Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Nearly two hours after he scheduled the meeting, Vahn landed within the courtyard of the McKenneth Family Manor. There were barriers barring entrance to anyone that tried to enter from places other than the front entrance and, though he could have passed through without triggering them, Vahn chose to 'break' through the barrier this time around. This caused fluctuations through the barrier that set off several silent alarms, alerting everyone attuned to the formation of his arrival. As a result, several guards rushed towards his position but Vahn maintained a stoic appearance, back straight and chin tilted upward slightly. The guards, realizing who had 'intruded', froze on the spot and didn't know if they should try to apprehend Vahn or make way so he could pass unobstructed...Looking at the man with marginally more expensive armor, Vahn plainly stated, "Take me to the meeting room. I'm a little late, but I believe your Master should still be awaiting my arrival...?" Vahn had already sensed several presences gathered in what he assumed was one of the safe rooms of the Manor. They were unaware of who had intruded so Marcus must have moved them to safety until a report about the situation could be made. Vahn also sensed the presence of someone he had a slight interest in, causing him to look toward the adjacent wall and mutter, "Did the Smiling Reaper decide to escort me, or is it your hobby to spy on people...?"Seemingly unconvinced she had been noticed, the Smiling Reaper didn't reveal herself and instead pulled out a short-range communication crystal, likely reporting his arrival. Vahn chose to ignore her for the time being since she would undoubtedly be present when he met with the ex-Noble Faction. Since he didn't want to waste too much time with these people, Vahn started walking towards the safe room while the Guards were trying to receive their orders. The man he had originally talked to moved to block the way, saying, "Exc-" before Vahn backhanded him and sent him spinning into the adjacent wall. He wasn't here to keep playing the game orchestrated by the Nobles and, though he had kept them waiting nearly two hours, Vahn wasn't going to wait even two minutes for them to prepare for his arrival.Though some of the guards looked like they wanted to help out their companion, none of them had the courage to draw their swords. Vahn didn't spare them a glance, walking a direct route to where the former leaders of the Noble Faction were congregating. Nobody obstructed him along the way, likely receiving orders to allow him to move freely. It wasn't until an Elderly Butler met him at the landing of a stairwell that Vahn even encountered another person. He bowed low the moment Vahn stepped into the corridor, stating in a polite tone, "Allow me to escort you, Master Vahn..."If not for the rather large black aura surrounding this Butler, Vahn would have been impressed by the commendable display of etiquette. He was slightly curious about how the McKenneths had managed to secure a demigod as their Butler but decided to ignore it for the time being and simply nodded his head. This man was only around the peak of Level 4, which wasn't 'low' by any means, but, compared to even the weakest combatants within the Manor, he couldn't even compare to Tina and Shizune.Following behind the man, Vahn noticed he had tried to take a longer path to reach their destination so he immediately broke away and continued along the correct path, causing the Butler's aura to flare up. As soon as this happened, Vahn had vanished from the corridor and appeared at the flank of the Butler, palm pressing into the side of the latter's face before hurtling him through the wall. There was a magical ward left where his hand made contact, crackling with a powerful electrical current that kept the Butler from rising to his feet as Vahn pressed onward. He didn't mind overlooking the man, at least temporarily, but that didn't mean he would accept animosity openly.Shortly after leaving behind the paralyzed Butler, Vahn grabbed the ornate handle of a door and wrenched it open, irrespective of the barrier that tried to bar his passage. Inside the room, looking towards him with various expressions of shock and anger, there were eight middle-aged men and one rather old fellow who seemed to have one foot in the grave already. There were several maids and servants present as well, including the disguised Smiling Reaper. Vahn sent her a sidelong glance, causing her aura to flare up slightly, even though her bearing and expression remained unperturbed.At the center of the group, a middle-aged man with faded purple hair rose to his feet, a tired expression on his face as he bowed slightly and said, "Vahn Mason, welcome to my, Marcus Vale McKenneth's home..." The moment these words fell, a balding fat man with green hair and a piggish nose immediately exclaimed, "You have a lot of nerve, making us wait for more than two hours to attend a meeting YOU scheduled! Do you think the Nobles will just stand by and suffer your-" When the man's mouth tried to close, his teeth bit down on the indestructible metal of Vahn's sword, the tip of which now rested in his mouth as Vahn stunned the foolish man with his domain.The tension in the room immediately reached as critical level as the servant-cum-bodyguards moved to protect their Master's, only to find themselves unable to move as the entire room began to creak under an intense pressure. Vahn had constrained his domain, which had become much stronger in the past few days, causing the very void within the room to seize up and tremble. In a solemn and slow tone, ensuring that even idiots like this could understand his words, Vahn said, "I haven't come here to have a chat. I will speak and, until I am done, you will listen. Now, SIT...!" With his final word, the pressure in the room increased even further, forcing almost everyone that was standing to drop down to the floor unceremoniously.Though he eased up the pressure slightly, Vahn didn't pull back his aura as he pulled his sword out of the fat man's mouth, the only person who had been left standing. Now, he plopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, greasy sweat pouring out of his pores as the blood drained from his face. He seemed to want to say something but was unable to form any words as Vahn brandished the sword, removing the saliva staining the blade, before returning it to his Inventory. Afterward, he moved to the entrance of the room before turning around, passing his gaze over everyone present before saying, "It must be quite difficult, suffering the tyranny of another...even so, I doubt what you've experienced is even one percent of what you have forced upon others. Though there are certainly exceptions among you, the system of Nobility has been corrupt for far too long. From this point forward, there shall be no landed Nobles within Orario. You will be allowed to keep your personal properties and businesses, but your right to govern has hereby been revoked in its entirety. All land rights you believe to be yours have now been returned to the rightful owners, the citizens of Orario. You will be compensated the minimum amount for the property based on the market price per acreage. The exceptions to this will be the McKenneth, Deval, and Reinhardt Families, as your extraneous properties will be seized as recompense for your attempt to destroy Lil Geirr after colluding with the Iron Hills to commit acts of treason, jeopardizing all surface-dwellers as a result of your greed."While speaking, the pressure in the room gradually increased, especially on the leaders of the formerly most powerful and influential families. When he was done, however, Vahn gave them some breathing room and hoped at least one of them would take the bait, offering themselves up as an example. Fortunately, the fat man, current Patriarch of the Deval Family, Georg Engi Deval, practically screamed like a slaughtered pig, "Scandalous! What right do you have to slander my family without offering up any proof!? You can't just steal away the property of the Noble Houses based on false accusations! My Deval Family is one of the founding members of this City, serving the interests of Orario for nearly a thousand years! I'll not lower my head and accept your libelous claims like some whipped dog! Even if you have the backing of the Alliance, gods have no right to meddle in the affairs of mortals outside of their own Familia. You can't just do whatever you want, boy...!"The entire time Georg was speaking, Vahn's expression didn't change in the slightest, keeping a small smile until the fat man's diatribe had come to an end. When he stopped to gasp for air, just as some of the other ex-Nobles looked like they wanted to step forward, Vahn beat them to the punch. Using [Shundo], Vahn appeared before Georg and, before the fat man's eyes could even widen, chopped down while in his Xuanwu form. Redirecting the force of the attack through the man's body, Vahn 'hammered' Georg into the floor before resting his foot on the fat fool's face as he said, "I have already given you more mercy than you deserve. From this point onward, you are nothing but wealthy families without any power or authority in the politics of Orario. The Civilian Legislative Branch will now create laws and regulate trade within the City. If you are found trying to act in the capacity of a Noble, your family will immediately be listed as traitors of Orario and exiled. Maybe the Dwarves will show you courtesy if you go to them begging for help...hmph...!"With his final snort, Vahn put weight into his foot and crushed Georg's head like a watermelon, punctuating his point and causing the majority of those present to pale. One of the few whose expression didn't change much was Marcus, looking as tired as when Vahn first entered the room as he bowed slightly and said, "The McKenneth Family will abide by the verdict of the Sage Aldrnari...I understand that our path had diverged from a righteous one long ago...one day, perhaps we will be able to make amends for our wrongdoings..." As he was saying this, Marcus wondered how he was going to deal with his children. Their identity as Nobles was something they had exploited for a very long time and he may have to put them to the sword himself if their family was to survive this catastrophe...Vahn was slightly surprised by the quick accession of Marcus but, remembering the middle-aged man's remarks and complaints about his children, Vahn realized he may not have been one of the 'problems'. His aura was more of a grey than the black present on many of the men in the room, with the elderly gentlemen being the only one with a slightly sunny aura. Vahn knew he was the Patriarch of the somewhat ironically named 'Savage' Family, originating from huntsmen. He had a rather terrible reputation after killing off his two eldest sons who, according to rumors, had squabbled over the right of succession before conspiring to poison the current Patriarch, Saxton Cruz Savage. After learning of the scandal, Saxton had 'cleaned house' and had nominated his grandson as the next Family Head...Soon after Marcus lowered his head, many of the other Patriarch's acquiesced and bowed, even though there wasn't much sincerity in their actions. Vahn didn't care if they openly accepted his judgment and expected that he would be 'personally visiting' some of them in the next few days. He had already sent a telepathic message to Fafnir to completely trash the Deval Estate, the next destination on his itinerary. For now, however, Vahn turned his gaze to Marcus before looking towards the Smiling Reaper and asking, "Tell me, Marcus, how did you come across a Half-Doppelganger? And you, Smiling Reaper, was it your mother or father who was a Xenos...?"This time, the Smiling Reaper's expression changed a great deal, though not in the way Vahn had expected. She suddenly had a very 'amused' expression as her form changed back into a very mature and seductive form, completely bereft of clothing as strands of pale-blond hair and feathers covered her delicate areas. Her skin darkened into a healthy brown as the color in her eyes faded into a milky white before turning blood-red. These eyes, combined with her enticing appearance, were rather striking...however, it was all offset by the 'too large' grin she had on her face, explaining her epithet as the 'Smiling Reaper'.Marcus had a complicated expression on his face when he saw Beatrix turn into her 'true' form, especially since she had revealed it in front of the other families, even if they weren't Nobles any longer. Still, feeling the pressure radiating from Vahn, Marcus explained, "Beatrix has been a servant in my family for generations...she was found by my Grandfather's Great-Grandfather within an alleyway more than three hundred years ago. I do not know all the details, other than that she had taken a vow to serve the McKenneth Family for the duration of her life after being rescued from a near-death state..." This was one of the closely guarded secrets of the McKenneth Family but, considering the circumstances, Marcus didn't have a lot of leeway to try Vahn's patience...Though she remained quiet when Marcus was speaking, Beatrix released a sensual chuckle before adding, "Back then, I never knew I would live this long...so, I'm a Half-Doppelganger, was it~? Very interesting, ufufufu..." Vahn didn't believe for a moment that 'Beatrix' didn't know what she was, given that she had more than three hundred years to discover her heritage. The members of the McKenneth Family would have undoubtedly investigated her but, from what he could discern, Marcus wasn't lying. This meant Beatrix herself must have 'disposed' of the records at some point and was trying to cover up something that had happened in the past...Turning his attention back to Marcus, Vahn stated plainly, "The Xenos are a protected species recognized by both the Guild and the Alliance. You have no right to keep the descendent of a Xenos as a servant or retainer, especially with such a restrictive and unfair vow. All Xenos have biological immortality and, being a Half-Doppelganger, Beatrix's service would have continued indefinitely without any justification. Her service should have ended with the death of your Ancestor so I will have you release her from this ridiculous vow in its entirety..." Though he knew Beatrix was likely a very cruel and sadistic person, it was because she had been manipulated and taken advantage of. She would have to face judgment, if not outright execution, but Vahn still wanted to liberate her and give the peculiar woman a chance to live a better life.Marcus' expression paled for the first time, lowering his head slightly as Beatrix answered, "Little Marcus doesn't have the authority to free me, as I had been tricked into making a personal life-long vow to serve his ancestor's descendants. You may find it hard to believe, but my cute little Master actually tried to free me when he was younger. That night, I made sure to 'eat him up' to show my gratitude, ufufufu~." Now, instead of being pale, Marcus' cheeks actually turned slightly red, causing Vahn's mind to dull slightly at the peculiar situation he was witnessing. Beatrix seemed genuinely fond of Marcus and, based on his reaction, the feelings were mutual...Feeling as though he had lost a bit of the momentum, Vahn increased the pressure on the room a bit before turning toward Beatrix with a 'fierce' look. Her body tensed up but the smile on her face didn't fade away, even as Vahn moved to stand before her. When she suddenly licked her lips, Vahn furrowed his brows slightly but, having already made his decision, placed his hand on the center of Beatrix's chest. Her skin deformed slightly and, like very thick molasses, began to 'flow' around his fingers as if she were trying to absorb him. Vahn didn't pay any attention to this and instead focused his mind, seeking out something he wasn't exactly sure he would find. He didn't have the ability to see souls but, as some gods were able to observe the ego, Vahn was looking for any sign of Beatrix's so he could try and erase the vow she had made. Unfortunately, by the time his hand was completely submerged, Vahn hadn't been able to sense anything and, unwilling to use the [Fate Severing Knife] in such a circumstance, pulled his hand free.Beatrix made a slight 'pouting' expression before giggling and resuming her rather creepy smile and saying, "Awww, and I thought you wanted to play~." Vahn ignored her remark, turning to Marcus and saying, "I cannot remove her vow, at least for the time being. So long as you do not try and use her as a tool against others, I will momentarily overlook her presence here...keep in mind, however, that the criminal acts committed by the 'Smiling Reaper' will not go unpunished. Given the current circumstances, the McKenneth Family will be held accountable for any verifiable criminal activities and you will be forced to pay reparations to the Civilian Legislative Branch. If you are found to use her to commit any future criminal acts, especially for the purposes of infiltration and espionage, I will personally wipe out the remaining McKenneth Lineage to liberate her from your control..."Surprisingly, Marcus looked more relieved than anything, bowing his head lower than before as he said, "I understand. Thank you for your lenience..." Hearing this, Vahn resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and, after sending one last look towards Beatrix, turned to the other Patriarchs and said, "There are ongoing investigations into each of your family's actions over the last several decades. If you are found trying to obstruct these investigations, your family will suffer the same fate as the Deval Family..." With this last remark, Vahn made his way to the exit and passed through the broken door before continuing straight through the wall without stopping. Eventually, his figure vanished from the Manor entirely, causing the tensions in the room to ease slightly.Almost immediately after Vahn's figure had vanished, the youngest man in the group, Leonard Arks Walder, hurriedly muttered, "We need to move quickly to try and spin this in our favor. Vahn Mason's tyranny cannot go-" Mid-sentence, Leonard's words were replaced by a mouthful of blood as a resplendent golden chain pierced through his abdomen in an instant. He instinctually tried to pull out the chain as his two bodyguards came to his aid, only to be skewered by a second golden chain, leaving the three figures pinned to the spot before Flame Elemental energy converged around their body. As this happened, the surviving seven Patriarch's watched with blank expressions as one of their former compatriots burned to ashes...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Move, bitch, get out the way~!','*squish*','Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

After issuing his ultimatum to the former Nobles, Vahn made good on his promise and decimated the properties of the Deval and Walder families. Anyone with a dark aura who stood in his way met their ends while, at the same time as this was occurring, the government facilities and extraneous properties of the former most powerful families in the City were seized. This event had struck Orario like a natural disaster, bringing sudden and unexpected changes to the status quo and everyday life. Fortunately, with the combined efforts of the Alliance, the Guild, and the newly established Civilian Legislative Branch, the transition was proceeding with only a few minor hiccups.During the days following this transformative event, the Civilian Legislative Branch made public the majority of the former Nobles' crimes, providing documentation and written accounting of many events, some dating back over a century. This caused a massive public outrage who, now knowing the 'full extent' of the Nobles' crimes, and feeling emboldened by the support of three massive factions, began to rally and protest outside of the various Manors within the City. Public order was maintained by the forces of the Alliance and, in order to 'appease' the citizens of Orario, the first trials presided over by the CLB were held. In the end, most of the former Nobles lost the majority of their properties, as many had been illegally seized in the first place, and hundreds of billions of Valis had to be paid out in reparations.The majority of these funds were accounted for by the newly established treasury, operated in coordination between the Alliance, Guild, and CLB. To prevent Misappropriation, Fortuna was placed in charge of the funds and publically tasked with using them to invest in the infrastructure of Orario. Though she was a goddess belonging to the Alliance, Fortuna had operated for more than six-hundred years as the leader of one of the most influential and trustworthy Merchant Familia in the entire City. She enjoyed a rather extreme reputation as being a fair businesswoman and, as a patron Goddess of Fortune, was considered the best possible candidate to manage the rather massive amount of funds.This also served to emphasize the fact that the three most powerful organizations in the City were cooperating together, a stark contrast to how the Nobles had rather selfishly regulated things. Since many new laws were established, the majority extremely beneficial for common citizens, there were few people that felt any sympathy for the former Nobles. In fact, the biggest reactions came from the few Dwarven Merchants who still tried to trade within the City, and the remaining criminal organizations. The former was forced to leave the City, packing up their goods on the spot and told to await a detailed evaluation of trade benefits, an audit of goods exchanged over the last 50 years, and the renegotiation of trade treaties. As for the latter, they had already been pressured greatly by the Alliance and, after this 'power play', the majority of the powerful criminal Familia issued orders to lay low, seemingly disappearing to tide over the transition since nobody wanted to be Vahn's next target...As a result of this latest action, people were genuinely referring to Vahn as the 'Emperor of Orario', a nickname that was only made in good humor previously. Though he didn't hold the actual position, it was an accepted fact that Vahn was not only the most powerful, he was also the most influential person in the entire City. Some even began to claim he was the most influential person on the entire continent, at least in regards to mortals. He could act with impunity, purportedly answering only to his 'wives', and enjoyed the full support of the Alliance, the Civilian Legislative Branch, the Elven Kingdom, and, though it has never publically been stated, the Guild. It was even rumored that, if Vahn declared war on the Iron Hills, which seemed rather likely, the entire might of Orario would be at his disposal...almost like the army of an actual Emperor. The simple truth of the matter is, there were actually a number of people who were looking forward to such a development while some taverns were even running odds and accepting bets for whether the Alliance would go to war with the Iron Hills or the Rakia Kingdom first...While such discussions were occurring, Vahn himself was busy spending time with his family, watching over the construction of both Haven and Spero, and doing his best to research various topics, including the materials produced by his union with Freya, the change in her Avatar, and possible solutions for Diana's 'voice'. As he had expected, she quickly became friends with Erika and was actually quite the studious girl, even though her true passion seemed to be drawing and singing. This also made her close with Alexa, Vana, Lenneth, Aisha, and, though he would likely never admit it, Masonia. Syr spent a lot of time watching over her while also educating Vahn's four new Maids about their duties while helping them to navigate some of the secret passageways of the Manor.Keeping his promise to Freya, Vahn also discussed the matter of her being able to spend more time with Lenneth and, though some restrictions were put into place, there wasn't that much resistance to the idea. So long as she was accompanied by one of the goddesses, or Vahn himself, Lenneth could freely visit the Southern Manor to spend time with her mother. Anubis had volunteered to be her permanant chaperone but, as she still spent most evenings at the School Dorm, Vahn didn't want to put that kind of responsibility on her. He wasn't so busy that he couldn't make time to visit Freya with Lenneth in tow, oftentimes bringing along Diana since Freya treated both girls rather affectionately. During some of these visits, Vahn also got to see the miniature Ottar, though his father was never present since Diana posed a very real threat, even to the 'King'...Other than some public appearances to show his support for the Civilian Legislative Branch, the most troublesome matters Vahn had to deal with were the ever-increasing affection of the Xenos, the growing tension of the expedition members on the 50th Floor, and the news of Bell constantly getting into trouble. Though the boy was growing very quickly, it seemed like an 'event' would happen every few days, causing Loki to vent her frustrations out on him when they were together. She had redacted his probation on Alicia's request but, three days after he began delving back into the Dungeon, Bell ended up triggering the spawn of the Goliath on the 17th Floor. He somehow managed to defeat it, activating his [Argonaut] for the first time, but ended up passing out on the 18th Floor after carrying both unconscious girls to the outskirts of the settlement...Vahn didn't really know what to do about Bell but, every time he had to pacify Loki, thoughts of using the [Fate Severing Knife] would enter his mind. If not for the fact that his general impression of the boy was more on the positive side, Vahn would have severed Bell's fate just to prevent him from inadvertently endangering others. However, as this was already within his expectations from the start, Vahn tried to show patience and understanding, especially since the trio had managed to avoid using an [Effigy of the Hero] in their battle. Line and Plum had only passed out from fatigue and light injuries, which was also the only reason Loki didn't 'castrate' the rather peculiar boy on the spot...In this manner, a surprising 'lull' had descended upon Vahn's life as the days turned into weeks before slowly transitioning into a full month. As though happening in the blink of an eye, stability slowly returned to the City and, without Enyo's forces showing up even once, the first phase of Haven's construction had completed. At the same time, Spero had now turned into a rather exotic and fantastical land with massive trees twining about each other, forming strange residential structures that towered over a lagoon-like floor where Marie's figure could often be seen. There were now several Xenos was 'humanoid' forms, being Gros, Lyd, and Gryuu, while a large number had slowly started to naturally make the transition, gaining human-esque features.During his research with Ray, who had become progressively more 'troublesome' to deal with, Vahn quickly discovered that the 'evolution' of Xenos wasn't actually difficult to trigger. So long as they trained hard, consumed a very large amount of mana-rich resources, and genuinely desired the change, the Xenos were capable of rapidly evolving. Since many of them, especially after seeing their leadership change, now genuinely desired such forms, their changes had been happening very rapidly. Vahn noticed that these changes occurred much faster in the female Xenos, specifically those in the 'troublesome' category...One of the very first to evolve under natural conditions was Naho, growing a pair of delicate and pale humanoid legs as her thorax completely vanished, leaving a small abdominal section like a tail above her now perky little butt. She could still weave silk, and had been making great strides towards the production of very high-quality cloth, but now looked closer to a human than an Arachne. Though her clingy personality hadn't changed in the slightest, Vahn had already adapted to her nature and no longer let it bother him, so long as she wore proper clothes...Following Naho were two of the Almiraj Xenos, Mlem and Arles, each gaining very dangerous appearances that made Vahn grateful their village was more of a rumor at the moment than common knowledge. As their Almiraj forms were only the size of large rabbits, the two girls assumed forms that were only 88cm and 90cm tall respectively. Though they didn't exactly look like children, with somewhat more rounded figures with relatively short limbs, Vahn still felt they were 'dangerous' with their adorable bunny ears, fluffy tail tufts, and the tiny horns on their foreheads. It took them several days to get accustomed to wearing clothing as well, as only Arles even had experience with clothes as she often wore her tiny blue vest before her transformation...(A/N: Think Lalafells from Final Fantasy 14, or Harvin from Granblue Fantasy.)This was one of the bigger 'struggles' that Vahn had faced with the Xenos, as their propensity towards running around in the buff was deeply rooted in their mentality. It felt a little 'wrong' to tell them they 'needed' to wear clothes, as none of the Xenos minded the nakedness of their kin, but it was a necessary measure before they could begin interacting with other surface-dwellers. It was fortunate that, so long as he gave them the clothing personally, the Xenos would actually wear it until the fabric turned to rags. Vahn worked around this by making them relatively high-quality clothing that could withstand a lot of active movements, finally 'solving' the problem of what had started to quickly develop into a nudist colony...One of the happier developments among the Xenos was that their community had actually increased by two members, comprising of a second Silverback and what would be the fourth War Shadow Xenos. They had been found by Gros and Lyd after making rounds through some of the more common Hidden Villages. The two newcomers were very surprised that their desire to live on the surface became a reality almost immediately after their rebirth, quickly blending into the developing society. Vahn had joined the Xenos to celebrate the new arrivals, getting permission to bring along Vana as the first 'outsider' to Spero Village. She got along very well with the Xenos, to the point that she could naturally communicate with even the less intelligent members with ease. Vulcan also got along well with Gryuu, though only after they had a spar where the latter came out ahead...Overall, things were going very well and, as a result of this simple fact, Vahn knew things were actually growing progressively more dangerous. He didn't know what would 'break' first, be it an attack from Enyo, some scheme from an unknown enemy within the City, or if Bell's 'fate' would come into play at an inopportune moment. Since there was a Denatus taking place very soon, Vahn suspected it would happen around that time, considering that it was often during such inconvenient instances that events would take place. With most of the gods gathered at the Denatus, and the majority of Adventurers taking a break from the Dungeon, it was the 'perfect' time for something unexpected to occur...In preparation for this, Vahn discussed the matter with everyone, both within the Manor and inside of the Dungeon, making sure they were all on the same page. As a result, Loki immediately put Bell under temporary house arrest, telling him to 'explore the City and take the girls on dates' until after the Denatus ended. Vahn also chose the 'completion' of the next event as the time when he would plant the Tree of Life so he began making preparations to ensure everything in the City was relatively stable since Terra would temporarily have to enter the Dungeon. Before then, he would be escorting some of the girls out of the Dungeon so their forces weren't consolidated in a single area. Once the teleportation ward was established, moving between the surface and the 50th Floor would be much easier, so it was a necessary measure to take in order to avoid the worst case scenario...During this momentary lull, Vahn also took some time out of his schedule to visit Sylfia back at the Elven Forest before bringing her back to 'explore' Orario for an afternoon. Though this caused a small commotion, Vahn didn't really care as it was also a good opportunity to discuss his intention of procuring 'retainers' and 'subordinates' for the future. Sylfia readily supported this aspiration though, considering the happy smile she had while clinging to his arm, Vahn felt like he could have said anything and she would have agreed to it. Later that same day, after introducing her to everyone at the Manor and Spera Village, Vahn returned Sylfia to the Elven Kingdom, avoided a lecture from her two caretakers, and declined an offer by Larfal to become the next Elven King...Vahn had suspected something to happen when he was escorting Sylfia around so he was a little surprised with how 'smoothly' things had gone, though he didn't drop his guard. Even when he was making plans to escort his daughters around during the upcoming festival, Vahn was on high alert and even had Terra fly around the City a few times to make sure there were no signs of Enyo's forces reappearing. Ever since the first batch was cleared out, there had been no signs of Enyo trying to place forces in hiding and, with Knossos being sealed off, there were few means by which an attack was even possible. Even so, especially since everything was proceeding without incident, Vahn never once dropped his guard, all the way until the day of the festival preceding the Denatus...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'All Hail The Emperor, Vahn Mason','It feels like Vahn 'really' wants to use the [Fate Severing Knife]...','... ... ...'https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though he did stop over at Spero to check on the Xenos, Vahn spent the majority of the evening celebrating his reunion with Hephaestus, Loki, Hestia, Anubis, and, though they had shown up late in the evening, Eirene and Demeter. He also stopped in the orb to see how Nanu, Risna, and Asfi were doing, spending about six hours catching up with the three hardworking girls before returning back to the real world. At the same time, Vahn explained everything that was happening on the surface to the girls while also informing Finn that he may have to bring some of them out of the Dungeon, depending on the situation.Currently, though it could be sped up quite a bit if he called Terra down to help, it would take around 35-40 days before the first phase of construction was finished. Since Haven would be an actual 'City' in the future, the overall construction efforts would likely continue for several years. The main focus, at least for the time being, was setting up the defensive perimeter where the Tree of Life would be established. They were building a massive circular wall that was nearly 3km in diameter that would cordon off the area to everyone before the rest of Haven would be built after the fact.Ultimately, Haven would be set up in much the same way as Orario except, instead of eight sections, there would be ten. Around the wall protecting the Tree of Life, there would be five fortresses that would also be linked together by a massive circular corridor so they could reinforce each other. These fortresses would serve as part of one of the largest ritual magic circles that would likely ever exist in the record, powering the teleportation ward that Vahn intended to form within the heart of the Tree of Life. The five fortresses would also serve as the 'heart' of Haven, with the majority of the Alliances' forces and facilities located within. Though he would try to ensure that corruption never rooted itself within the City, Vahn knew that it wasn't realistic to think he could keep things tightly regulated when considering the types that would make the migration down to the 50th Floor.Eventually, after enough time had passed, there would undoubtedly be people born within the Dungeon that may even spend the early years of their life without seeing the sun. This meant, unless they deported children and denied permanant residence to people that made it down this far, the population on the 50th Floor would continue to increase with the passage of time. Though it would remain relatively low for several decades, the relative prosperity of Haven would undoubtedly cause a population boom after the base population reached a critical threshold. By the time fifty-to-a-hundred years had passed, there could actually be several hundred thousand people residing on the 50th Floor, with a 'migrating' population of several tens of thousands...In preparation for this inevitability, it was important that the foundation of Haven was unshakeable and that the Alliance had absolute power within the confines of the city walls. After all, especially once the power balance in the world was disrupted through the propagation of Eva's magic system, there would one day be hundreds of Level 5-7 individuals residing within this frontier City against the monster population. Such individuals could cause massive damage during conflicts and, in order to prevent lawlessness and catastrophic outcomes, the power base of the Alliance needed to be unshakeable. The Academy Vahn intended to build would serve the purpose of nourishing talent and power to keep things in check but there were hundreds of other implementations that would be necessary to keep order...One important step would be eliminating the current standing held by Nobles and changing legislation within Orario to regulate the kind of people that entered the Dungeon. The Guild had been far too lenient in allowing criminals and freelance Adventurers to essentially do whatever they wanted, so long as they didn't get caught. This led to things like exploitation, especially in the case of young and impoverished children that would become freelance Supporters. There were so many undocumented cases of ****, murder, and other vile acts that Vahn could not continue to tolerate the system as it was. In the future, those allowed in the Dungeon would need to have their identities verified and, those with any past or present association with criminal Familia would have to take vows agreeing to the same laws that already applied to most Adventurers.The biggest change Vahn intended to make was the complete refusal to allow children, especially freelance Supporters, to enter into the Dungeon. Though exceptions could be made for regulated Familia, as many large Familia treated their young Supporters with an adequate level of care, Vahn wouldn't accept the situation where children were exploited as cheap and expendable labor. If they were not recognized as adults in accordance with the laws of society, they would have to enroll in a Guild or Alliance sponsored 'Survival Course'. A system needed to be created to allow all children, regardless of if they were orphans or born into wealthy families, the opportunity to receive adequate preparatory lessons before exposing themselves to such dangers. Though this would cost several hundred million Valis a year, on the low end, it was ridiculous from Vahn's perspective that things had been allowed to get to this point after nearly a thousand years of civil and social development...To set in motion these legislative changes, Vahn needed to completely break down the corrupt system that was currently put into place by the Nobles. Though they were slowly changing, mainly to avoid a direct confrontation with the Alliance, this change wasn't nearly fast enough. Since they were also working with the enemies of the Alliance and trying to sabotage efforts that were literally enacted for the good of ALL people, Vahn's patience had worn out. The moment he saw the bomb carried by the Nobles' Expedition, they had moved to the very top of his blacklist and now they would be forced to face the consequences.Currently, Vahn sat across from a very beautiful woman who was flanked by four other members of the Civilian Council. The woman's name was Freyalise Achene, a woman born and raised in Orario who had once suffered at the handles of the Nobility. Her family business was destroyed after refusing to 'gift' expensive materials that had been required by their expedition party that had ventured near the Dragon Valley, one of the 'Three Great Unexplored Regions'. They managed to harvest a very rare mineral vein known as Dragon's Jade, used primarily in the production of some of the most expensive and lavish furnishings. When it was discovered that her family had come into possession of a large quantity of the rare mineral, the Nobles moved to seize it and, after refusing to hand it over, Freyalise' family had been ruined. Now, she served to represent all citizens who had been wronged by the Nobles and acted as the primary representative of the Civilian Council.The other four members present were all men, the youngest being in his thirties while the oldest was actually 106, being a Half-Elf that had faced persecution in the past. They came from all walks of life but had the common experience of suffering from the Nobles' tyranny, now committing their lives to making Orario a better place for everyone to live. Like Freyalise, they had all made public vows that ensured they would never fall to things like corruption and, so long as the people continued to support them, they would continue to serve Orario into the far future. Vahn admired what the Civilian Council represented and, in the power vacuum that would be left by the Nobles, he intended to make them the decision makers in Orario as they worked together to build a better system of government.Freyalise had a very stoic expression as she listened to Vahn's admonishment of the Nobles and his proposal that they become the foundation of Orario's new government. The Guild and the Alliance would obviously keep their power, but the Civilian Council would become the third branch that helped create laws that regulated the common citizens. This would include everything from trade, general taxation, conducting the census, and general policing. Though the City Guards would remain the higher authority during emergency situations, Vahn proposed that the Civilian Council also establish a court system that would also regulate things like criminal slaves in the future.Though Vahn was intending to abolish slavery in general, the merit of criminal slaves wasn't something he could simply ignore. Imprisonment wasn't a real solution and it would require a significant amount of resources to keep people imprisoned for long periods of time with humane conditions. Having people become part of the labor force, so long as the conditions weren't extreme, ensured that the tasks most people weren't willing to tend to were taken care of. This was especially important since many of the farmers that were sent to the Plains region of Eden were criminal slaves, most living relatively happy and free lives after their service had ended...For those who had committed heinous crimes, Vahn believed it was a mercy to pass judgment on and execute them outright, even if it sounded extreme. It was common knowledge that people reincarnated and Vahn's understanding of this principle was even more developed than the gods of this record. Because of this, though he would prefer to settle things diplomatically, Vahn knew that 'death' was more of a reprieve than an actual punishment, especially for those who had strayed too far from the path to correct course...After waiting for Vahn to finish outlining his basic intentions, Freyalise looked towards her fellow Council members before lifting up a small wooden totem, saying, "We will put it to a vote. Out of consideration for the support meted out by the Alliance in the past, I am not against elevating the Civilian Council into the Civilian Legislative Branch in the future. All those against, please make your objections now..." As they had long been preparing for this exact event, none of the councilmen offered any objections whatsoever, instead, showing eager and expectant looks as they held their own identity totems. Seeing this, Freyalise smiled and placed her totem forward, saying, "All those for the Sage Aldrnari's proposal, please offer forward your totem and recite your affirmation..."As if it were a race to see who could put their piece out first, all four men practically slammed their totems down and agreed to the proposal while Vahn observed them with mild intrigue in his eyes. These people would become the de facto rulers of Orario in the future and it was somewhat amusing to see them so motivated. When Freyalise finished looking to her left and right, her light brown eyes turned to match his as she smiled and said, "It seems we have a unanimous agreement. Though we don't have any forces to dedicate to the dissolvement of the Nobility, the Civilian Council will immediately begin maneuvering to replace the current government facilities with our own. We may need to rely on the support of the Alliance during this transition..."Vahn held up his hand, causing Freyalise's words to trail off before he explained, "The Alliance has already completed negotiations with the Guild and we will be dedicating the same forces that have been patrolling the City to keeping order. The Eirene Familia has already stationed members near the current government offices and, to facilitate a quicker transition, the Civilian Council is advised to seize these facilities for their own use. The Nobles may have built those facilities, but their intended purpose had been to support the citizenry. We would have forced them to yield them anyway but this will ensure there are fewer issues that would undoubtedly arise when the Nobles try to burn and dispose of official documents..."The man to the left of Freyalise, named Jackson Thune, released an excited laugh as he exclaimed, "This is great! We'll perform an audit on all the documents kept within and uncover even more of the Nobles' schemes! It's about time those bastards were exposed for the snakes they are...!" This remark caused the Half-Elf, named Aiden Cinderswill, to humorously add, "More like leeches..." Now, almost every member of the Civilian Council, now the Civilian Legislative Branch, began to chuckle. Freyalise also had a slight smile on her face, even as she lightly reprimanded them, saying, "We should not engage in such petty antics and immediately set about following through on our own part of the transition. The more time we waste here, the more time the Nobles have to dispose of the evidence of their crimes..."Nodding his head in agreement, Vahn rose to his feet and said, "I have already scheduled a meeting with the heads of each Noble Family...I don't imagine they are happy to have been waiting for the last hour and a half...hahahaha~." Vahn scheduled his meeting with the Civilian Legislative Branch and the Noble Faction at the same time, placing far more emphasis on the first group over the later. After all, he would be issuing an ultimatum and it would be 'beneficial' if they were already annoyed by the time he arrived. The Deval Family, especially, was at the very top of Vahn's list and he was hoping they tried to oppose his ultimatum...Realizing his own rather 'tyrannical' thoughts, Vahn wondered if it was events like this that had slowly pushed him towards the path of an 'Emperor' in the Divination. Now, even if he ended up on a similar path, things were very different and Vahn didn't mind deposing some corrupt Nobles. As a physician, he knew that the sooner people were liberated from such a cancerous system, the faster the healing process could begin. This time, a lot of the power in the world would undoubtedly be consolidated by the Alliance but, considering the changes brought about by the record's tier being increased, Vahn knew this was necessary. It was also better that the power balance established was enforced by beings that could essentially live forever, as the chance of corruption could be marginalized through proper regulation...Knowing he would be one of those eternal entities, Vahn parted ways with the Civilian Legislative Branch and began to fly rather leisurely towards the rendezvous point where he would meet the ex-Nobles of Orario. To give them a false sense of security, Vahn had requested they meet him at McKenneth Family's main residence. Marcus Vale McKenneth was the most influential man within the Noble Faction and Vahn knew it would give them a feeling of 'empowerment' and 'unity' if they were gathered together under his roof. Though this seemed like a detriment, Vahn wanted them to harbor such delusions since it would make his following actions more impactful. He had promised a reckoning and, unless their answer was satisfactory, there may very well be fewer influential families remaining in the City by the day's end...(A/N: Keep in mind that Vahn isn't trying to take away the property, businesses, and wealth of the Noble Families. Though they are seizing government facilities, he isn't going to 'rob' them, just strip them of the rights and privileges they had enjoyed for far too long. This means their future actions will be very illegal and gives the CLB and the Alliance ample justification for dealing with them rather harshly in the future. Of course, that's not to say that Vahn won't be treating them rather harshly next chapter :P...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Building a City ain't easy...','Governing a City ain't easy...','Faceslapping Nobles is very easy (o3o)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 845: Ultimatum