Chapter 386: Initial Audit
As the carriage crossed the perimeter of Orlando Town, Sophia's cognitive
framework was already reaching a state of terminal overload.
The volume of data she had ingested along the road was simply too massive for
her archaic world-view to process. Every few hundred meters, a standardized
streetlight manifested, its glowing orb a uniform model, the base etched with
the Skeletal Crest of the Empire.
The irrigation channels were controlled by mechanical apparatuses; she witnessed
a Dwarf on a ridge toggle a metal handle, causing the Mana-driven flow to pivot
from the left channel to the right with fluid precision.
At one point, she observed a colossal wooden billboard standing at the roadside.
It displayed a vibrant, multi-colored mural accompanied by several lines of
text:
[GRAND OPENING: EVERNIGHT TRANSIT HUB!] [CROSS-PLANAR TRAVEL COMMENCES HERE!]
Below, a smaller line of metadata followed: [20% DISCOUNT FOR REGISTERED
IMPERIAL CITIZENS.]
Sophia audited the text three times. She recognized every character, yet the
combined logic was a total system error. Cross-planar travel? In her memory,
such a feat was an exclusive Authority of the Gods. Now, it was being marketed
as a commercial travel package with a loyalty discount.
"Destination reached," the driver announced, bringing the carriage to a halt at
the town entrance.
Sophia disembarked and offered her thanks.
The woman looked at Sophia's bare feet. "There is a Relief Station at the east
end of town—Imperial-run. You can acquire a set of clothing assets and a
ration-pack there."
"Much appreciated."
The woman drove off, her children waving from the rear of the carriage. Sophia
stood at the entrance of Orlando Town, surveying the manifestation before her.
Cobblestone paths, storefronts, taverns, and a high density of pedestrians.
These were familiar variables. But the details had undergone a total "Patch
Update."
The streets were significantly wider than any town in her archives, and the
cleanliness of the pavement was statistically improbable. Waste receptacles were
positioned at regular intervals, each embossed with the Imperial Insignia. Shop
signs followed a unified "Evernight Standard"—black backgrounds with gold leaf
lettering.
Across the street, an Orc was selling grilled skewers at a stall. Beside him, a
human vendor was processing a steaming beverage she didn't recognize, passing
cups back and forth in a state of perfect social synchronization.
Then, she saw the Skeleton.
A Skeleton wearing a formal Imperial uniform was standing guard at the street
corner, clutching a spear and maintaining a rigid, vertical posture. A human
child ran up to it, looking up and chirping a query. The Skeleton tilted its
skull, seemingly responding with a dry click. The girl laughed and skipped away.
Sophia's brain hummed with a "Logic Spike."
Undead are guarding humans. Human offspring are interacting with the dead
without a panic-trigger. What has happened to the fundamental laws of this
world?
She forced her internal systems to stabilize. Priority 1: Fundamental Needs.
Clothing. Sustenance. Data.
Following the driver's navigation, she located the Relief Station. It was a
sturdy two-story stone structure. A sign hung above the door: [EVERNIGHT
IMPERIAL SOCIAL SECURITY BUREAU – ORLANDO TOWN BRANCH #3].
Inside, a human female in a grey uniform received her. "Greetings. Present your
identification credentials."
"I do not possess identification data."
The clerk audited Sophia's disheveled state. Her expression remained neutral;
she had likely processed numerous "Refugee Variables" before. "Vagrant
Registration?"
"Mhm… roughly."
"Complete the foundational data-entry here." The clerk handed her a form and a
pen.
Sophia looked at the columns: NAME. RACE. AGE. ORIGIN.
In the Name slot, she wrote: Sophy. In the Race slot, she hesitated before
writing: Human. Age? She had existed for indeterminate eons before Ragnarok, not
counting the duration of her slumber. She wrote: 25. Origin? Lostarn? Would that
name even trigger a match in the current database? She wrote: Afar.
The clerk scanned the form, showing zero reaction to the vague origin. She
stamped the document and pushed it back. "Proceed to the second floor for daily
logistics. If you require temporary habitation, register at the dormitory block
in the rear. Seven cycles of free residency."
Sophia ascended to the second floor, where she was issued a set of clothes, a
pair of shoes, a towel, and a small bag of dried rations. The clothing was deep
grey, the design simple, but the material quality was surprisingly high-tier.
She found a vacant room to initialize her equipment change. The shoes were a
perfect fit.
Standing by the window, she looked down at the street. A metal four-wheeled
vehicle roared past, followed by two horse-drawn carriages. The three entities
moved with organized logic, zero friction.
The buildings opposite were tall—at least five stories—their facades covered in
a smooth material that reflected the grey sky. On the distant horizon, she saw
even taller structures. Impossible monoliths of glass and stone piercing the
clouds like pillars of the world.
Skyscrapers. She didn't know the term, but her first thought was: Humans could
not have built this. At least, not the humans she remembered.
Sophia exited the Relief Station and began to navigate the town. She needed
data. Maximum data.
She entered a bookstore. It was modest in size, but the shelves were organized
with clinical precision: History, Law, Mana-Tech, Life Encyclopedias, Fiction.
She headed straight for the History section. The title of the first book caused
her processors to freeze for ten seconds:
[CHRONICLES OF THE EVERNIGHT EMPIRE: FROM SKELETON TO HEGEMON]
She opened it and scanned the pages. "...The Sovereign of Evernight led the
Undead Legions, utilizing the Iron Fortress Territory as a base, and
sequentially annexed the Theocracy, the Orc Tribes, the Elven Forests, and the
Audery Empire. The unification of the continent was completed in less than three
years..."
Sophia's fingers trembled. Less than three years. Total Planar Unification.
She continued her audit. "...The Empire enforces an Equality Protocol across all
species, liquidating all racial discrimination statutes and establishing a
unified Legal System..." "...The Empire prioritizes Mana-Tech, achieving
leapfrog development in infrastructure, transportation, and long-range
communication..." "...The Empire stabilized cross-planar teleportation,
establishing the Evernight Transit Hub to realize routine cultural exchange with
external planes..."
Sophia flipped through dozens of pages, her expression becoming increasingly
grim.
The Old Era. Her era. In this book, it was a mere footnote. The Theocracy, the
Lostarn Faith, the Glory of the Gods—it was all summarized in a few disparaging
lines:
"The archaic Lostarn Realm was locked in a state of terminal fragmentation and
frequent racial conflict. The Theocracy utilized 'Lostarn Faith' as a tool for
ideological control and resource exploitation, serving as one of the greatest
malignant tumors of the Old Era."
Sophia closed the book.
Malignant tumor. The faith system she had personally architected was now being
taught to children as a cancer.
She took a deep breath and returned the book to the shelf. Then, she pulled
another: [BIOGRAPHIES OF THE SOVEREIGN OF EVERNIGHT].
She opened the first page. [SUBJECT: THE SOVEREIGN OF EVERNIGHT] [RACE: UNDEAD
(SPECIFIC SUB-TYPE: UNKNOWN)] [POWER LEVEL: UNKNOWN] [TITLE: FOUNDER OF THE
EMPIRE, SUPREME RULER]
Two "Unknowns."
Sophia's focus sharpened. In an official publication of his own Empire, the
Ruler's data was listed as "Unknown." This implied one of two variables: either
the Sovereign had manually scrubbed his archives, or his power-rating exceeded
the capacity of the chroniclers to describe.
Either way, a "Cold Sweat" protocol manifested across her back.
She read on. The book listed the Sovereign's generals: Pride, Lust, Avarice,
Greed… all Undead, all High-Tier.
Then, one specific data-point caught her eye: "In the third year of the Empire,
the Sovereign initialized the cross-planar teleportation system, establishing
contact with multiple external planes, including the Eldritch Realm."
Cross-planar travel. In the Old Era, that was an Authority reserved for Gods.
Sophia slowly closed the book and returned it to the shelf. She stood in the
store, surrounded by residents of various races browsing the aisles. The noise
was constant, but she heard nothing.
A theory began to form in her processors. Is it possible this 'Sovereign' is a
God who survived Ragnarok?
No. If he were a God of the Old Era, she would recognize his soul-signature.
Then what was he? An Out-of-Context Being? A God from another plane? Or a
brand-new existence that manifested during her slumber?
Sophia exited the bookstore and stood on the sidewalk. Sunlight filtered through
the grey clouds. A Skeleton guard was directing traffic at the corner as a
carriage and two metal vehicles passed in an orderly sequence.
She looked up at the towering monolith in the distance.
Powerful. The Master of this Empire was terrifyingly powerful. Powerful enough
to have fundamentally rebuilt the entire world during her nap, kneading it into
a shape she didn't recognize.
Sophia reached a decision.
Gou. (Hide/Lay Low). She had to hide.
Gods were masters of the long game. Until she restored her peak power, she could
not allow the Sovereign to detect her manifestation. If he truly was a being
that had rewritten reality in three years, her current "Wet-Noodle" state
wouldn't survive a single micro-second of his attention.
Sophia returned to the Relief Station and registered for a bunk in the dormitory
block.
Lying on the clean, small bed, she stared at the ceiling, auditing the day's
data. Evernight Empire. The Sovereign. Cross-planar travel. Multi-racial
synchronization. Mana-Tech. And her own Church was now a villain in a history
textbook.
She turned over, pulling the blanket to her chin. Objective 1: Survive.
Objective 2: Restore Authority. Objective 3: Decipher the rules of this new
world.
As for the origin of the Sovereign... that audit could wait until her stats
returned to the Divine threshold.
Sophia closed her eyes. Just as her consciousness began to slip into sleep-mode,
a voice boomed from outside. The town's broadcast pillar was manifesting an
announcement.
"IMPERIAL BULLETIN: THE TRIAL OPERATION PHASE OF THE EVERNIGHT TRANSIT HUB HAS
CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY. COMMENCING FULL OPERATIONAL FREQUENCY IMMEDIATELY. ALL
PLANAR TRAVELERS ARE WELCOME TO EXPERIENCE THE SERVICE."
Sophia opened one eye. Multi-planar travel… as a public utility.
She closed her eye again and pulled the blanket over her head.
Gou. Maximum Gou protocols initiated.
☆☆☆
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