章節 1322: Cleaning the Slate
After veritably, and literally, cleaning the coffers of the Holy Church, Vahn ultimately returned to the surface. There, several small scale battles were ongoing but, with the massive difference in skill and base parameters, the Empire hadn't suffered even minor casualties. Instead, the agents of the Church that had been trying to reclaim the Vatican had largely been killed while only a few who surrendered early on had been captured.
Vahn didn't actually want to destroy the Vatican City as it had accumulated thousands of years of art, history, and culture. However, when he remembered that the Catholic Church had unabashedly done the same to practically every culture it came into contact with, there was a certain poetic justice to its destruction. They had built up their entire organization on a foundation of lies and, while it wouldn't be that difficult to protect the heritage sites present, Vahn knew the more zealous followers of the church would never stop trying to reclaim it.
With this in mind, Vahn moved to the temporary command site that had been established and, after putting Gawain and the rest at ease, he ordered, "Have everyone withdraw within the next twenty-four hours. I'll be sealing off the Bounded Field from the outside world before destroying everything that is left behind. We'll have Da Vinci's micro-golems dismantle the underground structures before converting the materials into a memorial pylon."
Hearing Vahn's words, Gawain's smile became somewhat wry as he asked, "Are you certain this is the best course of action, Your Majesty? I fear the destruction of this place will lead to...complications..."
Vahn understood Gawain's concerns but, more so than almost anything else, the existence of a belief system based on false pretenses was dangerous. He would have enough problems dealing with real Gods so, showing consideration for an organization that had exploited and persecuted people for literal millennia wasn't really on the top of his list of priorities. Rather, if he wanted to be considerate of people's culture, he would need to look into the past over the next few decades to uncover the truth that the Holy Church had kept concealed for generations.
Having already made up his mind, Vahn gave a slight nod before stating, "There is no meaning in a physical legacy. We will preserve this place eternally within the New World System designed by Da Vinci. All of history will slowly be brought to light and, if people are interested in events of the past, they will be able to view them directly when the time comes. Pandering to a group of people whose history includes countless examples of violence will only empower them to commit greater acts in the future. The Common Law of the Empire will prohibit the open practice of Religion as, other than to serve as a moral compass, it has no other purpose in this world..."
Vahn didn't particularly care what people wanted to believe but, seeing how much violence had been perpetrated for no better reason than a 'difference' in beliefs, he felt Religion as an institution was a very dangerous thing. From the data that had been collected by Ark, there was enough evidence to paint every existing religion in a highly negative light as, at their highest levels, they were often ruled by the most corrupt. In some situations, they existed solely to keep a group repressed while the vast majority had financial gain as their driving force...
---
With his Liege having made his decision, Gawain was not in a position to further question the orders he had been given. He knew there were greater powers at play behind the scenes so, while he didn't wholly agree with Vahn's decision, he would dutifully carry out his orders. As for Vahn, he quickly left the command center as his presence was more of a distraction than anything else. He needed to get better at demonstrating his trust for those that had chosen to follow him so, seeing Gawain begin to pass on his orders, Vahn entrusted the matter to him.
After a quick teleport, Vahn arrived at the nearby Sistine Chapel where, despite not participating in the combat, Da Vinci was staring up at the various murals and frescos lining the ornate chamber. She wasn't alone, either, as this area had been designated as a rallying point for everyone tasked with the exploration of the subterranean levels. Though some people, such as Karna, had gone to assist in the fighting outside, almost everyone else had returned at this point.
As his teleportation wasn't exactly subtle, Vahn's arrival drew the attention of everyone within the Chapel. Okita and Jeanne quickly came to his side, preempting Lilith's attempt to do the same, while Da Vinci remained in her spot with a sad look in her starry eyes. She was already aware of his intent to destroy the Vatican but, considering many of the masterpieces present had been created by one of her few contemporaries, Da Vinci was feeling a little melancholic.
Vahn understood what Da Vinci was thinking so, after sharing a few words with Okita and Jeanne, he made his way to her side, saying, "If it bothers you, we can summon Michelangelo in the future. Like any true master, I believe he would revel in the opportunity to create greater masterpieces, not harp over matters of the past..."
Hearing Vahn's remark, Da Vinci issued an elegant laugh before turning to face him, explaining, "You know, he actually refused to be paid for his work on this place. It was meant to be his magnum opus, the final piece of artwork he developed prior to his death. Michelangelo was the type that reveled in the arts, considering the opportunity to express himself as the highest form of payment..."
From her response, it sounded like Da Vinci was agreeing with him but, before Vahn could offer any other words of consolation, she smiled slyly and added, "One of his favorite past times was hiding as many nude figures as possible within his works, especially if they were for the Church. Those wrinkly old fools were constantly pulling out what remained of their hair in an effort to censor his work~"
Realizing she was messing with him, Vahn issued a light chuckle of his own before wrapping his arm around her waist and taking in the sights one last time. Da Vinci leaned against him, the same smile on her face as before, now without the melancholic glint in her eyes. Then, without Vahn giving the order to do so, Da Vinci sent a signal to her micro-golems and, before the eyes of everyone present, the Sistine Chapel slowly broke down into grey particles, effectively turning to dust until the entire building had disappeared a few minutes later...
---
With nothing left for him to personally deal with, Vahn ultimately ended up returning to London while most every non-combat personnel returned to Avalon. There was a good chance that the remnants of the Holy Church would do something even more drastic than before but that wasn't a matter of importance, at least within Vahn's mind. Instead, his focus was on establishing some basic semblance of order, albeit after spending some time with his children and taking care of a few other pertinent matters...
As could be expected, the events that led to what people were tentatively referring to as the Age of Chaos threw a wrench into the daily operations of the Clock Tower. Classes had largely been put on hold as, in many cases, the Professors themselves had either stepped down or lost their lives in the conflict. There were no longer any factions such as the Noble, Democratic, and Neutral, at least on the surface, as the Clock Tower itself was going through a period of internal restructuring.
One of the bigger changes was the introduction of the Common Law which, by Imperial Decree, had precedence over all other rules, regulations, and laws. This resulted in the old curriculum being done away with as Vahn had no intention of letting students be led astray and taken advantage of. One of his decrees prohibited the use of any form of unsanctioned mental manipulation as he considered it to be one of the key factors that led so many students astray. At the same time, he made things like the mandated harvesting of 'raw materials' from Magi illegal while simultaneously dissolving even middling contracts related to the acquisition of such materials.
While there were no inherently evil practices, Vahn believed there were some that skirt far too close to the border of what any sensible person would practice. This included things like Necromancy and the production of Artificial Humans, Homunculi, and Familiars for the sole purpose of being used as weapons, materials, and an expendable labor force. One of the fundamental principles of the Empire was the observation and appreciation of sapient species and, while there would be exceptions, every race would be treated with dignity by default.
With these changes as an example, every existing department within the Clock Tower had to modify its curriculum, the sole exception being the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory. Rather, as the 'more correct' path, parts of Da Vinci's curriculum were being implemented throughout the other departments. This was an expected outcome as, with the shift in the status quo, people were more eager than ever to throw their lot in with the Empire, especially after the recent 'purge'.
Unfortunately for aspirant students and opportunists, the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory wasn't exactly taking in new students. This would only cause even greater chaos, especially with the current students only recently finishing their Baseline Training. Since they were essentially the test batch for the curriculum, introducing new elements before the curriculum could be refined was extremely detrimental. This wasn't the main concern, however, as Vahn and Da Vinci ultimately just wanted the existing students to have enough time to adapt to the changes.
Even though they had largely cut ties with their families and other parties, nearly every student that was currently a part of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory had been affected by the recent changes. After all, the entire world was currently in chaos so they had a lot to think about in regards to their own future. It was fortunate that the events took place during their Baseline Training as it gave them something to focus on, something that rewarded them plentily for their efforts...
As 'Status' was an actual thing within the Nasuverse, with Parameter Rules and quantifiable Skills and Abilities, each student was able to use their Terminal to keep track of their progress. They could see their Parameters change in real-time and, after obtaining a Familia Crest, they were able to map out their future paths through the Skill Tree.
These changes had been groundbreaking for the students so, while there were a few who had dealt with the transition with some difficulty, most of the students were working hard to become stronger. This was both to secure their own future and, as the Department purported, prepare them for any path they may find themselves on in the future.
To this end, Mordred, Sakura, Zoë, Astrid, and Mash were setting an example for the rest of the students to follow. They redoubled their efforts and made no attempt to conceal how hard they were working to grow stronger. At the same time, Mordred had secured her position as the top Ranking student, both within the Department and the Virtual Battle Arena. The latter had been made accessible to the students after their Baseline Training and, as could be expected, it had become a very popular recreational tool.
With the Virtual Battle Arena, students could fight against doppelgangers of themselves but, each with identical Parameters, Skills, and Magecraft. The difference was, their doppelgangers could be changed to fight at varying degrees of proficiency, including a Master setting that gave each student a hard lesson on exactly how inefficient their combat methods were. Since the Master setting used the battle data from Vahn's [Laplace's Key] as a template, the only person who had been able to last more than a few minutes against their Master Doppelganger was Mordred. Even she, however, was unable to defeat herself as, when all other things were balanced, even the smallest mistake could lead to a quick defeat...
The Doppelganger function was the default training method available to new students but, once they were able to defeat an Advanced version of themselves, they gained access to new options. These were far more popular than the Doppelganger function as, when it ultimately came down to it, fighting against and being defeated by yourself wasn't a pleasant experience. Instead, the option to fight against versions of their fellow classmates was the most popular function with monster hunting being a close second.
Unfortunately, causing Vahn a fair amount of annoyance, some of the students had immediately tried to exploit this function for 'nefarious' purposes. There was one male student who, after finally defeating an Advanced version of himself, unlocked the function only to immediately match against one of the weaker female students. Since the duplicates were exact copies, combined with the fact that the system replicated senses with 99.4% accuracy, the foolish boy had tried to take 'liberties' with his system-controlled classmate.
As it was impossible to hide your intentions from the system while immersed, he was immediately ejected from the simulation and harshly penalized as an example. This caused the other students to ostracize him but, as Vahn was against the idea of social justice when punishment had already been met out, he ended up having to address the matter personally. After all, he couldn't really blame the boy for being curious and, considering the current state of the world, he knew people needed a way to relieve their stress. Thus, after a rather awkward discussion with the class about proper etiquette and sexuality, two surprisingly related topics, the matter was largely settled...
(A/N: I'm going to be out today so this will be the only chapter unless I can free up some time later.)
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
章節 1323: A Brief Moment of Idleness
Though it had originally been part of his duties as an Advisor, Vahn made a habit of meeting with Solon and Zelretch every few days. This mainly involved him listening to Solon complain for a short while before Zelretch finally got around to explaining various problems all around the world. Today, however, things were a little different as, upon his arrival, Vahn found Zelretch alone as Solon had holed themselves up in their own room, apparently due to mental fatigue.
Vahn, of course, understood why Solon was stressed out so, rather than comment on it, he enjoyed a casual conversation with Zelretch, skirting around the matter of the Holy Church entirely. Instead, the elderly Magus was more curious about the various persons of interest who had come to reside in the Empire as of late, specifically Aoko and, after a brief period of drama, her sister Touko.
When it came to discussing the two hot-headed siblings, Vahn could only smile wryly as he shook his head and remarked, "Touko is a sensible woman but she is super petty. As for Aoko, well, I'm certain you have an even better understanding of her personality than I...haaaaa..."
Hearing Vahn speak like an old man, Zelretch couldn't help but laugh at the former's expense before musing, "I wasn't really surprised that you were able to bring those two in your camp. What I'm really curious about is how things are developing between you...have you, you know...?"
Refusing to dignify Zelretch's question with an actual response, Vahn remained silent as he thought about the first night Aoko stayed in the castle. She had clearly misunderstood his intentions so it had led to a rather awkward situation where she ultimately ended up butting heads with several people and skirmishing with Fenrir. Surprisingly, however, the latter became rather fond of Aoko after their conflict and, the last time Vahn saw the duo, Fenrir's strength was increasing at a monstrous rate...
Aoko had the ability to draw forth a person's maximum potential, either by borrowing it from the past or the person's future. This allowed her to restore a Heroic Spirit to their maximum potential and, in many cases, make them even stronger than they were in their prime. As for Fenrir, the only thing that prevented her from becoming one of the most powerful people in Avalon right now was her own mental state. If she increased her power beyond her ability to retain her rationality, it would obviously become a problem. Thus, she had been focusing more on her mental development while sparring with Aoko at almost every opportunity...
Seeing Vahn ruminating, Zelretch decided to let his previous question fade into the void. Instead, he gazed off into the distance in much the same way as the young Emperor before commenting, "There is one person I think you ought to meet in the near future. With how things have developed, I fear a larger misunderstanding will transpire if you aren't introduced soon."
Even without Zelretch alluding to whom he was talking about, Vahn blinked back to awareness, asking, "Arcueid...?" in a curious tone. This surprised Zelretch somewhat but, remembering who it was he was dealing with, he just responded with a dry chuckle before nodding his head. He knew Vahn's information network had already developed beyond comprehension and, after dealing with the Holy Church, there was a very good chance he had already learned a great deal about Arcueid's existence.
Despite Zelretch not asking, Vahn decided to throw the old man a bone, explaining, "I've already told you about the coming regression. In order to prepare for the conflicts to come, we'll need to unify all of the world's influential figures under one banner. I don't intend to micromanage everyone but, no matter how strong they are, everyone will be required to follow the Common Law. I'm not going to have people capable of sinking countries wandering around unchecked just because they have been able to act with impunity till now..."
Along this same line of discussion, Vahn mentioned his intention to deal with the Dead Apostles, their Ancestors, and the creators of them all, the True Ancestors. He had no problem with people pursuing immortality but, if they used their eternal life and borderline infinite power to rule over and suppress others, he would deal with them. Since some Dead Apostle Ancestors literally kept human farms in order to feed their Bloodkin, despite alternatives being readily available, he didn't have too much patience for the errant Vampires.
Zelretch had already expected Vahn to do something about the Dead Apostle Ancestors as, during his travels, he found the signs that had been left behind by the micro-golems. As a result, some of the Ancestors had actually gone into hiding as, despite their pride and arrogance, they trusted the word of their Prophet, the Ancestor known by the code name 'Rose Prophecy'. She specifically had the ability to foretell the death of a Dead Apostle Ancestor with perfect accuracy, allowing them to prepare a successor in advance as her prophecies, thus far, had never been wrong.
It wasn't difficult to imagine the fate that would befall many of the Dead Apostle Ancestors in the near future as they would not have fled if things would be going in their favor. Vahn would most likely purge the Eclipse Faction in its entirety, eliminating Altrouge and her cronies who advocated the supremacy of Ancestors. True Ancestors were the original Masters of the nascent human race, brought into existence as a direct result of Gaia's contract with Crimson Moon. They truly believed that humans were meant to serve them and had been machinating to reclaim the world for several thousand years.
Vahn was, of course, aware of the existence of every Dead Apostle Ancestor, their two factions, and the penultimate plans of both sides. The analysis of Ark, the brilliance of Da Vinci, and the deductive prowess of Sherlock were an unbeatable combination. They also had Merlin to provide insight into the future while CHALDEAS could observe the state of the world at any point up until the emergence of Angra Mainyu. With all of these things, Vahn knew when and where the various opposing factions would strike as, even if he couldn't peer into their Bounded Fields, they obviously had to leave them if they wanted to attempt anything...
Even as he sat here discussing things with Zelretch, the Empire was already preparing counters to any scheme their enemies could come up with. The moment they tried anything, they would find themselves dealing with insurmountable odds as, with the passage of time, the Empire's advantages increased exponentially. He was already preparing for the next batch of summoning and, while it would take a while to enforce order, massive cities were being built on each continent. These would serve as the primary habitats of humanity in the future and, if people wanted to seek shelter in their protective walls, they would have to acquiesce to the Empire's rule.
There were so many things going on behind the scenes that Vahn rarely had any time to relax since the day of his announcement. If not for the time dilation within the Projection, he would be too busy to even spend time with his quickly growing children. This was a troubling matter as, at this point, even his youngest children were nearly two years old. As for Isanna and Naavi, they already matured to the point they were in their late teens, worrying him to no end...
For what must have been the ten-thousandth time, Vahn regretted not holding off on his current plans until his children had matured. Unfortunately, this wouldn't have been a futile course of action as, due to his period of 'increased activity', he ended up getting Olga and Circe pregnant, the latter coming as a complete surprise since, according to the person herself, she shouldn't be able to get pregnant a second time. This meant she needed constant supervision as, if anything went wrong at any point in time, they needed to be ready to deal with whatever abnormalities may appear...
To further exacerbate matters, Illya would be awakening soon as Aoko had 'helped' by accelerating the growth process. At this point, she had the appearance of a young woman in her late teens and, while she still appeared very 'youthful', it was a marked improvement from her perpetually ten-year-old figure. Vahn knew he would need to tend to her quite a bit when she finally emerged as, with each passing day, he could actually feel her frustration and urges building.
Illya was actually the reason he had been holding back in some of his other relationships as, while she didn't directly oppose his relationships with others, it was very obvious she was the jealous and possessive type. Fortunately, she would undoubtedly be joining the Menagerie upon awakening so the presence of like-minded people should mellow her out a bit. Vahn was just hoping that their first time together didn't involve anything too graphic and gory as, despite Cath Palug's insistence, he would never get used to the whole biting aspect...
With Illya near the top of a growing list of women he would need to deal with in the coming days, Vahn felt like his own peace of mind was a distant dream. Still, he didn't regret it in the slightest as, regardless of how troublesome things got in his intrapersonal relationships, he really did enjoy each and every moment. He loved the women around him dearly and, while his affections towards some may not match his intimacy with others, he would never stop doing his best to satisfy them...
As if he had recognized the look in Vahn's eye, Zelretch gave a sly smile but ultimately refrained on commenting. He had realized by Vahn's past reactions that the latter wasn't going to talk about his nightlife so it was best to avoid the topic. Those that had angered so-called 'Dragon Emperor', the name which had been given to him by people all around the world, generally met with a bad end.
Vahn had noticed the change in Zelretch's expression so he gave the man a pointed look before adopting his usual smile and saying, "If you have the means to contact Arcueid, please inform her of my intention to meet with her. She is one of the major players in the world and, while her power may be sealed, it is a simple matter for the Empire to restore it. I know she has been hunting other Dead Apostle Ancestors so I'm certain she will be willing to cooperate..."
Zelretch gave an understanding nod in response but, just to make sure he and Vahn were on the same page, he asked, "Do you intend to destroy the Eclipse Faction?" To this, Vahn answered with a nod of his own, adding, "The Aylesbury Valesti Ritual is fated to fail in almost every timeline, even without my intervention. I'm certain this is something you've confirmed yourself, yes...?"
Having seen countless parallel and tangential timelines, Zelretch knew the truth contained in Vahn's words. After all, the Aylesbury Valesti Ritual was an affront to the World itself and, as a result, it was always interrupted by unstoppably powerful Counter Guardians. The only possible way to complete the ritual was to secure the Holy Grail but, understanding the intentions of the participants, Alaya had never failed to intervene. This often led to the destruction of the Eclipse Faction but, as a result, Arcueid would often experience a terribly tragic fate...
This time around, Zelretch intended to help Arcueid avoid her destined end as, before Vahn, things such as fate had little to no relevance whatsoever. In fact, he seemed to control the very entities that shaped the fates of others so, with his assistance, Arcueid should be able to experience the peace she had sought for the last eight hundred years. There was even a chance she would be able to find genuine happiness as, from what he had observed of Vahn, Zelretch could tell the man possessed an extreme amount of empathy towards those that had suffered unjustly.
With their intentions aligning, Zelretch agreed to reach out to Arcueid while Vahn, having spent too much time on idle conversation, ultimately parted ways with the aged Magus to pick up the children and take them back to Avalon. It was already late in the afternoon so they would be returning to the Projection for rest, relaxation, and personal studies. This would also allow him to divest his time in a more efficient manner as, with his main body back in the Projection, he would have two bodies to interact with his ever-expanding harem and family...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fenrir be like, "So, you're telling me you can grant me infinite power...? I like you, we will be good friends','When 'play biting' goes too far (o,...,o)...!','Vahn has a strong affinity with Vampires...')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
每周推薦票狀態
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
114 推薦票 您可能也喜歡
段落評論