ALL NOVEL Chapter 576: A Talk with Old Butler
These events are part of the security protocol under Albert lead, ensuring that all dangerous and well-known mages are now six feet under. It's ruthless, but that's Albert style.
The relentless slaughter and the shadowy conflicts continue in the city, hidden from the knowledge of the ordinary people. Peace and order are maintained, allowing most to remain blissfully ignorant… especially the everyday citizens who make up the majority of New Atlantis's population.
The mages and underworld gangs, however, are fully aware of the ongoing shadow war. Many speculate on the body count under Albert's new security measures, with estimates of casualties exceeding 10,000 on the opposing side.
The Waste Disposal Company, owned by the Veneziale Gang, only has partial information. What they do know is that their incinerators are running 24/7, primarily disposing of "human-shaped biowaste" arriving in the form of body bags.
One fact remains clear to both sides: none of the spies using submarines survived. All of them met a watery grave off the coast of New Atlantis. This has left many factions speculating—did they trigger underwater mines, or was some advanced defense system lurking beneath the sea?
In the underworld, tension is rising, but the economy is booming. Many mage spies who died under the security crackdown left behind valuable items like artifacts, magical ingredients, and even their own organs. These have flooded the black market, as gang leaders, eager to harness magical power, see an opportunity to awaken their own mana pathways using the organs of deceased mages.
Some organs, especially those from Grandmaster-ranked mages, are being auctioned off in black markets. Even visiting mage families, who have come to New Atlantis for the upcoming ceremony, are vying for these rare opportunities.
It's not every day that Grandmaster mage organs are up for sale without Hightower crashing the party, and the prospect has everyone a bit too eager.
Then it dawns on them: the divided Curtained World presents another chance to enhance their magical power. Mages from opposing factions won't be protected by New Atlantis law or the Order of Ember, especially at the beginning of the founding.
It will take time, many wars, and a great deal of bloodshed before the Curtained World stabilizes. At this moment, mage families are trembling with anticipation. They know that Daniel and New Atlantis are powerful, but while factions like the Hightower and the Qing Empire may not match New Atlantis in strength, their numbers could challenge the rising power of Daniel and his city.
The expectation is clear… Many mages from Hightower and the Qing Empire will die, potentially reaching 100,000 casualties. And this will translate into an influx of mage organs flooding the black market.
Albert is fully aware of this, which is why he turns a blind eye to the Veneziale Gang's black-market operations, including the auctioning of mage organs. He knows that, through this trade, many of the fence-sitters will contribute to their cause with both resources and financial backing.
— Daniel House —
At noon, Daniel was receiving a guest, someone he had specifically told his "princess syndrome" uninvited guest, Tian Xingyun, to bring. Now, he faced that guest: an old man dressed in a blue robe, with long white hair and a beard, fitting the typical image of a martial arts master straight out of a Wuxia series.
The man's name was Yuan… just Yuan. No other name. He seemed to be the servant of the girl named Tian Xingyun. Daniel and the old man sitting there, silently in the gazebo on the roof top Garden near his house, staring at each other. It was an awkward situation, especially since Yuan had just learned that his princess had lost her memories. Discover more stories at m,v l'e|m-p| y r
"So… what did you say again?" Daniel asked the old man, who looked like he had just stepped off the set of a Wuxia drama. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
The old man showed no sign of irritation. Instead, he looked at Tian Xingyun, who was playing with little Sylvana, acting more like an older sister than a mother that she imagined herself to be. Yuan's eyes reflected a mix of melancholy and regret, but also a deep sense of relief and appreciation.
"I said… let's not restore her memory. Let her stay this way. Better yet, let those memories be lost forever. It's better for Lady Tian. Her old memories are painful… and from my perspective, they're not important anymore," the old man said.
"Do you even realize what you're saying, old man? She thinks I'm the one who had sex with her, and that it was non-consensual! Do I look like a horny beast to you?" Daniel protested, pointing at Tian Xingyun, who was still playing with Sylvana.
"That's not important," the old man replied, stroking his beard like a sage.
"It is important, you old goat! Have you lost your mind?!"
The old man let out a long sigh, casting a sound-blocking barrier to prevent eavesdropping. Then, he began telling Daniel about Tian Xingyun's past.
It turned out Tian Xingyun was the daughter of the previous Heavenly Emperor, who ruled over the Heavenly Realm, a hidden realm that inspired the Daoist mythology of immortality and gods, like the Monkey King and the Heavenly Generals.
A long time ago, a human cultivator had succeeded in his cultivation, becoming so powerful that he ascended to immortality and entered the Heavenly Realm. Back then, the Heavenly Realm wasn't closed to humans, and those with enough strength and determination could ascend to divinity after a test of strength.
That human eventually accumulated enough power, and with the help of various sect conspiracies, he overthrew the old Heavenly Emperor. He forcibly took Tian Xingyun as his wife, securing his right to rule the Heavenly Realm. That man became the current ruler, changing his name to Zhou Yu Huang, the Yellow Emperor, and renaming Tian Xingyun to Xi Wang Mu, the Empress of the West.
Hearing this, Daniel sighed. Tian Xingyun's story was tragic—her father murdered by a man she despised, who then forced her to be his wife to secure control of the Heavenly Realm. Since Zhou Yu Huang was far too powerful to resist, she had no choice but to help him maintain order in the Heavenly Realm to prevent chaos.
"Wait…" A thought struck Daniel. He looked at the old man. "Old man, you mean that without her help, the Heavenly Realm would fall into chaos. But she's here… doesn't that mean her husband is holding things down right now? Is He going to come here and cause trouble?" he asked.
For Daniel, this is a matter of life and death. If a powerful god from Taoist mythology came to cause trouble, he might need to reveal a lot of not all of his trump cards to kill… or repel him.
"No… You don't have to worry… Zhou Yu Huang disappeared about a month ago in mortal time. I've already checked. He's nowhere in this world. It's as if he vanished into a place beyond our reach," Yuan replied.
"If you can't trace him and don't know where he is, is it possible he's already dead?" Daniel asked.
"That's impossible," Yuan said, shaking his head. He let out a sigh… "Even though I wish that to be true…. but alas… Zhou Yu Huang may be an irredeemable bastard, but his strength is the real deal. No one could kill him without leaving a trace. Even if gods ambushed him, there should have been signs of a world-ending battle.
Even in the Realm of Gods, with the entire Pantheon against him, Zhou Yu Huang wouldn't go down without a fight, leaving no trace behind." He said then continued.
"Besides, I've checked with the secret realms of the Greek gods and others. There's no trace of any battle. Their realms haven't even opened in over a hundred years. It's impossible that Zhou Yu Huang was a victim of their ambush.
Most likely, he erased his own traces and is enjoying life in the mortal world, pretending to be some heaven-defying genius while flirting with mortal women." Yuan spoke with disdain as he recounted Zhou Yu Huang's bad habits.
"Then… wouldn't there be a huge problem if that guy suddenly remembered his duty, returned to the Heavenly Realm, and didn't find his wife? Instead, he'd find her here with me… Old man, are you seriously trying to set me up? It's no joke if an all-powerful god comes here, fuming with rage because I 'cucked' him.
That's a scenario I'd really like to avoid," Daniel said, his mouth twitching at the thought, clearly wanting to avoid such a situation.
"Suddenly remember his duty? Heh…" The old man snorted as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous statement.
"That's not going to happen. If you told me he died in some ditch or an unmarked grave, I'd be more likely to believe that. You should know, Zhou Yu Huang doesn't listen to anyone. The only time he returns to the Heavenly Realm is when he's bored of his latest mortal woman—when she's too old or not beautiful anymore. That's when he 'remembers' his wife, the Heavenly Realm, and his duty.
I once went to fetch him back myself, and I almost died under his palm strike." The old man gritted his teeth, clearly still holding a grudge.