John found himself in a vexing predicament as he witnessed the dispute between Duke Arsena and the Ocean Sage.
The latest revelation that the Ocean Sage had once collaborated with a Saint of the Mystery Faction, if true, meant that John could no longer ally himself with the Ocean Sage.
His priority had to be addressing the threat posed by the Mystery Faction.
John turned his gaze to the Ocean Sage, expecting a thorough explanation.
Even if the Ocean Sage had once cooperated with the Mystery Faction, there had to be some compelling reasons for it.
If the collaboration was merely for gaining greater power or simply to counter the Northern Myst Empire, John could not accept it.
The Ocean Sage, facing this challenging situation, realized that he needed to explain himself quickly.
Besides John, it seemed unlikely that anyone else would offer him support at this point.