Lord Shadow - Chapter 1954: Small People
Chapter 1954: Small People
Taddeus sigh echoes all over the table
The other pirates nodded
Taddeus then said
“The world is changing so fast that we all feel like we are old people”
“Hahaha!”
The other pirates laughed
And even Taddeus laughed with them
“In the past, the people who went into the Untainted Land knows the land that they are in is still part of the world. It is part of Earth. And when they ascend, they did not go to some fairylands.
“It is just breaking the barrier between the two places. Earth and the dimensions that they are in”
“But as time passes, the new generation seems to create some kind of lie that if they break through, they will break through to some fairyland or immortal realm”
“Not only they lie, but they also seem to want to prevent people of their world from breaking through.”
He paused for a moment and then added
“I do not believe that there is no intervention from the outside that leads to things like this. If there is, then it must be someone in the world powers. If not, it is from someone powerful enough to manipulate things. This is the consensus of many people who had heard the stories from the Untainted Land”
“I just fear that this is just a precursor to another war” Taddeus said and the other nodded
Azief listen on
“I don’t know why Loki is in Untainted Land but maybe that is a good thing. Pandemonium mess should not be made messier”
Some people have question marks on their head but some of the people around Taddeus understood. And even Azief, who is just eavesdropping, also understood.
If Loki wades in the current mess, even Azief is worried about the consequence
Loki knows better. Azief has always been wary about Loki. Not because he is Azief enemy. Not because he is like a brother to him
But because Azief is never sure where Loki stands.
After meeting Odin and Sun Wukong, Azief knows that there are beings, powerful beings, that bet against him, bet on him, and many of whom that did not want to be involved and caught in his cause and effect
Loki is already inside his cause and effect.
Loki must have known being close to him would make him caught in his cause and effect. From the very beginning, there are many hints.
And from the few times he spoke with Loki, the words he said always seems to hint at something
Sometimes, he did not have to speak it in words for Azief to understand.
There is always this kind of gaze that Loki look at him.
In the past, Azief did not think much of it.
When his observation becomes more acute, he also notices Loki gaze towards him
But at that time, he did not understand it.
So, he convinces himself that he sees wrong.
But after knowing Loki origin, a time traveler from some timeline, Azief reviews back his own memories of the past
And he remembers that gaze.
Pitiful.
That is the kind of gaze that Loki looks at him.
So, he must have known from the beginning what his fate is.
What he doesn’t know is whether Loki is against him or bet on him
Wargod reminded him not to see just the surface and not everything is what it seems.
Someone who supported you might send you to your death and someone that hinders you might do it because he wanted to help steer you away from a path of doom.
Like how a friend could always support you and make you feel accepted but actually they are putting you to a path of ruin.
And how your parents always hinder you from doing something but all of it is for your own good.
Sometimes, everything is not exactly as it is. Sometimes, there are more than meets the eye.
Hidden under a smile, blade behind one back ready to stab. Sometimes, a scolding in front, a tear in the night
Good and evil are hard to distinguish. Action does not mean intention, and intention does not always materialize to action.
Then one of them said
“I say, let Pandemonium crumble” And these words break Azief from his pondering. His eyes narrow but he did not release any energy.
The burly man only shook his head
“That is not wise. It is not good for us for Pandemonium to crumble. This is the game of gods. We could only pray”
“if Pandemonium falls, the avalanche falls on us the hardest”
“Crime Alliance could stand up?” One of the pirates said
Taddeus laughed
“We are not the same kind of pirates under the Crime Alliance. As long as we roamed this part of the sea and did not do anything to excessively, we could still survive. Consorting with the Crime Alliance, there is a high chance of getting captured and get beheaded”
“The thing the Crime Alliance do are not all bad” One of the pirates said
“Hahaha!” Taddeus laughed
“And that is how they get you. At first, they only told you to pickpocket someone. Stole something”
“Well, it is a troubled time, and everyone do what they need to survive”
The other pirates nodded
“Even World Government has a law, that if you steal just for survival, you would not be punished. But it must only be food, and the food that they stole must not weight more than four kilograms.”
“But when have you ever seen people stole food? If you want food, just go out any city and go to any forest, and any fruits is enough to make you full, and any game is enough to make your stomach bloated full of food”
“And the world now, is no longer a world without rules. As long as you are not a Pillar Forming realm, if it’s just about basic survival you could survive…. just about anywhere”
The other pirates nodded
Then Taddeus looked at one of the pirates who raised the idea of joining the Crime Alliance
“The Crime Alliance would always employ talents. But they are not some kind of good company to work at”
“The more talented you are the more they would give you jobs. And the jobs that they give to talented people are the kind of job that could get your head beheaded”
“Right now, we might be pirates, and our crew might not be big, but I daresay we did not do things that would incur the wrath of the people”
“We robbed those other pirates, and we fought government navies, but we do not attack and raze cities. We have our own specialties.” He paused for a second and then added
“We are thugs on the sea, playing by our own rules. But we do have rules. The only difference between us and the navies is that the navies is legitimized by the world powers”
“They are not much different from us. Just like there is no difference between cops and organized crime. The only difference is the master”
“But this itself…. this order…..this is something new after the Fall”
At this the other pirates nodded
Some close their eyes and smile like they were reminiscing about the past
“In the past, before the world powers was a thing, the sea is lawless. As much as we bring chaos, we bring order”
Then Taddeus takes a sip of his drink and water his throat.
Then he continues.
Taddeus is clearly the talkative one among the pirate crew
But from what Azief could see he is also respected by the crew. Maybe because the things he talks about are not some bragging or some tall tales. But more like a senior teaching the junior about the do’s and don’ts of pirate life.
Judging from how none of the pirates interrupt him and rarely contradict him, Taddeus might be the veteran crew of this pirate group
“And the world now is even bigger. And the places the world powers could not reach are even bigger than before. And as you all can see, the world powers have many other problems they need to deal with”
“Just like how pirates were given position during the Great Age of Piracy in the past, if we want to launder our reputation it would be easy”
“But there is a prerequisite to this”
“Razing cities, burning and looting, that is not the kind of talent that the world power needs. No, instead of saying that it is the talent that is needed, it suffices to say, that it is virtue they are looking for”
“Some world powers would accept people like that”
“But from the moment that Death Monarch become the leader of the world powers, the moment Pandemonium become the true great hegemon of Earth, it is destined he would not compromise”
“People knows that Death Monarch is powerful. But one did not know his stance against evil. One thing is clear. Death Monarch could tolerate many things”
“Razing cities however is not something he would tolerate. That is a red line for him.”
“Whether that is out of the goodness of his heart or his desire to maintain an image, any talents that wanted to defect to the world powers needs to at least have some rules and lines in their hearts. Especially for people who have crimes against humanity. And there is a lot of people that did that. The horrors of all of it.”
..
