Chương 118: Trouble Brewing

"Take a look," Healer Melon told me and handed me the College's newspaper. It wasn't cheap, but if someone wanted to stay up to date on important news, it was useful. I usually didn't bother reading it, since I didn't want to deal with drama outside of my classes and my personal issues. Other people's problems weren't my problems. I took the newspaper and looked it over. Legend Darren Burnstock Takes Genoa They elected him both Prime Minister and Supreme General of Genoa.

I shook my head and didn't bother reading the rest of the article. I guess the power leveling my mother had given him was no longer a secret.

"Done already?"

"No, I just don't care."

"Even if it's about your own father?"

"Even then. He is living his life, and I will live my life. Getting involved or even thinking about what he is doing is a distraction I don't need or want."

"Fair enough. I knew I was like that at the Five Star Institute of Healing when I was studying. But it could cause complications," he replied.

"That is why I am not planning to leave the College until my graduation. And then I plan to go into the dungeon. No need to get involved with politics or whatever plans my father has cooked up for world domination."

"I don't know if I should be impressed by your maturity or worried about your lack of concern."

"Both, neither? My mother believed in personal power and died. My father believes in political power and is scrambling everywhere."

"And what do you believe in?"

"That the strong make the rules, and other people have no choice but to accept their decisions. Ultimately, power comes at the end of a sword and one's skills. That is why I plan to focus on myself and my skills. Unless my father is sending me a gift or support, it isn't worth worrying about what he does." I already knew he was planning world domination from the letter he had left me. I didn't care about any of it. Let him do whatever he wanted, I would stay completely out of it.

The only one I had a grudge with was Legend Xanatos of the Dark Cabal. Besides him, I would focus on leveling my skills as much as possible. My mother might have fallen in the dungeon, but I would surpass her. A demon that was over level 300 was no simple matter. I would truly need to become the strongest to overcome such a challenge.

"What do you think, Healer Melon?" I asked my watcher and retainer.

"I think you are right. It is going to be a mess. Genoa is at the center of coastal trade on the Eastern side of the continent. With its falling under the control of your father, trade routes and powerful interests are going to be disrupted."

"He is going to use the island nation as a staging ground for his invasion of the continent." It was obvious. The strait between the island of Genoa and the continent offered more protection from armies and other invasions. The immense waves of the Great Ocean protected the far side of the island. My father would build up his forces in Genoa and then use the trade routes to launch his invasion plans. I knew he had already arranged for the dwarves to supply him with weapons.

Using the funds from Genoa, he could afford quite a bit. The synergy was undeniable, which was why he had jumped at the opportunity to take over the city.

"It is going to get messy. A continent-wide war hasn't happened since the fall of the Eldarin Empire." That meant my father would have an immense advantage since, after all this time, he would be the only one who knew how to conduct such large-scale warfare properly. Unless you were a Supreme Legend like my mother, even legends couldn't ignore troop movements and combat deployments. They couldn't just rush forward, crushing everything in their path. That was how they would get worn down and killed.

The continent had also fractured, at least in terms of human nations. The Elves and Dwarves wouldn't care that much as my father took over other human nations. By the time they realized the threat, the Eldarin Empire would likely be reborn. They would have no choice but to submit or die. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. My father wouldn't spare them a second time.

He might plan to remake the Eldarin Empire without slavery, but he had said nothing about human supremacy. The dwarves would be second-class crafting citizens, and he would likely wipe out the elves. No slaves, only death awaited them. But all of that would take years, if not decades, to achieve. While my father had gathered many legends, expansion and taking over other nations without completely wrecking them would not be simple. It wasn't conquering that was hard, but holding and maintaining those gains.

He could win every battle but lose the war. While I doubted he would make such mistakes, it was also a fact of conquest that one had to administer all that territory and people. It would be interesting to see how my father handled it all, but I was going to be an observer, not a participant.

"This could increase tensions with the adventuring team I have planned."

"You could back out," Healer Melon said, and I shook my head.

"No, things haven't reached that point yet. It is best to say nothing and see if anyone else brings up the issue with my father. Hopefully, it won't cause issues, but I know there will be problems with the Wither Corporation."

"A living war mech? What will they think of next?" I shared the information I had learned with him to get his opinion on such a device.

"Could healing magic work on a living machine?"

"Maybe? No one has ever created anything like that before. It would be a question of how the soul overlays with the mechanical components and how the core interfaces with everything. I suspect the core can be healed, but they will treat everything else as equipment for the status."

"Unless there are skills that expand the soul outwards."

"It would be too risky, but it could be possible. The Wither Corporation likely has some hidden soul mage. You must be careful around such things."

"Don't worry, I am not about to drive such a thing myself. Even if it is an interesting concept, the value lies in its improvement over the centuries. But the investment would be immense, and one mistake would cause it to be lost forever."

"Yes, it is an enormous risk. Someone could also steal it, or there could be something darker at play. Don't underestimate the Dark Cabal. While they might have made a lot of noise confronting your mother, they operate in the shadows. If the Wither Corporation didn't have a legacy to draw upon, then it is likely the Dark Cabal gave them knowledge to create a living artifact. The Dark Library is another such artifact of legend."

"I will keep my senses on full alert. But the team is large enough that there shouldn't be any betrayals. Maybe if it were a smaller team."

"Don't count on such things. There are no rules or laws in the dungeon. Only trust and the power of the strongest. While adventurers like to adhere to a certain code, anyone can break it secretly."

"Any more specific advice?"

"No. But don't hesitate to run if you need to. Live to fight another day."

"I will keep that in mind. You think the Dark Cabal helped create the war mech?"

"It is a possibility. Considering the limited knowledge about them, that sounds like something they would do. Forbidden knowledge that others latch onto will ultimately lead to a terrible end." That did sound remarkably familiar, at least the first half about getting forbidden knowledge.

"Forbidden by whom?"

"By common sense. Madmen fill the Dark Cabal. Why else would they provoke your mother?" That was an excellent point. Having the curse skill on me drop by a tier was most likely not something Legend Xanatos wanted.

"I will have to ask the Dean about some tracking skill or counter-curse skill when I earn personal instruction from him this year. A shame that it isn't The Mathemancer."

"Don't underestimate anyone who could take control of this place after such a storied figure. His knowledge and ability won't be simple, and he is a legend in his own right. That things have been running smoothly is a testament to the current Dean's good leadership."

"I won't. But he isn't a supreme legend."

"True. At least you will have Ozy with you, that will put my mind at ease."

"Thank you for not leaving. Without my mother around…" He could have left, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"I gave my word, and she helped me gain levels. It would be quite poor of me to do something like that. Also, spending time at the College isn't that bad."

"I can't tempt you to travel with me afterwards?"

"No, I am going to enjoy retiring to the Institute. Don't worry, I will train Ozy up. Consider this my gift to you. A professionally trained monster with various healing skills."

"I appreciate that. Thank you."

"I know you want to become strong, strong enough to go face that demon. But I worry about you."

"I know, but it is something I will have to overcome if I want to surpass my mother." I would avenge her and surpass her all at once.

"Well, as long as you don't act recklessly, I am sure you will get quite far."

"I am curious to see how this war mech, the pinnacle of dwarven engineering, matches up to me. Who knows, I might try to get one myself if it does well enough." I doubted it would. It would be an external source of support like Ozy, but unlike my pet, it represented a completely new paradigm of fighting. I would need to train up new skills to be a pilot and maintain the war mech.

"It will be interesting to see whether it heralds a new age of our civilization or not. Living machines, how novel!"

"Don't let it spread around that I told you, or you know."

"Don't worry. I won't chat about such a thing, like I already promised." I didn't want to make waves with my future teammates, but I wanted a second opinion on this matter. The fact that it could be involved with the Dark Cabal was precisely the thinking I needed from Healer Melon. It was something I hadn't even considered before. Now I would be on the lookout for their influence and members. I could even see the Dark Cabal making a move to claim the war mech in the dungeon. I would need to be on guard.

Perhaps I should investigate other skills I could get through Alchemical means after graduating, most likely sensory skills of some kind.