Several Hours Later, Dominion Floating Warship Ironblood
The Floating Warship Ironblood of the Atlesian Dominion has finally arrived at its destination after spending several hours in the skies because of the blizzard. The weather of the Solitan skies could be as dangerous or sometimes even more than the Grimm themselves.
Still, they finally arrived at the coordinates given to them, and their sensors had already picked up some residual traces of Mana and even outstretched Wards, meaning they were at the right place.
What was interesting was that the entire place was showing the traces of battle, because it seemed that they were attacked by the Grimm horde, but someone managed to slaughter the entire horde.
"Secure the perimeter and send down the extraction team with medics."
Captain James Ironwood issued the orders when he noticed that the area seemed safe... at least for now. Due to that, they needed to hurry, because one could never know when the Grimm would appear.
He also ordered one of the technicians to access the satellites that were orbiting around the Remnant and observe everything that was happening within the continent of Solitas. He wanted to get the visuals of what exactly had happened in this place.
Soon enough, the technicians got him the video recordings from the satellites over the entire area, and it was his turn to be shocked.
Because the footage was...
Unreal.
Now he could understand why the Holy Saint Blue Thunderclap was adamant about retrieving the teen. Even though Ironwood wasn't any kind of scholar, he recognized the Noble Artes when he saw them, and he could see their potential.
Noble Artes were Inherent Magic Abilities passed through the Bloodline.
Not every Mage had the Noble Arte, because having one was proof of one's strength in their Magical Lineage. Only the Mages of the prestigious Aristocratic Bloodline Lineages possessed the Noble Artes because the Noble Artes were created through generations of specialized Magical breeding and training.
And he could see that the young man had at least two Noble Artes, which were...
Very rare.
This was already on the level of the Great Families, because only the descendants of the Great Families had more than one Noble Arte. And even then, it wasn't absolute, because even among the Great Families, the descendants who inherited more than one Noble Arte were very rare.
He knew that there was something deeper in this... perhaps the Holy Saint Blue Thunderclap recognized those Noble Artes or whatever.
Or they wanted to sponsor the young man...
Either way, he knew that with this, his mission was completed, and now the only thing that remained was the journey back to the Atlas. He was rather eager to return to the city as well, because at least it was interesting, contrary to the other duties that the Captains like him had.
Patrolling the borders of the Dominion was...
Boring for most of the part.
There wasn't much happening aside from the occasional Grimm Tides threatening the Dominion, or some random powerful Magical Beasts popping up here and there and causing trouble.
Though in a few months, they would be conducting a raid on the White Fang, which would be a huge operation, as some of the territories were seen acting around the borders of Dominion, which was unacceptable.
If there was one danger the Faunus represented, it was that they bred pretty fast... faster than humans, which had something to do with their animal genome, allowing them, in many cases, to have much more numerous offspring than humans.
White Fang had recently created terrorist organizations that were primarily active in Empire Mistral, which wasn't that surprising considering the state of the Empire that was collapsing within and from what he heard, some provinces in the Empire were already technically independent in reality.
But what was interesting was that, they were already expanding their operations to Vacuo and Vale to a lesser degree.
Ironwood had to admit that whoever was planning their operations had a good head on their shoulders, because Mistral was the perfect place. The government in that nation was technically non-existent, and as long as they avoided particular Great Families, nobody would really send someone really powerful after them.
Yet, their mistake was attacking the convoy of the Schnee Dust Company several weeks ago, during which a lot of Dust and Suspendium were stolen, personnel were killed, and a lot of property was destroyed.
According to the reports that he read, even several Schnees were injured during the ambush, and Patriarch Nikolas Schnee was furious to the point where he brought the matter ot the Trifarix Council.
The highest executive body of The Atlesian Dominion.
The Trifarix, also known as the "Council of Three", was the current governing body of the Atlesian Dominion, embodying the fundamental tenets of the Trifarix doctrine, or the "Principles of Strength". This organizational structure emerged in the aftermath of Atlas's transition from a monarchy led by fallible emperors to a meritocracy under the watchful eyes of the Trifarix.
The Trifarix Doctrine revolved around three core principles: Might, Vision, and Guile. These principles encapsulate the ideals that each Atlesian Citizen should strive to embody for the prosperity of the Dominion.
The emphasis on all three aspects reflects the belief that a balanced combination of strength, foresight, and cunning is essential for the success and dominance of Atlesian Dominion.
Nikolas Schnee, Lo Po Bia Traumerei and Arie Hon were the members of the Trifarix Council as the Limit Saints of the Atlas. It wasn't like the Atlas didn't have more Holy Saints or Limit Saints, but neither Khun Eduan nor Po Bidau Gustang were interested in "responsibility" or politics.
So the moment the proposal was brought up, it was immediately approved, and now, a large part of the Dominion's Military was preparing to strike at the bases of the White Fang around Anima that were in the No-Man's Zone or at the outskirts of Solitas.
It would be a really grand military operation that wasn't seen in years, though that was only true because it was a military operation against faunus and some of their human sympathizers.
Military operations in the past decades were typically carried out against the creatures of Grimm. The Remnantians rarely fought against each other, mainly because it was only benefiting the Grimm and Magical Beasts that would then act against them.
The last large conflict between the Remnantians was the Faunus Culling that happened a few centuries ago, but that was it.
Still, Ironwood could see the patterns were not boding well for the Remnant. With Mistral descending into collapse, Vacuo was on the brink of a coup or civil war, and Vale was growing increasingly hostile to the Atlas.
Mainly because Atlas was rising in the areas of Magical Engineering and Arcane, which was threatening Vale as the kingdom with the longest and most powerful Magical Heritage in the entire world.
On both sides, there were many people who were already preparing to wage war...
Be it the Valean old nobility that wanted to restore the glory of their Old Empire or the Atlesians who wanted to prove their supremacy in the new age over the Vale, which symbolized the old era.
***
Getting into that monstrosity of the Floating Warship was one hell of a journey, because the Warship that was called "Ironblood" was enormous. It was much bigger than the naval ships that he saw in his life as Sirius Grey or the airships in his "life" as Ardyn Izunia.
It was floating thanks to the usage of the Suspendium and Dust.
Maschenny was picked up by medics when they descended down from the Ironblood, as she was given a comprehensive check by the doctors and healers on the Ironblood, which showed that they was rather alright.
Her Aura has recovered enough to start healing, and she was already out of the greatest danger of Magical Exhaustion. Which was another added bonus for the Maschenny, because it seemed that there wouldn't be any lasting injuries on her person.
"Welcome to the board of the Dominion Warship Ironblood. I am Captain James Ironwood, commander of this vessel, Captain of the Air Force of the Atlesian Dominion Military, and Heir Apparent to the Ironwood Family."
James Ironwood was rather accommodating toward the two of them, as Ardyn noticed that the man in front of them was a soldier through and through. It was rather evident from his posture and everything, even the way that he spoke.
Most probably, his entire family was career soldiers because he was reminiscing about the military families on Earth and Eos, who, through the generations, served in the military of their respective nations.
"It's my pleasure, Captain."
Maschenny said lightly, but she didn't really pay much attention to the man in question because she just wanted to return home and then report to the Academy that the mission she took was a failure.
Something that was probably pissing her off a lot, because Ardyn noticed that she was a perfectionist who cared about her stellar results and achieving her goals at any cost.
"Well, thanks for the save, Captain Ironwood. Your service couldn't have been more precise, or else we would have frozen to the icicles."
Ardyn said with a dramatic tone of voice as he shook hands with Captain Ironwood.
He knew that Ironwood was a General of some kind in the original canon... obviously, he wouldn't really know that if he would achieve the same rank in this world, but it would cost him nothing if he decided to maintain a good relationship with him.
With them on the deck, they would be returning to the Atlas, the capital of the Dominion. He was rather eager to see the most prosperous and advanced city in the entirety of the Remnant.
Both he and Maschenny were given personal quarters during the time that they were on the Warship Ironblood.
Obviously, the Dominion Warships, at least the newer models and those which were more advanced, contained some pretty luxurious facilities within them that were usually reserved for the Officers, powerful Huntsmen, or guests ot the Warships.
Ardyn wasn't really that fazed by it, because he experienced an even higher degree of luxury in both of his lives, or so he had thought. Apparently, the journey back to the Atlas, the capital of the Dominion, would take them around a few hours, because of the weather conditions that were far from ideal.
When Ardyn checked on his queaters, the first thing he did was check the other contents of the Dimensional Storage he had taken from the deceased student at Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy.
He emptied the entire Dimensional Storage, which wasn't particularly big. When one took away all the food, things for survival in the wilderness, and other things, there were not really many valuables left.
The moment was prominent where something which seemed to be credit cards, but they were the Lien Cards. What was problematic was that he didn't really know how to acess them or what to do with them...
Those were not the only things, as there were some other things that he didn't really recognize, aside from the Dust Crystals. Long short story, the Dust was essentially crystallized Mana that was extremely dense in some areas, which resulted in the creation of Dust.
Suspendium and Dust were the two minerals on which the entire Remnantian Civilization functioned. Dust was needed for the weapons and the most advanced technology, and for some other things.
Not to mention, Dust was also acting as some sort of battery for the technology and device, because Dust Crystal could absorb ambient Mana to recharge itself.
"Hmm... I should go bother the bluehead... she wants something from me, so the minimum she can do is to sort these things out and prepare some things for me."
Ardyn muttered as he then left his assigned room and went to find Maschenny to bother her a bit, preparing to exploit her schemes for his own benefit. Or they could give each other some mutual help.
He went through the corridors of the Warship, which were simple, utilitarian, and somewhat pleasing to the eye. Everything about the Dominion Warship, like all of the Floating Ships of the Atlesian Dominion, was designed ot be maximally efficient and combat-ready.
Fortunately, Maschenny's quarters were not really that far from his own, as they were in the section of the ship that was reserved for the commanding officers and high-ranking combatants or prominent guests.
If, by some accident, someone like that were even invited aboard the Warship by the Captain's order.
He stood in front of her door, as he knocked on the door several times and waited until she opened it. Which was rather fast, so at least he didn't need to wait for a long time.
After they were taken to the Warship, Maschenny was checked on by a healer, and she would apparently be fully recovered very soon. Well, with her Aura healing her, it would be a pretty straightforward thing, and she would recover soon.
Then there was another factor, which was one of the greatest advantages of the Great Families.
Because they were bred among the strongest Mage and Aura Lineages for countless centuries, their physiques were unnaturally strong, and their healing factors were several times higher than those of an average human.
Yeah...
Apparently, Eugenics was a huge thing for the Great Families.
That was the reason why they only rarely allowed marriages with people outside of prominent lineages, as the next generation must be at least as strong as the one right now that was procreating.
But it was only logical. Even on Earth, while many agreed that Eugenics wasn't ethically the best practise around, it was undeniable that it was the excellent and most efficient way to accelerate the evolution of practically any species.
The selective breeding of individuals with the best traits would ensure that the next generation would be better. For the Remnantians, where Bloodlines and supernatural abilities were real deal, Eugenics was a deciding factor when marrying and having descendants.
"Hello there... again."
Ardyn greeted Maschenny, who had changed to more casual and comfortable clothes from the battle armor that she had worn the previous day. She wore a dark-blue costume with a light-blue collar and a tiny tie that looked like a weird version of an Asian girl's school uniform.
"Hmm... these ones suit you better than the previous ones, it really brings up that cute side."
He commented lightly as she was caught off guard and blushed slightly before she quickly regained her composure.
"Though you look like a school kid on the other side."
Ardyn grinned as Maschenny suddenly froze as lightning cracked around her, and she instantly used her newly recovered Mana and Aura to launch a high-speed punch at his face, which was blocked by his Aura.
Still, Ardyn felt the impact pretty much because even if the Aura was blocking the attacks, it still hurt to a certain degree. Mostly because he could actually feel the strikes even if they were blocked by his Aura.
"Damm you really have a strong punch... ou."
Ardyn pretended to be hurt, but seeing her unpleasant expression, told him that it was more than enough teasing for one season.
"Do you come here just to cause trouble or for something specific?"
She asked directly as he gave her a nod.
"Can I go inside? Obviously, I don't want to talk about it in the corridors."
Maschenny then reletned and shoved him directly inside to deal with his antics. Like him, she was also observant enough to realize that the young man in front of her liked messing with people, and perhaps one could say that he liked it too much.
Her room looked exactly like his own, which, on the other hand, was logical, as this was a military ship, not a luxury cruise.
"So what do you want?"
Ardyn then pulled out the things that he wanted his help with.
"Within the Dimension Storage that I... found, yeah, let's decide on that... well, back to the story, I have some Lien Cards with what I don't know what to do, and some other objects with what I am rather unfamiliar."
Maschenny looked at the things that he had, and with a defeated sigh, she proceeded to answer all of his questions. It was rather interesting, really, but she could be rather helpful when she wanted.
He didn't really know if it was due to the fact that she really wanted to help him or that she just decided that she wouldn't waste time, and it didn't really cost her a lot.
"These are unbound Lien Cards, meaning that there is a specific amount of Lien on them, and you can use them freely. The crystal here is the Scroll; it seems it's fried, so it's rather useless. Other things you can sell at the pawn shop or something, not really useful... aside from this thing."
She took a look at the things that he showed her, though most of the things that he showed her were virtually worthless for someone like her. Shame about the Scroll, though, because she knew that if the Scroll was functioning, they could access it and obtain more money from it, because it was for sure connected to the bank account of the deceased.
Ardyn also thought so because having more money never hurt anyone.
Yet there was only one single object that caught her attention almost immediately.
It was a palm-sized, glowing cube-shaped object made primarily from some kind of crystals, but the edges were coated in metal... even to Ardyn, it looked very weird and somehow... very advanced?
It certainly looked more advanced than anything he had seen on Remnant.
"How would a fool like him get his hands on something like this?"
Maschenny muttered as she held the object in her hands and stared at it like it was some kind of holy grail, before her gaze flickered between Ardyn and the object.
Several times at that.
"Why are you so lucky... this is Holocron, essentially an extremely advanced form of Grimoire. Holocrons are information-storage devices that are usually created by extremely powerful Saints to store their knowledge and pass it to their descendants or disciples. They are far more durable and could store more information than your average Grimoire in the form of a book... and most importantly... they always have a Data Version of the person creating them, so you could consider them sentient."
Ardyn only vaguely grasped the meaning, but for Maschenny, this was rather shocking. She didn't really know how such an idiot like Arathion could have obtained the Holocron.
Even for the Great Families, Holocrons were rare treasures because of the power that one needed to successfully create one, and thus every one of them was precious. They were more effective than traditional Grimoires, and the fact that the person creating them was able to store their Data Version to guide the inheritor of the Holocron was even better.
Sometimes, some random Holocrons appeared on the Auctions, but each was for billions of Lien, and sometimes... when it came to the Holocrons of truly powerful experts, then Lien were not even able to calculate the true value of such a thing.
"Holocrons usually contain all knowledge and experience of the person creating them, and to create them, you need to be a very strong person... Arathion Family is just a little shrimp in the Dominion, even if they tend to pretend otherwise, so that it couldn't be from them."
Ardyn now looked at the thing with greater interest, and part of him was certainly a bit worried that Maschenny would keep the thing solely for herself, depending on the reaction that she had toward the object.
"So it's like precious?"
He asked as he reached out to touch the Holocron, and the moment he touched the thing, suddenly he felt like his head was spinning, and sparks of electricity appeared around the Holocron as it shot towards the two of them.
In a split second, the Holocron started shaking, and its mechanical parts began turning and doing something. On both of their hands, a mark appeared that appeared to be of a small, crimson, tower-like structure.
Soon enough, the Holocron opened partially as lines of text appeared before their eyes, which Maschenny read out loud.
[To whoever is reading this.
You managed to open one of my Holocrons that contains part of my Legacy that is spread acorss the entire Remnant Realms and contains even the knowledge of the Forgotten Realm.
Unlike the others, if you want to access this Holocron, you need to pass a series of tests to open it fully. Only those guided by the Fate could open this machinery and be given my Mark.
When the Mark of the Red Tower is filled, you will be able to access Level 2 of the Holocron. For the time being, you can acess only the Level 1 Knowledge from the overall 5 Levels of the Holocron.
After unlocking the entirety of the machine, it would give you a method of obtaining the next part of the Legacy.
This is my message to whoever reads this.
If you pass all tests and obtain all of my Holocrons, you can inherit my complete Legacy.
I am Enryu, The Red Tower and The Messenger.]
Both Maschenny and Ardyn looked at each other for some time, as neither really knew what to do with this situation or even how to react to this. Obviously, Ardyn was even more confused than, but truthfully, even Maschenny didn't really know what to do.
"Let's think straight over the things that just happened, alright?"
He took charge of the situation because he saw how she looked at the Mark on her hand, and it wasn't the look of happiness or excitement but of worry instead. He could understand the sentiment, because even if he was confused as heck, he managed to find a few clues.
Obviously, the one who created the Holocron was someone extremely powerful.
He didn't know how much, but considering Maschenny's worried face, which was shown for the first time, it was someone far more powerful than her father, who was Holy Saint, which could be pretty troublesome.
Maschenny wasn't even worried about the Grimm horde that surrounded them... because, overall, the danger of the Grimm wasn't big to her. They were predictable and could be dealt with through conventional means.
Another thing was that she didn't recognize the person who was signed down there below the information. That was rather troublesome because it could mean a lot of things... from the situation where the person was someone long dead, which could be one of the better scenarios.
Referring to the situation where he was one of the old monsters in the seclusion, or perhaps he was someone not even from Remnant. Ardyn wasn't really aware that the Remnant was aware of the existence of other dimensions... it could be or could not, but he was aware of the existence of different worlds.
Nevertheless, he understood one thing very well.
Having the attention of someone like this didn't really mean a good thing in all cases.
That was something that Ardyn could personally attest to.
"This Holocron belonged to an unknown, powerful entity and contains his Legacy, right?"
Ardyn asked as Maschenny as she nodded because that was indeed the truth. He knew that she must have been pretty stressed and nervous, because he knew firsthand that having the attention of unknown, powerful entities could be really frightening.
Nobody really knew what the plan of the said entity was and what they wanted to achieve, which could be very dangerous for them.
"Now, the Mark seems to be harmless at the moment, and it seems that this is indeed just an ordinary method to pass on Legacy for the time being. Though, if you want, you can let yourself be checked for the signs of possession or something nefarious."
He could imagine that someone could even be trying to resurrect by passing their Legacy onto someone. As someone who carried two thousand years of knowledge in his head and met with literary Gods, he knew that the powerful beings had many tricks up their sleeves.
Ardyn was also aware of the Gods in this world, because one of the things that he drew in the Gacha was that the version of the Gods from his world appeared in this world as well.
Which was another thing that he wasn't fond of and considered it more troublesome than anything else.
"So what do you want to do? I admit that I was initially very excited... but now I have certain reservations."
Maschenny stated that even though she was rather bold and wanted to obtain the Legacy within the Holocron, she knew that it could be dangerous.
Despite her tendencies as an extreme adrenaline seeker, which was something that she was famous for, she knew that if she wasn't careful, then in disturbances like this, death was the best-case scenario.
"I think it's worth the risk. Let's take a look at what we can obtain from the acess to the Level 1 of this Holocron."
Ardyn decides to explore the Holocron because he didn't sense anything dangerous from either the Holocron or the Mark that appeared on his hand. When they turned their attention back to the Holocron, there was only one major piece of information in the entire 1st Level to which they had access.
"Shinwonryu? Sounds like something from the Anima Continent..."
Maschenny spoke about the entire Level 1 of the Holocron; there was only one technique that was part of the Enryuu's Legacy, as it seemed. Even with her rather vast knowledge of all topics, she didn't really recognize the term, but it sounded oddly Mistrali.
It came straight from the Anima.
Remnant had several languages that were being used, though for the most part, everyone spoke in the Remnantian Common. Still, Anima had actually several minor languages that were still being actively spoken, and the name Shinwonryu sounded very much like something from the Anima.
"Well... It's written that this is an Aura Manipulation Style... here look... It's written here that it's for 'Those who have opened the door'... isn't this for the Irregulars?"
Ardyn read the description of the thing, which surprised him, because if something like that was recorded here, it meant the Holocron's creator was also Irregular and had opened his Soul on his own.
This was also something that Maschenny thought too.
"Dammit..."
Maschenny looked rather annoyed because she felt that she was losing something valuable.
Which wasn't entirely wrong, because if this was the Holocron of Irregular, it meant that most of the things inside would be created to be used by Irregular only. So, any direct benefit for someone like her wouldn't be that high.
"Don't be upset... even if you cannot learn it in its full form, it doesn't mean that you cannot take some inspiration from it at all, and studying the techniques of the Irregulars or the knowledge meant for them could be useful even for you in one way or another."
Ardyn said as he knew that even if the technique or whatever it was was meant for the Irregulars, it didn't mean that she couldn't benefit from the observation and study of the thing in the future.
Another thing was that, even though she received the same Mark from opening the Holocron, which surely meant something. That led him to the idea that they opened the Holocron together for some reason, meaning that even she was chosen by the Holocron.
According to everything she said about the Holocrons, one cannot open them without the approval of the consciousness inside the Holocron. So by that logic, despite not being Irregular, Maschenny was also chosen by the Holocron as she had the Mark of the Red Tower on her right hand, as he had.
"Yes... That's it. Even if I couldn't perhaps use the things in there directly, I can still use them to improve myself, and perhaps I can even comprehend some skills for the Irregulars."
Upon hearing his words of encouragement, she immediately came up with a new wave of determination to achieve something from the current situation as the two of them started studying the records on the Holocron.
***
Dominion Warship Ironblood, Atlesian Dominion, Atlas
"Welcome, Mr. Izunia, to the Sky City, also named City of Progress... and most importantly, our Capital, the City of Atlas."
Before them was an enormous floating island, according to public information, covering more than ten thousand square kilometers, which meant it was enormous. Obviously, the entire island wasn't one huge city, but there were also farmlands, various other facilities, military installations, and many other things.
The city itself was built atop a large, flat plateau, with a range of mountains on the north-most "coast" of the landmass, as well as a singular mountain rising at its center. Large generators surrounded the island, allowing it to be protected by Hard-light Dust Shields and countless Magical Wards, which also served as climate control devices.
"Originally it wasn't floating, but several thousand years ago some Holy Saints ventured into the depths of the underground catacombs and discovered the starting system... when they activated it, the entire city was raised to the skies, where it remained till now. Even though it's a Floating Island, it's actually capable of moving and could be moved around the Solitas if needed."
Ardyn stood on the command deck of the Ironblood together with Captain Ironwood and, surprisingly, even Maschenny was there once they were notified that they were already nearing the airspace of the capital.
He had to admit that when they were nearing the City of Atlas, it was a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Coming north from the Airport, Atlas city is built concentrically around the former Imperial Palace, now known just as the Immortal Bastion. The majority of the city's island was composed of large residential areas and businesses, whose architecture took large inspiration from a blend of art deco and neoclassical elements.
At first glance, it was more than apparent that this place was the heart of all technological and magical advancements in the Remnant, because it was everywhere one looked.
The Dominion's supremacy and mastery in the areas of technology, Magic, and military were ever-present. It could be felt in every single part of the capital of the Atlesian Dominion, or throughout the entire island in the skies.
"What are those floating ships around the island?"
Ardyn pointed to something that was very reminiscent of the concept of the Floating Castles if they had them here. They were humongous, obviously, they were smaller than the island and City of Atlas, but they could easily pass for some smaller town... aside from being clearly armed to the teeth, which he could see even from a far distance.
"Those? Those ones are the Floating Castles of some of the Great Families... if you look closer, you would see their crests on them. That one with the snowflake symbol is of the Schnee Family, the one with the sword is of the Arie Family, and the last one with those inscriptions is of the Lo Po Bia Family."
Ardyn recognized the names because all of them were of the Great Families.
Knowledge that was drilled into his mind by Maschenny, he even remembered that from them, the Po Bidau Family was originally from the Vale, and the Lo Po Bia Family was originally from the Empire of Mistral.
Among the surviving nations of Remnant, the Atlesian Dominion and previously the Imperium of Atlas was the youngest one as it existed only a something around three thousand years ago.
Floating Castle was a very huge, large, and vast Floating Ship that can be easily identified by its massive size, and its capacity to house thousands, or maybe even dozens of thousands of living beings.
Some Floating Castles also often had buildings, skyscrapers, house residences, enough to build a city-like environment, because they were often used by the Great Families to act as their headquarters, and for the Families with thousands of years of existence, they surely had a lot of members.
The Floating Castle could also carry many Floating Warships, and it also served as the military hub for the entire nation, not only the Great Family to whom the Floating Castle belonged.
"Right now, there are 7 Floating Castles in the entire Dominion. Each of the Great Families of the Dominion owns one, while the remaining two are the property of the Dominion's Military."
Ardyn nodded as he then proceeded to ask another question.
"Does every Great Family have such things, or is it just a few?"
He was pretty interested in this because there were more Great Families across the world than just in the Dominion.
"No. The Floating Castle is being built only in the Atlas, because only here you would find the necessary technology, Magic, and industrial capabilities to actually produce one of those."
It was better left unsaid that buying a Floating Castle was nothing short of insanity, which cost tens if not hundreds of billions of Lien, and sometimes it couldn't be paid even in the Lien, because constructing and functioning a Floating Castle was much more precious than money.
Though Ironwood knew that some of the Great Families of Remnant's other kingdoms bought or exchanged many things for that. The last one was the Ha Family from the Empire of Mistrali, as they paid an exorbitant price for it.
Mainly because wild Khun Eduan appeared, and because of his grudge with the Ha Yurin, the price reached a rather irrational number. The relationship between the Great Families of Remnant was far from peaceful, because while all of them cooperated against the Grimm and other threats, they also fought among each other for resources.
Not to mention some families just outright hated each other.
In the end, the Ha Family could only grit their teeth and pay up... when they returned the Floating Castle to Mistral, it sparked another wave of tension between the Great Family Ha and the Imperial Qin Clan, which still officially ruled the lands of Mistral.
And allegedly, there have been talks that some Sect in the Mistral wanted to buy something... it seemed that the tension within the Empire was brewing.
"Hmm... it seems that ours is a mission as well as the Ark of Knowledge of the Po Bidau Family..."
Maschenny muttered as she looked at the panorama of the floating island, which also meant that her father wasn't present within the capital.
"We would be descending toward one of the military Airports, from which you will go by yourself. I have taken the liberty to contact the Administration Bureau for the citizen registration."
Obtaining Citizenship within the Atlesian Dominion was pretty hard.
One of the greatest distinctions between the Dominion and other nations was that the Atlesian Dominion had the concept of Citizenship. One could say that all people living in the Atlas were separated into three Classes, collectively known as Atlesians.
1st were the National Civilians, 2nd were the Citizens and 3rd were the Atlesian Junker Aristocracy.
Everyone who wasn't a Citizen or Atlesian Junker Aristocrat and had a National Civilianship Certificate, then belonged to this category. This category of Atlesian National Civilans or people holding the National Civilianship.
This category of people was the biggest but also had the least amount of rights and privileges compared to the other two.
The next ones were the Citizens. The Citizens were those who joined the Dominion Service in any form and contributed to the nation.
Joining the Dominion Service does not necessarily mean military service, and applicants may be assigned to any field where they sacrifice their time and effort for the Dominion, though military service is most highly regarded.
It all fell under Dominion Service.
The Citizens were first and foremost given a lot of rights. They were able to vote in the Dominion Elections, run for the public offices, they were given the right for free speech, they were also given a lot of grants in the form of money and other support, they were paid tuition for University if they wished to pursue higher education, they were given many bonuses in form of governmental support when havinga family...
Then they were also allowed to own property in the Atlas Metropolitan Area, which was something that Civilians were not really allowed to do in the past years. They were allowed to live in Atlas, but not to own the property or land itself.
Most importantly... Citizens were eligible to be raised into the Atlesian Junker Aristocracy.
For the foreigners, it was even harder, but also at the same time much more straightforward if they were Huntsmen, Mages, or anything that could kill Grimm or had the necessary skills to make contributions to the Atlas.
And the foreigners needed a Letter of Recommendation from somewhere, and before Maschenny could ask someone from her family to give it to Ardyn, it was already written by Captain Ironwood.
The blue-haired heir of the Khun realized that the Captain of this ship must have seen the images from the satellites and knew that Ardyn was someone worth investing in and befriending...
Thus, he made the first move.
***
Landing with the Warship was rahter a fast thing, as when they disembarked, Maschenny took it on herself to go with Ardyn to the Administration Bureau for the registration and everything.
It seemed that even though the car was there, already waiting for them, aside from the driver, there wasn't a guide.
"They probably forgot to send someone."
Maschenny said nonchalantly, as they got into the car, which was a pretty luxurious limousine, as they headed directly to the center of the city. The ride would take them around one hour or so, because they were on the edges of the island and were basically heading toward the center of it.
Despite everything, the entire island was still pretty big to be traversed by an ordinary limousine.
"Now let me do some things first before we talk about the legal things."
Maschenny stated as she took out her Pocket and sent several messages and made two calls. One of the calls was to her family, informing them that she was going to bring him to the Administration Bureau for the legal procedures, and asked for a lawyer and for additional help.
Then she attended the Alsius Military Academy and reported the same thing, albeit in a different manner, and requested something to be reported to the Administration Bureau.
"Now that this is done, we need to go through other things. With the Grimm that you have slayed together with saving my life, it is enough for the Citizenship, and then from the Citizenship to the 2nd-Class Knighthood, perhaps even 3rd-Class Knighthood if we are lucky."
Even he was rather surprised... at how high rank this feat would give him, because normally it would be only enough for the Citizenship, but apparently that he saved the life of Khun Princess was more than enough for the Knighthood.
"You are really working fast... Thank you very much for the help, Thunder Princess."
Ardyn said as Maschenny actually blushed slightly at the sudden praise, before quickly recovering her poise.
"That's only given for a Princess like me."
She immediately returned to her haughtier persona, as he swore that his moods changed faster than the weather. Well, at least the good news was that she wasn't bugging him for a fight, because, as it was shown, the girl was a total battle maniac.
Once she had recovered enough, she started bothering him for a spar, because apparently, as he learned, Maschenny was addicted to fighting someone. Obviously, she preferred fighting strong people, but when she was bored, she settled for even less.
And she was a bit hyperactive.
"Now then, what benefits do I get by getting the Knighthood?"
Ardyn asked because rising in the social hierarchy in a world with an extremely rigid social system was at the top of his priorities. Well, he managed to do it on Earth as well as on Eos.
Here...
It wouldn't be any different.
As he thought over it, he suddenly stopped in his thoughts.
'When did it... damned Gacha... damned Murasaki. It seems that my memories have compeltely merged to the point where I can't distinguish between them. Who am I? Sirius Grey? Ardyn Izuniua? Something middle that was created from the merger between the two of them...'
Ardyn was really undergoing internal turmoil because he noticed something now that he was sitting here and just listening to Maschenny, who was rather happily reporting everything she managed to do in a short span of time, and looked like a cat that needed praise after catching a rat.
His memories were mushy, and he couldn't distinguish what was from what, as everything was just there together.
It seemed that Murasaki was right...
'There is no power without the sacrifices.'
***
Bureaucracy is boring.
That was the conclusion of all of his memories.
And here, even despite all of the Magical and Technological advancements that the Atlesian Dominion made, it wasn't any different. Here, there were, in the center of the Atlas, as there was at the department that was dealing with Immigration.
Someone from the Khun Family came to meet them, because Maschenny called for the lawyer, as that was something which Ardyn really needed. It was someone from the Khun Family, Khun Royale Eliot, one of the core members of the Khun Family.
Like everyone else in the Khun Family, he had blue hair and blue eyes, with almost permanently closed eyes.
"After obtaining the Immigration Permit, we can go to the Ministry of the State, Department of State Affairs for the National Civilianship Card, from which we would need to go to the Ministry of Citizens and apply for the Citizenship. After that one is complete, we need to head for the Department of the Records to be recorded as Citizen, then to the Council of Heralds and form an formal application for the Ennoblement Review, pass the review and be issued the Warrant of Aristocracy with what we need to return back to the Department of Records but not before heading to the Department of Nobles and Aristocrats for the Seal of Approval from the State Authorities..."
Ardyn listened, but he got lost after the third or fourth sentence, which was somewhere near the start of the conversation. He personally didn't know whether this was just the basic state of the Atlesian bureaucracy and that they liked it very much, or whether it was done on purpose so lawyers would have work to do.
It was a mystery for him.
Right now, they were waiting in the lobby of the Department of Immigration, which was under the Ministry of State, but fortunately, the wait wasn't really that long, as there weren't many people here in the first place.
With the papers that the Khuns prepared, obtaining the Immigration Permit was pretty easy, and everything was finished within around half an hour. The real fun started at the Ministry of the State, Department of State Affairs, because the entire process was very lengthy, and the review took more than one hour.
But in the end, after spending one hour answering pretty rudimentary questions or the things that he could generally answer, he officially became the Atlesian National Civilian after he was given all the necessary documents.
"So where are we heading now?"
Ardyn asked, and the trio walked out of one of the administrative buildings within the capital of the Dominion, as he still marvelled at the sight of the city.
"Ministry of Citizenship. This would be more troublesome than the rest, but fortunately enough, we have several Letters of Recommendation, and Princess Maschenny recorded the number of Grimm that you slayed. Which helps greatly in this case."
Khun Royale Elliot stated as he looked at his relative, who was looking bored as hell.
Maschenny herself didn't know why she even agreed to come here in the first place, but she also thought that it wouldn't take this long. Apparently, she thought that everything would be done in a flash, but that was a rather severe miscalculation that she had made.
Ardyn noticed that even though both Khuns were from the same family, there wasn't much familiarity between them. Which wasn't really that surprising, as the Great Families of Remnant numbered in the hundreds, sometimes even in the thousands of members.
Due to the longevity of the Professionals, who were either those who had just had their Aura or those who were also Mages, it wasn't a problem for them to live many centuries unless they were killed by powerful Grimm or another kind of enemy.
The lifespans of Remnantians were long, way longer than those on Earth or Eos, and it was primarily attributed to the Magic and Aura. Ardyn noticed that even people without their Aura awakened were able to live easily for a hundred years, and that diseases were actually pretty rare on the Remnant.
The Khuns were one of the more populous Great Families, and Maschenny's status within the family was also very special.
As she was the Princess of the Family.
Her status was pretty high on the overall hierarchy.
Compared to the other nations of Remnant, the Atlesian Dominion was ruled by strict rules and a hierarchical structure. Even the ordinary Atlesians function on these principles as well, because, from what Ardyn could see, everyone was doing what they should do and in the most efficient way.
The entire city was also very clean, and people behaved in a strange, disciplined way.
"Aside from Captain Ironwood, someone else gave me a recommendation?"
Obtaining the Citizenship of Atlas was no easy feat, and ironically, they were the only kingdom with such a concept, because other Kingdoms had only Citizenship in the most broad and general sense.
Not the strict and rigid version of what was in the Atlesian Dominion.
"Yes... Apparently, there is also one from the Patriarch and one from the Principal Vandyck of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy."
This time, it was Ardyn's turn to be surprised, but not because of the Khun Eduan writing him the Letter of Recommendation, because he already anticipated that the scheming blue-haired girl had her hands in that.
But the second one was more surprising.
Juulius Hadrian Vandyck was the current Principal of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy and one of three Marshals of the Dominion Military.
Aside from apparently being a very powerful Saint Mage and Aura Warrior, the man was also a highly respected war veteran and was one of the heroes of the Solitan Great War from more than two hundred years ago.
"Apparently, it's for enrollment into the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy."
Attending the "school" wasn't really something he was keen on, but at the same time, he learned that the Academies functioned very differently. Every nation had its own primary "Huntsman Academy" and several minor ones...
They were institutions created many millennia ago to establish a centralized system of education to cultivate a new generation of Huntsmen, Mages, and Warriors to fight the creatures of Grimm.
The most famous were:
Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was famous for its military culture, extremely rigid hierarchy, and combat orientation. Unlike the other Academies, the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy also taught topics not offered by the others, such as military strategy and tactics, field troop command, and other skills officers needed in the army.
Celestial Haven Academy of Mistral, which was more focused on the Aura Cultivation and Aura-based Martial Arts. Celestial Haven Academy was the oldest one among the Four Great Academies, but it was also in the worst state and in sharp decline due ot the various internal reasons.
Royal Shade Warrior Academy of the Sultanate of Vacuo was probably the best school for anything related to survival in the wilderness and other similar skills. It also made much of their local enviroment a desert, so their courses leaned more toward fighting in the unfriendly environment and using everything at hand for survival.
Holy Beacon Academy was the last of the important Academies that he was counting in his head. It was the most comprehensive and basically lacked any specific specialization like the others.
On the other hand, it was very famous for its most versatile curriculum and, generally speaking, for having the highest ratio of some of the strongest Professionals as the faculty members. It was generally told that their Mages and Aura Knights were the most skilled in the entire world.
All things considered, Ardyn knew there were many benefits to attending the Academy.
Something Maschenny was very vocal about, for whatever reason.
Still, he understood the value of attending the Academy and what was another added bonus, the fact that there were also special students with special needs that did not really fit the concept of years.
Meaning, even though normally one needed to attend the Academy for four years, there was also a special course for students who could not be classified by usual standards, and those students had much greater freedom than the others.
Maschenny was one; most members of the Great Families of the Dominion were also one. In fact, most of the students who attended the General-Class System were actually commoners or people with rather ordinary talent and aptitude.
Another form of social hierarchy was shown in the Atlas.
"We should get going before the clerks at the Ministry of Citizenship go for lunch..."
As they went to their destination by car, Ardyn looked at bored Maschenny, who was pondering over something as she looked through the window. Although she wasn't a chatterbox, this kind of silence wasn't something that he was used to from her.
"Hey, Elliot. Do you think that he will have the chances for the 3rd-Class Knighthood?"
Suddenly she turned around from the window and stared at her family member with that inblinking look that could give even grown Huntsman fright. Even though Khun Royale Eliot was someone who was a fairly powerful Saint and was also an S-Rank Huntsman, he still felt very uncomfortable under Maschenny's gaze.
The girl learned to be extremely spooky and how to annoy people to get exactly what she wanted. Khun Royale Eliot knew that Maschenny was manipulative, cunning, and too smart for her own good sometimes.
Yet her talent was undeniable to the point where even the Patriarch, who was her father, spent no small time personally guiding her. Which was almost unprecedented considering the size of the Khun family and also the number of children that Khun Eduan sired.
Among the heads of the Great Families, Khun Eduan was most hedonistic and had the most wives, many more lovers and concubines, and many children. He was also the reason why, in the past three centuries, the number of Khuns multiplied by 5.
"Truthfully speaking, I am not sure. With the number of Grimms slain, Merit for the rescue of the Princess, and also the recommendations for the Patriarch, the 2nd-Class Knighthood is basically guaranteed. But obtaining the Grand Knight Noble Title would be pressing... considering the fact that he was still a foreigner not long ago, and unless we play it smart or your father gets involved even more, we will have to settle for the 2nd-Class Knighthood."
Khun Royale Elliot answered honestly because he knew what the Princess wanted to achieve, and while it would be good... he wasn't really sure if it was possible right now.
The Atlesian society was extremely strict and rigid; everything turned around Merit and personal strength here.
'Well, if what Patriarch said is true, then if they form a team and manage to fill the rest with at least someone who is not outright deadweight, they have a solid chance at winning the Imperial Smelting Trial next year... still... this generation at the Academy is really filled with monsters... Princess Maschenny, that sword maniac Arie, then the eldest daughter of Gehrman Schnee and granddaughter of Holy Saint Winter Summoner, and then there are those two as well... with this Atlas may even win the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars...'
As someone from the Khun Family, winning events like this would bring them unprecedented prestige, and the rewards for the 1st place in the Imperial Smelting Trial and especially the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars were something that would tempt even powerful Rankers.
Especially those of commoner origin would kill even for a spot of participation, much less for winning prizes. Even a prize for the last Ranked spot within the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars was something that could change someone's fate.
"Can't we bypass it? He has at least two Noble Artes that he has shown, which alone raised his genetic value to the Dominion by a whole degree."
Maschenny stated as Ardyn looked at the blue-haired teen with a mildly amused expression that was merging with one of distress. Particularly, he didn't really like that she was talking about him if he wasn't even present, but at the same time, he was also curious where all of this would lead to.
"Hmm... that could technically work, and his Aura is rather huge for his age, which is pretty unusual for someone outside of the Great Families. We can try it, but if we do, then the Council of Heralds would insist on several exclusive missions at a later date."
Within the Dominion, the Council of Heralds handled everything regarding the Ennoblement and issuing the Aristocratic Titles to the Citizens. Within the Atlas, the conditions for the Noble Title were extremely strict, and even then, one couldn't create their own Household even if they wished.
For the Knights, there was no way that they would be allowed to create their own Noble House, like in Vale, where it was allowed. The Knight Houses were a real deal in the Kingdom of Vale and were pretty numerous, while in the Atlas, the Knight Families were not officially recognized as a Noble Lineage.
Only the Lesser Houses were. Primarily because the Vale was the birthplace of the traditional Nobility in the Remnant, and they had the longest Knight Traditions in the world, and while the Mistralians created the concept of Aura Cultivation, it was in the Vale where the Profession of Aura Knight was perfected.
Still, Ardyn knew how social status was important in societies like this.
Especially in the most rigid ones.
One could say that it was everything.
He knew that if he gained a higher social status, his time in the Atlas would be much easier, and he would have many rights and privileges that he wouldn't even have with Citizenship.
Maschenny mentioned that the nation that was most "liberal", if the word was even right for it, was Vale. Commoners in Vale could actually lead a relatively good life, as long as they were not Faunus.
Still, compared to Atlas and Mistral, Vale was a paradise for the Faunus species.
Apparently, Empire was the worst place for the faunus because anyone who was found would be immediately enslaved without a second thought and sold to some of the Mistrali Clans.
And it was a well-known fact that the Mistralians had high expertise for their slaves, as most perished during training as they served as living targets or were used in some obscure rituals, or even worse.
Still, according to what Maschenny told him, Atlas wasn't really much better, as the humans couldn't really get past their hatred toward their kind.
"Then make it happen."
She commanded as she then turned her attention to me with narrowed eyes.
"Will you care to explain all of this later?"
Ardyn asked, and seeing her nod her head made him rest easily as he just looked through the window of their car and observed the city. He knew that she was plotting something, but surprisingly, he didn't sense malice from her.
Plotting shgcmes was Ardyn's specialty.
Ardyn Izunia could sense anyone's intention toward him just from a single look.
That was the combination of being more than two thousand years old, or so he had thought, now that he started considering his merged entity as an entirely new being, and also having the Starscourge in him.
When it came to that, he couldn't really use it, but he could sense the thing in his body. He knew that it was turned either into that thing that they called Noble Arte or it would be his Semblance.
One of those things.
***
Ardyn and Maschenny waited in the lobby of the Council of Heralds for the final decision regarding the evaluation. Maschenny's clansman, Khun Royale Eliot, who acted as his lawyer, had finished everything, and now the sole thing awaiting them was the verdict.
In the end, due to the Letters of Recommendation, the things at the Ministry of Citizenship went smoothly, and within one hour, Ardyn Izunia was a Citizen of the Atlesian Dominion.
Then all three of them headed to the Council of Heralds, which was located in the adjacent building to The Citadel of Atlas, where they submitted the request for Ennoblement and all things that were required for the action by the Council.
"So, what's this commotion all about, blue-hair?"
Ardyn asked with his typical teasing grin as he looked at Khun Maschenny while they were waiting in the lobby of the Council of Heralds. He was rather curious what plot she was cooking, because he could see a kindred spirit in her.
The girl's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, and even Khun Royale Eliot looked at the young man with surprise, because nobody really dared to tease Maschenny, considering how violent and vengeful the girl could be.
"I don't think that you are aware of what the Imperial Smelting Trial is, am I correct?"
Maschenny asked as he just nodded toward her question, because he had absolutely no idea.
"In the past, before the Dominion, there was the Imperium of Atlas. Mighty nation, but full of flaws, and in the end, the incompetence and weakness of its Emperors led the nation to ruin and then to the rebellion. The Imperial Family of the Imperium was, in the past, fairly powerful, and most of that power was due to the Imperial Smelting Trial. Basically, a competition between the young Atlesian Adepts where they would create teams and fight for the win. The ones who win will obtain the right to undergo the Revolution."
Ardyn listened attentively because now a lot of things were making sense to him.
It seemed that Maschenny realized his value if he was cultivated for some time and wanted to obtain him as a partner for the Imperial Smelting Trial that would take place in the future.
Unfortunately, he didn't get the opportunity to ask for further information, because as he was about to say something, the doors opened and one of the Envoys of the Council of Heralds entered the lobby.
"The Council has passed its decree. With this Warrant of Aristocracy, Citizen Ardyn Izunia has been awarded the 3rd-Class Knighthood and Aristocratic Title of Grand Knight for his feats of slaughtering entire smaller Grimm Horde, rescuing the Princess of the Khun Family, and possessing tested and confirmed Magic Lineage and Noble Artes and is thus named as The Knight of the Realm."
The Herald, a middle-aged man with an ordinary-looking face and black hair, passed Ardyn the Warrant of Aristocracy, a huge, hardened parchment made from a very special material that could not be easily destroyed.
He took the Warrant of Aristocracy from the Herald's hands as the man had already disappeared into the nothingness.
"Well, that went better than anticipated... though that the old coots would make a fuss of this..."
Maschenny commented from the side with a bit of sarcasm, but overall, she was very satisfied with the outcome. This was already the best outcome that they could hope for, because the 3rd-Class Knighthood of the Grand Knight was the best that they could hope for in the short term.
Ardyn, too, was satisfied because in one step, he skipped over decades worth of problems and efforts, straight away into the social status that some people strived for through their entire lives.