Chapter 317: Joining

"You could have caught her and the ship, couldn’t you? Why did you not do it?" Atlas asked calmly. He wasn’t particularly curious about their reason, because even if they had some complicated explanation for allowing Trelisa to escape, it wasn’t as though he would do anything with that information. He was simply somewhat skeptical about why three powerful beings who clearly had the ability to stop their target had allowed her to leave without interference.

From his perspective, there was no obvious reason for them to hold back when they had already arrived at the battlefield. The question was mostly one of curiosity, and Atlas had no intention of becoming involved in whatever complicated plans the Conclave might have.

The captain smiled at his question before calmly answering, "To catch a big fish, you need to sacrifice a small one, that’s all." Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered those words.

’So they didn’t quite let her leave... Maybe some kind of tracker? Hmm...’ He didn’t ask anything further, because there was no point in pressing them for an explanation when he already had a possible answer. He simply gave the captain a small nod before turning around, his perception already sensing Melina approaching alongside her father.

A few moments later, both of them appeared in his field of vision and quickly approached the three Conclave members.

The moment Melina and her father arrived, they immediately got to their knees and bowed toward the three figures. "We greet the Black Arbiter, thank you for arriving at our call." The captain gave a small nod in response, but Atlas’s attention was drawn to the title they had just spoken.

The words echoed through the surrounding area, and Atlas frowned slightly as an unfamiliar sensation passed through his mind. ’Hmm? That title just made my mind waver slightly?’ He narrowed his eyes for a moment, trying to determine what had caused the strange reaction, but nothing immediately came to mind.

He eventually dismissed the sensation and turned his attention back toward the conversation.

The Black Arbiter spoke calmly, "Now that the world is safe, I guess you need to take some measures. Have you finally come to the decision to join the Conclave?" The Mermaid King lifted his head slightly and stared at the Black Arbiter for a long moment before answering.

"If we joined the Conclave, will we and our world get security, my lord? The Weimbrons seemed to have made a target of our world." His voice remained respectful, but there was a clear concern behind his question, because the arrival of the Weimbrons had already demonstrated how vulnerable Frostars could become if another powerful force decided to target it.

Before the Black Arbiter could answer, however, the female figure standing behind him stepped forward and spoke instead, "Yes, you and the world of Frostars will receive protection from the Conclave once you join. After all, those are the terms exactly as they were established."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her expression carrying a faintly amused smile. "As for the Weimbrons coming back to this world?" Her smile became slightly more pronounced as she finished, "They wouldn’t dare."

The confidence in her voice immediately caught the Mermaid King’s attention, because she spoke as though the possibility of the Weimbrons returning was not something worth considering at all. He widened his eyes slightly before looking between her and the Black Arbiter, finally understanding the difference in authority between the Conclave and the Weimbrons.

"I see, thank you again." The Mermaid King lowered his head slightly before continuing, "Then it is better that we join the Conclave rather than risk facing sudden unknown enemies in the future." The Black Arbiter and the two figures behind him gave small nods in response, seemingly accepting his decision without any objection.

The Black Arbiter then raised one hand and snapped his fingers. A small talisman immediately appeared in front of the Mermaid King, floating quietly in the air between them. The Mermaid King stared at it for a brief moment before turning his attention back toward the Black Arbiter.

"Just put a drop of blood on it, and you will be added as one of the members of the Conclave." The Mermaid King nodded after hearing the explanation and raised his hand toward the talisman. He bit his thumb, causing a small drop of blood to form before extending his hand toward the floating object.

The drop of blood fell onto the surface of the talisman and was immediately absorbed into it. A faint glow spread across the talisman before it suddenly broke apart into countless motes of light.

The motes of light drifted toward the Mermaid King and entered his forehead one after another. He remained completely still as the energy disappeared into his body, and after a few seconds, the process was finished without causing any visible change to him.

The Black Arbiter then spoke calmly, "Now you are officially a member of the Conclave." Atlas watched the strange process for a moment before his eyes narrowed slightly. ’There is that time dilation, so I can’t guarantee how much time must have passed in Eliomor.’

He immediately became aware of the problem, because the longer he remained in this world, the more difficult it would be to predict what might have happened to him or the people around him in Eliomor just like the last time with that barren world.

Atlas turned toward Melina for a moment, but before he could say anything, the Mermaid King suddenly spoke. "Thank you, Sir Atlas, as well. If it weren’t for you, the Weimbrons might have destroyed the entire world." He paused before lowering his head again, his expression becoming more sincere.

"And I want to thank you personally, not as the Mermaid King but as a living being, thank you for helping my daughter save my life." Atlas turned toward him before glancing at Melina, immediately guessing that she must have told her father about what he had done.

Atlas then looked back at the Mermaid King and gave a small nod. "It was nothing much. I just had something that could bring you back to life." His expression remained calm as he spoke, because from his perspective, restoring the Mermaid King’s life had never been particularly his intention nor was it difficult.

He had just given her the relic as he didn’t particularly want the father of Melina to die as well, it could be said that he had done this out of ’Repayment’ as he had learnt something good from that trident move he had done against the woman, ’That kind of move...that principle behind the technique can be implemented in a good way using my logic alteration.’

He paused for a moment before exhaling slowly. "All I wanted was to see how the evolution of a world is done, and that is why I came here. But those Weimbrons seem to have wasted a lot of my time." Atlas then turned toward Melina and noticed the weak expression on her face as she lowered her eyes.

"Unfortunately, I would need to take my leave now, or the time dilation may cause some unnecessary changes to the circumstances I am in." Melina immediately lifted her head in one swift motion after hearing those words, her eyes fixing on Atlas.