Roughly 300 nautical miles east of Qacalisle Island in the South Panacea Ocean, there exists an island shrouded in mystery.
Stories passed down say the island's name is Netheris Island.
This hidden place doesn't appear on any known map of the world.
Only ships sailing nearby at a certain moment might spot its silhouette through the mist.
At the island's heart rises a dark castle built in the old Urbs style.
The castle, wrapped in a thick fog, seems like a phantom, there one moment, gone the next.
To the north stands a creepy and deserted church.
This was the command center of the Dark Lord of the Dark Syndicate.
Right now, Caym is seated in the center of the church.
He glances at the black-robed saint around him and smirks. "Divine Drakebane is a true warrior of his time! It's a shame I can't control him.
"He brings both joy and trouble to our Dark Syndicate.
"It's great that we finally located the sacred weapon of Netheris, but unfortunate that the dragon-slaying dagger belongs to him now.
"Divine Drakebane grew up with Old Fred, growing up in a world without rules, without order, without the slightest trace of society's constraints.
"He does things his own way, unpredictable and wild.
"With our Netheris' sacred weapon, the dragon-slaying dagger, in his grasp, we face a serious problem.
"If we fail to get the sacred weapon back, it could be disastrous.
"If Lord Lightborn gets ahold of it, all of our efforts will be in vain!"
The black-robed saint, Francesco, gave a firm nod. "Everything you've said is absolutely true, Dark Lord."
"Two centuries ago, during the brutal fight for the Netheris' throne, the Lightborn Sect lost and ran away, giving our Lord Netheris control of Netheris once again.
"However, Lord Lightborn escaped from Netheris, and no one has found him since.
"Along with him, the Netheris' sacred weapon, the dragon-slaying dagger, also disappeared.
"We must get it back if we want Netheris to stay in command.
"Only Lord Netheris has the strength to make our country stronger!"
Caym turned to the black-robed saint in the meeting hall, "Do you all grasp the full meaning behind Francesco's message?"
The black-robed leader exchanged confused looks and said, "We don't quite follow, Dark Lord. Please explain."
Caym stepped forward into the middle of the hall. "Lord Lightborn doesn't understand how things work in Netheris. He doesn't know how the common people survive or think. He's broken the founding laws laid down by the first Lord Netheris.
"In Netheris, when the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich, people get along more easily. At most, their conflicts are minor, never enough to tear the fabric of their world apart.
"This kind of balance keeps our country stable.
"But if the lower classes get rich, powerful, and start living easy lives, they'll stop worshiping the Dark Syndicate. That would lead to chaos.
"That's why the powerless, the poor, the weary, the shamed, and the ignorant are the ones who keep our country steady. That was the founding vision of the first Lord Netheris to strengthen Netheris.
"Lightborn Sect wants to bring in the modern ideas from the Earth. They think they can make the people smarter and create a peaceful country without rankings or social levels. That's a huge mistake!
"If everyone in Netheris becomes enlightened, how will we, the noble class of Dark Syndicate, keep our special rights?
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