Though the pressure may have subsided, Edwin was still very aware he was talking to quite possibly the most powerful person he had ever t. This rited his full attention.
Cough.
Hopefully his brain got the mo. He was hopeful, given the constant pressure he was feeling just from speaking to soone so powerful.
What is there to speak of your majesty?
The emperor didnt speak to correct Edwin, so he took that to an hed gotten it right. Instead, the emperor gave a curt nod, and spoke with an easy grace that warred inside Edwins turbulent emotions, trying to put him at ease. Peace, Edwin. I do not wish to harm you, unless you force to.
Edwin cautiously nodded. Fair enough.
Youve been quite a curious force within the Empire. The new liquid stone beginning production in Farport was your doing, I believe?
Wait, they actually got it working? Edwin blinked, and hastily added, Your majesty. Hed screwed up thods of address badly enough for one day, he wasnt going to do it again.
To a certain distinction of working, I believe. It will perhaps be an interesting place for you to visit soday? I believe you intended to travel.
Yes, your majesty. Particularly now, after Edwin trailed off, unsure what to say exactly.
He got a distinct sense of amusent from the avior, who gave a curt nod, Understandable. Korizan is a lovely continent with many spectacular vistas. I frequently fly here when I wish to use my wings. As an alchemist, I believe you will find many of the herbs and creatures native to the Verdant, as well as the frozen lands to the north uniquely useful, though I believe you have so experience with the forr?
Edwin nodded, Yes, your majesty.
Befriended a fey, no less. Or, adopted by one, rather. Youre very fortunate, you know that?
Oh?
Yes. You survived a year living with a fey? And you did not erge from the arrangent as an eternal slave, mindless, nor missing several key emotions or sensations, and your na and personality are essentially intact. There is a reason they are usually confined to the Verdant- though impressive work bypassing the border, I must admit. That shows ingenuity, smuggling an Arcadian in through your very skin.
Edwin froze, Im not in trouble, am I? He hadn't even considered the fact that he might be punished for bringing Inion into the empire, but if fey were ant to be banned
Peace, Edwin. No, you are not in trouble for bringing your friend from the Verdant. She is the agreeable sort of fey, which is to say she is likely to overlook minor slights and opportunities which others of her kind might utilize to wholly ruin a citizen, and instead focus her ire upon those who wrong her more directly.
Thank you, your majesty. However I dont imagine you rely ca to discuss my social life? Though Edwin was dealing well enough with the pressure the emperor emitted, it was still more nerve-wracking than any interview or even test hed ever had, and was eager to get it wrapped up.
You would be correct in your assessnt. It is nothing onerous, I must rely ensure my empire is not threatened by your presence.
By ? Edwin was confused. Surely ah. It was the Outsider thing again, wasnt it? So things never changed.
Indeed. Xares confird, Outsiders have always heralded great change and massive disruption to the world, and for the good of my citizens, I must ensure they will be safe and secure.
How how will you do that, your majesty?
I rely have a few questions regarding your holand, and of your first few days upon Joriah. If you could recount your experience from first waking up within the Verdant. rely answer honestly and completely, and you shall return to Vinstead quickly.
Edwin idly wondered if actually, he could just ask. What was the worst that could happen, Does ti pass more quickly here, your majesty? Its a long story.
Very astute.
He took that as a yes as he sat in silence, gathering his thoughts.
It was kind of amusing. He had literally just refused to tell the story to the governor not ten minutes ago and nearly gotten killed for it, and here he was, about to give the full story to another authority figure. It wasnt the sa, he knew. Xares most likely already knew the entire thing, and hed been quite reasonable this far. He deserved to know Edwins tale at least as much as Tara did, if not more. However, this would be his last ti telling anyone, he told himself. It was just too risky, required too much trust. Since he had left the dwarves, he had only told Tara and Inion, both of whom had been sworn to secrecy and had extenuating circumstances. Tara had him at swordpoint, and Inion already knew. Hopefully, Xares would keep quiet? Not that it really made a difference.
I dont suppose well, if you wanted to tell people who I was, your majesty, you would be capable of doing so already? The avior didnt respond, but Edwin had already decided his course of action, Well, I suppose even if ti is less limited than it should normally be, its still precious.
The first thing I rember was waking up as I fell from the sky. I thought I was experiencing a nightmare, but
Edwin wasnt exactly practiced in telling people about his full history, but with a few expertly-directed questions from the avior emperor, who had conjured a pair of chairs for the two of them to rest in while they conversed- it didnt escape Edwins notice that Xares was taller and grander, but it also wasnt really a surprise either- he managed to recount his experiences to an apparently satisfactory level of detail.
Was that you, your majesty? Edwin realized he could ask, when his story had reached his flight up the mountainside, fleeing from the imnsely powerful beings fighting.
It was indeed, Edwin. I regret that it so nearly resulted in your death, but it is quite fortunate for us both that you survived.
Would you be able to tell what it was about, by any chance?
No.
Edwin waited for any further elaboration, but when none was forthcoming, he ntally shrugged and moved on, Well, your majesty, from there I found myself caught in a snowstorm that
There was sothing about the presence of the avior which made recalling his past easier. Perhaps it was so report-getting Skill? Or perhaps a general Skill-enhancing aura that improved mory? If Skillful Assessnt was usable at the mont, he might have been able to get so vague idea, but alas.
Yes, that was last week, your majesty. Im still familiarizing myself with my new Skills, and Refine Ive yet to level even once.
Interesting set of Skills. Such synergy and interconnectedness is usually not seen until the fourth tier if not later. Youve spoken to a Registrar about this?
Of course.
Good. Now, so of those Paths, they are from your world? Physicist, Engineer, Biologist. What are these? You claid you were a physicist?
Physics student, yes. Ah, your majesty. he hastily added, I hadnt completed my education when I found myself transported here. Physics with a particular emphasis in material sciences.
Science. Thats what you called magic on your Earth?
No, its more like well, it kind of is. Its trying to understand the world and bend it to our will. Its not magic, thats more like an addition to the normal laws of physics from what Ive so far. Its a way of skeptically interrogating the world for how it works. Specifically, it-.
What are the sorts of things you can accomplish with it?
Well, from the ti science was really invented, Earth went from technology only slightly beyond what you have here on Joriah to chanical flight, traveling to the moon, inventing and exploiting the heck out of electricity, making the internet, developing seriously advanced dicine
Go on, tell of the wonders of your ho. You clearly miss it.
I I suppose I do, your majesty. he hesitated in his response, slightly hopeful that he might pick up on it and inquire about it. Fortunately, he didnt, and Edwin breathed easy. He could talk about science all day. Few things helped him put off anxiety than having sothing he could talk about with fluency, So, where do I start? Let's see.
No, its not magic. Its well, its about trying to discover new things which other people can then figure out how to use in inventions.
Yet not anyone can discover this new knowledge?
I an, yes? In theory, anyway, anyone with the right ntality and training could discover sothing new, but by my ti, pretty much all those easy discoveries had been made. It would take hundreds of people to find anything new maybe? We had this quote, back on Earth, which is attributed to this really famous scientist, to the point where practically half of all physics is nad after him. If I have seen farther, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants, because no individual person can really push knowledge and developnt as far as everyone working together, even across ti and space, can.
Like, I wont say that science is better than magic. Or well, no, it kind of is? Or maybe not? Theyre different. Magic is a thing, science is a thodology. Well, in any case, magical science is the best, though.
This 'internet' you speak of. You claim it is accessible to all?
Well, to most of the world, at least. Its not free, but its not insanely expensive and anyone can connect over it in theory. So people take it upon themselves to catalogue knowledge on it, so theres these massive databanks of information that anyone can access. Sort of like your Skill database, but anyone can access basic information on pretty much any topic for free whenever they like. It lets people figure out what they might be good at, just by finding out that sothing they hadnt even considered as a skill they possessed is actually really valuable.
If I might be so bold as to opine slightly over the setup of Liras? he let the emperor nod before continuing, knowing he was on thin ice. His nerves returned in full force, but hed already committed, I do feel like that sort of approach may be superior to the Registrar system you currently have, let people figure out their own Classes based on what millions of people trying their own routes to success ca up with. Then you dont need to worry about those who try to do their own thing, and you can learn better Skill combinations faster.
We have tried similar concepts on a smaller scale a few tis in the past. the emperor countered, Almost invariably, individuals took Skills which were utterly superfluous to their actual role in society, wasting their skill allotnt. Having access to this magnitude of knowledge, however, you say encouraged people to embetter themselves and learn of the world?
Well Edwins mind brought up a slew of counterexamples, So people did?
Did the people of your world cast aside small-minded, foolish instincts when given access to facts which countered their views?
...No, Edwin had to admit, his own experience betraying him, But everyone was given the sa opportunities to, and those who excelled did so spectacularly! So people simply are hopeless, but that doesnt an trying to bring those who are determined to waste their lives away up to a decent level of productivity should also involve dragging ambitious people down to that level too.
Also, what about the people who just dont fit in? Edwin started feeling himself get wound up, and he tried to pull himself back before he started insulting the system the godlike emperor in front of him had set up.
He was well, he didnt totally fail.
I t one bandit who just had the bad luck of not being able to get the Walking skill, but then because of the Managent and intolerance for people who didnt fit it, he was forced into a life of being a murderer! How is that better?
Yes, that is the purpose of the Adventurer program, Xares was unflappable to the point where Edwin felt slightly ashad of his actions- enough that he could wrestle his annoyance back into its box, leaving a stronger sense of embarrassnt and sense of being out of place, Many promising individuals were forced into ostracism through no fault of their own, and so the Adventurership system was established. If you would seek to use that as exemplary of the benefits of allowing individuals to control their own Skills, I would remind you that of those who leave my wings, fewer than one in ten survive to their thirtieth year, and the vast majority live in entirely preventable poverty. However, if you can present a solution for that problem, please do inform .
Ah, well... Edwin didnt really have a response for that. He was sure there was one, but What else did you want to know about? he sighed in resignation.
Tell of the governnt which can afford so many of its citizens wasting their lives.
The US? Well, okay
Okay, so yes, democracy has the issue of giving people the governnt they want, which might not always be good for them, but its at least the people choosing that. Edwin insisted.
Would it not be superior to simply provide a consistent governnt, which does not so readily bow to the idiocy of the crowd?
You know, your majesty, until maybe a year or so before I left Earth, I might have disagreed with you fairly vehently. These days
But your majesty, Earth has the firm advantage technologically. So much of your manual work perford here is done instead by chanical muscles on Earth. Hardly anyone needs to work with their bodies anymore, and as a result far larger and more complex projects can be undertaken.
Is it not the case that you are simply incapable of performing the tasks, and so require these complicated machines you speak of? If you had the Skills which you feel impede progress, what need for such technological developnt would there be?
I think thats what Im saying?
Yet you say it as though it is a hindrance for my citizens, when it is in truth a strength.
I an, sure. If you have soone able to harvest an entire acre of wheat with two strokes of a scythe, then the combine harvester is pretty useless. But if you didnt have that Skill, then Or, you know, what about if the harvester had a Skill for its use?
Why would you desire such a specific Skill, though? And what of the Skills required to create such an intricate piece of machinery?
Well, okay I guess, but then you dont need to dedicate a Skill for it. Its a pretty big commitnt, and with machinery, you dont need soone at the absolute peak of their career to continue working forever. What if the person with that Mass Harvest skill died?
Then we have another take their place. It is one of the purposes of Class control, after all. We never need worry about losing a critical mber of a project, for none have unique Skills upon which the entire project must rely upon.
Well, Im not convinced that thats a good thing. Why would you even need Mass Harvest, if you could replicate its effects with a machine? Wouldnt you prefer to have that be a Skill with an actually unique effect? Why not..."
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