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Hector still wasn’t quite sure what to think. Even as he stared directly at that gargantuan pile of treasure before him, he didn’t feel much amazement. It just didn’t feel real--not yet, anyway--and he was wary of allowing it to.

Diego raised a hand for everyone to stop again.

They were close now--close enough to make out several of the items in the cove in more detail. A globe. A pair of gloves. A bejeweled sword. A doll posing mid-twirl. A painting of a temple or something. A statue of a man in a chair.

Wait. No.

That was an actual man, actually sitting there.

Hector blinked behind his visor. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Hadn’t he been gray as stone a second ago? Perhaps he was still a little disoriented from that weird teleport. Now the man looked as normal as normal could be, though maybe a bit strange in attire. He wore a white tunic, tied together with strings near the collar, and brown pants and shoes. And his chair--tall and featureless stone.

But he really was a normal man. Not a Hun’Sho or a Hun’Kui. Not wearing a climate suit, either. Blonde hair, average height, pale skin, mid-forties by appearance, maybe.

And he was staring right at them, too, while he rested his cheek on his right fist. He had something in his lap as well, with his left hand draped over it. Some kind of jar? Hector couldn’t really tell.

“So you’ve come,” the stranger said. He sounded profoundly uninterested in what he was saying, as if he were making a passing note to himself rather than actually speaking to someone.

Diego was bold enough to speak the question on everyone’s mind. “Who are you?”

“I thought I sensed three of you,” the man said. “Yet I only see two.”

“...What are you talking about?” said Diego. And he tried again. “Who are you?”

“Oh well. Frankly, I’m surprised Ettol managed to get even one of you here, let alone two.”

Diego turned to the person next to him for help, who just so happened to be Hector. “Am I talkin’ to myself here?” said the Lord Redwater.

Hector just returned an armored shrug.

Diego turned back to the stranger. “Hey, you in the chair! Who the hell are you?!”

“Be silent,” the stranger said with sudden weight in his voice.

And Diego tried to respond, but he couldn’t. Hector saw him open his mouth as if speaking, but no words came out. Diego’s expression turned to confusion, then to shock.

“You there,” the stranger said, sounding wholly apathetic again. “Iron One.”

Hector twitched, realizing whom he meant. “Y-yeah?”

“How would you like to become a god?”


Chapter One Hundred Sixty: ‘He Who Sits...’
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“...Excuse me?” said Hector.

“Are you hard of hearing?” the unnamed man said. “I asked if you would like to become a god.”

“...I don’t know what that means. And what did you do to my friend?”

“I ordered him to be silent.”

“Y-yeah, but how did you do it?”

The stranger gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean? I ordered him.”