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Chapter 374
🕑 Added 2024-11-01 18:59:01 +0000 UTCChapter 374
“Liz, I don't like this. It looks… dumb.”
Matt gestured at the mockup of their floating island.
In front of them lay a fully decentralized layout that looked more like an opulent estate than a proper governmental administrative center, which is what their floating island would end up needing to be.
It would be great if it was just for them and family to live on and they wanted to flaunt their power and wealth, but the island was supposed to be a headquarters of their duchy and a governmental hub.
Her mockup might be imposing but it was tacky as shit and made him cringe just looking at the mock up.
Liz gestured to the mockup the design team had made for him in return.
It was a robust and imposing castle with more than enough room for a full administrative center and space for them to have a private area thanks to the battlements built right to the edge of the island.
“That's even worse. It's just a battle fort slapped onto a floating island. We are not going to live in that, let alone rule from that. There is no way. We’ve joked about being evil overlords before but if we build this, it's no longer a joke. Tacky is better than that by a mile.”
Liz glared at the castle, and Matt glared at the estates.
The designer raised a finger and pointed to one of the other prebuilt designs. “We always have the original estate version. It’s quite popular. Or one of our other, more esoteric designs.”
Liz and he both groaned at the reminder.
She had originally championed the original idea but upon seeing the layout, she had asked for a dozen ‘small’ tweaks until she ended up with the tacky estate.
Matt hadn’t minded the idea in the first place but seeing it now, he really didn’t like it.
Through his [AI], he asked Liz once more.
‘Do we want to have the house absorb whatever we end up with? If we change our minds with that, it will change what we can add to the island.’
‘No. The house is better portable. I haven’t changed my mind on that.’
Matt agreed and so let the topic drop. They had discussed it but with the size of their island if they did have the house absorb it, the house would no longer be portable in the way they wanted.
Their house was their house. It wasn’t meant to be a duchy capital and turning it into that would taint the very idea of the house.
Not that they were sure it could eat the island once it was fully fleshed out in the way a duchy capital needed to be. The island wasn’t exactly a battleship, but it had a robust defensive system built-in by default. A system which wasn’t meant to be used in war and therefore didn’t follow the typical rules of combat restrictions. If the house was able to absorb the island and the built-in shields, they would probably be lowered to a Tier 26 level, which would defeat their purpose. The Tier 45 shields might be ‘in emergency only’ use thanks to their expense but for a few hours, they could withstand even the most robust attacks from even Tier 46s.
So long as they saw the attack coming that was.
Which was why Matt wanted to just lean into that. A full defensive castle would bolster the existing defenses, allowing them better passive defenses. They wouldn’t be as vulnerable as most floating islands who could do little if their shields were down.
“But it looks incredibly tacky. I don’t want to live in that, Matt. And defenses don’t matter. Look at Duke Cumulus. Aiden killed him before anyone could raise the shields. Reaction speed means our best defenses are our own power. There is a reason most nobles don’t bother with the higher-Tier shields.”
“That's an awful argument, Liz. Or at least it doesn’t make me wanting a castle incorrect. A castle would have more passive defenses, as well as strengthen half the full defenses, which would save us from a surprise attack.”
“Any Tier 45 will blow through the building's passive defenses and anyone weaker than Tier 40, our guards can handle. It's not necessary. This is a bureaucratic estate. Why are we pretending it's anything but that? No one has used a duchy capital in a battle for at least a hundred thousand years. They weren’t even really used when Agatha took over. It's just not done. It's not necessary.”
Matt threw up his hands in frustration, nearly knocking a napping phoenix Liz off his shoulder.
Apologizing, he walked out of the room and onto the balcony of the building they were in. Needing to move, he took to the air and went to get a view of the island in question.
It looked odd with just their house on it, but he couldn’t imagine it with a bunch of gilded estates on it.
Ok, they weren’t gilded but they might as well be with the materials that were chosen and he wasn’t feeling generous enough to correct himself.
Using an illusion, he sketched the idea out.
He didn’t like it but he also didn’t like arguing with Liz and as dumb as this was, this was their largest argument in at least fifty years.
Did he really care that much?
The answer was easy once he contextualized it like that. He didn’t.
As Liz floated up next to him, he said, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry. I—”
Chuckling Matt pulled Liz into a hug to the protest of phoenix Liz who smacked human Liz on the head for taking up his shoulder space.
Once they separated Liz gestured out at the island. “If you really want the castle, I can agree to it.”
Matt sighed and rubbed his face. “No, that's not fair either. It’s your home too. What if we just settle on the original estate design? We can spruce it up a bit more if you like, and if we use better materials and add a few defensive formations to the design, we can beef up our passive defenses.”
Liz nodded and they went back into the building where they intended to limit themselves to two design changes each.
That idea ended up being not needed as the designer had whipped up a model that was a fairly nice blend of what they both wanted.
The center of the island was based around a smaller castle raised up fifty or so feet above everything else with buildings built in and around the castle before surrounding the whole thing with a wall that would act as a formation barrier. With the buildings poking out from over the wall, it would have space for everything they needed.
It wasn’t perfect but Matt could live with it and it was good enough that both of them were fairly happy with the end product.
That was marriage, though.
Compromising and working through their issues.
If only everything could be so easy.
They were both too busy to dwell on their floating island with a thousand and one things to deal with.
Matt took advantage of Allie being only an Ascender chat away to beg a ride to Frederic’s capital as he had been putting off that meeting for almost a year now. He didn’t know exactly what the royal wanted to talk to him for, but with Liz watching over Palustris, he took the opportunity to finish up an errand before they gathered their nobles together for their official inauguration now that their final worlds had arrived.
That meant it was now time for Aster to start getting her worlds, and Matt was excited for her. He was also excited to poke fun at his bond when she complained about her ducal responsibilities as the minutiae set in.
With the way they intended to connect their duchies' capitals together, they would thankfully be just a teleport away going forward. Having their capitals on the border like that rather than in the center wasn’t the wisest move, as their advisors repeatedly reminded them, but they collectively decided they didn’t care. The duchies were keeping them separate enough already, no way were they adding months of travel distance between themselves.
Or he would be a teleport away if Frederic’s request didn’t pull him from his ducal duties. He had no indication what Frederic wanted of him; Leon had no idea what the other royal wanted but Matt had a feeling it wasn’t going to be an easy request.
After getting Allie to promise that she would check in on him to take him over in a few hours, Matt was dropped off at King Frederic’s capital in an alley near a busy downtown section of a city. They were suspiciously far away from any bakeries which made Matt consider that this wasn’t actually Allie’s normal teleport location but he had no proof.
Taking a few moments, he let his spiritual perception spread across Frederic‘s capital. It was everything Matt hoped Palustris would be in a few generations. Prosperous, peaceful, and populated.
The planet, being a non-aspected high-Tier world, had a population in the trillions and it even had natural lands preserved and protected spread out so anyone could enjoy them. Sure, they were more garden than true wilderness but it wasn’t like the Capital of the Empire which was an ecumenopolis in the truest sense of the word, where any wilderness only existed in spatially expanded buildings, around rifts, or in rifts.
A moment later, Aster arrived and kicked him to the ground, sending a spray of dust at him. “You inconsiderate dick. I would have needed to make my own trip if Allie hadn’t complained about you getting her to teleport you here to me.”
Confused Matt asked, “Wait? Did Frederic ask you to speak with him as well? Leon didn’t mention that?”
“Mara did and as I haven’t seen Leon in a while, I’m not surprised. Still, you should have assumed I'd also be called up.”
Grinning and in a much better mood, Matt pulled Aster into a hug. “How are you? I feel like we haven’t had a chance to talk since our trip.”
“Busy. There are a million and one things to do and it feels like if I’m not overseeing things myself, something inevitably goes wrong. It’s uncharitable but I feel like the only competent person. Or at least one of like ten. But I don’t want to complain seeing you for the first time in person for so long.”
“Tell me about the—” Aster pretended to gag, “fire world.”
Instead of heading directly for Frederic’s floating castle which had landed near the coast of the capital city, they took a walk through the city just taking it all in while he and Aster caught up.
Wanting to extend their time together, they wordlessly stopped for a snack, a deep-fried chocolate on a stick paired with none other than a cup of ice cream from a local branch of Aster’s company.
Knowing it would irritate Aster, he bought plain vanilla ice cream.
“I hate you. Do you know how much work went into our special flavors?” Aster gestured with her chocolate berry blend. “This took close to five hundred people ten years to make it perfect and another five years to ensure we could produce the ice cream locally without compromising on flavor due to local variations. And you, like thirty percent of all ice cream eaters, just buy vanilla. Not even one of the blends that uses vanilla as a base. I know you would enjoy the banana split but did you buy that? Noooo. I hate you and everyone else. Vanilla is a solved flavor. It's been perfected long before my time. It's boring. Ughhhh!”
Matt listened to her rant, trying not to laugh as this wasn’t the first time he had heard this exact thing. The moment she paused he interjected, “But it pairs well with the hot snack.”
Aster just glared at him. “I repeat, I hate you.”
Laughing, they continued their meandering tour of the city.
By the time they reached Frederic’s floating island and administrative hub, Matt was feeling… good. Not relaxed because there was a sinking feeling that refused to go away but it wasn’t so bad when covered by ice cream and banter with his bond.
Before they reached the platform to take people to the island, an impeccably dressed Tier 45 woman appeared next to them with a bow.
“Ascender Titan, Ascender Wraith, King Frederic is expecting you two.”
Nodding, he let himself be guided through dozens of checkpoints and security checks.
There were in fact so many of them he started to question his and Liz’s floating island’s security. Did they need more? Harper’s people had been the ones to set things up in the design phase so it should be as secure as possible but he was now second guessing everything, seeing a much more robust setup.
Those thoughts were shoved aside when they were led into Frederic’s office.
It was surprisingly spartan, with no decorations beyond a few tasteful wall pieces. The only luxuries in the room were the massive window that gave a commanding view of the city next to them and the desk that rippled with power almost like a natural treasure.
Bowing slightly, Matt greeted the King. “Good to see you, King Frederic. How can I be of assistance?”
The moment he finished, Aster said the same thing.
They didn’t need to pay obeisance as Frederic wasn’t their direct liege but he did outrank them, so a level of deference was to be shown.
“That will never not be strange.” Seeing Matt’s expression Frederic explained. “Last month when I spoke with Aiden, his greeting was ‘sup Fred’.”
Dropping a little bit of the formality to match Frederic’s Matt said, “I’ve been told that being too friendly is off putting and running contrary to my intentions so…”
Frederic had a knowing smirk flit across his lips. “Kees, no doubt. How is he working out by the way?”
“He's running the guild better than I could have hoped. To be frank, he’s good enough I worry about him leaving. I’m trying to entice him to stay but he’s adamant on ascending and how can I really argue with that? I give you my thanks for your recommendation. I don’t really want to think about how much worse things could have gone if he wasn’t running things. I even tried to bribe him with a full package of cheese. Didn’t work sadly.”
Turning to Aster, Frederic asked, “How are you settling into your business ventures Wraith? Difficult aren't they?”
Their small talk went on for another few minutes until the woman, one of Frederic’s assistants, knocked on the door and set a box Matt couldn’t see through with his spiritual perception on the desk before leaving with a bow.
“And this is the major reason I asked you to come see me. In my official capacity as King of Finance, I’m giving this to you Titan.”
With a finger, he pushed the box over to Matt who flipped it open.
The first thing that grabbed his attention was the box itself, inscribed with both depleted and enriched metals in a dizzyingly complex array of overlaid runes that either was some advanced technique he had never encountered before or was the product of a Talent and someone very practiced with it to boot.
Once the box was opened, Matt saw an unadorned golden ring nestled in a rich purple fabric.
Plucking the ring out, Matt felt the magic of the ring intertwine with his spirit. It was trying to bind with him like a growth item. Not exactly, but the process was similar just without any actual binding process. After a moment, the ring seemed to retract its tendrils which was when Matt was able to access the insides of the spatial ring.
Matt’s eyebrows went into his hairline as he saw what was inside, which caused Frederic to laugh lightly.
“A beauty, isn't it?”
“Is this what I think it is?”
“I’d imagine so. You might not realize this but your mana is starting to become an actual issue. Harper can’t have so many agents purely on your mana duties, as even they can’t be told of what they are moving, which means they need to be cycled every trip. Don’t get me wrong, it's a good problem to have but a problem nonetheless. To that end, I was tasked with creating a fix. And here it is. A storage ring that has the teleporting swap function of a planetary tether perfectly functional inside an expanded space.”
Frederic sighed as he looked at the ring with the two of them. “That took nine of the Empire’s best crafters to make. So long as you are within any kingdom-level capital world or your own duchy, you will be able to make deposits to a hidden secure location without the need for anyone to see you arrive or people visiting you. Once you reach Tier 35 or so, we want to upgrade the formation to tie into the planetary tethers themselves to just teleport things directly to the Capital but your spirit isn’t strong enough for that and the costs are… mindbogglingly expensive.”
Matt whistled in appreciation even as Aster created illusions of him pouring mana stones into the ring. He had no idea how the ring functioned and even his [AI] had no idea beyond ‘throw crafting and enchanting Talents at the problem’. The tethers that connected worlds were already complicated technology but they explicitly didn’t work in spatial folds or compression, which the ring obviously had.
Concentrating, Matt created mana stones in the ring like he did with his current ring and nodded as the internal formations churned, arranging the mana stones into nondescript boxes automatically.
“The teleport costs about one hundred billion mana or twenty minutes of your current generation to activate the swap function but as you Tier up further, that will become negligible. Our mana problem is just a logistics job now.”
Frederic looked pleased as he answered a few other questions Matt had about the ring.
“Now before you go, there is a second topic I wanted to talk to both of you about before you return. Not in an official capacity but I’m looking for support for an initiative the hereditary faction is trying to push.”
Matt shook his head. “I can’t give more mana. Most of the hours of my day are already spoken for.”
Aster shrugged next to him. “I'm not sure what I can do? Do you really need snacks ordered?”
Frederic smiled as he leaned back and waved away their concerns, but the action only raised Matt’s warning bells.
“We don’t need mana or snacks. If either of you really like the idea and want to donate, I’m not so foolish as to say no but we are seeking your political support more than your considerable financial or desert support.”
Matt had already opened his mouth to decline, but the answer caught him off guard and piqued his interest. “Oh?”
“This is a joint venture by myself, King Rusty, and Queen Tur’stal but before we get into that, let me start by saying I took it upon myself to mention this to you as I know I stand for something of a…” Frederic searched for a word before settling on, “representative of what you see as the worst of the hereditary noble faction.”
Matt slowly nodded in acknowledgment even as he felt Aster flex their connection to give him support. He didn’t need it but it was nice. “I can admit that. I actually like you as a person, but the people you represent are—” Matt changed his mind and cut himself off. “Let's just agree that I don’t have the best view of a large portion of them and their ideals.”
“And that is why I’m the one bringing this up. If you reject this proposal, you hopefully won’t feel as bad as if you were rejecting people you have a better relationship with. If you aren’t wholly opposed to the idea, can I give you our proposal?”
Matt wanted to just reject him outright but Frederic was being upfront and honest with him. He was also incredibly helpful with things like the new ring.
“Sure. I’ll hear you out.”
Frederic turned to Aster who nodded and he started speaking. “Do you know much about the Knightly Orders?”
Matt shook his head in unison with Aster who said, “Not particularly. I remember it was something before the dynasty changed. Something about noble elites.”
“Correct. Empress Agatha took a… let’s call it a negative outlook on the program and those who survived her usurpation of the throne understood they should keep quiet about their status if they didn’t want to end up on suicide missions. While technically not outlawed, all imperial funding of the program was redirected to the Path and its expanded faculties. With the treaty limiting the size of the Path, we’re experiencing a glut of military funding which we are seeking to use, at least in part, to revitalize the Orders. It will both maintain a major part of our history before it’s too late and increase the diversity in our elites.”
Frederic paused letting Matt and Aster think everything he said over.
“Are you just looking for a mouthpiece to push the program for public support?” Matt nodded his agreement to Aster's question.
“Not quite. Between myself and my fellow Royals, we have enough political power to push through the initiative but it would be costly in political terms.”
“Is Manny against it?” That idea immediately raised Matt’s hackles. “I also want to know what you’re getting out of this and why you’re coming to me of all people before we go too much further. I get Aster. She enjoys politics but why me?”
Frederic shook his head. “No, nothing like that. If he was truly set against it, we wouldn’t bother. He's taking a politically neutral stance. If we can force it through, it will cost us and weaken our position for other arguments. Besides, the Orders aren’t entirely outlawed, they’re just largely vestigial, sharply in decline, and lack most of what they need to operate. I, Rusty, and Tur’stal can and intend to grant them most of the legal permissions required even without full Imperial support. But, there are a few things which we can’t provide, and it would be far simpler as a full-Empire initiative regardless.”
Mollified, Matt leaned back as Frederic added. “As for why I want you two? The Emperor is neutral, which means Mara and Leon are neutral. Harper will remain neutral unless someone sways them but all are happy with them remaining neutral. I could bring them over to my side, but the cost-benefit calculation doesn’t work out in favor of that. Given this is a military initiative, that provides an additional dimension to the calculation. Rusty is working to persuade the Academies and their Graduates it would be a benefit for them as well, and I’m looking for support among Ascenders. Allison and Zack don't care enough about politics to give much weight and Elizabeth is in a delicate position, so I’d rather not put her in a spot where she would publicly oppose her parents like this. That leaves you two, Aiden, and Lila. Aiden is too irritable right now while in recovery to be properly persuaded for something like this, and while Lila has already expressed her support, she has politically aligned with the hereditary noble factions often enough that her support is less valuable than it could be. With the two of you and her both supporting the initiative, however, that would be bipartisan Ascender support, and would sway a substantial number of existing fence-sitters.”
Matt pursed his lips and thought over the proposal. Frederic was being honest with him and he appreciated that. If Manny didn’t care enough to deliberately block this initiative it couldn’t be all that bad and Frederic’s logic for not asking Liz made sense.
He however, could support the idea but the question was did he want to?
Matt’s initial thought was to just decline, he wouldn’t call himself a loyalist but he wouldn’t argue if someone else did.
Manny was about as good a ruler as could exist outside a vacuum and genuinely did his best for the Empire and the people inside of it. That didn’t mean the hereditary nobility was inherently bad but Matt had a distaste for them having grown up on Lilly and in some of his recent interactions as a duke. He could at least logically recognize his homeworld was an outlier in how badly it was mismanaged but that didn’t change his feelings on the matter.
He could also feel that Aster would follow his lead if he vehemently rejected the idea which he deeply appreciated.
“I’m not going to say no, but I’m not familiar enough with the Knightly Orders to commit either. What are they, and why were they originally cut back?”
“Much like most pinnacle elite programs, the Orders are about concentrating as much power as possible within a single person. So much power, in fact, that the person underneath the power barely matters. For the Knightly Orders in particular, that comes in two forms. The first is a specialized natural treasure, frequently imbued within a child from birth. The Everflame Order was the most prominent Order for centuries, using Eternal Embers to create fire-based elites with some truly impressive skills.”
“From birth? As in, using Natural Treasures before awakening? That’s possible?” Aster's ears wiggled in surprise.
“Yes. While not all Orders managed it, and those that did kept the ‘how’ as an incredibly close secret, the greatest ones were able to manage it with some regularity. It worked quite well, though, and having such potent magic as a child tended to drastically influence their Talent and Domain in a beneficial way.”
“I can imagine….” Matt tapped his chin in thought, “But you mentioned two forms? What was the second?”
“Their Squires. A given Knight would have a dedicated support team who specialized in helping them specifically, rounding out their weaknesses and enhancing their strengths, and forming a cohesive group far greater than the sum of the already impressive parts. Some Squires would even go on to become Knights of their own, but that’s another conversation.”
Matt mulled that over with a few silent fluctuations of his and Aster's bond to see how she felt about it. “I have a few concerns, but nothing that would cause me to reject it. Why were they disbanded, exactly?”
“Politics, mostly. The Orders very definitively sided against Empress Agatha during her coup. She also had personal issues with many of the existing Knights. Then, noble families closely entwined with an Order tended to have undue power, which she sought to curtail. Combined with the absolutely abysmal state of the Orders, most of whom were absolutely rife with incompetence and corruption, she saw it fit to sweep the board of them all. A modern revival would be without most of the excesses and abuses of the old system, hence the lack of true opposition from even the Emperor.”
Aster asked a good question Matt hadn’t thought of though. “I can see why you personally are supporting these but why are your political blocs backing you in this? Seems like they would lose influence as proportionally their power decreases with new strong players entering the field.”
“A good question. The famous Orders were massively influential that is true, but often lost to history were the numerous smaller Orders funded by a few noble families who were in turn helped by the Orders giving the families a wider influence. That direct support ensured the nobles were invested in the military strength of the Empire in a way they aren’t currently and is part of what we want to replicate.”
They asked a few more questions but he didn’t see a reason to say no. Not directly. He actually agreed with Frederic that nobles should feel more invested in the Empire. Any such investment would be a net positive but empowering a faction he didn’t particularly like didn’t sit right with him.
He suspected he would end up agreeing but he’d need to talk to Liz no matter which way he leaned. Even if she wasn't publicly supporting it with him, there would be some bleed over.
But ultimately the major reason was that the Empire needed unity. It needed to see that despite differences, all sides were still a unified whole working for a greater whole even when they disagreed.
Matt didn’t like politics but he was aware of his image enough to know he was something of a poster child for the anti-hereditary noble faction.
Frederic, Rusty, and Tur’stal could do this without his or Aster's help but even with Lila’s support, it would be a decidedly one-sided endeavor. His and Aster's support could even, if not tip the scales, add some weight to making it a bipartisan effort of all nobles, not just hereditary ones.
That was undoubtedly a good thing never more obvious than having Kees as his vice guild leader. As a former hereditary noble working as his second-in-command and leading day-to-day operations, his clear oppositional political stance from Matt kept a lot of issues from manifesting. Thanks to his influence, Titan’s Torch was largely apolitical and even more surprisingly, people believed and trusted that.
In their working on setting up the guild, he and Cato had suspected and created dozens of plans for when the inevitable politicization of his guild happened but even though they were still in the early years, there were zero signs of that happening, which could be directly laid at Kees’ feet.
There was a weight to bipartisan support.
He had questions, though. Many.
One thing he hammered down was what the Empire was supposed to be providing? Frederic surprised him by not wanting for mana directly, though there would be some level of support for nobles with low-Tier worlds. They wanted access to the resources, namely legacies and rare skill modifications, the Empire typically saved for Pathers and Academies. There were also a number of statutes which the Order’s traditional ‘raise a child with access to powerful magic’ broke, and they’d need specific legal consideration for that, but even without support from the central government, the Royals had enough leeway to make it work.
There were other things, but that was the major sticking point as far as Matt understood it.
Once they were done, and had full documents of the ideas tucked away for further review, Matt and Aster stood up and shook Frederic’s hand. “I don’t know if I’ll agree, but I’m leaning that way. I need to talk to Liz, but I understand and agree with a lot of what you said.”
“I would expect nothing less. Either way I would like to thank the both of you for hearing us out.”
Matt’s mind didn’t stop racing even as he and Aster hitched a ride on the Allie Express.
Comments
Zac Crow
No just no. Supporting the hereditary nobles isn't somthing matt would do. Especially since it looks like the nobles want to create their own supper elite or veterinary of an ascender. It just reeks of foulness.
KnightRider007
No. Just… no. I can’t believe Matt would ever condone committing *babies* to life in the military before they can make coherent choices. Let alone doing so by implanting them with powerful magical items without therapeutic necessity.
KnightRider007
“we are seeking your political support more than your considerable financial or desert support.” This was possibly intended to be “dessert support”? I don’t believe Aster has any particular expertise in desert environment operations
KnightRider007
Yeah, the Squires thing is one thing, but the “let’s implant *babies* with magic items, and commit them to the military before they can make any sort of informed choice” does NOT sit well with me.
KnightRider007
Why limit it to Squires, rather than Knights as well? Squires becoming Knights is presented here as an unusual exception; the general case seems to be Squires tuning their entire cultivation and power set to enhancing a specific Knight - ie, sacrificing their personal and individual advancement for the sake of the “noble” scion. I suspect that if you force intake of lower-Tier personal for that, it would very rapidly become abusive.
Julie Smith
That's a very cogent argument. You'd have to do something in the revival to prevent the order passing on to corrupt heirs. Something like, drawing a sword out of a stone, to prove your worthy character.
Julie Smith
One of the first things I thought of with the reviving the Knightly order was Matt and Liz having a child and getting that child into the order with some national treasure.
Julie Smith
Interesting wrinkle. Thinking purely militarily, it sounds like a good use of resources to quietly build up the Empire's military capability. If I were Matt, I would use my AI and perhaps borrow some planetary AI to work on possible scenarios for this.
nolan saylor
The fact that I don't get a birthday chapter is just bad luck, not your fault.... the fact you got my name right, regardless of which is the real one, is totally on you. :P Though it did make me chuckle.
BluePegasus
So, the Knights Order seems like something the Federation would do. It would be a great way to create entitled noble scions who were the bane of Matt's lower Tiers. It would be a way to get around the limitations on the path, but at the cost of elites who have greatly reduced choices in the course of their lives. Not really aligned well with the Emperor giving everyone open personal freedoms. Matt supporting it may be an effort at being PC, but this Order would directly conflict with his stated motive of equalizing opportunities for non-noble mortals. All those resources poured into a selected privileged few could really help a lot of mortals. The way the topic is broached leads one to ask; Is this an arc of a meathead getting pulled away from his thinking wife and played by a scheming noble? Or is Matt really going to embrace the political slog and detach himself from his mortal roots? Will he ever re-connect with his Pather friend group who could keep him grounded?
Timspt8
Really quite conflicted on whether I like or dislike the Knights Order (within the framework of the Empire)
DasGoat622
Is this limited to hereditary nobles or can any noble create an Order. The Endless Order of Frigid Ichor could be fun. Training to be designed by a certain void cat. Although I believe MLA are now hereditary nobles (can anyone confirm this). Wouldn’t this just turn into an elite “guard” unit for nobles? Or is there some separation from the individual nobles?
Flopmind
Don't forget graduates like Bolt and Torment.
Flopmind
This gives me an idea for a new type of Elite program. I call them "Reclaimers" as they'd be reclaiming the glory of past delvers. It'd a small, but cheap and efficient, elite producing venture. Step 1) Find skilled delvers from tier 5 to 10 or so who have Talents, Domains, skillsets, and possibly bloodlines that all support a specialization. Step 2) Recruit them and give them a lighter version of Luna's training program from book 4. (Exercise, trainers, delving blind/with restrictions while working their way up tiers, making sure they can operate solo and with other reclaimers in pairs, triples, learning AI countering, etc.) Step 3) Keep them young by healing away the aging process (naturally, this would only be possible once Melinda's research bears fruit and can be replicated by others.) Step 4) After acquiring solid fundamentals and delving up 3 or 4 tiers consistently, give the candidates legacies repeatedly (This can either be achieved by using the leftover legacies that the pathers, graduates, and Knights have passed over, likely only for the common weapons and mage types, *or* by giving the less desirable legacies of the common types to the program). This way the program members, though small in number, can routinely use legacies, one use every two years or so. Hence the name reclaimers. Step 5) Repeat step 4 and delving while maintaining the tier difference. Step 6) Minkalla run at appropriate tier, likely 13, maybe 12. Step 7) Before becoming immortal, subject them to all enhancements that are possible before becoming immortal that they haven't already indulged in. Step 8) Raise to immortal and equip them with appropriate growth items. The main problems with this program are 1) being limited in the numbers it can produce and 2) using legacies more liberally than is generally done. However, these can be overcome. Problem 1 is softened by the fact that the program is fairly cheap to run, by virtue of the small number of members it includes. It can also strongly encourage teamwork to produce teams of reclaimers worth more than the sum of their parts. Problem 2 can be mitigated by having the reclaimers be disguised either as pathers, tourists, or the legacy keeper's entourage. Counter-espionage would also help. Alternatively, the powers that be can simply allow the other great powers to gain better information about the number of legacies they have, as the legacies are worthless if unused. @C.Mantis and @NorskDaedaulus , I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're up for it. Edit: I could even see Melinda and friends pitching this idea once the cure to old age is discovered. It'd be pretty easy since most are pathers, plenty have received legacies, and some, like Mathew and Vinnie, enjoy teaching. Plus the Unbroken endured Luna's training. Titan's torch could even provide the blind rifts for the reclaimers to delve (or rather, the reclaimers could blind delve rifts they make).
Alex Perez
oh nice. an actual Elite program for the empire besides the symbiotes
T
He doesn’t need to be awake to do that is should be automatic by now to pump his mana in the ring
Dillon lay
The empires version of dao child or Arch warrior sounds cool.
Isiah Debarros
If it's supposed to fill in the gaps of the path after the restriction then It should active social reform like how the path also acting as a way of people to get out the f lower tier worlds. Hell even the first type that uses natural treasures cuz work for social reform if they make it possible for people to move to worlds like their capital like they should definitely make a knightly order that makes the best fire magic users
Isiah Debarros
If it's supposed to help creatively like the path did that it he should also work as a social reform and facilitated upward movement like the path did
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Andromeda Adams
Tyftc! I’m with Matt on this.
Jeff Wells
Nobles (knights specifically) traditionally have a duty to fight in any wars their kingdom is involved in. Under feudalism, the knighthood literally was your standing army, with the gaps filled in with conscripted peasants as needed. It sounds like The Empire had both a standing army and knightly orders at the same time, so the knighthood would only be a portion of the military. You could think of each knightly order as it's own mini army that is still beholden to the empire.
Sean McClain
I don't think Matt or Manny likes the idea but they know the true war is coming and the empire is going to need more elites. They will be weaker then aascended but there should be more of them and they should be loyal. If the treaty didn't block the path expansion, I would say it's a dumb idea to waste resources on inferior products but they are held back by treaty so what else is there but the absolute opposite of selection by merit to selection by birth. Though it can become dangerous, as long as the empire survives the true war with Manny still in charge ( or someone sympathetic to manny's causes) the path will be resumed to full power to dwarf the orders. As it seems each order produces one elite for some set amount of time while the path seemed to be producing more and more pathers.
Isiah Debarros
If it's going to be a path alternative then it should be used in the same way as how the path is used for people like Matt that wouldn't get a chance otherwise. Squires in particular cuz he a lot of people way out probably plenty people with talents that could work in that role
Flopmind
Manny got him to agree to about six hours worth of mana generation each day just after the war ended iirc. Matt agreed in large part because he had already was well practiced in doing that, making it trivial to do while performing other tasks. Really, so long as he's awake and isn't delving or charging something else, he can just plug his mana away without much issue.
Ben Heggem
also an order based on integrity and having an internal focus to help prevent corruption, tho that may just become a new avenue for more corruption
MinE
Plus they kind of remind me of the original rune soldiers.
someone
The idea with stopping the path was not that it was creating elites, it was that it was to good at it, so they expected it to go other places but for those places to be less efficient and threatening
Enzo Elacqua
From my understanding the orders never produced ascenders, just elites, and the other great powers don’t seem to have a problem with that
David Turner
If i was matt, id probably ask that some percentage of squires be taken in from Low teir world path potentials candidates, those who dont quite make the cut for whatever reason.
Throngler In Chief
Well now I'm picturing "The Order of the Cone" as a reference to icecream cones, but with their Crest being a wolf with a waffled veterinary cone around its neck.
Etoyrt
All great powers have a distinction between their programs to create their ascenders (with whatever name they call them) and their various programs to create elite warriors. The great powers were concerned that the empire was growing too fast and gaining too many ascenders so they curtailed the empire's growth and restricted its use of The Path of Ascension. A treaty preventing the development of elites as well would be far more punitive.
Presten
I think the difference seems to be that The Path is enabling teenagers to gamble with their lives in pursuit of ultimate power. While the Knightly Orders atleast in the past manufacture babies into very high quality troops. Assenders fundamentally alter any fight they are in and indisputably Dominate any non Assender. Knights from the Knightly Orders are pinical elites at the very best.
Isiah Debarros
Honestly knightly orders could be very cool
C_Mantis
kinda. Agatha was an illegal Tier 47. IE a Royal level figure who the ruler didnt want to force out but couldnt really control. She got an inspiration, held it and did what Erwin did. IE TIer up to t48 and then let the inspiration take her to 49. She was then strong enough to defeat the Tier 50. She was a monster in combat which let her manage it.
C_Mantis
Well the Orders are an old thing they are reviving not necessarily a #totallynotapathreplacement Kinda hard to stop them from not reviving something. Easier to stop a #totallynotapathreplacement that walks, talks, and quacks like a Path
C_Mantis
Janissaries is pretty accurate to what they used to be 100%. As for this iteration... well see.
Presten
Hmmmm so not the Spartan Program level of altered child soldier in the Knightly Orders. But definitely still trained and inindoctrinated from birth to be soldier of the Empire? So kinda similar to the initial janissaries of the Ottoman Empire? Am I sorta right? Supped up with natural treasures before birth and told/shown how their goal/purpose in life is to be strong "fighters" for the Empire by all the adults that they look up to, trust, and model themselves after? That is a truly immense amount of social coercion on literal pre pubescent children. You don't need Tallents to violate someone's free will by grooming them. I just remembered that nobels legally own people unless they are awakened. And children are protected via Empire statutes. And this Knightly Order revival business needs "allowances" on certain statutes directly related to training a child from birth to be a soldier. Ok I think I've painted this in the least charitable and worst light I possibly could. Is this genuinely what the Knightly Orders are going to be doing though? Raising children from birth with the purpose of becoming military assets? On the plus side, a lot less of them will die than the teenagers on The Path.
Lorevi Q
It kinda seems like a dumb loophole? Like they accepted treaties limiting what they can invest in the path since the other Great Powers were concerned about overmilitarization essentially. So they just take all those resources spent on the path and spend in on 'Knights Orders! #totallynotapathreplacement' Wouldn't the other great powers have thought of that? If they didn't though then it's a no brainer, but I would have thought the treaties would explicitly state that resources have to be spent on non militaristic endeavors. Like do they just not care if the Empire produces new Ascenders as long as they call them Knights instead?
Alex
Agatha was one of the Empire’s T48s at the time, she had an inspiration and killed the T50 Emperor while at T49, which is insanity, since the gaps between Tiers increases at the higher Tiers, and it’s particularly enormous at T50. Agatha’s in the same class as Aiden and Hastor for that stunt alone.
Lorevi Q
Also coups and monarchies are a tale as old as time lol. It doesn't necessarily make the hair illegitimate. Though it really begs the question of how a coup even happens in the Poa universe. Iirc the standard T50 ascension plan is to tier up a successor directly before ascending which we saw with the clans. And by the very nature of it being a coup, Agatha wasn't the intended successor. So like, did Agatha beat a T50? Was the T50 someone else who was a-ok with a coup? The heck were the other great powers doing lol? Did this ever get covered? Because coups should kinda be impossible in the Poa universe.
The lord of chaos
So this Knight thing just seems like another arrow in the quiver for the true war. The reason Manny is probably useful is that he sees the usefulness in them and since there is funding that can't go to the path you might as well keep it in the same department (Investment to creating elites that can have an oversized impact on a war). and he sees the danger in revitalizing a group of people who are against a lot fo what you stand for and that would eventually be a powerful voice that the next emperor would have to deal with at least. Side note: I really want Liz and Matt to have a kid. Why? I mean what better way to emphasise how long the time skip between this and the true war than they already have an adult child? and yes there would obviously be a time skip there is going to be like a 1000-2000 year stretch where not much happens before the slow build-up for the true war begins again.
Apep
That was also my thought. She’s salivating at the idea to create an ice oder to break the influence of the winter wolves.
Austin Byrd
How much mana is Matt giving the empire right now? Also from what I’m understanding, this ring just severely reduced that amount but it’s whatever because within another tier or two, Matt’s mana donation amount will easily outpace the ring’s tax?
Flopmind
If Aster is okay with the idea of subjecting children to that, she'd doubtless adore the idea of starting her own ice-themed order. It would be very in theme with her domain as well.
Jason Hardman
Next up a series about the Knights, called "Path of Entitlement".
Jason Hardman
But it's weird to draw attention to it so often when the current line of Emperors stems from it. It's fair to mention context for the political climate that led to the diminishment of the Knights, but framing it in a the way he does repeatedly suggests some unnecessary rancor, given the length of time that has past. Speaks a lot to the hereditary nobles clinging so much to a time long gone.
Leander
Not a huge fan of the orders. But, that might just be my personal dislike for everything related to nobility.
C_Mantis
I will saw that I used those words without deeper meaning. Just as descriptors of what Agatha did.
C_Mantis
during war they will act as elite squads, when wars arent ongoing any of the above or exploring planets or anything dangerous for the nobles supporting them
Abriel Blauer
I never said his motivations were suspects. I am merely pointing the fact that loyalist consider Agatha a liberator while the hereditary nobility call her an usurper. I am not saying that one side is right and the other wrong. I am not saying that non-loyalist are traitor. I am merely pointing out the different point of view and how, even after more than 60 000 years, they still seems to be impacting current politic.
Derze
Manny could have told Frederic he would have an opportunity to talk to Matt and sway his decision. That makes both Manny a good Emperor and Frederic a good politician. He's making a gamble. might pay off
Alex
You're suggesting Frederic's motives are suspect because he's using words to describe Agatha's actions that are literally correct: A usurper is a person who takes a position of political power by force. A coup is an attempt to unseat an entity from political power through military force. That's what those words mean. How else would you describe what Agatha did?
Bob Bryan
Yes but it could also be viewed as attempting to manipulate Matthew without liz being involved. She isn't just her parents kid anymore. She is ascender and Duke, I think, in her own right. Heck, even saying that is implying liz is just her parents puppet and doesn't deserve what she has or that she is second fiddle to Matt. That she is only her parents daughter. Not ascender liz. It's kind of why her parents give advice but aren't interfering, minus with the federation but that doesn't count as that's their job.
MikeL
I’m not clear what they will actually do? Non military to fight in wars? Act as defense to free up military offensive? Knight errants protecting nobles, non nobles?? So far it seems a way to make nobles more powerful, where do they fit in, or supply a missing piece?
David Bean
A very good point, you’re absolutely right.
Alex
I think the potential issue with the Orders parallels the issue with elevating Frederic to a Royal position; you're creating a position of power that will probably be occupied down the line by somebody who's corrupt. Remember the misgivings Manny had about elevating Frederic - Manny trusts Frederic, but he knows that he represents a power base that is opposed to his political vision and has a history of mistreating commoners. The decision becomes very difficult because someone like Frederic deserves the royal position, but there's a very good chance that one of his successors down the line is going to be a problem. It's the same deal with the Orders; the first crop of Knights will be fine, but generations down the line issues of incompetence and corruption are going to start setting in as a result of nepotism. It sounds like that's exactly what happened the last time the Orders were a thing.
Sean C Jackson
Yes, but if she was seen being approached for this it could be viewed as them trying to trying to influence her parents position through her, which is politically inappropriate.
Abriel Blauer
First, I never said that he was wrong, nor that he was a traitor. But for most of the story, Agatha was portayed more as a liberator. Before her, awakening was reserved to the elite and the nobility. Unawakened people were the property of their noble, with no rights, nothing more than cattle. Which is why one of Agatha first reform was to make awakening mandatory. She couldn't change the laws, so she forced mass awakening despite prohibitive cost. For the loyalist, Agatha was akin of a savior. Its the first time we see someone openly call her an usurper.
Tommy
I think Matt should try and get these knightly orders to be *more* than the versions they were in the past. If they used to exist, now is a chance to rebuild them better. Install codes of honour, conduct, etc. Pathways for advancement of squires so they can definitively have avenues to grow and become the strongest should they wish to try… That sort of thing. If you’re gonna throw your weight behind something, may as well commit fully and make it as impressive as possible! TFTC! Edit: the Knightly Order of the Titan sounds kinda cool too
Abriel Blauer
Ignoring all other aspect of his final fight, and taking in consideration that he wasn't 100% healed from a previous ambush before said fight, Aiden overused his Authority. Remember that an Authority is what you create to reach Tier 75. Overusing it at Tier 31 - 32 cannot be without some serious consequences.
David Bean
Hmm, not sure how I feel about that proposal. It seems like one of those things that will either go really well or back fire spectacularly… And no way to tell before committing. I’m wondering if he should ask Manny what he really thinks about it first.
Alex
Agatha usurped the throne from the old dynasty in a military coup. That's a literal description of what happened; Frederic calling a spade a spade doesn't make him a traitor.
Abriel Blauer
Funnily, more than the whole conversation, there are two comments from King Frederic, A.K.A Fred, that really struck me and give a really good insight into the hereditary nobility. " The Orders very definitively sided against Empress Agatha during her coup" " and those who survived her usurpation of the throne" Even after over 60K years since Agatha took over the Empire, even the less radical hereditary noble still see her as an usurper and her action as a "coup d'état". And following that point of view, can we assume that some of the most radical noble still see the current Emperor as not fully legitimate? Looks like there is still a serious divide between the Emperor and the hereditary nobility. A divide not solely based on political difference but on the fact that the Sofron Dynasty is an usurpation from their points of view. Its subtle, but I believe important if PoA is going to dig a lot more into the political aspect of the Empire. Which beg an interesting question: Is there in the Empire people who could claim succession right from the previous dynasty?
Alex
I think it's cool that there's a lot of technology that's known to exist in the category of "this shit's definitely possible, but it's so mindbogglingly expensive that it simply isn't practical" like being able to move things to the Capital from anywhere in the teleportation network. It'll be fun seeing some of that tech become available when the Mattery becomes fully operational.
Tim Johnson
oooooh, im sure you have thought of this already, but this could push them to have children, maybe twins or something, and one of them they decide to send to a knight order and the other sticks to the path. sibling rivalry at its finest.
waterwood
What happened with the giant neutral mana ward used in the war? Iirc matt was interested in it because it was a mana crystal with runes engraved in it. Seems like it would be pretty important to have that going forward since he already out tiered his bifrate linker thingy which was tier 25.
Alex
Aiden's still in recovery after his stunt at the battle for the Citadel? Hasn't it been like 20+ years at this point? Damn, I get pissy when a headache lasts more than a day.
CottonMod
Incredibly suspicious. The proposal comes right after some entitled pricks try to reignite Matt's animosity toward the noble faction. Did Frederic's faction manipulate the annoying but good Phoenix girl? Was the ship of entitled assholes tricked into angering Matt by the high-tier leader of the largest guild alliance that hates free travel mana and aura rifts? Exciting! Also, I'm surprised that Matt doesn't recognize the possible connection immediately. Liz should definitely mention that both encounters were potential setups to sway him.
A Flashy BR
Thanks Mantis
A Flashy BR
Pretty Cool
Throngler In Chief
Well, now I fully expect Liz to found an order of Knights and name it "Torch's Titans" or something similar. Ichor Mana Affinity could also be made into their Order's thing. That or a modification of Matt's Phantom Armor skill. Hell, maybe both. I also think it would be hilarious if she made a habit of pretending to be a batallion of them with her clones. Drill Sergeant Liz could spend months terrorizing/training platoons of Recruit Liz's.
Bob Bryan
Yeah but Matthew was never going to make that decision without talking to liz, it's to big. Plus she is her own entity now alongside her husband, not just her parents daughter. If anything it feels like he made a gaff by trying to exclude her. Now she will just be suspicious and they will just make them want to ask her parents and probably Manny more.
Jonathan Robichaux
Imo take off the 11th too and start the new book off on the 25th
MinE
Reawakening doping effecting talents is interesting. I’m curious on how much of an effect they can have.
Anime Problem
Nah this seems fine the hereditary nobles are only a problem because they're the remnants of the pre Agatha empire they need to be convinced into actually supporting the empire and the emperor who is basically the grandson of someone who slapped them hard across the face they have a bit of resentment still standing that needs to be cleared.
C_Mantis
Sorry Roland
C_Mantis
fixed ty
SunStar
As he said, her parents are neutral. It'd be politically inappropriate to ask her. Matt and Aster are a half step further away which is apparently enough.
mitchell kaiser
Hmmmmmmm doesn’t seem like a wise idea to help out Fredric even if he personally is a good guy.
Ryan Romano
So Matt supports, then founds his own Knightly Order, he then gets people to delve the rifts he creates and he can leave a legacy to protect the Empire after he ascends
Bob Bryan
Why didn't he just invite liz as well?
lamp
Thanks for the chapter! I think this should be "by" not "buy" unless I am misreading something "were in turn helped buy the Orders"
Anime Problem
Yeah with a true war on the tables those defenses might be completely necessary even if it's just their senchals who need to use them.
nolan saylor
Thanks Dae! Thanks Mantis! It sucks when you learn that you don't get a birthday chapter. Liz has the better points about the castle and estate. The reason Matt is focused on security though is because he is eternally conscious about his Talent's value and the fact there will be a true war. -It is the eternal battle of practical vs appearance. The designer having already whipped up an idea is why you have competent subordinates. And it really makes sense for the world building as nobody at this tier and serving this couple should be at all incompetent. I really expect Allie to have prices for her services. Specifically for her Ascender friends. I'm thinking a batch of Matt made scones if he wants a trip. Not super expensive stuff but them needing to put in their own time and effort. -Though he has basically freely offered them infinite mana if they ever want to try crafting stuff. Aster's time in the School council was barely an intro. 'suspiciously far from any bakeries' -I have to assume Allie has at times spent months in a single spot purely to set up a prank with a 1 second pay out. Maybe waiting under a waterfall for the month it takes to set a teleportation point. Hip deep in mud just for the location being there and waiting till Light needs to dress up to meet Manny and her accidentally teleporting him into the mud. Side note, I feel Allie may have brought up having to teleport Matt on purpose. Maybe Allie is just having out with Aster all the time and Allie is a chatter box, but Allie is also smart enough to know Aster may need to be there as well. The location she teleported may even be far out on purpose to let them have time to chat. Good Gal Allie. Gah, the best part of being an immortal is obviously being able to eat anything you want without worrying about your health. 'Deep fried chocolate on a stick.' I really love friends bantering and joking around.... I need to get out more. Still curious why Liz wasn't included. 'Sup Fred' is the superior greeting. -I do love that the polite greeting is strange. All Ascenders are crazy. That is an awesome bit of tech. The upgrade may mean Matt doesn't need to visit a planet to give it mana... even on the other side of the Empire. A T47 Royal saying the costs are mind boggling. Minor warning bells that Liz isn't here when Freddy is asking about Empire politics. -Maybe she already agrees and so is away to not affect their opinions.? Trying to not doubt Freddy. I do like the social savvy to have Fred bear the brunt of distaste if Matt and Aster don't like the idea. Of course there is the other side of liking/ respecting him better for bearing the burnt as well as if the idea is good he gets the benefit. I do like the idea. Circumvents the issue of not being able to fund the Path. Also an Empire really needs knights to feel fitting. I wonder if they will have some chivalric orders... maybe improving the moral fiber of those who go through them, improving the nobles. I think I recognize this train of thought from the discord! Seeing about if you could affect the spirit and Talents before awakening. It's cool to see it used. Glad to see other forms of elites mentioned, each GP only having 1 form of elite beyond Ascenders never really made much sense. Some falling out of favor due to cost/benefit analysis sure, but there could still be lesser elites. Yup, the knightly orders could make for some fun characters. Maybe PoVs but at minimum some fun mentions to spark imaginations. The Empire is unlikely to have more Ascenders before the next war, so they need some new pinnacle Elites. Not sure how a true Knightly Elite would compare to the various levels of Paladin. I want to know more! I do also hope that the nobles are made to be noble.
Lucas hansen
Thanks mantis
