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The sudden crisis in Atlantis was urgent, and John couldn\'t afford to waste much time on Uncle Mac.

What was originally a plan to be carried out slowly now had to be expedited to resolve the trouble quickly.

"Perhaps I should confront Caliban directly. I\'ll bring along respected figures from the city and tear off the facade.

If it comes to it, I\'ll just kill him! Uncle Mac made it clear that there was no city lord in Talcavano over a hundred years ago."

With this thought, John narrowed his eyes and returned to the palace.

Initially, he planned to leave in the morning after saying goodbye to Elaria and Lily, but time was of the essence. John left a note and then found Elowen.

He took the monster corpses that Elowen had ordered to be hunted and teleported back to Talcavano.

He arrived at the place he had arranged for Uncle Mac.

Fortunately, Uncle Mac was still awake, seemingly worried about Minefield No. 1. Seeing John return, he quickly sat up and asked, "John, why are you back so late?"

"I was planning to come back tomorrow, but something urgent came up. We need to speed things up."

"Urgent? What kind of urgent situation?"

"I can\'t say just yet. Uncle Mac, we need to go out and find someone."

"Who?"

"The auction house\'s owner, Barry."

John\'s idea was simple: if he needed to find someone influential in the city, Barry was the best choice.

As the owner of the auction house, Barry had significant influence over both NPCs and players.

Moreover, reopening Minefield No. 1 would be highly beneficial for Barry, unless he was also involved in the cover-up.

John couldn\'t think of a reason why Barry would refuse.

Without wasting any time, John and Uncle Mac left their place and headed to Barry\'s private residence.

John kicked over the guards blocking their way, who immediately treated him as an intruder.

Fortunately, someone recognized John just in time and reported to the sleeping Barry, avoiding a fight.

When John and Uncle Mac were ushered into the sitting room, Barry, dressed in his nightwear, looked at John with a troubled expression.

"John, what on earth are you doing here so late, barging in like this?"

"Cut the small talk, Barry. One question: do you know that Caliban has sealed off Minefield No. 1, claiming the mineral resources are exhausted, but is secretly mining it himself?"

"Is that true?" Barry\'s eyes widened in disbelief. "John, where did you get this information? Is it accurate?"

"If it wasn\'t accurate, would I come to you at this hour? We have evidence. Just today, Uncle Mac and I infiltrated Minefield No. 1.

Uncle Mac found fresh mining traces inside, and more than one. Isn\'t that enough evidence?"

"This..." Barry frowned, clearly troubled. "Such evidence seems a bit flimsy. Perhaps it could be traces left by other intruders? There\'s no direct proof that Caliban did this."

"Barry, are you sure you\'re not involved?"

"By heaven and earth, John, I swear I had no idea about this. Minefield No. 1 is a treasure trove. I was as disappointed as anyone when it was suddenly sealed."

"That\'s for the best. Otherwise, I\'d have to deal with you too, and I wouldn\'t be too happy about that. Anyway, I plan to confront City Lord Caliban tomorrow.

I\'ll force him to either reopen Minefield No. 1 or step down. After all, he doesn\'t have the authority to seal it off arbitrarily. What do you say, are you interested in joining?" Read exclusives on NovelFiremp _y,r.

At this, Barry, who had been indignant a moment ago, deflated like a punctured balloon, becoming silent.

"John, I\'m afraid I\'ll have to decline."

"Decline if you must, but tell me your reasons."

"Isn\'t it obvious? Talcavano has nearly four thousand guards, all quite capable. The three of us challenging Caliban is pure folly.

No offense, John, but whether we succeed or fail, you can always walk away and never return to Talcavano.

But I can\'t. My entire livelihood is here. I can\'t take that gamble!"

"Why are you so sure I\'ll lose?"

"Sure? No, it\'s certain! John, I know you\'re strong, probably even stronger than Lord Caliban. But so what?

We\'re talking about an entire army! An army, do you understand? People will die!"

Barry pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. "As much as this angers me, I\'m sorry.

I can\'t get involved. I can\'t risk my livelihood. Besides, I\'m just a businessman. Even if I spoke out, it wouldn\'t matter."

"No, you don\'t understand. With your status in Talcavano, you have a significant influence.

If you speak out, many will be willing to stand against Caliban with you. Barry, I need your help!"

"Uncle Mac, there\'s no need to say more. My mind is made up. Out of respect for our years of friendship, I\'ll spread the word as much as I can.

But I won\'t come forward. At least, I can\'t let Caliban know I\'m involved. He\'s not someone to be taken lightly."

"How about this, Barry? Let\'s make a bet."

"John, even if you say that, I can\'t..."

Before Barry could finish, John interrupted him. "You\'re a businessman. Don\'t you have the courage for a small wager? At least hear my terms before you refuse."

Barry hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

"My terms are simple. Tomorrow morning, I\'ll storm the city lord\'s mansion and force Caliban to show himself.

If I can prove to you that his army is no match for me, you will come out and support me. If I lose, you don\'t have to pay any price. What do you say, Barry?"

"...Although I think it\'s impossible, if this will satisfy you, John, then fine. I\'ll bet with you!"

"Tomorrow morning, wait for my news. Don\'t sleep too soundly, Barry."

"Knowing this, how could I sleep at all? John, we\'ve known each other for a while, and you\'re a valued customer.

In the future, I\'ll still need your help with my auction house.

I can\'t just sit back and benefit from your efforts. Here, I have a treasure I bought for a high price to save my own life. It\'s yours now, John."

With that, Barry took out a heartguard from his pocket. The mirror surface of the heartguard was slightly cracked, but it could still function.

John accepted the heartguard and examined it. As expected, it was a Legendary-quality item.

The item\'s property was to protect the wearer from one fatal blow, restoring their status to 75%. This status included the total amount of HP and mana combined.

It\'s a shame that, given its current durability, it can only be used one more time before it shatters completely.

"It\'s a fine item, Barry, and I appreciate your goodwill, but I really don\'t need it. An army, you say? Well, it just so happens I have one too—a monster army!"

...

The next morning!

John looked at the warm sunlight streaming through the window but felt no joy. Gluttony and the Divine Emissary of the God of Light and Prophecy loomed over him like a constantly ticking clock. When the countdown reached zero, John would have no chance to recover.

He had to resolve the current trouble quickly and head to Atlantis as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, John took a deep breath and turned to Uncle Mac.

"Uncle Mac, let\'s go."

"I\'m really sorry, John. My stubbornness has forced you into this risky situation..."

"Don\'t say that, Uncle Mac. We\'re companions. Besides, I do want to meet this mysterious city lord and see how strong he is to hold onto his position!"