VRMMO Reality Merge Amplification System - 4

Cardinal Matilde watched the unopened envelope as if it would grow wings and fly away. The Divine power within it could only be considered tiny in all aspects. Even the lowest level clergy would often have an item in their possession with minute amounts of Divine power.

Then why was she so absorbed by this unopened letter?

"Saintess, your guest has arrived." Matilde heard a young, female voice. Interrupted from her thoughts, her eyes found Lydia, respectfully bowing.

"How many times have I told you?" Said Matilde with a teasing voice. "I'm not a Saintess anymore. Just call me sister Matilde. But do invite our guest, then make sure no one can disturb us."

"Yes, Saintess." Lydia left the way she came. Cardinal of the Crimson Dawn church shook his head with a small smile. "This girl…" She sighed with contentment.

A period of silence ensued; Matilde used this chance to feel the currents of Divine energy. Though her body became frail with age, her faith and her power grew beyond she thought was possible. Within seconds she sensed… nothingness!

"Curious… Curious…" She muttered under her breath. It was as if the calm storm, the invisible light, the dry rain from before, was all but a dream.

"Yes, curious, isn't it?" A voice as sweet as the summer breeze echoed within her chambers. As always, the empress of the Bloodmoon empire had arrived without footsteps.

Matilde turned her towards the empress and nodded slightly. Just as she thought, the letter on her desk immediately caught empress' attention.

"Is that…?" The empress asked, without finishing her sentence. Matilde answered with one word. "Yes."

An ex-Saintess, and an Archmage, both fascinated by the same object, the same power.

The empress sighed and sat down on a chair facing Matilde. "His mana disappeared some time ago."

This caught Matilde by surprise. 'Mana?' She wondered. "The outsider is currently resting; Maria sent me a message."

The empress picked up the letter and opened it with comfortable movements. There was no surge of power, no unnatural activity of any kind. The power within the envelope simply faded into nothingness. As an ex-Saintess, Matilde couldn't help but think that it was a fitting end.

After reading the letter, the empress frowned. "A fief? Is that all it is?" She asked with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

'At least she still herself.' Matilde thought as she sighed. As a human, perhaps she was worrying about nothing. But she worried anyway, because that's what she would do for the few friends she had left.

"Gods' intentions cannot be easily discerned."

"Oh cut that out!" The empress protested. "Don't enter that Saintess mode with me, Matilde. Or do you want me to spread your nickname around?"

Matilde raised her hands in surrender. "You must've sensed it too."

The empress nodded. "Judging by your reaction you didn't feel his mana." Since Matilde didn't respond, the empress knew that she was right. "I was in the market when he descended. Within seconds, he looked directly at me."

"I wasn't aware that her majesty was taking a stroll today…" Matilde said with a sarcastic tone. In her opinion the empress was too relaxed about her own security!

The empress snorted. "Is there anyone alive that can even scratch my skin? I would be the one to protect the guards, not the other way around." Feeling annoyed, she threw the letter on the desk. "I caught one of those outsiders earlier. Other than the way they die and the way they sleep, there's nothing different about them. All disappointing. All inferior…"

"With few exceptions…" Matilde smiled. "Are you sure he saw through your disguise?"

"No." The empress shook her head. "His mana is barely at the 5th circle; he cannot pierce through. But he still knew…"

Since Matilde had met the person herself, she understood. "As if he could see through the lies."

At that moment, both Matilde and the empress felt a subtle change. Every time they tried to describe this sensation, the feeling of it would transform.

Undefinable, ever-changing, unrefined, this energy clearly had divine origin!

Both of them understood that the outsider had "returned."

"What is your opinion on this?" Empress gestured at the letter.

"My opinion?" Matilde closed her eyes for a moment. "Lord Chen Li… Treated a peasant with humility but treated me as an equal."

"Doesn't care about status or nobility?" Asked the empress.

"Nor does he care about power." Matilde answered. "He must've known I was a Saintess, and a Cardinal." She was sure that with that level of Divinity, there was no way he could've missed that!

The unspoken statement was also understood by the empress. But she disagreed. "That amulet of yours has brighter power." She said, comparing the item with the outsider.

"A diamond in the rough! A diamond of incomparable size!" Matilde spat out admonishingly. The empress was much older than her, but what mattered was who felt older. In this, no elf could beat Matilde, who held great Divine power.

"And…" Matilde eyed the empress with a strange gaze. "He is not human!"

After years of friendship, the empress had a good grasp on Matilde's character. It looked like her friend was ready to even perform sermon to prove her point! To save herself the trouble, empress attempted to make a deduction.

Humble, but indifferent. Enough mana to become 5th circle mage. Enough physical strength to match a Great Knight. Can discern people's characters like reading a book. All with an average human appearance, with "vast" divine power.

"You've got to be kidding me." The empress looked at her friend with disbelief. But Matilde's straight gaze gave her a pause. "You…"

"He may be…" Matilde shook her head as if to reject her own worlds. "No. He is an angelic being. A newborn angelic being, from the great beyond."

Though the empress wanted to reject it, she couldn't. After all, her friend Matilde was a powerful Divinity user. An ex-Saintess, and a Cardinal! Who could she trust, if not Matilde's intuition on these matters?

Therefore, she accepted Matilde's conclusion. And she accepted it wholeheartedly.

"You want me to send him to the cursed lands." The empress guessed. "Are you not afraid of killing him?"

"An angelic being is a being of order." Matilde answered while looking at empress' eyes. "Is there a better way to sharpen such a weapon than the cursed lands?"

"He is but a baby, I could kill him with a sneeze!" Countered the empress. "There's nothing in the cursed lands!"

"Then give him the entire region."

The empress frowned even deeper. "That land is big enough to be duchy! It used to be a duchy! I conquered it myself centuries before you were born!"

"If the title of Baron is too small for it, make him a Viscount."

"Matilde, this isn't about the-"

"I will drag the Pope out and beat him up until he gives unconditional support for Lord Chen Li."

Silence ensued.

Finally, the empress remembered. This was how it was like to deal with religious fanatics! It had been a while since she saw this side of her friend. "Looks like Blood-Soaked Saintess is alive and well." She said with a sheepish smile.

"No." Answered Matilde. "I never left."

After giving Matilde's idea some thought, the empress nodded. "Unpredictable. Bound to ruffle some feathers. I like it!" The empire had become too stable in the last few centuries. This was as good opportunity as any to introduce some changes!

As far as the empress was concerned, volatility, was the lifeline of the empire. Becoming too stable and too predictable only served to increase the corruption. Corruption, was the slow death. Humans and other short-lived races simply couldn't understand, or couldn't retain this lesson over many generations. They simply lacked the perspective to make sound long-term decisions.

Of course, an elf's and a human's definition of long term differed greatly. For the empress, a few hundred years could only be considered mid-term. Barely enough to complete a medium sized project!

"You don't need to drag out the pope." The empress said while checking her sleeves. "Though I will hold on to that option for later!"

Matilde closed her eyes and nodded.

The empress snapped her fingers and appeared inside the throne room. Her simple attire had already disappeared, replaced with a long, blood-red dress with golden adornments. The traditional imperial attire of her long extinct Moon Elf race.

Suddenly, she had a new idea.

'Maybe I should capture a few outsiders and experiment on their souls…'

For a moment she wanted to start right away. But after remembering Matilde's (fanatical) resolve, she decided to play later.

* * *

When Chen Li opened his eyes, he was already inside the "game."

[Game Message: Log in successful]

[Game Message: Welcome!]

It was a good call to lay on the bed too, since his body didn't disappear with logging off! Chen Li had learned this while browsing the forums!

Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief.

And with that breath, he caught the familiar aroma of Maria, along with small amount of dust, and the scent of damp stone.

The difference in senses between the real world and the game world, was simply unbelievable! Even his mind became nimbler!

'Could it be, that the difference in attributes between the "game" body and the "real" body caused me to feel sick?'

This required him to do more research, but it was certainly possible. Especially if the "game" was doing something as outrageous as transferring souls!

'Everyone who died in the game reported symptoms not far from my own. There was also one guy that sounded like he was similar… Could he be another high attribute user? Maybe that's why he didn't answer the question that asked about his class…'

It was as if a veil was lifted from his mind. Everything seemed simple and connected. So much so that Chen Li became concerned whether this was a positive development, and whether this version of him was really him!

'Hmm… My tastes and memories are all the same. It's just that I can think a lot more clearly. Definitely not at the level of a genius, but as faster version of myself.'

Before he could contemplate on the concept of intelligence and its intrinsic qualities, Chen Li reigned himself in.

'Right, my current goal should be to acquire and sell currency. And to do that I need to complete the quest! Status!'

[Name: Chen Li]

[Age: 15]

[Sex: Male]

[Race: Seraph]

'Display class information.'

[Class: Chaos Sorcerer]

[Level: 1 (0/5000)]

[Grade: L]

[Description: A peak sorcerer class that revels in creating chaos out of order.]

[Circle: 1st level]

[Talents]

----------------------------------------

[Nature of Chaos (L)]

[Can spontaneously subvert the nature of a spell in unpredictable ways. Requires 10 times the mana as the original magic.]

[Chaotic Knowledge (S)]

[Gain all S-Grade spells in existence within your circle.]

[Sorcerer's Gift (SS)]

[Can use all spells regardless of their attribute]

[Bloodline Resonance (SSS)]

[Reduces the cost of spells matching bloodline attribute by 90%]

[Forbidden Knowledge (S)]

[Arcane methods cannot be forgotten]

[True Sorcerer (S)]

[Can manipulate mana directly]

Chen Li's smile grew wider and wider as he read the class page. Admittedly the description was a bit problematic for his tastes. But, by the time he finished reading the first talent, he had already decided never to divulge his class to anyone.

'… Holy f*cking sh*t I really hit it big time…'

[Spells]

----------------------------------------

[Expand to view 4910 spells]

'4910?!'

At first the number of spells seemed high. Upon remembering the S-grade Chaotic Knowledge talent, it seemed a bit low. Then he realized he only had first circle spells. And all of them really were S-grade!

'… Damn, this is as overpowered as the 100x amplification itself.'

Feeling curious, Chen Li immediately started checking out the spells.

[Divine Flame (S)]

[Create a single flame with divine attribute]

[Piercing Gale (S)]

[Create strong wind]

[Erasing Flash (S)]

[Create a flash of light]

[…]

'Doesn't look that different from the spells I saw from the forums.'

While browsing the forums, Chen Li had paid special attention to anything related to magic. The information was limited of course, but a few screenshots was enough to give him some point of reference.

Chen Li decided to make a simple test. Just in case something went wrong, he chose the least harmful looking spell, the Erasing Flash.

Spellcasting with full-dive VR experiences worked differently than traditional VR. Voice commands or pressing buttons was a thing of the past. Players could feel magic as if they really were magicians. According to the unofficial forums magic in the Mysteries Online worked similarly.

It was unfortunate that original Chen Li never experienced a full-dive game before. But that didn't deter current Chen Li.

'The steps were… Think of the spell, draw the power within you, and form its shape with your instincts. That shouldn't be too hard.'

In the instant that Chen Li tried, all manner of knowledge about the spell entered his mind.

The wavelength of mana, its elemental attribute, mana decay speed, conversion rate, reactions from the spell structure, how could he manipulate each and every step… He knew everything about the spell.

A dim light appeared in the middle of the room and traveled around the room according to Chen Li's wishes.

'This is neat!' Chen Li thought with a wide smile. He really was casting magic! And this wasn't some video game either! Soon this would be reality!

'I can see why this spell is graded S and why it's called Erasing Flash…'

[Mana: 59720/59720]

'Doesn't even cost 1 mana!'

The spell was so efficient, it could be powered by environmental mana! And if Chen Li were to inject his own mana, he could release enough power to "erase" a hut made of wood. All it would cost him was 100 mana at most! If he could overload the spell structure with a 1000 mana, the damage could be doubled!

Chen Li tried the Divine Flame spell next. Like the spell mentioned, he created a flame just the size you would expect from a candle. Though it somehow looked to be radiating holy light, there wasn't anything fundamentally special about it.

'So this is using the divinity attribute. Interesting. Somehow feels different than the other spell, but I can't really pinpoint what's different.'

Suddenly understanding hundreds of magical formulas to cast a simple spell should've been overwhelming. But perhaps thanks to his ridiculous Intelligence and Magic attributes, Chen Li thought everything was natural! Casting spells was akin to doing basic arithmetic; barely took any more effort than breathing.

'Now I can grind levels and potentially make some money. I might as well be unbeatable in starting zones! Any threat to me would have to be someone with way higher level.

But… Numbers could work against me too. Even if the average of my physical stats are 327.778 times higher than someone at level 1, a coordinated assault from a few hundred to thousand people could easily take me out…'

Just in his region alone 10 million people had queued at the start! What if he pissed off a particularly suicidal guild? What if he offended a whale with deep pockets?

Thousands of players jumping on a single target wasn't an uncommon sight! In fact, it was entertainment! Original Chen Li even helped interview some of the bystanders because the newspaper he worked at didn't have enough staff during the holidays!

Then there was the so-called NPCs.

The rulers did start off as aristocracy according to a guide. But, if Chen Li learned anything from all the web novels he read and TV shows he watched, he should not offend these people without someone powerful on his back!

The memory of the streamer that got assassinated by his own vassals was still fresh in his mind.

[HP: 38900/38900]

'I definitely would've survived that attack, if not dodge it completely. But merely surviving will only delay the inevitable if the situation had grown to the point of an assassination attempt!'

Chen Li nodded to himself and got ready to go outside. Magic, there would be time to inspect it later!

'I really need to change these ceremonial robes…'

*sniff* *sniff* *sniff*

'At least I don't smell like sweat. Maybe that's a racial bonus or something…'

The door knocked thrice. From the lack of breathing sounds, and the fact that he couldn't hear any footsteps, made Chen Li think that this was Maria. He adjusted his voice and nonchalantly responded. "Come in."

Maria opened the door and came inside with light steps. "Lord Chen Li, a representative of the elder council has arrived and is kindly requesting for your presence."

This was the first time Chen Li heard Maria speak. A pleasant voice with steady tone, evoking a feeling of distant and proud warrior rather than a nun.

'Makes sense for them to assign someone strong to watch me; they don't -and shouldn't- trust the outsiders after all.'

How many "NPCs" would die in these six months just because a random player thought it would be cool to roleplay an evil character? Players could kill just because they are annoyed, or because they felt curious about what would happen if they succeeded!

'Since I don't know the nature of the world merge, it's best I cultivate friendly/neutral relations where I can!'

Chen Li acknowledged Maria with a nod. He was already dressed for formal events and wanted to get the quest over as soon as possible. "Very well. Lead the way please miss Maria."

They walked through the same hallways that reeked of moisture, then the gardens. Finally, the two entered the cathedral.

The interior wasn't extravagant at all, just like Chen Li guessed. Even the giant statue of the goddess wasn't detailed! The alter underneath was featureless, and the podium in front was unmarked.

'Are they trying to emphasize the greatness of their deity? Is that why everything looks simple? Even the garden pavilion looks luxurious compared to this.'

They weren't the only ones inside. A man in his late thirties, wearing a golden coat with intricate design, was waiting in the middle. The two dozen men were surrounding him avoided directly gazing at the person. Their body language looked muted, and the material of their clothing was obviously inferior, despite having similar designs and the same insignia.

'The representative Maria mentioned looks to be either an important noble, or a vain one.'

Chen Li would've put his money on the former if he was betting. Though he based this on nothing but a hunch.

"Lord Chen Li." Maria presented him with a bow.

The man raised his chin and maintained his proud and confident posture. "Hear and obey the command of the Empress!"

Guards around straightened their posture at once. A younger man brought forward a golden box. The nobleman took out the golden scroll inside with reverence, and started reading with a booming voice.

"Hear and receive!" Then his voice, and even the way he spoke changed. Chen Li saw a slight glow on the scroll that permeated into the nobleman.

"I, Empress Victoria, acknowledge Lord Chen Li's character, skill, and accomplishments, and confer him the title of Viscount, along with the entirety of the Darkmoon plains, all its inhabitants, all its resources, and all its responsibilities."

The voice did not echo inside the cathedral. Other people that heard it were trembling, even Maria took a step back.

The nobleman's attempt to maintain his posture failed. As he gasped for breath Chen Li saw sweat trickling down. Whatever magic that was on the scroll, looked like it had a toll on the reader's body!

Chen Li thought about how to respond. Should he kneel and shout "I accept!" Or simply bow and act reverently? If he bowed, how much should he bow? How much reverence should he show?

Thinking of the knights' humility from before and contrasting that to the proud demeanor of the nobleman now, Chen Li decided to give a medium bow. When he spoke, his tone was respectful, but did not address the nobleman directly. "This Chen Li wholeheartedly accepts the responsibility."

[Game Message: Quest Complete!]

The nobleman, who was still trying to catch his breath, looked at Chen Li in shock. All manner of ideas went through his head!

Both the unusual imperial decree, and the boy's impressive temperament, pointed toward the same conclusion! No wonder this young boy was openly wearing the color of royalty!

The nobleman's thoughts raced. Though young, this boy was obviously a member of royalty! Looking at his average looks that were bordering on malnourishment made him think of a few scenarios. Perhaps he was an illegitimate son, or perhaps he was simply found by luck. Whatever the case, it was obvious that this boy was a pawn of the empress!

Why else would the empress give him the entirety of the ancestral Darkmoon dukedom? Even if the territory was cursed and no one dared to enter, it was still huge enough to be a kingdom on its own!

Some things better left unanswered, the nobleman thought!

In front of Chen Li's eyes, the nobleman's demeanor went through a shift. Before he was proud and arrogant; the movement of his body was sharp and on point, his gaze had purpose. Now, when he finally regained his posture after reading the scroll, his arms and shoulders were slightly lower, his gaze had lost the shine of superiority.

'Is the scroll that burdensome, or is it something else?' Chen Li couldn't help but think. It didn't take long to realize that his suspicion had some merit.

The nobleman bowed to Chen Li and spoke with a deferential tone. "Her majesty the empress has also granted Viscount Chen Li a small compensation." The aid presented a scroll to Chen Li this time.

Seeing that the nobleman expected him to read on the spot, Chen Li opened the scroll. '4 chests of gold and 10 chests of silver?!'

Chen Li's surprise lasted for only a moment. With a nobleman watching his every move, he couldn't act unrestrained. "I have received the good will of her majesty."

The nobleman gave a sharp nod. "Viscount Chen Li, I look forward to your accomplishments!" Then he left with his small army of guards.

'Uhh… Where's the gold? Why are you leaving so abruptly?'

Chen Li's mind tried to analyze the situation.

Could it be that this person knew that he was an outsider? This level of interaction gave very strong game vibes, to the point that Chen Li would've thought this person was a passing NPC if he didn't know the truth!

'Was there a divine revelation of sorts? Treat outsiders like players or something?' The thought was simply absurd, so Chen Li threw it away with a smile.

'Looks like nobles aren't too happy about either outsiders, or me getting conferred the title of Viscount. The forums said nearly everyone started as Barons, with few Baronets as exceptions.'

But there was something more. Something was bothering Chen Li, but he couldn't put a finger on what was causing this feeling.

Inside the cathedral, only him and Maria remained. As Chen Li inadvertently stared into her brilliant sapphire like eyes, an idea popped in his mind!

'I have never seen anyone wear red, have I?' Chen Li thought of his small walk through the crowded markets. Thanks to his amplification cheats, he remembered everything with perfect clarity!

'… Not the merchants, not the commoners, not the knights, or the members of clergy. Not even the nobleman had a speck of red on them. The reddest thing by far was the scroll from the empress.'

"Maria, does the color red represent royalty?" The answer came in the form of an affirmative nod.

'Sh*t…'

This was something that Chen Li wanted to avoid originally. But considering the reaction from the nobleman and the bishop from before, perhaps it wasn't as big of a deal as he thought.

'I see. The color red could also serve as a universal signifier for the players. Even if that isn't true, even if the nobles aren't aware of the outsiders for now, seeing me in ceremonial red robes could make them overthink the situation. Perhaps they thought I was a fallen royalty? Maybe this is why I became a Viscount directly?'

Chen Li wasn't inclined to make too many assumptions, since his experience was different than others' due to his amplified attributes. His narrow view of this world didn't help either.

"Maria, is there a map in the cathedral that I can look at?" Once again, the only answer was a nod. "Please take me there."