Vol 2 Chapter 2 (1/1)

“The Grand Record” from Han-Koryo, “The Journey” of the Uzbek Emirate, “Pathfinders” in Chipewyan Confederation’s Oral Tradition, “As’ Chronicles” fro the Age of Chaos, after the fall of civilization, all stated that there’d been an abundance of timber It was said that well before the fall, nations across the planet went on a massive reforestation effort These forests were later cut down to use as fuel and raw material to stave off the inevitable collapse of their lifestyles due to the Auroras This caused afarmland to erode, desertification advanced uniht became more common, the formation of deadly storms started, the loss of animal habitats -especially those of pollinators and zoochory species- and other natural disasters led to deaths at an unprecedented scale measured in the billions This led to extreeeopolitical powers stabilized during the Age of Recovery, measures that are still active to this day as wood remains the sole primary fuel necessary to produce any and all metal products on the planet [T/N: Zoochory is the spread of seed via anilass, metal, and ceramic products became luxury items Advances in the reinvention of science were slow and deliberate, with special attention toward energy production and electronics followed bySmiths and artisans were rare as raw materials were rarer still, but the few that were able to becoht after as they were often the best of the best, specializing in their chosen field since wastage is unacceptable This beca industries all the way to the present, where every product is still handcrafted by skilled workers Following the Age of Recovery cae of Sail, where countries had claimed stakes in most parts of the world Since there were often conflicts on land, trade via shi+ps beca Due to the sheer amount of resources necessary to construct the shi+ps, treaties forbidding naval warfare becaions of the world Like ood, resourcemarine environments were extre on sails, shi+ps reconnected the world Different cultures e was shared and descendants of lost civilizations discovered one another These individuals were tasked with preserving and guarding relics or knowledge passed down froe of Chaos Many of these descendants would eventually secretlyto rediscover their past, their fa athe one of ly end the Age of Sail, with the world being none the wiser The first h it was extremely inefficient, it eli The researchers who discovered this technology shared it with the rest of the world, seeing a ht and wrong The technology would eventually lower the value of otherwise prohibitively costly wood, allowing more products to be produced across the board This, of course, overnines, trying to take over other countries and fight for resources The first to move was the Alman Theocracy who tried to launch a surprise attack 20 years ago against the Republic of California and the Pacific Nomocratic Federation Fortunately, the Saska Confederacy warned the PNF via its trade channels, who in turn warned RoC, about the ier Similar events unfolded in Asia, Africa, and Europe [T/N: Alman Theocracy ownsof the Pacific Northwest and Yukon, Saska Confederacy owns US northern states, Canadian prairie provinces, NWT + Nunavut Theit] Naval warfare happened for the first time when a certain nation secretly created a naval fleet nu fleet while others have claimed it was a combat fleet Various nations surrounded this island nation in the Indian Ocean with their vessels and defeated its fleet after a savage,war of attrition It was later confir troops and had plated hulls Had the shi+ps been properly manned, the coalition would have likely been defeated Despite the ongoing wars, the world prospered Food become more abundant due to trade, simple medicines that were never in certain locations becaht forthlearned froovernroups alike becaedbriskly dohite hallway, numerous workers in si towards hiement This man is well known as so a corner, the man abruptly opens a doorinto the roo secretary BAN The man slams the door open as he enters the personal office of the coh!” An older ray, receding hair snaps his head up at the intruder Before turning back toward the small camera mounted on the coentle i business with us, you can contact my secretary here with your proposals Good day” “Wait, ere pro froany desk to push hi man at the door with a sharp look in his eyes “Which lab is she in now?” “Lab 2 in the 3rd building, I already got a car waiting for us downstairs” The older man walks past the first ed in and-” A flustered looking woman in her 30s tries to explain herself The older er, “are you new here? You don’t stop any of our researchers that tries to enterfor yourself Which idiot brought you in here without basic training?” The wo to respond, the CEO ignores her by walking out the rooht behind “Good work, what’s the breakthrough?” “She , but that isn’t why I caet me for?” “She recovered some records, one of them happens to be A/V to be exact” “So a video then?” The two men turn a different corner from whence the researcher ca to decoher quality state as we speak” “And the other records?” “Never seen before topological reference, weather patterns, land surveys, nautical charts, bestiary entries” Silence reigns as the older ests the new information He makes a stoic face as he walks out the elevator after it stops “So you are saying, there’s cartographic inforers onto his teh before heading to the waiting white, 4 seat, open-air buggy with a windshi+eld in the front and nuy waits silently in the front of the building, one ofthe latest architectural engineering inside the coolf cart] [ED: Sounds more like a Lunar Rover] “Yes, it appears we’ve confir is only one of several continents on Ari his hand up to block the sun that’s glaring down at them from the cloudless blue sky He moves onto the seat further in to e rate of Zrewheig itself?” The researcher boards the buggy as well, taking his seat before tan tan on the side of the buggy to get the driver’s attention “3rd building” The driver turns back toward hiers, to which the researcher nods to The driver soundlessly starts the vehicle, driving onto the s to the latest survey, about 32 of the continent is explored” “It has been over two years nohy is the progress so slow even with our market penetration?” “It seems users are comfortable where they are, and there are areas that are difficult to explore as well There are dedicated raiding guilds, but eons” The ed man kneads his brows in concentration “There are a few exploration guilds as well, but they are priuilds The issue see on a Co, quite a few of theseto cooperate” “Didn’t I say to use everything possible to get their help?” “We tried giving the them via their family and disciples, but few of the sigh “They are masters, Alan They wouldn’t be oods Invite the a mobile unit to them if we have to Have them experience it firsthand, most of these people are old men, they will be ecstatic to put into practice their polished arts with a body in its prime” pa The researcher haht! damn it! How did I et a few uys to help you out if you need to We are researchers, we are not made for HR” “Yes, I should do that What should we do with the current data though?” “Release it into the TIES system, it’s not like the users can reach the level of overn so to declare war to get theovernments?” “Alman Theocracy in North America and the Zulu Stratocracy in Africa” ahahaha “Both of theet here by shi+ps! Come on, Alan, there are some jokes that don’t need to be said” The older“Have the Pacific Nomocratic Federation and the Republic of California keep an eye out for the Al techs for the help As for the Zulu, have our branches in the region keep an eye on them Those sail shi+ps of theirs can’t hope to outmatch our outboard motors” The duo continues their back and forth until their arrival at the Leviathan research building number 3, in the research district where different facilities are onsite: solar, hydro, and steam turbine power plants, farms, water treate facilities, and multiple redundancy systems, the site can operate for 6 months in complete isolation on supplies alone“Madaed woht with you” The woer, in it are astill, as they had for the last 20 years The wo it off and walks toward the young woet her attention earlier “Mada video, we think the data itself is corrupted, so this is the best we can do” “Thanks, tell everyone to take a break after transferring the video to the conference room” The woman turns and heads for the door to the hallway before stopping abruptly, touching her forehead with her fingers before turning back “Let everyone know they did a great job, and that the drinks are on me It’s in the usual spot” She reaches into a side pocket of her labcoat before tossing a key at the young wo with a wink“I’inghis head with my sword The head with a mess of brown hair rolls past my feet on the mossy, stone floor, with a tired, sad smile on its face The body collapses forward afterward, twitching for astill “I’ hair gives the corpse a quick salute before readying hiht that doesn’t shi+ne next to his heart with both hands “It’s an honour, ether as I hold back my tears “By acy By my soul, I renounce my essence With the hands that snatched fate, I return it With the blade that unites, I enforce it With the shi+eld that protects, I endure it With my ash as the bond of the worlds, may the infinity be endless, h the orb and ’s heart in one stroke Thewhite and into the for into particles of light in all directions poro poro Tears flow froround I wipeup the head on the floor, y ta ta ta I sloalk out of the ruins, sword in one hand, head in another Sunlight blinds me as I enter into the courtyard just outside the ruins Was the sun ever that bright? “YOUR EMPEROR IS DEAD AS IS YOUR EMPIRE! I SHALL PERSONALLY DESTROY EVERY LAST STRONGHOLD, EVERY FORT THAT THE EMPIRE HOLDS! SHOULD THE DAY COME WHERE I FAIL TO UPHOLD MY WORDS, MAY I BE IMPALED BY A THOUSAND SPEARS, SUFFER THE CURSE OF PAIN UNIMAGINABLE, WITH MY ORIFICE BLEEDING, DEVOID OF ALL BUT AGONY” ziii A large red brand encirclesitself into htly burnt before it fades away The soldiers look atnever seen the brand before I throw the head up into the air before incinerating it with a «Fireball» WWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA “YOU TRAITOR!” “FOR THE EMPIRE!” I readysoldiers’ onslaught sha sha… SHHHHHAAAAAAA … … … The first person experience record ends as statics eat into it, the i co around a conference table takes off their headsets and quietly set them onto the table DAAAAN! “daht hand down onto the table “No… there’s soht, there’s definitely so si the headset back on The other two close their eyes, going through the ies in their head “Wait! Here! Go to the part where he’s walking out of the ruins and a ht hits” The two quickly put their respective headsets on “Okay, what a for?” “On the fallen column on the left hand side, Hector” “ those are just runes, no?” “Wait… daood eyes Hector, they are runes alright Runes that we really never got to see anywhere else, runes that were in the first video where they failed to log out” The roolish…? EC Is there even a word like that?” [T/N: EC is in English in the RAW, in case you are wondering] Hoeon Subject: CONQUERED! Greetings everyone! And of course oh leadershi+ps of [Dawn’s Moonlight] and [Monochrome Blades]! We hope Keely a speedy recovery and that he had his kids already, and do avoid spicy food Tabeus! Asfor the Barghest Dungeon disbanded due to unethical behaviours, ah screw being diplomatic, the leaders were assholes that sacrificed newbs just to skip a certain section of the dungeon! They were even keeping the regular guild members in the dark! Well boohoo you bastards, now EVERYONE knows Ueon’s reward is a little different from the other two conquered ones! How so? Come join us at [Atoneroup of… very strange and powerful people the last time, but I’m sure we can do it on our own in the near future! If you are faht have heard of them The Little Witch, the Cat Amazon, the Fertility God and the Prince of Destruction, apparently they are running an Acade students Anyhow, come join us and chase those bastards away fro the dungeon, we don’t care who controls it! I did say it’s different from the others! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:13 Subject: None Youfor it for so long?! HA! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:14 Subject: None Suits those fs right! Posted Sept 16, 114 NC 17:16 …