Chapter 523 -A Temporary Cessation of Conflict
John found himself in a vexing predicament as he witnessed the dispute between Duke Arsena and the Ocean Sage. The latest revelation that the Ocean Sage had once collaborated with a Saint of the Mystery Faction, if true, meant that John could no longer ally himself with the Ocean Sage.
His priority had to be addressing the threat posed by the Mystery Faction.
John turned his gaze to the Ocean Sage, expecting a thorough explanation. Even if the Ocean Sage had once cooperated with the Mystery Faction, there had to be some compelling reasons for it. If the collaboration was merely for gaining greater power or simply to counter the Northern Myst Empire, John could not accept it.
The Ocean Sage, facing this challenging situation, realized that he needed to explain himself quickly. Besides John, it seemed unlikely that anyone else would offer him support at this point. The need for a clear and convincing explanation was paramount to regain trust and possibly reshape the alliances on the battlefield.
Faced with the need for an explanation, and discerning John's evident hostility towards the Mystery Saint from his expression, the Ocean Sage began to elucidate the reasons behind his past actions.
"I admit that I did collaborate with the Mystery Saint. However, my cooperation with him was solely aimed at defeating the Dark Faction. Everyone here should remember that, at that time, the threat posed by the Dark Faction was more significant. In the era I was active, the Order Faction had virtually no defense at Sunset Mountain. The power of the Dark Realm could easily approach Storm City from there.
Moreover, the Northern Myst Empire at that time completely ignored my calls for help. They neither planned to send reinforcements to Storm City nor to provide me with additional assistance from their skilled warriors.
The Naga tribe was also only capable of defending themselves and their territory. Their forces were stretched thin in securing their own tribe, let alone being in a position to assist us. Given such circumstances, I naturally had no choice but to collaborate with the forces of Mystery!"
The Ocean Sage's explanation portrayed his decision as a desperate measure in the face of abandonment by allies and the looming threat of the Dark Faction. This reasoning could potentially shift perspectives, as it suggested his actions, while controversial, were driven by a necessity to protect the greater good.
"And at that time, I believed that the power of Mystery wasn't as massive a threat to our Order Faction as it is now. At least back then, the resurrection progress of the Mystery Saint was significantly lacking. He couldn't resurrect directly from the Abyss, the origin of the Mystery power. Now that I have successfully escaped from the seal, I will no longer collaborate with the Mystery Faction. Furthermore, I plan to cooperate with others from the Order Faction. I believe I can perfectly collaborate with the Naga tribe and John."
The Ocean Sage's explanation seemed reasonable to John, presenting a case of desperate measures taken during dire times. However, John remained skeptical, as he found it hard to trust those who had any association with the Mystery Faction.
Just as the Ocean Sage finished speaking, Duke Arsena let out a cold laugh. In John's memory, it was unusual for Duke Arsena to display such an expression, suggesting a deep-seated disbelief or disdain towards the Ocean Sage's explanation. This reaction could potentially influence the perception of others present, casting further doubt on the Ocean Sage's narrative.
"Do not continue deceiving others. As someone who directly engaged in combat with you, I am well aware that your cooperation with the Mystery Saint was not solely for the defense of Storm City. In the final battle, you employed spells only accessible to the Mystery faction. If it weren't for your use of Mystery magic, we wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses," Duke Arsena's tone was filled with anger.
However, no one could prove the veracity of Duke Arsena's claims. Neither the Mystery Protector nor Natasha had participated in the battle that took place decades ago in Storm City. Even the two NPCs, Twilight and Hammer, who had accompanied John to this harbor, had not experienced that particular conflict.
The only two individuals who had experienced that battle were Duke Arsena and Ocean Sage. Yet, Ocean Sage vehemently countered, "You are lying. I did not use Mystery magic during that battle. My cooperation with the Mystery Saint was solely to avoid being targeted by the Mystery faction's attacks."
As Ocean Sage and Duke Arsena disputed each other's claims, everyone present was left unable to determine the truth. John turned his gaze towards Queen Naga.
In John's perspective, Queen Naga should have a better grasp of the current situation. However, things had taken an unexpected turn, and Queen Naga seemed to be equally perplexed. Despite her long lifespan, several decades ago, she wasn't the queen of the Naga tribe; she was merely a regular magus within the Naga tribe.
While Queen Naga knew that a monumental battle had taken place in Storm City between the Northern Myst Empire and Ocean Sage back then, she couldn't be entirely certain about the specific spells employed by both sides.
After contemplating for a moment, Queen Naga spoke slowly, "Since your accounts are entirely contradictory, let's use another method to determine the truth of your claims."
Upon hearing Queen Naga's words, John received some hints. Queen Naga was likely suggesting the establishment of a contract to discern who was telling the truth and who was not. Naturally, John readily agreed because he believed that this approach was the quickest and most accurate solution.
"I think we should settle this by establishing a contract to see who's lying. Both of you, enter into a contract with me, where you explicitly state that what you said earlier is true," John proposed.
Without hesitation, Duke Arsena readily entered into the contract with John. After the contract was established, Duke Arsena turned his gaze toward Ocean Sage.
Ocean Sage, too, showed no hesitation and entered into a contract with John. And so, everyone around awaited the activation of the contract, ensured by the Photonic Brain System.
John finally felt he had a chance to uncover the hidden secrets of Storm City. However, at the moment the contract was activated, John received an unexpected prompt.
[Player Alert: The current storyline mode is not applicable to contracts! The current storyline mode is not applicable to contracts! Players are advised to quickly cancel the contract! Failure to cancel the contract within the specified time will result in the player being forcibly logged out!]
John's mind was bombarded with notifications from the game server system. These notifications made it clear that John's attempt to use this clever method to complete the hidden quest was impossible.
John didn't hesitate and promptly canceled the contract, surprising everyone present with his action. Before Queen Naga could even ask a question, John spoke up, "The contracts you both entered into have taken effect. It appears that what you both said is true."
John's words left everyone in a state of shock. The Mystery Protector, not wasting any time, accused John of lying, saying, "This is absolutely impossible. They both said entirely different things, so how can everything they said be true? You must be lying!"
Although Natasha remained silent, it was evident that she shared the same sentiment as the Mystery Protector. However, Natasha couldn't fathom why John would deliberately lie. Had John already figured out that Ocean Sage was the one lying? If so, was John still willing to cooperate with Ocean Sage?
Natasha had numerous questions running through her mind, but she knew she was unlikely to find the answers. After all, she had been on opposing sides with John until recently.
Queen Naga fell silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating something. She then spoke, "In that case, we can confirm that both sides have not lied. Now that Ocean Sage has successfully broken free from his seal, I suggest you return to the southern harbor of Storm City as soon as possible. In the current circumstances, it seems imperative for both the Northern Myst Empire and Ocean Sage to cooperate. If Storm City comes under attack, our Naga tribe will provide reinforcements."
With the matter resolved, Queen Naga decided to depart. Her presence here no longer served any purpose.
After Queen Naga left, both Ocean Sage and John chose to leave as well. The remaining three formidable figures from the Northern Myst Empire exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of their next course of action.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶