Chapter 191: An Offer

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AN: Got some editing suggestions? Suggest it on the Google docs here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mA0Evddk7tLqCg7yqkwrCZ75b4S1ALpCEjC1xAAHgDI/edit?usp=sharing

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Someone already covered it? It has to be that spy.

With the mention of Klaman, it confirms that he is the same guy from the records of the World Notifications that Vulpun showed me. It also means that he is a legendary tier being.

I do not want to know what he is after; it might be a trap to catch me since I evaded his tracking, but if that’s the case, then why not act sooner? He’s obviously following me around, and he’s powerful enough to kill everyone here, including Lanya, who has exalted tier Race and Classes, which means he’s not hostile, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an enemy.

“I can pay for myself,” I say.

“Something like this is very costly; you should be happy that someone else has already paid for it,” Lanya says.

“I don’t want to be in anyone’s debt; I have valuable information that I can pay with, like how to cure cursed skills” I try to entice Lanya with a better payment.

A healer like her should be very interested in purifying cursed skills, and while I don’t have direct confirmation, I do have a very good idea of how it’s done.

This causes Lanya to pause with obvious inner conflict but ultimately fails to change her mind.

“I sympathize with your desire not to be in anyone’s debt, but unfortunately, I have my own to pay off.”

So she doesn’t have much choice…

Realizing that I have no choice in this matter, I thank Lanya before returning to the Entalymo, now, I can make those upgrades, but I won’t be finished by the time we reach the Luna Empire, which is not far from Helikan.

There is no way I am meeting Klaman in person, but that also means I need to be able to use passive sensing at a distance, which I’m not sure is even possible. The whole point of passive sensing is that I don’t send out any perceptive vectors, and in order to perceive things at a distance, I have to send out and receive a ‘data stream’ which can be intercepted.

However, by sending this ‘datastream’ of perceptive vectors through another layer, it should be hidden. The problem is that I don’t know Klaman’s full capabilities and therefore don’t know if he can or can’t track through spatial layers; he is legendary tier, so I have to assume that he can.

In theory, I should be able to move my passive perception, but I’ll have to mix it with active perception. I won’t be able to get as much information as I normally would, like being able to [Analyze] someone or something.

I start training by clearing my mind before focusing on moving my passive perception, just like how I move my active perception. With my skill level being so high, it should be easy to do, so when nothing happens, I am a little surprised.

I focus harder, wondering if it’s just that difficult to doubt still nothing happens. It is clear now that it is either impossible to do or I am doing it wrong. Let’s go back to the basics; passive perception doesn’t use perceptive vectors, so it can’t ‘feel’ anything, so how does it actually work? It works by reading the MM force that passes through me, which implies some sort of sensory organ or aspect to it which means I should focus on that.

I change my focus onto my… perceptive spirit? Perceptive eye? Whatever it’s called, I focus on that, trying to force it out of my soul, body, or wherever it resides.

How will I be able to see if my perceptive eye is not with me?

A worryingly thought passes through my mind, but I quickly dismiss it; the answer is obvious. It will be connected to me via a mental link, or maybe I have multiple eyes and one can send perceptive vectors back to me; if push comes to shove, I’ll have to make another perceptive eye.

As I try to move my perceptive eye a strange empty feeling washes over me as if something is being removed from my… soul? Not quite the same; it’s something slightly different.

In any case, I feel my passive perceptive move away from my body; the strange thing is, I can still see what I am doing with my other Clones back in the Nexus, but the perceptive vectors aren’t leading to the eye but to me. In fact, I can see a small stream of vectors flowing to me from the projected eye.

Ting! Sense Mana has met requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 940!

47th breakthrough: You have projected a perceptive eye; this will help you perceive things further than normal.

Interesting, it seems my range is tied to my perceptive eye, not to me; in other words, I can send my eye to my current max range, and it will be able to double my effective range. There’s one issue, however, and that is how tangible is my perceptive eye and how vulnerable is it?

Can my perceptive eye be damaged, and how disposable are is it? To confirm how expendable they are, I try to send out another; however, this one is looking towards the Nexus, where one of my clones are.

Interesting, it seems I already have the breakthrough for multiple eyes, but at the time, I had no concept of this, so the system never mentioned it.

Can I set up my eyes to relay to each other for effectively infinite range? A quick test shows that I cannot do that, at least not without another breakthrough.

If the perceptive eye’s are the source of perceptive vectors, then is that how that Arachnoid monster damaged my perception?

I will have to look into this, but if that is the case, then maybe there’s a way to counter or restore my perceptive eyes. Perhaps with enough research into perceptive eyes and vectors, I can even attack someone else’s perception.

I don’t have much time to study further into perceptive eyes as the Entylamo docks at our final destination, a place where even I have little knowledge on due to the presence of Klaman, who can track even me.

I meet up with the rest of the delegation, who are different from the last ones. Three new elders so they get experience in dealing with foreign leaders and new guards; this time, Uloru and Kadona are chosen for guard duty.

“You have your anima healed!” Uloru exclaims after seeing me.

“Mhmm, this only highlights the importance of our mission; the things and people available here can make up for what we are deficient in, so you should act with the utmost care, Uloru,” Kadona says.

“Indeed” One of the Elders nods.

“Resources and opportunity are very good, but we also have to be careful of people who may want to take advantage of us or worse,” I say. I don’t want to be pessimistic, but we have to be careful. “I also have personal business here, so I will leave a clone behind to deal with it.”

“Very well.”

Unsurprisingly, when we step onto the docks, there is a reception already there for us, just like with Helikan. Klaman must have told them to expect us.

“Welcome to Lunaris, the capital of the Luna Empire; I am Velaren Fenor, Steward of the Empire.”

We go through the usual introductions before being escorted to the Palace. Fenor quickly agrees to the invitation, obviously knowing what we are going to ask but I have an impression that he is acting as if he has no choice in the matter.

It makes sense since he is just a steward and not the Emperor, but that leads to the question, where is the emperor? It’s hard for me to see with a passive perceiving eye there, and I don’t want to risk it with a legendary being nearby, especially one that can track me.

The meeting ends quickly, and the elders, Kadona and Uloru, return to the Entylamo.

“You’re here for Klaman, right?” Fenor asks.

“Yes,” I nod.

“Very well,” Fenor dismisses the advisors and guards before leaving the room as well. The moment the door closes, a tall man with groomed hair and dressed in a suit appears in the corner. I instantly recognize him as the one who almost tracked me.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Alysara, I am Sentaro Klaman, and I have a proposal for you.”

“Do I have a choice in the matter?” I ask. If it’s something I don’t like, I won’t agree to it, regardless, but I need to know where Klaman stands on this issue.

“Of course you do, but I didn’t help you, you needed healing, and I can do much, much more for you.”

“Two things: one, why are you doing this? And two, I can pay for services on my own; I don’t need your help.” I reply, perhaps a little less diplomatically than I would normally go about this, but Klaman gives me the creeps.

“I want you to be the Empress and lead this country to greatness! You have the potential, and the power to be what this empire needs!”

“Why can’t the emperor rule?” I’d assume Klaman is the emperor but thinking about it for a few seconds; it doesn’t add up. There would be no need for a steward to greet us if the emperor was around. And having a legendary being as Emperor would be a great deterrent for war and be a great patriotic symbol.

I don’t want to rule; I don’t think I’d be a good leader, plus it's too much work. I have no intentions of being Empress.

“He’s… unfit to rule”. Klaman says, with slight distaste in his tone.

“Will I have to bear an heir?” I ask. No matter the answer, I will still reject his offer; I just want to know how bad this offer is. It’s not that I am against having children; it’s that I’d rather have children with someone I love.

“Of course, but that’s just the nature of being Empress, and in return, you can have anything you want; I am a legendary being, one of the most powerful beings in the world, so there is little out of my reach. I can conquer this entire land if you wish, I can bring you the best materials there is to find, you can live in luxury and—”

I stop him with a raised hand.

“No.” I give my answer. “You are vastly overselling yourself, and I have no interest in ruling in the first place. The things I need you cannot provide unless you can guarantee me a legendary point.”

He actually can guarantee me a legendary point, but it’d cost him his life, and I don’t think he is willing to die.

“You already have two; while I can understand having your second Class at legendary tier, it is hardly necessary.”

He doesn’t know…

He assumes that I spent or plan to spend my legendary points on my Race and Class.

“That still doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to be Empress,” I say. “I can repay you for the healing, but I won’t accept this offer.”

“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Klaman sighs. “You are the perfect candidate, so I can’t simply let you go; So how about a duel, I track you, and if I find and teleport to you, I win, and you have to become the Empress. If you win, then I won’t pursue this any further, and you can ask one favor from me.”

“No! I have no reason to accept that ridiculous offer! You are legendary tier; you have the advantage!”

I won’t mention that my sensing skill is at a ridiculous level and is pretty much a legendary tier skill, but that’s besides the point.

“I have the advantage? How are you seeing me then? If anything, you’re perceptive abilities are beyond my tracking abilities. I can tell that you’ve improved since the last time.” Klaman remains calm, but I can tell he is disappointed.

Now that I think about it, it’s pretty much a battle of our skills. His unenhanced skill versus my enhanced and very high leveled skill, I have a very strong advantage; but it’s not something I want or need to risk.

“At least think about it,” Klaman continues. “You don’t have to accept now; we can talk about this in two days at the meeting.”