Capítulo 2010: Feelings of Obligation
With none of the Elders stepping out to contest his victory, Vahn's time in the spotlight had come to an end. He still needed to remove the Great Mother's curse, but, with the assent of Gluttony, this wasn't particularly difficult. Other than that, his only business with the Lo Po Bia Family was taking in the remnants of the Grey Wolf Family, a total of thirteen females and six males, so that Elaine would no longer feel obligated to restore the entire family on her own. He was also intending to meet with the Lo Po Bia Family's Princesses of Jahad, but, understanding he could always deal with them after taking care of Jahad, the only two he was 'obligated' to meet with were Lilial and Shilial.
Ever since Jeanne had accidentally purified the blood curse on Lilial, she and her twin sister, Shilial, had ceased climbing the Tower. Their sudden disappearance had caused quite a stir, but, thanks to Maschenny sheltering them, they had managed to escape the Royal Enforcement Division's pursuit. This was made easier by the fact neither had received a 13 Month Series, so, even if their death was mandated by Imperial Law, Jahad had never bothered to issue an official kill order.
Though the twins' circumstances were the result of their bloodthirsty natures and poor decision making, they, like every other Princess of Jahad, were ultimately the victims of a system designed to turn impressionable young girls into weapons. Their instincts and conditioned loyalty actually made them even more susceptible than other Princesses, so, while he could simply ignore them, it simply wasn't in Vahn's nature to do so. Thus, in the days following his exhibition match against the Great Mother, he easily resolved the matter of her curse before observing the transition of power from Lo Po Bia to Genzo. Then, when everything else was said and done, he tracked down the burgundy and blonde-haired Princesses to a remote location on the outskirts of the recently vacated 77th Floor.
With the disappearance of Baek Ryun and the bulk of Wolhaiksong, the 77th Floor had become yet another haven for refugees and criminals fleeing the Jahad Empire. The other Floor Rulers had tried to install a proxy in Baek's absence, but, due to the contract between Ureko and Hon, the Floor was ultimately the possession of the tomboyish blonde. They fundamentally lacked the authority to strip ownership away from her, and, even if they tried, doing so would be akin to assigning themselves a death sentence.
Though it was technically considered a lawless territory, the fear that Ureko would rain down justice upon them caused most of the people fleeing to the 77th Floor to behave. It was no secret that she disdained people who broke the law and exploited others, so, even though there were a number of opportunistic individuals who migrated to the Floor, very few attempted to establish themselves as a 'power' within the region. Those that did were Merchants or Rankers attempting to establish their roots in a territory outside the Empire's control. For many, this was an opportunity to start their own organization, so, even if the chances of success were slim, they, at the very least, wanted to try...
A stark contrast to this sentiment, Shilial and Lilial had 'retired' to a frontier village located on the very outskirts of the 77th Floor. There, Vahn found the younger of the two sisters, Shilial, tending to a potato garden with a very disgruntled expression on her face. Long gone were the days where she could doll herself up in lavish and expensive clothing. Instead, she was reduced to wearing relatively simple clothes that were as easy to dirty as they were to clean. This included a simple blue sundress, patched-up blue trousers, dirty rubber boots, gardening gloves, and a simple yet fashionable straw hat.
With her attention fully focused on the potatoes she was unearthing from the soil, Shilial failed to sense Vahn until his shadow was lingering over her. This caused her eyes to widen, and, though she was supposed to be trying to remain low key, that didn't prevent her from performing an acrobatic somersault and raising her gardening trowel as if it were a weapon.
Raising his hand in a casual manner, Vahn ignored the hateful glimmer in Shilial's eyes as he smiled and said, "Long time no see. How's life as a farm girl treating you...?"
Though she had always been known as an outwardly respectful woman, Shilial teared up slightly in response to Vahn's words, gritting her teeth as she asked, "Have you come here to make fun of us? If so, get it out of your system and leave. My sister and I have enough problems without your stupid face to remind us of the past...!"
Restraining his urge to lecture the not-so-young-lady, Vahn adopted a far more serious expression as he explained, "It would appear you are unaware of the happenings within the Tower. Ownership of the Lo Po Bia Family has exchanged hands within the last couple of days. So long as you promise not to cause trouble, I have made arrangements for you and your sister to attend the Great Mother. I have removed her curse, so, now that she no longer has to conserve her energy, she is looking for suitable candidates to train as Guardians and Priestesses of the Lo Po Bia Family. I'm not sure what she has in mind, but I imagine it beats growing potatoes here on the 77th Floor..."
Blinking in response to Vahn's words, Shilial slowly lowered her gardening trowel as she asked, "Are you for real? Have you truly taken over the Lo Po Bia Family...?"
Shaking his head, Vahn created a three-dimensional projection of Genzo's visage as he explained, "I battled against the Great Mother, but ownership of the Lo Po Bia Family has been transferred to this man, Genzo Shibata. His passion regarding animals and people with animalistic features can be said to be second to none. His power is also comparable to my own, so, after dominating more than half of the Elders, Lo Po Bia willingly transferred his status and authority."
Seeing the projection shift to Genzo's battle against several famous Elders, Shilial promptly decided to trust in Vahn's words. There was a chance he was attempting to deceive her, but, considering the vast disparity in their respective powers, there was little she could do even if he decided to have his way with her. She was also bored out of her mind living in the outskirts of the 77th Floor, so, even if his intent was to deceive her, she didn't really care.
Having made up her mind, Shilial inhaled a deep breath before shouting, "Lilial! Get your lazy butt out here! We're going home...!" at the top of her voice.
Hearing her sister's shout, Lilial, appearing somewhat worse for wear, came to the window of the small cottage she shared with her young sibling. She was about to shout something about Shilial having lost her mind, but, seeing Vahn standing a few meters away, her expression briefly paled before quickly returning to normal as she asked, "Are we really...going home?"
Being the more ambitious of the two sisters, Lilial had taken their fall from grace much harder than her twin. After all, she was technically the reason they were forced to flee, so, for the last year or so, most of her time had been spent brooding over what could have been. Now, however, a tiny flame had reignited from the smoldering ashes of her aspirations, and, even if she had to sell her soul to a lecherous dragon, she was willing to do whatever it took to recover and transcend her past glory.
Instantly jumping to the wrong conclusion, Lilial didn't bother waiting for her sister's reply before looking towards Vahn as if he were a piece of choice meat. She seemed to forget she was wearing rather plain pajamas, and, for a brief moment, her haughty expression returned as she mistakenly believed Vahn had fallen for her charms. Unfortunately, the moment she crossed her arms and was preparing to speak, the person in question promptly stated, "I'm not into spoiled brats..."
Both stunned and confused, Lilial stared at Vahn as if he had said something nonsensical, the light from her vibrant blue eyes gradually faded as realization donned upon her. Immediately thereafter, a remarkably painful sensation spread through her heart, but, fearing she might compromise their chances of returning home, she swallowed her grievances and asked for an explanation...
---
After purifying Shilial's blood and leaving both she and Lilial in the care of the Great Mother, Vahn's business with the Lo Po Bia Family had effectively come to an end. His plan to create Templates for each of the branch families had been scrapped a long time ago, so, with Genzo in charge, everyone had effectively become part of the same family. This should help to ease tensions between previous rivals, as, unlike before, the only person with any authority in the entire Lo Po Bia Family was Genzo himself. Though he would never use this power with malicious intent, the former Elders had no way of knowing this, so, for the time being, they had no choice but to obey.
Fortunately, despite numerous differences, such as some branches being born cold-blooded, there were few limitations on who members of the Lo Po Bia Family could breed with. In fact, their unique genes allowed for a certain degree of 'variability' in mating pairs, so, even if someone from the Boa Family was to breed with a member of the Snow Leopard Family, they could produce offspring with traits of both. In the past, such chimeric mixes were considered forbidden, but, now that Genzo was in charge, such restrictions no longer applied. The members of the Lo Po Bia Family were allowed to love whoever they wanted, and, even if their preferences leaned towards members of the same sex, anyone who wanted to complain would promptly find themselves on the receiving end of Genzo's german suplex.
Though there was a chance that someone with the power to rival Genzo would appear, that was an event for the far future. For the time being, even Jahad couldn't do anything about him, and, due to the protections granted to the Great Mother, the Lo Po Bia Family was basically untouchable within the 113th Floor. This meant they had, at the very least, a few tens-of-thousands-of-years to resolve their interpersonal affairs, as, with the exception of Vahn's other Templates, the only people with the potential to surpass Genzo were his own offspring.
Confident in this assertation, Vahn decided to leave the affairs of the Lo Po Bia Family to the Lo Po Bia Family. They were no longer his concern, so, after tying up a few loose ends related to the Snow Leopard Family, he decided to temporarily retire to the 199th Floor in order to watch over Pram and help her control her newly awakened Innate. Death Energy was no joke, and, unless they were born with it, mastering the extreme form of Yin Energy was remarkably difficult. There was even a chance it would consume the user, so, while he was tempted to wrap things up within the Tower, Vahn had never considered helping those who were willing to die for him a waste of time. Pram might have a lot of issues to work out, but, were she incapable or unwilling to change, breaking through to Tier 4 would have been impossible. Thus, much as he had in the wake of events on the 100th Floor, Vahn afforded the Tower three weeks to adapt while splitting his time between watching over Pram and investigating what, exactly, had transpired within the Po Bidau Family...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'This is some advanced form of bullying...','Oof...','Vahn be like, "Taking care of floof is infinitely more important than dealing with a Chuuni Emperor..."')
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Capítulo 2011: Ascertaining the Truth
With the rapid changes occurring within the Tower, the investigation into the Po Bidau Family was making very slow progress. All anyone knew for certain was that Gustang had been the one to set off the explosion, but, no matter how much they looked into it, they were unable to understand his motives. This led to some speculating that Vahn had somehow gained control over him during their brief encounter on the 113th Floor, but, with very little evidence supporting this claim, others began to believe that Gustang had experienced a mental breakdown after seeing his ex-wife and daughter among the women following Vahn.
Though it was well-known that the Eurasia Family had joined hands with the Aldrnari Empire, few knew the specifics of their arrangement. This didn't prevent people from speculating, however, so, with Gustang's apparent suicide being the most hotly debated topic within the Tower, rumors had been spreading like wildfire. Some even went to brokers such as Jaina to discern the truth, but, as powerful as her Opera was, it was powerless to peer beyond the 134th Floor. Thus, every time Vahn retired to the 199th, he, and everyone with him, effectively vanished from the observation networks that had been established over the last ten-thousand-years.
Since Gustang had prepared numerous countermeasures to prevent members of the Tperie Family from spying on his activities, no one knew for sure what had caused him to act. This placed the Po Bidau Family in a 'very' precarious position, as, not only did they have to answer for the destruction of the 129th Floor, most of the systems Gustang had prepared in the event of his untimely demise had been taken offline. The few systems they were able to get back online had their data expunged, so, other than a few fragmented pieces of information, all of the knowledge Gustang had amassed over the past twenty-five-thousand-years had been lost. The explosion had also killed a number of their highest-ranking members, so, without any leadership, the once-prodigious family was on the verge of splintering into several smaller factions.
Making the most of the Po Bidau Family's misfortune, several Great Teachers from the Workshop immediately stepped in to assimilate the more promising members of the family into their ranks. This included Graham, who, thanks to Phae's meteoric rise, saw a tremendous increase in his power and authority within the Workshop. She was lauded by several Teachers as the type of genius who appeared once every ten-thousand-years, and, more importantly, her ties with the Aldrnari Empire were something the Workshop intended to make use of once the seal on the 135th Floor had been removed.
As one of only five Great Teachers within the Workshop, Graham's status could even rival the Leader of a Great Family. While this comparison was becoming increasingly less relevant due to the actions of Vahn, it was still a highly coveted position that basically allowed him to act as he pleased. He had also managed to 'secure' Phae's loyalty by learning her preferences and setting her up with another of his prized female Disciples, so, while the Great Father had yet to appoint anyone as liaison to the Aldrnari Empire, Graham was fairly certain he would be the one chosen.
With such an end in mind, Graham took advantage of the rumors linking Vahn to Gustang's death to personally oversee the Workshop's investigation. This was directly supported by Phae, so, even if others wanted to procure a piece of the pie for themselves, the former's connections were his alone to exploit. Of course, he never said this aloud, as, despite her expertise laying in the reproduction of ancient artifacts, Phae's power was one of the most heavily debated topics among members of the Workshop.
Though he once believed himself far more powerful than the buxom blacksmith, Graham had long ago made the connection between her power and the growth exhibited by Vahn. If this hypothesis proved true, she would be among the most powerful beings within the Tower, so, even if he had to bend over backward on several occasions, he carefully measured each of his actions in an effort to remain in her good graces. This might sound antithetical for someone aiming to ascend to the rank of Father in the not-so-distant-future, but, believing Phae had no interest in such titles, Graham was more than willing to give a bit of ground if it meant he could stand near the pinnacle of his beloved organization in the future.
Guided by this insight, one of the first things Graham did after installing himself as overseer of the Workshop's investigation was tasking Phae's team of elites with uncovering the truth. She had taken in a handful of Disciples after scouring the slums spread throughout the Middle Tower, and, while a few of her detractors had called her out for exclusively picking female Disciples, the results her team had put out spoke for themselves. She had a knack for drawing out the talents of others, and, even though it had been less than a year since she became a Teacher, many of her Disciples had already made names for themselves. This included once-impoverished youths who most people would have simply overlooked unless they were in desperate need of 'materials'.
With Phae as their Teacher, it seemed like anyone could be refined into a peerless genius in one or more trades. This had garnered her a mixture of attention and frustration from virtually every other Teacher, as, more often than not, they hand-picked their Disciples from among the most prodigious of backgrounds. Phae, however, didn't seem to care about her Disciple's background at all. Rather, other than the fact they were all women, the thing most of her Disciples had in common was that they were uneducated orphans. Some hadn't even known how to read, yet, mere months after they had begun studying under Phae, many were able to compete directly against Disciples several times their age. This was unheard of in the history of the Workshop, and, while it had yet to gain any real traction, Graham had been privately promoting the notion that genius was something that could be nourished so long as the person teaching them was competent.
Though this was ultimately just another attempt to capitalized on Phae's momentum, observing the former's Disciples had led to Graham truly believing this was the case. While it wasn't enough to get him to abandon the notion that certain people were born more gifted than others, he couldn't deny that Phae's methods had born fruit. There was a chance that she had been able to see something in the children that other people missed, but, given his own ability to see talent, Graham didn't believe this was the case. Instead, it was like she planted the seeds of talent within them before using their overwhelming desire to overcome their past as nourishment for their growth.
Following this example, Graham had attempted to nourish an orphan of his own, but, much like everyone else who attempted to emulate Phae's results, he quickly grew impatient with his young protege's lack of talent and progress. He was still doing his best to educate the young girl, but, no matter how much effort he put into trying to nourish her talent, there didn't seem to be anything to draw from. This was in spite of her constant efforts to improve, a trait Graham had learned to both appreciate and lament since it often made him feel he wasn't doing enough as her teacher.
Fortunately, after discussing the matter with Phae, Graham managed to secure a position for his young protege among the former's growing group. At first, she didn't really fit in among the other girls in Phae's team, but, after acclimating to the group, her results began to fall in line with the rest of her peers. This demonstrated Phae's inordinate ability to bring out the potential of even the most hopeless students, as, prior to observing her growth for himself, Graham couldn't even imagine his former protege succeeding. In response to this admission, Phae had privately gifted him one of the most important pieces of advice he had ever received as a Teacher, expressing, "It is not our job to imagine our students succeeding. Such expectations limit the path of their growth. In that regard, it can be argued that our most important duty as Teachers is helping our students comprehend their strengths and weaknesses while gently pushing them in the direction they wish to go. Rather than teaching them what we want them to know, we teach them how to study and research the things they need to know in order to succeed in the path they have chosen..."
Though it seemed a bit counterintuitive, as most children had no idea what path they wanted to follow, Graham quickly realized the truth contained within Phae's words. He also understood why each of her students was a street urchin, as, unlike normal children, those who grew up in less than ideal conditions spent an inordinate amount of time thinking of ways to escape their circumstances and improve their lives. This made them remarkably easy to manipulate, but, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it made nourishing their talents significantly easier. They were already willing to do whatever it took to ensure they would never end up back on the streets, so, with Phae's remarkable patience and unlimited resources, there was very little to hold them back.
When he had first taken in his protege, Graham had failed to consider the child's interest. Rather, due to their age and upbringing, he assumed they had no idea what they wanted to do with their life. Even if they did, they had no understanding of how to achieve their goal, so, from the moment he took them in, he defaulted to the mentality that they were simply lucky to be chosen by him. As a result, he had placed an unfair burden on the young girl, as, from the start, he never believed she could succeed. Despite this, he still felt frustrated by her failures and, were it not for the influence of Phae and the inordinate amount of effort she put into improving, he likely would have regarded her as a failure before promptly abandoning her.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Graham realized that his ethic as a Teacher was incomparable to Phae's. It could be argued that the only reason he had succeeded was that he, like virtually every other Teacher, had hand-picked Disciples with phenomenal talent. In other words, he had benefited from their talent, not because he was an exceptional Teacher. This was a hard pill to swallow, but, in the face of Phae's results, it was difficult to disregard the possibility that he was the reason so many of his students had failed. It wasn't that they were lacking. Had that been the case, he never would have chosen them as potential Disciples. Instead, they had failed because he was unable to nourish their potential.
When he first realized this, Graham made a point to find out what each of his former students had been up to since their apprenticeship beneath him. Some had gone on to become Senior Research Assistants and Data Analysts, but, more often than not, those who failed to become Disciples ended up leaving the Workshop entirely. Among these, some went on to climb the Tower, ultimately losing their lives in the competition to become Rankers. This was perfectly acceptable within the society of the Tower, but, when he learned of the number who had outright committed suicide after returning home in shame, Graham ended up investing the better part of three months trying to comprehend what kind of mentality a person needed to possess in order to take their own life.
Unfortunately, while he was able to explain most of their deaths away using various psychological studies, Graham wasn't able to absolve himself of his personal responsibility in the matter. He knew his words and actions had played a major part in their inevitable ends, as, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't imagine any of Phae's students doing the same. They were such a close-knit group that they could be mistaken for members of the same family, and, no matter how many times they failed, Phae was always there to help them find their footing. This was the realization that cemented Graham's respect for the former Advisor of the Aldrnari Empire, so, even if it ultimately became little more than her puppet, he sincerely believed the Workshop would benefit from her influence...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'People love to gossip...','Being a Teacher is a heavy responsibility...','Graham simping hard...'
(A/N: I really want to write more, but, after three chapters, I'm feeling a lot more drained than I would have liked xD. I'll try to increase my pace in the days to come, but, for the time being, three chapters per day might be my limit. I'll most likely write a continuation of 'A Certain Scientific Side Story' once this chapter goes out, but, after that, I'm hitting the hay.)
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