'Who wanted to meet with me? The King of the Armakeans?' The old man asked.
Since Gael was connected with Kyran and absorbed plenty of complete beings, he could hear and understand the Abbot. He could also speak their language pretty well.
'I came here to find out,' Gael admitted. 'The leader of the mercenary group in Howling Pass that received the request said that the person who came to them was using an advanced concealment spell, which prevented them from figuring out his origin. As a matter of fact, he was not even sure if the person was a he or a she. He had one of his people with a powerful stealth spell follow that client and was led to this place.
'After they confirmed that their client was indeed someone from Armakea and likely had a high status because no one dared to stop him for his clearance when he entered the borders, the mercenary group stopped their investigation and did what they had been asked to do.
'Howling Pass is lawless. And almost everyone living there is fearless. However, that does not mean they are not afraid of anything. Because most of the outcasts fear one thing— the magical beast community. Since Armakea had a good relationship with the latter, they tried to steer away from them as much as possible.'
Kyran was getting more convinced that most of the outcasts in Howling Pass were humans after hearing they were afraid of the magical beast community. The latter's blood was poison to humans, after all.
'Only someone with an S-rank in Armakea can learn an advanced concealment spell,' the old man quipped in. 'And only a few have that rank.'
According to the old man, the Armakeans followed a different rule in a hierarchy.
Their citizens are ranked from E to S, with S being the royal family.
E-rank citizens are the lowest and could even be considered slaves. D-ranks have a better social standing than the latter but are still lower than a commoner. Commoners in Armakea are C-ranks. They are allowed to study, but not all can receive higher education. B-ranks are the more educated citizens. And most of those in the military are B-ranks. A-ranks are comparable to a noble. Thus, most are part of the parliament and other leadership roles in Armakea. Finally, the royal family is the only one with S-rank standing.
'I really can't think of a reason for anyone in the royal family of Armakea to want to talk to me,' the old man said, a little troubled by the thought.
They had been at odds with the Armakeans for almost two decades because of the lost technology in their borders.
The old man would understand if the Armakea hired the mercenary group in Howling Pass to find him and kill him. Or even abduct him. But according to Gael, the mercenary group was only hired to isolate him so a representative from Armakea could talk to him.
Could it be that they wanted to have a more civil discussion regarding the 'lost technology' on their border?
The old man rejected the notion at once.
The Armakeans are proud. They will never compromise nor have a civil discussion with their enemy for almost two decades.
'There is one,' Kyran said, feeling slightly frustrated at how oblivious the old man could be.
'What is it?'
'What are you even good at, old man?'
The old man was somewhat surprised at the question. Thus, he could not answer right away.
'What am I good at? Well... give me just a few seconds to—.'
'Providing medical assistance. Healing. Potion making. Apothecary,' Kyran said, using a deadpan tone. 'If you look at all these things, why do you think an enemy would want to meet you secretly?'
'Ah!' The old man was finally inspired by what Kyran had said. 'They needed me to heal someone?'
'That is the most possible reason,' Kyran nodded. 'But it is only one of the many possibilities.'
'There are other possibilities?'
'We'll go nowhere if we list everything,' Kyran exasperatedly replied. He looked at Gael and said, 'What do you think of the situation? Honestly, I hate politics, and I can't be sure that my thinking is on the right track. This is more of your forte.'
'Indeed it is, and I am most regretful of what I have done in the past. Once again, I am grateful for your mercy, master.'
'Stop. Just answer the question.'
'Yes, master.'
The exchange between the two made the old man wonder again what kind of background Kyran had. He was tempted to delve into his mind one more time. However, he was also afraid to find something that would incur the Fates' wrath.
After all, he had a strong inkling that the Fates were watching Kyran closely.
'I think there are two factions, even among the Armakea royal family,' Gael started. He then shared his own assumption.
According to Gael, either the King of Armakea or someone very dear to him had fallen ill, and they could not cure it. The royal family might have been torn between conquering the Eidums and forcing the Abbot to heal that person or meet him secretly and ask for his assistance.
Of course, the latter would not have been possible if the Kingdon of Cretea was still on good terms with the Eidums. But since they had already confirmed the two had a falling out, these two factions had decided to make their move.
Unfortunately, the faction proposing to meet the Abbot secretly failed, and thus, the other faction was even more adamant about winning the war at their borders. Because if they win, the Eidums would have to do everything they asked.
'That...' the old man was a little speechless. 'So them attacking our side so fiercely like this is no longer because of the lost technology but because they wanted to enslave us?'
'Not exactly enslavement per se. But definitely, they want to rule over you.'
'And that is only the beginning,' Kyran quipped.
'What is next?'
'The Armakea will likely continue their campaign. Now that they have you, a group of powerful healers, they can wage war on every nation they believed had stolen their lost technology.'
'As expected of our master. You say you do not like politics, but you can see through the intentions of others.'
Kyran sighed, 'I do hate it. There are plenty of mind games. I'd rather fight a thousand magical beasts than deal with people with many hidden agendas.'
Gael fell silent. However, he looked at Kyran as if he wanted to say something but feared stepping out of line.
Sensing Gael's hesitation, Kyran said, 'Speak your mind.'
'Master, Zephyr is right.'
Kyran frowned, 'Why did you bring him up? Why is he right?'
'You have too little ambition.'
Hearing this, Kyran recalled a conversation with Zephyr when he had told him he had little ambition.
'I understand you came here only for the mistress,' Gael hastily added, fearing Kyran would tell him to shut up before he could explain his side. 'But you've already seen how attached the mistress is to the Eidums. You know it will not be easy to take the mistress away when the situation in Somuli is unstable. Even if you resolve the issue of the Eidums not having proper fighters by making them win over the Armakea, once you leave, the Armakea is likely to devour the Eidums and reverse their role.
'The mistress also knows that. That's why she insisted that the Eidums lack the strength.'
Kyran sighed, 'You were listening to our conversation?'
'You're emotion was a little unstable at the time, master. I did not mean to listen in, I swear.'
'And? What are you trying to tell me?'
Gael was silent momentarily before finally saying, 'Be more ambitious, master. I know you think your hands are only big enough to support your father in protecting your clan, but I beg to differ. You have the capability to rule. You have us, and you can have more subjects that will help you.
'You have suggested a conquest. Why not do it yourself? In this plane?'
Kyran chuckled, 'You're saying that in front of the person meant to be this plane's true Sovereign?'
Gael was surprised. He could not help but regard the old man inside the Void World in a new light.
That was right.
The old man admitted that he was meant to ascend and become the Sovereign of Somuli. That was how he knew the current Sovereign was a fake.
The old man only refused to ascend because he was worried about Cyneah and the future of the Eidums once he became a Sovereign. His reason was similar to Nolan's.
Nevertheless, the fact that the fake Sovereign possessed the power of a Sovereign was true. Yet, the old man knew it was not 'real' because if it was, then how come he could still meddle with the internal affairs of the plane?
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