Lord Protector novel (Zeke Williams) novel Chapter 1570

Nameless gave his best look of outrage. “Who’s looking for an apprentice? I’m just saying that Missy is still young. This is the only way she can atone for her actions against me!”

Zeke snorted disdainfully. “Noted, you old hypocrite. Come, we can talk about it inside.”

That was an unexpected twist.

A look of glee spread across Nameless’s face. He hurried after Zeke, ducking into the interior of the imperial mausoleum.

Mr. Collins shouted furiously after them, “That old coot is as sly as any fox, Great Marshal! He’s ruthless and cunning in the worst way! Do you really want Missy taking after him? Don’t agree to let him train Missy, you hear me?”

Even inside the imperial mausoleum, Nameless made sure to yell his insults right back at Mr. Collins. “You’re slandering an innocent old man, old dog! Where’s your sense of shame?”

Zeke was this close to just slamming his head against the wall repeatedly. He settled for curtly saying, “Shut up. I don’t want to hear another word from you unless you want to kiss being Missy’s teacher goodbye.”

Nameless’s mouth clicked shut.

Satisfied, Zeke continued, “Let’s make a deal. Answer my questions, and I’ll allow you to be Missy’s teacher.”

Nameless was about to stroke his beard before he abruptly remembered he did not have one any longer. “What questions?”

“Who are you?” Zeke asked without any preamble. “How did you know my master, Pietro? Why did you infiltrate the Carter sect? Did you learn anything from your time there?”

Nameless remained silent.

After a long pause, he finally looked up and said, “There are some questions I can’t answer because of important reasons. Even if my life is being threatened, I won’t answer them.”

“But,” Nameless said, “I can tell you some important things you might not know.”

“Go ahead.” Zeke nodded.

Nameless smiled slyly. “Not so fast. I want you to promise me that if I tell you this information, you’ll let Missy be my apprentice.”

Zeke felt a familiar spark of ire. “That would depend on the actual importance of the information you give me.”

Nameless looked disappointed but nevertheless, he agreed. “So be it. I’ll tell you this—the Four Hidden Sects haven’t actually withdrawn from the world. In fact, they have insiders all over the world to carry out their various schemes.”

Zeke frowned questioningly. “I assume you’re referring to the Four Great Martial Houses?”

For a single heartbeat, Nameless looked surprised. “How did you know that?”

Zeke waved a hand. “I deduced that. But I don’t have all the details, so please continue.”

Nameless hemmed and hawed slightly before continuing. “You aren’t wrong. The Four Great Martial Houses are nothing but puppets controlled by the Four Hidden Sects. If the Four Hidden Sects had not been working with the Four Great Martial Houses of old all those years ago, the Four Great Martial Houses today would no longer exist. All along, the Four Great Martial Houses used the Martial Artist National Examination as a means to put their own people in positions of power in the Eurasian government. Even now, they occupy as much as thirty percent of seats in the government. So, for every one hundred government officials, about thirty of them are loyal to the Four Great Martial Houses.”

Zeke inhaled sharply in surprise. He had guessed that the Four Hidden Sects had long since been meddling with Eurasian politics, but he had never expected them to be so deeply entrenched within the government itself.

At their current scope of power, they could control and mobilize as much as thirty percent of Eurasia’s combined resources. It was a catastrophic threat quietly lying in wait to happen. If the Four Great Houses were still not eliminated, Eurasia itself could be in danger anytime.

Zeke glared at Nameless. “Is that all you discovered during your infiltration of the Carter sect over so many years?”

Although he remained silent, Nameless had a thoughtful look on his face. Zeke knew to be him weighing the consequences of what he was considering saying.

Another long pause later, he spoke again, “What I told you just now was important, but it doesn’t hold a candle to this—during my infiltration, I discovered a hidden faction with considerable power and influence, even more so than the Four Hidden Sects combined. In fact, I don’t think they could even stand a chance against this faction.”

Shocked, Zeke’s pupils shrank into tiny pinpricks.

The Four Hidden Sects controlling thirty percent of Eurasia was already a catastrophic threat that he had to solve quickly. But Nameless was now speaking of a faction even stronger than the Four Hidden Sects. One world-ending threat was already more than enough—Zeke did not even want to imagine how strong exactly that faction was.

Despite that all, he still found himself asking Nameless impatiently, “Tell me, what faction is this? How strong are they?”