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Chapter 1035 Upside Down

"I barely knew them, sir," said Alexie with a shake of his head. "Furthermore, the weak will be trampled regardless of who protects them. Am I expected to protect others forever even after they fail repeatedly to protect themselves?"

Lord Marshal began to chuckle before he rose from the desk, walked toward the steaming pot on a table, and started pouring three cups for them. Then, he even presented it in front of Alexie before gesturing for him to sit.

"Your vicious mindset is what we lack, recruit," said Lord Marshal as he sipped on his tea. "Do you know what separates a wolf from a sheep?"

"Mainly their fashion sense, sir," replied Alexie without skipping a beat as he sat down. Jonathan choked on his tea while Lord Marshal roared with laughter. The only one who kept his composure was Alexie. "Jokes aside, I would like to hear the continuation," he added after the two stopped laughing.

"You have a good sense of humor, recruit," said Lord Marshal as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I can\'t remember the last time I laughed this hard. Now I\'m tempted to keep you around for good laughs, haha."

"We wouldn\'t want a laughter epidemic, would we?" said Alexie with a smile, making Lord Marshal chuckle again at his confidence. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Lord Marshal?"

"As I was saying before, wolves are different from sheep. A wolf does not care about anyone other than his pack, while the sheep only runs away for dear life. I think you are a wolf, Alexie."

"You might have mistaken my yawns for howls, sir," said Alexie with a serious frown, making the two men laugh again. Knight of Silver Rose did not hold himself back as he laughed heartily. After their laughter died down, he continued. "I appreciate being called a wolf, but I still don\'t understand what you need from me, sir."

"For starters, how about you tone it down with the jokes," said Lord Marshal as he gasped for breath. "You are an interesting man, Alexie. I want you to join the Golden Division and work under Sir Jonathan here."

"That would be an honor, sir, but do I even qualify?" asked Alexie with surprise and interest rather than a lack of confidence. "I always wanted to rise through the ranks, but never thought it would be so fast."

"A demonic dungeon appearing is no surprise, given that demons have been infiltrating our city recently," said Lord Marshal with a solemn expression. "You must have reaped the rewards from such a dungeon. I expect that your abilities have grown even stronger since your entrance test, no?"

"Indeed, Lord Marshal," said Alexie without hiding anything. "We received a lot of reward points, and our levels jumped exponentially. The dungeon even rewarded us with a skill."

"What about… an artifact?" asked Lord Marshal with greed in his eyes. Jonathan frowned as he turned toward Alexie, who betrayed no emotions other than confusion. "You received none?"

"I\'m afraid not, sir," said Alexie with a shake of his head. "Are we supposed to receive one after finishing the dungeon?"

"No one can understand the tower, but recent events lead us to believe that artifacts have appeared inside the tower, and it coincided with the demonic dungeon appearing. I just wanted to check."

"I apologize for not being of help in that regard," said Alexie with a polite tone, but Lord Marshal gestured to dismiss the subject. "I would be honored to serve in the Golden Division."

"Sir Jonathan wants to test you beforehand. This offer will be given to your friends as well, since you have all achieved a great feat in protecting our city. I still need to hear the details of your challenge, too."

"As you demand, sir," said Alexie with a smile and began retelling their journey. It was obvious that Jia Huang had manipulated the lot because this task was not meant for them. Lord Marshal had a terrifying frown as he heard the details but still concluded that everything turned out for the better.

"Knight Jonathan will take it from here and will test you before you enter the Golden Division. Thank you for your services, Alexie," said Lord Marshal before shaking his head, and Alexie thanked him back before leaving with the Knight of Silver Rose.

***

The entire way through the castle, the two did not exchange a word. Arthur followed closely until they exited the castle and entered a separate building adorned with flags featuring a golden lion. Arthur watched the magnificent building in awe before he was led to the captain\'s office.

"Lord Marshal seems to have taken quite a liking to you, Alexie," said Jonathan as he removed his armor in his office. "I never expected him to push you to join the Golden Division so soon. This is unprecedented."

"Urgency can lead people to make mistakes," replied Arthur as he took a seat, pulling out parchment paper from his uniform and starting to peruse them. "The Warring Cities Event, huh?"

"How did you come across that name?" Jonathan asked, his brow furrowing as he noticed the papers in Arthur\'s hands. "What are you reading there?"

"These are all the orders and information Lord Marshal had in his room," Arthur explained with a smirk. "There are many ways for someone to incite an all-out war, Jonathan."

"You stole them?!" Jonathan exclaimed with rage, lunging forward in an attempt to snatch the papers from him. "We need to return them before he...!"

The knight reached out toward Arthur, but Arthur swiftly disappeared from his spot and reappeared sitting atop the desk. It was an instant teleportation that made no sound or change in mana.

"Relax, I didn\'t steal them," Arthur reassured him with a smirk as he produced a watch from his pocket. "I simply read and copied them. The originals are still on his desk, the same ones you received."

"How did you manage such a feat?" Jonathan asked, a mixture of shock and fear in his eyes, but then he focused on the item Arthur held in his hand. "Is that an artifact from the demonic dungeon?"

"This is called the Interdimensional Pocketwatch," Arthur explained, examining it with interest. "It once belonged to a lesser god whom I defeated, and the tower rewarded me with it after I completed the dungeon. It has the power to stop time for a certain period, during which I can do anything."

"That\'s an incredibly powerful artifact," Jonathan said, his expression at a loss for words. "You could use it to kill anyone."

"I once faced a similar opponent," Arthur recalled with a smirk. "It appears the gods have bestowed a similar power upon him to challenge me."

"Gods?" Jonathan muttered with a frown. "What did you see in that dungeon, Arthur?"

"Heaven and hell," Arthur replied in a hushed voice that indicated a profound change in his demeanor. "These documents are what we need to begin our mission. These artifacts are the key to provoking an all-out war among the ten cities."

"Can you defeat them even if they possess artifacts?" Jonathan asked, then realized something. "Is that watch one of those artifacts?"

"I doubt it," Arthur said with a smile. "The entity who gave me this watch wanted to prove that the gods are my enemies, nothing more. In any case, I will prevail against everyone, thanks to this item."

Arthur placed the documents on the table and stowed away the watch before patting the knight on the shoulder. Then, he exited the office, leaving Jonathan stunned in his wake.

After leaving the Golden Division, Arthur found a secluded alley to activate his watch. As soon as the artifact was engaged, it began to drain one mana unit for every passing second. Arthur vaulted over walls and scaled buildings before resuming time.

At an inn on the city\'s outskirts, his comrades awaited him. Since it was still early in the morning, he expected them to be asleep. He quietly entered their room, and the three men and the demon were all sprawled over their beds.

"...Should I wake them up?" Arthur mumbled with a sigh before deciding on a different approach. He left the room, descended to the inn\'s dining area, and ordered breakfast. Then, he carried the aromatic meal upstairs, allowing its scent to rouse his companions.

"Food?" Sarohan was the first to awaken, leaping out of bed with a keen sense of smell. His eyes lit up with joy when he saw Arthur sitting next to the food. "Seika is back, everyone!"

His exclamation stirred the others from their slumber, and they all wore similar expressions. Seraphine remained aloof but began to eat without a word.

"Good to see you all again," Arthur greeted them with a grin. "Come and join me for some food. I have a mission that will turn this city upside down!"