Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 181. The Stone Billboard

The lord of the Shadowbringers led the covert team towards a bustling street somewhere in the capital city of Tabit. Unlike other cities on the Eurian continent, which were built upon relatively flat terrain, this city had little flatland. Instead, they integrated their buildings into the high-altitude, spiky ridges of the mountains.

Thousands of buildings were interconnected in layers, creating a suffocatingly tight and strictly ordered environment. The architecture here embraced the same unique brutalism as the place he had visited earlier.

Jovian took a short break and rested his hands on the guardrails, watching the levitating vehicles moving past. Fortunately, there were no ruins, no tragedy of war here. The Umbral of Dunkelheit had not attacked this place, but they were planning to annex it through the upcoming surrender treaty.

Lupus and Ziyue also stopped by his side, the air thick with tension. A group of monks walked past them with beads in their praying hands. They were the authorities of this country, which made their ruler the Grand Abbot.

“The informant should be here soon. Ziyue,” Jovian motioned with his hands. “Would you kindly go to the meeting point? See what you can extract for their exact location.”

Ziyue scowled. “Why me?”

Jovian sighed. “Lupus, please?” He turned to the grumpy Wildren, who stood frozen.

“Sure,” Lupus clipped, and soon disappeared into the hypnotic crowds.

Once she left, Ziyue spoke up. “Uncle. I don’t know about this.”

“About what?” Jovian asked coldly.

“About Lupus!” she whispered. “She’s dangerous.”

Jovian did not respond. His eyes grew distant.

“Uncle!” Ziyue called with desperation in her voice.

“We are the danger, Ziyue,” Jovian said, visibly tightening his jaw. His expression heralded something dark and profound.

“But we barely know her,” Ziyue argued, her voice trembling.

“I know enough.”

“Then tell me!” she begged, pulling his cloak.

“No,” he cut her off, his voice stern and detached. This sin is for me alone to bear, he contemplated deeply.

***

Celestius Jovian first met Lupus when she was just a war survivor. She was like an Olympian mage from the old sayings who had lost her wings; in reality, her legs had been severed during the battle. Fortunately, she was treated by the best doctor in the world, and manifesting a new pair of legs was not a challenge for Celestius Vivian. Yet, the rehabilitation process was painful and tedious. She had to learn how to hop again; walking was a daily struggle.

During that period, not once did Lupus talk about her life. However, he caught a glimpse of it through the things around her. The wedding ring on her finger suggested she was a mournful widow. How her love had turned into deep-seated vengeance was elusive to him then.

Jovian had never witnessed such a dark aura as hers before, much, much darker than his or Ziyue’s. He was amazed by its colossal scale and intensity.

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That pure hatred towards a common enemy gave her a sense of purpose. Before long, she began to push herself harder, to become stronger. With his help, she cultivated that hatred and channelled it into her training.

Without his full awareness, Lupus became the missing piece on his chessboard. The pawn that was one step away from becoming the queen. And he had already pushed her forward. That was when he learnt the truth through his webs of Shadowbringers.

It shocked him to his core that her husband was indeed the shell of Zetius Zel Celerius, the prime disciple of Aries and the bearer of the twelve primordial essences. A sacrifice he made to trap Celestius Ignius inside his domain, the Night Abyss.

Doubt swirled in his mind. Questions arose. What choices did he have? What could he have done? Despite her husband being alive, was he still really Lupus’s husband? This was Zetius, the highly competitive, even arrogant, arcanist. Not the same Jack who was a kind uncle, a reluctant war survivor from DebrisX.

That fact could potentially do more harm to Lupus than good. The risk of her breaking down and losing her grip on vengeance was not beneficial to anyone.

And Celestius Jovian could not take that risk. Not when the world was at stake. Not when former Celestius Ignius, the herald of war himself, was his foe.

He needed her strength.

This was the sin he himself had to bear alone. Not even Ziyue or Celestius Vivian could know.

***

“Ugh! You're useless, Uncle,” Ziyue groaned, seeing the vacant look in his eyes. “I’ll never beg you for anything ever again!”

“Over there,” Jovian pointed.

In front of them, thick, grey stones that looked nothing like a screen emitted light and broadcast the main event of the day. The moving crowds immediately stopped to watch, their heads all turned to the display. Today was the date of the surrender treaty.

It showed a lavish auditorium with expensive wooden tables and chairs. At the centre, a bald man wrapped in a brown and yellow robe sat in reverence, reciting ancient excerpts to the gods.

Immediately, Jovian issued a rapid order through his ring. “Tracking the signals, now.”

“Acknowledged, sir,” the operator, one of his Shadowbringers, behind the stone board replied, frantically hacking into the system.

“I hope the bastards aren’t too far from here,” Ziyue said, wrapping her arms around herself to warm her core body temperature.

“We’re already in a good spot. I highly doubt we need to teleport,” Jovian rationalised.

“Citizens of Tabit! This is I, Picco, the Grand Abbot of Tabit…” his voice boomed, full of false bravado. “I come to you today not with tidings of an end, but of a grand new beginning! After much deliberation, we have forged a historic accord with our powerful neighbours, the Umbral Dunkelheit. This marks the dawn of a new era of unity and strength! All in the name of peace.”

“Peace?” Ziyue gagged, clearly repulsed. “The old baldy is more of a politician than an abbot.”

“Picco sounds like a man selling his own house for firewood.” Jovian agreed.

“Look, that dark armour!” Ziyue called out as she spotted the group of Armatus knights appearing on the screen. The leader's helmet was adorned with majestic wings on each side, fully obscuring his face.

“That’s our guy, right?” She asked, her tone excited.

The man in the dark armour announced, his tone crisp and clear like military officer. “Let us unite! We shall unmake the old traditions, our differences, and begin an era of prosperity!”

“Rhok Wagner,” Lupus interjected coldly out of nowhere, causing Ziyue to flinch. She had just returned from her meeting with the informant. Even with her training, Ziyue hadn't heard a single footstep to announce her approach.

“Geez, bunny,” Ziyue exclaimed softly, patting her chest.

“Hypocritical worm…” Lupus cursed under her breath.

“How was it, Lupus?” Jovian urged her to report.

Lupus bit her lower lip and then whispered, “We found it. The place where they are holding the meeting.” Her golden eyes were drawn to the big screen, her murderous stare fixed on Rhok as he made his speech.

“And your hunch was correct, Celestius Jovian. They are not at the temple,” Lupus reported firmly.

“Well, figured. It couldn't be that easy,” Ziyue chimed in, her brows furrowed. “How annoying.”

Nodding to himself, Jovian questioned in a low voice, “So where are they?”

Lupus simply turned and pointed at the massive battlecruiser moored near the dock, its arcanite engine humming deeply in the distance.