Chương 154

The villagers looked at each other. They looked at the hot cauldron of stew that had just cured their malnutrition. They looked at the pile of knocked-out pirates.

"I'll go," the old man said instantly. He tossed his dirty hat into the ocean.

"I used to be a carpenter before the Mayor ruined this island. I can build."

"I can farm!" a woman yelled from the back.

"We'll all go!" another man cheered. The crowd erupted. They didn't hesitate. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"Alright, great," Rudra smiled.

"Go pack your things. Grab your pots, your clothes, whatever you want to keep. Meet back here in ten minutes." The villagers scrambled. They ran back to their rotting wooden shacks, frantically stuffing their meager belongings into bags and old fishing nets. While they packed, Rudra opened his system interface. He navigated to his party menu and found his specific territory skills.

"Let's see if he's busy," Rudra muttered. He tapped the screen. [Knight Summon] [Sending a summons request to your appointed Knight, Mumud.] Hundreds of miles away, deep inside the newly built Magic Tower of Stormbreak, Mumud was sitting in a comfortable leather chair. The silver-haired mage was holding a hot cup of tea in one hand and flipping through a thick spellbook with the other. The library was incredibly quiet.

The only sound was the distant, muffled yelling of Silas, the territory's clerk, arguing with a merchant about grain taxes down in the courtyard. Suddenly, a voice was heard in his mind. [Your Liege, Duke Rudra, is requesting to summon you to his location.] [Do you accept? (Y/N)] Mumud listened to the voice. He let out a quiet, very tired sigh. He carefully placed a bookmark between the pages of his book and set his tea down on the table.

"He always calls right when I get to a good chapter," Mumud mumbled. He mentally accepted. Back on the sandy beach of the pirate island, a bright blue magic circle suddenly materialized in the air. The wind whipped up, blowing sand around. With a soft pop, Mumud appeared in the center of the circle. The mage smoothed out his comfortable grey robes and looked around. Mumud blinked. He looked at the beach. He looked at the vast ocean. He looked at Rudra.

"Lord Rudra?" Mumud asked, crossing his arms.

"I was in the middle of chapter four. Why am I on a beach?" This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Sorry to pull you away," Rudra laughed, walking over.

"But I need a favor." Mumud sighed softly.

"Let me guess. You picked a fight."

"I won the fight," Rudra corrected.

"But I need you to act as a moving company." Rudra pointed at the villagers gathering on the docks. They were carrying small bundles of clothes and holding tightly onto their children.

"I offered them a home in Stormbreak," Rudra explained.

"I need you to open a mass-teleportation gate and send all three hundred of them directly to Silas in the administrative office." Mumud stared at the crowd of villagers. Then he looked at Rudra.

"You want me to drop three hundred refugees directly into Silas's office? He is going to have a panic attack. The paperwork alone will break his spirit."

"Silas is a professional. He can handle the math," Rudra grinned. He then pointed at the pile of unconscious pirates, and the tied-up Mayor Gunt groaning in the dirt.

"Oh, and send those guys too," Rudra added.

"Just drop them straight into Kentrick's dungeon. Tell him they're a gift." Mumud shook his head. He didn't complain further. He was used to his Lord's chaotic methods by now.

"Very well, My Liege," Mumud said politely. The silver-haired mage stepped forward. He raised his hand. He didn't even need to chant. His eyes glowed with a faint blue light as he drew a massive, intricate magic circle directly into the wet sand. The runes flared to life, humming with intense arcane power. The circle expanded until it covered a huge section of the beach.

"Everyone, step inside the blue light," Rudra called out to the villagers. The villagers hurried over. They nervously stepped into the glowing circle, clutching their bags tightly. Kratos trotted over to the unconscious pirates. The lion grabbed them by their collars and dragged them into the circle, tossing the tied-up Mayor in right next to them.

"Is it safe?" the old man asked Mumud, looking at the glowing runes.

"It will feel like a slight tug behind your navel. Nothing more," Mumud assured him calmly. When everyone was inside, Mumud looked at Rudra.

"Will you be joining us, Lord Rudra?"

"Not yet," Rudra said.

"I still have some exploring to do. Tell the guys at the estate I said hi. And tell Elysia to keep brewing those potions."

"Understood," Mumud nodded. He snapped his fingers. A blinding flash of blue light engulfed the beach. A rush of wind blew Rudra's black coat back. When the light faded a second later, the beach was completely empty. The villagers, the pirates, the Mayor, and Mumud were entirely gone. Rudra smiled, dusting off his hands. The miserable island was completely quiet now. The rotting town was empty. There was no one left to oppress, and no one left to starve. It was a good day's work. He opened his quest log.

[The Hidden Quest 'The Legacy of the Submerged God'] [Progress: 68 / 113 Temples Cleared]"Just two more to go until the next milestone," Rudra muttered. He turned around and walked back to the docks. The elite Siren scout was waiting by the boat. The scout had watched the entire slap-fight and the mass teleportation without saying a single word. The Siren was getting used to traveling with a walking natural disaster.

"Ready to go, My Lord?" the scout asked, untying the mooring rope.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Rudra said, hopping onto the wooden deck. Kratos jumped in right behind him, instantly looking miserable at the thought of being back on the water. The Siren scout took the helm and steered the boat out of the shallow cove. They sailed for a few hours. The sun started to set, casting a deep orange glow across the dark red waves. Rudra pulled out a glowing nautical map. He had gotten the exact coordinates of these remaining temples directly from the Siren King.

He traced a finger along the marked lines.

"Head further east, Finn," Rudra called out over the wind.

"The map shows a cluster of submerged ruins not far from here. Let's knock out the 69th temple before we call it a night."

"Understood, Duke Rudra," Finn nodded, spinning the wooden steering wheel.