Fast-forward a few months. We were in the early Winter, most of my free year had passed. The Palatial staff trained their Proficiencies to match their levels and I dismissed the learning field. The silk-cattle and the peapura, along with the crop fields were transplanted to underground chambers I dug out, transforming the Secret Garden into a hub of rooms and farms, just like several Minecraft bases. I also had living quarters for around four thousand people in tight but liveable conditions in longhouses carved into the bedrock. Above-ground, everything went back to normal. The flower gardens, topiaries, and green grass.
I made sure all my enchantnts and runes were safely hidden inside the sandwiched walls.
In my free ti, I crafted seven of the black carriages. These were self-powered by a combination of enchantnts and gnomish tinkering. Clad in Adamantite and painted black, they were ready to collect the Empire's undesirables after the debutante.
Only two Proficiencies reached the next hundred mark.
Combat Technique [ 713 ]. Select 1 Ability.
Vicious Criticals: Increase Critical chance by (P/30)% and critical damage by (P/10)%.
Silkweaver (*) [ 502 ]. Select 1 Ability.
Elental Thread: Select (P/100) magical Schools you have an affinity for. Threads enjoy 95% (max) resistance to them.
I hoped this would allow my threads to survive the hardening process of Adamantite to create living adamantite weapons, but even with that resistance, the process failed as the Adamantite starved the threads.
My other long-term project, selectively breeding Deathberries until they were no longer poisonous was halfway done. I had a variant that was only deadly to people below the 2nd rank or very weak people in the 3rd. One of the reasons this process went so slow, besides biological ones, was that I was also controlling for increased sugar content. The only generations that got promoted were ones in which either one of these two factors improved. My ideal Death-less-berry would be almost pure sugar and no poison.
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"These carriages look hideous!" Madge gasped as I showed the girls the horseless prisoner wagons.
"I can't even look at them. They give goosebumps. I don't want to touch these things!" A squeamish Mona protested.
The exterior of the "Black Carriages" looked like soone covered a box with gothic tal gates. The black barbed bars ended in wicked spear points and went all around the vehicle. A twisting sh of tines ford rose patterns between the bars, but the barbed spikes made it look deadly. A body could be stuck in these barbs and it would hang until the flesh decayed and let it drop.
The wheels were also black and also full of barbs. Corkscrew spikes jutted out of the axle Ben-Hur style. At the front, a slanted panel with a small slit covered by an Adamantine wire sh hid the driver. At the very front, you'd find one of the two parts of the exterior that didn't have barbs, a massive cowcatcher that ran a handspan above the ground, ready to clear the way for the vehicle. However, it had a single row of slanted spikes made to shear anything in its path. Even sedintary rocks would be punctured and cut to size by these Adamantite blades. These wagons could go to war, and they would win the fight just by trampling over the enemy. At the back, double doors like a moving truck were the only access to the interior. A row of benches on each side with bluish-gray Adamantite manacles and chains allowed the vehicle to hold up to twenty prisoners and still keep the middle clear for troops. A bar running the length allowed them to hang on and not stumble around during a rough trip. A narrow door separated the back from the pilot's cabin where two people could sit and control the wagon's enchantnts and drive.
The interior paneling was entirely made of mirror-polished steel. Magical lights powered by the engraved Core could keep the inside as bright as day, allowing the prisoners to see their reflection on the other side. The floor was raised in the middle, allowing the crew to move without fear of being kicked by the prisoners should they free their legs from the Adamantite shackles. The manacles and shackles also drained Mana, allowing the wagon to keep even mage prisoners.
Madge wasn't alone in her opinion. Anyone inspecting this wagon would think it was hideous, repulsive, and unsettling. One could imagine being dragged inside would be the end, and that was exactly the image I wanted to pass to the Empire nobility. Prince Percival's Black Wagons would roam the capital and the people would shudder in fear.
I cackled like a villain, "That's the idea. This way, nobody in the Empire will try to find out about the fate of the people I'm going to gather. They'll just assu that they are dead the mont they enter these wagons. Follow inside."
"No."
"Please, don't."
They both refused to have anything with the creepy carriages. I could only chuckle.
"I promise it's nice. Co, let show you. Trust , please?"
I took them by the hand and led them inside the death row vehicle. I could control the wagon just by touching or being inside it. I activated the secret enchantnt at the door and brought them through.
The truth was, the door to the pilot cabin was also enchanted with a downgraded version of my {Sanctuary Gates}. If the pilot wanted to, they would lead not to the cabin but to a small extradinsional space.
"Matriarch's golden tits," Mona gasped and blasphed. "You have a village inside the wagon?"
The extradinsional space held a small grassland with a peaceful blue sky that emulated the day-night cycle. The village was made of eight stone inns that combined could house four hundred people in modest bedrooms with two bunk beds. A crystalline stream provided conjured drinking water, although food needed to be brought in from the outside. It also didn't grant the healing bonus to save so Enchantnt Points.
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The seven vehicles together could gather and house twenty-eight hundred people in a single trip. They could reach speeds up to sixty kiloters per hour or thirty-seven miles per hour, making the trip between the Imperial capital and Raswaria in less than three days, from the twenty normal horse-drawn carriages took. The enchanted vehicle could move twenty-four hours per day, so long the pilots took shifts driving.
The low center of gravity, pneumatic suspension, and stability enchantnts allowed it to move smoothly over most terrains. To tip one of these wagons over, you'd need to tilt it forty-five degrees on one side.
"Are you going to drag people in here? It will be awful for them," Madge remarked.
"Most often, not," I answered as I shook my head ruefully. All this misdirection was not sothing soone with my System Status would normally do. "I pretend to et with my 'victims' before the black carriage cos to take them. They'll put up so resistance, the people manning these vehicles will pretend to be roughing them up, and they'll end up here after vanishing inside the wagon. Sotis, I'll take people in vulnerable situations without a previous arrangent. For example, a sick beggar in a back alley. Or soone suffering from ntal illness. I'll oversee most of the operations from the shadows, and I might have to use my telepathy to convince those who can be reasoned with to enter."
"People will loathe you," Madge warned.
"I know. But so long I give them sothing juicier than boring reality, nobody will bother digging for the truth. And if they learn about it, the public image will mask it because of cognitive dissonance."
"Is that a large-scale ntal debuff?" Mona asked then oohed. "Scary!"
"No. It is a natural proclivity of people to reject things that go against their world views. For example, what if I told you that playing too much video gas is bad for your health?"
"Nonsense. They even improve my coordination and reflexes. I get over four million points in Frogger now. When I started playing the dragon ate my... Oh. I see what you did! No, I can't believe it at all, but in this case, what you said about video gas is a lie."
"Is it? What about your sleeping legs or back pains because you spent too long in a single position."
She scoffed. "It trains my body. I got a point of [Physical Mastery] yesterday."
I started to laugh uncontrollably. It angered Mona and I left the secret garden complex with her hitting .
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I opened the gates, deactivating the enchantnt that kept it unmovable. On the other side, Imperial bureaucrats and guards stared inside, surprised.
"Your Highness!" One of them recognized . "The gates... why did you open them?"
"Winter is coming," I said ominously, ending with a laugh.
They stared at like I was crazy. I scowled. They averted their eyes, suddenly aware of whom they were disrespecting.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"The debutante ball is also coming, on the solstice. You need to prepare the palace for the [Emperor]," I said, pointing at the man. "If you are not up to the task, find soone who is."
"No, I'll be honored!" He bowed deeply. It was a promotion.
"Resu normal supply drops. Also, send word that I'll start recruiting for my personal knight order."
I turned around and walked back to the Palace. The cogs of the Empire started to turn faster.
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The Imperial Secretary of Ceremonial took over the palace maintenance and decorations. During the debutante festivities, which would encompass five days, this place would be the center of the Empire, and the [Emperor] himself would hold court in the throne room.
I gave orders to vacate all servant quarters for the Imperial staff. My loyal servants packed their things, and empty carriages left the palace, taking them to their hos for a vacation. I gave each of them an enchanted signet ring with my coat of arms. I went with the sa one used by Sir Percival of the Round Table.
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The ring could send a distress signal upon command or if it sensed the wearer was about to break the geas. This signal would lead to their location and I would be there in less than a minute.
The only people who stayed in the Palace of the original population were the six of us. Rhianon, Amina, M&M&M, and .
Imperial knights took over the barracks, bureaucrats and lesser nobles the guest quarters. Over five hundred people moved in and would stay until two weeks after the debutante.
We had to concede so rooms in the private wing to so high nobles and the Kingsguard. The girls, Amina and Marion had to move in with , taking over my private servant's quarters. The reason for that was obvious.
My father, the [Emperor] would stay with his wife. After fourteen years of neglect, he would have to give Rhiannon so attention. She would sit at his left during this week's court sessions. Suffice to say she wasn't thrilled. And I seriously considered pre-emptive parricide to spare her the week of tornt.
Then the big day ca. We were summoned to the Palace main entrance, and three hundred people ford neat rows on either side of the center aisle, with the knights in front. Behind , Madge and Mona wore their Battle Maiden armor complete with the floating shields and the veils underneath their winged helts. Marion and Amina were to the left, with the lesser bureaucrats and palace officers.
Rhiannon and I stood at the end of the human corridor, side-by-side. It was our duty to greet the [Emperor] to his ho. His ho.
"His Imperial Majesty!" The [Herald] cried as the bugles played the Imperial Fanfare. The doors opened and he appeared.
> [Emperor] Level 100 human male [Emperor].
His {Appraise} results were the polar opposite of an oxymoron. The man was imposing. His [Commanding Aura] put so pressure even on . In his armor, he was more than two ters tall. The three of us Royals stood impassive, not a single sliver of emotion in our faces.
His gaze t Rhiannon and she made a Herculean effort not to flinch. After a second, she looked down, her willpower spent. Then it was my turn. My father stared at as he slowly paraded before the knights and staff. I t his gaze inch by inch, unblinking. A faint smirk cracked in his face as he dialed up his aura. The weaker and lower-leveled servants in the back moved a step away and all of their heads pointed down. Rhiannon and a few knights trembled. Madge and Mona bowed a full forty-five degrees. I didn't display any reaction nor used any of my own auras. I had no need to engage in this pissing contest with my own father. Just the fact I kept staring back straight into his eyes was enough.
Finally, he reached us. I bowed and Rhiannon curtsied as protocol demanded.
"Welco ho, husband," she said.
"Welco ho, Imperial father," I said.
The most powerful mortal in the world placed one hand on each of our shoulders.
"Wife, son. Thank you for receiving . I see before my eyes a splendid family. You have raised my son well, Rhiannon. You shall be rewarded. Percival, I look forward to this week we'll spend together. Watch carefully, for one day you may be [Emperor] and will need to honor my legacy."
"It will be my pleasure to watch you, father."
His gaze drifted over the two armored won behind . "I see your brave companions. For taking good care of my son in the Labyrinth, you too deserve a reward, [Battle-Maidens]."
Silent as a windless night, Madge and Mona only bowed deeper.
I knew he couldn't {Appraise} them, with my Ability and the veil's effects. He ended up using the armor's na as their designation. I decided at that mont to create a knight order with only won. The [Battle-Maidens].
"They are not worthy of speaking to you, father, but I convey their profound thanks to you."
He smirked. "I see they are well disciplined. Good job, my son."
The seneschal approached from the side. "Sire, the court session starts in one hour. Allow to guide you to your chambers."
Rhiannon's chambers. I fought the urge to strike. Not only the people precious to were close but I also had thirty-six brothers who had priority before . They all needed to fall before our father or I would have to kill thirty-seven [Emperors].
But it was a wake-up call. This Palace was not ours. It was his, as was everything the sun and shadows touched in the Empire.
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