Offer

Mana is a form of natural energy. It exists in some realms and not in others. Even with realms, the amount present can vary. 

This energy, due to its natural properties, is very easy for living beings to absorb. Living creatures only need some techniques to store and use it. 

It's suggested that absorbing mana without proven techniques often leads to a person doing more harm than good to themselves. 

Techniques themselves are something you can't find easily. They are often held as tight secret by nobles, churches, countries, and sects/schools. These might be many sources for someone looking to get into cultivation. 

Honestly, these places don't even account for 1 percent of the population. You either have to be born in these groups or have enough talent for them to take you in. Having connections in these places might also help. 

As for what talent is, I can't really say. Some have physiques that are more sensitive to mana and others just seem to attract mana like a magnet. How this stuff happens, even my experienced self doesn't know. 

As always, I was lucky. Not only did my body have enough talent, the talent came from being born into a noble family. It was a known fact that talent was genetic. 

I would have to thank my parents for their kindness. 

Anyways, why was I thinking about this again? Oh right, I shattered my mana core. 

It hurts. It hurts all over. Even the pills from the family stock can't help with this searing pain. 

As far as the doctors know, all I could do was wait for my body to recover on its own. Even though my core wouldn't fix itself, my body can get back to normal. 

There were techniques to help repair a core but they were not available in the empire. The Zlatan empire didn't have the power to hold onto to technique of such rarity. 

"Yaaa..." I yawned as my sleep had ended. My gracious mother was still beside me. Her eyes closed. 

She used to do the same to my younger brother whenever he got sick. 

"Good morning." she said. She woke up from my yawn, She is a light sleeper. 

"Good morning Mom." I replied. "How are things." I asked slowly.

Every muscle in my body still ached, even the ones that I didn't know existed. Thankfully my throat was feeling better. conversation should not be a problem. 

"It wasn't good but it wasn't the worst outcome either." Mom didn't seem to be as sad as she was yesterday. 

"Details are for later?" I asked. She doesn't like dropping heavy news to me. She prefers if someone else does it. 

"No. I will tell you what happened." I heard an unfamiliar voice in the room. 

Tilting my head to the other side, I see a very tall lady decked in full armor. Its silver color looked especially good with the sunlight coming in from the window. 

The shine complimented her golden hair and icy blue eyes which reminded me of Elina. Her face wasn't that bad either. Too bad her figure was covered by the armor, not that I cared. 

"Who..." Before I could even ask, I was interrupted. 

"General Karina Zlatan." she said starkly. 

General Karina Zlatan. One of the 14, 9th tier individuals belonging to the empire. Follows both the mage and warrior path, leaning more towards the warrior side. 

Older sister of the emperor, his only living sibling. It would be strange if I didn't know who she was. All noble clans educate their children about certain important figures. 

I just didn't remember what she looked like. It had been a while since I last saw a portrait of her. 

"My apologies general. As you can see, I won't be able to bow." I joked. I didn't have to mention this but some sympathy points from a royal would be nice. 

"Hmm." she nodded. Her expression and tone were stoic. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. 

The general then went on to explain the events that took place in my sleep. Ah, I kind of regret what I did. It would have been nice to watch all that in person. 

My entertainment for the last 3 years was too little. 

"I see. It seems the empire will be very busy in the coming months." That's all I could say.

The crazy problems, for example, the coming war had nothing to do with me. 

"Indeed." the general nodded in agreement. 

"So...why would are you here, general?" I questioned. Given how busy things were going to be. She shouldn't be here. She should be helping the military and other imperial forces prepare. 

She was staring at me. That stare was strange, it was a stare of deep interest. It sent shivers up my spine. 

"I want you to join the military when you recover," she said bluntly. As the rumors said, she gets straight to the point. 

"Haahaha." I chuckled at the absurdity of her offer. "Surely you jest. My cire has been crippled. A cripple like me would be deadweight." 

I tried using the phrases I would always hear those characters in novels spout. 

Paa!

My cheek burned as a handprint appeared on my cheek. Mother had slapped me. The loss of the core had destroyed my physique. I did not have that supernatural fortitude anymore. 

It's been a long time since she could hurt me. 

"Don't call yourself that. A core is an unnecessary thing." Mother was reprimanding me. She didn't like my self-deprecating line. 

"Your mother is right. A core is not needed if one doesn't need to fight." the general supported her. 

"What does the military do but fight?" I retorted. 

"Do you not know?" she returned a question with a question. 

"Wha..." and then I realized. There was a small branch of the imperial military comprised mostly of mortals. 

They were not mentioned often and their presence was always kept minimal. 

"The Special Strategy Bureau, the SSB." I muttered. 

"I was planning on inviting you before all this even happened. After all, your achievements during the 3 years of Sect Wars are overwhelming. 

You didn't even join the fight in the later stages but rather commanded from the backline. The professors from the SSS profusely praise your intelligence." she explained. 

Fuck! I cursed internally. I didn't have time to enter the military.

I just wanted to quickly get married to Elina, share my secrets with her, and then prepare for the upcoming Realm wars. 

"Ah. I appreciate the offer but I will decline." I said outright. I had no intention of getting dragged into the military when the war against multiple kingdoms was coming. 

"Why?" she asked smiling. She knows exactly why. 

Which idiot would join the military that was going to prepare for war? That would be digging your own grave. 

"I plan on getting married soon. I will also be preparing to take the position fo family head within the coming years." I revealed. 

This wasn't going to be a secret anyways so there was no harm in telling her. 

"That's not an issue. You won't be a direct member of the SSB. You will be an honorary one." she explained. 

"You will be an Honorary Strategic Advisor. You don't have to be in the capital. You will be a direct subordinate of only the emperor and I." 

Damnit! That sounded too good to be true. I never heard of the bureau having honorary positions. I thought that system was then away long ago. 

It used to be abused by nobles to eat benefits while doing nothing. 

"I thought the honorary system was abolished."

"It wasn't abolished. Rather, the right to elect honorary officials was given solely to the emperor and most trusted aides." She revealed something that was known by very few people. 

I'm guessing that this change wasn't known to anyone beyond the close circle of the emperor. 

"I see. What would be responsibilities be." I was curious. They wouldn't just give me so much freedom and goods for nothing in return. 

"It's simple. As the title 'Strategic Adbvisor' suggests, just advise the military and the emperor when they ask for it. You can also take the initiative to advise whenever you want." 

"That's all?" I asked. 

"That's all." she replied. 

This offer really was too good to be true. I don't feel like trusting this woman at all. 

"You sure there are any catches?" I had to make sure one more time. 

"Hehe.." she chuckled this time. This woman is scary. I don't trust adults who smile too much. "No catches. Now stop asking me before I get annoyed." 

I should stop. Even if they have some sort of trap laid out, I'll deal with it. Our clan isn't weak and our influence runs deep. 

"Alright. I will accept. When should I start?" I asked. Hopefully, it wasn't within a week or 2. I still need to heal up. 

"In a month. When you go to the capital for the emperor's birthday. I'll let you know the exact time then. For now, you should heal up." 

She proceeds to get up from the chair and do a couple of stretches. She could touch her toes and bend in different directions with ease. That flexibility was insane. 

She must have been sitting here for a while. 

Once she left the room, I looked towards my mom. 

"How long was she here?" 

"Since yesterday afternoon. She was fatigued from a fight." 

"Hmm. Mom, can you get me some food? I'm hungry." I hadn't eaten for over 40 hours. I needed calories and nutrition to heal. 

"Sure." She finally left the room. Not only was I hungry but she also needed to stretch her legs. There was no reason to harm herself to stay by me. Plus, I needed to make up for missing her food for 3 years. 

Now that she was out, I could think in peace. There was so much I had to do.

I listed them in my head:

1. Helping the Zoacratens maintain their current noble rank. 

2. Digging into Uncle Landon and his dealings with the cult. 

3. Digging into the cult itself. 

4. Preparing the family for war. 

5. Attending the Emperor's Birthday

7. Joining the SSB. 

These were all my immediate tasks for the next couple of months. I still had some long-term tasks such as planning for the Realm War and preparing for my marriage. 

For once, I don't think I can do all this without some extra brains. The problem is, there aren't enough brains like mine. 

Sure, Elina would be helpful as she was just as smart but too lacking in confidence to put herself out there. Even if I got her confidence, I would need more people. 

Celes is too preoccupied with training and battles so she would be of any help. 

I can't tell the adults anything as the chances of leaks were higher. Their movements were also more monitored than the younger generation. Even if they knew, the help they could provide would have to in secret and minimal. 

Everything had to be done under the radar and seem natural. 

Tack!Tack! 

Knocking on my door sounded and someone opened it right after. 

"I hope I'm not disturbing your rest big brother." said the young man that just walked in. 

Tall with robust muscles, and wide shoulders. Black hair and green eyes. A masculine face that looked somewhat like my father. That strong smell of herbs and pills. 

Those well-fitted blue pants, a white shirt and a blue jacket. On the jacket sat a green pill emblem surrounded by 5 stars. 

My younger brother Jonathon. 

"Would you leave if I said you were," I asked playfully. 

"No." He closed the door behind him and sat on the chair that the general was on earlier. 

"Wasn't expecting my first meeting with brother after 3 years to be like this." he said. 

"I didn't want this either. " I said with a hint of frustration. 

"Oh well. At least you're home now. Mom can actually restrain you for once." he laughed at my expense. 

I knew that our mother was planning something to hold me back. She didn't want me to be reckless all my life. Her worries aren't unfounded as I do too many crazy things. 

"You have any idea what she's going to do?" I asked him. 

"No. Her lips were sealed. There was a scary glint in her eyes. The same as yours." he said while tapping his chin. 

"We can't get a read on her anyway. I'll just deal with it when it comes." I said nonchalantly. 

She was the woman who raised us, she could tell what we were thinking but we would never be able to do that to her. 

"I don't know. I've got one of those bad feelings about this." He frowned. 

Shit...whenever he has one of his feelings, shit always goes wrong. 

Please, Mom, I'm begging you. Don't put another problem on my plate.