Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn very rarely turned his attention away from the planet he inhabited but, every now and then, he enjoyed basking in the vast and chaotic energies of space. Though there was a fair amount of radiation present, he was completely immune to its effects since his body naturally filtered away anything harmful. He also had no DNA to damage so, even if he snuggled up next to a nuclear reactor for a few days, he would be none the worse for wear.Sophia, however, was not him so, while she was able to explore space, under close supervision, she did so using a craft that looked a lot like an adorable cartoon rabbit. It even had a snow-white hull, two eye-like sensory compartments, and flight wings that vaguely resembled angular ears. It was actually quite cute to behold and, while Sophia had inherited some troublesome traits from her mother, Vahn appreciated the fact they both designed things with an animal motif, rather than relying on more spartan designs.Though he didn't need to wear one, as he didn't need to breathe, Vahn was wearing a face mask that allowed him to communicate directly with the shuttle. Using this, he was able to alert Sophia to any dangers he sensed and, if anything ended up threatening her from the outside, he would be able to deal with it without putting the craft in danger. After all, while Sophia's craft was ahead of even the most advanced aerospace technology from the previous era, there were a number of environmental factors that posed a serious threat to her safety.Truthfully, Vahn had misgivings about even allowing Sophia into space but, knowing there was a fair chance she would venture out on her own, Vahn decided to directly assist in her research. It was one of the ways in which they got to spend some quality time with each other so, while it was more than a little disconcerting, he always enjoyed accompanying her. Besides, the view simply couldn't be beaten, something Sophia seemed to agree with as he heard her comment over the comms, "Simply breathtaking..."Hearing the remark, Vahn silently nodded his head before hovering near the front of the craft and reminding, "Beauty often conceals great danger. We should finish up quickly before heading back home. You know I can't help but worry about you while we're out here..."Following a peal of bell-like laughter, Sophia replied with a simple, "Understood, Papa~." before piloting her craft further out into space. They had previously been just outside of the Van Allen Radiation belt, an area where particles emitted by the sun gathered en masse, so, by heading just a few hundred meters, Sophia's craft would be bombarded by radiation. This always made Vahn a little uncomfortable, despite knowing her shielding was perfectly capable of withstanding such radiation levels, so he made sure to keep pace in order to prevent any hypersonic space debris from causing problems. Then, once they were within the region with the highest concentration of radiation, he had Sophia stay safely within her craft while he personally stress-tested her newest inventions...---Though it was currently the weekend, Mordred, Sakura, Mash, Zoë, and Astrid still made a point of attending the Clock Tower in order to build rapport with their fellow students. After all, more so than the educational aspect, the main reason for their attendance was to provide them with the chance to socialize amongst their peers. After all, even with the great changes that would be introduced in the coming era, it was impossible to completely abolish politics. Even if it was just from a social point of view, the central figures of the Empire would always be held to a higher standard and, if they didn't meet expectations, it was only a matter of time before the people lost faith in their would-be rulers.In order to set a proper example for others to follow, all five members of the 'Imperial Quintet' put in a considerable amount compared to their peers. They could almost always be found training hard or completing various Quests, constantly improving themselves through their own efforts. Though they also had the benefit of Vahn's attention, they used this as motivation to work even harder, opening a considerable power gap between them and the vast majority of students. Though anomalies such as Rani couldn't be overcome so easily, even Astrid had managed to get a few small advantages against her during their spars.Since even the most lackluster student within the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory had experienced a qualitative increase in strength, the progress made by the Imperial Quintet was even more noticeable. As a result, their group had expanded from their original five members to a total of seventeen, most of which were female. This included nearly every member of the top-ten, consisting of all five members of the Imperial Quintet and a host of students belonging to the Atlas Temple.Though Rani was still held the 2nd Ranking, she noticed how quickly the girls from the Empire were growing so, while not exactly the most competitive person in the world, she was compelled to put in a greater amount of effort to secure her position. Ideally, she would be able to overcome Mordred and secure the top position but, the harder she fought during their spars, the more she realized that the former wasn't going all out. Rather, there was such a vast gulf in their capabilities that, without a specially crafted weapon, Rani couldn't rationalize being able to defeat her.Despite this difference in power, Rani was undaunted so, along with the other 'combat type' Artificial Humans, she ended up spending much of her free time associating with the Imperial Quintet. It was an opportunity to observe the training methods and abilities of Mordred, Sakura, and Mash, so, even if she often found herself being inexplicably teased, Rani didn't let it affect her mentality or progress. Rather, spending time with the Imperial Quintet had taught her the importance of socializing as, in order to become even stronger, they freely shared information and honed their skills against each other without fear of undermining their own status and exposing their capabilities...Though the Atlas Temple believed in the propagation of knowledge, there were still a number of restrictions to this principle as, in order to secure a position for themselves, many Alchemists kept a few secrets. Rani herself was the amalgamation of various secret technologies so, better than most, she knew how peculiar it was for the Imperial Quintet to be so 'open' about their skills and abilities.This made them seem exceptionally confident, not in their current skills, but their ability to grow and develop faster than the people emulating them. If someone could surpass them following the same path, it indicated they either hadn't put in enough effort or that the other person simply tried harder than them. They didn't scorn the efforts of others, nor did they try to suppress them. Instead, in line with the policies of the Empire, they encouraged their peers to work hard, often giving advice freely and without embellishment.As a result of their nature, appearance, and, perhaps most importantly, status, the Imperial Quintet had quickly become the most idolized group within the entire Clock Tower. Unfortunately, unless you were a student of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory, it was rare to get a glimpse of them unless you encountered them on their way to, or from, the Aldnrnari College Commons. This led to a number of students lingering along the route whenever they had free times, some wanting nothing more than to catch a glimpse of the famous five while others, harboring the usual delusions of teens, prayed for a fateful encounter with one of the suspected Princesses...Today was no exception to this as, after finishing their morning lessons, Mordred could be found leading a rather large group of girls as they all jogged back to the Commons. They had formed into two neat lines and, without minding the fact she was making a scene, Mordred called out a military-style cadence to help everyone stay in pace. This was a pretty common occurrence within the Clock Tower these days, serving as both a show of unity and a deterrent to anyone trying to solicit any of the girls belonging to the infamous Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory.At this point, nearly every student within the Clock Tower lamented the fact they hadn't tried to join the Department in its nascent stages. Not only was it filled with a considerable number of beauties but, after the recent 'purge', it became the most influential Department in the entire Clock Tower. At the same time, all major factions had been abolished so, while several smaller factions still existed, it seemed pointless to join any organization unaffiliated with the Empire. After all, while London hadn't been as impacted as other cities, the complete collapse of the global economy and the massive shift from modernization all but guaranteed the Empire would be the only 'real' faction in the future.Unfortunately, it was exceptionally difficult to become a citizen of the Empire unless you had a clean record or extenuating circumstances that forced you to act against your will. Those over the age of fourteen, who had a past marred with terrible offenses against humans, spirits, or even Homunculi, had little hope of becoming official citizens of the Empire, at least without a considerable amount of effort. Their only option forward was to be placed into a probationary stage where they had to show very clear improvements in both character and mentality. It was only after passing a psychological evaluation, one that probed deep into their psyche, could they finally be liberated from the sins of their past.There had been a number of people who tried to get around this requirement by becoming friendly with the allies of the Empire but, despite their best efforts, they had been unsuccessful. This made it clear to everyone, including the few Noble families that had survived the 'purge', that the Empire was not simply throwing around pretenses. The current era wasn't simply the shifting of power between one overlord to another but, on a much grander scale, it was the enforcement of an ideology where malicious intentions and opportunistic mentalities wouldn't get you far.The only way to align yourself with the Empire and prosper was to make a sincere effort to be better, both morally and objectively. You had to adhere to both the spirit and the letter of the Common Law as, any grievous violations all but guaranteed death. The Empire seemingly had no mercy for people who attempted to game the system and get away with violating the law using wealth, status, and the privilege people had been born into. If you thought you could get away with something because of some misguided sense of superiority, only one outcome awaited you.This realization hit a number of people rather hard as, with the collapse markets, the severance of communications technologies, the grounding of planes, and the crippling of supply lines, even the wealthiest of families had no choice but to line up outside food distribution centers. Their pride was dragged through the dirt and, with the power possessed by the Empire, the best they could do was advise their progeny to perform well in school. The only hope a family had of surviving into the new era was by throwing their lot in with the Empire so, while many families had to swallow a very bitter pill, they did so in order to preserve their legacies...---Unconcerned with the thought process of struggling Magus families, Olga was sitting listlessly in her Director's chair, wondering when Vahn would pay her a visit. Around her, monitoring the information obtained by CHALDEAS, five identical girls could be seen. They each had peculiar pink hair, pale-blue eyes, and petite figures that made them appear to be in their mid-teens.Though it was a rather peculiar sight to behold, what really made the girls stand out were their large cat-like ears, glistening with a metallic sheen, their perpetually smiling expressions, and the tattoos on their upper left arm, each showing a different number. At the same time, if you were to observe them very closely, you would be able to see a stream of data flickering across their eyes and, if you had superhuman hearing, a virtually inaudible whirring could be heard emanating from within their tiny frames.While appearing human at a glance, these girls were actually automatons created by Merem after the latter continued pestering Vahn, asking if there was anything he could do to help. Since Merem could create completely unique forms of life at will, Vahn had conferred with Da Vinci and the others before tasking Merem with the creation of personnel that would be able to help maintain CHALDEAS without suffering from the same pitfalls as normal humans. As a result, they ended up with a rather adorable humanoid doll based on one of Touko's designs since Merem, by his own admission, lacked creativity.For the same reason, Merem ended up producing a total of thirty of the same model, naming the entire series of doll-like girls 'Operator Daemons'. This wasn't an incorrect designation either as, in spite of their appearance, each of the girls was, indeed, a Daemon. Instead of being an existence that fulfilled something like sexual desire, however, they had the sole focus of operating the systems of Chaldeas, ensuring everything was working optimally. This was the thing that made them happy so, while it was more than a little awkward, especially for the first few weeks, the tireless work ethic of the Operator Daemons had made a positive impression on everyone.Now, Olga often found herself with very little to do as, from the moment the Operators took over, they had performed their assigned tasks without a single error. They weren't emotionless machines that were incapable of adapting to changing circumstances so, even if there was a small hiccup, they would quickly resolve the issue by working together seamlessly. This resulted in Olga spending most of her time just observing CHALDEAS in silence, still fulfilling her duties, albeit in a much less hands-on way than before...Just as Olga's boredom began to get the better of her, she noticed the beautiful sapphire-blue glow of CHALDEAS change slightly, immediately followed by one of the Operators stating, "Director, there seems to be a temporal anomaly in sector C-17. SHEBA is no longer able to detect 73% of the Sector using the Near-Future Observation Lens. Shall we send a team to investigate?"Though it wasn't uncommon for anomalies to appear, Olga couldn't help but get a little excited as it was always far more interesting to investigate a problem than just sit around. Thus, hearing Nana's report, named as such due to the 07 on her arm, Olga rose from her chair with a start, a smile on her face as she exclaimed, "Send observation probes to the site and inform Delta Team to be on standby for immediate deployment! Come on, Vahn is relying on us to do our jobs properly. We can't let any surprises interfere with the Empire's plans~!!"Since she rarely had anything to do, Olga was always eager whenever something happened. After all, if she did well, Vahn would pamper and praise her even more than usual. She still had a weakness to being praised so, if the opportunity presented itself, she would give 110% to the completion of any task. As for the Operators, they replied with a simple, "Acknowledged." while simultaneously carrying out her orders without even a momentary delay...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Can't wait to see a bunny battle cruiser xD...','Adapt or fall into obscurity','The birth of Realians...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

At the location designated as C-17 in Chaldea's archives, a lackadaisical looking man with shaggy brown hair, a child-like girl with pure white hair, and a buxom woman wearing a stylish kimono all appeared on a metallic platform in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Similar to the child-like girl, the woman in the kimono had pale hair but, instead of being white, it had undertones of lavender.Next to the peculiar trio, five cylindrical containers, each roughly the size of coffins, were arranged neatly in a row. They were each marked with serial codes and numerical designations ranging from 001 to 005 and, even while sealed, a powerful aura radiated out from each of them. As a result, the clear skies overhead began to darken and, a stark contrast to their former calm, the sea began to roll with violent waves in a very short period of time.Taking in her surroundings, the kimono-clad woman lightly hummed before musing, "So, this is the past, eh? It doesn't seem like the dystopic place you claimed it to be. You realize I won't hesitate to cut you down if you lied to me, right?"Hearing the buxom woman's question, the shaggy-haired man snorted before making a gesture as if to push up glasses. Finding the ridge of his nose barren, he settled on pinching it while lazily stating, "This is the furthest point we can jump back. Tracing back all future timelines brings us to this point, like a reverse Quantum-Lock. We need to find the source of the singularity and destroy it. The future of all worlds depends on our success..."Without minding the shaggy-haired man's explanation, the woman wearing the kimono turned her attention to a point in space, her peculiar eyes flickering with a myriad of blues, pinks, and light greens. Then, faster than anyone present could perceive, one of the four swords tied to her obi had already been unsheathed. At the exact same moment, seemingly without any time passing at all, a small spherical probe fell from the sky, bisected cleanly in two despite having been several hundred meters away.Seeing the probe fall, the shaggy-haired man snorted once again before asking, "Still think this world is normal? The technology of this era shouldn't be able to detect us at all. This proves my conjecture. Something, or someone, created a singularity within the past. If we don't remove the cause, all future timeline will cease to exist. Trillions of potential lives, infinite possibilities, will be lost..."Instead of agreeing with the man outright, the kimono-wearing woman just lightly hummed as she looked around the area. Then, with another flash of her sword, another probe, this one emerging at a distance of several kilometers, was cut down. The fact their enemies had the ability to send out a series of invisible probes, each seemingly capable of teleporting short distances, was a cause for concern. It wouldn't take long for them to be swarmed and, while she was supremely confident in her abilities, protecting others had never been her forte.Deciding it was best to change locations, she sheathed her sword before picking up the white-haired girl and saying, "We need to move. I feel something...dangerous. If we stick around here for too long, don't blame me if your plans fail before they can even take off."Shaking his head in response to the woman's words, the man pulled out an egg-shaped device and, after pressing a series of runes, a spherical barrier surrounded the platform before it vanished into thin air. Moments later, a purple-clad figure emerged from the void, two scarlet spears at the ready as her equally red eyes scanned the area.Sensing her enemies had faded, seemingly without a trace, Scáthach couldn't help but furrow her brows. For a brief moment, she had sensed a phenomenally powerful opponent, one that stirred her dormant fighting spirit. Though the Chaldea Security Forces were well on their way, she preempted their arrival after using her Clairvoyance to determine all but one of them would have died. She knew Vahn wanted to avoid casualties as much as possible so, in order to prevent him from brooding, she decided to change the future by interfering in the present.After failing to find any traces of their enemies, Scáthach squinted her eyes slightly before turning her back and preparing to teleport away. It was at this exact moment that a ripple, so subtle as to be non-existent, appeared from the void. This caused Scáthach's eyes to widen and, despite her best efforts to evade the invisible wave completely, it ended up passing through her left arm faster than even her perception could follow. At the same time, a deep crevasse appeared in the sea, seemingly cutting through the entire ocean and bisecting it in two.Though the pain of losing an arm didn't influence her at all, Scáthach clenched her teeth as a pale-gold spear appeared in her right hand. Then, with a form beyond perfection, she threw the spear, seemingly toward nothing while shouting, "Gungnir!!" in a venomous tone. In response to her cry, the spear flashed with a brilliant golden light before vanishing into thin air, a black void left in its wake...---In a non-existent location within Imaginary Number Space, the kimono-clad woman, despite the protests of the shaggy-haired man, stood with two ornate katanas drawn. She had created a link between a future timeline and the present, attacking from the future to strike at the dangerous opponent she had sensed pursuing them. Her eyes allowed her to actualize the success of any strike, irrespective of the time and place it took place. Simply by knowing when and where an opponent would be, she could strike their expected location before they reached it; leaving a lethal attack waiting for them while she was nowhere, and nowhen, to be seen.Despite this sure-kill move, her instincts told her that the enemy pursuing them wasn't the type to be taken down so easily. Thus, despite the fact attacks shouldn't be able to reach them within their non-existent location, she didn't drop her guard. This ended up being the correct choice as, around two hours after her attack, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the Imaginary Number Space. At the same time, a spear larger than a mountain appeared, its tip barreling towards their location at near-lightspeed.Though the golden spear seemed completely unstoppable, the kimono-clad woman, with a casual smile on her face, shifted her stance ever-so-slightly. Her feet traced a gentle crescent, seemingly moving in slow motion despite the fact the movement was completed before the spear reached the platform she was standing on. By the time it actually reached her, the spear's forward momentum had been completely arrested, stopping mid-motion as two distinct lines ran through its length.With an approving nod, the woman brandished her swords before slowly sheathing them and musing, "I can't wait to see what else you're capable of. Unfortunately, you'll have to do better than this if you want to trade blows with me~."Following her musings, the woman completed sheathing her swords, causing a slick 'chnk' sound as the metal overlapped. Immediately following this sound, the massive golden spear exploded into a shower of magical fragments before dissolving into the Imaginary Number Space, its form shattered to the point of non-existence...Seeing the shower of golden light, the white-haired girl issued a monotonous 'ooooh~' while the shaggy-haired man, without even bothering to watch the exchange, continued working on the five containers. His power was several orders of magnitude lower than his sword-wielding companion so, if she couldn't stop their enemies, there wasn't much sense in mustering his own defenses. He would rather focus on important tasks than bother with matters outside his ability to influence.With this in mind, the man interfaced his device with the 001 container, inputting a runic-based code to overwrite the failsafes keeping the entity inside sealed away. This process took nearly five hours to complete but, from the perspective of the outside world, little to no time had passed. Then, with one final input, the previously mirror-like surface of the cylinder developed a crease along its side before abruptly opening amidst a cloud of icy cold vapor.Following the unsealing of the container, the aura emanating from inside increased exponentially for a brief moment before ultimately vanishing entirely a moment later. Then, from within the hazy mist, a delicate white hand emerged, grasping awkwardly at the air. This caused the shaggy-haired man to furrow his brow in annoyance but, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself, he grasped the hand to help the person within extricate themselves.From within the sealed container, a young woman with cream-colored hair and vibrant amber eyes emerged. She was attired in a black formfitting bodysuit that looked like something out of a science-fiction movie while, near the bottom of the container, several pieces of equipment and armor were neatly arranged and waiting to be worn. Instead of focusing them, however, the woman looked into the shaggy-haired man's eyes, stating in a dull monotone, "Food..."---Sensing the connection to her projected [Gungnir] being severed, Scáthach's eyes turned cold. She then placed a rune on her arm to prevent it from bleeding out before sending a telepathic message to Vahn, explaining the situation. Though she would have preferred to deal with things behind the scenes, this wasn't an enemy they could afford to keep hidden from Vahn. Rather, everyone would need to be prepared as the attack which had bisected the sea was something only a handful of them would be able to deal with...Considering who had been injured, Vahn issued an emergency summons of his war council, picked the children up from school, and retrieved Olga and Semiramis from their usual habitats. There was no way of knowing when and where their enemy would next appear as their ability to move through Imaginary Number Space meant they could, quite literally, appear anywhere.Since most of the operations of Chaldeas could be managed without being on-site so, Vahn felt better having the two close until they discovered the purpose of this unknown group of enemies. After all, someone that could cut off Scáthach's arm, despite her being virtually immune to damage, couldn't be looked down on. If not for the fact she was still a Heroic Spirit, there was a good chance the limb wouldn't have regrown due to the lingering 'sword energy' that prevented even time-based healing spells...Fortunately, there were only so many people in all of recorded history who could meet the standards of performing such an attack so it didn't take long for them to come up with a list of suspects. Then, with the combined efforts of Sherlock, Merlin, and Scáthach herself, they narrowed the field down to one of three people, the most likely being Miyamoto Musashi. The technique used against Scáthach carried a distinctly 'eastern' feel to it so, if it wasn't Musashi, the only other comparable swordsmen were Suzuka Gozen and, somewhat awkwardly, the original Okita Souji.Regardless of who the attacker was, there were a few things they could be certain of. First, someone had been able to access the Throne of Heroes and, based on the Temporal Anomaly detected by the SHEBA network, it was all but guaranteed they were from the future. This was troublesome in various ways as, despite knowing of the existence of time travel, Vahn hadn't accounted for the fact that he would have to face attacks from the future.Though they wouldn't be able to travel further back than his current present, the fact any number of people from the future could interfere with his plans was an extremely troublesome matter. After all, this meant, if his enemies were capable, they could summon Heroic Spirits, send them back into the past, and then repeat the process. Even if it took them several years to summon each Heroic Spirit, it only took sending them to the same point in the past for them all to converge together. It was an extremely vexing realization as, with everything else that was going on, the last thing Vahn needed was an assault from time-traveling Heroic Spirits...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A strong enemy appears!?','Outside of time, space, and even existence...','Vahn and Thanos would have a lot to talk about')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Though Europe didn't fit the traditional definition of a Continent, as it was just the western section of a much larger landmass, there was a reason the Mage's Association had made it their core. It had the largest number of leylines present anywhere in the world and, with the exception of Egypt and a few regions of China, it had the closest connection to the Age of Gods. As a result, it served as a gateway of sorts for accessing the Reverse Side of the World and, despite their doctrine directly opposing the existence of Thaumaturgy, even the Catholic Church had exploited this property for their own gain.Since Avalon was also located in Europe, it was the most obvious choice for building a Supercolony. It was the region that would be most heavily affected by the coming convergence so, in preparation for what was to come, it was necessary to develop precautions against Gods, errant Spirits, and the Phantasmal Species that would soon return to the Surface.With this in mind, most of the Empire's forces had been consolidated around modern-day Czechia, specifically around the former capital, Prague. Here, much of the historical city had been reduced to a flat plot of land, one surrounded by a massive ivory wall a startling 50m in height. Though this was a relatively short wall from Vahn's perspective, it was monstrously tall from the perspective of normal humans. Even the Great Wall of China was only around 12-14m at its highest point, making the ivory white walls of the nascent European Supercolony tower over most modern structures.For the people that had seen the wall be built in a short two weeks, they had completely given up any semblance of resistance against the Empire. Even the former citizens of Prague accepted the loss of their city as, prior to the Supercolonies destruction, they were arranged temporary living quarters, ample food, and access to various temporary facilities. This included an Immigration Office where, so long as you were willing to uphold the Common Law, you were provided with a Companion, a set of form-fitting clothes to wear under your normal attire, and, as a way to entice even more people, full treatment of any past medical issues.It hadn't been long since the world was set on its current path so, while information regarding the existence of Alchemy and advanced medicine had been made public, most people didn't have the time to focus on developing even basic potions. Thus, with Paracelsus and Tristana literally healing things like blindness, deafness, lost limbs, and chronic diseases, a considerable number of people had been willing to take the Oath of Citizenship in exchange for treatment.Though there was a bit of resistance to the Companions, as the catalog detailing their treatment was offputting for those who had never even had a pet, it didn't take long for their popularity to increase. After all, while adults could be skeptical to a fault, it was hard to hate something that was both cute while simultaneously helpful. The hardest part for most people was treating Companions as partners rather than pets. After that, it was accepting the fact that, despite the number of children they had, a number of people were simply ill-suited to being parents.The Empire advocated that people be able to live freely but that didn't mean they were simply able to live however they pleased. If they had bad habits or poor parental skills, the Companions weren't going to just stand around and watch a drunkard beat their wife and children. Their opinion in the matter meant absolutely nothing to the Common Law as no child deserved to suffer violence and mistreatment from the people they should have been able to trust above all others.It would take a while but, given enough time, people would learn to accept that being a parent didn't grant you the right to treat your children however you pleased. You had an obligation to do your best to protect and love them, regardless of your personal faults and burdens. If you couldn't do that, you didn't deserve to be a parent from the very beginning. No child deserved to suffer just because their parents were ill-suited to taking care of other people so, if necessary, the Companions would become the primary caretakers of the children; backed by the Empire.This reality was impossible for some people to accept so, despite considerable protests, the Empire did not hesitate to separate Companions and children from bullheaded parents. Those that tried to fight the process had their crimes publically exposed and, if they attempted to cause trouble, incite a riot, or slander the Empire would face expulsion from the community. If they wanted to retrieve their children, they would need to prove themselves capable of parenting over a probational period, not stir up trouble just because they believed they were entitled to the lives they had created, regardless of whether or not their children were happy...---Once the outer wall of the European Supercolony had been completed, Vahn had arrived alongside Boudica and Nero to survey the land and its surroundings. The chances of an enemy attacking were all but guaranteed so, in preparation for the coming conflict, it was necessary for them to familiarize themselves with the terrain, the people, and environmental factors.Seeing the massive wall, with a circular diameter of 300km, Nero couldn't help but whistle, her hands on her hips as she mused, "To construct something of this magnitude in such a short period of time; the Empire is, truly, without equal. Umu, I'm starting to feel motivated."Nodding her head in agreement, Boudica looked around at the vast expanse of land, the place that would effectively become her dominion in the future. She couldn't even fathom what it would be like to have upwards of a hundred million people living in close proximity to each other but, trusting in the plan formulated by Vahn and his advisors, she decided not to question it. The only thing she had to worry about was protecting this land from those who would seek to bring it to ruin...While Nero and Boudica were familiarizing themselves with the region, Vahn was silently observing the people gathered outside. He could feel a palpable animosity present within the community, one which needed to be dealt with before people were allowed access to the Supercolony. Unfortunately, there was little he, personally, could do to remedy things as people were not so easily convinced.By the time the Supercolony had been completed, most of the people wanting to move inside would find themselves barred entry. After all, it wasn't meant to be a shelter where people just leeched off the resources of the Empire without contributing anything. Though most people would quickly fall in line when their livelihoods were at stake, Vahn knew a considerable number of dissidents expected to be allowed within the city. When they learned they couldn't get in, they would undoubtedly try to deter others from going inside and, in the worst-case scenario, attack those trying to gain entry.At times, Vahn was tempted to just use the Heaven's Feel ritual to get rid of the people who had no intention of even trying to get along with others. Unfortunately, this would be the same as running away from a problem he had created so, no matter how difficult things got, he would continue to try and remedy things using less 'extreme' methods. Eventually, he would cut off food and supplies to those still opposing the Empire as, if they had no intentions of changing, they would be left with no choice but to support their own way of life, still bound by the Common Law.Soon enough, the Common Law would be upheld with prejudice as it was the only way to convince those in opposition to the Empire to acquiesce. Until they were forced to face the consequences of their actions, those manipulating others to secure power for themselves would never cease leading others astray. These were the types of people Vahn hated more than any other as, in order to keep their ill-gotten positions, they would resort to the cruelest acts imaginable, all while believing they were in the right...Just as Vahn was about to release a tired sigh, a fair white index finger poked him in the cheek. It belonged to none other than Nero and, upon seeing him look back at her, she smiled happily and said, "Even when things get difficult, you should continue smiling. Umu, a lot of people rely on that smile of your's so don't hide it away, Master~."Hearing Nero's remark, Vahn issued a light-hearted laugh while caressing the top of her head. This caused Nero to 'Umu' proudly, her hands on her hips as she graciously accepted his praise. She was the type of woman who enjoyed being praised without any shame so, even if there was a crowd of people around them, Nero would, at times, openly ask for head pats. Vahn had gotten used to this so, even without her asking, he had developed the habit of stroking her head whenever she was in his effective petting range.After a while, Boudica ended up giving Vahn a 'warning' look so, as much as he enjoyed caressing Nero's silky-smooth hair, he ultimately retracted his hand and said, "After you finish your survey, let me know what kind of forces you think you'll need. If you feel uncertain about anything, Ark can help by making suggestions about personnel deployment and the allocation of resources. You don't have to worry about the construction efforts themselves as the Dwarves have agreed to help excavate and lay the foundation. Within the next three years, this place will become a marvel of engineering unlike anything the world has ever seen..."Since it wasn't really something that could be easily imagined, Nero and Boudica just smiled along with Vahn while imagining the grand city that was expected to emerge within the next three years. If not for the fact the walls they stood upon hadn't even existed a few weeks prior, they would find it very difficult to believe such a marvel of engineering could be completed in such a short period of time. Now, they looked forward to it with great anticipation and, in order to make sure nothing ran amiss, they would do their best to protect the nascent Supercolony.---Overlapping with his escorting of Nero and Boudica, Vahn was simultaneously idling about in his, Da Vinci's, and Sophia's workshop. He had originally come with the intention of discussing any changes to their initial projections but, after finding Sophia trying to test a pair of 'universal boots', all while Da Vinci busied herself with other work, he ended up babysitting his most brilliant yet troublesome daughter.Now, Vahn was walking on the roof with the Sophia monitoring various panels within her personal hovercraft. She used a pen-like stylus to quickly draft up new designs in one hand while, with no loss in focus, observing the readings of the boots while having her Papa perform various trials. In truth, it didn't really matter whether or not he had volunteered to assist, as her suit allowed her to fall from virtually any height without injury, but she still appreciated his willingness to assist.Since she had aspirations of building a personal spacecraft and moon base, Sophia had come up with several inventions that would allow her to easily traverse within a vacuum. These boots were no exception to this as, by relying on a neural link and an on-board computer, they were able to adapt to virtually any surface by using millions of tiny nano-machines to prevent detachment. This, when combined with her previous inventions, would allow her to freely navigate within a neutral or zero-g environment with considerable ease.Now, Sophia just needed to test their functionality in actual space, an environment where radiation and other factors needed to be accounted for. Thus, while her Papa was still messing around on the roof, she pulled out his ultimate weakness, her face forming a radiant and hopeful smile, her eyes glimmering with expectation as she asked, "Papa, can we go to space~!? I promise I won't wander off this time~!!"Hearing Sophia's words, Vahn nearly fell from the roof but, due to the nanomachine tread, he ended up sticking without issue. Then, rather than answer Sophia directly, he looked toward Da Vinci to find her smiling toward him with an amused expression. This indicated she had already given permission to Sophia, so long as he was in agreement. Since he didn't have the heart to refuse such an earnest request from his brilliant little genius, Vahn ultimately released a small sigh before flipping down to the ground and answering, "Sure, that sounds like fun. Don't think I won't spank you if you break your promise though."As she had received a number of light spankings in the past, Sophia flinched atop her seat but, in the name of scientific progress, she couldn't be deterred by something as base as corporal punishment!(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Don't you tell me how to raise my kids! *proceeds to beat them after drinking themselves into a drunken stupor* Aye knows was besht *hic* for them...!','Vahn surrounded by loyal women','FOR SCIENCE!')(A/N: As some already guessed, I haven't been feeling well since yesterday so my schedule is all over the place. Sorry for the late chapter today but I ended up sleeping for about eleven hours xD...)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1378: Shifting Tides