Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 130: Calm before the storm

In the conference room of the tallest building in the camp, Jon, Jenny, Cynthia, Alexa, Laura, and Nancy sat around the table, listening intently to the intercom.

[Sshhh...Srchh...Anyone that can hear me... This is the mayor of the Overberg district. W-We have made a safe and secure place in Gordon’s Bay for survivors. Together, we will survive this predicament...Scrshh]

The message ended, leaving the room in silence as everyone processed its implications.

True to her caring nature, Jenny felt a glimmer of hope at the prospect of a New Haven. Cynthia, however, was skeptical, wondering why the mayor had sent this message now. Alexa and Laura had similar thoughts; there were undoubtedly other survivors out there, but so far, their group had managed fine without outside interference.

Meanwhile, Jon was deep in conversation with Amelia.

’Hey, do you think he’s trying to gather survivors because of the title attached to it?’

-That’s not a bad thought, but have you considered the possibility that he’s genuine?

’If he were genuine, he wouldn’t have sent this message at this time.’

-Hmm... You have a point, but it’s wise to consider other possibilities.

Amelia’s presence faded, leaving Jon wondering about her sudden departure. ’Did something happen to her?’ he mused. Dismissing the thought, he addressed the group.

"I have a theory about this. You girls don’t know this, but..." He proceeded to explain how, when a certain number of people were under someone’s leadership, they could acquire a title.

"There’s something like that?" Jenny’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, but I lost mine after the crisis when the survivors under me died," Jon explained.

"So, you’re saying he might be trying to achieve the next rank or regain what he lost?" Cynthia deduced.

"Exactly. And the truth is, we have to accept this opportunity. First, we can’t stay here forever; people still hope to reunite with their families. Second, the cursed area has been expanding."

After his recent visit to the blacksmith shop, Jon had checked the cursed area’s progression. The boundary, once a protective barrier, had shifted again, forcing them to move sooner rather than later.

The others couldn’t refute his logic. Even with the cursed zones, staying put wasn’t an option.

"But when we get there, we’ll have to deal with the water problem," Nancy brought up a crucial issue.

Realization dawned on them. With the world’s sudden expansion, the seas and oceans had likely grown as well. Gordon’s Bay was undoubtedly teeming with dangerous sea creatures. The ocean, even before the fall, had always been one of the least explored and most unpredictable territories.

"Haa... Still, we have to go." Jon sighed. No matter the risks, they had no choice. "Besides, when we arrive, they’ll have their leaders. It’ll be their problem, not ours." He smirked a bit.

After all the hardships they had endured in the camp, none of them were eager to take on leadership again. If someone else wanted the responsibility, they wouldn’t complain. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

With a general agreement, all key figures in the camp were summoned. Hours later, they were seated for a final discussion.

Nancy took charge of explaining the situation and the decision to move. She highlighted the increasingly cursed area, the survivors’ hopes of reuniting with loved ones, and the practical benefit of finally being able to eat fish again. No one objected.

Jon then laid out the plan:

"Robin, Laura, Victor, and I will go first. Our goal is to clear out stronger first-realm and second-realm monsters along the way and scout the camp ahead of time. Alexa, Jenny, and Laura’s legion will follow next. Your job is to clear the road, eliminate monsters, remove cars, and clear blockades to allow the buses to pass. At each kilometer interval, evolvers will be stationed to monitor the surroundings. Cynthia’s legion and Nancy’s team will oversee the mass emigration."

He paused, allowing them to absorb the information.

"I’ll return from the new camp once I’ve assessed the situation. The moment I return, the emigration begins. As you move, pick up the stationed evolvers at each interval."

With no objections, Jon concluded, "We leave this evening. Those I named should gather at the gate."

And with that, the meeting ended.

...

Splash...

Jon sighed in satisfaction as he sank into the warm bath. After a grueling week of blacksmithing and the stressful meeting, he deserved this moment of peace.

Before Amelia could even start a conversation, he had already drifted into sleep.

-Such a weird man.

Amelia mused, watching him. It was amusing how he could enjoy a bath so much. It was such a stark contrast to the bloodthirsty Jon who once wanted to watch the world burn, but perhaps it was the little things like this that made humanity so fascinating.

Six hours later, Jon’s eyes fluttered open.

Seeing he was still in the tub, he smiled and closed his eyes again, ready to drift back to sleep. However—

"Will you wake up already?"

Amelia’s voice rang out as she floated above the bath, glaring at him.

"Gahhh!" Jon jolted upright, scrambling out of the bath in a panic.

Behind him, Little Whyte, who had apparently joined him in the tub at some point, also leaped out in fright, teleporting away in bursts of panic.

"Damn it! Why do I always forget?!" Jon cursed under his breath. It was a bad habit, forgetting to check if Amelia was lurking before entering the bath.

"You wanted to sleep again? Have you forgotten about the district mayor already?" Amelia sneered, hands on her hips.

"Y-You just teleported, right?" As if ignoring the whole conversation, Jon pointed at Amelia.

"Pi...Pi...Pi." Little Whyte mimicked him, pointing its tiny paw.

Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Tell me, why do you love space so much?"

Jon smirked. "Why? The feeling of tearing through space, the sensation of seeing through its folds, the ability to travel anywhere with a thought, bending space at will... You know, before the fall, I was a physics student. For someone like me, seeing all of this become real, how could I not be amazed?"

As he spoke, he dressed and equipped his newly crafted armor.

"How do I look?" he asked, grinning sheepishly.

"You should’ve made pants to go with it."

"...Yeah, I see that now." He had thought they weren’t necessary, but now it felt incomplete.

Still, as long as the armor served its purpose, he didn’t care.

With nothing left to do, he headed toward the gate.

The moon had risen over the camp, casting a silver glow over the activity below. The emigration process was far from a one-day effort, but preparations were already in motion.

Jon walked past the various survivors, ignoring their greetings and unreadable expressions. Reaching the waiting vehicle, he climbed into the back seat.

Victor was behind the wheel, Robin in the passenger seat, while Laura sat in the back.

Looking at her made him reminisce about the days before the fall, when he wanted to approach her.

Shaking off nostalgia, he settled into his seat and said to Victor, "Drive."

"Yes," Victor responded formally, starting the engine.

The vehicle passed through the camp gates.