Chương 37: Shadows of the Old Empire

Back at Mirevale, Kyle was taking a bath in the Hearth & Horn inn. The sky outside was pitch black. He barely made it back in time before the city gate closed. After cleaning off the sweat, blood, and horrid smell from him, Kyle finally relaxed. His body was still stinging from that battle, especially his calves. He felt that he would immediately black out the moment his head touched the pillow. However, he couldn't sleep yet. He had told Ms. Hearth that he had some questions to ask. Specifically, the cult.

Kyle walked down the stairs into the silent dining hall. He walked directly into the small room where he had his previous conversation with Marielle. As expected, she was waiting for him there. Sitting at the table with a small tea set in front of her. She waved for him to sit before pouring him a cup of tea.

"So, what did you want to ask me about?" She asked with a faint smile on her face, sipping her tea. Kyle pondered for a moment before saying, "Miss Hearth, do you know about the Old Imperial Cult?" Her eyes narrowed upon hearing that name.

"Where did you hear about them?" She slowly straightened herself up, an unprecedented trace of solemnity appearing on her face. Kyle organized his thoughts before recounting the events of the day. Marielle's expression became more and more solemn the further she listened.

"So the hands of these madmen have even reached this remote place." She muttered under her breath. Marielle fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. A moment later, she spoke.

"Where do I even start?" She muttered. After another few seconds, she finally spoke, "The Old Imperial Cult, also known as the Gene Ascension Cult." Kyle's eyes widened at the mention of the word "gene", but before he could speak, Marielle continued.

"It's a millennia-old cult that has plagued the Aetherion continent and even the world of Aether for more than a millennium. Their tentacles reach almost every corner of this world." She paused for a moment before continuing.

"They were often driven to the edge of extermination, but they would soon emerge after a while of recuperation. Last time I left Tarnfell, I heard about signs of their resurgence, but I never thought that their tentacles would reach even this remote corner." Marielle took a sip of her tea before continuing.

"I think you can guess their main domain from their nickname and your experience. They are undoubtedly madmen who play with life, conducting inhuman, borderline insane experiments at will. All to follow the footsteps of their old master." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. A trace of awe and fear flashed across Marielle's eyes at the mention of this master.

"Their master… I guess you probably heard about him. Emperor Neos, the so-called Emperor of Mankind." Marielle sneered at the mention of this.

"He's a historical figure who appeared over a thousand years ago."

"He personally ended the fourth Era and conquered countless kingdoms, building an unprecedented empire that spanned 2 continents, including the Aetherion continent, and driving the elves, dwarves, and many other races to the edge." The more he listened, the more Kyle felt that this setting was familiar.

'The Emperor of mankind?' Kyle couldn't help but think of a big fellow in gold armor.

'Is this guy also a transmigrator? Or…The original?' Kyle couldn't help but shudder at the thought of the original appearing in this world. The implications alone are extremely frightening.

'I'm 80% sure he's a transmigrator. If it were the original, his empire definitely wouldn't have fallen apart so quickly; in fact, he probably wouldn't have created an empire on this land at all.' Kyle mused internally.

"I've gotten a bit sidetracked. I won't talk more about this guy; If you want to learn more about him, go to the library. Most of the records about him have been deleted or hidden away, though, so you won't find anything more than the publicly available information." Marielle took a sip of tea and said.

"Anyway, the reason they're called the Old Imperial Cult is that they want to restore the old empire under Emperor Neos. To this, they continue to conduct experiments in an attempt to recreate the emperor's Ascendants. Superhuman mass-produced soldiers, rank 2 at minimum."

'This is getting more and more familiar.' Kyle's expression turned stranger the more he listened. Marielle finished her tea and slammed the cup on the table. The sharp sound echoed through the quiet room. This was unusual for the usually composed and elegant Marielle.

'Does she have personal experience with this cult?' Kyle wondered.

"In short, these people are completely fanatical madmen. They're still fiercely loyal to a man who died over a thousand years ago." She said with a sneer on her face.

"Even so, their connections and influence run through the kingdom and even the entire continent. I think they're even more dangerous than the usual evil god cults. Try not to get further involved with them." She said, then waved for Kyle to stand up and go to sleep.

"Thank you for the advice, Miss Hearth." Kyle nodded, then stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'll keep an eye out, and if the situation gets out of hand, I'll send you to another city," Marielle suddenly said. Looking back at the languid yet alert woman on the other side of the room, Kyle nodded gratefully and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"The Old Imperial Cult, huh…" Marielle muttered under her breath, her beautiful ruby-colored eyes narrowing. —----------- The next day. Kyle washed his face and brushed his teeth before dressing up and picking up the bag containing the goblin ears. It had started stinking. Kyle carefully unwrapped the layer of cloth he used to reduce the smell before picking up the bag.

"I need to get rid of this as soon as possible." He muttered as he walked down the stairs. He hurriedly ate breakfast before walking out under Marielle's watchful gaze. As he walked along the streets, he looked at the people coming and going, now with a new perspective on the world.

'So that's where so many incongruities came from. The occasional modern slang, along with the semi-modern products. I thought they were all magic products or just coincidences.' Kyle thought as he looked at the glass display in a clothing shop not far away.

'I wonder what changes this predecessor left behind and whether he had a powerful talent like mine.' Kyle had many questions, but unfortunately, Emperor Neos was supposedly long dead. Shaking his head, Kyle cast out his question to the back of his mind. He had important things to do now. He entered the adventure guild and walked straight to Celia's counter. Looking at Celia's sleepy face as she leaned on her arm, Kyle gently tapped the counter.

"Good morning, Celia," Kyle said with a faint smile on his face.

"Ah!" Jolted from her daze, Celia quickly looked up.

"Kyle! You're here!" Her sleepy expression instantly brightened.

"Please come with me! The president told me to bring you up as soon as you appear." She took off the bag containing the goblin ears from his hands and placed it behind the counter.

"Cassandra! Please take my place for a moment." She called her colleague in the back before pulling Kyle towards the stairs leading to the second floor.