Chapter 555 Ocean Sage's Advice
In the midst of the battlefield surrounding South Harbor, members of the Order Faction were doing their best to eliminate every Dark Faction demon they encountered.
At the center of the battlefield, John was discussing their next course of action with Ocean Sage.
Although John had prepared for the possibility that Ocean Sage might not be able to assist Storm City, he had yet to have a proper conversation with him.
Despite Ocean Sage's initial hostility toward the Northern Myst Empire's members, John believed that Ocean Sage would be willing to help.
"I'm suffering from severe injuries right now, and I won't be able to assist you in the near future. I had hoped to lend my support to Storm City after we finished the battle here," Ocean Sage explained with a somewhat disappointed tone.
He genuinely wanted to aid Storm City because he believed that if the Dark Faction were to win, South Harbor wouldn't remain secure.
"Don't overthink it right now! You should focus on recovering as soon as possible. The sooner you recover, the better our situation will be moving forward. Why don't you tell me about the combat style of the Dark Magus? I have a feeling that I will encounter them again after heading to Storm City. The Dark Faction won't easily give up their attack on Storm City."
Ocean Sage nodded and proceeded to recount all the details of his battle with the Dark Magus.
After sharing everything, Ocean Sage gave John a final piece of advice.
"In your upcoming actions, you need to not only be mindful of the threat from the Dark Faction but also be vigilant about the threat posed by the Mystery Faction. I can sense that the Mystery Saints are also making moves in the shadows."
Ocean Sage's words made John raise an eyebrow.
He felt like there was more to what Ocean Sage was saying, but at the same time, he didn't seem inclined to reveal everything.
John was starting to feel a bit frustrated with Ocean Sage's demeanor.
After all, from John's perspective, the current situation was already extremely dire for the Order Faction.
Why is Ocean Sage still not planning to tell me the truth?
Does he harbor so much resentment towards Duke Arsena that he wants Storm City to be intentionally taken over by the Dark Faction?
"I can tell that you have more to say right now. What is it that you want to say? Just say it outright; I don't have much time to ponder the deeper meaning of your words."
At this point, Ocean Sage appeared hesitant, but after gazing into John's eyes for a while, he spoke softly, "Do you remember when I told you before that I had received help from a Mystery Saint?"
John nodded, recalling that Ocean Sage had mentioned cooperating with a Mystery Saint.
However, Ocean Sage had explained at the time that the cooperation was solely to ensure the safety of South Harbor.
"My cooperation with the Mystery Saint not only granted me powerful spells but also established a certain connection with Mystery power itself. I can sense that there is a tremendous amount of Mystery power surrounding South Harbor. After you all left, my original intention was to eliminate all the advantageous forces around South Harbor. But I overestimated my own strength a bit."
"These Mystery forces haven't been eradicated by me; instead, they've grown even stronger. I suddenly realized that I might be one of the contingency plans for the resurrection of the Mystery Saint."
Ocean Sage's words left John completely stunned.
He hadn't expected Ocean Sage to be so candid and reveal his biggest secret like this.
If Ocean Sage was indeed one of the contingency plans for the resurrection of the Mystery Saint, it could explain the animosity that Duke Arsena and other powerful figures from the Northern Myst Empire held towards him.
However, there was another crucial question on John's mind: why hadn't Duke Arsena and the other strong figures from the Northern Myst Empire informed him of this matter?
Queen Naga should have been aware of this information as well, so why did she agree to release Ocean Sage from his seal?
A series of questions swirled in John's mind, and his expression became increasingly conflicted.
Ocean Sage, seeing John's turmoil, decided to provide further clarification.
"In reality, the members of the Northern Myst Empire are unaware of this information; they merely suspect that I had cooperated with the Mystery Saint. Moreover, their hostility towards me is not primarily due to my collaboration with the Mystery Saint.
If you have a deep understanding of the Northern Myst Empire, you'd know one thing: other strong figures from the Northern Myst Empire have also collaborated with Mystery power. The Northern Myst Empire's main conflict with me still revolves around the ownership of Storm City. Apart from being a strategically located and prosperous city, there's a powerful magical array beneath Storm City.
Whoever controls this array gains power akin to that of a demigod. Moreover, what sets this array apart from the Book of the Astral Realm is that its users are less prone to losing control. You must have sensed the backlash from the Book of the Astral Realm during its use, haven't you?"
Ocean Sage provided a crucial piece of information.
There is a tremendously powerful magical array beneath Storm City, likely related to the hidden quest John had previously received—Storm City's Secret.
After listening to Ocean Sage's explanation, John had a clearer understanding of the current situation.
Moreover, upon Ocean Sage mentioning Queen Naga, John felt that he should first head to the Naga tribe.
He needed to assess the potential dangers there.
"I understand! The demons around South Harbor should have been mostly eliminated by now. With Twilight and Hammer staying here, South Harbor's safety should be ensured. You should rest and recover as soon as possible to be in your best condition. After that, head to Storm City to meet with us."
"My next step won't take me directly back to Storm City because I received another piece of information while I was there – that the Naga tribe has also been attacked by the Dark Faction. I must go to the Naga tribe first to ensure their safety."
John was about to leave after saying this.
However, just as he was about to teleport away, Ocean Sage stopped him once more.
It was evident that Ocean Sage had more to say.
"If you're heading to the Naga tribe, there's something I must remind you of, a matter I haven't had the opportunity to discuss with you before."
Ocean Sage coughed twice as he reached this point, clearly not in good condition.
After their previous battle, Ocean Sage was pushing himself to have this lengthy conversation with John, which emphasized the importance of what he had to say.
Naturally, John had no intention of leaving hastily.
He chose to stay and wait for Ocean Sage.
"Do not trust anything Queen Naga says. She is not as friendly as you might imagine. I had initially hoped for her support during battles with the Northern Myst Empire, but in a critical fight, Queen Naga chose not to assist me at all. Furthermore, Queen Naga's cooperation with Mystery power predates mine; she may have met the Mystery Saint. However, I do not know the extent of her collaboration with the Mystery Saint, and I am uncertain whether she has since betrayed the Mystery Faction and aligned herself with the Order Faction."
Ocean Sage's warning was of utmost importance to John.
Without taking precautions against Queen Naga, he might have fallen into an ambush by her after heading to the Naga tribe.
However, from the very beginning, John had not placed blind trust in Queen Naga.
He had sensed that Queen Naga held many secrets when he first visited the Naga tribe.
His cooperation with Queen Naga was primarily because Queen Naga had not directly opposed him.
"I understand, and I'll exercise caution going forward."
After saying this, John called over Twilight and Hammer.
"Both of you must ensure the safety of South Harbor from now on. I've already taken care of the majority of the high-ranking demons, so you should be able to handle the lower-ranking ones."
With that, John teleported away, his destination being the Naga tribe.
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