Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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"Sir, you have a visitor. It's the captain of the ship; he said he wants to have a private talk with you."

One of Cedric's bodyguards stated respectfully.

This got his attention and his thoughts churning for any reason why. But guessing blindly won't get him anywhere, so instead of making the captain wait, he told the bodyguard to let him in so they can talk.

The captain of the cruise looked the same as he remembered him: still stoic and strictly professional. He's the kind of man who had seen a lot, Cedric could tell by the look in his eyes.

"Greetings, Sir. Please excuse this very sudden visit," the man said as soon as their eyes met.

"It's quite alright, Captain. I wasn't busy with anything anyway. Care to have some drinks, at least?"

"I appreciate the offer, Sir, but it's not necessary. I don't want to overstay my welcome. I'm only here to pass on a message from my superior."

That got Cedric curious now. He nodded and gestured for the captain to elaborate.

"It's like this, Sir. The CEO that we work for has heard that a person of your status has boarded our cruise and would love to meet you in person. We will highly appreciate it if you can spare us some time and meet our boss for a private conversation."

Cedric inwardly applauded the man for his straightforwardness, and he didn't really sense any hints of malice or ill intent in this invitation.

"I see. Well, I'm free tomorrow night. That should be enough time to arrange a meeting, right?"

"More than enough, sir. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I'll inform our boss right away."

Cedric nodded. The captain then excused himself and left his residence, not daring to linger even a second longer in fear of misunderstandings.

Once he left, the silence of Cedric's sanctuary on this cruise returned. Sitting down on the comfortable couch, his thoughts churned about the implications of the meeting he just agreed to.

Unbeknownst to the captain, and maybe even this mysterious boss of his, Cedric was quite actually aware of that person's presence.

This mysterious boss must be the one he sensed when he got on to the ship, the real strong man standing behind the scenes of this cruise. It's because of his presence that everything here remained organized and secure.

The man had been aware of Cedric's presence since the very start, that's for sure. After all, there's no way that a strong man like him wouldn't sense Cedric's presence, especially since Cedric was also a Scarlet VIP of the Golden Bangle Bank and never did anything to hide his presence.

Cedric wasn't really all that concerned that this man never appeared before him. He knew that, by all means, nobody should even be aware that he's here in the first place. It's just that Cedric's eyes were so sharp that he couldn't even hide his presence from him.

That same man followed Cedric and his entourage on route to the Heart of the Weeping Sea God. Cedric saw him watching from a distance. The only reason why he didn't reveal his presence was because he didn't sense any ill intent from him, just mere curiosity.

And that's also why he accepted the invitation this time.

Whatever it is that this person wants from him, since he has shown this level of decency, Cedric should at least hear him out. It's not like he will be forced to do anything he doesn't want to, anyway, so there's really no harm to this.

**

Time passed by quickly, and soon, the arranged meeting time was already upon him.

Cedric made himself presentable and followed the captain to the place prepared for this little meeting they'd have.

He could already feel the gaze of the man on him, but Cedric didn't show any indications that he sensed it. He wore a neutral expression as he followed the captain to the venue.

They walked past the helm of the ship and arrived at the very forefront of the cruise, a place that was originally off-limits to passengers and VIPs alike.

This is where the smaller cruises and ships are parked. Beneath this place is where the main engine of the cruise was located, that's why passengers aren't allowed here.

From here, Cedric could see how the cruise moved at a decent but very smooth pace. He could see the force field that's protecting the ship and its passengers from space debris and maintaining the structure of the ship as well as its gravity.

Beyond the parked ships and everything else, lies a small open space. There's a small table set there. Two chairs, one occupied already. There were wine glasses on the table and a few entry dishes prepared for both Cedric and the mysterious boss of the ship.

"This is my stop, Sir. Our boss is already waiting for you on that table," the captain stated after reaching halfway through the table.

Cedric thanked him and crossed the remaining distance on his own at a brisk pace. As soon as he's near enough to the table, the man who's waiting for him looks back, and their eyes meet for the first time.

'An Empyrean, no doubt,' Cedric judged mentally, and he was confident that he was right.

Even without activating the magical effects of his eyes, Cedric could sense how the concept laws behaved subserviently around this man. He's like a sleeping titan that shouldn't be provoked.

Cedric maintained a polite expression and greeted the man.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Cedric."

"It's my pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Cedric. My name is Philip Lockheed. Just call me Philip, if you don't mind." The man gave him a friendly smile.

"I won't, as long as you also don't mind calling me Cedric," he replied, easing up the atmosphere.

They shook hands, and Philip gestured for him to take a seat and to enjoy himself with the few snacks and drinks readily available on the table. Cedric didn't show too much aversion; he poured wine for himself and took a small sip. That's when Philip began to speak again.

"Pardon the abrupt invitation," he said. "I'll admit I'm a little thrilled to get to know you. After all, we don't usually receive a Scarlet VIP in our tiny ship."

'Tiny my ass.' Cedric inwardly sneered at the very fake humility in the man's words.

In what world is this cruise considered 'tiny'?

"Oh, it's fine. I'm not that occupied anyway. Though, I'll admit that I'm curious about what this is really about. I'm not in trouble, am I?" He jested with a small smile.

"Impossible!" The man chuckled. "We wouldn't have this kind of atmosphere if you were."

That is true. Cedric could tell that, while his status as a Scarlet VIP held some sway over this Philip's judgement, it's nowhere near enough to completely absolve him if he truly offended the man.

"You seem like a straightforward man, and as such, I'll stop beating around the bush," Philip stated. "I believe you have heard about the upcoming tournament, right?"

"If you're talking about that same tournament that happens once every millennium, then yes, I have. It'd be harder to not know it, actually, considering how it's becoming everybody's topic nowadays."

This wasn't even an exaggeration. This topic was the main content of most of the conversation that's happening on this cruise ship. And even if it wasn't, it will eventually be as time goes on.

And this isn't even including the conversations he hears whenever he logs into the virtual world. Everyone was too excited and eagerly waiting for the event to start; they're even making bets this early already.

"Yes, that is true. I'm glad that we're on the same page then." Philip chuckled.

There was a slight pause in his words, and then he said,

"Here's the thing, I was wondering if you're interested in a little collaboration." Philip emphasized the 'little collaboration' part as he said it.

Cedric didn't say anything; he just looked at Philip, silently asking him to elaborate.

"I'm not asking for much. I just want you to join the tournament. I want my company to be one of your sponsors, officially. That's it, simple, right?"

Cedric's eyes narrowed just a little bit as he digested this information. But before he could say anything, Philip pushed on to convince him.

"I don't need much, really. I also won't demand you aim high in the tournament."

"All I wanted was more exposure for this little business of mine. I'm sure you're bound to gain attention once you participate, and if the name of my company is tied with yours, then that's more than enough for me."

"Of course, if you could climb higher beyond our expectations, then you can completely expect me to give you some bonuses. I know that resources are the last thing you need due to your status, but I can at least guarantee that it'll be worth your time and effort."

"The decision is completely up to you, though. I'm not here to demand anything from you."

Cedric then thought for a while and asked,

"Have you already considered what the bank will feel about this?"