God From The Abyss

The doors swung open to reveal a very spacious chamber. The Imperial men took it in with the same amount of ’interest’ they had viewed the compound and, privately, discomfort.

The room was neutral in design, with neither Imperial nor ducal power dominating. The walls were painted white and somehow beautifully contrasted with the floor which was covered in a thick rug of blood red. The table, also made of polished oak, shone subtly when it caught sunlight from the windows.

Lloyd settled onto the central seat which was reserved for guests of high station, crossing one leg over the other with effortless poise. The woman behind him immediately produced a book, already noting details.

"The estate is rather well disciplined, Sir Lloyd," she murmured, having noticed the orderly fashion in which the servants had conducted their business, carrying on as though the Imperials were not here.

Very few were noble houses who could keep their calm like that.

The butler was a totally different thing altogether; crisp, curt, and did not seem to have a single care as regards their identity as delegates of the Empire. At least it showed he was very much loyal to his master.

Lloyd’s lips curved. "Discipline tends to hide secrets, Amanda. I am curious as to what will be discovered first."

His gaze roamed the empty chairs around the table — the ones soon to hold the Duke of House Limnor, the Diamond Prism, his wife the Duchess Selene, the Venom, both Sage Realm experts and powerhouses. Deserving of the position of leaders of a Great House.

Silence reigned in the hall, only broken occasionally by the slight cranking of armor of the knights, the chirps of birds outside and the servants setting down and serving tea in cups of ceramic.

Thirty minutes later, Lloyd finally spoke, his voice low, threaded with amusement. "Let them make me wait. It goes to show how much they value this meeting."

Clinton, who stood at the threshold unmoving since they had entered the hall, turned just enough to answer. "Or, perhaps Sir, they are quite certain in the belief you won’t leave. A personal opinion, if I may.

Their eyes met briefly — courtier against courtier. The disbelief in the delegate’s eyes were all but hidden deep in his eyes, but for respect of the owner of the House, he kept his fury well below the surface.

" Well, Butler of Limnor. Could I trouble you to summon your lord?"

"Of course, Sir Lloyd." Having an attitude was one thing, but disobeying the Imperial Officers directly was a sure ticket to losing a head!

Clinton bowed and turned away, leaving the Imperial Delegation alone with their thoughts.

Outside the windows, bells rang softly for the eleventh hour. Just an hour before noon.

Lloyd’s smile turned cold. "The nerve of these people to test my patience." He leaned back, composed, though his heart nearly set ablaze with fury. The journey from the Capital to the border region over which House Limnor had dominion was one that took them almost five days, although they hadn’t travelled with urgency; otherwise three days at maximum would have brought them here.

When word of this miracle was submitted, the Empire’s biggest bigwigs were of the view that the Limnor family prospective business be contained within the Empire or they might move to other nations that would most probably deify them if the invention was truly legit.

Per his instructions, if he noticed that the family had made such contact, they would be shut down instantly on the basis of treason to the throne!

But still, the journey was not something he enjoyed, not to mention the air here was a bit harsh.

"Amanda, the trains, when are they going online for use? Carriages for long distance journeys are a pain....."

" We never got a date, Sir Lloyd. But rumors say it will be soon."

" Rumors,huh..."

And mere moments into that poised silence, the door handles began to turn.

Duke Alan Limnor stepped inside first, tall and composed, hazel eyes calm but alert. Behind him followed Duchess Selene, her gaze sharp like it always penetrate the soul at first glance, elegant and moving with effortless grace.

Mikael entered last, his lean frame almost casual, hands tucked in the pockets of his sleek, black, tailored three piece suit, white hair slightly tousled as if he had just woken up from a pleasant nap.

His pale, gleaming skin where visible, caught the sunlight, giving him a subtle glow that caught the eyes of the Imperial delegation effortlessly.

Lloyd stood, his gaze sharp and assessing, but he offered a polite smile.

"The Duke. The Duchess. And you....?" he began, his voice smooth as polished steel.

"Must be the genius guest — Inventor, I believe?"

Mikael lifted his head slightly to glance at the figure talking.

His eyes shocked Lloyd and his aides, though they did their best not to let it show on their faces. Except Amanda whose jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

His eyes, half-lidded, were like judgment suns, bright golden eyes with a symmetrical golden circle featuring a central geometric cross. Each of the four quadrants contained a subtle arcane sigil, surrounded by fine concentric rings, some rune-like characters, and delicate geometric markings, all in gold! Almost like he engraved a spell circle into his eyes

"Guest?" His tone was light. "I suppose that’s one way to put it."

The Duchess’ eyes flicked briefly toward him, as if warning him not to overdo it. She noticed his relaxed way of moving, the casual confidence and instinctively knew the boy could possibly become their undoing.

Duke Alan, however, exuded quiet authority as he gestured for everyone to be seated.

"Never thought for a moment that the Office would send its Vice President," Alan said smoothly. "We are pleased to receive you in our humble abode. Your presence is, of course, an honor."

Lloyd inclined his head. "A pleasure indeed. To finally meet the man known as the Diamond Prism."

His eyes flicked to Mikael, though the young man didn’t meet his gaze directly. Curious creature, Lloyd thought. A Master Rank aura? His IQ must be his saving grace.

Clinton stood behind the Duke, observing the exchange silently. His instincts told him that while Lloyd had been somewhat courteous, he was calculating, evaluating weaknesses in the household, testing the atmosphere. With the precision of one seeking a fault somewhere.

Mikael, as well as the Duke and the Duchess, also noticed the silent assessment. He finally met Lloyd’s gaze, a glare that sent shivers down his spine. He scoffed, glancing away merely a second later

Still a mere mortal. However, there was only one thing he found strange about the man, and that unsettled him a bit.

Lloyd caught his breath. The instant the young man had looked at him, he felt his life flash before his eyes. "Must be my imagination. How could a mere Master threaten me?"

Selene cleared her throat softly, forcing all inner hostilities to temporarily end and guided the conversation toward the purpose of the meeting.

"As you know, our family has recently developed a relic of superb innovation: the ’Rank Breaker’, a device designed to break past one’s natural limits, allowing one to grow into another tier once, permanently, or to continue growing at a much quicker and easier pace through constant training." She glanced at Mikael briefly.

"Naturally, we sought the approval of the Imperial Merchant Office to ensure verification of the safety and validity, as well as the authenticity of the device."

Lloyd’s eyes gleamed at the mention of the device. He leaned forward slightly.

"A device capable of altering one’s rank permanently... intriguing. Surely, that would be a Relic Grade device, if what you say is true. Such an invention could reshape the way power flows in the world, and even greatly influence the military power of the Empire. Surely, we are interested."

Alan nodded, pleased that Lloyd’s interest was genuine. Then again, it had to be. This Rank Breaker was the first of its kind. Many nations, humans and other races’ would kill to have it. And the reasons for the sudden visit by the Imperial Merchant Office included detecting signs of possible

"We have already tested it on the household, of course," he said, "and are quite confident in its effectiveness and its safety. The intention is to register it with the Empire and secure approval for broader distribution, for a price..."

Mikael looked so still, one might think he was soundly asleep. Lloyd calmly observed him, paying little attention to the words of the Duke.

’Definitely not a usual artisan-researcher. Being able to create something that had been seen as impossible by great minds over the course of centuries!’

"Its possible side effects have been observed and studied by our doctors firsthand. No exaggeration needed," Alan said, stroking his beard. "It works well, as designed."

Lloyd turned to him. "Then why haven’t you used it yourself, Duke Alan? I heard you and your wife are Sage Ranks. Surely, with this boost, you’d be able to hit the Quasi-God level at least."

"Of cou-"

"That is none of your business, Lloyd." Mikael’s lazy gaze rested heavily on Lloyd, causing the latter to tremble unconsciously. By now, the golden eyes gave way to glowing dark red.

Such immense pressure. This guy is a Master Rank, isn’t he?