Chapter 100: City Lord Orin (1)
A few days later, in the City Lord Mansion of Ashspire City.
The City Lord Mansion of Orin floated above the Inner District. It used large formations and anti-gravity thrusters beneath it to keep it aloft. People said he built the mansion that way in hopes of reaching the floating cities one day.
Inside the mansion, in the office, three people sat together.
One was a middle-aged man with a long beard, another was a man with slightly white hair and a calm gaze, and the third wore a gray robe.
All three, except the one wearing gray robe, had cybernetics implanted. The Middle-aged man with a long beard had cybernetics on his hands and around his collar, while the old man’s body was full of it.
They were City Lord Orin, the CEO of Interwire Corporation Marcius, and Varyn, one of the High Order’s experts.
"That damned bitch Valeria," City Lord Orin roared from the office. "How is she ruining our plan like this? This is the second time in two days. Two!"
He ground his teeth in pure anger. "We need to kill her. She’s sabotaging our plans."
"How do you plan to do that?" Varyn asked calmly, taking a sip from the cup of tea placed before him.
"She is from the floating cities. Even we were not able to find any solid information on her," Orin said in a measured tone.
"But—"
A cold grin formed on Varyn’s half-covered face. "What can the people of the floating city possibly do to us, the higher order?"
"I believe we should capture her and discover her secrets. She’s extremely powerful for a twenty-one-year-old, at the middle-stage of 2nd Rank. She is definitely hiding something. I have already received orders from higher-ups to bring her in."
"Are you saying I can’t kill her?" Orin’s gaze went cold. He bit his lip hard.
"Kill her!" Orin shouted. "I will kill her! No one can stop me. Not even you!"
Like a madman who had lost control, Orin repeated the same words over and over.
Varyn sipped his drink calmly, watching.
Marcius, on the other hand, wore a worried expression.
"Lord Varyn, could this be a side effect of law comprehension?" the old man asked. "Is it dangerous? We’ve already cut off the connection with the Information Layer, right? But he still looks like he’s gone mad."
Before Varyn could answer, Orin suddenly turned to Marcius. A distortion appeared in the air, and Orin stretched out his arms. Marcius was sent flying backward.
"What did you say, old man?" Orin asked coldly. In a flash he was beside the old man, clutching his head tightly. "Say that again!"
"I was mistaken," Marcius groaned through clenched teeth.
He was certain that saying a single wrong word might get him killed.
"Please forgive me, Lord Orin. I regret whatever I said!" Marcius begged.
Orin threw the old man to the side and sneered. "Useless."
He sat back down, facing Varyn, who remained calm amid the chaos.
"I will kill her. She’s a worm in my path. This is my city. I will not let others trample my power."
"She is the only variable I cannot control," Orin added as his eyes flashed red.
Although many believed the city was controlled by corporations, that was false. All those corporations, except Azrael Corporation, answered directly to the City Lord. He had complete control over them.
"Mine! This city is mine! I will not let her do as she pleases!" Orin shouted.
"And that bastard from the Three Guards Province called me last night," he continued.
"Oh?" Varyn looked up in interest.
"That piece of shit threatened me!" Orin’s veins bulged. "After Valeria rescued the test subjects, she also returned the people the High Order had taken from the Three Guards Province."
"He is suspicious of us!" Orin exclaimed. "The High Order hideout was right beside Ashspire City. He said that if he found out we were behind it, he would personally eliminate me."
Orin’s face showed fear. "That’s a late-stage 2nd Ranker. He will kill me!"
However, his fear quickly burned back into anger.
"But I’ll kill him too!" Orin shouted. "Kill him! Kill him! How dare he threaten me? Who does that filthy bloodline warrior think he is? He’s just a late-stage dog. I can kill him!"
"You indeed can," Varyn said calmly. "After the war armor is finished, your power will soar to the late stage."
"That’s right!" Orin cried with an evil grin. "Once I get that armor, I’ll show everyone. I’ll let the world know who the real owner of Ashspire City is, and I will take over the Three Guards Province too!"
He turned to Marcius, who had shrunk back to the side and watched with fear.
"When will the armor be ready, you old bastard?" Orin demanded.
"It will be ready in three days, the same day the secret realm opens," Marcius replied in a trembling voice.
Interwire had been also secretly funding research into the Law of Machinery, and they had begun building a war armor, something Orin could use to permanently push himself into the late stage.
"Perfect! That’s also when the tournament for the Southern Region championship starts!" Orin laughed. "I’ll kill that bloodline warrior city lord bastard and every participant there!"
He laughed like a madman.
"You think it will be that easy?" Varyn sneered. "There will be many experts from other cities there."
"Sir, the automatons we’ve created using the Law of Machinery are also ready," Marcius said. "They can be controlled by the war armor."
"Hear that?" Orin said with a cold smile. "That alone is enough. I’ll kill everyone there. Since he decided to offend me, he will pay the price with the blood of his civilians!"
Marcius wanted to argue, but he held back. He could feel that the City Lord had gone too far. He was willing to plan the extermination of innocent people.
"That alone won’t be enough." Varyn said. "For that reason, the High Order has dispatched more members. They will be here soon."
Varyn was plotting the elimination of the Three Guards Province. It was his grand plan, but with Ashspire City taking a defensive stance, things were simpler. He did not need to convince Orin to act.
"Good! Good! Good!" Orin crowed excitedly. "Everything is under my control. I will eliminate that bastard as soon as I get my armor. I will bring him down from his high horse. Then the entire Southern Region will remember my name: Orin Ardent!"
"Then, I will kill Valeria!" Orin screamed. "She is an insect standing in my way. No one stands in my path!"
He burst into maniacal laughter.
Varyn, calm as ever, finally spoke. "I told before already. You cannot kill Valeria."