Chapter 526 -Ocean Sage's Plan
As Mystery Protector and Darklord were engaged in planning their next moves, John and Ocean Sage returned to the southern seaport of Storm City. The NPCs in the harbor were overjoyed upon seeing Ocean Sage, as his arrival signified the potential end of the curse they had been suffering under.
"You should be able to lift the curse they're under, right? If you can't break their curse, my quest will be a complete failure. Not receiving the quest rewards would be a huge setback," John said, half-jokingly. Despite Ocean Sage's failure to reclaim Storm City, he had at least ensured his own safety. John believed that without his help, Ocean Sage might not have even escaped Duke Arsena's assault.
Ocean Sage, responding to John's words, smiled slightly. Of course, he possessed the necessary power to lift the curse affecting the NPCs at the harbor.
This interaction between John and Ocean Sage highlighted the collaborative nature of their relationship, with John contributing significantly to Ocean Sage's endeavors while also depending on him for quest success. As they stood at the harbor, the potential for Ocean Sage's abilities to make a significant impact was clear, offering a glimmer of hope against the looming threats posed by adversaries like Darklord and Mystery Protector.
Indeed, the curse afflicting the NPCs was essentially a spell left by Ocean Sage at the harbor. Ocean Sage quickly dispelled the defensive magic he had placed there.
After lifting the curse, Ocean Sage turned to Twilight and Hammer, who had been following him closely, and instructed, "Now, you two lead the others in repairing the harbor's structures. Since I have successfully returned, we must ensure the safety of this port. You are both well aware that the Northern Myst Empire could launch an attack on us at any moment. For now, they may not regard us as enemies, but that's only because they have bigger threats to deal with first.
We absolutely cannot afford to lower our guard in this situation. Our strength is relatively limited, and any complacency could lead to dire consequences." Twilight and Hammer, naturally very obedient to Ocean Sage's commands, promptly set out to execute his orders. This left Ocean Sage and John finally able to discuss their next steps in private.
With everyone else gone, Ocean Sage let out a sigh, clearly burdened with worry about the upcoming challenges. Despite his outward confidence, it was evident that he harbored significant concerns and was not as assured as he appeared. Updated from n0velbIn.(c)o/m
Ocean Sage could sense that John was not overly excited about his offer, but he had nothing else to reward John with. Consequently, John proceeded to learn some of the Sea God's spells from Ocean Sage. These spells, while not of the highest level or most impressive in effect, were indeed rare, as Ocean Sage had mentioned. It was unlikely that other maguses were familiar with them.
After completing his learning of the Sea God's spells, John decided to temporarily part ways with Ocean Sage. He felt an urgency to share this new information with his allies as soon as possible, recognizing the importance of keeping them informed and prepared for the challenges ahead.
He came directly to the location where Adam and Blue Sea were. In fact, Adam and Blue Sea had already been informed of the recent series of events before this. They had also received a message from Duke Arsena earlier, but Duke Arsena had attached a condition to it, which was that they couldn't inform John beforehand.
After the three of them met, they exchanged the information they had gathered. When John learned that Duke Arsena had informed Adam and Blue Sea before coming to the Seal Location of Ocean Sage to stop him, his impression of Duke Arsena changed significantly.
"It seems Duke Arsena is not willing to be directly hostile to me. If it weren't for the Mystery Protector and that General guarding him, he could have communicated with me peacefully."
John stated his opinion straightforwardly. Adam and Blue Sea didn't oppose this, as they also felt that the Mystery Protector's hostility towards them was too evident, and Duke Arsena had been providing them with assistance. Duke Arsena seemed to have had a change of heart towards adventurers after John helped defend Storm City.
"I believe we must eliminate the Mystery Protector as soon as possible. His existence poses a significant threat to us. Not only does he continually cause various troubles for us, but he could also launch a direct attack on us at any time. Moreover, he can find more allies from the Northern Myst Empire. His presence is becoming increasingly vexing to me, so why don't we join forces with other top players to get rid of him?"
Blue Sea was the first to express his thoughts. His opinion of the Mystery Protector was extremely negative; he believed that the Mystery Protector had no other purpose than causing trouble for them.
Although Adam didn't speak directly, his expression revealed that he didn't see any issues with this plan.
John, deep down, also agreed with the plan. However, he felt that collaborating with other top players might lead to the Mystery Protector learning about their plans in advance. After all, it was uncertain whether the Mystery Protector had teamed up with other top players. If the Mystery Protector were collaborating with other top players, he would definitely be able to prepare in advance.