The brick,shall be named today
As I stepped into the main hall I found myself surprised by the simple interior there. I had expected ornate furnishings, or just something more in line with what seemed to be the overall theme of the estate. Instead it was a simple room. Well as simple as a 90 meter long room could be simple.
It was occupied only by a single wood table that was occupied by a small contingent of gaudily dressed men and women with the noted addition of one young girl, about three years old, she was dressed in simple clothes that seemed to simply not suit her.
While she was a green haired, pink eared, purple eyed person with a dark brown skin tone. While that made for an exotic combination, it contrasted quite badly with her dirt brown dress. Why was she wearing that thing? And why was I thinking about it? Mind magic? No...Charisma.
The Charisma stat. I should have recognized it instantly. It was granted to people with abnormally beautiful features. That was why she was wearing it, if she had not been wearing it I would have probably been impaired. Beauty was a two-edged blade after all.
I walked to the table, avoiding any eye contact with the girl. I could not afford to be distracted at this critical juncture. Even if that butler thought it to be non-critical. I was not as easily convinced. There was no way that I would not be asked a few questions.
As I neared the table all eyes turned to me. Though I was sure that all of the table's inhabitants had noticed me long ago, it was still quite disconcerting to be stared at by so many people. There seemed to be about thirty of them, and likely all of them except the girl were among the figures that had participated in that little show a few hours ago.
“I hope you enjoy your waffles, kid. Especially since you seem to give them more importance than the rejoining of Launeior to the Algrean World Council.” Meemauy said, she seemed to be in a much better mood now then before. It would seem that she was fond of her brother. Whether that was a good or a bad thing was not something I could conclude yet.
Either way, I had a conversation to get through.
“I did Meemauy. And why exactly should Launeior rejoin the Algrean World Council?” I replied. As one Emperor said- Always know what benefits you will get.
“Humph! It is the honour of this offworld colony to join the Algrean World Council. If I had my way you would still be a subsidiary under Mistrane.” A man to the left of Meemauy said.
“Well Lord..” I replied trying to get an idea of his identity
“Valureich. Grand King Valureich of the Kingdom of Mistrane.” the man replied.
Well that explains it, the man was angry at losing his land. Nothing I could do about that.
“Well Grand King Valureich, perhaps joining is an honour, but would you truly add Mistrane to an organisation because someone named it an ‘honour’ or would you find out the pros and cons of such an action?” I said turning to completely face Valureich
“If the only reason I had left the organisation was a temper tantrum? Yes I definitely would join. Sadly for you I don’t have temper tantrums.” Valureich replied
“Uhum. I do believe that my sister is trying to say something gentlemen “ The Patriarch said, glaring at both me and Valureich.
“Answering your question, the Algrean World Council can offer many things, including trade security, access to its stable currency, access to the compiled knowledge of ages of experience. The list just goes on. Trust me kid, the AWC is worth joining.” Meemauy said, likely thinking that I would be put at a loss by all the terms and give in. Too bad she didn't know how many boring meetings were held each day in the Grand Hall.
“Perhaps for nations on Algrea proper but Launeior is off planet. There is no trade, the currency is thus independent and Launeior was part of the AWC for a long time, I doubt it does not already have all the knowledge it needed.Not only that but a Nation should have its own infrastructure first and foremost, relying on outer sources like the AWC is just setting it up for disaster.” I replied and if the sudden increase of ‘presence’ in the room was any indication, I surprised quite a few of those present.
“Just agree kid, Every moment Launeior is outside the protection of the AWC it decreases your hold over it, the Heart of Peace is the only effective deterrent against these old fogies.I promise you I will get you a good deal but you must make it now” Meemauy communicated telepathically, I didn’t even know that this sort of thing was possible.
It put me in a confused position. On one hand the proposition that y hold over Launeior weakened every second seemed preposterous...but the logic behind it made sense. I had read somewhere that Nations without Grade 7s were usually absorbed in, and right now the pillar of Launeior, Meemauy, wasn't supporting it.
It made sense that a bunch of oldies wanted to have a piece of what could be the stage from which Algrea began its colonization. In fact I wondered if that wasan’t the reason Launeior had been left on its own. After all, even the Arlford family couldn’t take the pressure from all of the oldies. Leaving it unattended made it into a no-man’s land...but then why cement the claim now?
Clearly I was missing a few pieces of the puzzle. And Meemauy had all of them...presuming that she would not act against my interests, which she hadn’t yet. At least not on purpose, she was probably telling me what was best in the current situation...or was I being too optimistic? The main question here was whether I could trust Meemauy or not.
And the answer was...yes. I could, she had been nothing but affront with me and while she was curt and rude sometimes and tended to be restrictive, she had never acted in a manner that was not logical or directly against my long term interests.
“But I trust you Meemauy, I’ll hand over the decision to you.” I said, deciding to get it over with.
“You know, it would be a much more believable decision if you hadn’t taken a ten minute pause between sentences.” Valureich said sarcastically, earning a glare from the Lord of the Farewell Lands.
“Fine Fine, I’ll refrain from comentinglike always.” Valureich said, feigning exasperation. I noticed a gleam in his eyes that told me that the man was more intelligent then he let on. How could he not be? A king had to be somewhat intelligent after all, otherwise he’d have become a corpse by now.
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“So, I decided on a name. But I am not sure...can I change it later if I do not like it down the line or is it the same for life?” I said, hoping to divert from the topic.
“I suppose you were never really told about the history and traditions around the Naming Ceremony..that is a mistake on my part.” Meemauy replied,”The Naming ceremony is one of Algrea’s most ancient traditions, dating back to before the First Age, it has left its mark on our culture.”
“The ways to celebrate it differ from family to family but one thing remains the same. It is the one being named that chooses. In a commoner family the event is accompanied by a large family gathering with the family members coming together to suggest names for the child. In more established families like ours, the ceremony takes a more formal stance. It is accompanied by the baby coming out to Noble society and joining a school. Though you have already done the latter, haven’t you?”
“It is believed that a chosen name holds power and is a large part of who you are. Thus changing it too often is frowned upon, but it is not uncommon for Banmeru that have just crossed a major life tribulation to feel that their name is no longer appropriate. Provisions are there for that.” Meemauy finished, at the end of the sentence I felt mana gathered around her.
“Now tell me,
Oh child young and free,
What from this day forth shall I call thee?” Meemauy said, rhyming her sentences as small amounts of mana danced about her. It seemed to be a minor version of the resonance I had performed earlier
“From this day forth I say,
With full knowledge of my current way,
You may call me Alforien.” I replied, my words moving into rhymes naturally in concert with the mana.
“Well! Now that this is over it is time to party!” The Patriarch said, completely ruining the solemn atmosphere.
Name
unnamed
Gender
Male
Species
Banmeru
Age
7 months
Titles
Heir candidate to the Earl of Cristanfor, Noble of the Kingdom of Mistrane, Baron of Losphintaius,Transmigrator
Class
[The Known]
Skills
[Otherworldly mana manipulation] [ Force of Will] [Conversion]
Stats
Strength[The amount of brute force one can use]
112
Endurance[The amount of time one can work continuously]
148
Flexibility[The range of movement of the body]
102
Precision[The accuracy of one’s movements]
106
Perception[The ability to notice nuances and advanced concepts]
133
Intelligence[The ability to comprehend the advanced concepts]
133
Wisdom[The ability to effectively use the concepts]
133
Aura Force[The ability to force your will on your surroundings]
119
Combat[The speed of one’s reactions, ability to process situations and other general combat abilities]
115
Magic Affinities
Fire[One of the greatest sources of Light and Heat in the universe, you have Greater Affinity for Fire]
97.14%
Earth[Essential for life, earth is what renders things solid, you have a Greater affinity for Earth]
99.87%
Mind[The consciousness and its relation to reality, you have Lesser affinity for Mind]
17.35%
Chaos[Everything shall be anything but what it should be, no thing shall remain as it should, you have a Lesser affinity for Chaos]
19.76%
Grandmist[The base substance that all subatomic particles are made off, you have Lesser affinity for Grandmist]
27.39%
Space [The building block of dimensions, you have an Outrageous affinity for Space
199.998%
Time[A mysterious force, you have a Minor affinity for Time]
01.15%
Will [The force that propels you through life, you have Minor affinity for Will]
9.81%
Force[The building block of Kinetic interactions, you have Minor affinity for Force
9.81%