MMORPG: Rebirth of the Mortal Online - Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Board Has Been Laid
Getting asked such accusative questions didn’t faze Aria. She knew they had nothing on her, so she kept her rose-lipped smile unflinchingly in place.

“A worthless daughter of mine,” she said. “I disowned her a while ago. I have nothing to do with her.”

“If she doesn’t come willingly here to say her piece, I am suggesting to put a bounty on her head and declare her guild an enemy of the crown.”

Athena said. She was a middle-aged woman, beautiful like a flower on a bright summer day, and had green eyes like moss. She was a warrior. A proper battleborn woman.

“There’s no need for that.” Digby said. “I killed her. The avatar of hers had already vanished from the deck of my ship.”

Aria’s unflinching smile finally had a crack. The corner of her lip was twitching. It was clear that the news took her by surprise.

“Oh?” Orion smiled. “Most impressive, Digby.”

“Thank you, sir, but I was lucky.” Digby said with a short bow. “Her emotional state was not in the right place. That vulnerability was the cause of her death.”

“That’s very… stupid,” Aria loosened her clenched fist and said. “We needed to question her, and now she’s dead.”

This wasn’t according to her plans. It was a big loss for the Darkstar family. Amella was powerful. She was disowned, but Aria still had her clutches on her. Losing someone so powerful was painful.

“Not necessarily.” Bartholomew spoke his first words. “It’s most likely that we won’t see her anymore. It took her, what, ten years to reach her current level of strength?”

“That’s the average amount for an A-ranker to reach that level of strength.” Orion nodded. “It’s likely that she won’t be coming back to Mortal Online.”

“Adam will have answers about his death.”

“If that’s all, I must go.” Zephyr rose back to his feet impatiently.

The rock throne almost toppled over from the force of his movement.

“Why such a hurry?” Alistair asked formally.

“Matters to attend to.” Zephyr said, ignoring the questioning gaze of the others, and left the red tent without another word.

“Aria, are you sure you didn’t know anything about your daughter’s intentions?”

Athena asked. She didn’t sound like she was accusing her of anything, but her words clearly implied something.

“I haven’t seen her since I disowned her,” Aria said.

“Hmm…” Athena rose up, her body-tight armor clinking as she moved. “Shame. I was looking forward to meeting him.”

“I suppose this is the ending of the meeting.” Kory stood up with a smile. “Thanks for coming. The king is also grateful.”

“I hope next time the king is actually participating.” Alistair said and rose from his rock throne.

Kory just smiled. Not speaking a word. Then he watched as the council departed one after another from the red tent. Digby was still standing at the back.

“The king is saddened by Adam’s death—he likes you to have this.” Kory handed Digby a small, folded piece of paper.

“What’s this?” Digby asked and unfolded the piece of paper.

It was empty. Yellow, with nothing drawn or written.

“The king intended for Adam to have this once he comes back from the dark world.”

Dark World—a place where the players went after their deaths. They would spend a couple of hours there before respawning back.

For some odd reasons, no one ever kept their memories of the Dark World, except that they had been there. The only thing they remembered was a feeling of unease and darkness that lingered.

“May I know what this is?” Digby asked and stored it inside his inventory, where it would be safe from prying eyes.

“A map of the Godswood,” Kory said. “The living place of the only Chaosbeings inside these walls. It’s a good place for Adam to go if he wants to grow stronger quicker.”

“This is incredibly valuable.” Digby said with clear surprise. “Why would the king give this to him?”

“I suppose he is feeling guilty about getting him killed.” Kory said with a smile. “After all, he invited him here.”

“Hmm…”

“The map will show the safe and danger zones of the Godswood.” Kory said. “Do not let him enter any of those danger zones. It’s too early for him to go there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Digby said.

Kory then tapped him on the shoulder, then, with a cane in hand, left the red tent behind.

Digby opened the flap, saw his guild members patiently waiting outside, and after seeing him, they asked about what they were talking about. He didn’t feel like talking about it yet and instead told them to get settled in the inn.

The others, slightly disappointed but understanding why, nodded and headed towards the inn. The town was full of inns, as it was clear that thousands of mercenaries would stay there during the Gathering.

“Sigh…” Digby sighed as he trudged along behind them, his heart heavy with the weight of today’s events.

He could feel stares on him—it felt like everyone was staring at him—mocking him for losing a rare genius of Adam’s caliber.

It wouldn’t take even a day for the rumors to spread across the mercenaries like a campfire. He would become the laughing stock of the entire Gathering.

Digby raised his foot as he was about to follow his guild. He then noticed that he had trampled over a flower. He quickly bent down to pick it up.

It was a delicate white lily, its petals crushed and wilting under his boot.

‘A white lily, dead yet alive.’

…

A white-sailed ship with three masts docked by the dock. It was enormous, like a floating fortress on the water.

Its gangplank was lowered, and hundreds of white-clothed, veiled figures disembarked in silence.

They were the Church of God Almighty’s chosen disciples. Hidden behind the veils was a necklace of silver chain dangling from their necks, and each link bore the face of a saint.

The crowd of onlookers didn’t know how to react after seeing them. The power of faith was both dangerous and awe-inspiring at the same time.

Zealots, such as these veiled figures, were not to be trifled with. They would kill for the sake of their faith without a second thought—no matter if that happened in the New World or the Other World.

At the back of the veiled zealots, a veiled woman stepped down the gangplank. She was clearly gorgeous, no matter if the veil obscured her features.

With a flower bouquet in her hands, she captivated everyone around her. The silver hair cascaded down her back. She was big-chested and dressed in a flowing white gown.

The crowd only needed a glance to know who she was. A famous figure around the New World and its surrounding seas. There weren’t many who hadn’t heard about her world famous beauty.

While she was Original, her beauty had even reached the eyes of the Other World, pictures of hers spread across the internet.

Lady Yu, the High Priestess of the Church of God Almighty.

…

“Lady Yu has arrived.” Kory was standing in the middle of a rocky cave, staring at the entrance of the cave, which was obscured by a canopy of twisted branches and vines.

Water splashed behind him.

There was a small hot spring. It was steaming, filling the cave with a warm mist.

In the hot spring, a man with short cut blond hair soaked leisurely, his naked body hidden in a thick layer of steam.

“Mm~” Konrad let out a contended sigh. “Good. The blind-eyed bishop did well.”

“What now?” Kory asked.

“Nothing.” Konrad said with a chuckle, his face hidden in the steam. “Every piece has been laid on the board. Now, it’s time to wait and see how they move.”