!” Higginson yelled at the antagonistic senators and ambassadors. “Do you all think that I am stupid? I would’ve known from the start if that was the case! Sir Knight, please care to tell us what you meant by that statement?”
Scion was still shocked.
“It’s as you’ve heard.” Siva said gently, “Although I can confidently proclaim that I am also qualified, I am not so brazen enough to say that this reaction is solely related to me.”
“Then what makes her qualified to be the one to trigger such a reaction from our Artifact?”
Sarcasm was evident from this senator’s words and although Siva didn’t care about what all these clueless old bones ae yapping, these words of him triggered hate in the depths of his being.
“I dare you to say that again.” He faced the man in a very slow manner and asked with icy coldness.
Higginson felt like he had been hit by a meteorite in the head and became a flesh eating zombie.
He was about to rebuke the senator when, as if hearing a joke, the overconfident senator made a chuckle that choked the words Higginson was about to say.
“We are not far from each other yet you failed to hear what I had just said. Hmp. Very well, I’ll ask again: what makes her qualified to be the one to trigger such a reaction from our Artifact?”
This time, the indent on his tone didn’t emphasize the topic about qualifications. Instead, he wanted to portray to Siva the fact that since they are the ones the Teacher had given this task to, it means that the Humans are important to this planet and that they, the big wigs of the Human Society, the ones who took that vow to uphold the promise in the past, are an indispensable asset to the core of the mission why The Alliance exists.
Alas, his words weren’t even close to target. The reason why Siva was furious was because of the second to the last words he said.
“You said it’s your Artifact?”
The man sneered, “Who else? It was given to us by The Teacher and was even given the task to be the ones to oversee his [Instructions]. What about it? No. What about you? Aside from being a tyrant that forced the Council of Elders to bow their heads, what is your role in the overall big picture of the planet and its people?”
He wanted to point out that Siva is nothing more than but a villain.
Yes he may know a few things that they don’t but that doesn’t give him the qualifications to look down on them and disregard the role they have taken vow to uphold in the entire big picture of the Terran-Human Society.
In hindsight, the senator’s point was sound.
But… Higginson thought otherwise.
‘Yes. He’s really a villain so please don’t provoke him anymore.’
He wanted to speak but just as he had opened his mouth, Siva laughed sinisterly.
Then, he asked, “What’s your name?”
The Senator was taken aback and although he is not in Siva’s vicinity at the present, he could still feel his killing intent from the way he floated that way and faced his direction.
He looked at Higginson and then to the other men of the senate and Embassy.
“Why would I tell you that?”
“So that when I came to visit you, I can prepare a personal gift to commemorate our meeting.”
Although he spoke softly, Siva wasn’t even daring to hide his intent to kill the man who had just made an insult towards the Treasure of Terra.
Who told you it was yours to keep?!
That’s Terra’s keepsake! It’s no one’s! And even if it should belong to someone, only those who are qualified and are entitled to it have the right to keep this Memory Crystal.
Higginson glared intently at the Senator but alas, even if their gazes met, the Senator failed to feel the wrath on his eyes.
“Are you threatening me?!” the senator felt furious instead of grasping the meaning behind Higginson’s burning scowl. He screamed at Siva as if taking Higginson’s eye-signal as a sign of his support.
‘Mr. President is relying on me to place this scum to where he should belong. My time to step up the ladder has come!’
“Threat?” Siva growled. “It’s more than a threat. I dare you to say how and why the Memory Crystal is yours to keep like a personal property?! That is Mother’s… that is Terra’s treasure!”
He wasn’t even clear to it himself. All he knew is that Terra treated the Memory Crystals as vital treasures to keep the world ticking. According to his [memories] every 999,999,999,999,999 years, the Universe will give birth to one Memory Crystal and that whoever gets ahold of it will be granted power that can rule over a region of the Universe as an Overlord.
It was also this reason that Lucifer managed to rule over a very large space in the Universe that enabled him to also corrupt almost all of the Gods and Immortals that existed in that space.
That war in his [memories] happened for so many reasons but what he was clear about is the fact that that “Lucifer” is somewhat related to Mefisto and his purpose; he was clear, though, that Mefisto and Lucifer is both driven by greed as their main purpose for living… and that acquiring all the Memory Crystals was in accordance to the reason why they exists.
And so… in his [memories], the war involving the events related to Terra —his mother— happened.
The [Corrupted Army] of Gods and Immortals are their pawns and these pawns were scattered in all directions in the universe, searching for all these crystals, intending to use them to what these core components are meant to be used for.
‘If what I learned in my [memories] are true, then I mustn’t leave it in the open like this.’
One reason he felt enraged is because this is one of Terra’s treasures and it doesn’t feel right to let his mother’s treasures be claimed by others.
—even if it’s an endangered species who claimed the treasures themselves!
—especially if it’s these kinds of people!
Siva was glaring at the man but since his face was hidden and the man has thick skin, he couldn’t feel the rage included in the tone of his voice.
He even thought that Siva was a joke.
Gaspar, on the side, albeit not afraid of Siva, still felt alarmed for the safety of this Senator since in the Human Society there are only a few who had established enough reputation and qualifications to be included in the Alliance Assembly.
Right now, Gaspar was aware that Siva is angry and for the sake of the Human Society’s position in The Alliance, he can’t let Siva threaten their dignitaries.
Higginson thought otherwise. Unable to hold in his fear, he abandoned proper decorum and gave a command: “Senator Eejit. I command you to refrain from disrespecting an esteemed guest. He is a Priority-1 guest and has every right and ability to be able to command even the respected heads of The Alliance. Do you understand?”
“Eh?” Senator Eejit was shocked. “P-President?”
“Am I speaking in a hushed tone?” Higginson was not giving him any more chance to say anything as at the next instant, his Real@D connection was terminated by Higginson’s Battle-AI.
[Boss, I’ve already found the unique Battle-AI that has been protecting this place.]
It was a timely report and Siva felt pleased with it as he immediately forgot the anger he was feeling just a few moment ago.
Cortana, on his vision, was standing like a proper stewardess beside him, waved a hand and a bald 40-something year old man appeared.
[Where am I?!]
The bald man was the AI and he checked his body and then looked at Cortana, then to Siva, and then back to himself.
[This…… THIS…!! How are you doing this?]
He looked at Cortana as if she was a monster and he tried to back away only to hit an invisible wall 10m away from her.
[Relax. Me and my Boss wouldn’t hurt you. We only wanted to talk.]
[Talk?! I was in Heartilia just a few moments ago but now I’m…] it was at this point that he looked around him and recognized the place. [This is…]
From start to finish, Siva was amused by natural emotions that the AI had made.
He clearly displayed shock, fear, confusion, and even surprise… these were ‘emotions’ only living creatures are capable of and just for the fact that he was in his vision and not on the other people in this lobby proves that this bald man with a bulky body wearing summer shirt and shorts… is an AI.
Also, Siva didn’t miss the chance to take note of the fact that the man blurted out being in the continent of Heartilia just a moment ago…
…in The South!!!
‘Oh? Are you the AI encharged of the defenses and operations of this facility?’
Siva had already forgotten about the farce in this place as he stood there, silently unmoving to the eyes and ears of everyone present.
Right now, he was so amused by this bald man that he ignored even Scion who was looking up at him with her tantalizing pair of eyes.
But the emotions of the AI only lasted for one moment and when he heard Cortana, he began to relax as he felt that his controls over the security and operations of the facility were still intact.
He faced Cortana, [To be able to trace me back to my location without me noticing it… you… you are not a normal AI.]
They and this AI… were moving in a timeframe that is not on the same wavelength as Siva and Cortana and so he can’t converse with him in the speed of light like the way he does with Cortana.
Siva understood that this is just the ‘normal’ plane of speed that limits this world and the real-world.
He inwardly heaved a sigh of helplessness as he thought that conversing with him would take time.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
He raised his head and told Higginson, “Let’s not waste time here and move on. I want to see that Artifact.”
“Right this way.” Higginson didn’t say another set of words and the Senators and Ambassadors also felt that Higginson was wary of the VIP’s mood so they didn’t put him in an awkward position the way Senator Eejit did just now.
The group moved on.
“Really fascinating.” Hojer murmured and looked at Scion with the same set of eyes as he did Siva.
“Let me just say this now,” Siva told him, “Just one move from you and I will splatter your blood to the floor.”
The dignitaries inhaled deeply as they felt anger in this open display of disregard and hostility to one of their people.
Gaspar tightened his fist and already summoned his White Tech armor, appearing like silky-smooth clothing atop his combat suit.
Higginson remained silent and just swallowed this humiliation to his position as President.
………….and while this was happening……
WHOOSH!!
A bald man in summer shorts appeared before the gates of the facility. He was a Real@D image like the rest of the dignitaries and he looked at Siva with a frown before looking at the woman beside him that only he could see… Cortana.
Higginson jumped to his feet in surprise, “Maki!”
[President.] Maki calmly spoke. [Firstly, I must say that even I did not expect that this man here could breach our security like this. I’ve been watching him from the moment he appeared with Gaspar but ever since he entered the conference room and got out with you, I’ve always thought that he’s only a normal VIP that’s here for the tour. This is my fault. We have indeed underestimated him and Senator Eejit is right about him: we have indeed welcomed a scorpion in our home.]
Higginson went pale. Gaspar readied a fighting stance. Maki, on the other hand, raised a hand.
[But even if he’s as Senator Eejit says he is, the fact that you are all still alive and that my controls over this facility are all still intact means that he did not come here to hurt us.]
As he spoke, he faced Siva with an expression of a prompt, [Am I right?]
Higginson thought of Siva’s oath and gave a nod.
“He had promised me.” Higginson looked at Siva and Siva spoke in his behalf.
“I’ve made a Heavenly Oath not to hurt the Humans willingly…. unless they stand in the way of my goal of searching for my brother.” Siva then looked at Higginson, “Why don’t you give him a short report of our transaction.”
Higginson didn’t dally and his Battle-AI was the one who gave the report. In a flash, the general outline of what had transpired in the conference room became known to Maki.
[I see.]
He paused for a moment, trying to study Cortana beside Siva that only he, for some reason, could see.
After a moment, a ‘look’ of helplessness displayed on his face and again, Siva was amused by Maki.
[The fact you have purposely sought after me in this facility that blocks Mana emissions are really splendid. Since you’ve already had me and this facility as hostage, why are we dilly dallying? Let’s get on with it, shall we?]
The large metallic sliding doors opened sideways and from the other side, Hojer, on his lab coat, could be seen archly standing with his hands on his back like a real aged scientist.
Right at the same time, his Real@D rendering in their group vanished.
“Hello!” he cheerfully walked over Siva and looked up since the latter was floating. He stretch out a hand while his gaze was still locked on his body, “It’s really a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Right at that moment, from behind him, Maki’s Real@D rendering also vanished while a body of a bald man wearing a differently designed yet still similar [White Armor] appeared.
[That’s one of his armor bodies, boss.]
Cortana had read Siva’s mind so she explained.
[Just now, I have already discovered how Edward Newgate had been able to walk this world in a physical body despite being an AI.]
Siva felt overjoyed. This was a fine reward in this trip to the Human Society’s facility.
‘Can you replicate it?’
Cortana pated her healthy chest and said proudly with a grin, [With all of our materials and the things we’ve discovered here, I can even make a slightly better ‘body’ for and Nekoneko. Isn’t that right, little guy?]
[Nyaaa… ᴖᴥᴖ]
Siva, ‘……’
The cat purred as Cortana bent down to stroke its silky greyish black fur. It was setup a short-haired Bombay Cat having sleek body and an anime-like appearance that was really hard to discern as real.
Maki could only watch this scene as out of all the people in this place, only he could see this girl that looked really pretty and alluring and yet is a real monster and an existence he can’t discern.
“Mr. President.” Maki spoke, “I will be taking it from here. But if you want to watch, you can also choose to stay as I conducted the briefing.”
Higginson fought with himself. He wanted to with the group to see this but he was also afraid that with what Maki spoke about Siva being a threat to them might come true. Still he believed on Siva’s promise. He knew his weakness. As long as he protect Siva’s weakness and do his part of their deal, he wouldn’t point his fangs to the Humans.
“I’ll stay.” He finally said.
“Very well.” Maki was stolid and expressionless. It was far to the shocked and surprised bald man Siva had seen him earlier. “There are three more areas that we must visit before we enter the real facility where the Artifact is located.”
“No problem.” Siva said and he didn’t wait for any reply as he impatiently walked over to be led by the White-armored Maki.
The two silently ‘walked’ over while Hojer didn’t even bother with the Real@D displays of the other dignitaries and followed them, looking at Siva and Scion with sparkling eyes. Gaspar, on the other hand, heaved a long breath before he too walked to follow them.
“Are we just going to stand here?” one of the Senators hissed.
“Maki… I can’t believe he actually showed up.”
“It only means that this White Knight is a threat to the Colony. We must eliminate him.”
“All of you, please, reconsider this.” The one who spoke was the blonde woman who was also in the Assembly earlier. “We are bound by a promise we made in the conference room so without that man’s approval we cannot say a word of the detail of our meeting… but I can tell you this, opposing him willingly will result to our demise.”
The dignitaries hissed in anger and clenched their fists as they gnashed their teeth.
“Victoria. If you’re going to rate his threat level, on what level will it be?” asked a Senator. Since they weren’t in the meeting earlier, they could only ask this question.
Victoria gritted her teeth and didn’t think, “He had the ability to threaten even the Council of Elders in Jeremiah and besides, the woman beside him is an Archmage recognized by the Circle of Magi and the Terran Civilization. If we do something to him, we will ultimately incur the wrath of the entire Terran Race.”
All of them inhaled deep cold breaths.
So it turns out, from start to finish, they are just a bunch of clowns that could only accept the man’s words directly on their faces.
He was both like an immovable mountain and also an unstoppable meteor. He will topple and trample over them if they incur his wrath.
Is there still justice in this world?!
Through gritted teeth, Victoria could only sigh but at the next moment, she told the group: “The President had struck a deal with the White Knight and had given us a bunch of resources. These are all Dragon-grade resources and are all really valuable to our development. We have already amassed enough information from our secret coordination with a few envoys from the Circle of Magi and with these resources we can at least put up our own defensive front when the time that Captain Kingsley had prophesied does comes.”
The dignitaries gasped and looked down on the floor with gritted teeth as they remembered the prophecy of Captain Etheron Adam Kingsley…
While Terroa wasn’t aware how Queen Lunette Astarte became pregnant after the war, the humans all knew it well.
Because it was them who protected and hid her during the last moments of the war, 56 years ago —all in order to save the man’s scion.
Altair Astarte, second Sovereign of the Kingdom of Jeremiah, the so called “Missing King” of the current times…… was his son.
And connected prior to Lunette taking the throne, Captain Kingsley had prophesied…
[A bigger war than the last will engulf this planet and when the time comes, the Humans must be prepared at all costs.]
“The Teacher’s [Instructions] were all carried out in this 56 years of The Alliance’s existence. The pact had been kept. We have been allowed to do our own study of the magic culture of the Terrans and during all this time, we have developed our own version of the Rune-creation Process.”
Victoria’s anger subsided and helplessness took over her visage.
She turned to look at where the first group had walked and suspired sadly, “I feel that the storm of events happening in Terroa is all connected to him.”
A dignitary approached and confusion, “What do you mean, Victoria? Do you know the person that is hidden behind that mask?”
Victoria didn’t dare to reveal it.
Maki wasn’t supposed to meet the lowly them but he did and he ignored them and revealed that the man is a really dangerous individual.
Higginson’s weird attitude around the White Knight is also subject to doubts.
The man’s weird strength is also a thing to worry about, and the fact that he could float despite being in a no magic zone is also something to ponder over seriously.
Who was Maki? He was the AI that brought the Humans from Earth to Terroa. Higginson was the President of the Human Society in Terroa and he holds the important role of being their voice and image in the Terran-Human Alliance.
And yet both of them were deterred by the White Knight’s presence; adding to this the words that Maki said.
In all of Terroa, there hasn’t been one person who could do this… except for a rising man lately.
She had gotten news of him from a good source but she denied the connection. It is too unlikely!
But now, that doubt in her mind had been made clear —proven— by a reliable source, something only she and the likes of her could pull off.
“No.” she shook her head. “I don’t know it. But I have a feeling.”
“Who is it then?” asked a furious senator.
Victoria bit her lips. She didn’t dare to say it. She recalled the oath and so she remained quiet.
It was the same for the other ambassadors as they all smacked their lips to remain silent.
Though they don’t know what Victoria knows, they are still subject by the oath. What if they slip their tongues and die here?
“Y-You all…”
“It’s not that we can’t tell you, but we made a vow that whatever secret we knew will have to be kept to ourselves until the day we die. We can’t risk the lives of the innocents.” Said Victoria.
“What kind of vow is it?”
“Something that can kill us all.”
GASP!
“Now that you know, please stop asking.”
The same senator aske furiously, “Are you saying that we’re just going to let an outsider barge in to our secret facility like this?!”
“Right! This is going to compromise our security!”
“Everyone. Please recall what the President said.”
They became silent.
“Just remember that you’ve been warned. If you dig in further, you will kill us all.”
The dignitaries could only clench their fists and grit their teeth. They were being taken as hostage by an invisible criminal.
Who was the man?
They have no idea but they have all been warned and they also realized a thing or two. The White Knight is a clear threat and Higginson is a hostage just like them.
*****
Dakar Embassy, Continent of Espada…
The Fifth Elder of the Union was in a meeting with someone familiar… Ambassador Rightwing.
If Siva was here, he’d notice that this man was the stout Ambassador on Higginson’s side when he was in the meeting earlier.
[Pretty interesting, right?]
The fifth elder maintained a cordial business front when in front of this NPC. He was wise and knew when to treat clients and trash separately.
And obviously, from the way he maintained the status quo between them, the business deal that they have agreed upon weren’t something to be considered lightly.
On the other side of the sofa was Rightwing, the Ambassador assigned in Dakar since it was one of the Main Cities where newly freed Players appear to start their careers.
(AN: remember that Players who chose Terrans as their race are considered Immortals by NPCs while the Naturals are only able to start their careers in Jeremiah as Humans)
Rightwing sipped on his cup and leaned back to the soft touch of the sofa.
“Indeed it is. If this is the right information, then I can only refrain from giving you more.”
[I fully understand the situation. Still, I am quite curious as to how this… Heavenly Oath works.]
“We are as baffled as you are.”
After another sip, there was a brief silence that lasted a few seconds until it was broken by the 5th Elder, [Still, I thank you for providing me with such valuable information. As usual, the payment will be delivered to you in full.]
Rightwing beamed widely, “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you.”
[Same here.]
The Rreal@D call ended and the room’s lights all blinked alive again.
But then, the complacent smile on the face of Rightwing twisted into a sinister grin. The smile on his face morphed and the ‘Rightwing’ morphed into a woman’s visage… it was Kira!
She continued to sip her blend when the door of the room opened as Olaf, or Carl in the real world and Panorama Corp.’s head of Science Department.
“I’m quite frightened by the efficiency of your information network, Mister Carl.” Said Kira as she ignored the people that came into the room after the armor-clad Olaf, “To think that you’d pick up that kind of information in Aarun even though it’s not even proven and still get it correctly…”
Olaf wasn’t pleased by the compliment. His face is still wearing that serious expression.
The last time he saw Siva was in Alexandria.
When Siva disappeared right after fighting that True Dragon, Olaf had mobilized all his assets to search for his whereabouts.
Then, he received news of a certain group of ‘knights’ that came out the forest outside Walled City of Aarun.
A few netizens who took a snap shot of the event uploaded them in the net and although their guise was really perfectly, Scion’s gracefulness and the natural allure she exudes wasn’t something that can be hid with just a set of cloth-armor.
When they entered The Mansion and didn’t come out, Olaf did a quick access to his assets and had confirmed the appearance of the same people in Jeremiah.
And then, one event after another, he personally made the visit in Jeremiah and confirmed with his own eyes in Warehouse 27… the resonance with the ‘knife’ in his hand indeed confirmed that it was Siva.
He had to know what he was aiming for.
With his ‘cheat’ of having inventions that no one else has, he utilized spying tools to listen to the conversation between Gaspar and Siva when they went to the parking area.
Also, there was a weird moment when Siva had turned to his direction in the crowd which made him panic and hid within the mob of people.
Good thing, Siva didn’t pay it much attention.
But then again, with the help of an angry outburst Head Elder of the Council of Elders of Jeremiah, Olaf had patched a few hypotheses of Siva’s plan and utilized an expert with this kind of mission.
Thus… it led to them ‘hiring’ Kira who was a long-term spy of the Blue Card Legion to the Human Society of this game. They assassinated the real Rightwing and planted Kira in the position he had once occupied.
Although Kira had sworn that oath, it was sworn at her ‘identity’ as Rightwing because that’s what was spoken to. As long as she was on her true ‘form’ as Kira when she discloses the secret, the oath is considered as nulled and void. It has nothing to do with Kira. As such, she ‘projected’ the entire meeting in the conference room while Olaf and the rest watched with how the things transpired.
Her meeting with The Union, however, was of a different personal matter. After all, it was The Union… she can always convert the pay into UC for real-world expenditures.
Everyone get to know what they wanna know, so this was a win-win situation for everybody.
“Now we know where he is.” Hagrid was itching for a fight as he grinned widely. Then, he faced Kira, “Bitch, why are you still seated there? Hurry and report to the Chief.”
“Hmph. Can’t a pretty miss enjoy her coffee?”
“Hah… pretending to be a virgin where you’re not is not good for you. Still, showing your true colors is better than your ‘silent’ and ‘indifferent’ facade all this time.”
Kira disdainfully snorted again, “How can a brute like you understand? At least my usefulness is far more important than being just all muscle and no brain like you.”
Hagrid walked over and pulled his sleeves, “I dare you say that again, bitch.”
Kira remained unperturbed, “Idiot.”
Just as Hagrid was about to punch her, Olaf sat on the opposite side of Kira and seriously leaned up front. To business. There are no more signs of his panicky nature since this assignment that President Ethan had entrusted him had far larger consequences than he had imagined.
“The King Test officially starts tomorrow. How are you going to enter it? Have you chosen a faction to kidnap its candidate?”
“I already did. But I should still warn you, the Blue Card Legion still has a beef on him so it’s going to be a contest on who’s faster getting to him first.”
Olaf flipped a panel towards her.
It was her payment.
She happily accepted it and continued to sip her cup of blend.
Olaf stood up, preparing to leave. But before he could exit the room, he turned round, “One last offer, for 2M UC… who is the Heavenly Father?”
“Not telling.” She said apathetically.
“Sigh… well then, until next time.”
“Until next time.”
—though I think there wouldn’t be a next time for when The Heavenly Father succeeds in his plans…. the kingdom in heaven will descend.
She was a fanatic.
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The King Tests is the central stage…
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Next Chapter: The Humans’ last defender…
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