NOVEL NEXT Chapter 125: Currents
"On that matter, I wonder if providing certain insights for the implications of the recent trouble that has swept Melton in a tumultuous chaos would serve the purpose?" Saah muttered, straightening on his seat as if the stoop of his back wouldn't be enough to bear the tension. "Of course, I wouldn't dare to suggest that you're unaware of the recent happenings, yet I'm confident in my knowledge of these rather veiled practices, especially on the side of the Underworld."
Valens was intrigued, to say the least. In a world where the history was written from a few different perspectives, hearing word from truthful resources was no doubt an alluring notion, better yet if it involved him in one way or another.
Presenting himself as ignorant on this subject, though, could give a tell to these people that he wasn't the all-seeing entity they thought he was. Then again, the setting in which he found himself in suggested a return of a far-long band of magicians, which, in turn, could very well be the excuse he could use to justify his lack of knowledge.
The world must've changed. It has been a thousand years since the Surgemasters abandoned this place, after all.
"I have a few old friends who are working in certain important positions in the kingdoms related to this recent matter," Baht spoke after a moment. "Of which, one of them told me a strange story. If this is to be a true gathering rather than an assembly of people from different walks of life, then I see no trouble in partaking in it."
You're a clever man, Baht, and more and more I began to see you as a shrewd planner than a Healer who has a heart beating for the common good. I can use a man like you.
With Vireth having already spoken about her willingness to become a part of the Surgemaster's group, that left the three other members of the Assembly who remained silent. One was the young Mage whose name was Ansel, and Valens doubted whether he had anything to offer. The other was the man with the sideburns who looked like a wolf but had a delicate way with words. Lastly, the strange woman who seemed to have a bone to pick with the Surgemaster's return.
"I've got leads from the Broken Lands," the Sideburns muttered in a heavy voice. "Not often you'd see the city-states react to the happenings in Haven's Reach, but this one rattled them like no other."
"They know what the return of the Ancients means," the strange woman said. "They know things are about to get hectic in the Broken Lands, Alfred."
"Things are almost always hectic in the Dead Lands, Piya," Alfred turned toward her, rubbing at his stubbled chin. "But your words do have merit in them since a few of the Old Orders decided to take certain measures in the name of preparation. They're thinking of coming out into the wide world."
"Would the dealings of those that have been long forgotten interest Sir in any way?" Piya, the strange woman, said in a calculated voice. "Beyond that, I'm curious as to what sort of plans Sir has for the chaos that is fast approaching? Being in the presence of such royal company is an honour itself, but no deal is complete without ironing out the details."
Here it is, and why do I feel like they all exactly knew this strange woman would ask that obvious question to me? It's almost as if they deliberately let her take the burn of it. Fine. So be it. I have a few ideas that I can use.
He would never mistake these people as weak and unsourceful, especially since he knew Baht's prior accomplishments. A man who crossed his Fourth Trial, a Crowned, if you will, could rule a city-state in the Broken Lands, and they were painfully few in number. The others were equally mysterious, if not a touch weaker than him, which makes this Assembly an odd gathering of powerful people.
To lure them into service, however, Valens had only to do one thing.
Give them something to latch on.
Risky business, indeed, but I've learned nothing is free in this world.
"Eliza was the first among her kind to risk an early venture into the Haven's Reach," Valens started, voice booming across the hall. "Her plan was one of grand ambition, aiming to unravel the Nine Gates of the Haven's Reach and set free the dwellers upon mankind. She had rallied the Ninth Legion to her cause, and used Veiled Mother's influence to take control. For that, she has been punished."
He waited for a moment for the words to settle in.
A heavy air pressed upon the hall in the following silence. Valens studied the faces of the members and saw in them a variety of expressions. Ansel, for one, seemed at a loss as to what these truly meant. Baht and the rest of the experienced people, instead, leaned back in their seats with a crushing awareness.
Who else but the Arcanist could have punished a true Ancient? They all heard the odd Healer who was present in the scene, did they not? And surely they heard of his skills and the feat he performed through their own channels.
Valens didn't know the entirety of the Surgemaster's legacy, but he doubted if there was anyone in the world who could claim thousands of souls back from the Endless Mist's hold. Perhaps there were Crowned people or legendary figures beyond their Fifth or Sixth Trials who could do it, but then, the Healer was one weak-looking man who got stuck at his First Trial.
"That man…" Vireth sucked in a shivering breath as she grasped the arms of her seat, fingers straining at the edges. "The Healer…" she mumbled with difficulty. "Sir, was that man one of your champions?"
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One of my champions? Well, if you put it that way, then I don't mind the misunderstanding.
"It all makes sense now," Saah muttered from the side, not entirely taken aback like Vireth, but still showing signs of a great surprise on his rather dull face. For some reason, the way his expression changed reminded Valens of Nomad's false skin. "That's how a Pretrial man could stave off an Ancient's presence like it was nothing."
"Such strength," Piya, the strange woman, didn't seem all too suspicious now. There was even an eager, hungry glint in her eyes. "Such influence even with the lack of stats, and the titles. Is this what being an Ancient truly means?"
"You shouldn't have doubted," Baht said, raising his chin like a proud man who kept his silence until his point had been proven true. "You don't know what it means to glimpse upon their depthless might. I have been lucky to be granted a part of the Sir's legacy, and the years I've spent mastering my craft have only given me a basic understanding of it. It speaks, the world does, doesn't it, Sir? Everything has a song, but we're too deaf to hear them."
What?
It was Valens's turn to be surprised since he hadn't expected the mention of the songs. Baht was right. From the bare patch of soil underneath one's feet to the winds coursing freely across the sky, to the bird skittering gently through the weed and the birds singing loudly during the mornings.
Everything had a song for those who were willing to listen.
The System granted him a part of my skills? Can he hear the frequencies?
It almost felt unfair since Valens had to spend a lifetime studying under Master Eldras to grasp the endless reaches of the frequencies. But then, he remembered, this man had passed his Fourth Trial and spent decades trapped inside the Land of the Fated, so in part he deserved to be presented the opportunity.
It's interesting, isn't it, Baht? I came to this world and have been compared to you on more than one occasion. People thought I belonged to your cult, a secret member out to carry out your legacy. And now you speak of the frequencies, and are considering joining me in this. If there's something like fate, then I daresay it's at work here.
"Mm," Valens muttered rather than giving him a clear answer. He doubted whether there was ever a simple answer to that question.
Thankfully, the other members seemed to have taken his gesture as an acceptance of their offerings. Knowledge and information were what Valens needed the most at the moment. While he was out in the Broken Lands and focusing on his skills, he could keep an eye on the Haven's Reach for the likelihood of other Ancients popping out soon.
Hah… I have become my own champion. But I suppose everybody works for themselves in one way or another, so it's not entirely wrong.
"Then I shall start." Saah was surprisingly the first one to speak after the silence lingering between them. "My sources in the Underworld have told me that a grand gathering is about to happen soon between the legions. By breaking the Codes and supporting a Forsaken's kin, the Ninth Legion has become a target."
"The Divine Orders wouldn't let them get away with this as well," Baht said.
"That might be true, but word is that certain Liches and even a few Abyssal Lords have found the Ninth Legion's attempt exhilarating. They have seen how vulnerable Haven's Reach truly is. It wouldn't come as a surprise if they start brewing their own plots in the bowels of the earth."
"They wouldn't dare," Alfred said simply. "The Old Orders are stirring not because they saw opportunity in the chaos, but for the grave inevitability it represents. For too long, they kept themselves out of the world, and yet once this matter escalates into a true conflict, they know they wouldn't be spared as well."
"Old monsters," Piya said. "I doubt they could find common ground between them. Ancient feuds are hard to forget, I should know."
"You're taking them too lightly," Saah said. "Once they learn of the Healer's identity, they would find it hard to contain their legions against the promise of a true freedom. Thousands of undead would seek him even if that meant being branded as a traitor."
I already have one in my inn, and I doubt he would tolerate the presence of others.
"If what you're saying is true, then…" Vireth swallowed. "This means those Liches will be out seeking Sir's champion, right? To get rid of him, at least, to save themselves from the trouble."
"There has been an effort at finding him already, but before the matter in Belgrave, he was seen as a minor threat that could be eliminated at any time," Saah said. "But he has proven himself quite the expert in that chaos. If he could save thousands from Endless Mist's hold, he could very well do the same for the undead."
I… actually never thought that. Cleansing the Heartstones from the Everfog? Sounds doable, now.
"Once, we all served under the Surgemasters," Alfred chimed in, looking greatly pleased with this part of the history that Valens wasn't sure if it's real or not. "Their absence allowed other Orders to take control, and partly, they have managed to do it. Divine Orders have tried to split the world among themselves as though slicing pieces from a pie. If not for the Caligian revolution, they might have succeeded too. But if Sir decides to make an appearance…"
"They could only bow against him," Vireth completed his sentence.
Valens blinked as all eyes turned toward him, faces taut and chins dipped low as though they were in the presence of a great ruler. There was some truth in that, of course, but it had nothing to do with Valens.
Not now, at least, being the budding Proven he was.
Still, he considered a possible scenario in which he presented himself to the public. Bearer of the old myths and powers, inheritor of a legacy unknown and shrouded in mysteries. Blood and sacrifice, too, as he gathered. Much of them, actually, to the point that there would be faces in the crowd eager to rip him apart.
He had never cared much for the authority in his old world. Not for himself, at least. He had thoughts about uprooting the Inquisition and establishing a new order, but to actually rule people like an Emperor?
That had never crossed his mind.
With authority came a string of difficult troubles. Being in charge meant you have to cross certain people in certain matters. It was an arrangement fashioned from conflict itself, and had a knack for birthing conflict as well. A circle of unending misery, it sounded like, much to Valens's horror.
So no, he didn't want to become a sort of figurehead to a world of people he barely knew. He could perhaps consider it if he could attain powers beyond anyone could reach, and thus could claim to protect himself from any assassination attempts that would come.
Let us not get too ahead of ourselves. We will start slow. What we need now is a good foundation.
He swept the seats with a piercing gaze, and liked much of what he saw. He had great people in this Assembly, with a few of them having purposefully kept themselves from sharing their sides of the story, but neither Alfred nor Piya seemed like normal people.
Maybe we should get one from the Underworld too, though Saah seems to know an awful lot of the matters of the dead.
"It is not the right time yet," he said as the expectation of the crowd grew heavy enough to force an answer from him. "For now, we shall keep this assembly a secret. Look into Viremeth, the City of Magisters. I will be waiting eagerly for your findings in the next meeting."
Good. This will keep them busy and hopefully bring more information to the table.