章節 1280: Unobstructed
With a full month having passed in the real world, Vahn found himself at the Edelfelt Manor enjoying a light lunch alongside Olivia, Luvia, Da Vinci, and Artoria, while Gray, Okita, Jeanne, and Gareth were waiting at the side. They had already eaten prior to the departure from Avalon so, while it was always a little awkward to have people he cared about act the part of an attendant, Vahn knew the girls in question preferred to play the part quite a bit.
At this point, they had discussed the negotiations several times so, while the luncheon was a good opportunity to rehash things, Vahn dismissed the matter as there was no way of knowing how things would turn out until the negotiations began. He would rather just enjoy his lunch without worrying about such things and, though Olivia looked like she had something to say, even she didn't force the issue. Thus, while the luncheon didn't take as long as normal, it was a pleasant experience since the primary topic related to Ulla and the other children.
Unfortunately, while it was a viable strategy in some situations, Vahn didn't want to keep Solon and the Director of the Atlas Temple waiting for him. If things went well, the Empire would be working in conjunction with the Mage's Association for the foreseeable future so, in order to decrease the odds of something going wrong, he decided to give them a bit of face by arriving early, albeit by breaking into the Bounded Field around the Clock Tower with a spatial transfer.
As could be expected, the security of the Clock Tower was surprised by the intrusion but, as they had already been informed by the Administration, they were prepared to receive Vahn's entourage. To his surprise, the person leading the procession was none other than Waver and a young woman with a pixie-style haircut that Vahn had only met once before, Samantha, Rocco Belfeban's granddaughter.
It only took a moment for Vahn to realize why they were the ones to receive his group so, with a smile on his face, he mused, "It pleases us to see you in good health, Waver Velvet...I trust you have had fewer issues since the last time we met?"
Waver gave a low bow after being addressed by Vahn before answering in a courteous tone, "Thanks to His Majesty, the El-Melloi family has been very prosperous as of late. My wife wishes to express her gratitude but, due to personal circumstances, cannot do so in person..."
Vahn's mood was lowered by the mention of Reines but, considering she had the wherewithal to lay low for a while, he wasn't that affected by Waver's words. Instead, he gave a small nod before giving the gentlemanly Magus leniency to stand before turning to Samantha and saying, "It has been some time since our last meeting. I hope you and your Grandfather have been in good health."
Samantha was looking decidedly nervous compared to the last time he saw her and, while she still had a ruby-red pixie cut, Vahn could tell that she was growing it out. She was also wearing a suit, a stark contrast to the rather boyish and casual style she had worn during the previous banquet.
Much like Waver, Samantha gave a too-low bow upon being addressed, something that nearly threw off her balance as a result of rather healthy development. Fortunately, as a Magus that specialized in physical combat, she managed to avoid a faux pas as she answered, "Thank you for your kind words. My grandfather is as healthy as an ox and eagerly awaits a meeting with Your Majesty...!"
With the edges of his smile curling up slightly, Vahn gave a small nod, stating in a casual manner, "If time allows, I'm certain a meeting can be arranged. I may have to trouble him with paying a visit, however, as it is not convenient for me to visit others."
Though it didn't actually matter all that much to him, Vahn had his status as an Emperor to consider when it related to social and political affairs. He couldn't simply go seeking out Rocco as it would be giving the man too much face at no real benefit to the Empire. Since the man wanted to probe him for information, it was a given that he should be the one to seek out an audience as, in the present moment, they weren't even acquaintances yet.
As a sensible woman, Samantha understood the meaning behind Vahn's words, her face turning a little pale. She regretted her choice of words but, seeing the relaxed smile on Vahn's face, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief before answering, "That is a matter of course, Your Majesty. I will let my grandfather know you are willing to meet with him. I'm certain he will jump at the opportunity for an audience at the earliest convenience for His Majesty."
While it was very apparent that Samantha still had a lot to learn about interacting with others in a formal matter, she had made a lot of progress in the short month or so since their last meeting. He had to give her credit as, while a considerable amount of time had passed in the Projection, the real world flowed at a much slower rate. This made it harder to ascertain how quickly those in the outside were progressing but, with his memory, Vahn didn't have too much trouble comparing her current self to the young woman he had met at the banquet...
---
After a bit of polite conversation, Vahn was leisurely strolling through the hallways of the Clock Tower, this time without anyone attempting to bar his passage. While the presence of his group garnered a lot of attention from the student body and faculty alike, the corridors were largely empty as nobody dared to earn his ire by blocking his way. This made Vahn feel a little like a tyrant but, as it was actually quite annoying to be stalled for some arbitrary reason, he didn't mind the awkward and tense atmosphere.
Since he had a detailed map of the Clock Tower already stored within his mind, it didn't take long for Vahn to reach the restricted access elevator that led to Solon's personal Bounded Field. This was the furthest people like Waver and Samantha could go so Vahn thanked them for their guidance before making his way onto the platform alongside Artoria, Gray, Da Vinci, Okita, Jeanne, and Gareth. It was a bit of a tight fit at first but, before the platform even began to rise, it seemed to double in size due to the manipulation of space around them.
Okita was alerted by the not-so-subtle manipulation but, with a simple gesture from Vahn, her body relaxed considerably, even if her grip on her katana remained unchanged. If it came down to it, she would not hesitate to cut down anyone who tried to harm her Master and, with her [Further Earth], even Zelretch would be forced to remove himself from the axis of time and space just to evade her...
This time around, the elevator ride didn't even take more than a minute before the space around them seemed to expand into a full world. The elevator platform itself merged together with the much larger floating lookout while, waiting for them on the landing leading up to Solon's Garden, Zelretch and a man Vahn assumed to be Director Atlasia stood with smiles on their faces.
The moment Vahn saw Director Atlasia, his brows lifted slightly and, skipping formalities, he asked, "Is it common for high ranking members of the Mage's Association to be Dead Apostles...?"
Zelretch began laughing rather boisterously in response to Vahn's words while, at the side, Director Atlasia cleared his throat before answering, "While I may be a Dead Apostle, I am not the same kind of existence as the monsters that play with human lives. I keep my thirst in check using a specialized compound that provided similar benefits without the usual mess. Also, if not for the request of the Association Director, I would not have left my Temple...with that in mind, I would request that Your Majesty does not make tasteless jokes..."
Vahn was somewhat amused by Director Atlasia's response but, as it was actually a little rude of him to point out the man's 'affliction', he decided to give an affirmative nod. This returned the smile to Director Atlasia's face while Zelretch, having laughed to his heart's content, gestured toward the Temple above as he said, "Solon would have come out to meet you but they have been experiencing a few issues as of late. Inside, you'll find some rather high-quality tea waiting so please follow along, Your Majesties and esteemed guests."
With Zelretch leading the way, followed closely behind by Director Atlasia, Vahn and his entourage quickly followed suit. The usual formalities were unnecessary when all parties had significantly high status so, while Solon's absence was a small offense, Vahn didn't particularly mind it. He knew that the Director needed a way to save face for themselves and, after previously hearing about their past from Merlin, it didn't hurt to give them some leniency.
Upon entering Solon's Garden for a second time, Vahn briefly glanced around the area, finding it in the same exact state as his last visit. It was quite the sight to behold but, as he wasn't here to take in the sights, he turned his attention to the floating platform in the center of the building. There, Solon could be seen wearing much thicker robes than normal as they sat around a low table with a solemn and tired expression on their face.
Vahn was a little surprised to find Solon in such a state but, with the obvious intent of preventing him from asking, Zelretch lightly explained, "Solon has had a lot to deal with in the aftermath of the Barthomeloi family's fall. Try to cut them a bit of slack this time...they are a little more temperamental than usual..."
Though he had several questions, Vahn just gave a curt nod in response to Zelretch's 'plea'. He knew the elderly Magus had been far busier than the Director so, while the matter of the Barthomeloi was certainly troublesome, there had to be a different reason for Solon's current state. He assumed it had something to do with Merlin but, as the latter always deflected when probed about the topic of their discussion, Vahn had no way of knowing for certain.
Despite having the same youthful figure, Solon looked particularly ragged by the time the group reached the floating platform and took their seats. Even their emerald-green hair had lost a bit of its usual luster and, while their eyes were still a striking blue with pink circles around their pupils, much of their intensity had been lost. Now, rather than a predator that was about to leap onto its prey, Solon gave off the feeling of a wounded animal that didn't have any strength to resist...
Once everyone had been seated, Solon preempted the discussion by issuing a tired sigh and sitting a little straighter. A bit of their prideful aura returned as they stated, "Let's get this over with as soon as possible. I'm certain you have already prepared some kind of offer, right? Let me see it..."
To smooth things over a bit, Zelretch made a show of clearing his throat, earning a deadpan stare from Solon before the latter rolled their eyes and added, "We have already discussed the matter with the most influential affiliates of the Association. They are willing to make some compromises so long as the Empire does not make excessive demands. If you haven't prepared a draft, we can draw up a contract that guarantees some benefits for both sides. Since you're allied with the Edelfelt family, do not pretend you haven't already come up with a list of demands..."
Vahn was increasingly surprised by how things were developing as he had expected Solon to be the same obstinant person as before. Now, it seemed like the peculiar Magus had no will to even put up any meaningful resistance at all, something that made him feel strangely guilty. Still, as this was an important matter for both the Empire and his children, he pulled out the contract that had already been drafted and began discussing the various benefits for both sides...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Discussing politics makes the food taste worse','Vahn, the unobstructed tyrant of the halls...!','Solon seems depressed ( o _ o)...')
(A/N: There will be two more chapters later today, alongside one Babel. I should be on the fixed schedule starting tomorrow but, even if I'm not, there will still be an average of 12-14k words of content per day.)
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章節 1281: Concessions
While there were a few complex provisions and redundancies, the contract Vahn presented to Solon was a relatively straightforward document. In its most bare-bones interpretation, it stipulated that the Empire would not tolerate any practices considered inhumane. At the same time, a basic level of sovereignty would be granted to all sapient non-human and Spiritual lifeforms, making it unlawful to use them as subjects for research and as a source of material goods. While there were a few obvious exceptions, Vahn would never tolerate the suppression of species for the sole benefit of a few errant individuals.
The most important clause dictated that the Mage's Association had to recognize the Empire as it's own self-governing nation. This was an obvious inclusion but, as they already expected a number of issues to pop up, there were provisions regarding migration, the treatment of Companions, the basic guidelines for their educational system and, last but not least, a detailed explanation of the social hierarchy of the Empire.
Unlike every other country in the world, the foundation of the Empire was not built on its economy as, with [Das Rheingold], Da Vinci's [Gradiation Air Printer], a functionally infinite supply of mana, and the existence of thousands of Spirits, they were not wanting for anything. Rather, to prevent the rampant spread of corruption that always followed in the wake of material exchange, they would be using a strictly merit-based system that was monitored and regulated by Mother, one of Da Vinci's trio of advanced Artificial Intelligence networks.
This particular topic garnered an extreme amount of interest from Director Atlasia as, being a branch of the Mage's Association that was almost completely cut off from the rest of the world, the Atlas Temple actually used a similar structure. They were an organization of Alchemists that didn't follow orthodox practices so, even as far back as the seventeen hundreds, they had already developed a very rudimentary Artificial Intelligence using a network of artificial human brains. Now, almost every member of the Atlas Academy was an Artificial Human or Homunculus as many among their faculty considered it the logical step in human evolution.
Unfortunately, matching Vahn's expectations, immortality was a heavy burden on the average person so, over the last few hundred years, the Atlas Temple had a serious problem with suicides. In fact, as a result of several complex calculations that had been pointing towards the destruction of the world since the first generation Director, they now had less than one-hundred people in the Temple, faculty and students combined. Everything else was managed by Pseud-Spiritron Computers and Artificial Intelligence as, compared to the capabilities of these super-intelligent systems, people were almost obsolete.
While this may seem like a nightmarish place to be, the primary reason behind the Atlas Temple's fall was that they had taken it upon themselves to developed advanced technologies with the ultimate goal of preserving humanity from several extinction level events that had been prophesied by their first Director. Thus, in an effort to avoid the same corruption that existed in other organizations, they had isolated themselves in order to fully focus on their goals.
Since it was an impossible goal for the first generation of Atlas Temple Alchemists, they had focused on the development of systems and Artificial Lifeforms that could exceed the limitations of humanity and push Thaumaturgy to a level they believed was impossible for humans to reach on their own. As a result, they created a series of hyperintelligent superhumans, each successive generation greatly exceeding the potential of the former. Since the advent of this system, six generations had come into existence and, feeling their own existences become obsolete, many Veteran Alchemesists ended up killing themselves after their progeny matured.
Da Vinci could empathize with this as, during her past life, a number of prodigious individuals had ultimately ended up falling into depression while trying to compete with her. Some had even taken their lives, believing there was no purpose in existing in a world where their best efforts would never amount to a middling effort on her part. It was this, combined with the isolation imposed upon her by the Church and Mage's Association, that ultimately led to Da Vinci herself taking her own life.
Ultimately, things like immortality, absolute power, and hyperintelligence were things that humans, in general, were not able to truly comprehend, much less adapt in a healthy manner. Immortality had the effect of making you slowly lose your appreciation of life and, in many instances, led to the soul itself becoming fatigued.
Immortality would cause you to slowly lose your grasp on emotions and, unless you periodically erased your memories, the burden of your own experiences would cause you to lose your mind. As for absolute power and hyperintelligence, these were both powerful corrupting elements and, if you lacked the proper amount of empathy, those with more power and intelligence often suppressed and subjugated those weaker and less intelligent than themselves. This was part of the evolutionary process itself and, while it functioned well when humans had short lifespans, it became a very big issue when they began living for hundreds, or even thousands, of years.
This was something Vahn understood well as, despite his best efforts, he sometimes struggled with his own mentality. If not for his expansive support group and the persistent guidance of Sis, it was not an exaggeration to say that he could deviate down a much darker path. After all, it was so much 'easier' to use force to deal with your problems and, when you had as much power and resources as he had, the urge to simply eliminate all troubles was ever-present. This was the reason he placed so much importance on the promises he made with people like Artoria as, without a means to ground his own actions, there was a chance he would truly become the tyrant some made him out to be...
---
While the number of clauses and provisions numbers in the hundreds, Solon didn't take too long to review the thick stack of documents. Since the Empire would be bearing the brunt of Angra Mainyu's emergence, combined with the fact they provided both knowledge and resources to the Association, it was a foregone conclusion that Solon would accept. They only had a few addendums that served the interests of the existing affiliates but, as this was something Vahn had already anticipated, it was not a major point of contention.
The only thing Solon really had a problem with was the fact that Vahn wanted to create an entirely new department within the Association that had its own recognized sovereignty. This would make it so that the department was functionally an embassy and, despite their autonomy, he expected that the most important resources, such as the Spiritual Tomb, would be accessible to the Empire.
If not for the fact that Vahn added a stipulation that essentially required the Empire to compensate the Clock Tower for all the materials harvested within, it would be impossible to agree to such terms as even the Three Monarchal families weren't able to act with such impunity. This made it seem as if the Mage's Association was cowing to the Empire but, when it ultimately came down to it, this wasn't actually that far from the truth. Thus, after a discussion that seemed to make Solon age several years in a few tens of minutes, the contract was notarized and signed.
Originally, Vahn had intended to allow Solon to keep he documents so they could take care of negotiations with the Association's affiliate families but, with two of the Directors present, such considerations were ultimately unnecessary. Even if they didn't come to an accord in regards to the Clock Tower, Director Atlasia had already agreed to work in conjunction with the Empire as their goals were ultimately the same. Since Da Vinci was a genius beyond even his comprehension, even with his own mind on the level of a supercomputer, he felt the Atlas Temple itself would become obsolete if he didn't make concessions now.
With Director Atlasia's support, Solon had the leverage to sign the document without having to confer with the other families as, even if conflict ultimately broke out, the Empire was guaranteed to emerge victoriously. Vahn had even revealed the existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the fact he now had the means to summon an unlimited amount of Heroic Spirits, invalidating the need to consider the matter in detail. Since the terms would likely become more troublesome after a fight broke out, it was better to compromise now in order to build rapport with the Empire. Only by acquiescing could they guarantee that the Mage's Association would even exist in the future...
---
When the documents were officially signed, Vahn had a pleased smile on his face but, after stowing them away safely in his Inventory, he turned to Solon and said, "This may sound awkward coming from me but I hope you'll take better care of yourself in the future. I can see that this wasn't easy for you but, in order to create a world where humans and spirits can live in peace, we must all be willing to make some compromises. I hope that, in the future, you will understand that your decision here helped to shape the world for the better..."
Hearing Vahn's words, Solon released another tired sigh before looking at him with a deadpan stare and saying, "Even with the power of the Empire, human nature is intrinsically tied to corruption. It is all but guaranteed that something will go wrong down the line. The odds of this increase when you empower people and give them the illusion of freedom. No matter how good they have it, there will always be those who seek more. For some, taking from others is what gives their life meaning so the utopia you aspire to create is fundamentally impossible to realize. I only hope that, in your efforts to bend nature to your will, you do not break before humanity itself does..."
Vahn was slightly awed by Solon's words and, for a brief moment, he was at a loss as to how to respond. Fortunately, as was often the case, Zelretch stepped in and, with a sly smile on his face, explained, "Solon has actually tried to guide humanity a few times without any success. Don't take their words too seriously. There is no such thing as impossible, especially on a fundamental level, so the only thing that matters is that you do your best to actualize your dreams. You cannot be faulted for desiring a better world. Do not let the weight of humanity break your spirit, hahahahaha-urk!"
In the midst of Zelretch's laughter, Solon elbowed them hard in the side and, while their expression was largely emotionless, Vahn sensed their emotions spike for a brief moment. This caused his smile to return as, while they were good at hiding it, Solon's reaction showed they were more than a little embarrassed by Zelretch's words. This made the peculiar Magus seem more human so, while he still felt a little guilty for forcing Solon into this position, there didn't seem to be any serious issues with the Director's mentality.
As a show of good faith, Vahn decided to wrap things up by asking, "Now that we are officially allies, would you like a tour of Avalon? I cannot show you much of the castle but, if it is just the island, I'm certain there are a number of exhilarating sights to behold. It truly is one of the most beautiful and scenic places I've ever seen. Considering I've traveled to more than one world, you can trust that my standard for such things is quite high."
Hearing Vahn suddenly invite them into the heart of the Empire, Solon, Zelretch, and Director Atlasia were all more than a little surprised. While it could be a trap, that wouldn't really make a lot of sense when considering the capabilities of the Empire itself. If Vahn wanted to eliminate them, sending an army of Heroic Spirits all but guaranteed their loss. Thus, while they would normally refuse, Solon seriously considered the invitation while Zelretch and Director Atlasia wasted no time in accepting.
With their colleagues readily agreeing, Solon released a subdued sigh before ultimately accepting Vahn's offer. At the very least, they would be able to ascertain some of the truths behind his claims as, according to the information he provided, there should already be several communities of Spirits residing in Avalon. Since it was much easier to determine if a land was peaceful by the balance of mana and the happiness of the Spirits, they figured it would be beneficial to see for themselves what kind of place Avalon had become under the rule of the Empire...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Money has no value when you have an infinite amount xD','Immortality is a heavy burden','There is nothing wrong with wanting to make the world a better place')
(A/N: 2k+ word chapters feel so pleasant to write xD...')
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