Chapter 519 -A Dilemma Best Avoided
At the very moment John attempted to unseal Ocean Sage, Mystery Protector, within the palace of Duke Arsena in Storm City, also came face to face with Duke Arsena.
Duke Arsena found Mystery Protector's arrival somewhat peculiar. After all, Mystery Protector had previously informed him of their intention to return to the capital of the Northern Myst Empire.
"Aren't you supposed to be back in the empire's capital already? Why are you here in Storm City now? Did you receive new information suggesting that Storm City is about to face additional danger?" Duke Arsena inquired with a slight smile. At least from Duke Arsena's perspective, Mystery Protector had been quite helpful in the past.
Although there were some conflicts between Mystery Protector and John, putting Duke Arsena in a dilemma, he didn't intend to dwell too much on the matter regardless.
Duke Arsena, of course, hoped to avoid the dilemma of having to make a final choice between John and Mystery Protector. He wished that both individuals could continue to offer their assistance.
In response to Duke Arsena's words, Mystery Protector's expression remained unchanged. He simply tossed a compass onto the table in front of Duke Arsena.
At the moment Duke Arsena saw the compass, his expression turned quite grim. "The seal on Ocean Sage is being tampered with by certain individuals! This is absolutely impossible. The seal we placed on Ocean Sage is exceptionally powerful. Even the Naga Queen wouldn't succeed in breaking it. Moreover, anyone attempting to release the seal on Ocean Sage would be our enemy. The members of the Order Faction would never do such a thing."
Duke Arsena was acutely aware that the compass he had just seen represented the seal on Ocean Sage. What troubled him even more was that he could unmistakably see numerous cracks on the compass.
This meant that the seal on Ocean Sage had already been partially undone, a fact that Duke Arsena found incredibly unbelievable. Members of the Order Faction should not choose to become his enemies, and members of hostile factions would never release the seal on Ocean Sage. No matter what, Ocean Sage would never cooperate with the Dark Faction or the Mystery Faction.
"I've come here this time seeking your assistance. You must be quite knowledgeable about Ocean Sage. The seal on Ocean Sage is about to be broken, which means Ocean Sage will soon launch an attack on Storm City," Mystery Protector explained.
As a high-ranking member of the Northern Myst Empire, Natasha indeed had some knowledge about Ocean Sage. She was also well aware that Ocean Sage had previously ruled over the land that now constituted Storm City.
Upon hearing the possibility of the Ocean Sage's seal being broken and the imminent threat to Storm City, Natasha responded decisively to the Mystery Protector.
"Then we must act quickly. Duke Arsena will likely join us in this action. We can discuss the details on our way to the location of the Ocean Sage's seal."
Natasha was known for her swift decision-making. Now that she was aware of the gradual unsealing of the Ocean Sage, immediate action was imperative.
The Mystery Protector took this opportunity to inform Natasha about John. The moment Natasha heard John's name, she recalled the information she had received back in the capital of the Northern Myst Empire.
"Is this John the same person who once defeated a Devil? Has he also been to Karen Port and Iceburg Castle?" Natasha's questions briefly surprised the Mystery Protector, who then nodded affirmatively.
Upon receiving a positive response, a smile finally appeared on Natasha's face. "I've actually been wanting to meet this adventurer named John. His strength is among the very top of all adventurers. And the information we obtained from Iceburg Castle suggests that John has some hostility towards other adventurers. More importantly, at Karen Port, we discovered a projection of the Mystery Saint, which was defeated by John. An adventurer capable of defeating a projection of the Mystery Saint is beyond our expectations.
We need to quickly determine whether he is a friend or a foe. If he is our friend, we can certainly collaborate with him. But if he is our enemy, we must eliminate this threat as soon as possible."
After saying this, Natasha headed straight to the teleportation point in Storm City, intending to proceed directly to the location of the Ocean Sage's seal.