The Aether God: Chapter 28 - The Ruling Assembly
The world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new:
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain.
The Central District: City Hall
After getting a good night’s sleep, Cerulean woke up early to head towards the City Hall. On the second Sunday of each month, the Ruling Assembly would meet and discuss matters of the valley. Any sect master present could stand and address either the audience, or other sect masters regarding a variety of subjects. Oftentimes, the meetings were short, including only a number of announcements.
The Great Valley’s City Hall was not so much a hall as it was a massive amphitheater. It had taken the finests masons in the valley nearly fifty years to complete, and well attested to their craftsmanship. It was, by far, the most beautiful and imposing structure in the valley. Around its enormous central stage were hundreds of tiers of seats, which altogether housed nearly two hundred thousand individuals. Now, it was nearly filled.
Seated on the stage were one hundred and seven individuals - the most powerful sect masters in the entire valley. The sect masters of the legendary sects were seated centrally, and the rest around them, scattered on the stage. Despite the large number of men on the stage, there was quite a bit of space between them. A few thousand feet above each of their heads was a large banner, displaying their sect’s crest.
As Cerulean and a small party sat down in the nosebleed section, they began chatting as they waited for the meeting to commence. Sitting near them, but not directly adjacent, were Nora, Celestia, and Solene. They appeared to have become good friends. Cerulean gave them a nod, and then continued with his chatting.
Soon, Malachi Meadow stood up to speak. Taped to his cheek was a sonar amplification artifact. each sect master had their own.
“Welcome, Great Valley Residents, to this month’s Ruling Assembly Meeting. I would first like to thank you all for coming, and please…”
“That’s Malachi Meadow, I think.” Triton leaned over and whispered in Cerulean’s ear.
“Thanks… though I think it’s quite obvious.”
After a few moments, Malachi had finished his introductions.
“Now, we will begin our meeting. Please stand and speak if you have an announcement, or would like to address another sect. Thank you.”
Malachi sat down, and within a few moments, another man near the edge of the stage stood up. His name was Wright Stone, a Terrestrial Lord Artist. He had a most unpleasant expression on his face.
“Legendary Sect Masters. I hope all of you recognize my face by now! For three long years, I have been requesting that you send aid to my sect, but for three long years, my requests have fallen on deaf ears! For three long years, my requests for assistance have been met with nothing but silence! Can I ask you all why you all tell me during our meetings that you will look into it, and then do nothing afterward!? Are you all deaf!? Are you all too busy!?”
Cerulean was a bit taken aback. He was heavily under the impression that the Valley was in something of a state of peace, and that the general feeling towards the Legendary Sects was one of reverence or submission. Nobody really mentioned such tension within the South Haven that he knew of. Perhaps though, that was just because his memories from this life were those of a child who was disinterested in the political state of the valley.
Cerulean slowly leaned over to Triton.
“Is this normal?”
To his surprise though, Triton looked equally surprised.
“I… don’t think so?”
As Cerulean looked around the stadium, he saw a similar number of astonished expressions… Something strange was going on.
Once Wright had finished his question, Malachi stood up. He laughed gently.
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“Sect Master Stone… I understand your concerns, but please remain calm. There is no reason to-"
“Remain calm!?”
Wright began to laugh.
“I would like to ask the forty seven descendants of my sect who died this week if I should remain calm!! Would you please come and help me dig up their graves so I can do so!?”
Malachi furrowed his eyebrows. Never in his entire life had any sect master spoken during an assembly meeting in such a manner. Aurelius, Blaze, Shiloh, and Winslow also began to share strange glances with one another. They were not so much angry as they were confused. Where on the plane did Wright get the courage to speak up in such a manner?
After a few moments of silence, Winslow stood up and shook his head.
“Sect Master Stone, this anger is truly unprecedented! You have no right whatsoever to disturb the peace within our assembly!! We-”
Suddenly, laughter rang out on the stage, and soon afterward a man stood up near Wright. His name was Blake Grave, an Umbrous Lord Artist.
“Peace? You seven cushy bastards must really love your cushy mountain tops!!”
Winslow, for perhaps the first time publicly, donned a disdainful expression. It was an expression he now began to share with Blaze, Shiloh, and Aurelius.
“You dare call us bastards before all the residents of the valley!?” Shiloh stood up and shouted at Blake, who merely laughed in response
“Shiloh, why are you wasting your time here? shouldn’t you be busy marking up your ethereal goods? Last time I checked, your elixirs were only ten times as expensive as the Elixir Alliance’s. Go and get back to work now, Chop Chop!!”
Shiloh loudly gasped. Receiving such a grievous insult before hundreds of thousands of valley residents!? He was beyond astounded. He had never lost even an iota of face during an assembly meeting, and the first instance of such was an unimaginably grievous face-slapping!
Cerulean sat in his seat, astounded, once again. As he looked around the amphitheater, everybody’s eyes were locked onto the stage. Never in any of their lives had such drama occurred.
“What the... Is this just a coincidence of some sort? Why now!? What tipped them over to speaking up? Did something happen? Have they been planning-”
Before he could finish pondering though, Blaze stood up.
“You stupid bastard!! You think that we don’t have the ability to strike you down where you stand!? You pitiful lord bastard, know your place, sit back down, and shut up!!”
Wright laughed loudly and looked at the audience.
“Ah, yes, it seems our beloved Blaze is finally showing his true, gracious colors! This is so wonderful! I’m so thankful that he took a break from his slave girl search to grace us with these beautiful colors!! Maybe the heavens will deliver him an extra slave girl to reward him for his kindness! No, maybe two extra slave girls, and Latia!!”
Immediately, Aurelius stood up and donned a murderous expression. Both his and Blaze’s garments began to flutter as their murderous auras ran rampant.
“CALM YOURSELVES!!”
Malachi shouted loudly at them. He clearly did not want blood to be shed before the residents in such a manner.
Blake immediately interjected.
“Also, what do you mean by a Pitiful Lord, Blaze!? Do you think the upper echelons of all of our sects are clueless as to the Saint and Spirit Ranks? You think that we aren’t just simply keeping our mouths shut!? Do you think we’d keep them shut forever!? Do you think we don’t know what you legendary bastards did!?”
Malachi donned an extremely grave expression and shouted at the audience.
“This meeting is now over! Everyone, please leave immedia-”
“Residents of the Great Valley!”
Before Malachi could finish, a much louder voice resounded through the amphitheater. It came from Magnum Opal, an Azurean Lord artist. He stood up and began.
“Listen to me, for the time has come to expose a truth that has long been veiled in the shadows! These matters go far beyond the Legendary Sects’ hoarding of wealth and bastardship! Things are much, much worse! We of the South Haven have grown weary of upholding this facade! How truly sad it is, that time has buried away the sins of these legendary bastards. Now why is it that the most powerful of us other sects only have a single lord and a couple masters, if that? Well, everybody, in one single night, one thousand years ago-”
………………
The entire amphitheater was totally silent. Not a word, nor even a gasp, resounded in the hall.
Thud
The only sound that could be heard was Magnum Opal’s head hitting the stage. It slowly rolled to the side for a moment before it stopped.
Thud
After swaying for a moment, his lifeless body followed suit. As the pool of blood grew, it soon reached a pair of feet. They belonged to Osiris Blackwood.
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