Chapter 112: C111 – Advice

The next morning, Duke Kyre and his people prepared to leave. 

But there was one who didn't leave. 

"You're staying?"

Cecilia worriedly asked Dirk. Pandora smiled from beside him. 

"Don't worry, Miss Strider. Your son is weak right now, and I intend to fix that."

"It's not his fault that he's not stronger."

"I know. I believe in your son's potential more than anybody, which is why I'm going to help him increase his Tier."

"..."

Cecilia frowned. It was only an hour before everyone was going to depart for Horizon, and he had just notified her of this sudden change of plans. 

And Dirk was the one who said he wanted to do this. She thought for a second, narrowing her eyes at Pandora. 

"Then I'm staying."

"Hm, very well. If you wish."

"...Really?"

Cecilia was a bit surprised when Pandora easily agreed. She shrugged. 

"I have no reason to keep you from staying. While there's the threat of war, and you might not be as comfortable as at home, you being here doesn't change much. If anything, it's good for us."

"Political hostages."

"Exactly. Your son will be the most well treated political hostage in the world, though. Well, go tell your Duke that you're staying. I don't intend to accommodate anyone else either."

"...Alright."

Cecilia slowly nodded before approaching the Duke. Along with Ryker and Alec's father, she explained that she was going to stay as Dirk was also staying. 

From the Duke's frown, it didn't seem he liked the idea. Unfortunately, Cecilia wasn't easily swayed. The two bantered back and forth, Ryker getting involved as well. 

Alec made his way over as they argued. 

"You're staying?"

"Yes."

"...With her?"

Alec glanced at Pandora who was still hovering beside Dirk. She smiled at him. 

"You're Alec? Your light element is impressive. I can also sense fire."

"Y-yes. You also have the light attribute then?"

"Of course. Along with three others."

"...You mean-"

"I'm the sole four attribute mage of the Dark Kingdom, Pandora Vanadis. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Pandora curtsied a bit in introduction, causing Alec to gawk.

Four attributes? Alec had only ever heard legends of four attribute mages. He didn't know they could exist. And if they did, they were the rarest existence in the world!

And this princess was one of them. The sole four attribute mage of the Dark Kingdom. In this place, there were literally none other like her. 

Dirk stood to the side, not much of a reaction on his face. She had told him this the night before after the discussion with the Duke. 

"Alec!"

"...Coming! Oh, and by the way."

Before Alec left, he smacked Dirk in the shoulder with a cheeky smile.

"I win."

"Win what?"

"Let's just say I didn't go back to my own room last night."

"Huhu."

Dirk chortled at Alec's goofy grin, waving him off. 

"Whatever dude."

"Hey, don't be jealous. Oh, and you still owe me a fight. Find me when you come back to Horizon."

"Sure thing."

With that, the two said their goodbyes, Alec jogging back to the group.

Cecilia came back, standing by Dirk as they watched the envoys leave. 

Dirk glanced at his mother.

"Were they mad?"

"No. Just worried."

"About you or the political ramifications?"

"Hm, a good question. Either way, they can't stop me, so I'm staying. And besides, you getting involved with Pandora is already a huge political scandal."

"That's true."

Pandora cut in with a smile. There was nothing she liked more than a bit of drama and chaos. 

"Anyway, I hope you don't mind Miss Strider, but I need your son for a while. Your room remains the same, and if you need anything, I've assigned a maid to you. She'll be outside your room. And... for your empire's sake, I would refrain from making any suspicious moves during your stay. Or, at least getting caught while doing so."

With a wink, Pandora linked arms with Dirk. Then, the two walked off into the city. Cecilia watched as they disappeared into the crowds. 

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"The world is very close to becoming a dumpster fire."

Pandora suddenly spoke. The two had crossed into the undercity through a special magic elevator designed for moving people and cargo through the weightless layer of limbo. After emerging, she spoke in English. 

"I was alerted by the Record only an hour or so ago. You know all the lesser dungeons around the world?"

"Yea."

"Well, they're all gone."

Pandora dropped that bombshell, causing Dirk's eyebrows to raise. 

"They all disappeared not long after the Dark Dragon made his declaration. There's something far worse happening as well though. Every single Major dungeon has suddenly had an outbreak. Monsters are flooding from the dungeon entrances, and a few cities that were built around these dungeons have been razed to the ground. Not many people know about this, but according to the Record, it's a worldwide phenomenon."

"...Those monsters are incredibly powerful. If they aren't being contained, the world will fall into anarchy."

"Correct. Which is why things in every empire are about to change drastically. By the end of the day, militaries are going to be mobilized. At the same time though, one thing has just been guaranteed."

"...The Horizon Empire can't go to war."

"Exactly! This gives me the chance to use the oncoming chaos to my advantage."

Pandora giggled in glee. Suddenly, Dirk realized how she was able to do what she did in her past life.

This mad genius was good at using chaos as a tool. 

Dirk still frowned though. 

"Shouldn't you be working to help the Dark Kingdom? Depending on the scale of these dungeon outbreaks, millions could die. Are you really just worried about building some trains?"

"Hey, who says the trains aren't going to help? If anything, my train network is going to allow combat personnel to be transported to any city within the Dark Kingdom at record rates. With this network, we can establish supply lines that would allow monster containment for years to come. On the contrary, empires like Horizon are only able to march troops or move caravans of wagons. It would take weeks just to respond to the current crisis! How much more damage do you think they will suffer compared to us who have the trains? They're going to be debilitated!"

"..."

Dirk was silent. Truly, the Horizon Empire wouldn't be able to respond at all except with local forces for the first few weeks of the outbreak. If the forces of a local city are overrun, then everyone in that city dies. But in the Dark Kingdom, Pandora could move troops to a city within days, potentially saving entire city's worth of people and allowing swift responses to this disaster. 

Essential goods could be sent across the empire when needed and people could be evacuated. The trains would become the most important piece of infrastructure the empire had. 

And Pandora controlled all of them. 

Dirk was unsure of how to feel. On one hand, she was a mad genius who would take advantage of a global disaster. On the other, her work would actually save countless lives and keep the entire empire functioning. 

Pandora saw Dirk's conflict and smiled a bit, nudging him with her shoulder. 

"Hey, don't worry so much! Right now, you only have one thing to focus on. While I have more to tell you, that can wait. Now come."

Pandora led him into a building with those words. It was one of the largest buildings in the undercity, towering upward around 140 meters. It looked almost like a pagoda with many floors. 

Upon entering, Pandora was greeted with reverence, even by those more powerful than her. She walked directly to the upper floors. 

With each successive floor, the spatial repulsion got stronger and stronger. At first Dirk could handle it fine, but when he was only halfway up, he had to activate his anima just to keep from collapsing. 

"There's really only two kinds of training people endure in this building. First is controlling their dark element. Using dark mana, mages can negate the crushing gravity. This forces them to refine their control and it increases their elemental comprehension. Second is body refining. This is done by withstanding the gravity with the body, forcing people to efficiently use their anima and stress their limits. You will be doing both of these things, and I'll ensure you have the best environment available to you."

Saying that, Pandora motioned to a room. The Pagoda was 140 meters tall, and there was a floor every 5 meters. That made for 28 floors. The room she stopped at was on the 12th floor. 

And upon stepping into the room, Dirk was surprised to feel the oppressive gravity disappear. Not only that, he saw a large table with platters of food, a bowl full of mana crystals, and some large bones that glistened like pearls. 

"Each room has magical switches to block the gravity. It ensures that nobody dies while training to their limits. Anyway, this will be your training room for the next while. You're going to remain here until you reach Tier 4. I would also prefer it if you reach Rank 5 in this time, but I know it's good to take body refining slow."

Pandora spoke as she walked to the table of food, picking up a fruit and taking a bite. Other than the table, there were two luxurious chairs and a nice bed. These furniture pieces were enchanted and constructed with metal frames, ensuring they could survive the intense gravity. They were surely extremely expensive. 

"Now, before you get started and since we didn't do so last night, let's spill each other's secrets. I want to know your cultivation and refining techniques along with your skills. And go ahead and start eating. You'll need the food."

Pandora took a seat on the couch as she spoke. After grabbing a few fruits, Dirk took a chair, facing Pandora. 

"I'll go first."

She got comfortable, looking at Dirk's blindfolded face. 

"I told you my four attributes, but not my specializations. Now, instead of speaking all our traits, skills, and crucially private information, I suggest we directly exchange Profiles."

"How do we do that?"

"My Stigma. With your consent, I can view your Profile. I'll also let you view mine. Like that, neither of us can hide information. Isn't that right, Miss Record?"

<I will act as an impartial intermediary.>

"Good."

Pandora nodded as both of them heard "Miss Record's" voice. After thinking for a bit, Dirk sighed and agreed. 

"Fine."

"Then take my hand."

Pandora stood, as did Dirk. After he placed his hand on top of hers, she suddenly raised her other. In it appeared a brilliantly golden book with dragons engraved across its cover. The book flipped open and its pages fluttered automatically. 

Dirk then felt Pandora's gaze, and it pierced into his soul. At that moment, both of them became distinctly aware of each other's souls, though only for a moment. 

After a few more seconds, Dirk saw something pop up in his mind. 

---

|Profile|

Name: Pandora Vanadis

Species: High Vampire

Tier: 4+

Attributes: Water - 100% (Blood - 100%), Earth - 100% (Ice - 100%), Air - 100% (Vortex - 100%), Light - 100%

Traits: Pure Soul, Mind of Delirium

Skills: Eyes of Truth (Grade 7), Temptation (Grade 7), Synthesis (Grade 6), Purification (Grade 6)

Stigma: The Record of Life

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