Chapter 395

Chapter 395

"Just like you said," Brandon sighed dramatically, "if I off you now, the fourth prophecy from the Heavens Goddess might go kaput, so you're stuck with me."

I wasn't sure if Leroy and Brandon were in cahoots, but I trusted Leroy. Why my fate was tangled up with the Atlanteans' fourth prophecy was a mystery to me.

I only confronted the king because Leroy vouched for me. But I was itching to know why the Atlanteans were into sacrificing folks.

I figured Leroy would spill the beans sooner or later.

The crowd buzzed with curiosity about who I was but got no answers.

Edward tried to steer the conversation. "If we can't sacrifice Alex, how about his buddy here?"

"Sure thing, as long as Edward ain't scared of Lana's curse, he can take any of us out," I teased.

Edward, who had been eyeing us, hopped onto the altar, strolled over confidently, and threatened, "Bull! Amelia's already six feet under. Where's this Lana curse coming from?"

Pointing at Andrew, he went on, "Tonight, we're sacrificing your pal!"

Though Andrew didn't catch on, he sensed Edward's hostility and knew trouble was brewing.

He whispered to Lisa, "Lisa, is he saying he wants to sacrifice me?"

Lisa nodded honestly and comforted him, "Yep, but don't sweat it, I got your back, he won't dare touch you."

Andrew promptly grabbed Lisa and took cover behind her.

Carl, annoyed, grabbed Andrew by the nape and shoved him aside, scowling, "Keep your distance, boys and girls!"

I shrugged and raised my voice for effect. "Amelia might be pushing up daisies outside, but Lana's spirit ain't gone. Edward, you think we'd just waltz into Atlantis unprepared?"

"What are you getting at?" Edward was clueless.

I kept up the intimidation, laying it on thick. "Since we know where Amelia's resting place is, we can figure out how to harness Lana's spirit in her body for our benefit!"

I added, "Plus, you've been through it once. Do you really wanna go for round two?"Edward looked around nervously, his eyes darting between us before settling on Lisa. He gulped audibly, and his tone softened, "Bull! You got me all twisted up. Lana kicked the bucket with Amelia outside. You ain't scaring me."

I steered Edward's gaze towards the veiled women and grinned, "So, why d'you reckon my crew's all veiled up?"

Edward caught on quick, especially after Lisa spooked him earlier, his cockiness taking a nosedive.

Before he could reply, I used him as a conduit and pressed on, "It's because they can't be seen. What if they stir up trouble in Atlantis? Why the secrecy? That's all I'm saying. You get it now."

Truth be told, I was banking on most Atlanteans not recognizing Princess Amelia, especially since we'd just arrived in the city and were holed up at the Essex family's place. Their looks at Lisa didn't betray any fear.

If they'd seen a portrait of Amelia before, they'd be in a tizzy because of Lisa's resemblance.

Even Leroy, a big shot, didn't bat an eye at Lisa's appearance.

So, I figured, aside from the king and the priests, not many Atlanteans knew what Princess Amelia looked like. I could use this to rattle them.

That way, even if the royals and priests tried to throw their weight around, we could use Lana's curse as leverage, and the Atlanteans would have our backs.

Meanwhile, I was puzzled, feeling like Lisa showing up wasn't a fluke.

But I didn't dig deeper because I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Why stress when the truth would come out eventually?

Edward was spooked by me again, hesitating to keep up his threats but unwilling to back down 'cause of his pride.

I seized the moment to put our safety at the front and center.

I declared, "Not only am I untouchable, but my crew is off-limits too. Messing with Lana's dormant spirit will unleash a curse and carnage like you've never seen!""Baloney!" someone below hollered, "King Brandon, these folks ain't spittin' truth. What curse? That ship sailed. Your Highness, just offer them up to the gods and nip this unrest in the bud in Atlantis, quelling the folks."

Brandon brushed off the interruption and turned to me. "Alex, what's the deal with what you just said? Could it be that one of y'all has Lana's spirit reincarnated in 'em?"

"Your Majesty, see for yourself. Then, it'll click," I replied, motioning for the women to unveil. I added, "But don't fret, Your Highness. Long as we're safe, we won't stir up trouble in your Atlantis."

As the women revealed themselves, Lisa's face, a dead ringer for Amelia's, met the king's gaze.

As I predicted, most Atlanteans hadn't laid eyes on Amelia's face, but the king sure had. After inspecting Lisa's features, he raised a brow and scrutinized her closely.

Being a tad far, I couldn't make out the king's expression clearly, but I figured he must be taken aback.

The king inquired, "Alex, you sure she won't be a threat to our people?"

I nodded, reassuring him, "As long as your folks leave us be, we won't cause a ruckus either. Plus, we didn't choose to come here, so if you're cool with us leaving, we can split pronto and not disrupt your Atlantis."

I knew they wouldn't just wave us off.

I deliberately laid it out like this to make the king pick between safeguarding us or letting us bounce.

Instead of deciding, Brandon turned to Lisa, falling silent, lost in thought.

It was Leroy who piped up, "Alex, I heard y'all came through the Hundred Gates passage in Atlantis?"

I nodded, and Leroy went on, "Since you cracked the Atlanteans' passage, you must be a whiz at decipherin', right?"

I humbly replied, "I wouldn't say whiz, just got some know-how from experience."

"I'm wonderin' if you could do us a solid?" Leroy inquired. "We'll hook you up with top-notch grub and digs, and make sure you're safe, of course."The king didn't intervene with Leroy's proposal, indirectly signaling his choice to keep us around.

Since this decision involved everyone, I didn't jump in right away but diplomatically responded, "I can't decide for my crew alone, so I'd appreciate it if you could give us some time to mull it over."

Deep down, I was eager to assist Leroy, as we had ventured here to unravel more enigmas.

However, I hesitated to agree outright to Leroy's plea, aiming to avoid giving the Atlanteans full control over us.

Leroy didn't push us and simply nodded, granting us space to deliberate.

Our safety was momentarily assured, but with no live sacrifice, the Atlanteans' ritual hit a snag, leading to confusion and murmurs among them.

"Not offering up an outsider to the gods. What's our next move for the ritual?"

"Yeah, if the Heavens Goddess doesn't get her tribute and gets ticked off, what then?"

"No, tonight we must go through with the ritual, sacrifice these outsiders!"

"Agreed, we'll spare these outsiders, but we gotta hand over someone for the gods' sake, or we'll face the Heavens Goddess's wrath!"

The Atlanteans below, fearing repercussions for themselves and their kin due to the absence of a sacrifice, grew restless and started protesting loudly.

It seemed the Atlanteans had also felt the repercussions of this sacrificial tradition.

Just as we had secured our safety, the Atlanteans' uproar hinted at a shift in the winds.

Seated on his throne, the king shook his head, sternly addressing them, "Quiet! Do we still need to offer sacrifices to the gods? Let's hear what Alex has to say first. If, after listening, the people of Atlantis still feel the need to sacrifice, then we'll revisit the discussion with these outsiders to find a better solution."

It appeared Brandon wanted me to continue swaying the Atlanteans, breaking this cycle of human sacrifice once and for all!

In this realm, I was skilled. Even if it was all smoke and mirrors, I could make it sound convincing, and our current advantage provided enough weight to my words.