I could return to the mansion again, but I had time for more exploration. The crystalline spiral tower I had seen while approaching the city was visible from the avenue I now travelled along, and I still hadn’t seen the building to which it was attached. Now that I had a destination, I sped up to a run, weaving through the unsuspecting pedestrians. I could feel the slight boost from my latest couple levels, my movements just a bit more graceful as I twisted and sidestepped through the crowds.

My rapid pace took me back into the crafts district, with government buildings visible down the streets to my right. When I spotted openings, I took opportunities to leap over the crowds, increasing my speed even more. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but it was fun, and there wasn’t anyone to stop me.

It wasn’t long before I caught a glimpse of my destination between the buildings ahead. The crystalline spiral emerged from a massive crystalline dome, which curved back inward at the bottom while the six stone supports emerging from the spiral continued outward until they met the ground. Underneath those supports, stairways led downward until they joined the inward-curving crystal, their surface illuminated by many hues of tinted sunlight. It was very impressive. I still didn’t know what it was for.

But I was going to find out. I continued my advance, and the rest of the dome gradually entered my visibility. Inside, I could make out a central structure rising to join the spiral above, while twisting walkways could be seen along the dome’s edge, threading around what might be art installations. More possible art became visible on the ground level as I approached further, emerging into a circular plaza and nearing the stairs.

Many people could be seen coming and going from the numerous entrances at the base. Most of them were dressed in styles that appeared to be normal here, but there did seem to be a greater preponderance of individuals with more… flamboyant choices. Nobody that I could see took my approach… but it was still possible I might stand out less here.

First I had to determine what this building was. I couldn’t see any signs, but there did appear to be writing over the entryways, so I took advantage of the open space ahead to jump down the stairs. Watching the ground accelerate towards me brought a special kind of thrill. Thanks to my abilities, I still landed without the least amount of strain. And now I could take a look at that writing…

IMAGINATION IS THE GREATEST BLESSING

And… it was practically useless. Did the people who ran this place not want anyone to know about it? Or was everyone just expected to know already? They were getting quite a bit of traffic… Well, I would just have to find out the hard way. I slid in behind another group through a closing door, and inspected the interior.

The effect was breathtaking. Shifting hues of light bathed an incredible variety of art installations in color. Some were abstract shapes, their metal, crystal, and polished stone gleaming, while others were more grounded sculptures and paintings, often poised amidst fountains and greenery. The installations on the ground floor were followed by others visible in the distance, rising alongside the walkways I had seen from the outside to match the curvature of the building.

I felt… excited. Energized. The effect was like night and day. I… wait, was something causing this? Was there some kind of mind-control in place here? I would not be influenced! I needed to… control…

There. If I relaxed my Ability, I could feel the influence of this place start to reassert itself, but for now, my emotions were under my control again. Like they should be. Now, why would anyone want to manipulate so many people in that way? Was everyone else aware of it? Given how prominent this place was, they almost certainly were. So-

“Excuse me miss, is there anything you are seeking in this place?”

I was still invisible, yet someone was addressing me! I turned, and saw a man in a purple-and-red robe, with elaborate bands of what looked like brass looping around his arms and torso. An assortment of books and implements were hanging from many of the bands on the torso, amplifying the unusual nature of his accoutrements. Despite my ring, he was looking directly at my face.

Oh well, perhaps he could answer my questions. Since it no longer served a purpose, I turned off my invisibility and replied, “Perhaps. What is this building for?”

“Why this is the main temple of Rhynderrim in all Almandir! One of the most developed in all the Imperium! The current iteration has stood for seventy eight years, since the discovery of structured glass infusion, and we look forward to coming innovations that will make the next one rise greater still! Here we gather art, knowledge, and counseling, to inspire all who seek it to greater heights. How might Rhynderrim inspire you today?”

So this was a temple. Did that mean the emotional effects in here were some sort of diving blessing? I could see how some people might want that. Even I might benefit. But for now, the question was whether there was anything here I could use more directly.

“You said you had knowledge. Would that include resources on… people who were good at getting their way… politically?”

“Of course!” he replied. You should find a confluence of related books if you head down the stairway over there, turn left, go straight past the next intersection, then left, right, straight, straight, and look to the right. You don’t need to remember all that, just hold what you’re looking for in mind and follow your intuition. You can read anywhere in the temple, and all stairwells like that one have places to return the books when you’re done.”

Well, he was a lot more straightforward than the inscription on the entryway, at least. I would apparently have to let this emotional effect influence me if I wanted to accomplish anything here, so I relaxed my control as I headed for the indicated stairs. People did glance my way, but less often than they did elsewhere at least. I was soon at the bottom of the stairway, looking at a narrow passage lined by bookcases from floor to ceiling, with glowing lights overhead. The passage was curved, twisting gradually to the right.

The first intersection turned out to be just out of view. I was apparently supposed to turn left, but now would be a good time to test the “intuition” the man had mentioned. At the moment, there was nothing, but if I focused on what I was looking for… yes, there was a feeling that turning left would be… right.

I continued to follow that intuition, speeding up now that I knew how it worked. I passed a few people along the way, some walking, others inspecting the shelves. None of them spared me much attention, though some seemed annoyed at my speed. Oh well, I wasn’t here to please them.

It wasn’t long before the guiding intuition gave the sense that I had reached the correct spot. Looking at the bookshelves to the right, I saw a mix of biographies and what looked like adventure stories. Most had a synopsis on the back or inner cover, indicating that my original impression was correct, and that the source material for these books was quite varied. Some covered inventor-heroes, real or fictitious, others were about conquerors, and many starred politicians. If there was a common theme, it seemed to be their use of cleverness to advance their goals. Exactly what I had been looking for.

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Deciding what to take was difficult. I would have to return whatever I didn’t finish while inside the temple, and trying to steal anything was a bad idea when I didn’t know how the magic here worked. Of course, I could always come back later.

I settled on a book focused on the Lady of Fortune, the legendary founder of the Yrmanni Imperium. This particular work covered her most significant interactions with individuals during her rise to and consolidation of power, centered around the perspective and understanding of those other people. If I wanted to control significant people myself, I too would need to understand how they thought, so this would be a good place to start. The fact that it could provide background on my new nation of residence was also a consideration.

Interestingly, the same intuition that had led me here was now indicating a new direction. Depending on such guidance was annoying, but wandering around without it would probably be worse, so I went where it indicated, speeding up again. Soon, the passageway opened into a circular common area filled with armchairs, the walls lined with other passageways twisting left, right, up, and down. I chose an empty seat, and began to read.

*****************************************************

…Lord Redron was naturally quite eager to accept such an apparently favorable deal. For a quarter ton of gold bullion, he could secure permanent, exclusive distribution rights to half of Lady Vandin’s textile output, the entirety of what was being shipped into Pralvun. The only requirement was that his own guard keep the docks secure. Could he have anticipated the vicious competition with other nobles to control that harbor, with ‘exclusive’ rights sold to whoever had the upper hand? Could he have foreseen how this fight would bleed away the very forces that were keeping his city safe? Although Pralvun and Lord Redron were no strangers to conflicts amongst the nobility, the weaponization of those conflicts by an external adversary was something neither were familiar with. What Redron knew was that advantages were fleeting things, and those who did not seize them often found them slipping into the hands of a rival. So he did not hesitate to take the offer, and everything else followed from that…

…The continued dependence of Lady Vandin upon land-based trade doubtless struck General Vargyr as a critical weakness. With an investment of just a quarter of his forces, he cut off a third of her revenue, in addition to the money she had to spend reimbursing the merchants whose wares he seized. Records show that he anticipated emptying her coffers in less than three months unless she changed her approach. General Vargyr was a patient man, and he was prepared to wait. When patrols began disappearing, they were reinforced, and scouts were dispatched to make sure her military hadn’t stolen a march on him. The fact that her forces remained on the defense while his ever-larger patrols continued to intermittently vanish was confounding, and in time he could only afford to intercept the most valuable caravans, with overwhelming numbers.

When the Lady’s forces finally entered the field, he confidently prepared to encircle them through his decisive numerical advantage, still unaware of how his patrols had been removed, but confident that the skirmishers he presumed responsible would be limited on the open field. The night before the battle, Syrina Vandin infiltrated the camp and assassinated Vargyr along with many of his senior officers, and the following day, his forces were drawn into a trap. Her reliance on land-based trade had in fact been bait to engineer a scenario where she could level her Rogue class to terrifying potency. And of course, the greatest impact of those levels had yet to arrive…

…High Lord Caelius had no reason to question the integrity of the Kehldirad League. The system of marriage alliances and educating the children of outlying nobles in the central city had kept the surrounding cities firmly bound to the most influential city in the region for hundreds of years. Despite her access to an unprecedented trove of intelligence, he had no reason to think that Imperator Vandin knew anyone of significance who could be turned to her side. And indeed, she very probably did not.

The sudden conviction and execution of the relations of high-ranking, outlying nobles for treason is an event still shrouded in mystery. Did Syrina back the plot and fail, only to fall back on an alternative? Was she simply lucky, as her name might imply? Or did she deliberately frame the blood relatives of her future allies, to engineer the ensuing events? The answers are lost to time. What is known is that the families of those executed were soon willing to accept the Imperator’s considerable wealth in order to change sides. Suddenly, the most powerful city on the Yrmor was facing a struggle for survival…

*****************************************************

It had been several hours. I was about two thirds of the way through the book, but if I didn’t return soon, that might affect my perceived reliability, something I would need to maintain in order to be trusted with resources in the future. The text had been quite illuminating. If most Yrmanni nobles drew inspiration from stories like these, I would need to be prepared for attacks from a very wide number of angles. Fortunately, simply being strong and hard to kill would be a versatile defense.

To score victories, I was going to have to be creative, powerful, and ruthless. My opponents wouldn’t be holding back, so I could not afford to do so either, nor could I let myself get stuck on the defensive. For now, I still needed background knowledge, but soon, I would need to begin looking for allies to increase my power, and identify ways to weaken Corinn’s foes so that my own position could become stronger still. Before any of that, however, I would need to return this book.

I let my thoughts focus on the concept of the book return area, and began to move swiftly along the direction that felt most natural. Since the corridors were mostly empty, there was no reason not to run. I’d gone for over a minute when I spotted someone ahead, but when I moved to pass by, she hailed me.

“Oh wow, such developed muscle tissue!” she exclaimed eagerly. “Are you interested in enhancing it further? There are so many things I could try!”

The speaker was a young woman several inches shorter than myself, with bright pink hair. Before I could fully process what she had just said, she resumed speaking.

“Oh, sorry! By the way, my name is Emily Cuften! I practice the Flesh Grafter class; I’m the only one in the city who does, that I know of! It’s so hard to find people willing to try out my work, but you look like you’re pretty tough! Are you interested?”

Well, I was interested in getting stronger. And with Regeneration, she probably couldn’t do any permanent damage… It was worth asking for more details, at any rate.

“What exactly does a Flesh Grafter do, and how could that help me?”

She’d been smiling before, but now she was practically vibrating with excitement. “I can put in implants and alchemical substances to enhance the performance of your body! Right now I’ve got the hang of using alchemical muscle grafts to strength arms and legs for several days, or making injections into the bone marrow to make those bones twice as durable. Right now I’m experimenting with applying alchemy to a bone as it grows for enhanced effects, but it’s hard to find a practical application. If you’re willing to supply me with bone samples, I could give you a discount on my other work!”

That did sound useful. And if her new technique could be applied to a bone while Regeneration was active, then I could obtain an advantage no one else had! This was quite the lucky encounter! Unless… did the divine magic here also apply to finding people?

I let my expression shift to neutral. “Just to clarify… were you using the magic of this place to search for me?”

Her excitement wavers. “Well… not explicitly! I was just looking for useful research material! If you benefit too, then we both win, right?”

A good response. I allow myself to smile as well, and offer a hint of my own capabilities.

“You mentioned you were looking to apply alchemy to bones as they regrew? I just happen to have Regeneration. Are you interested?”

Her eyes widen, and she looks about ready to explode from excitement. “Interested? Why, that’s like… a best case scenario! Let me run a full suite of tests, and I’ll upgrade your skeleton for free! When’s the soonest time you can come?”

I have nothing planned, and my enemies are on the move, so there’s no reason to delay.

“When is the soonest time you’re open tomorrow?”

“I can be ready by eleventh lumen!” she replies almost instantly. “I can’t wait! Expect my best service!”

She bows and races off before I can reply. I suddenly realize that I’ve never had a chance to learn about the time units in place here. Something I’ll need to clarify when I get back.

Dropping off the book was otherwise uneventful, and I emerged from the temple to see the sun setting behind the capitol’s tall buildings. The gradual sunset made the colored light passing through the dome shift like multicolored flames, their patterns shifting over my body until I disappeared from sight.

As I made my return trip, I repeated my goals to myself. Gain knowledge. Grow stronger. Defeat my foes. In this world, my progress could be numerically measured. And my victory was just a matter of time.