Chapter 382: A Stone Man

The bookkeeper was in the northern icy mountains. That was all Arthur needed to know. As the Deity of Seas inspected him for wounds, all he could think of was the nearest exit out of this place. He wasn't terrified by evil beings but by incomprehensible ones. 

'What's wrong with this spirit?' 

Arthur saw the tender care she had for him, the type he saw in his mother's eyes when he got hurt as a kid. It sent chills down his spine that the same person who relentlessly attacked him moments ago was now worried about him. 

"Who are you?" 

Arthur's tolerant attitude was gone, and he slapped her hand away. He saw her face crumble in rage, but he didn't think it was his actions that ticked her off. It was his question.

"You forgot about me," she through gritted teeth. "I spent years in this prison waiting for your return, only for you to forget about me?" 

"How can I forget about someone I never met?" Arthur stood up as his killing intent flickered.  "If you dare attack me again, then I won't be as tolerant." 

"You are..." she took a step back, surprise evident on her face. "You are not the same, but how can this be?" Arthur saw her expression morph from surprise into a rage. "What have they done to you?" 

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Arthur took a step back, feeling uncomfortable about the things she said. The pair of eyes in the sky, Solomon being the inheritor, and the words that Rega said to him threw him into an unceasing identity crisis. 

The last thing he needed right now was another truth attacking the core of his being and identity. 

"How can you not?" she said, her voice suggesting that he was to blame. "Why did you allow them to do this to you?" 

"I'm leaving," Arthur felt his chains tremble as if reacting to the words she said. That's why he wanted to leave. He didn't want to hear what she had to say, lest they scatter what he gathered of himself. 

"Wait, don't leave again..." The Deity seemed to panic after hearing of his intentions. "They will hurt you once more, stay here," she was desperate, and it made Arthur feel sick for some reason. 

It was the conviction in her voice as she pleaded for him to stay because 'they' were going to hurt him. Regardless of whether her intentions were good or not or whether Arthur needed to hear them, he didn't want to stay next to her. 

It felt as if the next thing she says might strip him naked and as if the next truth might be too unbearable: a revelation of his insignificance or the opposite of that; what if he became burdened with a responsibility that devours him? 

There was no comfort in the truth. 

Arthur ignored her and turned to leave, expecting her to oppose him. But, instead of closing the palace's doors, the spirit stood silently, looking worried, as Arthur made his way out of the hall. 

There was a feeling in his stomach that made him want to ask her about what she knew. He knew the truth might not be comforting, but it was better than living in an illusion of stability. 

'I know, I know, I know,' Arthur clenched his fist. But, even if he knew all of that, he didn't want to face it – not now, at least. 

*** 

"Please wait, Golden One!" 

The woman that Arthur helped earlier ran after him as he left the palace. It seems she was running short on spiritual power. Arthur turned to see what she wanted, and he found that her aura grew more in alignment with the world.

"Have you contracted a spirit?" Arthur asked with interest. Her aura was fading, yet he could tell that it has grown exponentially. 

"Yes, I have!" The woman bobbed her head. "I might not be the sharpest, but I know that the only reason I was able to contract it was because of you," she said with her hand on her chest. 

"What are you saying, pirate?" 

"I want to repay the kindness you've shown me," The woman said. Arthur stared at her silently and nodded. 

"Do you know about Hidden City?" 

"Hm?" The woman tilted her head. "Isn't that the city being built in Freda? What's about it?" 

"If you are truly grateful, meet me there and work for me," 

Arthur said before he turned to leave. He didn't wait for the woman, nor did he want to hear her reply. If she came to his city, then she would be helpful. If she bailed out, then he would find someone else to be the captain of his fleet. 

He left the palace, unhindered, almost half an hour ago. He rode the waves and used his chains to get from the Deity of Seas as far as possible. 

'Why did I run away?' 

This was a chance to learn more about the mystery surrounding his powers and identity. Yet, he threw it away and ran with his tail between his legs. He didn't even think about hearing her out, and it seems that was the reason she didn't give chase. 

After all, what would you do to a person who doesn't want to listen? 

Arthur has always sought the truth, but it seems the truth was too frightening to face head-on. He knew that his legacy and powers were slowly changing him until he becomes someone else, and it made him scared to face the truth of himself being someone other than Arthur Silvera. 

What if he faded into nothingness, crushed by the powerful existences of ancient souls? What if he was not who he believed himself to be, but someone else disguised as Arthur Silvera? 

His chains impaled into the ground as Arthur stared at them for a long time before they pushed him toward the surface of the water. Then, finally, he broke through the water, and his chains helped him reach land. 

The great expanse of water made him feel small, and he realized that even though he thought of it as a sea, it might be an ocean. The deity's presence remained as long as he remained in the water, so he went to an island. 

Rain and thunderstorms covered the cliff that faced the ocean. Arthur used his chains to climb toward the highland, and he got to see the island he found himself on. 

Judging from the location of the sun, he went north. Unfortunately, the island in front of him wasn't as icy as he expected, so he might need to visit a different island to find the bookkeeper. 

Arthur walked north, farther away from the truth behind him. The existence of the deity felt like an itch on his back that wouldn't go away. 

Arthur knew that he wouldn't be able to hold himself back one day and would seek the Deity of Seas to learn the truth. But, at that time, he would cross a line that separates him from the comfort of what he knew and the terror of what he did not. 

The island was full of rocky mountains and spirits. Some of them tried to contract him, while others ignored him. Either way, Arthur was quick to find the beach that faced the northern islands. 

The only problem was that he didn't want to go into the water anymore. So, he looked around the sandy beach and decided to look around for a raft or something that he can turn into one. 

There were no trees, weirdly, but he found something that moved alongside the water. It was a stone golem wandering. Thinking that it was better than doing nothing, Arthur asked it about a boat. 

The golem did not speak his language, but Arthur felt like he conveyed his meaning through the countless gestures toward the water. Finally, at long last, the golem nodded and turned to take him somewhere. 

The spirit seemed to be, despite being in the Skyey World, of low intelligence. Arthur needed to remind it several times of what he wanted because the spirit would wander away from the beach. 

'This might be futile,'

Arthur wondered to himself until he saw the giant masterpiece that the golem guided him to see. It was a massive ship of thin, chiseled marble that gleamed brightly in the sun. 

The golem nodded when Arthur thanked it. After that, it simply walked away to wander on the island, and Arthur wished it well. He then turned to look at the beautiful ship in front of him. 

"Who built this?" Arthur muttered in a daze. 

"I," 

A voice answered his question, and Arthur raised his head. The stone man looked like a character out of a children's book wearing a leather patch on its eye and having a giant hammer for an arm. 

"Are you looking for a trip across the sea, boy?" The stone man asked with a grin. "If so, you have lucked out with the greatest ship in existence."