NOVGO.NET Chapter 1583 Wink
Chapter 1583 Wink
Eventually, once he was satisfied that everything was in order, a sudden message reached him from Oberon.
“Supreme ruler… are you done with your… assessments?”
“Yes. Is something wrong?”
“…Did you find anything dissatisfactory?”
Oberon’s voice was filled with caution, and hope, like a child awaiting judgment after completing a task, desperate not to disappoint.
“No. Everything is okay. You all did a good job.”
“Oh! T-thank you for the praise, supreme ruler. I-I was only doing what anyone would.”
Atticus sighed quietly as Oberon started to stammer, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected praise.
“Did something happen?”
“Hm? Oh—no, no, supreme ruler. Nothing is wrong.” Oberon hurried to answer before continuing, “I simply wished to draw your attention to a meeting that was just organized, to brief you on everything that occurred during your… absence.”
“When is this meeting?”
“Now, supreme ruler. Everyone is already assembled and awaiting your arrival.”
Moments later, Atticus appeared above the familiar hill, his gaze settling on a massive structure that had been erected a short distance away.
‘Was this just built?’
He had no memory of such a building ever existing there. Appearing at its front, he found Oberon standing just before the entrance.
Oberon’s eyes widened the instant he saw Atticus, and he hurried forward, bowing deeply.
“You’re here already, Supreme ruler!”
“You said everyone was waiting for me.”
“Ah—yes… yes, I did…”
Atticus nodded and began walking toward the entrance.
“I don’t remember this building being here before the Ascension Games…”
“That would be because it was only constructed minutes ago, supreme ruler. We required an acceptable location to hold the meeting.”
“And you built… this? Just for a meeting…?”
Oberon stared at him anxiously.
“Is it not to your satisfaction? I can have it torn down immediately and construct something more acc—”
“No… it’s not that…”
“Then…?”
Atticus lifted his head, taking in the sheer scale of the structure, its far end impossible to see from where they stood.
‘It’s big.’
What kind of meeting required a building the size of a coliseum? Atticus chose not to voice the thought, and the silence only seemed to deepen the worry on the aged man’s face.
He stepped through the doors and paused just a few steps inside, momentarily taken aback by the sight before him. The interior was just as vast as the exterior implied. It was an enormous open space filled with small thrones arranged in a wide circular formation. Above them all, at the highest elevation, stood a throne that dwarfed the rest. Numerous Eldorians, resistance leaders, and even paragons occupied the seats. The moment Atticus entered, the low murmur of whispered conversations vanished, and in perfect unison they rose from their thrones and dropped to their knees.
“Supreme ruler!”
Atticus blinked, momentarily unsure of how to respond.
‘Oberon.’
He reached into Oberon’s mind.
‘Yes, supreme ruler.’
‘I thought you said this was a simple briefing meeting?’
‘Y-yes… this is it…’
Atticus exhaled slowly. A simple meeting, and Oberon had somehow gathered half the damn territory. The number of people present alone had to exceed a hundred.
Uncertain how else to respond, Atticus gave a stiff, awkward nod and began making his way toward the massive throne prepared for him.
‘Everyone is here.’
From his father, mother, grandfather, cousins, friends, and nearly every notable Eldorian, to Anorah, Ozeroth, Ozerra, and Whisker. No one of significance was absent.
‘I still haven’t asked how they’re both here…’
He could faintly sense Anorah’s and Ozerra’s worlds had fused with his own and were under his rule, yet the two of them somehow still retained their status as gods.
Taking his seat calmly, Atticus ignored the amused stares coming from Whisker and Anorah and swept his gaze across the chamber. Several seconds passed, and a large portion of those present remained kneeling.
‘Are they waiting for something?’
He directed the thought toward Oberon.
‘Yes, supreme ruler… you…’
Atticus frowned, then suddenly understood.
“Stand and take your seats.”
‘I might actually need to take lessons on etiquette,’ he thought with a subtle sigh.
The last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself in public. Yes, he held overwhelming authority here, but maintaining a composed image still mattered… probably.
‘Things like this should come naturally to a true warrior!’
The woman’s voice echoed sharply within his mind.
‘So you’re saying you know how all this works?’
‘Of course! The world bows in the figure of supreme beings like myself. It’s only natural.’
‘Alright then. I’ve decided, you’ll teach me.’
‘You forget yourself. I hold the power here.’
She sounded faintly offended by the presumption, as though the idea itself were unacceptable.
‘I thought you said you were my teacher? So now you’re refusing?’
‘Tch.’
‘Then it is decided.’
‘There will be consequences for this. I-‘ Atticus tuned her out as her rant continued, only to realize that the entire hall had once again fallen completely silent, every gaze fixed squarely on him as though awaiting further instruction.
“…You may start the meeting.”
Oberon rose to his feet at once and bowed deeply.
“Thank you, supreme ruler. The purpose of this meeting is to summarize the events of the past month and what we know so far. “The Ascension Games concluded exactly thirty one days ago. We all witnessed the supreme ruler kill the Marquis and emerge victorious. Shortly afterward, the… incident occurred, and we observed as the supreme ruler fell unconscious. “The Great Verge then announced the end of the games, and we were all transported back to Eldoralth as the Great Merge began. The worlds of every god the supreme ruler killed merged with Eldoralth, and we ascended beyond the Verge and into the Span. Immediately upon arrival, we were given a set of rules by the Eternal Span.”
Oberon then turned toward Whisker, bowing once more.
“On this note, I would like to ask Master Whisker to take over from here, as he was responsible for interpreting those rules.”
It was well known that Whisker hailed from the upper reaches of the Middle Planes, making it only natural that this responsibility fell to him.
Whisker let out a long sigh, as though he’d just been handed a particularly shitty chore, before giving a reluctant nod.
“It still baffles me why this meeting was even convened when my star actor here is the only one who actually needs this briefing.”
“Master Whisker,” a voice interjected, “it is necessary that all of Eldoralth’s leaders be present for the supreme ruler’s briefing, so that we may remain on the same page.”
The speaker was Thorne Alverian, a human Eldorian. Though his tone remained respectful, there was a faint but unmistakable defiance in the way his gaze met Whisker’s.
Whisker burst into laughter, the sound crackling through the chamber until he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
“On the same page? Oh please, this is rich.” He slowly shook his head, his amusement leaving his expression as his eyes turned cold.
“As far as I’m concerned, only one person here wiped out the Abyss army and their god and saved Eldoralth. The rest of you simply played cheerleaders, celebrating after having done practically nothing.”
“But we held back the lines! Without us, the army would have spilled into—”
“You held back the lines,” Whisker cut in, “after me and golden boy over there dealt with about ninety nine percent of the army. So tell me, what exactly did you do?”
Thorne’s face darkened, but he couldn’t find a response.
“You should really learn where you stand.” Whisker continued lightly. “Calling yourselves rulers of Eldoralth is… adorable. Only one person rules here… him.”
He punctuated the words with a wink in Atticus’ direction.