Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1256: A new fanatic point of View

---Thres---

“Oh my, this place is JUST lovely...” Alison commented sarcastically.

The emerald jewel in the ruins of Beta. The satellite city of Beta, refurbished and protected by Adam and his people. The artificial druid had not only managed to beat back the Muir Empire which ruined the district to begin with, but he also became its representative after helping the new emperor to his throne.

As a sign of “good will” and to keep this potential enemy in check, Karina followed Adamʼs request and raised a small sapling in Thres to protect it, making the settlement of the Muir empire a tree station.

According to the last reports they received, Adam had managed to repair most of the original facilities and infrastructure with the help of people from Little Sigma and other experts of Minas Mar, to create a fitting home for the people they managed to get out of Emerald City.

Although a lot had changed and the place was backed by an inter-dimensional empire, it didnʼt change that most of the city was still in ruins. Although things were not pretty, Alison couldnʼt deny that the people here seemed satisfied. They still needed outside support, but even a ruined city offered more than enough living space for the small population that joined Thres.

“Things actually look better than expected...” Evee, who had spent quite some time living in the abandoned ruins of Y-City, commented optimistically. The center of the city right at the foot of the tree was mostly repaired and filled with a lively crowd of people, who couldnʼt help but gawk when AlʼZalsarʼs shuttle passed by the shield and tree as if it was nothing.

“So good in fact that I question why they cut off contact...” Mike mumbled concerned. The city didnʼt seem like it was in trouble, so why did their communication stop? There was only one way to find out.

The shuttle lowered its altitude above a relatively big square and landed softly, giving the civilians below enough time to evade the vesselʼs mighty six tires, as they came to a stand in the middle of a busy marketplace..

“Let’s go and see if we can find Adam,” Mike said slightly confused by the current situation. If things in Thres were fine, then why didn’t Adam answer when they attempted to contact him? The automatic sliding door Tored installed opened smoothly, only to give a view at two glinting spear tips.
“Who are you!?“ the merman guards exclaimed, pointing their exotic spears toward the members of Minas Mar, Mike who stood at the front in particular. Before Mike could say something, Alison had shoved him aside.

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“Who we are?” she slapped the fresh coat of paint on the bus. Displayed on the side of the vehicle was the massive crest of Minas Mar, the abstraction of a tower in a cave. “Are you blind? We are the delegation of Minas Mar, you slow creature!” she barked with acid in her voice.

Her sudden emotional action startled everyone else from Minas Mar and even the guard took a few steps back, facing the incensed alchemist. “What are you looking at? Get us to your governor,” she commanded the guard.

“G-governor Adam has been gone for weeks now...” one of the guards mumbled. He shut up surprised and embarrassed, as if he spilled something he shouldnʼt have. Their ears pricked up hearing this unexpected piece of information.

Still, even if Adam was not in Thres, he should have been able to answer their calls on the com orb. Unless, of course, he was somewhere where the magic did not work or his orb was broken. Neither of the possible explanations was very positive.

“...And you didnʼt think to contact us about this?! Where is the one currently in charge?” It looked like Alison was trying to stab the merman to death with her fingernail, considering the speed and force she tapped her index against his chest as she spoke.

“That would be me!” a slim, tall merman strut over with slow measured steps. He oozed an aura of pride, coldness, and aloofness, only topped by the arrogance in his eyes when he looked at the mixed group of people from Urth.

“It was also me who decided to cut ties with Minas Mar. Since you foolishly picked a fight with Spatia, there is no gain in this relationship. Please leave our city,” he spoke haughtily as if he was sending away some door-to-door salesman.

“YOUR city?” Alison was about to pounce on him when Tekar pulled the unexpectedly agitated wizard back and spoke to her in whispers. Mike knew that she and Tekar had some past with the Muir Empire, after all, they were part of the war in Y-City when the merman invaded.

Still, he had not expected the wizard who seemed quite calm and emotionless most of the time, to react like this at the sight of them. Not even Evee had reacted like that. But it wasnʼt like he couldnʼt understand. This guyʼs very presence irked him.

“Who are you? I doubt Adam would have left someone like you in charge here,” Mike answered his haughtiness with derision. The cat boy had met Adam and seen the kind of people he assembled around himself. This guy would probably end up fighting for his life in the No Manʼs Land if Adam was here.

The mermanʼs thin lips parted, exposing his shark-like teeth with a strained smile. This was not the smile of a human, but more like a chimpanzee that smiled as a threat. It was a shame that this had no effect on anyone present. Even Alison had calmed considerably.

“You are correct, Governor Adam did not put me in charge. This role was given to me by Lord Moro because he was gone for too long,” he said deliberately as if they were supposed to know who Lord Moro was.

Mike already disliked the manʼs attitude, but the new information came as a surprise. Who would have thought that someone tried to substitute Adam when he was out? Maybe they even got rid of him on their own?

The Chosen of Maahes was not necessarily a friend of Adam, but they had gotten along well in the short time he had stayed in Thres before. The man seemed like a good person, especially when considering his tragic life story.

Even if they just used the chance and were not involved in Adamʼs disappearance, there was also the question of what happened to Ádamʼs people. There was no way they would let that happen. Neither was there a chance for Mike to let this go.

“Well, too bad for Lord Moro and you, but a change in leadership needs to be reviewed by Minas Mar. Maybe you didnʼt know, but thatʼs the rule,” Mike said lecturing. It was best to get the upper hand first and then work out the details.

“Ha! Did you really think I would fall for that? This is the territory of the Muir Empire! You have no power here!” the man who had not even introduced himself exclaimed and a group of merman guards, easily numbering 50 or 60, rushed over. It was true that what Mike said was not official but...

“As long as this land lies in the shadow of the Guardian Tree, it will never be anything but Minas Mar,” Mike said coldly. He reached his hand to the sky and clenched his fist as if grasping the emerald crown hanging above them. The next moment the group of fish people was rooted to the ground.