40 Control

It was clear to see that the clans enjoyed much better living standards than the masses. The disparity was like that of day and night. There was honestly no comparison to make.

That was clear from the exquisiteness of the carriage interior, but as we had approached the gated areas, the quality of the road increased substantially.

Whereas before, the road had been bumpy and uncomfortable to ride in, even in this carriage. Now it was smooth and void of holes.

The rancid smell that had been ever-present with the impoverished had dissipated. Instead, my nose was treated to the aroma of flowers and something sweet that reminded me of honey.

The gates were made of solid iron and were made more for practicality than style or a display of wealth. Yet, from a glance, it was easy to ascertain that they were expensive.

The carriage came to a brief halt as it waited before the gates. A couple of shouts were heard, and a bell rang. Shortly after, the doors groaned as they opened to allow us in.

The roads that led to these walls had been a small example of the wealth disparity that existed. The interior was a blatant slap in the face that opened my eyes to how bad it really was.

These walls housed an entire area that probably rivaled that town in size though it was dwarfed by it in population. The air smelled of food and fresh bread. The grass that was planted here was actually green and looked healthy. It was like walking into an entirely new realm. In fact, the weather here was actually better. The sky was still smothered, but it was warmer in here.

We continued onwards past many shops, houses, and even compounds towards the largest and most imposing. It dwarfed even the second-largest building 5 times over.

The people in here looked healthy and well-fed. I didn't see anyone of larger stature, but none looked starved. Perhaps the most fascinating thing of all this was they actually smiled at each other.

"Why the disparity in wealth?" The carriage had been quiet for quite some time, so when my question rang out, the girl had been caught off guard.

However, with ease, she was capable to quickly recompose herself. "There are not enough resources for all. So humanity has decided to keep only a portion of it in top condition." She took a breath and put on a face of sorrow. "It would not make sense to have all of humanity starve. After all, some most sacrifice for the benefit of all."

It took me a second to fully understand what she had said since some words were different from the french I spoke, but eventually, I managed to string it together. This is also why I understood that it was mostly bullshit, but I held my tongue. I wouldn't be helping the impoverished by speaking out rashly.

The fake sorrow of her voice as her words slipped out grated slightly against my nerves. Regular people would have missed it entirely and believed her immediately.

To me, it was as clear as day that she didn't believe the words she spoke. They were likely rehearsed and honestly sounded sociopathic, but I understood the reasoning. Even though they most likely did not use that reasoning when they decided these things.

As I glanced over at the wealthy people going about their lives, it was then that I realized these were all my descendants. It was a thought that I found to be very strange and unsettling. I had gotten used to the idea long ago, but it was no less unnerving.

After my question, she had started to observe me more. When I looked at her, she acted as if she was looking out the other window, but I could feel her eyes on me.

Only after few minutes did the carriage come to its final stop.

The door of the carriage was opened by one of the guards. Who held out his hand to help me descend. I graciously took it. I couldn't lie. I'd always wanted to be treated like a princess. I was allowed to indulge myself a little.

"This way, my Lady."

The guard bowed lightly before leading the way up a flight of stairs into a building whose exterior reminded me of the Parthenon. Its pillars were much larger, but the resemblance was uncanny.

The guard halted at the door, which was then opened by separate guards. As I walked in, I could hear the sounds of many people cheerfully chattering and drinking in a room down the hallway. We walked past that room, and I was led to another room filled with various dresses and clothing of different styles.

"Lady oracle, please allow the servants to get you dressed for the meeting." I turned to Genei, who looked on at me expectantly. I relented and allowed the brigade of maids that had been in the room to do their job. I could see the relief in the girls' eyes when I didn't resist their attempts.

The maids, once given permission, were very thorough in their cleaning. I was dragged into the washroom, at which point I was thoroughly scrubbed until my skin was pink. Under normal circumstances, I would protest, but it'd been forever since I'd taken a thorough bath, so I actually enjoyed it.

Thankfully the entire experience ended rather quickly.

Unfortunately, it was followed up with fussing over which dress to put on me.

One of them had suggested a horrid pink dress, but I'd put my foot down and picked one for myself. The dressing process was much quicker and less of a hassle. Once the maids left, I went and examined myself in the mirror.

The dress I was adorned in was the same green color as the old one, but it was much more colorful and expensive. Embedded in the dress were various crystals of different colors. Gold was interlaced within its threads.

All this dress up for a group of people that I was sure I would dislike, but it was necessary. The rules might not be fair but playing against them hinders me more than it helps me.

Genei watched silently to the side as she waited for me to be ready. She had sat in the corner of the room the entire time reading some sort of book.

The written language was unknown to me, but clearly, she didn't seem to be in any kind of rush.

Good.

I closed my eyes and let my qi roar through my body. In an instant, I felt the difference. The power that roared through me was the cultivation of two realms and 5 stages. The 5th stage of the earth realm we called it.

I stood taller and felt more powerful. The sounds of the world were so much crisper and louder. As it rushed through my meridians, the sensation was almost intoxicating.

Plus, with all my years of being an oracle, even those faint whispers of the wind became louder and less cryptic.

However, I did not stop there. I continued to dive deeper into not only my qi but my role and title as the [Oracle of the North Wind]. It was a process Arnaud and I had discovered back in the early years.

If one simply let themselves be led by the title and acted accordingly to it, the power granted would be all that greater. It came at the risk of one's individuality. However, if used sparingly, it was a power boost like no other.

I continued to dig deeper even past that point until I reached that familiar foreign energy. Divine energy, to be precise.

Gifted to me by Deventus, may she guide us eternally.

The moment I drew upon the power, I felt her gaze upon and what had once been whispers turned into the full-blown chattering and gossiping winds that I was familiar with.

My eyes snapped open.

"Let us go." My voice rang out with power.

Without waiting for her to lead, I began to walk to the hall.

I could hear her hurried footsteps as she hurried to catch up.

"I know."

I replied to her question before she even began to speak. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she snapped her mouth shut. Wonder started to fill her face. She hadn't truly believed that I was the oracle, but with that single action, I had planted a seed that would grow to immense heights.

Once back at the door, I did not simply barge in. I waited until the guards opened the door. "And now entering Clan Heiress Genei and The Lady Oracle." Putting the princess's name before mine to undermine my position, how predictable.

The room went silent as the voice of the guard rang out. I walked forward without hesitation. The whispers started only a second later. Their conversations questioned the validity and spoke of their doubts, all of which I knew about. They would walk out with many different words in their mouth. I allowed only a short glance at them before my eyes focused on the man of the hour. The clan head Velkor sat at the grandest seat in the room.

To his sides were the other elders of the clan and his allies from other towns and cities. On the balcony, I could feel the eyes of the patriarch of the Rajin clan on me. They were the rivals of the Marek clan. His curiosity practically oozed of him.

"Welcome, Lady Oracle." Velkor's voice boomed out as he rose from his seat. His hands raised out as he spoke. The nobles all bowed, and he offered the tiniest head bow possible.

I did not.

"Melkor. You have my thanks for reawakening me." His eyebrow raised slightly at my disregard for etiquette, but he pushed onwards with ease. He could not afford to look weak in front of his allies and rival.

"I can not take all the Credit. It would not be possible without the aid of my allies.." he motioned to the elders and allies as he spoke before turning to the rest of the nobles. "And to you, all for believing in this madman's plan." Polite cheers and claps followed as he spoke and stroked the egos of his subjects.

"They have my thanks as well then." He opened his mouth to speak, but I continued onwards. "You must forgive, but I am not in the mood for festivities. You, of course, understand my frustration when I reawakened to see humanity in such a state." He shut his mouth, and I could practically feel his mind racing as he tried to figure out my play.

"Of course, It is understandable, my lady. After all, we are all upset at humanity's state."A murmur of agreement passed through my crown.

Wrong move.

"So then you must forgive me for being so insensitive to the festivities that you have prepared, but I must ask what you plan on doing. It's a question that burdens my heart too much." I continued to push onwards before he could get the masses on his side.

The festive mood of the party died. Yet, instead of turning sour, there was now a mood of expectation and seriousness. The people wanted answers now. Even if they were in a better position than the poor, they still suffered. He could steer the conversation away without looking the fool.

That was obvious to his rival, who was practically grinning ear to ear, and it was clear to me that he hadn't thought this far ahead. Oh, he had made some vague skeleton of a plan, but he had been thinking of the political boon he would gain from bringing back the Oracle. It had blinded him to what lay beyond. I was simply taking that boon and applying it to myself.

"I must admit that I have not looked so far ahead, My lady. I had hoped not to raise hopes too high in the event of failure." A decent move to gain some sympathy but a useless one against me.

" Well, now that I'm here, I wish to bring bearings and present of what the future could be like." I addressed the crowd now as I spoke. Their gazes were locked on me. I paused to build up tension.

"My first offering is the knowledge that there are several spies in this party. They will inform the other races of my arrival." The gasps of shock were loud. Glances of suspicion were cast at each other. Melkor began to make a move, but before he did so, I went up to a noble standing at the front of the crowd.

I grabbed his glass from his hands before smashing it against his face. He attempted to block, but my hands slammed against him with such force that his forearms shatter.

As he slammed into the wall, his transformation fell apart, and the tail of a monkey sprouted out. Immediately their paranoia rose. The nobles and the clan members started to look at each other, some already drawing their weapons.

Continuing on with my momentum, I spoke up.

"Lock the gates!" My voice boomed out as I channeled qi through my vocal cords. Without hesitation, my order was followed. "Let there be calm. No spy in here or anywhere can escape my sight. Infighting is not necessary." Many hesitated at my words, but when the first man seethed his blade, many others followed.

"We will make sure that mankind thrives and that these beasts and races who dare oppose us will rue the day they did..." as I continued on with the speech, the panic of only a couple seconds ago was replaced by an avid excitement and hopefulness. There was a shine in their eyes that hadn't been present.

"...humanity will reach our sworn destiny!" The roars and cheers of the crowd shook the room. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the nervousness in the eyes of the spies.

I turned to the patriarch and let bowed my head slightly. His eyes contained mirth and a trace of worry. The elders at his side had horror in their eyes, and his allies looked at me with curiosity. They understood.

I had taken control.