Fast-forward a few months. We were in the early Winter, most of my free year had passed. The Palatial staff trained their Proficiencies to match their levels and I dismissed the learning field. The silk-cattle and the peapura, along with the crop fields were transplanted to underground chambers I dug out, transforming the Secret Garden into a hub of rooms and farms, just like several Minecraft bases. I also had living quarters for around four thousand people in tight but liveable conditions in longhouses carved into the bedrock. Above-ground, everything went back to normal. The flower gardens, topiaries, and green grass.
I made sure all my enchantments and runes were safely hidden inside the sandwiched walls.
In my free time, I crafted seven of the black carriages. These were self-powered by a combination of enchantments and gnomish tinkering. Clad in Adamantite and painted black, they were ready to collect the Empire's undesirables after the debutante.
Only two Proficiencies reached the next hundred mark.
> Combat Technique [ 713 ]. Select 1 Ability.
>
> * Vicious Criticals: Increase Critical chance by (P/30)% and critical damage by (P/10)%.
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> Silkweaver (*) [ 502 ]. Select 1 Ability.
>
> * Elemental Thread: Select (P/100) magical Schools you have an affinity for. Threads enjoy 95% (max) resistance to them.
I hoped this would allow my threads to survive the hardening process of Adamantite to create living adamantite weapons, but even with that resistance, the process failed as the Adamantite starved the threads.
My other long-term project, selectively breeding Deathberries until they were no longer poisonous was halfway done. I had a variant that was only deadly to people below the 2nd rank or very weak people in the 3rd. One of the reasons this process went so slow, besides biological ones, was that I was also controlling for increased sugar content. The only generations that got promoted were ones in which either one of these two factors improved. My ideal Death-less-berry would be almost pure sugar and no poison.
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"These carriages look hideous!" Madge gasped as I showed the girls the horseless prisoner wagons.
"I can't even look at them. They give me goosebumps. I don't want to touch these things!" A squeamish Mona protested.
The exterior of the "Black Carriages" looked like someone covered a box with gothic metal gates. The black barbed bars ended in wicked spear points and went all around the vehicle. A twisting mesh of tines formed rose patterns between the bars, but the barbed spikes made it look deadly. A body could be stuck in these barbs and it would hang until the flesh decayed and let it drop.
The wheels were also black and also full of barbs. Corkscrew spikes jutted out of the axle Ben-Hur style. At the front, a slanted panel with a small slit covered by an Adamantine wire mesh hid the driver. At the very front, you'd find one of the two parts of the exterior that didn't have barbs, a massive cowcatcher that ran a handspan above the ground, ready to clear the way for the vehicle. However, it had a single row of slanted spikes made to shear anything in its path. Even sedimentary rocks would be punctured and cut to size by these Adamantite blades. These wagons could go to war, and they would win the fight just by trampling over the enemy. At the back, double doors like a moving truck were the only access to the interior. A row of benches on each side with bluish-gray Adamantite manacles and chains allowed the vehicle to hold up to twenty prisoners and still keep the middle clear for troops. A bar running the length allowed them to hang on and not stumble around during a rough trip. A narrow door separated the back from the pilot's cabin where two people could sit and control the wagon's enchantments and drive.
The interior paneling was entirely made of mirror-polished steel. Magical lights powered by the engraved Core could keep the inside as bright as day, allowing the prisoners to see their reflection on the other side. The floor was raised in the middle, allowing the crew to move without fear of being kicked by the prisoners should they free their legs from the Adamantite shackles. The manacles and shackles also drained Mana, allowing the wagon to keep even mage prisoners.
Madge wasn't alone in her opinion. Anyone inspecting this wagon would think it was hideous, repulsive, and unsettling. One could imagine being dragged inside would be the end, and that was exactly the image I wanted to pass to the Empire nobility. Prince Percival's Black Wagons would roam the capital and the people would shudder in fear.
I cackled like a villain, "That's the idea. This way, nobody in the Empire will try to find out about the fate of the people I'm going to gather. They'll just assume that they are dead the moment they enter these wagons. Follow me inside."
"No."
"Please, don't."
They both refused to have anything with the creepy carriages. I could only chuckle.
"I promise it's nice. Come, let me show you. Trust me, please?"
I took them by the hand and led them inside the death row vehicle. I could control the wagon just by touching or being inside it. I activated the secret enchantment at the door and brought them through.
The truth was, the door to the pilot cabin was also enchanted with a downgraded version of my {Sanctuary Gates}. If the pilot wanted to, they would lead not to the cabin but to a small extradimensional space.
"Matriarch's golden tits," Mona gasped and blasphemed. "You have a village inside the wagon?"
The extradimensional space held a small grassland with a peaceful blue sky that emulated the day-night cycle. The village was made of eight stone inns that combined could house four hundred people in modest bedrooms with two bunk beds. A crystalline stream provided conjured drinking water, although food needed to be brought in from the outside. It also didn't grant the healing bonus to save some Enchantment Points.
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The seven vehicles together could gather and house twenty-eight hundred people in a single trip. They could reach speeds up to sixty kilometers per hour or thirty-seven miles per hour, making the trip between the Imperial capital and Raswaria in less than three days, from the twenty normal horse-drawn carriages took. The enchanted vehicle could move twenty-four hours per day, so long the pilots took shifts driving.
The low center of gravity, pneumatic suspension, and stability enchantments allowed it to move smoothly over most terrains. To tip one of these wagons over, you'd need to tilt it forty-five degrees on one side.
"Are you going to drag people in here? It will be awful for them," Madge remarked.
"Most often, not," I answered as I shook my head ruefully. All this misdirection was not something someone with my System Status would normally do. "I pretend to meet with my 'victims' before the black carriage comes to take them. They'll put up some resistance, the people manning these vehicles will pretend to be roughing them up, and they'll end up here after vanishing inside the wagon. Sometimes, I'll take people in vulnerable situations without a previous arrangement. For example, a sick beggar in a back alley. Or someone suffering from mental illness. I'll oversee most of the operations from the shadows, and I might have to use my telepathy to convince those who can be reasoned with to enter."
"People will loathe you," Madge warned.
"I know. But so long I give them something juicier than boring reality, nobody will bother digging for the truth. And if they learn about it, the public image will mask it because of cognitive dissonance."
"Is that a large-scale mental debuff?" Mona asked then oohed. "Scary!"
"No. It is a natural proclivity of people to reject things that go against their world views. For example, what if I told you that playing too much video games is bad for your health?"
"Nonsense. They even improve my coordination and reflexes. I get over four million points in Frogger now. When I started playing the dragon ate my... Oh. I see what you did! No, I can't believe it at all, but in this case, what you said about video games is a lie."
"Is it? What about your sleeping legs or back pains because you spent too long in a single position."
She scoffed. "It trains my body. I got a point of [Physical Mastery] yesterday."
I started to laugh uncontrollably. It angered Mona and I left the secret garden complex with her hitting me.
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I opened the gates, deactivating the enchantment that kept it unmovable. On the other side, Imperial bureaucrats and guards stared inside, surprised.
"Your Highness!" One of them recognized me. "The gates... why did you open them?"
"Winter is coming," I said ominously, ending with a laugh.
They stared at me like I was crazy. I scowled. They averted their eyes, suddenly aware of whom they were disrespecting.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"The debutante ball is also coming, on the solstice. You need to prepare the palace for the [Emperor]," I said, pointing at the man. "If you are not up to the task, find someone who is."
"No, I'll be honored!" He bowed deeply. It was a promotion.
"Resume normal supply drops. Also, send word that I'll start recruiting for my personal knight order."
I turned around and walked back to the Palace. The cogs of the Empire started to turn faster.
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The Imperial Secretary of Ceremonial took over the palace maintenance and decorations. During the debutante festivities, which would encompass five days, this place would be the center of the Empire, and the [Emperor] himself would hold court in the throne room.
I gave orders to vacate all servant quarters for the Imperial staff. My loyal servants packed their things, and empty carriages left the palace, taking them to their homes for a vacation. I gave each of them an enchanted signet ring with my coat of arms. I went with the same one used by Sir Percival of the Round Table.
https://i.redd.it/unt4w6lyp7g71.jpg
https://www.reddit.com/r/heraldry/comments/p0or6k/attributed_arms_of_the_round_table_day_4_sir/
The ring could send a distress signal upon command or if it sensed the wearer was about to break the geas. This signal would lead me to their location and I would be there in less than a minute.
The only people who stayed in the Palace of the original population were the six of us. Rhianon, Amina, M&M&M, and me.
Imperial knights took over the barracks, bureaucrats and lesser nobles the guest quarters. Over five hundred people moved in and would stay until two weeks after the debutante.
We had to concede some rooms in the private wing to some high nobles and the Kingsguard. The girls, Amina and Marion had to move in with me, taking over my private servant's quarters. The reason for that was obvious.
My father, the [Emperor] would stay with his wife. After fourteen years of neglect, he would have to give Rhiannon some attention. She would sit at his left during this week's court sessions. Suffice to say she wasn't thrilled. And I seriously considered pre-emptive parricide to spare her the week of torment.
Then the big day came. We were summoned to the Palace main entrance, and three hundred people formed neat rows on either side of the center aisle, with the knights in front. Behind me, Madge and Mona wore their Battle Maiden armor complete with the floating shields and the veils underneath their winged helmets. Marion and Amina were to the left, with the lesser bureaucrats and palace officers.
Rhiannon and I stood at the end of the human corridor, side-by-side. It was our duty to greet the [Emperor] to his home. His home.
"His Imperial Majesty!" The [Herald] cried as the bugles played the Imperial Fanfare. The doors opened and he appeared.
> > [Emperor] Level 100 human male [Emperor].
His {Appraise} results were the polar opposite of an oxymoron. The man was imposing. His [Commanding Aura] put some pressure even on me. In his armor, he was more than two meters tall. The three of us Royals stood impassive, not a single sliver of emotion in our faces.
His gaze met Rhiannon and she made a Herculean effort not to flinch. After a second, she looked down, her willpower spent. Then it was my turn. My father stared at me as he slowly paraded before the knights and staff. I met his gaze inch by inch, unblinking. A faint smirk cracked in his face as he dialed up his aura. The weaker and lower-leveled servants in the back moved a step away and all of their heads pointed down. Rhiannon and a few knights trembled. Madge and Mona bowed a full forty-five degrees. I didn't display any reaction nor used any of my own auras. I had no need to engage in this pissing contest with my own father. Just the fact I kept staring back straight into his eyes was enough.
Finally, he reached us. I bowed and Rhiannon curtsied as protocol demanded.
"Welcome home, husband," she said.
"Welcome home, Imperial father," I said.
The most powerful mortal in the world placed one hand on each of our shoulders.
"Wife, son. Thank you for receiving me. I see before my eyes a splendid family. You have raised my son well, Rhiannon. You shall be rewarded. Percival, I look forward to this week we'll spend together. Watch me carefully, for one day you may be [Emperor] and will need to honor my legacy."
"It will be my pleasure to watch you, father."
His gaze drifted over the two armored women behind me. "I see your brave companions. For taking good care of my son in the Labyrinth, you too deserve a reward, [Battle-Maidens]."
Silent as a windless night, Madge and Mona only bowed deeper.
I knew he couldn't {Appraise} them, with my Ability and the veil's effects. He ended up using the armor's name as their designation. I decided at that moment to create a knight order with only women. The [Battle-Maidens].
"They are not worthy of speaking to you, father, but I convey their profound thanks to you."
He smirked. "I see they are well disciplined. Good job, my son."
The seneschal approached from the side. "Sire, the court session starts in one hour. Allow me to guide you to your chambers."
Rhiannon's chambers. I fought the urge to strike. Not only the people precious to me were close but I also had thirty-six brothers who had priority before me. They all needed to fall before our father or I would have to kill thirty-seven [Emperors].
But it was a wake-up call. This Palace was not ours. It was his, as was everything the sun and shadows touched in the Empire.