Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 621: Cybele

Chapter 621: Cybele

Cybele, after the rather intriguing discussion she had had with her mother, had left the Unending Carnival, the pseudo-divine kingdom of the Swindler, with the sole purpose of carrying out rather important tasks, though what it was important for was still not certain.

Currently aboard Leibita, one of the largest mobile cities in Henos and also the home base of King Ull, chosen son of God, she was ushered by the king’s guards to his private chambers where he was currently with various chiefs of the barbarian tribes that had joined his cause.

It was rather shocking seeing such a sight, considering almost all the chiefs here at some point were at each other’s necks.

The only thing that had ever joined the barbarian tribes as one entity before now was their shared worship of the Berserk God, but even that had long since disappeared, considering the deity was no longer as active as he once was.

That a human, what’s more, a barbarian chief, would be able to force the others to cooperate boiled down to two things; firstly, his wit which was not something that most barbarians had, owing to their unfortunate attribute of placing brawns over brains and secondly, the backing of the Three Ring Bazaar which had enabled Ull to gain access to weapons of mass destruction, the type never seen before.

"I believe we have gathered enough." Ull begins calmly in Impala, the root language from which all barbarian tribes derived their languages, neither too forceful nor too mellow, maintaining a delicate balance that would ensure that the other chiefs didn’t see him as a dictator or a weakling but rather as a chosen leader.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "It is time to carry out our first strike."

"What about the others that have not joined the cause?" One of the chiefs asked.

"There is no reason to force them," Ull replied. "Once they realize that they cannot win, they will surely fall in line."

"And if they don’t?"

"Then they may continue living as they are. However, if they threaten the order I wish to bring, then I will be forced to eradicate the tribe completely."

His last words were spoken slowly, in a deliberate tone that let the others understand that despite his calmness, he was not beyond genocide.

"Understood. But which city would be our first target?"

"That is a delicate question," Ull said. "Currently, the most powerful members of the Alliance conflict with one another, ensuring that they won’t be able to pay attention to us."

Pausing briefly, he added. "It also means that it would be difficult for the Alliance to call for a meeting quickly."

"In which time we can carry out as much damage as possible."

"Indeed. But we have to be careful, we can’t just attack any city. A member that is too important would surely cause the others to stop everything and focus on us and one that is too useless would be a waste of resources to conquer, alerting them too early."

"So we need to find a balance."

"Indeed." Ull nodded. "Which is why we will be heading to Pheripolis. Their strength lies in their navy which means if we avoid their waterways, it would be easy to destroy. Also, their connection to the Azure Seas means that conquering them is equivalent to cutting off the Alliance from an important trading port. It also doesn’t help their case that they are the furthest from any other member of the Alliance."

"Then it’s settled. We will target Pheripolis."

"Agreed. I never really liked the place. What’s the point of claiming to have the strongest navy when most wars are fought on land!"

"It doesn’t matter. We must make preparations."

As they were all in agreement, they soon took their leave of the strategy room, allowing Ull to finally pay attention to Cybele.

"You are quite good at your post." Cybele praised lightly as she approached.

Ull didn’t seem offended as he replied. "As an ordained son of God, I must carry out my post diligently."

"Is that so?" Cybele muttered in amusement. "I am quite curious about the deity that fathered you though."

"Unimportant." Ull quickly shoved her question aside as he remarked. "Now then, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?... Cybele, is it?"

"Correct."

"The Bazaar tells me that you are the reason we were able to get our hands on the destroyers. For that, I must say thank you. In truth, I’ve been meaning to invite you for a meal."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Well then, I am here now and I wish to join your expedition."

Raising a brow, Ull inquired. "May I ask why?"

"A personal matter. No need to bother about it and don’t worry, it won’t impede your mission."

"I am not worried about that, after all, we both work for the same master, right?" Ull jokes with Cybele managing a smirk.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Come, I will take you personally to suitable lodging."

"Much appreciated."

With that, King Ull led and Cybele followed, the duo conversing along the way.

***

Alex opened his eyes to find himself in Eden.

It had been a while since he saw this beautiful garden and for a moment, he couldn’t help but stare, indulging in the beautiful sights about him.

"It seems like wherever you go, trouble seems to find you." Adam intoned from behind with Alex not bothering with a response.

Coming to sit beside him, Adam continued. "To think that your presence would lead to that child falling into a deep slumber, you are a walking calamity."

"I doubt I caused it," Alex said only to pause and then glance at Adam. "We are talking about the Goddess of Automation, right?"

"Who else would I be talking about?"

Alex nodded. "Got it."

Shaking his head, Adam remarked. "Of course, you didn’t directly cause her current state and might as well have saved her, but it’s just telling that it had to happen while you were around."

"Doesn’t matter now, does it?... She’s in deep sleep and I was able to unlock the Fourth Lock."

"I’d hoped for more time but I guess there’s no reason for that. So do you wish to take on your next trial now?"