Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 237: Book 4: Chapter 2: Merit

Read chapter 237 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 4: Chapter 2: Merit Chapter 2: Merit Their “guest quarters” wasn’t a house so much as a lavish mini-palace carved into the high inner ring of the city. It contained various buildings in a collective complex surrounded by low walls providing a bit of privacy from the rest of the city. There were plenty of rooms, each with balconies overlooking the city caldera. As well, there were food and silks provided, and attendants bowing at almost every door. The first thing Alex noticed as he stepped through the gate into the entry courtyard was that the air was quite warm, and scented faintly of burning oils and spiced wine. It smelled like he was walking into an old Greek bathhouse, as if he really knew what that smelled like. But it was what he imagined one would, if he were there. Lady Xhiu walked at the front of the group and led them through the compound with her usual effortless grace. Various attendants followed the group at a careful distance. Each of them were silent as shadows. Alex saw the display as one of opulent luxury wrapped tight enough around them that one could almost forget the invisible bars that they were surrounded by. “This residence,” Xhiu said, gesturing with a slim hand toward the sprawling complex of chambers, “is yours to use as you see fit. Treat it as home for as long as you remain here.” Alex didn’t miss those last words. As long as you remain. It had the ring of a condition. Very close to that of a warning, but not quite. She gathered them all back in the courtyard after providing a brief tour of the many halls and rooms. Its paving stones were traced with channels of glowing glyph-runes that shone faintly. The team clustered together in the courtyard at the end of the tour. Holly leaned lightly against the railing near a small open cliffdrop. Tom-Tom crouched by a lava vent with a curious squint on his face. Alex hoped that the little guy wasn’t going try to lick it. Lady Xhiu stood before them, framed by the volcano’s rising smoke behind her. Her tone was soft and calm, but each word held the authority of someone who had lived in the annals of power her whole life. It was tone he knew well, because he heard it his entire life, too. A person who had power, and expected others to recognize it. “You must understand the importance of where you stand,” she began. “The Urhara Empire is not a kingdom of people alone, it is a crucible of many mages. At its heart stands two thrones: Emperor Regulus and Empress Yue. Together, they have ruled for more than three centuries. Their cultivation is… beyond you. They are Dusk Sage Tier.” The words dropped into Alex’s mind like truck-kun barreling toward him on the street. Sage Tier, he had never seen such power in action, or ever been in the presence of it. Except for, perhaps, Sylvaris, though he couldn’t be sure of that. Even Magus Tier was far beyond him, yet beyond the Magus Tier was the Sages, Demi-gods walking in flesh. “Yet, the Empire is not ruled by the thrones alone,” Xhiu continued. “It is a web of varying influences. Noble Houses, each tied to Martial Sects of warriors, to merchant dynasties, to Mage Bloodlines that have endured centuries of conflict. These powers circle the throne like hawks, waiting to swoop at weakness which shows itself, and the Thrones are hemmed in by them, their actions contained.” It wasn’t too far off from what they experienced in Terraxum. Politics and power was a game that was played everywhere. All the rules were always the same no matter where. Lady Xhiu’s words softened then, though her eyes did not, “My family is… a branch of the Throne. Cousins to the ruling blood. A place of honor, yes. But honor is fragile here, and cousins are useful only so long as they do not overreach and threaten one's own rise. My footing is secure enough, but not so secure that I may shield you without caution.” Alex watched her carefully. Unease had started to prickle at the back of his neck. She spoke plainly, but she was also reminding them