Capítulo 1373: Influence
Since it was one of the things they were most interested in, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself standing next to Solon as the latter analyzed the Quest Board, searching for a suitable Quest. It took completing at least one Quest to activate the Skill Tree so, curious to experience it themselves, Solon was eager to accept their first.
What bothered them was the fact that, among the Quests listed, Solon noticed the majority had the reward of Loyalty listed, a mechanic Vahn had already explained in detail. This effectively meant the more a person used the Quest Board, the more Loyal they would become to Vahn. Though this was a rather common arrangement, as even Noble families offered power in exchange for loyalty, it was a different matter entirely when the person you formed a pact with was a God.
To further exacerbate matters, Solon learned exactly what kind of Divinity Vahn possessed, causing them to immediately reconsider becoming his Subordinate. Unfortunately, the die had already been cast so, after obtaining ridiculously potent Magic Circuits, combined with their understanding of his power, Solon could only accept their fate. After all, even without these things, Vahn had a great deal of leverage over them due to the fact he could produce World Trees.
After ruminating over their options, Solon ended up touching an E-Rank Quest that rewarded a mere 150 Variable Experience and 10 Loyalty. The Objectives were extremely simple to complete and, after everything that had happened, they had a strong desire to just wrap everything up and take a nap. It had been a tiring day so, if it meant they could relax, suffering a moment of shame was a price they were willing to pay.
Seeing which Quest Solon had selected, Vahn was slightly surprised but, knowing they couldn't easily ask, he took the initiative to extend his hand, lightly patting their head. This caused Solon to slouch forward, their bangs covering their eyes, but Vahn could still feel their mixed feelings even without seeing their face. He had selectively chosen a few Quests with Loyalty rewards since Solon's current value was only 48.
Since it was dangerous to let a Loyalty value decrease below 50, as it could suffer a rapid decline at any given moment, Vahn had skewed the odds in his favor. Most of the higher-ranked, non-Loyalty, Quests listed would take several days to complete so Solon's only real options, if they wanted to get their first Quest out of the way, was to choose one of the D or E-Rank Quests, all of which required them to do something they would generally find embarrassing.
It was likely a result of the previous procedure and related events, but Solon now seemed more willing to allow for physical contact. The other options included things like walking around and greeting people, performing menial chores, dancing in public, and other troublesome things. In comparison, having their head pat for a total of ten minutes was a relatively tame Objective so, while nobody else was around, Solon swallowed their pride and allowed Vahn to demonstrate exactly why he was called the Godhand.
Though he could have gone easy on them, making use of his Petting Laws to a minor extent, Vahn felt he wouldn't have many opportunities to make an impression on Solon. He wasn't going to go out of his way to meet with them that often and, given their nature, Solon was very unlike to seek him out for anything. Thus, while the opportunity presented itself, Vahn was going to take advantage of the situation, fully aware of how much frustration it would cause them. Now, when Solon spied on him and the girls, the memory of this moment would be waiting to creep upon them...
Feeling the warm and pleasant energy flowing from Vahn's hand, Solon forced themselves to clench their teeth but, after a few minutes had passed, even that became impossible. They began to feel an indescribable amount of comfort that caused their thoughts to wander aimlessly. Then, all too soon, the comfortable feeling had passed, followed by Vahn casually informing, "Ten minutes have passed. Go ahead and turn in your Quest and see what Skills are available to you."
For a brief moment, Solon was confused by Vahn's explanation as, due to the latter's effort, they had actually forgotten what they were doing prior to the head pat. It was only after several seconds had passed that they realized what had happened, their hands forming into fists as they tried to rid their body of the remnants of the calming energy. This ultimately proved futile, however, due to Vahn's infusion of Source Energy into the affecting energy.
After failing in their endeavor for several frustrating seconds, Solon eventually released a tired sigh before shaking their head and submitting the Quest. They felt like Vahn was teaching them of the 'futility' of opposing him so the best method to deal with the current situation was simply to remove themselves from it. Thus, after turning in the Quest and confirming the semi-transparent Skill Tree did, in fact, exist, Solon looked back at Vahn and said, "I'll be going now. Unless there is something important, please don't bother me any time soon."
With Solon's Loyalty going up to 55 during his petting and 65 after completing their Quest, Vahn had no reason to continue pressuring them. Even without him being around, their Loyalty would slowly increase with each use of the Quest Board, irrespective of whether or not in offered Loyalty as a reward. Unless Solon was convinced by external forces to proactively oppose him, something that was all but impossible, it was only a matter of time until the green-haired Magus relented.
Understanding this, Vahn nodded his head in response, saying, "As I said before, I don't have any intentions of really telling you how to live. Still, I do hope you'll be more considerate of the people I leave in your charge. The Clock Tower is still in a tumultuous state so, rather than spying on me all the time, you should consider making sure the students are kept safe."
Hearing Vahn mention spying, Solon's face became somewhat solemn as their Loyalty decreased to 64 before jumping up to 66 a moment later. Then, without deigning to respond, one of the rings on their finger flashed with a brilliant light. When it had faded, Solon was nowhere to be seen but, as a result of Subordinating the hermetic Magus, Vahn could still sense them. Rather, he could basically sense 'everything' within the Bounded Field of the Clock Tower due to his Map Function and Unit Management.
It rarely came into play but, ever since the completion of his Main Quest back in Danmachi, Vahn had always been able to 'see' everything within the territory he owned. As a result, even without using his domain, he could track the physical location of everyone on Avalon and, based on the color of their dot on his Map, they could easily be identified as friend or foe.
Better yet, if they were one of his actual subordinates, Vahn could freely teleport them around his territory, albeit at a cost of Loyalty, Belief, Allegiance, or Fealty. For this reason, he only ever used this functionality during emergencies as, even without it, he could teleport around using his, or Alaya's, power. Still, suddenly having a perfect map of everything within the Clock Tower's Bounded Field had confirmed something Vahn had been curious about for a few years now; the fact that the properties of his Subordinates were also his own.
The link Vahn had with those listed in his Unit Management wasn't a simple promise that could be thrown away and discarded on a whim. It was something quantifiable and, in more ways that one, it even transcended most lesser forms of contracts. After all, at high enough values, he could tell those within his Unit Management to basically do anything and, so long as it didn't conflict with their own values too much, they would obey. Even now, if he really wanted to, he could transmit the thought to Solon, 'focus on becoming more loyal' and, as it wouldn't directly contradict with their intentions, they would begin to do so as if it was an original thought of their own...
Vahn rarely exploited this ability intentionally but, at times like this, he knew it could be the lesser of two evils. Thus, after considering the matter for a few moments, he transmitted an earnest plea of sorts, mentally commanding, 'Do not compromise yourself in an attempt to please me. Live the life you please and find what makes you happy. Never go out of your way to harm others unless they pose a threat to you, the things you want to protect, and those you are charged with protecting.'
After transmitting his intentions, Vahn stood with his eyes closed for a few seconds before a small smile spread across his face. The fact Solon's Loyalty hadn't been affected meant his order basically coincided with their original intentions. This confirmed his suspicions about the elusive Director as, while they didn't like to associate with people, they still cared about the World as a whole. The fact they had committed to this thankless task for millennia was a testament to this so, with the order he had given them, Solon would eventually find happiness for themselves.
With another troublesome task taken care of, Vahn spent a few moments to stretch his body before teleporting to the Department of Unified Magical Theory's primary training field. He was supposed to act as an Advisor in their afternoon classes but, due to the matter with Solon taking longer than expected, he was a little late. It would have been possible to head there with his second body but, after everything that had already happened throughout the day, Vahn needed some time to cool off.
Just as he would visit various people throughout the day, Vahn's always set aside time to spend a few hours meditating atop Leviathan. This was actually an important part of his training, as he spent the time focusing on his comprehension of the Laws, so it wasn't as if he was slacking off. Rather, if he didn't go to Leviathan every now and then, the massive Watcher would be the one to call upon him, often by whispering through his shadow or sending someone like Amelia and Ikaros to retrieve him.
Since the Watcher existed for the purpose of elevating its Master to a higher level, Vahn needed to periodically undergo various trials within its labyrinthine interior. With his capabilities, these had all proven relatively easy to complete but it was still a very useful training method. After all, he didn't have many chances to fight actual opponents these days so, with his Daily Gacha rarely giving him anything good, Vahn had been stockpiling Premium Gacha pulls by killing the 'boss' monsters within.
Eventually, once he reached a higher tier Record, Vahn was intending to use his stockpiled Gacha pulls and Upgrade Stones. They were infinitely more useful in higher-tiered Records so, with the Nasuverse basically providing him with everything he needed to succeed, Vahn hadn't felt the need to waste them. Rather, there weren't any items that would be more useful to him than existences like Alaya, Tiamat, Arcueid, Aoko, Illya, and Spenta. With them on his side, there were very few things in the world that could threaten him as, soon enough, the World itself would be on his side.
Though he already had CHALDEAS to serve a similar function, Vahn imagined it would be quite the eye-opening experience to have an entire planet mapped within his system. This would allow him to not only track the location of everyone on the planet but, as a quirk of the Minimap Function, even the location of plants and animals would be within his perception. Then, much like how he was able to send his intent around, Vahn would be able to view functionally any part of the planet by simply creating a window within his field of view. Though it wasn't true omniscience, his enemies, especially, wouldn't be able to tell the difference...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I blame Loki','Vahn be schemin'...','I feel bad for the Gods that cause trouble in the future xD...')
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Capítulo 1374: Temper
With Solon submitting to him, Vahn only had two Objectives remaining until the completion of his World Power Quest. This included defeating seven more Dead Apostle Ancestors and the slaying or subordination of Mavis Maxwell, the Pontiff of the Holy Church.
Though he could take care of them himself, Vahn had been convinced by Artoria to leave the defeat and capture of the Dead Apostle Ancestors to others. Thus, for the time being, Vahn's main concern, in regards to his ongoing Quest, was summoning Mavis. Since she had been teleported away prior to her original death, it could be deduced that she wasn't an evil existence.
Fortunately, as it was a relatively simple matter to summon Mavis through the Throne of Heroes, Vahn actually had very little to do in regards to the World Power Quest. Though it was undoubtedly a cause for concern, he really needed to learn to entrust matters to his subordinates and retainers. If he continued handling everything himself, there would be no end to the burdens he would have to carry.
With Da Vinci handling the preparations for the Supercolonies, Olga managing Chaldea, Artoria in charge of the Empire's affairs, and Solon administering the Clock Tower, Vahn actually had very little to do outside of his usual duties. Thus, for a time, he decided to focus on his training, spending time with his family, and tending to his lovers. He still made time to listen to reports and hold Court but, in the grand scheme of things, this only took a few hours out of his weekly schedule.
Since a single week could be upwards of 1200 hours, at least from Vahn's perspective, it felt like a considerable amount of time passed between each session. Though this was primarily the result of his vassal's capabilities, as Gawain, Lancelot, and Bedivere actually worked very well with each other, Vahn still felt like he wasn't doing much as Emperor. Of course, whenever he expressed this to girls, they would generally sigh in exasperation before making very clear he did a considerable amount to ensure the Empire's prosperity...
---
It what felt like both the blink of an eye and an impossibly long period of time, fifteen days had passed in the outside. During this time, the Empire's forces had been providing aid all over the world while, around the locations where the Supercolonies would be built, hundreds of advanced Golems and other Automatons worked to flatten the land and protect the region. There were a number of small conflicts but, due to the vast disparity in the forces on both sides, the Empire rarely suffered anything more than slight injuries.
During all of this, Vahn followed his usual schedule and, as a result of his diligence, he had been able to make a fair amount of progress on Scáthach's challenges. Though he was only on the fourth one, it was much easier than the previous three as, rather than focus on increasing his base Parameters, tempering his spirit, or refining his control; Vahn had been tasked with 'breathing life' into the once-desolate Training Orb. This involved him simply meditating in the center of a massive formation for hours on end, powering what Scáthach plainly referred to as a 'Terraforming Magic Circle'.
Due to his past experience with Terra, Vahn had very little trouble converting his Source Energy into the constituent elements necessary to create life so, by the time Scáthach informed him the fourth challenge had been completed, a forest nearly 300km in diameter had appeared in the previously white void. He could have made it even bigger but, instead of focusing on the expansion, Vahn had a compulsion to simply allow the life to develop as it pleased. Though order could introduce beauty in all things, there was always something captivating about seeing what form nature took without any external influence...
Since she would never tell him the purpose until after he had completed a challenge, Vahn waited until he was accompanying his Shishou through the forest to ask, "Was this challenge intended to increase my affinity with Life and Creation Laws?"
Without sparing him a glance, Scátach shook her head before answering in her usual monotone, "It is difficult for others to stay in a place like this. Ciel has been struggling since that man left for Japan, so I decided to give you an easier task, one which would make you both happy. You should prepare yourself; the next challenge will be more difficult than the others combined."
Hearing Scáthach explain the reason he had been given such a simple challenge, Vahn couldn't help but raise his brows slightly. After all, she basically admitted the reason was a result of her concern for Ciel, not to push him beyond his limits. Unfortunately, her latter words all but guaranteed he would be experiencing a considerable amount of suffering so he ultimately decided not to comment on the matter.
After reaching their destination, a traditional Japanese house now surrounded by an expansive forest of lush greenery, Vahn saw Ciel hard at work doing squats while hefting a large obsidian rock on her shoulders. When she noticed their arrival, she finished her final squat before tossing the 5kkg stone statue on the ground and running over to issue a proper greeting.
Though she would normally recover to her 'default' state in an instant, Ciel's current outfit, a skin-tight dark-blue bodysuit, had various seals to restrict her regeneration. As a result, a layer of sweat covered her body as the hair near her scalp was matted to her skin. Fortunately, as the bodysuit was provided to her by Scáthach, it didn't actually reveal any of the 'finer' details of Ciel's body, sparing Vahn from having to avert his eyes.
Once Ciel finished her greeting, Scáthach gave her a small nod before emotionlessly stating, "If you continue as you have been, I will allow you to pursue that man in three years. This is slightly over five months in the outside so you needn't worry about anything major happening in that time. Focus on your training...the sooner you complete it, the sooner you will reunite with that man."
When she first heard Scáthach mention three years, Ciel became visibly deflated but, upon being reminded of the time dilation within the Projection, she instantly became more fired up, pumping her fists as she exclaimed, "Righ! Leave it to me, Shishou...!"
Without having to be told what she ought to do, Ciel returned to the large stone statue and, after taking a deep breath, she strained her body in order to heft it onto her shoulders. From there, she started her previous set from scratch while. Scáthach observed this for a short while before giving a small nod and giving Vahn a sidelong look.
Sensing his Shishou eye him up, Vahn averted his eyes from Ciel, a smile on his face as he said, "I still have a few hours. If there is time, I would like to begin your next challenge, Shishou."
Since he was her student within the Training Orb, Vahn had made a habit of lowering his head every time he requested something from her. She showed him similar courtesies outside so this was the least he could do for someone who had helped to qualitatively improve his capabilities. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she had saved him years of aimless experimentation as, without her guidance, Vahn would have undoubtedly strayed onto various paths before arriving at a correct answer.
In response to Vahn's request, Scáthach placed her hand on his shoulder, changing the surroundings from a lush forest to a vast expanse of white stone. The only landmark feature was a circular pool of molten red liquid, reminiscent of both blood and superheated metal. Vahn didn't really need to ask what her intentions were as, in the next moment, Scáthach pushed him into the boiling pool while explaining in a cold voice, "This pool extends one-thousand meters below the surface. As you dive further down, the heat and pressure will increase exponentially. At the very bottom, you will find a fragment of a spear. Retrieve it using nothing but your physical body..."
After making direct contact with the peculiar liquid, Vahn quickly realized what it was made of. As a result, he barely had time to process Scáthach's explanation as the pool, formed from a mixture of Destruction, Poison, and a myriad of other Elemental Energies dissolved his body like cotton candy in water. This wasn't enough to kill him but, for several minutes, Vahn's existence became pain as he endeavored to reform within the destructive pool. Throughout this entire process, Scáthach watched quietly from the side, waiting until he had reformed to give him a small nod and teleporting away.
Seeing his demonic Shishou abandon him, Vahn let the upper half of his body rest against the side of the pool while doing his best to keep his lower body from dissolving into nothingness. He felt this training was to temper his ability to maintain his form despite whatever his enemies would throw at him so, while it would be a nightmare trying to reach the bottom, Vahn didn't complain. It was only a matter of time until he adapted to the pool and, with very few ways to train his [Rakshasa Body], this was actually a blessing in disguise.
Scáthach had told him he was only allowed to use his physical body to complete the challenge but, while this might prevent him from using his [Magia Erebea] transformations, it would be impossible to deny that his [Rakshasa Body] was part of his actual physique. Unfortunately, his Zhuque form all but guaranteed even greater pain due to the impurities contained within the pool so, for now, Vahn transitioned into his Xuanwu form to temper its already insane defenses even further...
---
While his main body was struggling within the Training Orb, Vahn's secondary body was within one of the rooms adjacent to the Knight's Training Field and the primary Quest Board. Here, an isolated space had been created for one specific purpose: tempering the bodies of the children using his Source Energy.
Originally, Vahn had only helped Mordred and Sakura to temper their bodies, as they had learned of the process while he was training Gareth. Now, however, he ended up helping all the children after it became very clear that Mordred and Sakura had received considerable benefits from his daily care.
At first, Vahn had some inhibitions about the whole process, as he feared the girls would begin to imprint on him in a strange way but, after seeing Zoë and Astrid saddened by his refusal, he didn't have the heart to refuse them. After all, while they weren't his children, he had always tried to treat them as such. Since he would never refuse to help his actual children become stronger, Vahn didn't have the heart to refuse after seeing their puppy-like expressions.
Fortunately, unlike how Mordred would sometimes misbehave, Mash, Zoë, and Astrid were all well-behaved girls. Though they would turn red up to their ears during the procedure, they had enough self-restraint to prevent things from becoming too awkward. Thus, after a while, the event became just another part of Vahn's peculiar schedule, one which earned him a fair amount of teasing from girls like Nobunaga and Aoko...
Having just completed a tempering session, Vahn removed his palm from Sakura's exposed back, a red handprint marring her fair skin as a result of the prolonged contact. Then, leaving her to wear her clothing properly, Vahn wiped down his hand while casually remarking, "Before he gets cold feet, have Alex come inside, okay?"
With her face still flushed from the half-hour treatment, Sakura nodded her head in understanding before wiping her face with a cold towel and heading outside. There, a line of girls were all waiting their turn while, idling near the edge of the Knight's Training Field, Alex periodically looked over with an apprehensive look on his face.
Before Mash could head inside, Sakura quickly stopped her, explaining the situation before they both went over to secure a very disagreeable Alex. Unfortunately, due to the vast difference in their strength, the boy ended up being forcibly dragged into the room. This wasn't the first time he had thought to find out what the girls were doing to become so much stronger but, due to his pride, he had never been able to muster up the conviction to head inside. Now, the choice had been made for him and, though he would lament the mishandling of his pride, his strength would receive a marked increase over the following days...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'One day = one week, one week = 1.8 months','Scáthach is a bully','FBI-san, it is this person here..."')
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