Novel Full Chapter 276: Are These Mana Cores
Chapter 276: Are These Mana Cores
All six Heads sat in a huge rectangular hall with tall windows lining the walls and chandeliers on the vaulted ceiling.
Just then, a grand door was opened by an agent and Arthur walked in dressed smartly in an executive black suit, that was the dress code of the Heads.
Under the watch of the six, Arthur approached the large round table and sat down on the seat that belonged to whoever was chosen to represent Manhattan.
“I never thought of a dragon sitting amongst us. Welcome to the Council of the Seven, Arthur Pendragon. We shall address you as Mr. Manhattan henceforth.” Mrs. Beijing spoke with a measured smile. She was a charming Asian woman in her late sixties although she looked to be in her forties. Mrs. Beijing had long wavy gray hair that turned black close to the tips.
Others nodded at Arthur, though it seemed like there was a lot left unsaid.
“Now we’re complete, how does the council propose we proceed?” Mrs. Fukushima, the Japanese woman with a long slanted bob cut and a scar from the right side of her lips to her ear looked at everyone, her eyes unwavering.
“We have to mobilize our troops against the Fanatics. A member of the council and a paragon have both been killed by them. How long are we going to keep quiet?!”
Mrs. Athens gave a nod. “People are afraid. If powerful individuals die like this, what would be their fate? On this matter, I support Mrs. Fukushima’s request.”
“A war?!” Mrs. Beijing lifted an eyebrow, sounding quite irritated. “Are we not supposed to focus on Beijing’s dilemma? One of the oldest blue-gate is turning red, something we’ve never seen happen. The Forbidden City copies the regulations of the real City and has banned any use of technology. No cars, no guns, just cameras like a tourist centre which the actual city was.”
Her eyes gleamed. “You all know this means the army is inefficient. Once that gate turns red, it could wipe out Beijing and affect the whole of China. This should be our main objective if we’re to save lives.”
“Assemble the guilds to aid the Paragons. That would be your best plan.” Mr. Cario, a bald brown skinned man with slanted eyebrows, piercing eyes, a white beard and an impressive bow mustache held a silver cane gave a response that made Mrs. Beijing glare at him.
She clenched her teeth a bit. This was why she wasn’t in most of the meetings. “Guilds from my country alone?!”
“We know the Forbidden City is a threat that cannot be overlooked in the slightest. We will support with all military might if the raid fails. China won’t fall but we have to ensure the paragons try clearing the gate before it completely turns red.” Mr. London, a handsome man in his early forties with light gray hair combed back, spoke calmly. He had a well-defined anchor beard joined to a pencil-thin mustache. His cheeks were shaved clean.
“As much as I align with Mrs. Fukushima, the Forbidden City is an immediate threat and the death of the paragon might be to thwart the ongoing plans. The crimson taotie army has a staggering number of a hundred thousand soldiers if I’m not mistaken. Such an army that can grow stronger must be stopped or the worst might happen to China.” Mr. Cario said, staring at Mrs. Beijing who smiled a little.
“Since that is settled. We should prepare to deploy soldiers to Beijing while gathering guilds to clear the gate. It would be best if the battle would end within the gate.” Arthur concluded.
As a member of the council, Arthur had discovered something he had never thought about. The Heads had access to a lot of secrets from special summoners, one was a seer attuned to a Titled god.
She was a progenitor!
He didn’t even believe his ears. The Tier of a progenitor wasn’t as casual as other tiers, it meant they could start out a kind of their own.
According to this seer, the mana tree will soon appoint Earth’s pantheon of Titled gods which would divide Earth into factions. Once the gods came, Earth would no longer be the same.
They would officially join the mature worlds with their own pantheon but the power of the Seven Heads was at stake.
After all, these were Titled Gods! Luckily the tier of the gods was a bit complex, some gods would naturally be weaker, some would be incredibly powerful, it depended on the innate skill of the summon at the end of the day.
No one could guess who the mana tree will choose, and we’re Titled gods the last of it?
Arthur’s thoughts were broken by Mr. Cario’s question.
“The previous Mr. Manhattan promised a Perfect Life Era but now this fugitive has been seen in your city and island countless times, even to the extent where he became a partner to your daughter. A fugitive! This is unbecoming of a Head.”
Arthur turned to Mr. Cario who maintained eye contact with narrowed eyes. “Hand him over. His mother can ensure humanity will be unfazed by all these calamities. Hard times await us with the next evolution of Earth. We will be heavily attacked once that time comes, to negate our losses we need to establish the Perfect Life Era.”
“You ask for what I cannot give. No reasonable man will give up his own mother. Godfrey won’t.”
“Then we shall apprehend him.” Mrs. Fukushima declared. “People are dying. We have a means to stop all this.”
“I can’t support this any longer.” Mrs. Athens’s statement shocked others.
“You already voted for it.” Mrs. Fukushima glanced at her with contempt.
“It would be best if we abandon the Perfect Life Era because it will cause needless bloodshed. We have a means to stop all this like you said and it isn’t his mother.” Arthur told them with a firm tone.
“Oh? Then who?” Mrs. Beijing lifted an eyebrow in skepticism.
“It’s him. He can stop all this.” Arthur’s response made the other heads look at each other.
“This isn’t what we expected when we elected you, Mr. Manhattan. You’ve proven you stand to defend Earth but your words contradict your past achievements.” Mr. London spoke calmly.
“Cain wasn’t killed by the authorities but by a human race from the world called Pathan. We all know this.”
“And what has this to do with our discussion? As great as the Men of Gold were, their world has crumbled.” Mr. Moscow, who had a smoke pipe, a coat hung over his shoulders and remained silent all this while asked.
“Godfrey isn’t like the rest of us. He’s the first summoner to have a non-living thing as his summon and that thing is a castle with the elite order of knights that defeated Cain and his army.”
Silence descended into the hall.
“He’s the only summoner who will become a Titled god without increasing his potential or tier with a mana fruit. Making an enemy of the master of the knights that brought down Cain, a man who brought Earth to its knees isn’t advisable.” Arthur added.
’Not when Cain is still alive and worse… might be one of us.’
“Do you have evidence to back up your claim?” Mrs. Fukushima inquired with squinted eyes.
“This is rubbish, Mr. Manhattan. Isn’t this a little too far-fetched even for you? You may believe things like this but I don’t.” Mr. Cario retorted.
“We have the most dangerous summoner, an existence with an entire warrior race under his command walking this Earth. His name is Godfrey, believe it or not.”
“The rumours of him closing down gates might not be so much of a rumour then.” Mrs. Athens muttered while others remained highly skeptical.
***
While plans were going concerning the red-gate, a young man with a baseball cap over his golden hair, a jacket, camo pants and an Echo of Solstice ironclad golden boots stood before the Forbidden City with a backpack.
He held one of the bag’s handles while looking at the swirling blue gate with a large amount of red within the ancient city’s main entrance.
There were quite a good number of people around but they were policemen and members of the Pagoda Guild.
Ever since the gate became fifty percent red, fifty percent blue, tourists were prohibited from the Forbidden City, in fact people didn’t even want to come close with all the rumours flying around.
’This is an opportunity to grow. It would be foolish to remain in Manhattan and let such an opportunity go to waste.’
Godfrey mused inwardly as he walked past the policemen and Pagoda Guild members. None of them could perceive that someone was walking right through them, heading straight for the most deadliest place in China with the mindset to even close it down.
’I’m currently a 25.8 Paragon Tier summoner, 26.8 since I’m in Black-Out State. I still feel strange because of this thing inside of me.’ Godfrey touched his chest as he stood before the gate. At the middle of his chest was a core made entirely out of mana and as if that wasn’t enough, there was another, some inches below, at the point his chest met his abdomen.
He had never heard of a mana core. It was completely strange. Mana was an energy that flowed through the body, there was no physical reserve or pool in the body that anyone could see. They only felt when it flowed and when it was depleted but after Isolde revealed the cause of her and who did it, something snapped in him.
That sense of safety faded entirely and to sustain his state of overdrive, his body had either adapted or accidentally coagulated a huge load of mana in his chest and even formed another below after a couple of days.
Godfrey didn’t know what to say about this, it was bewildering but this core gave him the ability to deploy his soldiers and sustain them.
The mana in his body fed from these cores. It had to be because Mastery had transformed his body or else this large amount of mana, giving him over three times the amount needed would have shut his system down.
In a way, he carried strange mana cores that could seriously damage him and also boost his capabilities.
Caution was necessary.
Nevertheless, Godfrey could feel it, these two cores would be the deciding factors of his victory against this dungeon.
This was his greatest battle yet and it definitely won’t be easy. That was good, there would be no need to hold back and he would be pushed to his limits.
With a determined face, he walked through the gate. It was time for the golden prince to meet the crimson emperor.