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Chapter 1,338.
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 21:44:18 +0000 UTCSeizing Everit Draom’s lantern wasn’t a chance encounter like stumbling onto Tam Brooks’ lantern inside the storm. It was the result of hard work. Everit was actually one of the leads Zac found during his first visit to Dawndeep Bastille, and it had taken another memory domain to narrow down the search.
The effort made the discovery all the more rewarding. Everit’s lantern was unmatched in ferocity. Only a few standouts they’d seen inside the inner region could compare. It held both a powerful connection to the Mercurial Court, and Everit even cultivated the Dao of Death. While it was fused with the Dao of Order, it felt like a match made in heaven.
The honeymoon phase was short-lived. Problems cropped up the moment Zac went to challenge his first trial, and they followed him all the way to the Transformation Docks. Zac sighed and reluctantly made his way for the door. He could tell there’d be no rest unless he made an appearance.
Zac took a deep breath before kicking the door open, putting his weight behind the strike. The reinforced gate was still stopped mid-swing by a single hand, and the huge momentum Zac imbued was effortlessly dispersed. Five people wearing matching uniforms waited outside. Three Late Hegemons were lined up at the back, one looking angrier than the next.
Their fury was nothing compared to the stormy expression of the Monarch who’d been banging on his door. Only a second Monarch, a local by the looks of it, had managed to rein in his temper. However, he was visibly annoyed at being dragged into this mess.
“Can I help you people?” Zac said in a tone that offered no assistance.
“You tell me,” the steely-eyed woman answered, her face a mask of barely contained rage. “I hear you’re looking for attendants?”
“And?”
“And? And?” she rasped. “Everit Draom, you incorrigible ingrate! There are limits to your disregard. Who gave you the authority to sell the department’s attendant slots? The Magistrate demand an answer. You’ve singlehandedly turned us into a laughingstock!”
“Ah? Everit Draom?” Zac said with a lazy expression, acting like this wasn’t the fourth time he’d met Justice Maina. “You must have confused me with someone else.”
“Oh, Arcaz, was it?” Maina sneered. “You must have hit your head on the way, turning you into an even bigger idiot. Have you forgotten where you came from? Who taught you? Did you actually think donning a disguise would throw us off?”
“If you wanted to go undercover, you should have done it properly,” the burly constable to Maina’s side added with helplessness. “There’s no way for us to look the other way if you introduce yourself with your real name. You arrived in the Transformation Docks an hour ago, and everyone’s already talking about it.”
“That’s not my problem. You leeches would have hounded me even if I snuck in like a ghost,” Zac scoffed with rancor.
Seizing a Mercurial Seal from a memory lantern had undeniable benefits compared to using his Flamebearer Seal or buying passage. However, it came with a quirk that Zac hadn’t fully planned for. Zac had always envisioned Tam and Terea continuing with their lives inside the stream of altered history. That theory had since taken a hit.
The Transformation Docks and the Peregrine Ocean’s immediate surroundings were locked at roughly the same point in history. Everit’s lantern took place approximately 10 years earlier, so he was still a contemporary of the trial. Knowing this, Zac had planned on using his Lawkeeper token as little as possible. He only used Everit’s name when entering the Transformation Docks because he faced a deadly threat from the town-protecting arrays.
The first time Zac’s connection to the Magistrate was exposed by Maina, he tried introducing himself the usual way. He used his real name and gave a vague answer to his connection to the Imperial Magistrate, indicating he was a secretly nurtured talent. It backfired spectacularly. His identity seal had given Zac an aura that was easily recognized by his new colleagues.
Maina had not only clocked him as Everit Draom, but she also assumed he was donning a disguise to weasel his way out of the organization. Since then, she and other Lawkeepers had been hot on his heels, demanding answers. Zac had prayed the real Everit Draom would pop up in the memories to give him an alibi. He never did.
Everit was invited through Heavenly Decree, so Zac didn’t get a physical seal like the one Xiphos had. Consequently, Zac couldn’t use his other identities to access the Mercurial Court. Unwilling to use up his final identity slot, Zac had no choice but to shoulder Everit’s name. Zac had come to realize it was a job that came with plenty of grudges. The status as a Lawkeeper wasn’t to blame.
Everit was simply a massive asshole. While annoying, it had awarded Zac some much-needed room to maneuver.
“I don’t care what name you use. You’re a Lawkeeper before a sealbearer. You will bring your fellow cadets to the Mercurial Court. End of discussion,” Maina growled. “This is the will of the Judiciary Council.”
“Do you have proof? Because I do,” Zac grinned as he took out an Information Jade from his Spatial Ring. A short scene was recorded on it.
‘I told you to rein in your temper. You never did,’ an old man sighed. ‘The Judiciary Council has voted. They will not authorize a cadet with such an obviously tampered expense report and stained personnel record to participate in the trial. You’re not fated to become a sealbearer of the Imperial Magistrate.’
“There you have it. Ironclad proof that I’m not part of your delegation,” Zac said, inwardly thanking his alter ego for obsessively recording his conversations to use as blackmail or evidence. “Thankfully, my radiance isn’t something those doddering fools can cover up. I got this seal through my extraordinary talent and Fate. That means it’s categorized as off-duty income. If the Magistrate wants me to send these little crows, you’ll have to make it worth my time.”
The Imperial Magistrate was one of the Limitless Empire’s twenty-three departments. Its function was the same as what you’d see in most orthodox factions. It was the department that covered the empire’s judiciary branch and law enforcement. While the Limitless Army dealt with external threats, the Magistrate kept order within the empire’s borders.
The guard who inspected Zac upon his arrival was most likely a member, though City Guards were generally considered outer members and not connected with core members like Maina. While the Imperial Magistrate was considered a peak faction, its status among the twenty-three departments was on the lower end—especially in remote colonies like the Left Imperial Expanse. Their presence was only truly felt in the prefectural capitals.
That didn’t mean the Magistrate was weak. Zac had personally experienced the difficulties of maintaining law and order in the Atwood Empire. You needed absolute strength to capture criminals and keep powerful factions in check. A botched apprehension of an E-grade cultivator could lead to thousands of civilian deaths, and anything stronger was a walking calamity.
While a martial branch of the Empire, their reputation was the opposite of the Imperial Army. When veterans were welcomed with open arms, Lawkeepers were met with suspicion and fear. It was not surprising the two factions often butted heads over jurisdiction. The infected rivalry could be boiled down to one issue: lacking funds.
The Outer Courts opening their gates was an opportunity for the Magistrate to supplement their deficit and raise their image. The department had received six slots spread between the outer courts, double that of the Order of the Empyrean Flame. Of course, if you added all the Monastic and Templar Orders, their numbers would easily surpass any individual department.
Everit checked most of the boxes to be in contention for one of the six spots. He had the age, talent, and achievements. He’d taken down more criminals than entire departments. Unfortunately, Everit’s mythical ability to garner vocal hatred among peers and superiors had come back to bite him. The issue was the same as the grudge against the army: lack of funds.
“Off-duty Income? Yes, I’ve heard you’re intimately familiar with that term,” Maina scoffed. “However, this is different from the baubles you seized. We can annul all your expenses, provided—”
The Judge stopped in her tracks upon noticing the slight fluctuation from Zac’s sleeve.
“Thank you,” Zac said as he stowed his recorder, ignoring the throbbing veins on Maina’s forehead. “And you’re right, it’s different. The Heavens chose me. Unless the Judiciary Council goes on the record saying they’re above the Heavens, you better not interfere. Push me too far and I’ll complain to whoever will listen. Hell, I’ll join the army.”
“Boy, there’s only so many times one can use that threat before it loses its sting.” The constable shook his head with exhaustion. He’d clearly been caught up on the backstory on the way over.
Everit ignored any orders he didn’t like, relying on the department’s critical lack of peak talents to do as he pleased. Disregarding minor regulations was one thing, but Everit had repeatedly broken the department’s cardinal rule. He didn’t turn in confiscated contraband.
A criminal’s loot often couldn’t be traced, making it legally ownerless. Even when confiscated items could be returned to their rightful owner, the Magistrate would keep a decent chunk for itself. Consequently, contraband was the department’s main source of income. Lawkeepers might keep a few things for themselves during an arrest, but the rest had to be turned in.
Everit didn’t. He was one of their most talented trackers, and he kept everything for himself. The department wasn’t just losing out on their cut; they’d been forced to compensate countless victims for Everit’s greed. His whole department suffered because of the black hole in Everit’s operations account.
Certainly, Everit didn’t see things that way. He’d slaved for the department, catching more criminals than anyone else. Giving him two seals wouldn’t have been excessive. Being shut down had completely infuriated him, and he’d left on a “training journey” in a huff.
“Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Maina asked, forcing softness into her voice.
“Fat chance.”
“Fine,” the Judge spat. “What do you want?”
“You know that already,” Zac said.
The two went back and forth for ten minutes before Zac finally slammed the door shut. Both had taken a step back, with Zac agreeing to reserve one of the slots slightly below the market rate. Zac’s haughty expression collapsed the second he entered a secluded part of his mansion. Acting and speaking without a filter lost its novelty early.
It was exhausting maintaining appearances without accidentally offending the wrong person or exposing flaws in front of seasoned investigators. Objectively speaking, Zac felt he was in the wrong on this issue. Whatever Destiny Everit possessed undeniably stemmed from the Imperial Magistrate’s careful nurturing. However, giving in without a fight would be out of character.
Acting the part still left a sour taste in Zac’s mouth. Everit really had no loyalty to speak of. He was thinking of jumping ship seconds after receiving his Heavenly Decree. It aligned with Zac’s goal of becoming a true disciple, but he couldn’t figure out what hidden potential the Mercurial Court saw in Everit Draom.
Certainly, Everit wasn’t rotten through and through. His hatred of criminals taking advantage of the innocent was very real, and some of his issues with the department were justified. Certain criminals were considered more trouble than they were worth. They could be extremely dangerous, have complex backgrounds, or simply be wretchedly poor.
Career Lawkeepers avoided such targets while Everit brought them to justice without hesitation. Everit was essentially a renegade cop with a bad temper and a penchant for embezzlement. Furthermore, he wasn’t hoarding all the wealth he stole. His cultivation came first, but Everit also funded a number of orphanages and public schools.
While Everit used those praiseworthy expenditures as a shield, countless lives had undeniably benefitted from his donations. Furthermore, it was a genuine belief that the Mercurial Court could provide the stage to better serve the empire that brought Everit to the point of betrayal.
Alas, Everit’s grand dreams went up in smoke just as he was about to reach the Transformation Docks. The Imperial Road Project’s final stages were creating terrifying upheavals across the continent. Natural oddities and untouched ruins were cropping up like mushrooms after rain. After multiple near-death experiences, Everit met his end in an ancient tomb.
Everit’s memory lantern had taken Zac directly to its depths, and he still felt some trepidation from the memory. What had seemed like a trove left for future generations had turned out to be a deathtrap designed by some sinister cultivator in a distant path. Zac would’ve had a hard time getting out in one piece if Esmeralda hadn’t successfully entered the lantern with him.
The Lawkeepers had stopped causing a ruckus, but they didn’t leave. The group took position outside his gate. Most likely, they stayed behind to run interference. Nothing was written in stone, and they feared Everit would make another backroom deal. Zac went over the exchange to make sure he hadn’t let anything slip. His portrayal should have been perfect.
Playing the part down to the micro-expressions would have been much harder without the Outer Courts waking from their slumber. Each halo added its personal touch to the Left Imperial Expanse, but they all had two things in common. They expanded the barrier to the inner regions, making it easier for trial takers to reach the courts.
Secondly, the halos unlocked new memories from his stored identities. It was like the trial had been running at minimum capacity in the beginning. There were still more missing pieces than intact memories, but Zac’s understanding of Terea, Tam, and Everit had greatly deepened. It was a bittersweet experience.
Tam’s struggles on the battlefields had left him shaken. The same could be said for Terea’s memories of studying under her father. While they were fallen nobility, Kristvan Wendimar had never given up on turning the clan’s Fate around. As such, he’d given his sole heir a comprehensive education on the empire. Their combined knowledge added much-needed context to the complex political climate around the courts.
With everything settled, Zac sealed himself to focus on recovery. Invitations and inquiries arrived all the time, and the Lawkeepers outside became a perfect filter. Those who could be intimidated by Maina’s glare weren’t serious contenders for Zac’s attendant slots. Those who persisted weren’t as forceful as the Magistrate. They simply left their contacts while hinting at what they could offer.
Zac avoided arranging any meetings because of his wounds. It wasn’t an empty excuse. Kaltosa Lu had done a number on him, and he would have to focus on recovery if he wanted to get back to fighting condition before the ceremony. The fact that the offers got more mouthwatering by the day was a welcome side-effect.
Five days passed in a blur. The opening ceremony was tomorrow, and Zac finally emerged from seclusion. His wounds weren’t completely healed, but he couldn’t delay gathering information any longer. If nothing else, he needed to visit the docks and personally inspect the [Peregrine Gondolas]. As luck would have it, there was finally a reaction inside the Shrine of Kanba.
“We’re safe. How are you doing? Are you okay?” Zac asked the second Esmeralda emerged from her deathly cocoon.
“I’ll manage,” Esmeralda sighed. “I’ll have to stay inside the shrine a few more days, though. I’m still technically an undead creature, and I’m too tired to maintain my spatial insulation. I’d get poisoned the second I stepped outside with this much energy abound. Just where have you taken me?”
“Transformation Docks,” Zac said and explained what had happened after the ambush.
“So it really was the Pryer’s kid. Just wait until I’m back at the top. I’ll start spelling my name backward if I don’t rob the Centigrade Foundries blind,” Esmeralda said with smoldering anger. “So the trial really needed someone to finish a thread fate to progress. What a crock. At least we’re back on track. Have you seen any other trialtakers?”
“Not yet, but I haven’t left the manor since I arrived,” Zac said. “Some might have snuck in, but there can’t be too many of us outsiders at this stage. My other side only reached the border two weeks ago.”
“The bulk of the trial takers should start arriving in around two or three months, provided the inner domain’s borders keep expanding,” Esmeralda nodded before asking curiously. “Your other team still hasn’t entered?”
“Ogras is still inside the memory domain,” Zac explained, not without worry.
It had been twelve days since Ogras and Ventus entered the latest memory domain, and Zac had received no updates in the past week. The Hollow Court team had followed their original plan during the journey. Zac stayed outside while his companions entered memories to investigate and look for opportunities.
Ogras’ earlier joke had proven prophetic. The demon clearly had Destiny with the path they followed, and his career as a Hidden Blade had seen a meteoric rise over the past two months. He’d also picked up a second identity belonging to a criminal informer.
Zac didn’t dare enter, but that didn’t mean he wasted his time doing nothing. While his companions explored the past, Zac headed for the closest tainted zone. Using the corruption, he’d focused on revising his skill blueprints. It was only through his Human half’s efforts that Zac escaped Kaltosa Lu. Zac had already upgraded [Abyssal Drive] to Late D-grade.
Having mainly focused on improving survivability, Zac had also finished the blueprint for [Profane Exponents]. He still hadn’t found the time for the actual upgrade. Esmeralda’s pouch wasn’t suitable for cultivation that required arrays, and Zac wasn’t confident in upgrading Late D-grade Skills without external assistance. The challenges didn’t benefit from skills, so Zac had only been willing to take five days off to upgrade [Abyssal Drive].
A worrying miscalculation had left Zac’s human side more time to work on his skills. Seeing Ogras’s extraordinary gains, Zac had been eager to get back into the domains. However, they had underestimated Mox’s vindictive streak. Zac was hit by a growing sense of danger any time he entered any memory domain, including those that should be protected by Imperial Authority.
Not even the latest domain, which pushed right against the inner region’s border, was an exception.
“Are you going to look for them?” Esmeralda asked.
“I’ll give them another week unless another halo appears,” Zac said. “I have the feeling I need to pull the trigger anyhow.”
“Have you thought things through?” Esmeralda asked. “Hunting Gods is no laughing matter.”
Comments
Tartlet
All hail the great thief *checks notes* Adlaremse
Jeff McCulley
As it says here, it’s been two months since he left the bar.
Jeff McCulley
Exactly! I started spelling that out, too!
Jeff McCulley
Mox = Monkey Pox
Jeff McCulley
I’m wondering whether the fourth identity will be to enter the LIP itself—or to enter a fourth Court?
Lex Luther S
Do you want when he took them in? That's chapter 1,215
Tucker Moon
Anyone know what chapter it was when Zac got the two 5th shards and obtained the gifts from BaZi and her husband?
Palmer Evans
I think it happened during the POV chapters with Emily, Janos and Joanna? I’m pretty sure there was a 2 week to 1 month time skip for Zac. I’m sure someone else in the Patreon can confirm or correct me. Regardless, just know you didn’t miss any updates and the time skip for Zac was intentional
Brett Labat
I’m so confused? Did I miss several updates? Zac just left that bar and the next he’s fighting centigrade guy? And now he has a new identity? When did all this happen?
Hakeem Gordon
We Want Carl! We Want Carl!
Palmer Evans
Great point. Didn’t consider the implication of getting all those new memories and the effect it could have on his cultivation. I doubt it would do much for someone like Iz who had already had access to this kind of thing growing up but it could help along Zac or non Eonic Seeds for sure
Borbino the great
Ohh that’s interesting I wonder what the 4th identity is supposed to be I assume someone much higher than the current quality of the identities possible but Zac already has some kinda big deals for his level right?
John
3 days I think, not just 1
Jeff McCulley
Also told us that last chapter.
Jeff McCulley
Zac’s Flamebearer brand. The regular sealbearers only hold three identities.
Jeff McCulley
Ch. 1,338 Suggested Edits “back, one looking angrier than the next.” >each one looking “limits to your disregard” >disrespect OR insouciance “The Magistrate demand” >Magistrate demands OR Magistrates demand “it had awarded Zac some” >offered Zac “obviously tampered expense report” >falsified OR altered “my radiance isn’t something those doddering fools can cover up” wtf? >my accomplishment isn’t something those doddering fools can bury “me to send these little crows” >take those “The infected rivalry could” > festering “to garner vocal hatred among” >generate “you’re intimately familiar with that term” > intimately acquainted “He’d slaved for the department” >slaved away for “Both had taken a step back” >backed off “Everit to the point of betrayal” >desertion “in a distant path” >past “Most likely, they stayed behind to run interference” *”Run interference” means “help”, and that clearly wouldn’t have been their intent. >to interfere OR to cause trouble “would make another backroom deal” >a back door deal with someone else “at minimum capacity in the beginning” >bandwidth “battlefields had left him shaken” >sharper OR savvier “this much energy abound” >abounding OR abundant energy “finish a thread fate to progress” >thread of fate
Lex Luther S
This Kaltosa Lu guy is an arrogant fool who doesn't understand his place. Yes, he's an unprecedented genius, and yes, the prince of a strong A grade faction, but does that mean he's worthy of becoming Iz tyans dao partner? Especially when he wants a literal royal harem? No. It seems he's already had a few princess's agree to being his wives, but Iz tyan is far beyond them. She's the only little princess of the Tyans, probably one of the most feared factions in the multiverse after her grandmother's purge and likely one of the strongest. Add in Iz having so much talent even her grandpa said it was above both him and his wifes and it's a wrap. No, Izs' dao partner will come from her own choice. He grandpa, especially, seems keen on letting her choose her own path and decisions. This is why zac just feels like the best option. His fate alone is insane even to Iz, and her dao guardian even stated Iz would have killed Kaltosa Lu has she been as ruthless as zac. The madness to put it all on the line for that shot of victory and survival. That's a rare madness. Add in their friendship and zac being a lot of "firsts" for Iz, and it really does fit. Besides, what better story to tell the kids about how they met in the tower of eternity and how she tried to roast papa with him calling her a lunatic.
Lucas Gulick
Adlaremse
Lizy Flore
Thanks for the chap! Nice to see the plot is speeding up a little, though I wouldn’t have minded more memory domain intermissions. But it looks like we’ll see Ogras soon, so I can’t be anything else than happy !
Lizy Flore
No but for real, I’m actually waiting for that to happen. At least for the comedic relief, if nothing else.
Lex Luther S
If I'm not mistaken, the brands can hold 4 identities and getting another one beyond that randomly replaces one of your older ones.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Craig
> What happens to the timeline of these memory domains after closing History continues as the changes propagate forwards. you guessed correctly. >Someone explain the lantern and memory relationships like I’m a five year old A lantern lets a trial take assume the identity of someone who died. Trial takers can claim up to three identities. They can pick any identity to enter a memory, but once they do they have to keep that identity until they leave the memory domain. When a trial taker selects an identity they ARE that identity in that memory domain to monarchs and below. >Are they on a planet or is it one big... They are on a "B grade continent" i believe, its a landmass bigger than our solar system that is essentially its own universe.
Jamie Messier
Someone explain the lantern and memory relationships like I’m a five year old. What happens to the timeline of these memory domains after closing. Am I reading it right - the changes from one memory domain effect the next while impersonating these lantern memories. Are they on a planet or is it one big...Idk, I’m lost. I miss earth. I’ve been having trouble visualizing the story lately. Help is appreciated.
Palmer Evans
Yep he did
Omiso
Didn't Xiphos said one of the Princess of the Theomore Dynasty was going to be present?
Omiso
Hunting Mox now will serve as practice for when is Jalach's turn, just to be safe he should get a few supremacies involved in the hunting, calling Joanna for a favor wouldn't hurt.
Omiso
Since Zac has gained more memories of Tam and Terea is it safe to say there will be an upgrade for the Dao of Defiant War soon? 10k years of active service is bound to bring lots of insight about the Dao of Conflict and Terea's knowledge may finally get him the epiphany he needs to add Formations into his Dao's, he's been trying to do that since F grade.
jsw
I think Kaltosa Lu picked a strange way to commit suicide. Looking into my [broken crystal ball] I see a future in which Zac, Iz, and the other Flamebearers, are gathered awaiting the start of a trial. "Kaltosa Lu is powerful and strange", Zac said smiling. "Oh", said with a slight frown reaching her sapphire eyes. "Yes, he chased me for one day straight throwing attack after attack at me, all the while shouting and calling me a homewrecker.", Zac said while looking at the elemental. "Then it got weirder. He said he thought I was a threat to his harem, and I was interfering with his fiancé." Iz could feel it. She could feel the determination and commitment she had been searching for click into place and a great fire ignited in her heart. "Excuse me for moment, I need to chat with that deranged lunatic", Iz said stepping away. Kaltosa Lu never made it into the trail.
Andrew
Thank you!
Hartmann
Hunting Mox would be possible if he managed to attract a Limitless Supremacie's attention. Maybe the Earth Saint or Margrave Wartorius.
Palmer Evans
Can’t wait for the opening ceremony to start! Gotta feeling Zac is gonna get involved with another princess at some point
Tyler
“Have you thought things through?” Esmeralda asked. “Hunting Gods is no laughing matter.” So, it seems like the quest line of memory lanterns that Emily followed was designed by the System/Limitless Empire to purposefully capture/contain a God, of course Zac has to stumble upon one on accident to take care of and out-do her.
Lex Luther S
Boy, ohhh boy, things are getting interesting. Especially seeing zac Act the part of an arrogant asshole lol. And boy did Kaltosa Lu fuck up. A supremacy esmeralda coming for payback? The Centigrade pyre is gonna wake up with everything from his golden gilded throne to his toilets stolen while Kaltosa Lu finds himself eternally destitute every few millennia. And it's pretty obvious Ogras is gonna make some waves. He's no eonic seed, but he's a talented heaven chosen in his own right, and with the snickering goblin ghost and ventus by his side, making great gains is obvious. But to think Mox would be this vindictive. Guess the plans she had for the gardens were a key part, and zacs interference probably ruined everything. As for esmeraldas' comment, it makes me guess he'll just enter the domain regardless of Mox, though it'll definitely be dangerous. I doubt she'll be able to send monarch level threats, but even a few beings, the equivalent of peak hegemony personally sent by her would be rough even for zac. But hunting gods? Come now, not even zacs that mad lol. So can't wait for the POVs to change
Tom C
TFTC!
Ryan Pepp
Here we go!
Monk
First
