194 [A Silent Knight…]
"So, tell me, Kid.
Have you learnt about Henry Talbot?"
The Old Man said as he snacked on some fruit that was sliced up and plated by the droids for him to enjoy.
Esmond also snacked on a slice of mango that was diced up, only to discover it was enhanced with Spiritual infused Essence.
Caught by surprise, Esmond felt a little annoyed that the produce was being sold in the Retail Market World when he made sure it couldn't.
He informed Maverick about it a while back, but he felt there needed to be another discussion on the matter.
But what he didn't know was Maverick only ever sold it to the Old Man for his own growth and Davi's.
"… *Sigh* He suffered a cruel fate.
Henry and his loved ones were treated like trash, to the point their own Empire gave them up in the face of overwhelming power and influence.
But this made me question… what Empire his family served and are they present in my Galaxy or beyond." Esmond said while enjoying the plater of fruit.
He knew the Retail Market World drew in System Users from not only his universe, but plenty of others, meaning it would be incredibly hard for them to ever interact with each other.
Even in his other lifetimes, Esmond only ever encountered System Users very rarely and if he did, it would typically end in two ways.
It would delve into a battle to see who was stronger that mostly likely ended in someone's death or they would work together and activate a subtle function of the System, allowing them to work in a 'Party' mode.
They would split experience points gained and rewards while at times, each person's System offered its own uniqueness.
Esmond once came across a Dragon Clan that had a member with a System connected to his soul.
When they partnered up together, Esmond received various essences of Dragons and structures that could further his strength astronomically.
But even in that lifetime, Dragons weren't anything mighty against advance technology of mankind that allowed them to survive and conqueror deep space.
.
"Seems like you're beginning to ask the right questions, Kid…
But without power, those questions will also lead you to confront the 12 Lords of the Retail Market World.
For now, you have the safety and protection of the Retail Market Mainframe System, which isn't eternal but enough for the time being…"
The Old Man chose not to give away too much information as it would dictate the path Esmond might end up taking.
However, he gave away a large hint, which Esmond noticed as the 12 Lords.
He'd previously heard about the Lords from the Old Man as well but never understood its true meaning.
That is until now…
"They'll come to try and bind me, won't they?" Esmond asked, to which the Old Man could only slyly smile.
"They've probably tried already but failed.
Now… they can't do anything without the wrath of the Mainframe System befalling them.
Just take this time to not grow, but stable yourself.
Strengthen the districts and regions under your control, otherwise I can guarantee the Lords will make quick work of you, Kid."
"Understood, Gramps…" Esmond figured the Old Man didn't want to talk anymore about the matter and thought about leaving, only to be stopped.
"… The Ring you saw last time… take it.
Its yours… from the moment you saw it.
Now leave before Davi returns, otherwise you'll be here all day and night." Esmond nodded and quickly left, only to stop as he decided to give something to the Old Man.
"Here, take this.
I'm sure you can figure out its purpose and value.
Once your run out, tell Maverick.
He'll send you more." Esmond left the backroom of the store, with a clear glass container with golden liquid was left behind on the kitchen counter.
When the Old Man caught sight of the container, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Before he could even shout out to Esmond to come back and take it away, he was long gone.
"... You truly are something unique… Kid." Smirked the Old Man as he moved to examine the container and its previous Universal Sentient Lifeform Springwater.
…
..
.
After Esmond finished explaining his trip to Ruby, he was forced to sit down and enjoy her cooking as she spoke about her busy days in the Space Ark after becoming the Regent Crown Princess.
Thankfully, she had Gabriel, Scarlett, Isabelle, and the other children to help her with the overwhelming amount of work.
Even Esmond felt surprised to learn that the citizens of the former Atlaesus Empire wished to travel to the Island Territories of the Atlaesyxrian Imperium.
Hell, some people wished to go to the new mainland, where the Imperial Capital, Atlantis, was erected through the Sovereign State Orb, but for now, Carter had restricted anyone from entering the Lost Continent until the necessary infrastructure was set up and tested.
Those who were known to be true Atlaesyxrian Imperium citizens after being spawned through the Summoning Squares were restricted to the Space Ark for their own safety and that of the Solar System's.
Lady Chaos, Dariyela Zeox'Krit managed the Imperium citizens that would be spawned into working on major projects such as a Chaos Gate and Engine to improve travel through Deep Space.
For example, a Chaos Engine would draw on chaotic energy that could be found throughout space.
It was an infinite source of energy that built and destroyed endless space.
A Blackhole in space was a product of chaos and could be seen as mineable source for Chaos Energy, however the technology needed for such a feat was beyond most civilisations.
Esmond knew if he could tap into Chaos Energy and use it to fuel his powerful Starships, any opposition he would ever come across would fall in no time, but the problem he faced was creating such technology.
He expected Lady Dariyela and her team would take many months if not years to complete the project because it would require items and materials from Deep Space that they currently didn't own.
But this still didn't stop them from trying everything within the Virtual Labs to discover if it was possible to create stable Chaos Engines that could utilise the Chariot System, meaning there would be an endless stream of energy for the Ships through the Space Ark.
.
Dariyela had also focused on other areas besides creating an engine, such as building upon the unique culture and customs of the Spatial Ark Star World.
She met with Ruby, which surprised Esmond when his mother spoke of their encounter at the Fashion Academy, which was known to educate students on cultural knowledge of all the races and species within the Spatial Ark Star World.
Rosie ended up becoming the Dean of the Academy, as well as the other ones that related to artistry in some form or another.
She was the one to introduce Ruby to Dariyela as they begun working on creating the ideal customs and culture for the Imperium, as it expanded beyond the Solar System.
"She quite the lovely young lady, honey.
I even asked her to come by the house for dinner, you know but she's busy managing several projects of yours.
… I also learnt she's single."
"MUM!!"
"I WANT GRANDCHILDREN!!"
'"EHHHH??!!"'
Ruby and Esmond didn't notice that they weren't alone in the home, as Layla, Amelia and May just appeared from dealing with their own work.
All they heard was Esmond shouting before Ruby's demand reached their ears.
Each of the girls were utterly shocked by how forward Ruby was, because until now she never brought up the subject because of their young age.
They were 18 and far from having children of their own, but in Ruby's own case, she fell pregnant with Esmond around 19.
Seeing her son having accomplished so much already, she felt he was more than ready, but the truth was Esmond, and the girls were far from taking on such a responsibility.
Each of the girls wished to create something of their own that they could be proud of before the next part of their life began.
Esmond on the other hand wanted Earth to be in his whole control, but knew that wouldn't occur within a couple years, but at least within a decade.
.
"Ahhh… fuck this shit, I'm out." Esmond said before vanishing from the Cabin Manor and appeared at the gate leading to Astelan.
But before he could escape, Carter suddenly surprised him with a tackle and a grin that spelled something unholy.
"CARTER!!"
"MOVIE TIME BITCH!!!"
…
..
.
*Ding*
[Scanning surroundings… Analysed!]
[Quest activated in conjunction with Spectral Consciousness Ability]
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[Please select difficulty…]
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[Nightmare] [Accepted!]
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[Media: Film]
[Name: xXx]
[Year of release: 2002]
[A Silent Knight…]
