God From The Abyss

"Mind your words, boy," the young secretary reprimanded, glaring at Mikael. "You stand before a representative of the Imperial Family."

"And since when....." Mikael’s gaze turned slowly as it rested on her. The moment they met her eyes, those fiery crimson orbs, she fell to the floor, clutching her chest in visible agony and gasping for breath. "Did mere servants talk before their masters?" His previously lax, warm smiles faded as a scowl took its place. "Know your place, mortal."

The Imperial knights drew their swords instantly.

"Hey, brat, what do you think you are doing?"

"Have you got a death wish, toying with..."

Lloyd waved a hand, signaling the knights to stop. He merely turned his head to the fallen secretary.

"Are you okay, Cecile?"

Cecile coughed a bit. Then she stood, straightening her skirt, and apologized quietly for her uncomposed behavior.

"Apologies for the disrespect to your person, Mr. Lloyd," the owner of the voice, the white-haired inventor, said. "I let my emotions get the better of me. Now, shall we continue?"

The so-called apology was so half-hearted that everyone in the room knew.

Lloyd smiled.

His host, or the other guest rather, seemed to have no regard for his authority, which meant he was probably not of the Empire.

An outsider.

Residing with one of the Six Dukes of the Saint Families. Coincidence? Very much impossible, unless Duke Alan saw his monstrous creative abilities and recruited him before anyone could make a move. Anything asides that meant the Duke was planning a revolt and was offered the services of the skilled lad by another nation, and then by funding the project, of course the Rank Breaker, which had the potential to upset the power balance, belonged partly to him.

His eyes gleamed with a bit of amusement. If that were so, he had to, per Empire’s orders, get both product and inventor, while suppressing House Limnor.

"Sheesh. I am not paid enough to handle all this," he muttered, sighing.

"Duke Alan, please, may we continue?" He inclined his head. "And inventor, I shall overlook this disrespect this one time. Do not try it again. Consider it your final warning."

Deep down, Mikael’s ego flared and burned. A mere man ordering him, a being that had lived for eons before the man’s ancestors were even conceived? However, he calmed himself down. The reason was thus: There was every chance that his actions here could constitute the destruction of his current base. There was no need to pay back the goodness of the Limnors with death. At least not yet.

’ I’ll be sure to kill them later,’ he thought, properly filing away the Imperial Merchant Office as targets for the future.

" My apologies."

The Duke nodded as the tension died down, signaling his wife to continue.

"The Rank Breaker is designed for single use. It is expendable, but its impacts are profound. We believe that with your office’s cooperation, it can be introduced to the Empire, be monitored and safeguarded."

Lloyd nodded slowly. "Responsible distribution is a necessity. We would need to ensure its effects do not inadvertently destabilize existing hierarchies or empower questionable......characters that might cause trouble for the Empire, especially now that Khyron is beginning to make its move. But, naturally, such measures fall within the purview of the Imperial Merchant Office."

Mikael smiled faintly, glancing at Lloyd. "Fret not," he said lightly, "I didn’t design it to create chaos... mostly. I guess." His voice was playful, but the glint in his golden eyes hinted at hidden depth.

Something was off about the entire thing, even the Duke and the Duchess knew as much. But somehow, they knew they could trust Mikael’s words and so they did.

Clinton’s expression remained perfectly neutral, though he noted the rising tension in the room — the delicate interplay between Mikael’s casual confidence, Alan’s controlled authority, Selena’s precise politeness, and Lloyd’s subtle calculation. He remained motionless most of the time, moving only when one of the four needed to record his recount.

Lloyd finished discussing with his secretary and turned back to the table. "Before I forget, what price do you intend to sell this unique device for? And I am yet to see it physically."

Clinton signaled a servant at the end of the room to bring the small, polished case containing the Rank Breaker. The mystery object was already in the room, having been brought in as the hosts entered.

The ’relic’ gave off no aura at all, almost like there was nothing within the box. The box was opened as it was placed on the table, and Lloyd’s eye scanned the intricate craftsmanship, fascinated.

The material composition, the channels for flow of mana, the runic calibration. Every tiny detail was perfect, down to the minutest detail. For something so small, he could only imagine how long it took to carve each and every line..

He studied it more, seeking to find out just a tiny bit of its secrets or even a part of the possible recipe, or at least what the materials used in making it were or included.

But that was when the shock came.

"This is pure, condensed mana!"

"But, of course, Mr Lloyd," Mikael replied, laughing softly.

"But how-"

"Trade secret. Can’t help you there. Wouldn’t be business otherwise.

Lloyd only needed a fraction of a second to restore his composure.

"So, what price does it go for, Invent-"

"Mikael."

"Mikael. How much?"

"A little over one hundred million Crowns."

Even the ever-composed Clinton had a face that screamed WHAT?! The secretary stopped scribbling, trying to comprehend.

"Of course, the price will increase as time goes on. We are in need of quick funds to-" he was cut off.

"I did not come here for jokes, Mikael," Lloyd said, noting that the faces of shock had gone around the table before vanishing.

The Duke and his party were not aware of this price!

"Come now, Mr Vice President. You know how hard it is for one to get condensed mana that still has this kind of purity. You know how much they cost, no?

Previously while preparing for this meeting, he had come to understand that condensed mana was severely scarce and the ones available were always treated with some kind of material to fully stabilize it. Although all he made use of were his essence and a low ranked spell. Capitalism was a concept he was going to enjoy so much.

"Yes?"

"That’s it. I can’t go on to list all the other materials, but I assure you they cost quite a lot. Why do you think we are almost bankrupt at the moment?"

Lloyd scoffed inside. He had hoped Mikael would at least spill some secrets, but the kid was tight-lipped.

Also basing the family’s near bankruptcy on this project was quite the viable claim, which the public would believe. Creating this kind of device was nothing short of a miracle. However, to the insiders of the high places, it was common knowledge that the Limnor finances were already going down the drain even before the brat was even born!

"That is... astronomical. Astronomically ridiculous! One hundred million Crowns... for just one Rank-Breaker?

"Tch... I don’t think there are any methods of boosting one’s power permanently and without fear of side effects. Such a quality and such rarity does not exist in any part of the world. Dare I say not even in the Elven lands."

He did make it with celestial essence, and even the purest form of mana was just a very much watered down version of it.

"And I believe this is necessary for the future — your war with the demons. Also remember that with this, all the cultivation and ascension materials that would have cost you, and time too! All covered within this mere hundred million! Ah! Isn’t this just the most perfect device in your history?"

Mikael all of sudden jumped atop the table, prompting the knights to draw their swords again as the familiar glow enveloped their bodies. He paid them no heed.

" Which man, woman, mortal could ever dream of creating such perfection?!!!"

" NONE! "

" ONLY ME!"

" I, ALONE!"

He heaved as the shouts took its toll on his breathing. When he calmed down, he muttered lightly as he jumped off the table and slowly got back to his seat.

"Am I not perfect, Aurora?"

Surprisingly, and for the first time since they had ever met the lad, his pale skin was flushed red, from the exhilaration. That was aside the shock of how proud he could become.

Mikael smiled, his expressions taking on the same warm smiles.

"Then again, I can’t force you to buy. I’m pretty sure that there are other forces existing somewhere that will even pay with their blood to get my creation. Oh, don’t feel pressured. It’s just business."

Lloyd gritted his teeth. ’ Did this brat actually threaten me, threaten the Empire?’

When faced with the option of having the Rank-Breaker falling into the hands of other races, they did not have much of a fighting chance.

The Elves and Dwarves were super prosperous countries. Even a billion meant nothing to them.

Of course, the Empire could imprison the inventor and confiscate it, but Lloyd himself knew the device was not produced in mass, could not be produced in large quantities. And the inventor , Mikael, looked like he’d rather die than tell anybody the formula or recipe, whatever.

"You are becoming quite the thorn in my flesh, Mikael boy, don’t you think?" Lloyd was smiling, but not even the deep smile could hide the anger and rage that flashes in his eyes.