Chapter 16: Emperor’s Day (2)

“Next!” came the flat, cold voice from the tent and when Zern stepped in he felt like the weather outside was spring itself while what he felt when his eyes met with the examiner's gaze was the harshest winter.

 

He was a middle aged man with a short, graying mohawk, wearing a black leather armor and his whole left face was burnt by some kind of acid and instead of an eyeball a black hole looked back at Zern on that side of his face. He couldn’t help himself but gulp while the instructor’s cold, steel colored eyes just scanned him.

 

“Here.” said as he presented a sheet of paper which was filled with ten questions

 

His voice was like a blade’s, without emotions and filled with sharpness, Zern felt like he was back in the training troops for the Guard’s. After filling out the form, with his name, address, birthplace and date, there were some more questions about his personal life which needed answers, like the name of his wife if he has any. It was a bit weird but he did not question it, just filled everything out and presented it back.

 

The man took a quick glance before slamming a stamp on the bottom of it with a force that made Zern instinctively flinch. Finally he placed it at his left into a big pile of other documents before turning his gaze back to Zern. 

 

“You did not lie.”

 

“O-of course not.” nodded, looking at him questioningly. 

 

“We are from the Empire’s Intelligence Agency. We long before this competition started, screened everyone who signed up. If you lied on the form, you would be disqualified or even detained.” 

 

“Ah…”

 

“Go through, in the following tent another agent will test your strength. Next!”

 

When Zern left, the examiner had a satisfied expression, he really liked the initial fear or even disgust the participants had when they first saw his face. But that small smirk went to a frown when the next one who came in was a young man, holding a little girl in his hands. It was a first, that's for sure, especially seeing the girl sucking on her thumb like a baby, having the time of her life.

 

“What’s this?!” grumbled, standing up, releasing a dark and menacing aura, looking at them furiously 

 

“Ah, sorry I… just couldn’t wake her up.” replied Leinor with an apologizing smile “She probably had a long night working on her cultivation.” 

 

“Enough! What even does a girl like her doing here?! Who are you to act like this?! Do you think this is a playground to bring your little sister around?!”

 

“No, she is my fiancé-”

 

“Preposterous! Disqualified!”

 

“Wha-”

 

“Get out! Now!”

 

“Mmm… what’s going on…” moaned Ren as she woke up, because for the past hour or so she really did fall asleep. She just quietly snuggled up to Leinor, grabbing onto his neck like a kitten.

 

“Who is this one-eyed Willy?” yawned while munching on her saliva, almost making the instructor choke on his.

 

“You both are the shame of the Empire! You are under arrest for disrupting his Majesty’s event!”

 

“Dear, you should fire him. He failed at his work.” whispered Ren but not so softly so the examiner heard everything 

 

“Fire me? Do you think you are-” but he couldn’t continue as finally his surprise and shock let his brain continue working as he recognized Leinor’s facial features and almost started crying and his legs were clanking together from the intensive shaking. 

 

“Mmm? Why is it so quiet now?”

 

“Ren, you are so bad…” murmured Leinor gulping back his laughter 

 

“Fufufu, I’m born this way babyYYEAOW! Don’t pinch me there!” said while flailing around in his arms 

 

“Stop it and be a good girl.”

 

“Uuggh…. You are no fun…” pursued her lips, sulking a little but finally settled down

 

“Sorry Mr. Jarrus.” smiled Leinor 

 

“N-no problem, P-prince.” stuttered Jarrus, who was a middle ranked agent in the Agency, at the Harmony Realm but he reached it only after four complete refinements. He was surprised the Prince knew about his name but instead of happiness now he felt fear more than anything

 

“Can we continue?” cut in Ren

 

“S-sure. This way.” nodded, even holding up the tent’s flap behind him, to let through them.

 

“Thank you, and please don’t mind her.” nodded Leinor before disappearing from the tent and Jarrus just collapsed on the floor

 

“Calm down Jarrus, calm down…” repeated to himself before climbing back to his chair “I hope tomorrow I’ll still have my job…”

 

…

….

…..

 

“You’re my fast pass for the bureaucracy~”

 

“Oh, come on…” replied Leinor, rolling his eyes but still holding her in his arms while arriving at the next tent.

 

Inside they found another black dressed examiner with a serious expression, standing behind his desk. He looked like he was between somewhere 40 or 50, his short, black hair and primly kept goatee paired with his amber eyes, kept back aura, made him less frightening then the previous one, still nobody would underestimate him, who got through the first test.

 

“Prince, Young Lady.” said, while greeting them but not humbling himself.

 

Ren just smiled, then jumped out of Leinor’s embrace and gave a courteous bow, fixing her winter dress in the process. 

 

“Director Orchell.” said Leinor while cupping his hands 

 

“There are ten rods on the table, representing a different stage of body refinement. Please select one to demonstrate your prowess by breaking them. All of them are made from harder and harder alloys, note that, the higher level you demonstrate the better your seeding will be in the tournament.”

 

Leinor nodded as he stepped forward first, going for the 7th immediately and breaking it with one hand. Orchell’s eyes shone with approving light, and recorded the result immediately. 

 

“Exceptional, so young yet so advanced. Glorious days are looking out for our empire.”

 

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“Please, Director, I’m not the genius here.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Ahahaha, he’s just shy.” laughed Ren, grabbing the 8th and breaking it with two hands, shocking Orchell. “Between the two of us I’m more of a show off then he is.” giggled with innocence but Orchell found it stifling 

 

“Young Lady… this…”

 

“Mmm? What? Is it not good enough?” blinked, looking like an innocent preteen girl but she raised her hand towards the 9th rod

 

“It’s enough.” nodded Orchell immediately as he feared if she breaks that too, he may never advance with his own cultivation from the sheer mental shock.

 

“Oh! That’s good! What's next?”

 

“For the age test, you just need to squeeze a drop of blood onto this crystal.” said as he placed down a small, transparent, round shaped gem before them.

 

Leinor easily pricked his fingers, and when the drop of blood turned the crystal ruby red Orchell just nodded, taking it away, doing the same with Ren’s.

 

“You’re finished, you can go home, the competition starts tomorrow, ten in the morning. Here are your seedings, I’m giving you this now as I don’t think others can top the performance of yours.” smiled Orchell

 

“Woah? I’m first?” blinked Ren surprised and saw Leinor had the number 2 on it

 

“Based on age and prowess… yes. Both of you are the youngest participants, after you comes the son of Rawanz, Poli, then Zern from the Unth family.”

 

“Oh? Zern isn’t in the top 3? Interesting. Who is this Poli guy?”

 

“Don’t you remember?” smiled Leinor “When I first saw you at my birthday banquet, it should have been Rawanz, the finance minister’s big day, as his son, aged 13 shows off his talent. Then came a 5 year old girl and blew his achievement out of the water. That's him, Poli. Still, he is extremely talented and it shows.” 

 

“Oh, I think I remember something like that. Huh. Well, he wasn’t making any waves so I didn’t hear about him so no wonder it’s news to me.”

 

“Yeah, he really disappeared after that, I bet he silently worked, concealing himself and wants to show off now. Ouch.”

 

“Ahahaha, it could be exciting! Maybe I should hold back before the finals?”

 

Orchell only smiled at the two, hearing their conversation without any intention to disrupt them.

 

“That's not your style.”

 

“True, I see Zern or You doing that. Anyway! Let’s go, I’m soooo hungry, invite me to breakfast!” she moaned as her stomach rumbled with agreement, grabbing onto Leinor’s hand, dragging him out of the tent

 

“Youngsters…” sighed Orchell before placing the blood filled crystals into a small box that lit up with a blue symbol and disappeared.

 

Back in the palace, the same two boxes teleported onto a big table that sometimes lit up as a new one arrived. Dermitos and his father Carthus stood next to it with a satisfied expression.

 

“So, will they be the first candidates as disciples when the Forefather comes back?” 

 

“Yes, son. When he is back, you will pass down the throne to one of your children, probably to your firstborn. I studied them, he will be a good Emperor. His twin will be a disciple too and your third… still undecided. But Leinor… he is special. He will be one of the core disciples just like that little troublemaker fiancé of his.”

 

“A Sect… why wasn’t I told about it?”

 

“Because it would disrupt your governing of the Empire. Now you should focus on slowly passing the power to… to…”

 

“Feynor. You really should learn the names of your own grandkids.”

 

“If he shows strength I will.” 

 

“That’s why Sentios hates you.”

 

“He was weak and you showed the same weakness by only sending him into exile.”

 

“I won’t kill my own brother. He lost but that's all. He still has the same blood as me.” 

 

“And now he is somewhere in the Kingdom of Ten, doing who knows what. You are lucky you made so many good decisions that overshadow this blunder.”

 

“Enough. This discussion always ends up with us arguing. Let’s get back to this Sect thing. Can you explain it more?”

 

“The Forefather came up with this around a thousand years ago as he contacted us when Aerthus IV had died. He went west, after leaving the Empire to his son and crossed the Western Desert.”

 

“He did? I thought it goes endlessly!” 

 

“It does not. But below the second level of Harmony, the Outer Harmony Realm. it is suicide if you attempt to cross it. You need to be in tune with nature or you will die wandering the dunes. Anyway, He reached the other side. We don't know that much as the communication is sparse and difficult, we only send messages if it’s an emergency through our bloodline connection, but when he contacts us he always lays down plans we follow. The last message was that he is on his way back.

 

He wishes to assemble every talented individual in the empire in the next few years and when he arrives back we will have enough manpower to do what he planned. The Sect will be independent and above the Empire as he said, the Empire will be only the tool that helps the sect to gather resources be it consumables, materials or people.”

 

“I’m excited to meet him.” sighed Dermitos “It sounds like a great change is upon us.”

 

“Yes. But crossing the desert is dangerous, he estimated it will still take him 20 years at most. Since we last exchanged messages it was luckily down to 6 or 8 years, depending how the weather holds up there. Anyway, the reward for the competitions will be resources for cultivation and the excellent talents will be given a “new” title as “Imperial Prospects”. Until the Forefather is back, this will do, later on they will become official disciples.”

 

“What about us and the talented Generals or older, stronger people?”

 

“Depends. Those that are at the Harmony Realm and reached it above 8th refinement can become Masters of their own and accept disciples. Those who are advanced between 5th and 7th will have different roles, like enforcers, trainers of younglings, caretakers of the sect’s properties, agents sent out on tasks and other roles. Those that are below this can never dream of being part of the Sect. They will run the Empire instead.”

 

“Fascinating… It will be a power way above what I assumed. If we can gather up to a 100 people that are talented and do reach Harmony then we will be unstoppable.”

 

“Hundred?” smiled Carthus, patting his son’s shoulder “The Forefather wants the Sect to have at least a thousand disciples by the first century and to be at least a quarter of them in the Harmony Realm. This is only just the beginning. Ahahaha, look forward to it! A glorious time awaits us!”

 

“Yes… Yes Father!” nodded Dermitos, totally fired up and he couldn’t wait for tomorrow to come.

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