Monroe
Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Eight. The illusion of choice.

It was odd, Ed reflected, that he'd gone through hundreds of portals between Earth and Thayland, and after the first he hadn't had any qualms, but now that he was creating the portal, his nerves were on edge.

He'd had the capability for nearly a month, but despite taking the skill he hadn't used it. It was part of the skill build recommended by Bob and the Endless, which he'd followed carefully. He'd wanted the survivability and flexibility it had offered, and this was part of it.

Under normal circumstances, he'd have one of his staff available to open one for him, but he'd taken the rare day off.

He finished the ritual and let out a sigh of relief as the light yellow of his magic shifted and twisted, opening a portal back to Thayland. He stepped through the portal and into his office at Glacier Valley. Stepping out, he shot a series of rapid orders at his aide. While the reporters at the U.N. weren't sure what had happened to the assembly, Ed had a sneaking suspicion. He doubted that there had been an implosion, given the utter lack of rubble. He knew the King of Greenwold was going to be attending. He knew the King of Greenwold was a Dragon, and having met him, doubted the King would willing sit through a meeting at the United Nations. His conclusion was that the King had somehow transported the entire assembly to Thayland.

Now it was just a matter of finding out where. Orders given, he dropped a portal at his feet, falling through it and appearing above the valley. Falling through portals wasn't nearly as disconcerting when you were the one creating them.

Casting his flight spell, Ed rushed towards Holmstead. Someone, somewhere knew where the President was, and he intended to find them.

"To summarize, Madam President, you do not feel confident in the might of the American military to withstand the upcoming disaster?"

"I do not," she replied, "the documents I've provided are accurate in what we know, but as I'm sure your intelligence agencies have all said with depressing regularity, it's what you don't know that changes the equation." She shook her head before continuing. "I had no idea that the King could teleport the entire assembly chamber from Earth to Thayland. None," she stressed. "Nor was I aware that he was planning to do so."

"You plan to accede to his demands?" The Prime Minister of Italy sounded surprised.

"I do," she agreed, "because even if I were able to disagree and maintain control of my government, and somehow dissuaded my citizens from taking refuge here, I would be sentencing them to a horrible, bloody death. The King isn't asking us to give up our land or our sovereignty, he isn't asking us to put aside our religion or our principles. All he asks is that we allow him to save as many of us as possible, preferably with our eager cooperation."

"Which brings to question his motivations," the delegate from Israel replied. "From what I've gathered, the number of these 'mana crystals' that would be required is staggering. Hundreds of trillions of them."

"I won't presume to understand his motivations," Elania stated firmly. "He is at least tier eight, possibly tier nine, and despite having a humanoid form, he is a Dragon. I can only confirm that thus far, he has acted honorably and in good faith. As I've documented, a fraction of a percentage of our populace has been delving for these mana crystals, and extrapolating their success out, we will only need two percent, or slightly less, of our population engaged in that activity to provide the crystals necessary to maintain stasis for the rest."

"You've already taken advantage of this, haven't you?"

She smiled, and nodded. "Contrary to what the tabloids would have you believe, I haven't had any plastic surgery, nor have I started dying my hair. The increase to my Endurance attribute is entirely responsible for turning back the clock. In fact, as you're currently on Thayland, you now have active mana, simply either state or think very hard the word 'Status.'"

Murmurs of surprise began to ripple across the crowd as they accessed the System for the first time. "Extraordinary evidence." S~ᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"I wonder why no one has ever tried this before," Bob mused thoughtfully.

He was currently surrounded by a modified shield that prevented mana from entering it. It had taken three seconds for him to absorb the ambient mana, leaving a vacuum inside. He was able to shape his mana flows much more precisely, although the downside was that he wasn't able to regenerate his mana. His mana pool was deep enough that it wasn't much of a concern, but he could see that someone who was low level, or who hadn't focused on their spellcasting attributes, would run out of mana almost immediately.

'It requires a rather high degree of both skill and knowledge, something those who attempted to work with mana without the aid of the System lacked,' Trebor replied. 'Once the System provided access to skills, those clumsy attempts were left behind in favor of the faster and more powerful skills.'

"I understand," Bob agreed, "but it seems shortsighted to give up on it entirely."

'That is a point of view supported by your own cultural exposure,' Trebor stated. 'The species who abandoned their pursuit of mana usage outside of the System's skills were in rather desperate situations. Earth's mana-free existence has allowed for scientists and philosophers. They lacked that luxury.'

Bob nodded.

He'd revised his list of system-less spells he wanted to master. The foundation for it all had to be Mana-Sight. Without that, he was quite literally working in the dark. Then he'd want to reconstruct his Arcane Depths, which consisted of the elemental control spells, control mana, spatial expansion, and portal spells. The need to master all of those filled in a few other columns, notably control mana, which could be combined with eldritch shield to form either the mana vacuum he was working in now, or the shield that kept him from suffering from mana density sickness. He was fairly close on the Arcane Depths, and felt certain that he'd be able to recreate it now, although it might take a few tries.

Mana-Sight was difficult. He couldn't see the mana flows inside of his eyes, so he was working on recreating it by memorizing the feeling, which was tedious. Still, he felt that he'd be able to recreate it sooner rather than later, as it wasn't that terribly complicated, if his understanding of the flows was correct. Which it might not be as he couldn't see them.

Bob sighed and dropped his shield, standing up to stretch. It was time to get back to delving. "Dinner break is over, buddy," he said to Monroe, "do you want to come back in with me for the last couple of hours?"

Monroe was sprawled out on Bob's bed, and judging from his swishing tail, wasn't interested in moving.

Shaking his head, Bob fell through a portal back into his Arcane Depths. His day wasn't quite over yet, and it was time to put in the work.

Kellan watched the milling leaders and dignitaries from far above.

With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see that they separated into three groups. The first contained the Presidents and Prime Ministers of the countries who already had a presence on Thayland, and was by far the largest, containing better than half the people. The second was milling around the first loosely, and it appeared they were simply waiting to speak to one of the groups with actual experience. The final group was the smallest, containing less than thirty members, however they had clearly distanced themselves from the others. If he were one to wager his hoard, he would suspect they were the true dissidents.

He tucked in his wings and dropped, rapidly accelerating toward the ground. His draconic smile widened as he broke past the sound barrier mere moments before he reached the ground and flared his wings, slowing his descent enough for him to leave a deep impression, rather than a crater. People had long ago accepted the sonic boom that accompanied reaching true speed, but Earth's people, ever meticulous and inquisitive, and discovered the mechanics of it.

Kellan was going to save them all because Vi'Radia's light graced any and all who had not renounced her, but he had to admit that there quite a few who simply had too much to offer the world to allow to die.

"Leaders of Earth," he roared, "raise your hands' containing the plans to evacuate your people"

He let a little bit of flame flow with his words, lacing his powerful voice with fire, inscribing them in the sky where they burned for all to see.

It was gratifying to see them raise their hands, although some were hesitant. Most of those were from the second group, and he could read their expressions well enough to suppose that they were reluctant because they had questions, not because they were foolish enough to challenge his will.

He traced his mana and the air around them rippled, gently pulling what were mostly tablets, and a few notepads, out of their hands, floating them gently to his feet on a current of air. He turned his gaze to the small group who had not offered their plans.

"You were given instructions, and have proven that you cannot follow even the simplest of commands," Kellan bellowed, fighting the urge to incinerate the insolent insects immediately. He took a deep breath, which seemed to alarm all present, which served to satisfy his draconic nature, then he pushed the rituals he'd been holding out, feeling the keen loss of thousands of crystals from his hoard. His breath, appearing as heated air, rushed over the third group.

The dissidents were instantly trapped in crystalline coffins, their expressions frozen by stasis. He was able to see them in detail, and the rage, contempt, and hatred displayed marked them as those least likely to walk in Vi'Radia's holy light.

"The countries who have already established a presence here on Thayland with military personnel will have the forty days to replace them with civilians. Be aware that Veritas offers a Divine Blessing that ensures that the bearer can neither lie, nor be lied to. I assure you that any attempts at deception will fail immediately. Your plans will be reviewed, and hopefully approved, within the next two days."

Kellan raised a claw theatrically, and a Gateway twisted open. "Proceed through to the Church of the Light, where you will find shelter and sustenance while we finalize our arrangements."

He watched in satisfaction as the leaders of Earth walked hesitantly through the Gateway, leaving the dissedents frozen in time and encased in crystal, a poignant statement on the futility of disobedience.

As the last of them passed through the gateway, he smiled to himself. "I will carry them, kicking and screaming, and in the end, they will revere me."

Elizabeth was standing in the Cathederal of the Light, her armor gleaming, and her bare blade standing tall in front of her, point resting on the marble. Next to her was Porrose, the pint size corgi now the size of a mini-cooper. His coat gleamed as well, and his bright eyes surveyed the Cathedral, always alert and aware, looking for threats to his mistress.

Huron stood behind her and slightly to her left, separated by half the members of her protective detail, the other half on her right. He'd requested her presence, stating that the King had done something rather Dragon-like, and the entire United Nations assembly had taken an unscheduled trip to Thayland.

The massive Gateway at the far end of the Cathedral abruptly shone with golden light along its edge, while a veil of silvery liquid filled the space within. Leaders and dignitaries began spilling out, most looking apprehensive, and not a few fearful.

As more and more of them surged through, the first arrivals were forced to step further into the Cathedral of the Light, which caused no few to stumble, as they had been distracted by the incredible beauty that had been dedicated to the Church of the Light. Michaelangelo would have wept had he seen the heights to which art could rise, given centuries of practice, and superhuman attributes.

There pushing and jostling, which was something many of the delegates were unfamiliar with, however in just a few moments the Gateway winked out, leaving the crowd clustered around the end of the Cathedral, many gawking.

She frowned. There were two dozen, or perhaps a few more, delegates missing. Shaking her head, she raised her voice. "On behalf of England, and the Church of the Light, allow us to welcome you."

"Elizabeth?" The Prime Minister of India asked incredulously, his voice hoarse and cracked, a testament to the ferocity of the discussions that must have taken place.

"Yes, Chandra," she smiled at her childhood friend. "Your presence, as always, warms our heart, as the sun warms our skin, and our love for our people warms our souls."

The old man smiled and moved forward with all the dignity that hours on his feet and his cane allowed, bowing as he reached her. "I see that the 'reincarnation' ritual must work as described," he said. "If I may, you are as lovely, perhaps even lovelier, were that possible, than the flower of your youth."

She allowed herself a light laugh, breaching protocol on behalf of her oldest friend. "Phillip is engaged in the local Dungeon, else he would likely agree with your flattery," she replied.

Chandra raised a gray eyebrow. "It brightens my world to know that the rumor mongers were wrong, as they've whispered darkly, proclaiming his passing."

"He was quite ill," The Queen agreed, "however Thayland, and specifically," she nodded to Huron, "the Church of the Light, have miracles on tap. May I introduce you to the head of the Church of the Light, Huron," she nodded toward the High Priest. "Huron, this is my oldest friend, Chandra, the Prime Minister of India, a country with a population numbering in the billions."

Huron stepped forward, slowly and precisely raising his arms to lightly grasp Chandra's shoulders before bowing his head slightly. "May Vi'Radia and the Seven Gods of Light illuminate your path, sheltering you from the Shadows." He removed his hands smiled warmly at the older man. "Would you like to discuss the best time for your own Reincarnation? Her Majesty has informed us that the Earth cannot afford to lose your Wisdom and guidance."

"I'm not in danger of passing any time soon," Chandra replied gently, "and there are others in my country who are in much greater need than I."

"At your leisure then," Huron said smoothly. He inspected the rest of the crowd in the Cathedral. "Ladies and Gentleman," his voice carried, "acolytes will be arriving momentarily to see to your needs. If you need to rest, or eat, or simply wish for a quiet place to discuss the day with a few friends, you need only ask. All of the acolytes have accepted the Divine Blessing of Eros, and will be able to understand and reply in your native language. May Vi'Radia light your path."

He stepped back, and Elizabeth repressed a smile as several acquaintances moved forward to speak with her.

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