Chapter 248 Chapter247-Agreement Reached, Journey to the Capital
When Storm City's Lord Valerie finally gave his answer, John wasn't surprised in the slightest.
He had always been confident that Valerie would agree to his request.
The reason was straightforward: for both Valerie and the Storm Church, the Twelve Trials of the Hero paled in comparison to the importance of the Son of the Storm.
In some ways, the Twelve Trials were merely the Storm Church's method for selecting the next Pope's successor.
The trials themselves were fraught with uncertainty, riddled with exceptionally difficult stages.
The Church had no qualms about outsiders partaking in the trials. In their view, even if foreigners did participate, the chances of anyone completing all the trials and claiming the ultimate reward were negligible.
No one understood the difficulty of the Twelve Trials better than the upper echelons of the Storm Church.
To them, the Trials were more a symbol of the Church's honor than anything else.
The Son of the Storm, however, was a different matter altogether.
It was a piece of Divine equipment, its value astronomical.
Moreover, its existence was directly tied to the very necessity of Storm City's continued existence.
The importance of the two could not even be compared.
With a subtle smile, John spoke nonchalantly, "Since my lord has agreed to my request, I won't be stingy either. Would you be so kind as to lead me to the Pope of the Storm Church now?"
Relieved after receiving the Pope's approval, Valerie's demeanor noticeably softened.
He chuckled lightly and responded, "Ah, young man, you're not aware. Initiating the Twelve Trials of the Hero requires extensive preparations and an array of complex procedures. Since no church member qualified to partake in the Trials this year, we haven't had the chance to prepare the necessary magical materials in advance..."
John's brows quietly furrowed.
Did this mean he'd have to wait even longer?
With a level tone, he inquired, "My lord, why don't you just tell me—how long would it take for you to prepare for the Trials at your fastest pace?"
Valerie calculated earnestly. "We'd need at least half a month to prepare..."
Without a moment's hesitation, John slipped the Son of the Storm back into his bag. "In that case, I shall return to Storm City in half a month to conduct our trade."
Valerie's face changed dramatically, and he hastily rose to his feet.
With an earnest expression, he pleaded, "Young man, hold on a moment. While it's true that we'd normally need half a month, I understand you can't afford to wait that long. I've already spoken with the Pope, and we will do everything in our power to prepare for the Twelve Trials of the Hero within seven days."
Seven days? John sat silently, contemplating deeply.
Seeing John's reticence, Valerie added with a wistful smile, "I have an audacious request—could you return the Son of the Storm to Storm City first?"
John's eyes locked onto Valerie's, his lips curling into an enigmatic smile. "My lord, do you know what it cost me to acquire the Son of the Storm from the Treasure Thief Rat?"
"A Divine energy gem—one of the most premium energy gems in existence! I paid such a steep price to obtain the Son of the Storm. Now, you casually ask for its return with just a few words. Don't you find that a bit unreasonable?"
The bitter undertone in Valerie's smile deepened, for he too understood the point all too well.
In what world would one party to a trade hand over goods before the other's promise could be fulfilled—even a week later? Even a fool would see the inherent unfairness in such a deal.
But Valerie was left with no other options; the Son of the Storm had to be reclaimed, and urgently so.
Storm City was increasingly unstable; the once-abundant elemental forces of wind and lightning were dissipating at an accelerating pace.
Should this continue, the city might lose its defining characteristics entirely.
"My apologies for the unreasonable request," Valerie said, his face reddening, brimming with gravity. "Since the Son of the Storm was taken, the storm clouds over the city have been slowly dissipating. At this rate, we may need to consider renaming the city."
While Valerie's words dripped with urgency and emotion, John remained unmoved. "My lord, while I sympathize with Storm City's plight, business is business. Cash and goods should exchange hands simultaneously—that's the rule of trade. Nobody should break it."
"To be frank, the level of trust between us isn't sufficiently high for me to fully believe you. What if I hand over the Son of the Storm and you renege on your end?"
Pounding his chest in assurance, Valerie insisted, "Rest assured, such a situation will not arise. I stake the millennia-old reputation of both Storm City and the Storm Church as guarantee."
John fell silent once more, appearing to mull over the matter seriously. Seizing the moment, Valerie continued, "If you still have reservations, I can leave the Lord's Token with you as collateral."
With that, he reached into his robes and produced a rhombus-shaped token, inscribed with the words 'Lord of Storm City' and emanating a palpable magical aura.
Valerie unhesitatingly pushed the token toward John and intoned earnestly, "This token is the singular symbol of the Lordship of Storm City. With it, you can command the City Guard and all other departments. Now, do you believe in our sincerity?"
It was evident that Valerie was truly desperate, going so far as to offer up his own identity token.
John accepted the token with a light chuckle. "If my lord insists so fervently, it would be churlish of me to refuse further."
He produced the Son of the Storm once again and handed it over to Valerie.
The latter cradled the orb-like artifact as though it were the world's most precious treasure, his movements steeped in unparalleled care.
With the Son of the Storm returned, Valerie finally took a deep breath. "If you could give me a moment," he said, "I'll have the Son of the Storm returned to its rightful place at once, and then we can proceed to the Imperial Capital."
John and his companions nodded in understanding, their smiles unfaltering.
Not wasting another second, Valerie hurried out of the council hall, cradling the Son of the Storm as he went.
"Galewind, you just handed over the invaluable Son of the Storm back to Storm City?" Adam asked, his impatience barely concealed as soon as Valerie had left the room.
With a light chuckle, John responded, "Yes, it rightfully belongs to Storm City, after all. For us players, keeping it serves no real purpose. Better to exchange it for some good favor."
Blue Sea furrowed his brow. "But you traded a massive price to get the Son of the Storm from Treasure Thief Rat. Was it all just to participate in these so-called Twelve Trials of the Hero?"
John's gaze deepened, growing more inscrutable. Softly, he said, "I had no choice. There's something in there that I absolutely must obtain."
...
A moment later, as if sensing something, John suddenly looked up at the sky.
An arcane aura descended from the heavens, settling somewhere within the City Lord's Mansion.
As if establishing some sort of connection, the dissipating elemental forces of wind and thunder in Storm City's atmosphere ceased their fade and began to slowly recover.
Valerie strode back into the council hall, his laughter hearty and relieved. "Finally, the pressing issue has been resolved. Thank you for your assistance with Storm City. The portal is ready; we can now proceed to the Imperial Capital!"
Led by Valerie, John and his companions arrived at an internal teleportation point within the City Lord's Mansion.
It connected directly to the capital of the Northern Myst Empire and a few nearby towns.
Such portals existed in every City Lord's Mansion and were not accessible to ordinary players, available only to the officials and dignitaries of the Northern Myst Empire.
"Speaking of which, it's been a while since I last visited the capital to report on my duties. This is a good opportunity to catch up on the recent changes there," Valerie said with a light chuckle, stepping into the portal first.
John and his comrades leaped in after him, vanishing into the soft white light of the teleportation point.
When John opened his eyes again, he found himself in a bustling metropolis, illuminated by countless lights, echoing with the cacophony of urban life.
Starlight adorned the night sky, lending the city a touch of mystical luminescence.
It was John's first visit to the capital of the Northern Myst Empire, and compared to the towns he'd previously frequented, the grandeur here was palpable.
Blue Sea and Adam, having been here before, appeared quite at ease.
"Young sirs, our destination is the Prime Minister's residence. The great Duke Dinan awaits us there," Valerie casually informed them as they walked.
John followed the direction of Valerie's pointing finger, and his eyes landed on an imposing palace standing tall in the city center. He paused. "Such a grand palace is merely the residence of the Prime Minister?"
Valerie offered a wry smile and gently corrected, "Oh no, that is the Imperial Palace, where His Majesty the Emperor resides and governs the affairs of state. The Prime Minister's residence is located within the palace complex."
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