章 6: Preperation

I carefully asked around, but none of my surviving companions remembered anything. Some had a vague idea of joining me on an expedition, but most couldn't even recall that basic information. The only thing I can remember somewhat clearly is the prophecy from the drunken witch.

Whoever is foolish enough to tempt the gods will only bring ruin upon himself and the entire myriad of planes!

Even after conducting in-depth research in the imperial library, which required me to use my connections and solicit a lot of past favors. I was only able to learn three things that are noteworthy.

First of all, it is well known that, as a result of their bitter conflict with one another, all gods are currently asleep. They only await to recover and be awoken once again by their followers.

For example, the obsidian kingdom's protector deity, Orbis, is fundamental to the populace's belief that he must reawaken in order for them to dominate. Despite their greatest efforts to deny it, it is a well-known fact. I will never forgive these fuckers bastards for wanting to throw my daughter into that rotten volcano. One of your dear ancestor's most heroic tales will undoubtedly be the one about how I saved her.

But let me remind you how magnificent I was when I stormed inside the temple, murdered my way through the guards, seized my beautiful princess, and stormed out. I can assure you that I did not leave without giving Lighthelm, that young cocky prick of a King, a good face slapping. That shorty does have the appearance of a dwarf, but before I believe he's from some mythical race, I'd rather believe he forgot to drink his milk!

Raven furrowed his brows as he continued reading his grandfather's ramblings.

"How convenient that old geezer completely forgot about the fact that he was also captured and only escaped by a stroke of luck," Raven mumbled, a wide grin on his face. He skipped almost two pages of boasting before returning to the book.

Anyway, so what was I doing? Yes, the gods appear to be sleeping, but the idea of some mysterious force or Mad King attempting to awaken them is not entirely novel. As a result, that information is not very useful.

Secondly: the section about the numerous planes. I've heard stories about other worlds that are similar to ours and even completely different. However, I was unable to locate anything official. Even if the Imperials discovered something new, I am confident they would not make it available to someone like me.

Finally, I discovered something very intriguing. Most new morning stars, it seems, can't leave that foggy plane alone. The empire's main source of income is still trade taxes.

No sane ruler would not try to expand his rule over this territory given its proximity to the capital, the mist fields that make up about a fifth of its area, and the fact that they even obstruct the fastest routes to Cinis and Ignis.

I came across a ton of documents from earlier emperors' initial explorations, which were meant to reveal the mystifying secrets hidden within the mist. However, it was impossible to find any evidence of any outcome other than complete annihilation. As a result, the majority of morning stars leave it at that. It may be an annoyance, but it does not pose a direct threat to the empire.

Oh, and did your amazing ancestor ever tell you the story of how he courted an imperial princess? It all started several years ago...

Raven put down the book at that point because he had heard and read the story five times before.

Tempt the gods!

This part kept repeating itself in his mind. He walked over to the wall, a short sword hanging above a shield. A raven and a star were depicted on the shield, and despite the fact that it had to be made for a child at the time, he got into a lot of trouble for it.

His grandfather got a little carried away with his painting and forgot that only nobles are permitted to use stars as symbols.

Back then, he had only been spared from something worse than a stern warning by his big mouth and charisma.

So it had remained untouched inside his father's study for all those years.

Raven pulled the sword from the wall and gave it a few swings. At best, his movements could be described as clumsy and unprofessional. His family had big hopes for him because of his older brother's enormous talent.

They were soon let down, though, as the lack of mentors willing to accept him quickly dashed his hopes of one day becoming a famous knight.

His thumb was placed over his insignia on the hilt as he slowly put the sword back. The last gifts his grandfather gave him before he left on his final journey were these two items; it has been five years since that time, and no one has heard from him.

He replaced the old book on the shelves because he already knew every page by heart. He remembered to swipe a few coins for his trip as he was leaving for the window.

Several times, his hands came dangerously close to slipping, and he suffered some scrapes and bruises, but he eventually succeeded in entering his own room.

Raven coughed a few times and noticed that dust had accumulated on most surfaces. He was out of the house the majority of the time, and nobody bothered to clean his room.

Only a small desk, a simple wooden bed, a nearly empty wardrobe, and a desk with a few old books made up the room. He ripped a hole in the side of his bed and grabbed the tiny bag of coins inside. He pulled at a wooden plank at the very end of his wardrobe to reveal a hidden compartment. There was a sizable leather backpack inside that was stuffed to the gills with various tools. Among the many necessities are a compass, maps, dry rations, bandages, and lighters.

He left his room after packing his bag to the brim. He looked at the closed door in front of him after setting the backpack down on the ground. He breathed deeply before lightly knocking while nervously shifting his weight to his left foot.