Chương 144: Interlude 19

Supreme General Darren Burnstock I thought of my trip down in the dungeon and how I had reached the 29 th layer so long ago. It was something I didn't enjoy talking about. The demon could guard only one passage, and when I had descended, I hadn't run into it. I suppose that was my good luck. Or it had appeared after my descent over two millennia ago. The monsters' skills from that deep honestly scared even me. That was why I had never gone back.

I had expected Elena to delve even deeper or explore one or two more layers before being compelled to come back. It was a shame that she had perished. Demons were just one more threat. And now my son was down in the dungeon. I held out high hopes for him, especially after he had the courage to rush Legend Xanatos. It took a certain kind of person to rush a Legend when they were so weak. It spoke well both to his convictions and his foolishness. Either he would become incredibly strong or die horribly.

I hoped for the first and feared the second outcome. My soul wasn't doing well. Despite the levels Elena had helped me get, it wasn't my original body. While I wouldn't die soon, I would not get any stronger. My skills had completely stagnated.

"Supreme General, we have pacified the city," a Legend came back to report to me.

"Well done. Thank you for your hard work, Legend Arctus. You and your companions should rest while our troops secure the city in your place." I had to exert my social skills a bit more than I would have preferred to keep him pacified. They were realizing their deference to me was unnatural. It was time to send them to their deaths in some hard battles. New legends would replace them as more flocked to join my banner and to be a part of what was happening.

Those who didn't believe or had ambitions too great for them would be removed. It was a simple matter of knowing where to place people to get the effects I desired. It would soon be time for a rapid push across the continent. We had almost secured our foothold. With the most recent conquest, I no longer had to depend on sea routes for most of my supplies. Also, the new dwarven weapons had proven quite useful but costly. I was very good at accounting.

Not a skill counted by the System, but one of immense value for hiding the correct amount of money and supplies my campaign was costing. By the time certain merchants realized I was over-leveraged, I would void the debts, they would go bankrupt, and there would be nothing they could do. They thought they were getting a sizable share of wealth by supporting me, but they were idiots, not realizing how much I was borrowing from all of them to fund everything.

The legends were useful, but I needed professional soldiers to hold everything. It was cheaper to hire a legend than a thousand professional soldiers, but it was those soldiers that would allow me to manage all the territory I was taking. I just needed to conquer enough to pay them their high salaries without having to worry about the merchants. I had sent back some trophies to keep them happy, but it was only a matter of time until they realized what I had done. Time to move forward.

It was a race against time to see if I could conquer everything and set up the future for success before my soul broke down. I always liked to gamble. Justin had let me know he had taken up Pulse Strike. I wish I had the chance to play with him before we parted ways. Our breakfasts at the College for one semester had been too short, with nothing of importance discussed. Now that the end was closing in, there was much I wanted to say, but he was no longer here.

That was the story of my life, regrets, endless regrets. Legend Xanatos I gasped for air as my body reformed from the mud. I had to release my grip on several long-term skills I had been maintaining, allowing them to degrade. It was unfortunate, but I couldn't afford to be killed again. The fight had been close, far too close. The Relentless had earned their title. Even Elena hadn't been that annoying or difficult. Holding out my hand, I grabbed onto The Lost Blade as it reappeared.

At least I hadn't lost the weapon. That would have been moronic, even with its name. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You think you can kill me so easily?" I muttered as I stood up. There was a newly formed road where the battle had taken place. Also, whomever had made the road had burned the Curse Vines away. Well, someone or a group was rebuilding the area. I looked toward the College of Advancement. I could see its main tower in the distance. It was a shame that no one destroyed it. But I had accomplished my plan. I had plans within plans. Even if countless failed, one would always succeed.

That was the secret of my success over the centuries. I felt my Soul Serpent coil around my arm. He had survived, that was good. Walking slowly to the road, I allowed my body to feel alive again. Avoiding death like that had been incredibly annoying, but there had been no other way to kill those bounty hunters. Truly, they lived up to their group name of Relentless. Looking up at the sky, I let out a sigh. More time had already passed. Time to stir the pot some more.

There were a couple of wonderful things I had in a special vault tucked away. I think it was time to release them. One way to find the Dark Library was to kill everyone. Once everyone was dead, it would reveal itself. The Dark Library could only go on for so long without an owner. The fact it hadn't found a new one yet was impressive yet foolish. I would know if it found a new one. Instead, it was hiding away and being as aggravating as possible. As I walked along the road, I frowned.

I couldn't make sense of some of the skill experience I had gotten from Justin. Hmm, a unique skill perhaps? It was minimal, but I should be able to know what skill it was immediately. I knew almost every skill out there. With my control of the Dark Library, there was no one more knowledgeable than me. But something unknown, now that was interesting. A tier 1 skill… But the skill escaped me. Especially since he had earned it while I had been incapacitated.

How annoying, but something I should investigate if I ever ran across him again. Experience Siphon did so much and allowed me to collect information. The timing made it likely that this was Elena's true legacy. Something I greatly desired. The skill levels were nice, but everything was a plan within another plan. Divine Seraphim Glorious Light"Oh, you have returned," I looked at Hardened Purpose, who was kneeling before me.

"Has the insult been removed?"

"It has Glorious Light. The humans complied instantly and without hesitation, submitting to your will, which I conveyed," he declared. My gaze saw the flying fortress, which was no longer flying.

"I sense this outcome does not please you."

"It is not my purpose to question you, Glorious Light," he replied.

"But your thoughts betray you. You wish to remind the lesser races of our overwhelming power. Perhaps check on other things, hmmm?"

"Yes." There was nothing more he could say. That single word conveyed his full intent. I cast my gaze over all, and nothing else needed our attention. I shook my head.

"No. The reminder was enough. While you chafe under the restrictions I place on you, interaction creates probabilities. Those probabilities will only increase against us. Sleep, and I will wake you when you are needed again."

"I must stand guard," he said, and I waved him away. Hardened Purpose left, annoyed and frustrated. But I would not let him off his leash. There was a reason I was in charge and not him. For while he was peerless in combat, I was peerless in other skills. The Great Ocean Empire was stirring, which was interesting. They had been quiet for a long time, but the flying structure had sunk a portion of the land. The Vostner were trying to annoy everyone and not just me.

I considered whether I should intervene, but it was not my place. The lesser beings could war all they wanted, and I would not interfere. The Great Ocean Emperor"War! We demand war! The shockwaves from the Eldarin Continent have broken the treaty. They have assaulted our great empire!" The other fishmen councilors roared with approval. I floated just above my throne as I listened to their debate.

"But it could have been an accident. We must weigh the consequences carefully. While the oceans are our domain, the surface is treacherous and dangerous. The last war against the Eldarin Empire saw us take substantial losses. Another war would be devastating. What happened was a surface battle, something we should not involve ourselves with," Councilor Akaktekten declared. I didn't react. My slightest movement could set my councilors off. Still, I preferred not acting. The deaths were few and the injuries minor.

It wasn't like they were raising the land.

"That is why we must strike, to remind them we aren't to be taken lightly and to recover our pride as fishmen of the Great Ocean Empire!" Most of the councilors roared in approval. I frowned slightly, how annoying. My frown made everyone quiet down.

"My apologies, Emperor, if what I said was offensive," the councilor declared and bowed towards me.

"I will not allow for open war or the entire Empire to be dragged into it. But since you all desire blood so much, you will have it with the following conditions. First, you will declare all your forces ahead of time. You may use only those forces for the battles. Second, you will only report the outcome to me. You will not start a propaganda campaign to stir up the populace. Third, if there is a retaliation and I must intervene personally, I will kill you all."

"I accept in my name and title as Councilor Yeteryonterek."

"Very well, Councilor Yeteryonterek, since you are brave enough to speak up, you will take both the honor and risk of leading such an endeavor. Remember my three commands. If you cannot heed them, I will be upset. Now take your like-minded Councilors and begone from my sight until you have prepared your troops." I pointed a single finger towards the exit of the throne room. The annoying Councilors all quickly left. The rest were silent and slightly worried. While I was Emperor, ultimately, I was a figurehead.

Taking personal action always brought annoying complications I didn't want to deal with. I slowly closed my eyes to rest until the next argument took place in my throne room and the Councilors' meeting chamber. It was death for Councilors to meet to discuss politics outside of here without my approval. The ones who left could only discuss the invasion, but I knew they would discuss other things. But that was fine. The surface would kill them all, giving me peace for a couple of centuries.