56 The Empires!

The food was finger-licking good. Or was it hunger? Kai couldn't say.

Ser Tussy had brought him to an inn miles into the city. Even then, Kai had no way to tell how deep the city ran from the Wall. When the other Contestants saw Morgan without the helm, they all gave him a wide berth. Kai secretly noticed that people knew him well in this part of the city.

'They fear him,' Kai reminded himself, stuffing meat after meat in his mouth.

"Haha!" the knight laughed, tearing a chicken leg for himself. "Eat, eat. I will take care of the bill." Kai noticed the innkeeper grimacing at those words. It seemed it wasn't the first time for Ser Tussy to "take care" of the bills.

Kai said nothing, just eating, drinking, watching, and shying. He kept throwing out admiring glances at the knight, passing a shy expression now and then. "Are all these people Contestants?" Kai asked, taking a pause. "How big is this city?"

"Wait!" Suddenly, Morgan frowned, making Kai's heart thump.

'Did he notice something?' Kai thought, putting one of his butt-cheeks off the bench.

"How come I never asked your name?!" the knight finally said, rubbing his chin. "What are you called, kid?"

'Sigh!' Kai let out a secret breath of relief. "My code name is Blood Demon," Kai casually said, not focusing on the knight's furrowing brows. "But… you can… you can call me Desmond."

"Oh! Is that your real name?" Ser Tussy asked, continuing with his roasted chicken.

Kai feebly nodded.

"Well, most of them are technically Contestants," the knight continued, pointing out all the other customers and inn's staff. "But some give up on power sooner than others. They never joined their battles, so naturally, they never got to go to a Random World. Isn't that right, Putin?"

The innkeeper growled at Morgan, serving two cups of beer. He was balding, and a few of his front teeth were missing. He looked into Kai's eyes for a moment and then left without replying.

"Heh!" Ser Tussy sniggered. "The city is enormous, Desmond. How big? Let's say it's big enough to call it a Continent."

'What?!' Kai's eyes almost popped out, and he even forgot to bite off the meat on his lips. 'How can this be? Then the wall…'

"The Wall covers the entire city if that's what you are thinking," Morgan said, giving words to Kai's thoughts. "What would you have expected? Not all ascend the floors, Desmond. They stay here, they eat here, they shit here, and they fuck here. Where would their children go? So either they become slaves, or worse…"

'Becoming slaves isn't worse?' Kai thought as Morgan trailed off, drinking a huge mouthful of beer.

"… Or worse, they become Contestants." The knight completed.

Kai silently mulled over the knight's words and their meaning. His stomach was almost full, and the tiredness had all but receded. Still, he felt empty suddenly.

"You have an Ability?" Ser Tussy asked, finally mentioning the elephant in the room.

Kai nodded again, feigning a prideful expression.

"Good," the knight nodded. "I need Contestants like you, son. I can call you son, right?"

Kai's lips quivered, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face. His eyes became misty, and he gave the knight a heavy nod.

"Let me give you a brief explanation before leaving," Morgan said as a serving boy took away all the empty plates. "You already know about Set Lords (-'Kai had mentioned that to him'-) so I won't go deep into that. There are many organizations, spanning various floors. So take no guild or shop for granted. You never know how high and hard their cocks would rise when stroked. You understand what I mean to say, son?"

Kai's entire focus was on the knight. And why wouldn't it? This was the sole reason he had been manipulating Ser Morgan since the last battle. 'Information for free,' Kai thought, clearing his mind. I wonder how much Mission Credits my dear father would have charged otherwise.

He also had an inkling that Ser Tussy was just going along with this farce of a father-son just because the old knight wanted someone like Kai in his team; a Contestant who had Worth high enough to have an Ability from the start. Be that as it may, Kai wouldn't back out from this fiasco even if both parties were just playing an act.

Morgan didn't wait for Kai's nod. "Item Shops, Hunter Guilds, Armories, and even the common people all serve the Empire. And the Empire serves Chaos. We all have our battles. Some fight in the open, some behind a curtain. But the goal and result are the same. To kill."

The knight took out a dull, bronze-colored badge and pushed it into Kai's hands. Kai felt its cool surface and turned it upside down. On one side it had the sigil of the Empire, the disgusting red and blue Yin-Yang. On the other side, a silver-colored helm was carved on it.

"I am a member of Silver Hunters Guild," Ser Morgan whispered. "The 1st Floor's branch of the Guild is under my command. When you reach there, ask for Marine Roland, and show him the badge. He will know what to do. Reaching the 2nd floor will be a piece of cake for you. Kill as many as you can in the next battle and ascend in a single go. I will wait for you there."

"You aren't coming with me?" Kai asked, showing warmth in his voice.

"Haha!" Ser Tussy ruffled Kai's hair and laughed. "It's past time that I report back. I need to tell the Vice Guild Leader about you too. The Captain of Barren Gates will go mad once he gets to know that he lost a newbie with Ability."

Kai feigned a reluctance on his face. "But fa… I mean, my lord, what about the magical creature's corpse I had told you about?"

"Oh, I forgot," the knight scratched his head, stepping towards the main door. Kai followed him. "You will need to go to Thousand Armor Smithy. They are the best. Hmm… Oh, bloody hell! Just let Roland take care of it. Consider it as a gift from me."

Kai showed a cheerful expression upon hearing that. When the knight took the reign of the destrier, Kai remembered something and asked, "Ser, where do I go now from here?"

Morgan closed his visor, and a blue light shimmered around him. He outstretched his hand and pointed at the end of the street. Kai saw a two-story building there. At the top of the building, there was a banner fluttering with the image of a silver helm.

"Remember the words of the R'lyeh Empire, son," Ser Morgan Tussy said. "Blood and War!"

"Blood and War!" Kai repeated, and then the question struck him. "What is the name of the Empire ruling Order's Peak?"

The blue light had become almost blinding. But the knight passed the answer before disappearing.

Kai's face became ashen-green, all the food trying to come out of his throat. Everything became meaningless, and even the very earth under his feet became hollow.

'How… How…' Kai muttered, remembering the name. That name was…

The Valeheart Empire!

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R'lyeh: Pronounced as R-lehh (the R is voiced like that in "Reel")