Leveling up the World

Chapter 795: The Emperor's Summons

This way, battle apprentice, the lead fury said, inviting Dallion further inside of the cloud ford.

As they walked, the walls of the structure constantly shifted, forming large windows before closing again. It was a nice touch, making Dallion almost feel like nobility. One might say that he had earned it with his current level boost, not to mention fulfilling his goal. And yet, something felt off. Back on Earth, he would have called it imposter syndrome. In the awakened world, it was more like joining a game without knowing all the rules. There was a reason that a person had to go through a gate before moving to the next stage. Those who chose to go through with it knew exactly what they were getting themselves into; those that didnt were aware of their limits. By delaying his answer, Dallion had placed himself in-between.

The room the fury took them to was relatively large and meticulously decorated with fine furniture, paintings, and even statues. A whole section of the wall had opened up, providing a panoramic view outside.

Dallion could see the air currents shielding the opening, just as he could see the thousands of small strands circulating around Adzorg. While they didnt restrict his movement, everyone knew they acted like a mobile prison very much like Marchs armor.

Theres no need to be concerned, everything is covered with sea iron powder, the fury said. Youll be able to relax until we reach the Imperial Palace.

I know. Thanks, Dallion said, taking a seat near the wide window. How long till then?

Not long, battle apprentice.

Without further explanations the fury left the room, the entrance disappearing behind him. Despite being treated as nobility, the furies had no intention of leaving him to do whatever he pleased. Thanks to his forging skills, Dallion was able to see the thin layer of sea iron covering walls, floor, and ceiling.

Locked in a cage of splendor, he said.

Those are the best cages to be in. Adzorg joined him, taking a nearby seat. Not to worry, dear boy. The trip wont be long.

It took days for them to get here.

True, but only because they were searching for you.

How hard could it be? Dallion wondered. There had been a massive vortex tower three even. And while one could argue that the last two had only been present for a moment, the initial one had lasted for quite a while longer. Surely one of the cloud forts or the legion commanders should have noticed.

Outside, the remaining cloud forts slowly moved away, opening a path as it were. The precision with which they did that was immaculate, even though there was no reason for it. The only conclusion Dallion could come by was that the emperor had ordered it himself.

Suddenly, the cloud fort shot forward. There was no sense of acceleration or tremors, but looking outside, one could see the terrain shoot by. The last time Dallion had felt anything of the sort was when Jiroh had used her air currents to pull him along. It was the fastest mode of travel he had experienced at least until now.

Magic, he whispered.

A blend of magic, Adzorg corrected. Air currents propel us through the portals. Exceedingly inefficient. Most of the furies onboard will be exhausted for weeks after this, but

The emperor gets what he wants, Dallion finished the sentence.

A journey of weeks passed in mere minutes. Soon enough, Dallion was able to recognize the territory of the empire. His music vision let him see the thin membrane that enveloped the edge of the land. It was too thin to separate it from the wilderness, rather it had scooped part of it along with everything it containedone large external sign indicating whose territory this belonged to. Merging with it, and at the same time separating, were several more thin layerspossibly county or provincial borders. With the speed at which the cloud fort changed location, it was difficult to tell for certain, but they were there. Towns and villages came in and out of view, like large marbles; then, finally, the imperial capital emerged.

Dallion swallowed. For the longest time, he had imagined it to be similar to a province, just named differently. One couldnt be more wrong. Despite its massive territory, this wasnt a collection of settlements, but one enormous city itself.

One big city, Dallion said, turning to the old mage. When you said that the Academy is within the city, thats what you meant.

Its never been a secret, but people dont believe it until they see it with their own eyes.

I can see why, Dallion thought.

Thats not the best part, though. The Imperial Palace is different.

The further the cloud fort ventured in the imperial capital, the slower it became. Soon, the magic jumps ended, leaving it to be propelled only by the furies natural magic.

Exhaustion emanated from everywhere, progressively increasing as time went by. If magic only exhausted stamina, the furies must have cast an unimaginable number of spells to be rendered to such a state.

There, Adzorg stood up. The gates.

As much as Dallion looked, he wasnt able to see anything. Both his magic and perception traits were higher than the old mans which made it all the more unusual.

I dont see anything special, he said after a while.

You will. The area guardians must get to know you before they show themselves to you.

An illusion?

Maybe. I certainly wasnt able to see through it. Its said that the first emperor taught them how to hide the early capital in plain sight. Of course, back then, the capital was smaller than the Imperial Palace.

Fields and forests stretched as far as the eye could see. And yet, Dallion wasnt able to hear a single voice coming from them.

Can you hear me? he asked, using his herbology skill.

For the first time since he could remember, the plants didnt talk back.

The cloud fort started a slow descent, moving closer and closer to the ground. Then, without warning, the palace appeared.

Calling it a palace was like calling the ocean a puddle. It was larger than anything Dallion had seen, larger than anything he could imagine. A cluster of buildings, statues, and bridges connecting to one another continued as far as the eye could see. For all intents and purposes, one could say that this was one giant building spreading in every direction. Even the lakes and forests scattered throughout it were densely populated in a very organized fashion.

Most amazing of all, the whole place didnt seem at all cluttered. The best way Dallion could describe it was like a giant custom-made library that contained millions of books, yet every book was in its place and not interfering with any other.

People, predominantly awakened, moved about on wide streetson foot or on impressive horseless carriages made of sky silver. Ten-foot statues of stone and sun gold stood motionless, only their eyes glowing a deep purple. Based on the intensity of magic threads within them, they seemed stronger than the magic golems at the Academy.

No one from the ground paid any attention to the cloud fort as it flew to one of the towering buildings within the capital. In normal cities, that would be referred to as the actual palace. Rising hundreds of feet above the lower levels, it was like a mountain with a settlement of its own. Dallion had a pretty good idea of what Lanitol had tried to copy, but compared to it, the provincial capital was like a childs sketch.

The emperors home, Adzorg said, seeing what the otherworlder was looking at. Only the imperial family and its guests live there.

Its divided in sections, Dallion noted.

The sky silver section is where the branch family lives. There are a few of them, so be careful how you address them. House Elazni is the most notable. They are the descendants of the first emperors offspring that didnt take the throne. Their domain is close to a fifth of the palace area. The Mizovy came from a concubine of the third emperor. Its best if you dont mention that. They get very touchy on the subject. They occupy the small sliver to the west of the area.

Only two?

Those are the important ones. The rest are nobles that married into the imperial family. While the imperials are alive, they share the benefits of being semi-imperial. After that, theyll return to being the common noble houses they were before.

I still think there would have been more.

Apparently, most of the emperors decided that one child is enough. Its been good for stability, although each time theres a new emperor, theres always someone willing to take the chance and stage a war or coup attempt.

I guess they decided to go early on this one, Dallion thought.

Making its way to the golden section of the domain, the fort landed on one of the many towers. The moment they did, a cadre of golden armored troops emerged from within, forming two columns.

Seeing them, Dallion twitched. Those werent golems or people in expensive armorthey were metalins.

Its alright, Harp said from within Dallions realm. Just remain calm.

Easier said than done, he thought.

I wont let anything bad happen to you, the harpsisword ensured him.

The air currents protecting the window disappeared. Moments later, so did the ones around Adzorg. The opening widened until the entire wall was gone.

What now? Dallion looked at the mage.

A stairway of clouds formed, leading to the top of the tower in response. And just in case there was any uncertainty, the furniture in the room sank down into the floor. From here on, there was only one possible course of action.

Experience told Dallion to cast a flight spell. The little he knew about noble etiquette cautioned him against it. Nobles didnt like spells to be cast without their say so, and right now Dallion was in the domain of the greatest noble of them all.

Reciting the names of the Moons, he took a deep breath and walked down the stairway. Steps dissolved behind him as he left them. The moment he set foot on the tower floor, the entire cloud fort floated back up, moving away. A boy of about twelve appeared, walking up the flight of stairs leading into the tower. At first, Dallion thought him to be a page, but that was before his eyes adjusted to the bright light reflecting off the golden surface. It wasnt a noble that had come to greet him, but an overseer.

Battle apprentice Darude, the boy said with a slight bow. I greet you on behalf of his excellency and welcome you to the Imperial Palace.

I am honored, Dallion said, only to hear a polite cough from Adzorg a few steps behind.

The overseer looked at the otherworlder as if he were made out of air.

This way, he said, turning around.

Harp, what did I mess up? Dallion asked as he followed the boy.

You only talk to the emperor when he asks a question, the guardian replied.

He welcomed me.

Yes, but that wasnt a question.

The staircase led to a large floor filled with metalins and servants. Looking at them, Dallion couldnt tell which made him feel more uncomfortable: the metalins or the people. Every single one of them was an awakened between level forty and fifty, and based on the emotions emanating from themnot at all happy to have him there.

The trio made their way to a crystal elevator and took it down.

The emperor will have an audience with you in his garden, the overseer said. Do not disagree with him, do not talk unless addressed, and remain no less than five feet from him at all times. Understood?

Yes, overseer, Dallion said, maintaining a bland expression.

Its all for your protection, not his, the boy clarified. The tone he did it in suggested that there had been mishaps in the past. Also, dont look him in the face. Since youre a full mage, it will hurt.