Ashley
When I step outside of the Domain, I learn about one major problem that I didn’t think about before. One related to the livestreaming aspect of being in a Domain.
Yep.
The fact that everyone knows I’m in a Domain.
“Successor of Chaos!! Can I get your autograph?!” “Ashley Sinclair, would you please answer some questions for the press?!” “Successor of Chaos, I would like to meet with you-”
Without hesitation, I flap my wings and ditch the crowd of people gathered around outside of the Domain. Because no way in hell am I humoring them.
From the looks of it, there were both reporters from news stations that’ve already gone back online, fans who likely stalk, or rather, watch my battles, and actual people there for business related matters. Including some people who are clearly otherworlders based off of their names alone.
Now I’m starting to second-guess whether I should enter Gates a lot. Since all it takes is the people in my territory roaming around to look at all of the Gates while I’m in there to try to locate the Gate with only a single person inside of it for them to find me.
Well, at the very least they aren’t hard to get away from.
Especially since I have wings.
I fly all the way to my Spire before landing on the top of it. Completely ignoring the new buildings being built beneath it.
Fortunately they’re keeping it to a minimum and aren’t cutting down the trees. Otherwise I’d be rather irritated. Since I like the trees.
On that note, I go ahead and move to the edge and dangle my legs over it as I check the new Skill Tree I got from the roc.
For this particular Skill Tree, there are five different branches stretching out from the root. And of those five, two of them focus on improving my lightning mana and adding stuff to it, while two focus on improving my flight. Then the last one focuses on physical abilities. Specifically, speed.
Although I can’t help but wonder which branch eventually leads to whatever skill let the roc absorb lightning to heal.
After looking over the new skills available, along with the skills from the Skill Trees of the other monsters in that Domain, I got ahead and look at the number of Skill Points I have available.
{You currently have 124 Skill Points.}
Hmm…
First I’ll see what new runes I have for lightning magic.
A process that doesn’t take very long at all. And what I find actually pleases me a bit.
Two runes in this Low Grade Lightning Mana Manipulation skill that weren’t in the basic version. One that lets me create barriers, and one that lets me expel lightning from myself in larger blasts rather than just one small pulse.
The barrier will be really helpful.
Mostly because I don’t have any barrier skills yet.
I return to my Skill Tree before selecting a skill that costs one hundred Skill Points to purchase.
{Lightning Reflexes – Locked – Your reflexes will increase like that of the lightning you use.} – [Spend 100 Skill Points to unlock this skill.]
From what I’ve read on the forums, it doesn’t actually mean my reflexes will be as fast as lightning. But either way, an all around boost to my reflexes is always welcome.
So I go ahead and purchase it.
Then I focus on testing out my reflexes and trying the new runes for the rest of the day. All the way till I get some rest at night.
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When I wake up the next day – the day of the Planetary Council meeting – I go ahead and fight in four more Official System Events. Winning all of them, of course, and leaving me with a total of nine wins. One away from the minimum requirement for a Class advancement even if I’m nowhere near the level requirement. Then I head back to my Spire to mentally prepare myself for the meeting.
And when the time of the event finally does come around? A bright crimson light shines from high in the sky as I sit atop my Spire. Following which I find a notification appearing on my interface.
The Planetary Council of the world known as Val will now commence!
All Lords and Ladies of the Spires on the planet will be summoned.
Please decide upon your advisors within the next ten seconds.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
They will then be teleported alongside you to your booths.
I just stand here with my arms crossed, waiting for the ten seconds to end.
And when they do end, another notification appears.
All 2000 Lords and Ladies along with their advisors will now be summoned to the Planetary Council Chamber.
The positioning of the Lords and Ladies booths will be determined by the following factors in descending order of priority:
Successorship – Successors will always be at the most important position
Number of System Stars
Number of Potential Skills
Level
Number of followers
After I finish reading it, another bright red flash of light shines all around me before I find myself seated in a rather comfortable throne. One situated inside of a large booth made up of a little half-wall that goes up to about my stomach in height, with a crimson, see-through barrier continuing past the edge of the wall to form a dome.
Meanwhile I see thousands of other booths all outside of my own. Except that they’re all separated on different levels of the tower I find myself on top of.
A tower that looks a lot like a Spire. Except with multiple layers to it.
The top layer, which I’m on, has just three booths, each at opposing edges of the triangular layer. Then another layer beneath it that has a hundred or so more booths, each spread around some sort of crimson liquid fountain operated elevator. With the crimson liquid shooting up to raise the elevator and going back down to lower it.
Followed by another layer with the rest of the booths scattered amongst it and no way to get up here. As if separating them from us.
Furthermore, the top layer has a large screen above it showing the entire layer. Kind of like a baseball or football stadium with it showing the screen in multiple directions.
I immediately focus on the new icon that appears on my interface to put the privacy shield up over my booth, making it so no one can see me. Something I read about on the System Forums.
Then, while everyone is looking around both at the surroundings and the other booths, not to mention the fact that it looks like there isn’t anything but crimson and black clouds around the massive Spire with no land in sight and crimson lightning striking once in a while, a new figure appears. At first they go largely unnoticed by everyone other than me as he just blips in out of nowhere at the center of my booth and the other two at the top layer, but some people eventually notice him on the large screen.
And after that, everyone else begins to notice as well. As if some sort of veil was torn away.
“Welcome, everyone, to the very first Planetary Council meeting of your world! Aren’t you all glad to be here?!” Chaos exclaims, a wide grin on his face as he flaps his wings once and spreads his arms out to his sides. “Now, as I’m the wonderful Primordial who initialized your world, I will be your guide for the council meetings!”
Everyone goes silent as the dead. Almost like they’re afraid of him.
And now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure he did kind of disintegrate a couple people during the initial opening of the tutorial. So maybe it’s not a bad idea to be afraid of him.
But…
I think back to all of the times he’s called me things like ‘sweetheart’ and ‘darling daughter’ and ‘adorable daughter’ and other names, and I just can’t come to fear someone like that.
The man in question turns towards my booth with a wide and rather pleased smile. The guy no doubt eavesdropping on my thoughts.
I just turn to look away at the crimson lightning outside.
“Now, to begin, let me run you through everything you’ll be doing here for this first meeting! But after this first meeting, these meetings will all be up to you to handle,” Chaos’s voice echoes across the entire Spire. “So make sure you don’t screw things up. Or your planet will be paying the price for it.”
That has me turning to look at him while blinking in surprise.
“Except you, my adorable little daughter,” Chaos continues, his voice sounding in my mind without his lips moving. And judging by how no one reacts to this, I’m likely the only one who could hear that.
What does he mean by that?
I frown while crossing my arms, only to finally take notice of the throne I’m sitting on. Along with the other two thrones that the other two people on the top layer are on.
My throne reminds me very strongly of Chaos, with two crimson and black raven wings wrapping around me part-way, and a crimson and black metal covering the entire throne. Meanwhile the throne that my twin – who has been staring at me ever since we arrived – is sitting on is golden and blue, with a very grand yet also basic design. One with spell circles appearing and vanishing around it.
Lastly, the third Successor of our world that I haven’t met yet.
A man with golden hair and slit amber-gold eyes, kind of like a lion, sits atop a throne covered in a golden metal with a lion’s head roaring at the top of it.
And the man himself seems to be incredibly composed as he alternates his gaze between the rest of us on the top layer.
I purposefully avoid looking at the people on the second layer, though. Because I have a very bad feeling about it.
As if the mere act of looking down there will give me a panic attack or something.
Although it’s not particularly hard to figure out why I feel this way. Considering that I’ve heard my parents – according to the Forums at least, since they seem to know more about me than I do at this point – should be here too.
And I… don’t want to see them. Even if I don’t remember anything about them.
On another note, the Primordial of Chaos continues talking now that he’s let what he said before settle in, “Now then. This meeting will have several purposes, including but not limited to setting a currency conversion for your world to the System’s credits, deciding on which Planetary System Events you will participate in this year, getting the vote started for your Planetary Leader, and getting to know each other. Not necessarily in that order.” His eyes narrow a little. “So let’s get started.”