Help Text: The Two Tomes Empire is a Constitutional Monarchy, with the Emperor holding absolute authority to reject proposals by the Chiefs. There are 41 Chiefs that oversee the 41 cities and villages spread across the eight regions. The Capital City is controlled by the Emperor, and serves as the residence for his entire family. The chiefs gather once a year to make proposals to one another, and the emperor. Frequently this leads to disputes amongst them.
Shocked by the news, Chief Sho and Setsuo both grabbed me, and started dragging me outside towards the South Gate.
"Listen, Mark, whatever you do, don't speak unless you're asked to do so!"
With this warning in mind, I was content to keep my mouth shut. When we arrived, the gate was wide open, and on a white creature that resembled a strange mix of a horse and a camel sat a young man wearing a white and red robe. Dragging me down with them, Chief Sho and Setsuo took a knee, then Setsuo took the lead.
"It is good to see you in good health, Emperor"
"Dispense with the formalities, I was asked to come here to prevent a war, and when I arrive I find that the situation has already been handled."
Chief Sho attempted to explain that he wasn't asking for the emperor to come, but was quickly cut off.
"You tell me that a new hero has appeared, and you expect me to trust this to some grunts? Of course I'm going to come here myself."
The emperor dismounted the creature he was riding, and began walking towards the manor. The two of them quickly got up and we all made our way there.
Once inside, the two of them seemed to relax more, but I still felt on edge about the situation. Sho ordered the servants to bring in a chair for him, and we sat down at the dining room table.
"So this is the new hero?"
"Yes, he demonstrated his abilities a few days ago by helping us capture the South Temple Monks. It's safe to say without him, we wouldn't have been able to stop them."
"Quite impressive. I am Emperor Isaac Davis III, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, new hero."
"It is nice to meet you as well, I'm Mark Harris."
The Emperor looked slightly surprised when he heard my name, but quickly regained his composure. We all sat down, and began discussing how the South Tome monks were going to be handled. The Emperor would take them into custody and hold the leadership responsible. The remaining grunts would be sentenced to community service, namely repairing anything that was damaged during the battle. Once that discussion was done, he turned to me.
"Given that you are a new hero, and Setsuo has confirmed this, we may have to work on an arranged marriage for you."
"Huh?"
As the reality of what he said sank in, I fainted.
A few hours later, I awoke in the bedroom of the manor. On the nightstand beside the bed was a letter sealed with wax.
"If the person reading this letter is not Mark Harris, going any further will be considered an act of treason, and you will be executed.
Mark, the other two have done their best to inform me of your situation. While not immediately, I request that you come to Capital City. Once you're there, we can discuss that matter further.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Additionally, there is information my family possesses that you may find of use. I cannot put this information into a letter, it is something you must come and see in person.
Best Regards, Emperor Isaac Davis III"
At the time, I didn't realize it, but I should have noticed that it was in English, and not in the Two Tomes language. I went downstairs and was greeted by the servants who informed me that Sho and Setsuo were seeing the Emperor off. I let out a sigh of relief, and went into the dining room and asked for something to drink.
At this point, the weight of my situation had finally set in. I had no way back home, and no clear path for me here. My current goal was to make my way to the North Tome Temple, and try to get a grasp on my abilities. Beyond that though, I didn't really have a goal in mind. The marriage idea didn't sound too bad, but I wasn't quite ready for that. By the time Sho and Setsuo had returned I was still sitting there lost in thought.
Setsuo waved his hand in front of my face.
"Are you alright, Mark?"
"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about what I should be doing from here on out."
"Well, for now you can come to the Temple with me."
"I know that, but what should I do afterward?"
"Hmm... Is it really that important right now? Wouldn't it be better to try to make as many new opportunities for yourself as possible?"
Hearing that was like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders. Setsuo was right, I didn't have to plan out my life years in advance, like I did in my old world.
"Who knows, if I become powerful enough, maybe I could leave this world entirely and explore this universe."
"After seeing how powerful you already are, I wouldn't be surprised."
A short while later, Setsuo and I said our goodbyes to the Chief Sho, and exited the south gate.
While on the road I took a few opportunities to see what I could do with the Tool Forms. The Help Text mentioned evolution, so I took to reading through my items and seeing if anything could be used. Finally I came across an item, the "Heroes' Tree Branch", and in the drop down was the option to "Feed." Strangely, when I selected the option, the item remained in my inventory, but a notification appeared over the Forms tab. When I looked there was a new entry connected to the Blue Forest Sage Rod.
Blue Forest Hero's Rod
Requirements: Wizard Level 5
Effect Unknown: ????
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Effect Unknown: ????
Unfortunately, I was too low of a level to use it.
I talked to Setsuo about the Empire some more as we made our way south. He explained that the village chiefs were elected, but served the role for life. Including at the Holy Citadel, which we were making our way to. Of the many things the Ancient Heroes had introduced was the concept of a constitution. Something that guaranteed the rights of the people, so that the nation could prosper.
The original constitution was drafted by them in a language that couldn't be read by the people of the Empire, so the heroes had it transcribed. Both versions of it were on display with armed guards in Capital City. In addition, the founders attempted to institute a public education system, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully. The remnants would later become the founders of the North Tome Temple. Eventually the Holy Citadel would grow around the temple, and it would be declared the capital of the Northern Trail Region, the area we are currently in.
Apparently, the Empire adopted the naming conventions from when the area was a penal colony, naming areas after their purpose, or the most important thing there. Originally the Blue Tree Village was a logging operation, where the people were forced to chop down trees, then send them down the river to be processed at the North Port City. The village we were making our way to at the time was called the Warrior Stone Village, previously it had been a military installation selected for its proximity to other areas in order to put down revolts. However, it became a hub of martial arts, where many people from around the world gathered to train, though more people would come to gamble on matches that occurred, than people who actually wanted to learn martial arts. Where its name comes from is a large stone in the center of the village. Apparently the stone is made of a strong material that absorbs any magic used on it. An old legend about it says that it fell from the stars, and that anyone who could break it would become the ultimate warrior.
We continued to walk until nightfall, when we decided to make camp on the side of the road. I watched as Setsuo went around the edge of the camp, and performed some kind of ritual. When he was finished he sat down and we had something to eat before calling it a night. Feeling pretty exhausted, I decided to go straight to sleep for once.