Since everything had happened so quickly, Baiyi did not feel that he had made enough preparations.
Although he sought to drag the Archmage along with him as his companion, the old geezer had placed so much faith in him, so he just could not bring himself to attempt to. At that moment, his mind was reeling with thoughts.
However, Baiyi did not feel the slightest shred of panic; his confidence stemmed from his own teacher’s attitude towards his expedition. In fact, at that moment, he was more concerned about giving good excuses about his identity, especially when the hunt for the source of the frequency blew up. He had previously explained troubles away by posing as an ancient great sage from the Doors of Conundrum, but if he obtained the Book of Servitude in broad daylight, just like that, his alter ego would become shaky at best.
He would not mind if everyone began to guess who he really was, but when they realized that only he could wield the book, his identity as the heir to the Rohlserlian Empire would be as good as revealed; it would be no different from him announcing, in public, to an audience that he was the new emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire!
Now that he thought about it, he was sure this was his teacher’s intention. Staging a big spectacle to attract a lot of people so that they could witness him claim the book! ‘Gods, I can’t fight him, can I?’
Then again, once Baiyi obtained the Book of Servitude, combined with the powers he already wielded had, he would become so powerful that he could forcefully crush anyone who doubted him. When he obtained the book, it would not matter if he built an academy, a military force, or preach “heretical” ideas about the Void, because his newly acquired destructive power would deter anyone harboring the intent to do him harm. No one would be able to dismiss him, for he would be able to cast forbidden spells on a whim; this would make him no different from a walking nuclear bomb, which could go off multiple times, at will.
Perhaps, the Archmage, whose instincts were honed by the feats he achieved as the Sage-Emperor of the Magi, had foreseen even more than Baiyi could, so he chose to create such a spectacle for a higher purpose, not for superficial reasons, like making Baiyi famous.
“I can’t wait to find it quickly and return home! Handing the kids over to that old geezer is starting to feel more like a mistake… What’s gonna happen to them? Good thing there are no such things as free-to-play mobile games in this universe!” Baiyi murmured as he flew from one place to another; his psychic power guided his flight path, towards the source of the frequency.
After flying for a long time, he pondered out loud. ” How long have I been up here? Why haven’t I reached my destination yet? How far could the source even be?”
No one answered him. The author of this event, the Archmage, was, after all, in the company of beautiful maidens, who had dressed their best for an outing, and his bottom was comfortably cushioned by the seat of a luxurious coach that Vidomina’s butler had prepared. His old sweet life had come back to him! As for his student… all he could say was “Meh, let him fly and cool himself off in the chilly atmospheric air.”
After a long flight — which lasted all the way into high noon, when people had begun to take lunch breaks — Baiyi finally found the source of that frequency.
He gazed at the big city below his hovering feet and exclaimed, “Are you sure you’re not just messing with me?!”
This was because the frequency from the Book of Servitudes had come directly from the Capital City of the Walthart Empire. The event was way over-the-top!
Unfortunately, no one was there to ask the Archmage why he would place his holy grail within another’s capital city, allowing his apprentice to “become the next Emperor” on someone else’s turf. However, the Archmage was far away, enjoying tea in the company of Baiyi’s beautiful girls. Although he was not able to eat or drink, because he had no mouth or tongue, he was enjoyed the fine cuisine… just by looking at it and watching the girls eat. To him, it was very heartwarming.
Meanwhile, his apprentice, Baiyi, was still hovering in midair, unable to decide what to do. The security was tight, and there were many hidden powerhouses stationed in every corner of the Capital City. That put an end to Baiyi’s initial plan to let loose.
Another issue for Baiyi was that the frequency seemed to emanate from the entire city. That made it seem as though the source of the frequency was the city itself. ‘How am I supposed to find it,’ he thought. It was not like he could begin to search through every nook and cranny of the city.
The only good news for him was that the frequency had not stopped pulsating; that meant that the book had not been retrieved by someone else. Baiyi used that to assure himself; the worst case scenario had not happened yet.
However, the situation was embarrassing, and since it was now apparent that the search would be a long one, requiring intensive strategizing and planning, Baiyi turned to the remaining Voidwalkers for advice.
“Why don’t we just infiltrate the city stealthily?” The Hitman Walker suggested.
‘That seems logical, but since the suggestion came out from your mouth, it now seems more absurd.’
“Maybe we should hold off and study our current situation,” the Thane Walker advised. “I admit that I did not expect Sir Archmage to come up with such a difficult task, but I believe he had his reasons. Maybe you should wait a little longer? Maybe after a while, the Book of Servitude will fly into your hands?”
Baiyi waited for a while. The book never came.
He now knew he had to secure it on his own.
Just then, a sorcerer, who was one of the Capital City’s city watch, flew over from and greeted him. Baiyi could see a badge with the title “Centurion” pinned on the guard’s uniform, so he was sure this was one of the superiors of the city watch.
“Master Hope, please, follow me,” said the sorcerer.
“Hmm?” Baiyi was a little befuddled.
The sorcerer grinned. “I know of your intention, Sir. We’ve already welcomed many other powerhouses who followed the same trail you did and came to our city.”
“Then, that means…” Baiyi began, hesitantly.
“Of course; this is his Royal Majesty’s will. The Emperor is currently attending an emergency council, with regards to this incident. We were the ones assigned the job of welcoming all fighters into the city. We urge everyone to remain calm and patient while we wait for his Royal Majesty’s new order,” replied the Centurion in a dignified manner.
Although the centurion appeared to be average in terms of power, the city belonged to his emperor. The errands he had to run in the name of his emperor bestowed him a sense of pride.
“Understood. Please, show me the way.” Baiyi nodded.
After a while, they reached a manor, whose size spanned several miles; it was on the outskirts of the Capital City. Looking at the manor’s vast size and its opulent design and architecture, it was not hard to tell that this was one of the royal vacation houses belonging to the Emperor. Inviting the powerhouses over to this manor was a sign of goodwill from the Emperor.
There were already many powerhouses within the manor. As soon as the Fifth Walker landed, he could feel himself being scanned by multiple sources of psychic energy. Even the powerhouses who could not use psychic energy — for example, knights — studied him careful with attentive gazes. Baiyi’s ears also began to pick up some hushed discussions.
“A lone soul armature? Where’s his practitioner?”
“Eh, that’s nothing strange. With the aid of some rare items or special secret techniques, a soul armature can stay a large distance away from their summoner; larger than normal. Plus, being able to do this gives a hint of their innate power.”
“But his power’s only at the level of a Master! I thought only those who were Legendary-level or above were able to sense that presence!”
“Oh, young man! Have you forgotten that one could easily alter the power level that onlookers perceive? Do you honestly believe he is only at the Master level?”
“What are you people even talking about? He’s not a random nobody; he’s that Hope that the Church keeps extolling!”
Those words stirred the crowd into another round of discussion, and this time, more people expressed interest. They had all heard of Hope, but almost none of them had seen him before. More glances were directed Baiyi’s way.
“So thi—this is how the famous Hope looks like? I thought he would look… even mightier and more… impressive.”
“Gawds, someone should explain the fashion sense behind that helmet to me! It looks like he’s wearing a pumpkin. And what’s with that scarf? This guy’s taste is abysmal.”
“I remember that his armor was actually a gift from his Majesty very own ‘Sanctus’! What has he done with it?”
Baiyi had no interest in talking to them, but he was a little upset that this was the caliber of people who would witness him become the new emperor of the Rohlserlian Empire. The people talking were few in number; most of the powerhouses present just silently watched Baiyi. Soon a maid arrived and led Baiyi to a room.
“What a drag,” he said to those in the Void. “Looks like things have just gotten a little more complicated.”
“Perhaps, Sir Archmage’s real intention is to test your character. The reward of this pursuit is the Book of Servitude, so you must prove yourself to be unequivocally fit to possess it. Seeing as the test already looks difficult at this point, then I can confidently say that he really did intend for it to be complicated,” the Scholar replied. “It is starkly poetic because it has been you who has been serving as the gamemaster for his entertainment, and now, he returns the favor.”
‘Oh, good. Let us forget the many leeways I have given him in games, and let us also forget the cheats that I have handed him covertly, shall we?’ Baiyi retorted quietly.
Despite how complicated and bothersome the situation had become, Baiyi still had to see it through and acquire the book. All he could do now was to wait for the Emperor’s next decree, for it would influence his plan to a great degree.
By evening, there was still no news from the Emperor. By then, the Archmage had finished having dinner with the girls, who all had on stunning nightgowns, and had gone to an opera to enjoy some music. While he was there, as an old, worn-out militia armor being accompanied by beautiful girls, he was the subject of many envy-filled glances.
While all that was happening, his apprentice, Baiyi, was in a luxurious room playing with the tea he was served by the maids. He made the tea rise from the cup and form little characters.
The Emperor finally finished his council and issued a decree. The decree was communicated to every room via a communication rune, and it was a message only meant for the powerhouse who had come to the city.
In the message, the Emperor expressed his confusion at the recent development, but he considered it a godsent opportunity, not a calamity. Although no one was sure why a secret supreme treasure had revealed itself within the Capital City, where the royal family lived, he assured the visiting powerhouses that he, the Emperor, would not expend any national treasures to claim it; hence, they were all free to use their own skills and expertise to try and obtain the treasure. He also said that if any member of the royal families were to participate in the search, they would do so only representing themselves.
The rest of the message contained rules laid down by the Emperor.
First, there were to be no large-scale skirmishes within Capital City, and no activities breaking the law were allowed. The royal palace was off limits, as well.
Secondly, the hunt for the treasure was to be done covertly so that the lives of the common citizens are not affected. If a disagreement were to arise between powerhouses, the royal family shall serve as the court. If the opposing powerhouses are hellbent on doing battle, they do so in the city’s colosseum or outside the city, preventing harm from reaching the common citizen.
Lastly, those who violate the royal decree shall be subjected to the highest form of punishment that the Empire possesses.
Many thought that the Emperor’s decision to abstain from the hunt was perhaps the smartest choice he could have made. This ensured that he could better monitor the powerhouses and prevent harm from reaching his people.