Valor Temple

The Federation Ascensionists were few in number compared to the national population. Only about 1% of Federation citizens were of Rank D or higher, in fact. 

Due to this fact, and the overwhelming advantage which all Ascensionists granted their allies, it was imperative for every space nation to find every single Ascensionist among their people.

The Federation was no exception. Its military did everything it could to recruit these Ascensionists and integrate them into the army. Generally, these people served as commissioned officers within the armed forces to inspire the troops and, if needed, to liquidate deserters. It was because of this tradition that Ascensionists were sometimes called SuperSoldiers. 

To support its Ascensionists, the Federation was happy to give large amounts of money to the Valor Temple, allowing it to provide facilities, training, and equipment to those who desired it. Many of these resources were free to members of the Federation military, but there were many Skill Books in particular which had strict regulations and fees attached to them.

Apophis knew that the Valor Temple would have Esper Skill books on hand, but whether it would have anything particularly useful to him at this time was another matter altogether.

By this time, many players had learned of the temple's existence and had congregated there. Those who belonged to the Federation military received training and other resources for free… which the rest of the players had to pay for everything, as though they were some of the many tourists who visited the temple from other nations!

Apophis was, of course, a lieutenant-colonel by now. He entered the majestic building with a swagger and made his way to the archives. He quickly located the chief archivist and asked him for a list of the Esper Skill Books which were for sale.

"Oh, yes," said the archivist, looking at his computer for a moment. "There are over two thousand and seven hundred Skill Books for Espers alone. Were there any books in particular you were looking for, Lieutenant-Colonel?"

This was far too many! It would take hours for someone to sift through the ordinary books and find anything interesting. Fortunately, Apophis could rely on his old life's experiences. Rather than spending weeks trying to find a good book, he knew just what to ask for. "I wish to buy the [Book of the Dead]." 

The archivist was quite surprised! Usually, a buyer would take minutes or even hours before buying, but Apophis had made his decision in mere moments!

The archivist peered at Apophis in confusion. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lieutenant-Colonel, but this book is a unique edition." 

Apophis replied, "So it's not for sale at the moment?" 

The archivist said, "Um, well, yes, it is, but it's considered a collector's item. With the processing and management fees, it will probably cost a lot of money—" 

"How much?" Apophis interrupted.

The archivist sighed and finally replied, "780,000 GC!" 

This was an astounding price, equivalent to the cost of a corvette spaceship! But… Apophis really needed this Skill Book before the battle on Cronos I started, so he tried something a little risky. 

He said in Zetark, "One Empire. One People. One Destiny." 

The archivist was astonished! This was one of the Human Supremacists' rallying codes. Was this rising star in the military really a loyalist to the Supremacist cause? He answered in Zetark, "Glory to the Empire!" 

Then, seeing Apophis nod in reply, the archivist continued in the common language, "Well, Comrade! I'm sorry I tried to rip you off. I took you for a cosmopolitan dog. I can offer you this Skill Book for 215,000 GC. No lower, though, sorry. It's a book that hasn't been reproduced since the last war." 

Apophis accepted this condition and took the book. 

╔═══════════════╕

╟─╼ SKILL BOOK

║　╰╼[Name] : ~Book of the Dead~

║　╰╼[Esper]

║　╰╼[Rare]

╟─╼[Summary] : Reach beyond death and bring the fallen back to life!

╟─╼[Effect (1)] : Instantly revive an Ascensionist.

╟─╼[Cost] : 100 Energy

╟─╼[Upgrade Cost] : 50 Skill Points

╚═══════════════╛

No matter an Ascensionist's rank, they were still only allowed to buy one book per month from the archive, so Apophis left.

Then he traveled to the Terra military airfield.