章節 1835: Remnants of a Bygone Era
While Latias and Latios were enjoying their foray into numerous enemy bases, Vahn, riding on the back of Fenrir and guided by Ryun, made his way to the location of a set of ruins. The Test he had been assigned by the Guardian was to lay a certain spirit to rest, so, while the twins had their fun, he decided to spend some time with the wolf-like duo.
Fenrir had always enjoyed having him ride on her back, and, though he could have navigated to the forgotten city on his own, Ryun was always happiest when she was able to act as his Guide. This was a good opportunity to 'reward' both of the excessively loyal women, so, while Ryun dutifully led the way, he enjoyed the pleasant feeling and aroma emanating from Fenrir's inordinately fluffy fur.
Unfortunately, all things, both good and bad, invariably came to an end, and, after nestling into the scruff of Fenrir's neck for the better part of three hours, Vahn was left with no choice but to emerge once they had reached their destination. Then, after nuzzling against the two giant wolves' snouts, patting both aplenty, he had them return to their human forms so they could investigate the ruins that had nearly disappeared due to the forest's encroachment.
As could be expected from a site dating back to the Age of Genesis, there were a number of hidden chambers and rare artifacts hidden within the interior of the ruins. There was even an ancient form of a Lighthouse, one specifically designed for battle. Rather than resemble a cube, it was structured similarly to a small yet extremely durable suspend ship. It was effectively a floating fortress, but, for the sake of stealth and collecting information, it was designed to carry a single team of six people.
After briefly analyzing the structure of the ancient Lighthouse, Vahn ultimately chose to leave it in its resting place. He wasn't particularly fond of looting ancient battlefields and burial grounds, so, with knowledge of its structure safely stowed away within his mind, he had Ryun serve as a Guide until they arrived at a set of massive stone doors.
Unlike the rest of the ruins, which were completely bereft of a single sign of life, this particular set of doors was inscribed with ancient runes that continued to shimmer even after more than 20,000 years had come to pass. Unfortunately, they weren't the only things that had persisted since ancient times.
As could be expected from an ancient fortress city occupied by restless spirits, there were a number of ghost-like Shinheuh present that fed off the negative energies produced by the former. To make matters even worse, there were also a number of autonomous golems produced by the Workshop, some of which could even rival a Ranker.
With the glyph-covered doors protecting the 'heart' of the ancient fortress city, the concentration of negative energy in the surroundings was potent enough to stain the Shinsu with a murky black coloration. This caused a palpable stench of death to linger in the air, but, with a wave of his hand, Vahn was able to gather most of the negative energy into a pitch-black ball as he stared up at the massive skeletal spider looming over them from above.
Without needing to be told, Fenrir immediately pounced toward the monstrosity without a single sign of hesitation. This caused the creature to release a piercing screech, it's frequency very close to 240 decibels. This was tantamount to a massive explosion of sound, but, compared to the Power of Law contained within Fenrir's [Freezing Roar], it was completely negligible. The only thing the spider accomplished was passing the blue-haired Vanargandr off as there were few things she hated more than loud noises.
Despite having the strength to easily kill the average Ranker, it took less than a minute for Fenrir to tear the monstrous spider into a number of tiny pieces. This caused a powerful miasma to permeate through the area, but, as a being innately connected to both darkness and yin, it had absolutely no effect on the rather violent Vanargandr. If anything, it actually made her a little stronger as she had always had a much easier time absorbing and converting negative energies than those with positive alignments. This was the opposite of Ryun, who, despite being a Vanargandr, possessed an affinity with Fire and Light rather than Ice and Darkness.
With the skeletal spider taken care of, Vahn rewarded Fenrir by fluffing up her ears and hair for a few minutes before shifting his attention back to the heavily reinforced double doors. The glyphs, combined with the materials used in its construction, made the door virtually indestructible. They also prevented any kind of spatial movement, so, unless you possessed the ability to break through by force, it was nearly impossible to enter the chamber beyond.
Fortunately, while others might struggle with such a thing, Vahn had numerous solutions to deal with the current situation. He could force his way through by simply cutting through the door, but, feeling this would be going a little overboard, he ultimately chose to probe around the area using his intent until he discovered a minute crack in the seemingly impenetrable defenses. This allowed him to send his intent directly into the interior, and, though it was still isolated from the outside, he was able to ignore the conventional restrictions of spatial movement so long as his domain existed in both locations.
After effectively quantum shifting into the interior chamber, Vahn couldn't help but release a tired sigh as he saw the bleached bones of thousands of people gathered within. This chamber had once served as an evacuation shelter during times of conflict. This was the main reason the enemy forces hadn't wasted their efforts in trying to breach the chamber. Instead, they destroyed the mechanism that allowed the door to open, mercilessly trapping those within.
Shaking his head, Vahn summoned Fenrir and Ryun to his side using his Unit Management before making his way towards the deepest chamber. There, they found a single solitary corpse at the very center of the chamber. Unlike the others, however, their bones had not become bleached with the passage of time. Instead, they resembled smooth white jade, glistening slightly under the pale blue light that permeated the entire chamber. Even her dress had been preserved, the fabric appearing almost brand new despite the passage of more than twenty-thousand years.
Breaking the silence, it was Ryun who first remarked, "She must have been quite the exceptional person during her lifetime...do you intend to resurrect her?"
Rather than Vahn or Fenrir, it was a gentle voice from the surroundings that asked, "You possess the ability to revive the dead? If so, please have mercy on the people in this chamber. Nobody deserves to suffer this kind of fate..."
Immediately following the ghostly utterance, the figure of a young girl with pale skin, flowing white hair, and exquisite facial features appeared above the jade-like corpse. This, combined with the fact that her garb resembled the royal vestments worn by women in the late Tang Dynasty, gave off the impression of a youthful, pristine, and pure princess. She even had a scarlet red dot in the center of her forehead, reminiscent of a Hua Dian symbol that was popular in ancient China.
Though he couldn't help but wonder what kind of fate he possessed to constantly encounter both lolis and elements stemmed from Chinese mythos, Vahn's expression remained calm as he offered a polite smile and remarked, "I never expected that the Spirit within this chamber would belong to an Empress..."
Not expecting anyone to recognize her after such a lengthy period of time, the ghostlike Empress showed an expression mixed with fear and confusion as she manifested a pure white silken cloth to serve as her weapon. Before she could attack, however, Vahn created a spherical prison with Enkidu as he calmly explained, "I am not your enemy. I was sent here at the behest of the Floor Guardian to exorcise your spirit and lay you to rest. As mentioned by my companion, however, I also possess the ability to create a new vessel for your spirit to inhabit. Unfortunately, due to the lengthy passage of time, the same cannot be said for the unfortunate souls who have come to reside here. Your efforts to expel the negative energies from this chamber prevented them from becoming evil spirits, but, at the same time, you were discarding important parts of what made them individuals. Though I could create new bodies for them, they would be little more than emotionless dolls without a true ego or a purpose...."
Hearing Vahn's explanation, the petite Empress, named Xiao Xinyue, adopted an extremely sullen expression as she muttered, "I see..." in a disheartened tone.
Restraining a sigh, Vahn adopted a gentle expression, dissipating Enkidu as he softly advised, "Soon enough, the era built upon the destruction of your Empire will come to an end. If you wish to see it, I can provide you with the opportunity. In the end, however, it will not replace that which was lost. If you were to ask my opinion, I would suggest moving on peacefully to the next life. You might find it difficult to believe, but I can assure you that this is not the end of your path."
Offering a sad smile in response, Xiao Xinyue meekly replied, "I have no desire for revenge...though there was a time when I wanted nothing more than vengeance, it was not just the negativity of the people here that I expelled. I will accept your offer, not out of a desire for revenge, but to preserve the legacy of my people...I can imagine no greater tragedy than the memory of my people and our endeavors being forgotten to time..."
Though he knew she was lying about not wanting revenge, Vahn offered an understanding nod in recognition of the young Empress's noble aspirations. Her vengeance was closely related to his own objectives so it wouldn't really make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. As for her secret desire to restore her Empire to its former glory, such ambitions were bound to fade once she had a better grasp of the situation and learned the truth regarding the Tower's existence.
With this thought in mind, Vahn drafted a powerful contract that guaranteed Xinyue's autonomy but bound her as his vassal. This made her a little uncomfortable, but, after learning of his status as both a God and an Emperor, she ultimately accepted the terms outlined in the contract. She wasn't exactly in a position to negotiate, so, with lofty ambitions for the future, she had little choice but to accept a position beneath him. After all, it was difficult to purport herself as an Empress when the Empire she was meant to preside over hadn't existed for more than twenty-thousand years...
---
After entrusting the Strauss Siblings with the task of helping Xinyue get settled within the Little Garden, Vahn returned to his bunker to find Latias sleeping atop a massive pile of cores. He had failed to specify how many she should collect, so, with a limited understanding of self-restraint, she invariably collected more than a hundred of the softball-sized cores. This caused Vahn to adopt a wry smile, but, rather than admonish her for going too far, he made sure to reward both her and Latios for their efforts. As for the Regulars who had suffered at her tiny paws...well, they were just unlucky to have ventured into the 29th Floor at this time...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn lives a very enviable existence...','Before it became known as the Age of Genesis, the residents of the Tower had another name to describe the era of Jahad's ascent...','Latias is a good girl (OwO)...!')
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章節 1836: Meetings and Machinations
Though he had 'technically' completed the Test assigned by the Guardian, Vahn's ascent to the 30th Floor was via the accumulation of power cores. This was the simplest method to guarantee that his Pocket was registered for the imminent Workshop Battle, but, most importantly, it would also serve as an alert to the forces that were keeping tabs on him.
At this point, virtually every faction in the Tower was currently keeping tabs on everything Vahn did. This included the Jahad Empire, who was investigating his status as an Irregular, FUG, who intended to either coerce him into joining or forcibly recovering the Thorn, and, though they weren't sure he was the one responsible, the Yeon Family had sent one of their elites to ascertain whether or not he was involved in the attack on the 21st Floor.
Though the Yeon Family was currently the 'most' interested in him, each of the Ten Great Families had sent representatives to either spy on or establish direct contact with him. The most prominent among these were the Ha and Eurasia Families, for obvious reasons, but, as one of the secret Elders backing FUG, he had also drawn a considerable amount of interest from the Po Bidau Family. As for the rest, the Arie and Ari Families were simply curious about him while the Lo Po Bia, Khun, Hendo Lok, and Tu Perie Families were just following the example of the rest.
Since it would actually draw even more attention if he ascended to the 30th Floor using anomalous means, Vahn decided it would save him a lot of time if he just 'announced' his presence. This would make things a little awkward for Yuri and the members of Wolhaiksong who were currently waiting for his arrival, but, considering how comprehensive their information network was, it wasn't likely to matter. Yuri could just play it off as taking an interest in a 'rising star', and, thanks to Ureko serving as their backer, few people were willing to antagonize Wolhaiksong...
---
After reaching the rather scenic 30th Floor, a region dominated by tropical islands, archipelagos, and massive coral reefs, Vahn booked passage to one of the most highly rated tourist destinations in the Middle Tower, a seaside resort located on Sepia Island. This was a region believed by many to be one of the most beautiful places prior to reaching the 100th Floor, and, as the location of one of the Workshop's Headquarters, there were a variety of hotels to chose from and a seemingly infinite number of shops to peruse.
Seeing a number of Regulars lounging on the nearby beach, Vahn was briefly tempted to take a dip himself. Before that, however, he had a problematic Princess to deal with, so, after acquiring a map of the resort district, he leisurely roamed through the city streets before gradually making his way towards the most expensive hotel on the entire island. Along the way, he encountered a number of mechanical guards, a popular security measures used by the Workshop to deter criminal acts in the areas where Regulars reside. Even the weakest among them was stronger than the average E-Rank Regular, and, though it was unknown what Level they went up to, it was rumored that the Level 99 Automatons were nearly as strong as a Ranker.
Though he was a little interested in the structure and composition of the mechanical guards, Vahn ultimately chose to ignore them. There were far more powerful versions found on higher floors, so, rather than concern himself with machines designed to police Regulars, he checked into one of the most expensive suites in the hotel before lying in bed and sending a message to Yuri. He knew she had been following him in secret ever since his arrival on the island, so, now that he had teased her for the better part of two hours, it was time to give her an excuse to pay him a visit.
Unsurprisingly, it took less than five minutes before Vahn heard a 'very' loud knock on the door to his room. When he checked the monitor to see who was standing in the corridor, he could see Yuri with a hateful pout, and, as was often the case, Evan could be seen standing in the back with a tired expression on his face.
Knowing she wouldn't hesitate to bust down the door, Vahn eventually hopped out of bed in order to allow Yuri entrance into the suite. Then, with a relaxed smile on his face, he attempted to evade her punch by entering the State of Nothingness. Unfortunately, this was an ability she had become intimately familiar with, so, while she held herself back quite a bit, Vahn found himself backpedaling in response to the glowering girl's punch to his sternum.
Without waiting for permission, Yuri promptly entered into the room, shaking her hand as she said, "Don't try and bullshit me by telling me you weren't aware of my presence. The next time you make me wait, I'm going to punch you square in that stupid face of yours. Seriously, what kind of asshole makes a Princess skulk around like some kind of stalker for two hours?"
While rubbing the sore spot on his chest, Vahn offered a wry smile in response to Yuri's words as he explained, "Though I won't deny that I wanted to tease you, Evan should have explained to you my actual reason for wandering around. I was compiling a map of the entire region while getting a feel for all the other forces keeping tabs on me. Cut me some slack..."
Though she had, in fact, heard about Vahn's presumed reasoning from Evan, Yuri still crossed her arms in response to his words, stating matter-of-factly, "If you told us where you were going to be staying, we could have booked a room and waited for you. Regardless of your reason, you still had me walk around for more than two hours. Don't think you can fool me just because my Intellect is a little low."
With the dent in his chest having vanished, Vahn exhaled a tired sigh as shook his head and said, "It wasn't my intention to fool you...well, not that it matters at this point. I'm sorry for making you walk around. Here, accept this as my apology..."
Understanding that Yuri was primarily just fishing for sweets, Vahn pulled out a bag full of chocolate candy filled with caramel before tossing it toward her. This immediately brought a smile to her face, her vibrant red eyes sparkling as she tossed a few pieces into her mouth and emitted a contented hum. Then, after licking the residue from her fingertips in an unintentionally seductive manner, she casually remarked, "You're in a lot of trouble. That raggedy old crone in the Yeon Family seems to view you as her arch-nemesis. She sent someone pretty scary to investigate you this time around. If you choose to participate in the Workshop Battle, there is a good chance she will try to assassinate you."
As he was already well aware of Ilarde's plot, Vahn's expression didn't change in response to Yuri's words. Instead, he gestured toward the sofa, inviting the two to take a seat before explaining, "The Yeon Family is the least of my problems this time around. Three members of the Royal Enforcement Division have been sent to view the Workshop Battle, and, though they are currently in hiding, FUG has machinations towards both myself and one of the weapons currently in my possession."
Hearing that RED was involved, Evan's expression immediately soured as he said, "Princess, if what Vahn says is true, we can't stay here. Though we can play off this meeting as simple curiosity, your status as a Princess of Jahad will be endangered if you are discovered fraternizing with an Irregular."
Scrunching her brows in response to Evan's words, Yuri snorted disdainfully as she crossed her arms and said, "I already explained the situation to my Great-Grandmother. She gave me permission to try and recruit Vahn into the family, so, even if those bastards in RED come knocking, I'm not afraid of them. They shouldn't know if Vahn is actually an Irregular so it's not like they can do anything to him. Besides, if Mr. Dragon Breath over there was worried about something like that, do you think he would meet with us like this? He obviously has something in mind. Stop worrying over nothing."
Not expecting such a logical argument from the Princess, Evan found himself at a momentary loss for words as he looked to Vahn for answers. In response, the latter offered a similarly incredulous look before adopting a wry smile as he explained, "Yuri is correct. I do have a few plans in mind, so there isn't too much to worry about. So long as Yuri doesn't go out of her way to try and 'help' me during the coming battles, there shouldn't be any problems. To that end, I can't stress enough how important it is that you stay out of the fight. Remember, even if I die, it won't actually kill me, so, if you really want to intervene, you should do so on the side of the Jahad Empire. You can help me a lot more if they believe you are loyal to the Empire so don't do anything rash..."
Rolling her eyes in response to Vahn's words, Yuri uncrossed her arms before rising from her seat and plopping down next to him. Then, without a word, she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes for nearly a minute before replying with an acquiescent, "Okay..."
Vahn wasn't quite sure what to make of Yuri's behavior as he had asked the Law of Identity to only reveal information when he sent her a certain signal. It could be 'very' distracting to have her drone on about the innermost thoughts of virtually everyone around him so he could only rely on his past experiences to try and interpret the meaning behind Yuri's actions. Before that, however, he took the initiative to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer despite the deadpan stare he was receiving from Evan.
Fortunately, this action, alone, seemed to be more than enough to satisfy Yuri as a contented smile immediately blossomed across her face. In hindsight, this actually made a lot of sense, as, more so than any words, she had always been the type to express herself through actions. The fact she had been so vocal earlier was evidence of the fact that she had been thinking about him quite a bit, so, now that they were reunited, she would clearly rather just go with the flow rather than talk about a bunch of troublesome matters.
Realizing they would probably have to part for much longer periods of time in the future, Vahn sent a look towards Evan before manifesting the Little Garden. This caused the latter to shake his head in a helpless manner, but, rather than try to meddle, he pulled out one of his unique artifacts, a series of four red and blue fists known as [Adam's Gloves]. They were capable of generating a barrier that completely concealed those within from all forms of detection, so, even if someone tried to use an advanced Observer to spy on the suite, they would find it completely empty.
With the trustworthy Silver Dwarf providing support, Vahn took Yuri into the Little Garden so they could catch up and experience a bit of privacy. Afterward, he took her back to the Emerald Grove to introduce her to all the newest residents. By then, she was already in a great mood, so, after hearing about how strong people like Whitebeard, Vegeta, and Android 21 were, she couldn't resist beating each of them to a pulp before challenging Index to a celebratory eating competition...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Everyone wants a piece of Vahn','Yuri don't play xD...','I take it back. Yuri plays hard...')
(A/N: I was feeling pretty tired after this chapter so this will be the last one for today's block. Even writing three chapters takes between 8~9 hours at my current pace, so, unless I'm in a groove, it is far more likely that I will release three chapters per day. Anything beyond that is the result of hype or an inordinate amount of motivation xD.)
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