mtl008 Chapter 4372 The Justice League Assembles (2)
Chapter 4372 The Justice League Assembles (2)
Chapter 4372 Justice League: Assemble (Part 20)
"Are scammers' tricks this innovative these days?" Arthur said with a hint of disdain.
“I’m not lying to you, Arthur. We know you’re a half-sea creature with great strength, and you recently saved a submarine—you did a great job. But I think you’d be even more famous if you could help save the Capitol.”
“That’s enough,” Arthur said. “You just read what was on the news, do you think you can fool me? You damn liar!”
"Don't rush. I've heard that your half-brother Orm is planning to vie for the throne of Atlantis..."
Mera perked up her ears upon hearing the contents of the phone call. She gestured to Arthur, who waved back.
"How did you know?"
“We are not frauds; we are indeed a government intelligence organization affiliated with the U.S. National Security Agency. Of course, we are aware of the conflicts among the Sea Clan.”
"Then why did you come to me?" Arthur was already somewhat convinced, but he still asked.
"The Capitol has been sitting in the Metropolitan for far too long. We've tried all sorts of methods to move it back to its original location, but to no avail. The longer it drags on, the more volatile the political situation becomes, which is no good for anyone. We really need someone to move it back."
"Of course, we're not asking you to work for free. If you're willing to help, we can help you reclaim the throne of Atlantis..."
Mera's eyes widened instantly. Arthur waved his hand at her again and said coldly, "You agents are all liars. You talk a good game, but once I've finished the job, you'll definitely renege on your promise. Not only will you renege, but you'll probably make me take the blame. I won't fall for that."
"No, no, no, please believe me, we are very sincere this time. Really. To be honest, you don't know, do you? The sea tribe has an ancestral treasure called the Golden Trident..."
Mera's eyes widened again, and she gestured wildly at Arthur. Arthur understood that she meant it existed, and it was indeed a valuable item. So he cleared his throat and said, "I know about this thing. But you're not going to tell me you can get your hands on the Golden Trident, are you?"
"That won't work. We're just ordinary humans; we can't use such treasures. However, what we excel at is gathering intelligence and clues. We do have some clues about the Golden Trident. If you follow those clues, you're sure to find this artifact. At that point, the throne of Atlantis will be a piece of cake. And all you need to do is help us move the Capitol Building back..."
"Give me the clues first."
“That won’t do,” the other party immediately refused. “What if you don’t do the work if I give it to you?”
"But what if you don't give it to me, and then you renege on your payment after I finish the work?"
"This one……"
"Besides, I don't care that much about the throne. I can live on land, so why would I make work for myself? Otherwise, just give me the clues first, or I'm hanging up."
"No, no, no," the other person seemed very hesitant. "Hmm, let me think about it. Okay, I'll tell you first. But the clues we found aren't very precise, so you'll probably have to find them yourselves."
"Alright, hurry up and say it, don't waste my time," Arthur said impatiently.
"This all started with the origins of the golden trident. Many years ago, Atlantis was not a sea-dwelling civilization. You, like the human civilization on the continent, were a land-based civilization. But one day, disaster struck, and the entire continent sank to the bottom of the sea..."
Do you think I have a lot of free time to listen to your stories?
"Why are you so impatient?...Alright, alright, I'll get to the point. You once had an ancestor who forged this weapon called the Golden Trident. And the material he used came from the 'Iron of Poseidon' on Mount Olympus."
"Poseidon's Iron?" Arthur frowned and asked, "You didn't steal it from Poseidon, did you?"
"Of course not. Who do you think you are? You can steal Poseidon, why would you need to forge this weapon? In fact, it is the iron of Poseidon that was left behind in the human world."
"So where exactly is this thing?"
"We can't pinpoint the exact location of the Golden Trident, but we do know that the Iron of Poseidon, lost in the human world, is near the Amazon. That's the Amazon in Europe, not far from Italy. So I suggest you search around Italy..."
Arthur didn't quite understand. He said, "The materials used to forge the trident are in Europe, but that doesn't prove the golden trident is in Europe..."
"You must understand, the emperor who wielded the trident back then had his reasons for choosing to hide the golden trident and prevent future generations from obtaining it. But he also wouldn't want this divine weapon to be lost, so he would naturally place it in a place he considered safe..."
Arthur was about to argue when Mera tugged at him and shook her head. Arthur hung up the phone and looked at her. Mera said, "It could be true."
"Why?" Arthur asked, somewhat puzzled.
“You think the logic doesn’t make sense because you don’t understand the Amazon,” Mera said after thinking for a moment. “It’s not just a small Mediterranean country. The Amazons, who live in the Amazon, are a group with special abilities, just like the sea people. And their abilities come from Mount Olympus.”
“I see,” Arthur said with sudden realization. “So, that ancestor left the golden trident near the Amazon territory to ensure the safety of this artifact.”
“Perhaps it’s not that simple,” Mera said. “I’ve never heard of Atlantis having such advanced forging skills. We are more skilled in magic than in technology. So the golden trident might not have been forged by us.”
"If you didn't forge it, then who did?"
“Mount Olympus,” Mera said, “only the weapons of the gods could possess such power. You must have heard of Hephaestus from Greek mythology, right?”
"You think the golden trident was forged by the gods in Greek mythology? Isn't that a bit far-fetched? I've never seen any gods..."
“But they do exist. I think the golden trident might be the work of Vulcan, otherwise there’s no way to explain where Poseidon’s iron came from. It couldn’t have been thrown by Poseidon himself, could it?”
Arthur thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That speculation does make some sense. Only those gods could obtain those mysterious materials. It seems that Atlantis also has some connection with Mount Olympus."
“That’s right, so we really need to go to Europe,” Mera said. “Even if we can’t find the Golden Trident, we can try to contact the Amazons. Although they are isolated from the world, they are relatively friendly to humans and will definitely not stand idly by while Orm launches a war. As long as we can win them over, Orm’s conspiracy will never succeed.”
Arthur nodded and said, "Let's go."
After saying that, he walked towards the sea. Mera quickly caught up with him and said, "You're not planning to swim all the way to Europe, are you? That's very far!"
To her surprise, Arthur looked at her like she was an idiot and said, "Swimming to Europe? Am I crazy?"
"Then why..."
"To the airport!"
Little did anyone know that Schiller's words, spoken over the phone while sitting in the Sky Eye Foundation base, had already reached Om's ears through the leaky intelligence network.
Orm was clearly thinking the same thing as Mera, and he knew more. There had been rumors that the seven sea creatures were descendants of the gods, closer to the Olympian gods than to humans.
The fact that such a legend has been passed down to this day suggests there's some truth to it. Everyone knows that Atlantis was once a land-based nation, but one day, a bolt of lightning struck, and the entire continent sank into the sea.
Many elders of Atlantis believed that the lightning bolt was a divine punishment from Zeus, who was angry that the people of Atlantis did not respect the gods, and thus sank the entire city of Atlantis into the sea.
The changes that occurred to them after they were submerged in the ocean prove that they were no ordinary people. After all, if they were humans, they would certainly have died if they had been submerged like that, and the entire civilization would have been wiped out.
But they were unharmed and adapted to life underwater in a very short time. Therefore, some say that Poseidon saved them. Considering the relationship between Poseidon and Zeus, this isn't impossible.
If the golden trident is indeed made of Poseidon's iron, then the legend is very likely true. It is said that Poseidon provided the material for Vulcan to forge this weapon, helping Atlantis rule the seas.
Orm immediately realized that while winning over the seven ocean races was important for conquering the world, victory would be within reach if he could obtain the approval of the gods.
He knew very well that the gods were not a monolithic entity. Even in mythology, the various chief gods were constantly at odds, and there were definitely ambitious individuals among them who wanted to rule the world. If they could cooperate, neither illegitimate children nor humans would be a threat.
Om stepped out of the tent and began giving orders. Then he walked out into the sea and said, “Come with me, we’re going to the Amazon.”
As a legitimate prince of Atlantis, Orm had a better understanding of some of the world's strange and unusual existences. He knew that the Amazons were the gateway to Mount Olympus, not a realm of gods, and that to enter Mount Olympus, one needed to pass through the Amazons.
If he could persuade the Amazon queen to lend him a hand, that would be even more remarkable. He didn't believe there was only one piece of Poseidon's Iron; if he couldn't find the Golden Trident, he could forge one from the available materials.
Orm's ambition had completely swelled; he seemed to already envision himself ruling the world with the help of the gods. As for whether he could actually persuade them, Orm hadn't given it much thought. He didn't intend to have an open and honest discussion either; at worst, he would resort to deception and seduction, something he was very good at.
However, what he didn't know was that the Amazon Queen was completely different from the leaders of the Seven Seas and the fragile humans he usually encountered. She was a ruthless woman who could give birth to a descendant of Zeus and survive under Hera's clutches. A simpleton like Orm would be seen through by her at a glance.
Sure enough, when Orm led his men to the vicinity of the Amazon, they were immediately caught by the female warriors of Paradise Island. Orm was already annoyed by the warriors' rude attitude, and now they wanted to take him to see the Queen. This pampered and arrogant prince was immediately displeased.
However, considering his own plans, Orm endured it. He was taken to the Amazon Queen's palace. Upon seeing Orm, the Amazon Queen frowned.
As the ruler of a nation, she was well aware of major and minor international events. The long-standing unrest in the Caribbean was likely related to this sea creature who claimed to be a prince.
"Your Majesty, I was merely here for a tour of the European waters. Why did your subordinates attack us?" Orm wanted to seize the initiative and establish a moral high ground first. After all, those female warriors were truly impolite, and each one was quite formidable, leaving him in a rather embarrassing situation—this was hardly the way to treat guests.
"Sea creatures are forbidden within the Amazon," the Queen said calmly. "Didn't the leaders of the Seven Seas teach you that?"
Om's pupils contracted for a moment. He genuinely didn't know about this. But this rule was strange; logically, all oceans were their territory, so why was the Amazon an exception?
Is it true, as the legends say, that the golden trident is nearby, which is why the Amazons don't allow sea creatures to approach?