Chapter 714: Council Chamber (Patreon)

Chapter 714: Council Chamber

"Right here?" Derek asked. "Right now? Just like that?"

"Why not?" Dave questioned. "Should I contact my father and tell him first so my family can hold a celebration for my achievements?" He rubbed his chin, then said, "Hmm… that may not be a bad idea. Father would never expect me to do something like that—neither would my brother. If I do… I wonder how long they would spend waiting for the surprise before they realize there isn't one."

"How much of what you do is predicated on how your family is going to react?" Derek couldn't help but ask.

"Not nearly enough," Dave said. "But you're right, this is about me, not them. There is no point in letting them know about any of it. They'll find out as soon as it happens, anyway. Since finding out that I Transcended all that time ago and that I accepted control over a system, my family has been keeping tabs on me—which is why my father knew about the invasion as soon as it was over."

"I see," Derek replied. "So then, what's the plan?"

"The plan? Well…" Dave held both of his hands out on the table, then he said, "Take my hand… both of you."

"Uh… okay?" Derek replied with a shrug, then placed his hand on Dave's.

"Kay!" Silvi's voice rang from her communication crystal, then she placed one of her paws on top of Dave's hand.

"Okay, I'm putting some trust in the two of you. Try not to cause a commotion," Dave said as he channeled mana through his hands and to Derek's and Silvi's. "Accept the notification when you receive it."

"A notification?" Derek asked, but Dave didn't even bother to answer. Instead, Derek's question was answered a moment later when the notification arrived.

…

You have been invited to [Davenresh Council] and have been offered a guest seat.

Accept invitation?

Note: Upon acceptance, your consciousness will be moved to the Council Chamber—leaving your body in an unprotected state. Please confirm that you are in a safe area before proceeding.

…

"This is a safe area?" Derek asked, even though he already knew what the answer was going to be.

"Of course it is," Dave said. "First, we are in Origin City, so we have the safety of the Origin System protecting us. It is the reason so many Transcendents live in the city—especially the ones who accepted control of a system. Otherwise, it would be hard to prepare an area that was 100% safe.

"Second, the area that I have prepared is as safe as one could get without the Origin System's protection. Out of everyone, my father may be able to break in after some time, but it wouldn't be easy. His earth affinity and skills are still a little more powerful than my own," Dave explained. "Finally, Hollis is right outside and would be able to warn me if needed."

"Okay, good," Derek said. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Which is always smart," Dave said. "It's good that you don't just up and trust anyone completely—not even me, and not even your best of friends. Always have a bit of curiosity and skepticism in your head. It will save your life."

"Will do," Derek said. "Now tell me about the guest seat."

"I'm glad you asked," Dave said. "Now that you are physically here with me, I am able to use a loophole and allow you to experience and learn some information that the Origin System doesn't particularly allow Transcendents to speak on outside of other Transcendents or a select group. My… retinue is a group that is allowed by the Origin System to learn such information. We have discussed just about as much about the rewards here as the system will allow."

"This isn't going to mess anything up, is it?" Derek asked. "You're not tricking me into becoming one of those seats like you've asked me to before, are you?"

"Of course not," Dave said. "It is a temporary guest position. They are supposed to be used to allow a prospect to gain some experience and to let the user in control see if the person is the right fit for the position. Of course, that's not how they are used, really. They are mostly used by Transcendents to allow their children to get a feel for everything. I was just over a century old when my father brought me into his Council Chamber for the first time."

"I see…" Derek said. "So it's completely safe?"

"It is safer for you than it is for me, actually," Dave replied. "Because usually, I require a specific oath for someone to enter my Council Chamber, but, as I said before, I am trusting the two of you. I will warn you, though, if you accept, I, and only I, will be able to see a clearer picture of your stats and skills. More of a summary, though, not the full sheet."

"Hmm…" Derek muttered. Finally, he shrugged. "You haven't given me a reason not to trust you. You've been a bit secretive, but that is understandable since you actually have to be with the Origin System monitoring what you say. So… why not? Am I good to accept the notification now?"

"Ready whenever you are," Dave said.

Derek took a deep breath, then focused on the notification again and agreed. Immediately, his eyes fell shut, and suddenly, he was hit by an intense wave of vertigo, and it felt like he was falling.

***

When Derek's head stopped spinning, he opened his eyes to examine his surroundings. In the center of the room, there was a massive table with a map displayed on it. Derek looked down at it, and after staring at it for a moment, he realized that it was a full map of the planet that he controlled. He looked over and saw Cydaria clearly labeled, along with Indria and Indaria.

Looks like the map is kept updated, Derek thought. Otherwise, instead of having Indaria on the map, it would have Astrus instead. He couldn't help but wonder if it was something that was automatically updated as events happened in the world, or if someone had to manually adjust and update things. If it were the first way, it would make things much easier. But if it were the second, that meant someone would need to be watching over everything at all times.

After giving the map one more good look, Derek raised his head and continued to look around. He noticed a light pressure fall onto his shoulder as he did and smiled when he glanced at Silvi. She hadn't had to accept any prompt like Derek had since they were still soul-bonded companions. When Derek accepted and his consciousness was sent inside, so too was Silvi's. She just needed Dave's help to get there.

"You made it… good," Dave's voice suddenly rang out from the side.

"It looks that way," Derek said. "Is this the same place that you brought me all those other times?" he asked.

"In a way," Dave said. "Before, I would bring you to an empty room made specifically so I could interact with specific beings that belonged to my system. In all my time doing this, I have only brought a few people inside—including you."

"I guess I should feel honored, then?" Derek asked.

"You may choose to feel however you wish," Dave said. "It is usually a good thing for the user I bring in, though, as it usually means that they have impressed or surprised me in some way."

"Gotcha," Derek said. "So, you can tell me more in here than you could back at your place?"

"No, not exactly," Dave replied.

"Then… why?" Derek asked, slightly confused.

"Well, since you are not part of my system's authority or a high Ascendant or Transcendent, I am limited in the things that I may tell you, as you know," Dave said.

"Yeah, I get that much," Derek replied.

"However," Dave said with a grin, "with the loophole that I mentioned earlier, I do not have to tell you anything more. In fact, I can just allow the Origin System and the Davenresh System to show you instead."

"What do you mean by that?" Derek asked.

"What I mean is…" Dave's smile grew wider. "It is not my fault if I accept all my rewards for my system with a system screen visible to all who may be in my Council Chamber, and someone who is not part of my council happens to see the information. That is on the Origin System for not covering up the information."

"Oh… I see," Derek said.

"And if you somehow find out about certain things because of the Origin System's failure to keep the information secret, then that will allow others to discuss those certain things with you," Dave said. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so," Derek said. "So, if there is something that you can't speak to me about, but I learn about it on my own because it happens before my eyes, then you won't be punished by the Origin System for talking to me about it later."

"Exactly!" Dave said. "It's the method that my father has used for millennia to introduce those he deems worthy to this part of being a Transcendent. So, once you know the main information, the Origin System will not see fit to punish me for clarifying certain matters."

"He showed me by doing the same thing!" a female voice that Derek had heard before sounded out from behind him. When he turned to look, he saw Aestra sitting in a throne-like seat close to the center seat.

"Oh, Aestra," Dave said. "You made it."

"Of course I made it," Aestra said. "I wasn't about to miss something like this. I benefit from it too, you know?"

"Of course," Dave said. "You all will."

"Uhem… Master Davenresh," another voice that Derek had heard before spoke up. Then a familiar elf stepped out of the darkness and into the light.

"Ah… you're… Sereph?" Derek asked when he recognized the man, and Aestra scoffed at his appearance.

"Yes, Sereph?" Dave replied.

"Are you certain that an outsider should be allowed in here during this important time?" Sereph asked. "If he had agreed to become a seat on your council, it would be one thing. But for a mere Mythical-ranked system user who is not even level 300 yet to be allowed in here…"

"Are you questioning my decision again?" Dave asked.

"Of course he is," Aestra chimed in. "The glorified pencil-pusher is always questioning your decisions. It has honestly become a bit annoying."

"I will have you know, Aestra," Sereph took a step toward the woman and continued, "I have done more for my master inside here than any of you other seats on the council."

"No, you haven't," Aestra replied with a shrug.

"And what have you done? Might I ask?" Sereph looked at her smugly.

"I have a very, very high affinity for lightning that I bring to Master Davenresh's system," Aestra replied. "You… have an affinity for dirt. You bring nothing to the table, as Master Davenresh already brings an earth affinity with him. You are here for paperwork and to do the tasks that the other members don't want to do. You are a grunt, nothing more."

"Aestra, that's enough," Dave said.

"It's not, though," Aestra said. "You will soon have to find another lightning user to take my place, as I will reach Transcendence sooner rather than later. Which means that I will no longer be here to address your secretary's concerns—such as why Mr. Hunt should be in here."

"Secretary? You…" Sereph started, but held his tongue and instead asked, "Why do you believe such a person should be allowed in here?"

"Because it isn't up to us. If Master Davenresh thinks he should be, then he should be," Aestra replied. "But if you would like my opinion, then it is because I met Mr. Hunt out in the real world in Origin City, and he has impressed me. So much so that I wouldn't mind requesting him as a member of my own council once I need one."

"Oh? Someone impressed our Aestra?" another voice sounded from within the room. When Derek turned to look, he saw that there were two more people waiting in their seats.

"Yes, Relic," another feminine voice responded. "If our own Miss Aestra has been impressed, then color me intrigued."

"Nice of you to join us, Relic… Kairi," Aestra said. "Especially you, Relic. You haven't joined us for a meeting in centuries."

"A little bird told me that we were about to see something quite historic," a small man hopped from his chair and then walked over. When he came into the light, Derek saw a dwarf that looked as if he had been chiseled from marble.

"Derek, meet Relic. Relic, meet Derek," Dave introduced. "Relic is the reason that we have a large number of blacksmiths appearing throughout my system."

"I see," Derek said. "You're going to have to tell me exactly how that works."

"We will later," Dave said. "Just know that his affinity for smithing and specific crafting is very high."

"And I am the reason that there are plenty of water mages to put out all the flames when those crafts go wild," a beautiful, dark blue woman with long, flowing aqua-blue hair said.

"Kairi, meet Derek. Derek, meet Kairi," Dave introduced.

Derek couldn't take his eyes off the woman. She was unlike any species he had ever seen. That, and the fact that her hair actually looked like flowing water.

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of you," Derek said. "I take it you are both high Ascendants?"

"Of course," they both replied.

"Most people wouldn't have the audacity to join Master Davenresh unless they were high-Ascendant or had some special affinity," Aestra replied. Then she looked at Sereph with a sneer. "But there are some…"

"That's enough," Dave said. "I will give the others ten more minutes to arrive. If they aren't here by then, we will get started without them. Either way, they will be rewarded."

A/N: Well... now I have to find out where the skunk is coming into my yard at. smh... I thought it sprayed my dog through the fence, but I saw it in my yard the night before last when I took my dog out. (Because I no longer just leave the doggie door open at night for obvious reasons.)

And yes, as some of you have pointed out, there have been a number of hints at system ascension and stuff throughout the series--it's just that we are only now getting the real specifics. But it's also understandable if those hints were missed, as we are almost at like... 2,000,000 words into the story.

Also, I have a spinal MRI coming up in a couple weeks because my legs go weak and numb when I sit or bend a certain way and because my mother, sister, and my dad have had cysts or cancer on their spines, so my doctor wants to check just in case there's something hereditary going on. Wish me luck. Might as well get all this bullshit over with in 2026 since it's already been beating my ass all year so I can go into 2027 with a lead hopefully. XD

Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!