Dane ultimately suppressed his inner speculation for now.
If it were the Parasite Demon, it wouldn't need to use such a circuitous method for invasion; it should directly challenge the Justice League head-on.
After all, in front of its abilities, the more people there were, the more it would benefit from absorbing abilities; the stronger the people besieging it, the stronger it would become.
Therefore, Dane guessed that, at least for now, this mastermind should not be the Parasite Demon he remembered.
"Cortana, is the dream construction roughly complete?"
Cortana's phantom reappeared in the hall.
"It's 90.83% complete."
Dane nodded, then said, "Take out the dream stone first; I need it."
"Okay."
A stream of data flashed in Cortana's eyes, and the dream stone suddenly appeared in mid-air.
After a long period of experimentation and research, Dane finally found a way for Cortana, this artificial intelligence, to use magic.
By setting the magic array as a programmatic 01 language and using the dream stone as the source of magical power, Cortana could construct any known magic.
However, so far, Cortana could only use established magic; she was not yet capable of creating new magic, still one step away from true intelligent life.
This step was the soul.
Dane took the dream stone, and a bracelet made of nanometer material appeared on his wrist. This was a portable supercomputer containing a large space expanded using lantern ring technology.
Cortana smiled, then her body transformed into points of light and flew into Dane's bracelet.
Dane put away the bracelet, pulled with both hands, opened a portal to Atlantis, and stepped into the water.
Since he did not enter through normal channels, Atlantis's early warning system did not react to him at all.
"Arthur."
Arthur looked back sharply at the sound of the voice, and when he saw it was Dane, he was pleasantly surprised.
"Dane! How did you get here so fast?"
Atlanna had only just left!
"Since we already know the enemy's plan, of course we need to make arrangements in advance, Arthur. I hope you can cooperate with me."
Arthur readily said, "Just tell me, I'll definitely cooperate!"
Dane nodded, "I want to set up a large magic array throughout the territory of Atlantis to confuse the enemy, and maybe even lure them into a trap."
Arthur asked in confusion, "But, the territory of Atlantis is very large, can you manage it?"
"There's no need to set it up throughout the entire sea area. The enemy is coming for your people, so you just need to confine your citizens to a fixed territory."
"That's not a problem."
Arthur readily agreed to the request.
Then he planned to have Vulko carry out the order.
Vulko, hearing that Arthur was looking for him, quickly swam into the King's meeting room.
Then he saw Shazam; he almost shouted "Guards" directly, but managed to hold it back, turning instead to Arthur.
"Arthur, you called me?"
"Yes, Vulko, I want to issue a King's decree."
"Tell me."
Vulko had already secretly become a little cautious.
He was afraid that Shazam would use Arthur to achieve certain goals.
"For now, tell all citizens to stay honestly within Atlantis and not go anywhere!" he said casually.
Dane couldn't help but rub his forehead; that was too blunt.
Sure enough, Vulko immediately objected.
"Arthur, you should know that Queen Atlanna is actively establishing diplomatic relations with other kingdoms. Are you going to close Atlantis at a time like this?
This will give the citizens a very bad impression!"
Arthur was confused, "My mother naturally has other ways to freely enter and exit Atlantis, what's the problem with that?"
Now it was Vulko's turn to rub his forehead in pain. Normally, of course, it wouldn't be a problem.
But at a time like this, any small action by Arthur could easily be exaggerated, causing tension among the council and the citizens.
This wasn't a technical impossibility, but a political one.
Dane thought for a moment, it wouldn't be good if this caused discord between mother and son, so he suggested:
"Actually, as long as we can ensure that most citizens are within the territory, we can actually cast this magic without their knowledge."
Arthur nodded at this, while Vulko was completely bewildered. He quickly asked, "What magic? What exactly are you doing?"
The two of them exchanged glances. Arthur trusted that his teacher could be trusted, so he told him the whole story.
Vulko couldn't help but frown, "These Surface people really are..."
Arthur quickly held Vulko back, preventing him from continuing, and gave Dane an awkward smile.
Dane could understand his feelings. Regardless of whether there was a mastermind behind this incident, or if it was as Dane suspected, the U.S. government would certainly be happy to see it happen.
However, on this matter, it was fifty-fifty. Atlantis had made the first move, and it was obviously unlikely to expect the other side to only take hits and not retaliate.
"So, what do you think? I imagine Atlanna must have reminded you to assist Arthur well before she left.
Now, Arthur is fulfilling the duties of a King, protecting his people.
Mr. Vulko, are you going to stop him?"
Vulko's face darkened at this, "Are you sure you're not trying to stir up trouble with that remark?"
He thought for a moment and still came up with an idea.
"How about this, let Arthur make a public appearance before all the citizens. Most Atlanteans want to see their new King..."
Arthur's face immediately showed complete rejection.
Dane asked curiously, "What? Are there still people who don't know Arthur has inherited the throne?"
"In fact, a considerable portion of the citizens still believe Orm is their King," Vulko sighed.
A large reason for this was Arthur's reluctance to become King, which led him to refuse to communicate with his people.
But now, Arthur could no longer continue this way.
Dane simply issued an order to Arthur directly as the leader of the Justice League.
"Arthur, this is a serious matter. Put aside your petty emotions and solve the problem first."
Arthur had once made a promise to be Dane's pawn, and at this moment, Dane was making a reasonable request, so Arthur couldn't refuse.
He could only sigh, take out the golden trident, and grip it tightly with both hands.
trident of neptune could enhance his abilities, allowing him to directly connect to the consciousness of Atlanteans, similar to how he communicated with marine creatures.
Dane had taught him this.
"Citizens of Atlantis, I am Arthur Curry, your new King. Tomorrow at this time, I will be at the Ring of Fire, awaiting you..." After clearly expressing his intentions, Arthur retracted the trident and reinserted it beside the throne.
Because the divine power of the Poseidon lineage was activated, Dane could also hear Arthur's "broadcast" to Atlantis.
"The Ring of Fire, that's a good place."
The Ring of Fire was where Arthur and Orm had their first duel in the movie. Legend has it that battles fought there could reach the eyes of the gods.
Dane planned to place the dream stone there and activate it.
And at this moment, Arthur's voice also resonated simultaneously in the hearts of all Atlanteans.
Whether they knew him or not, everyone was astonished by his ability.
They exchanged information with each other and found that everyone had heard that voice, which further secretly shocked them.
It was known that none of the previous Kings had ever been heard to be able to communicate directly with the minds of every citizen.
"Will you go?"
Someone asked their companion, who replied melancholically, "Of course I'll go. At least I have to see what kind of person our future ruler is, right?"
Many people held the same thought, and more Atlanteans returned to the country from all directions.
The next day, the seats around the Ring of Fire were already full. Only those with noble bloodlines could sit in these positions.
Above the center of the Ring of Fire, a virtual screen magnified the central platform of the Ring of Fire and broadcast the scene to the citizens who couldn't get in.
Inside the Ring of Fire, the secret underground chamber's mechanical door opened.
A man, wearing a yellow top and green inner armor on the bottom, gripping the golden trident in his hand, leaped out.
As soon as Arthur appeared with the trident, some nobles immediately recognized it.
"That's... that's the King's..." He rubbed his eyelids as if he couldn't believe it, then looked carefully again, even using a telescope.
"That's trident of neptune!"
Although they had heard that the new King had found the sacred trident, everyone had always thought it was just hype.
But combining Arthur's amazing ability activated yesterday with what they saw with their own eyes today, their hearts began to waver.
With the appearance of the golden trident, Atlantis immediately erupted in an uproar!
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