Chapter Fifty-Six: Rebuilding the Kingdom of Atlantis

On the open ground above the trench, all the Atlanteans had gathered—there were still more than four hundred people. Most were elderly and women, with very few young men, the majority being young boys. At least there were boys left; this meant Atlantis could continue to thrive.

Arthur stood atop a stone platform, gazing down at them. Some elders clustered together, discussing matters with Saltu’s father. After reaching an agreement, Saltu’s father stepped forward before the crowd and addressed all the Atlanteans in a loud voice.

“People of the tribe! This is the son of King Dylan, Jon Arthur, the sole royal bloodline! He possesses the Sea God’s divine artifact—the Golden Trident. He has slain the enemies who invaded our nation and avenged us! He also returned with the ashes of my son, Saltu, and now, he will lead us in rebuilding Atlantis! After consulting with the elders, we are willing to support Jon Arthur as our new Sea King, to guide us out of hardship!”

The Atlanteans whispered among themselves, until a young man took the lead and cried out, “Sea King! Sea King! Sea King!” The crowd echoed his shout, “Sea King! Sea King! Sea King!”

Arthur looked at the people below, his heart stirred with mixed emotions, feeling the weight of responsibility settle heavily upon his shoulders.

Arthur gestured for silence and addressed them. “Thank you all for your trust in choosing me as Sea King! Though I once held grievances against Atlantis, those are in the past. The blood of Atlantis flows in my veins, and so it is my duty to lead you from adversity, to ensure the lives of Atlanteans improve and flourish! Prepare yourselves, gather your belongings—we shall return to rebuild the Kingdom of Atlantis!”

“At your command, Your Majesty!” All the Atlanteans knelt on one knee, saluting Arthur.

Arthur turned to Saltu’s father, the elder Saltu. “I leave the Atlanteans in your care. I’ll go ahead to clear the city. Once you’re ready, come straight over.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Elder Saltu nodded in agreement.

…

Arthur returned to Atlantis City. Seeing the vast ruins, he felt a headache coming on—if only he had the Time Stone or Reality Stone. For now, he could only start by clearing the rubble from the streets. Octavius, it’s time to work!

He summoned all the beasts from the Abyss, ordering them to remove the massive stones from the city. The beasts worked tirelessly within Atlantis City, and fortunately, most of the residential houses remained intact; only the grander structures were destroyed, but people could still live in them.

Arthur planned to restore the Sea God statue at the city gate, the symbol of the Kingdom of Atlantis. He carefully pieced together the fragments of the statue.

Controlling the giant stones, Arthur levitated them into their original positions, then used the Mind Stone to emit yellow energy, fusing the joints and fixing them in place. In no time, he had reconstructed the two Sea God statues. Though riddled with cracks and somewhat unsightly, they still resembled the Sea God statues well enough—so Arthur consoled himself.

As for the city gate of Atlantis, it had been blasted apart, with only half remaining. Arthur could only cobble together a semblance of its former shape, though it lacked its previous completeness.

No matter, Arthur had a solution. He gathered countless coral polyps and let them attach to the cracks. As more coral polyps were brought in, the city gate and walls blossomed once more in vibrant colors.

Arthur followed the same method, repairing several houses that hadn’t suffered too much damage. The palace, however, was the worst off, reduced to a heap of rubble.

Arthur had no intention of rebuilding the palace—he was accustomed to life on land. He cleared away all the debris, smashed the remaining wall corners with energy, transforming the royal palace into a vast open space.

On the ground, Arthur discovered a hidden compartment. Inside, he found no treasure, but a conch horn. Its purpose was unknown, so he decided to ask Elder Saltu when he arrived.

Arthur summoned countless luminous fish and jellyfish from the deep sea, letting them settle in Atlantis, restoring the city’s radiance.

After Arthur’s efforts, Atlantis City looked much improved—at least it was no longer a wasteland.

…

The people of Atlantis, carrying all their worldly possessions, swam in a grand procession toward Atlantis City.

As they approached their childhood home, they saw from afar the two enormous Sea God statues wielding tridents and the dazzlingly colorful city gate. They were astonished—when they left, the city had been reduced to ruins. How could it now look just as it once had?

Passing through the gate, walking along clean main roads, gazing at repaired houses and shimmering schools of fish swimming through the city, their tears could not be restrained.

After swimming a little further, they finally saw Arthur. He was directing Octavius to place a giant stone in its original spot, then emitting yellow energy from his hand to fix the stone in place. The other beasts were also busy clearing broken stones throughout the city.

Arthur noticed Elder Saltu had arrived with everyone. He approached Saltu and said, “I could only do a rough job of cleaning and repairing. Please make do with what’s here—improvements will come gradually.”

“This is already wonderful,” Elder Saltu replied, his eyes glistening with tears.

“I’ll continue to repair and clear the rest of the city. You can arrange for everyone to settle into whichever houses they prefer,” Arthur instructed.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Elder Saltu went off to gather the elders for a council, directing them to lead their people to find suitable areas to reside, without worrying about their previous homes.

The elders went to arrange their tribes, and Elder Saltu returned to Arthur’s side.

“Your Majesty! I see the palace is completely gone. Do you intend to rebuild a new residence?” Elder Saltu asked.

“No, I grew up on land and am more comfortable living there. The people of Atlantis will need your care in the future. I have many responsibilities and little time to stay here,” Arthur explained.

“You won’t stay with us? How will you protect us? If land-dwellers come again and we have no army, how will we defend ourselves?” Elder Saltu asked anxiously.

“I’ll leave these Abyssal Beasts to protect you. Don’t worry—even your army would be no match for them,” Arthur assured him.

Elder Saltu finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the Abyssal Beasts guarding Atlantis, there was no fear of invasion.

“By the way, what is this? Do you recognize it? I found it in a hidden compartment in the palace,” Arthur took out the conch horn and asked Elder Saltu.

“This! This is the Sea God’s Horn! It is said that blowing it can command the creatures of the sea!” Elder Saltu said excitedly.

Command the creatures of the sea? With the Mind Stone, Arthur could control even extraterrestrial beings—this artifact was of little use to him.

“Then I’ll leave it with you. From now on, you are the Grand Elder of Atlantis. With it, you can summon the Abyssal Beasts. The people of Atlantis are yours to protect!” Arthur was already considering stepping back.

“That won’t do! This artifact can only be used by the King of Atlantis!” Elder Saltu protested.

“I can already control all sea creatures myself, and besides, I have the Sea God’s Trident. This is of no use to me—take it.” Arthur pressed the Sea God’s Horn into Elder Saltu’s arms.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I will manage Atlantis with utmost diligence!” Elder Saltu promised.

Arthur believed he could do it, for it was under his leadership that the remaining tribes had survived.

…