Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

John quickly made his way to Duke Arsena's palace and, led by a servant, entered the Duke's study. 

Inside, he saw the Mystery Protector standing by the window. 

John chose not to initiate conversation, anticipating that Duke Arsena would introduce the stranger.

Upon seeing John, Duke Arsena stood up with a smile: "I know calling you here suddenly must have disrupted your plans, and for that, I must apologize. The reason I summoned you is to introduce you to one of the Northern Myst Empire's Legend Magus, also known as the great Mystery Protector."

As Duke Arsena spoke, the Mystery Protector slowly turned around. 

Upon seeing John, he instantly sensed that John was unlike any other adventurer. 

He could see many marks of different deities on John, and among these divine marks, he even discerned the power of the Dark Realm.

The Mystery Protector's eyes flickered with surprise, but as a powerful Legend Magus, he quickly regained composure. 

"I truly didn't expect to encounter such a powerful adventurer. I thought the highest level adventurers could reach was only up to the Demigod Level. Your strength has even surpassed that of a demigod. How did you acquire such formidable power? Do you have any connection with the Dark Faction or the Mystery Faction?"

The first part of the Mystery Protector's statement didn't put John on high alert, but the latter half made him very cautious. 

John sensed that the other might have perceived his secret. 

However, after a moment of careful thought, John concluded that it was impossible. 

His secret was directly related to the chief deity of the Dark Realm, and even a top Legend Magus of the Order Faction, as powerful as the Mystery Protector, couldn't possibly discern the true nature of John's secret.

John surmised that the Mystery Protector had probably only noticed the marks of the Dark Realm on him. 

Therefore, he responded with a smile, maintaining his composure.

"As an adventurer, I naturally receive quests from all factions. I can easily execute these different quests from various factions and earn their rewards. The Order Faction has given me some quests, and so has the Dark Faction. My choice to defend Storm City is simply because it holds great importance to me. This doesn't mean I must be hostile towards the Dark Faction or the Mystery Faction!"

John's response left Duke Arsena at a loss. John had previously told him that he would never cooperate with the Dark Faction or the Mystery Faction. 

However, Duke Arsena quickly realized that John's words were a facade, a ploy to gauge how much the Mystery Protector knew.

The Mystery Protector's face broke into a broad smile in response to John's words. 

He could tell that John had likely made some judgment about his own strength. "I've learned from the Duke that you've provided assistance to Storm City. Since you are willing to help Storm City, you must be a member of our Order Faction. I've brought a very important message: the Mystery Saint will soon attack Storm City. If you wish to protect it, you'll need to cooperate with me in defending against the Mystery Saint's assault."

The Mystery Protector straightforwardly revealed this crucial intelligence. 

Duke Arsena had not expected the Mystery Protector to disclose this information so readily.

It was evident that the Mystery Protector highly valued John, to the extent that he considered John a crucial ally to recruit for the Order Faction. 

John was extremely surprised upon learning this intelligence. 

He had never anticipated that the next attack on Storm City would be led by the Mystery Saint himself. 

He had assumed it would be other entities from the Mystery Faction, like the Mystery Prophet or the Mystery Vanguard, who were of a lesser rank.

"Are you sure this information is accurate? Why would the Mystery Saint launch a direct attack on Storm City? He's akin to a deity; surely, he wouldn't be interested in a place like Storm City," John queried, his questions reflecting his astonishment and skepticism.

The Mystery Protector tried to answer John's questions as best as he could, although he admitted that he didn't know the answers to many of them. 

"I would like to know the answers to these questions too, as they are also unknown to me. If I had the answers, why would I be here waiting for you? The Duke mentioned that you know some information related to the Mystery Faction. Could you share that with me? After all, we must cooperate to confront the attack of the Mystery Saint."

After a moment of contemplation, John decided that the Mystery Protector could be trusted, at least as a member of the Order Faction. 

He then shared all he knew about the Mystery Faction with the Mystery Protector.

After hearing the information from John, the Mystery Protector fell into deep thought. 

If what John said was true, he had to reassess the threat posed by the Mystery Faction to the Order Faction.

After pondering for a long time, the Mystery Protector glanced out of the window, then turned back to John and said, "If that's the case, then I must accompany you to the Naga Faction. Although I'm not very familiar with the Naga Queen, I have met her a few times. She should give me some consideration. If she really has allied with the Mystery Saint, I might be able to persuade her otherwise."

The idea of the Mystery Protector wanting to join forces with John was somewhat difficult for John to accept. 

He felt that this mission should be undertaken by him and the other two adventurers. 

Having the Mystery Protector along might impact his actions. 

After all, regardless of his allegiance, the Mystery Protector was still an NPC.

Even as an NPC of the Order Faction, their judgment of situations could be vastly different from that of adventurers. 

If the Mystery Protector were to discover the secrets of John and his companions, he could potentially pose a significant threat to them.

"I believe our next move should be undertaken solely by adventurers. As you mentioned before, you don't place much trust in other adventurers. Similarly, you should be prepared for the fact that other adventurers might not trust you either. While I can accept collaborating with the Mystery Protector, my adventurer companions might not be able to."

John's refusal was decisive, and the Mystery Protector seemed somewhat displeased, but he didn't press the matter further. 

"If that's the case, then proceed with your mission independently. Of course, I won't abandon my own plans; I too will head to the Naga Faction. Let's see who can succeed first. You have a head start, as I will be dealing with some matters here in Storm City. Once I've resolved everything here, I will proceed to the Naga Faction. I hope you can successfully obtain the information related to the Mystery Faction before then. That would save me the trouble of searching for it myself."

The Mystery Protector's attitude reverted to its previous state. 

He seemed not to be overly concerned about John and his companions' actions, displaying a kind of disregard typical of his view towards other adventurers.

With the conversation reaching its conclusion, John naturally chose to take his leave. 

Having met and exchanged information with the Mystery Protector, the next steps were clear: each party had their own tasks to handle. 

The Mystery Protector needed to assist Duke Arsena in bolstering Storm City's defenses, while John had to use this opportunity to journey to the Naga Faction with Blue Sea and Adam. 

It was crucial for John to meet the Naga Queen first to ensure that she had not colluded with the Mystery Protector.

Though John held no bias against the Mystery Protector, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Protector's arrival in Storm City at this particular time was not solely for the purpose of delivering intelligence. 

The Mystery Protector's presence in Storm City likely had other motives. 

John couldn't be sure whether the Mystery Protector was a friend or foe.

He needed to remain vigilant about the current developments, as the last thing he wanted was to fall into peril due to carelessness or oversight.