The Gamer's POV

The Lumierian Empire was actually one very large continent, if not the largest out of the three. Its capital was called the Imperial City, which most people called the central city. It was a massive walled metropolis that contained several advanced cities along with the imperial castle itself.

However, if one went outside the walls of the central city and past the outskirts, they would have to cross a surrounding sea of clouds. Past that mist, they would come across the other provinces, and traveling even further out would bring them into the deep countryside.

Interestingly, this vast empire had three Bastions, which served as power stations. There was the Bastion of Gales and the Bastion of Conquest, which were located outside the Imperial City past the sea of clouds. Then, as already established, there was a more sophisticated stronghold, which was the Bastion of Crimson and Silver located within the Imperial City.

Today being the first day of the new week, Cedric and Dion were returning to the Bastion of Crimson and Silver to prepare for their journey to the Second Ring.

"Here it is, my lord." Arthur extended an envelope toward Cedric, who was just walking out of his study.

Cedric turned and took it. After saying thanks, he studied the wax impression. It was Leon’s personal seal, which looked close to the family crest but carried a distinct variation. It was a rearing lion stamped in deep crimson, though it lacked the traditional shield background, replaced instead by a pair of crossed silver swords.

After confirming the seal, he reached out a hand without looking, and Arthur placed a letter opener into his palm. Then, he sliced open the thick paper envelope.

Inside was a receipt of payment, a keycard for his new dorm, and a metallic emblem to show his new status in the bastion, which was now a brilliant gold.

’Ah, Leon. You are the man you say you are.’

Cedric grinned upon seeing the receipt, or rather, the exact figures stamped at the bottom, which read 30,000 gold.

Tuition paid to the bastion depended on so many things. One of which was nobility status. The son of a duke or a royal princess, for instance, did not pay the same fees as a minor baron, because they simply did not share the same privileges within the bastion walls.

There were three distinct tiers. The copper color was reserved for the lowest ranking nobles, the silver was for the intermediate Cadets, and the gold was for the elite.

And now, Cedric had moved up from the copper tier to the gold.

How incredible was that?

Getting a gold badge was notoriously difficult, as it required far more than just money. One also needed to prove substantial power and potential. A gold card here meant Leon had also pulled strings with the evaluation board.

Cedric swept his hand forward, sending the entire cache into his inventory while handing the letter opener back to Arthur.

As the butler received it, he bowed deeply. "I’ll go get the carriage ready for your departure."

"Alright," Cedric said as he stretched, causing popping noises to echo down his spine, before heading to his room to get ready. He had been busy all night and all morning with the paperwork required to ensure that his townhouse, his vacation estate in Eldervale, and the Golden Grotto Club would run properly in his absence.

Upon entering his large room, he saw Aika sleeping soundly on the bed. Although one of her hobbies was actually sleeping, Cedric noticed that she had been sleeping a lot more lately.

He walked past her to the bathroom, and after taking a quick shower, he changed into his noble attire and threw on a tailored black coat.

Then, he walked over to the bed and tapped her. "Hey, wake up, sleeping beauty. We are leaving."

Aika slowly and groggily sat upright, then looked around in a daze while scratching her head. When she came to, she touched his hand and dissolved, taking her tattoo form on his left forearm.

Cedric took a quick glance round his room then finally left. Upon stepping out, he saw Dion leaning by the wall. He was dressed in a tailored dark suit, and his long silver hair which reached his waist was tied back in a loose ponytail.

There was a cigarillo resting lazily between his lips, and his eyes were closed as if he were asleep.

When he heard footsteps approaching, he opened his gray eyes and turned to Cedric, then straightened with a smile. "There you are."

This was the first time Cedric had seen him since he left for the Carnal Festival in the imperial castle.

"You look like shit," Cedric complimented after studying his exhausted face.

Dion let out a weary laugh. "The last two days have been an absolute blur. I think It’ll take me some time to recover."

Cedric did not bother asking how exactly the event had been for him. Knowing Dion, it was better not to know the details.

They walked on a few more steps, then Cedric reached into his inventory, took out a bottle of Elena’s Tears, and handed it over. Dion stared at it for two seconds before taking it with a raised eyebrow.

"What is..." he began, but then his eyes widened. "Wait a minute... Elena’s Tears?!"

Cedric turned to him.

"Damn," Dion muttered, carefully uncorking the bottle. "I heard this shit costs five hundred gold for one."

"Five hundred gold?" Cedric repeated in disbelief. He almost stumbled, but quickly caught himself.

"Huh?" Dion looked over. "You didn’t know?"

Well, of course he didn’t know. He had plenty of them thanks to Leon, who usually sent him a whole crate every week.

’Woah... I better be more frugal with these from now on,’ Cedric thought.

A few moments later, they got outside the townhouse to see a carriage already waiting near the fountain. Both of them stepped inside, and before long, the vehicle began to move.

Surprisingly, Dion didn’t say much along the way, and the expression on his face was unusually serious.

Cedric, on the other hand, just stared out the window, watching the passing scenery in silence.

After an hour or so, they finally arrived at their destination, which was the walled city located just on the border between the upper and lower districts. Of course, the bastion itself was as large as a city, and was also called the city of Crimson and Silver.

***

After dropping Dion off, the carriage continued onward before finally stopping in front of a building that was more grandiose and stately than the others.

Cedric alighted the carriage then took out his keycard. As he studied it, his eyes landed on the engraved room number [J5].

Without lingering outside, he made his way to the top floor, then to the room assigned to him. After swiping his card, the door opened to a luxurious suite.

Of course, if he wasn’t already used to such opulence, he would have been taken aback by the sheer scale of the place.

But now, seeing this level of wealth felt normal. Like a place that he deserved and nothing more. So his expression and reaction were lackluster.

There were sofas and an array of decoration that complemented the room. In the corner, the soft, crackling fire of the fireplace was already warming the room. A large window on the far side offered a clear view of the sprawling city below, stretching all the way toward the distant line of clouds.

Cedric walked over to that window, then shut the blinds.

’Too bright...’

He did not really like staying in a room that was flooded with too much light.

After that, he walked over to the large bed, then collapsed onto the soft mattress.

He had not slept all night, so he felt a bit drained. After staring at the ceiling for a few moments, he closed his eyes. But right as he began to drift off, a knock suddenly echoed on his door.