Royal Road
Chapter 1136 A Rise
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Although a lot of pilots were lost at the end, there weren't as many that died compared to the previous days, and unlike those days, the pilots instantly decided to celebrate big time. To mourn the dead they decided to throw a party, strangely enough.
They reminded me of the people of Spiritias in a way, a lot of people would celebrate after a big battle, and they would mourn the death in a big feast, eating and celebrating for them so they would "be happy in the other side" or whatever.
Even after so long, I usually don't really know what to say regarding these things, but that an "afterlife" exists is indeed the truth, at least within Spiritias… I still remember seeing Ellergest and the Necromancer, his friend, disappear into the sky when both of them died.
That endless garden of flowers that led to a cosmic beyond… I can still recall it, even now. It is, honestly, a place I've always wanted to investigate in more detail. But if it meant dying to see it, I suppose I can wait.
"Blake, what you did was amazing!"
"Is that so? Thanks."
"How did you even do that?! You combined your machine with the other ones you can control?!"
"It wasn't hard, it is part of my machine's Neutonium Core Ability, so it's not weird."
"Hey Blake! Can we take a picture together?"
"Go ahead."
Click!
"Thank you!"
"No problem."
"Blake! Blake! Is your Machine Warrior okay now? I saw it being really tattered; the new look is amazing but even then…"
"It is fine for now, I'll repair it later, don't worry."
"Blake please tell me what to do to become like you!"
"You can't, I was born this way."
"Thank you for saving our lives! We're really grateful! Please eat and drink as much as you want, this is on ours!"
"Thank you, but I'm good."
There were dozens after dozens of pilots constantly annoying me, asking me questions, taking pictures with me, and offering me food I didn't really want to eat.
I had already eaten my fill and eating more would only lead to getting fat or something, which I had no desire for.
"Come on man, you look really stiff, enjoy the celebrations!" Patrick giggled, drinking some beer.
He reminded me a lot of Chris, which brought a small smile on my face.
"I already ate, don't worry Patrick," I said. "I've never been a person of festivities myself."
"Well, aren't you a bit grumpy?" said Emilia. "Whatever the case, it's pretty early still, there's the rest of the day left, shall we go repair your Machine Warrior? I could give you some basic fixes for free but we'll need some budget to get new parts."
"I'm sure you got well paid for eliminating so many Xenoids, Blake," said Hermes. "But even then… repairing Machine Warriors is expensive."
In here, the Pilots get a pay for surviving each battle of 10k Credits usually, and for every Xenoid they defeat, based on their type, they can receive a bonus from 1k to 10k more Credits.
Therefore, my Credits increased by quite a lot as I had slain a lot of them, especially the very unique ones that must cost more Credits.
This, combined with the Credits I had obtained last night in the VR Game almost gave me nine hundred thousand, almost a million…
"I have enough Credits, don't worry," I said. "I guess we could go buy some materials then, Emilia. Let's go check my Machine Warrior first and-" Stay updated with empire
"Ahem!"
Suddenly, my words were interrumpted by someone, I glanced to the direction of the voice to find Henriette, who came accompanied by her usual two robot bodyguards.
"Blake, the Elders have called you."
"Me? Why?"
"A lot has happened. And well, they also wanted to congratulate you for your efforts so far, in only four days from now, we'll be able to reach our destination. Your help has been incredibly valuable so far and… And we're deeply thankful."
"I see… Hm, this is not a scheme to jail me again?"
"I-It's not! We are being genuine now!"
"Hah, alright then…"
I glanced at my friends.
"Sorry but I'll have to go, hopefully it doesn't take too long," I said.
"Y-You're being called by the Elders?! I can't believe it…" said Patrick.
"Well, good luck…" Emilia said.
"I wish I could go, take care," Hermes said.
"Alright, let's go," I nodded.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Very well, follow me," Henriette said.
She led me to a floating platform, which we used to swiftly fly above the large city inside of the mothership and reach the area where the elders were located.
A gigantic tower connected to countless cables, and many smaller towers that spread across the entirety of the spaceship. Once we reached the interior, we were led through a large series of corridors heavily guarded, where we once more met the Elders.
They were on a pseudo cryogenic state, their minds connected to coffin-shaped machines, therefore, even as they slept, their minds remained somewhat conscious, giving them the ability to rule for as long as this entire voyage lasted, perhaps hundreds of years.
"So you've come, Blake."
"Thank you for dedicating some of your time for us."
"We know you must be tired, well done."
"It has been three days since this persecution from the Xenoids began."
"And despite the ups and downs, you've proven yourself to be incredibly competent and strong."
"Thank you, Elders."
I nodded without even bowing to them, there was no need.
I was still slightly suspicious if they had ulterior motives though.
"For not only unifying the Pilots and helping many survive, but also for slaying all the Xenoids in your path and bringing so much valuable information, we had considered giving you a rise."
"A rise?" I asked.
"Yes, a rise."
"It is an experimental thing, but you would be the first."
"You will be raised as a Battalion General, be given the privilege of ordering and controlling all pilots, and also be given many other luxurious, a better salary, and more access to exclusive VIP products in the digital market."
It honestly seemed appealing.
"Interesting…" I nodded. "But what's the catch?"
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