Chapter 1385 (1/2)

Derek Moss coughed awkwardly and was met with almost absolute silence. It was like no one was even breathing. The group of fifty people standing in front of him was looking at him with serious expressions and not breathing.

He had an impulse to reach up and rub the back of his neck but suppressed it. Because in a way, he could understand why they would be so torn by surprise and desire. In their eyes, Derek could see the spark of ambition. These were all people that had recently been liberated from a bubble city only a short way beyond the charred borderlands that the Ghosthound had fixed. Only a few hours ago had they seen the oppressive power that a potent image could wield.

Despite all the differences in governance in the bubble cities, one thing was constant: the desire for power.

Perhaps due to the chaotic energies in the area around the ‘equator’, the monsters had been especially strong. Despite the Order Ducis forces moving as fast as they could once they noticed the situation, the attack had already begun. When the titanic form of Kharon had settled down next to the bubble city, the monster horde had already breached through the outer perimeter that the city had set up and was massacring the populace.

As an applicant to the Order Ducis, Derek was part of the first wave of responders to go into the city. While Helen and Ajax blazed a trail forward, Derek took advantage of his Class’s ability to cut down large groups and very publicly obliterated streets that were thronged with monsters. Emerald Mana Bombs cleared several meters worth of monsters with each move. He was the Bombardier of the Sacred Grove, and in the defense of another’s life, his image practically burned with conviction.

After all, Derek hadn’t been slacking since he had arrived in Kharon; every day was sparring or image training or downright mental torture in order to strengthen his will. Surrounded by so many individuals who could suppress him with their image, Derek had thrown himself fully into his own growth.

And it was paying off.

In the aftermath, Derek was rather embarrassed to discover that while the other Order Ducis members had taken care of more dangerous targets in the monster horde, Derek was the one who the population was whispering about in awestruck voices.

Naffur had found the whole thing amusing. “Really? Thank god- I’ve given the welcome to Kharon way too often recently. Why don’t you take over for this city?”

“But… I didn’t really… Helen and Ajax…” Derek hesitated.

Seeing the indecision on Derek’s face, Naffur’s expression turned serious. “Mr. Moss, did you or did you not help these people? It might be strange to say, but this was why the Order Ducis was made. To make sure that ordinary people have the opportunity to grow into their own power. For that, we earn awe and ire in equal measure. If you want to become a true member of the Order Ducis, you will need to be able to handle both. Let neither influence your resolve. Only know that what we do matters.”

That got Derek’s attention. He looked at Naffur so long that the younger man began to squirm. “What is it?”

“No…” Derek said slowly. After hearing Naffur’s words, he had felt even more out of his depth than he had previously. But it also reframed the issue; Derek wasn’t trying to revel in the thanks of the people, he was speaking in front of them to provide the truth. He was just doing his job. “You have become surprisingly eloquent, doing all these speeches. It’s honestly impressive.”

Naffur shrugged. “Everything is a Skill. Practice makes you better. Good luck with your practice, Mr. Moss.”

So Derek now stood in front of the fifty or so individuals identified by the organizations of Kharon to be highly talented and willing to relocate to the moving city. Some of them possessed wispy white hair and there was one pair of twins that Derek didn’t think they could be older than fifteen. But all of the gathered people had hard, searching eyes as they looked at Derek Moss.

They waited for him to begin in silence.

Clearing his throat, Derek Moss began to speak. “I’ll keep this short. All of you have been invited to stay on Kharon. I don’t exaggerate in the slightest to say it is the most unique city in the world, run by the most powerful man: Randidly Ghosthound. I won’t say much about him now. If you are curious, ask around Kharon and you will learn plenty. For now, the city he made should be evidence enough of what he is capable of.

“I encourage you to accept our invitation to join the Ghosthound’s city. If you do, there will be three months of training. It will be hell. It will, in all likelihood, be the reason that you survive in the future.

“But know that your invitations do not come for free. To thrive in the city of Kharon, you need three things. You need spirit, to grow to face all the challenges the world puts in front of you. You will need determination, to never look away from the truth. And finally, you will need a sense of duty.

“By coming to Kharon, you are accepting a role. A role in bettering the world. A role as one of the vanguard the next time a city is being overrun by monsters. If you cannot see yourself doing that… then don’t bother. Don’t waste our time. That is all.”

Derek stepped down from the podium, feeling the group of people continuing to watch him with their intense gazes as he proceeded to walk out of the small auditorium and went into the back area. As he left the crowd behind, Derek realized for the first time that his hands were extremely sweaty.

Naffur was waiting in the back area, grinning at him. “You forgot to mention images. But otherwise, a great first attempt. Short and to the point.”

Derek Moss didn’t like the way Naffur said ‘first attempt’.

*****

Randidly resolved himself to never underestimate Tatiana in the future. Her ability to juggle the thousands of mundane issues that Kharon encountered in just a week was clearly apparent as Tatiana now dumped all these troubles at Randidly’s feet. As he read through the stack of papers that Tatiana had provided, Randidly learned far more than he ever wanted to about the land speculation, the escalating rivalry between the metalworking and cleanliness industries, resentment toward the ogre population for the fact they took up more space, the critical lack of staff willing to sign on as teachers and instructors for Kharon’s youth, the sudden spike in births resulting in a demand for pediatricians, and the ever more vocal calls for a predictable travel schedule for Kharon.