1401 Void Palace [6]
The 4 Grand Duke Clans of Void Palace also lived in the main palace…to an extent.
They had branches in the main palace that had direct planar connections to their main residences that were further out in the Brightmoon Principality where Void Palace was.
But in reality, they weren't really branches. They were just parts of the Grand Duke Estates that had been separated from their main residences by displacement phenomena, but really still existed in the main residences.
It was complicated because space was twisted in a way that reality didn't seem to allow, but this was what could be achieved when so many spatial practitioners were brought together and given an environment where they could thrive.
Anyway, Damien made it to the Hugo Clan's branch relatively easily. He thought he'd have to find the main residence after doing so, but outside his expectations, Brontus was already there, as if waiting for him to arrive.
"I knew you would come find me," he said, confirming Damien's suspicions.
"You knew?" Damien echoed.
"Of course! Naturally, you don't want to involve your mother in the serious affairs. I can imagine what the relationship between you and Serena is right now. As for my wife, she can be a bit…
troublesome to people who don't know her, but you'll eventually come to understand her kindness."
"I can understand what you're looking for, and if you want someone to provide it, our Hugo Clan is exactly the place to go. You might not know it yet, but we generally take care of the military matters within the palace."
"I see," Damien responded with a nod.
"Then you are indeed who I need to look for right now."
Brontus smiled.
"Come with me. Let's find a private place to talk, and I'll answer all your questions."
He led Damien to a room not too far away. It looked like any other in the building, but when they entered, Damien clearly felt them separating from the Real Plane.
"Interesting. To need this many protection arrays and silence arrays even after entering an alternate space…I guess you guys don't skimp on security."
"We don't have a choice," Brontus responded.
"There exist many powerful figures in this world that you cannot imagine. They can peer through the very fabric of reality and see whatever they wish to see, so even if we believe we are safe, we need to make it absolutely certain."
"Hmm…"
Damien frowned.
He didn't think something like the fabric of reality would be so easy to pierce, but perhaps that was another thing he didn't know because of his fresh entrance to this world.
'Five years isn't anywhere near enough time to learn about a place so massive. And…as I expected, the realm of Godhood is a vast expanse unlike anything I've seen before.'
It was an interesting tidbit for Damien that confirmed a lot of the thoughts he had.
"But that's not what you're here for, no?"
Brontus pinpointed the exact place his thoughts went next.
"Yeah. I can learn more about the world as I live in it. What I need now is everything about Void Palace's internal and external situation."
"Internal and external?"
Brontus' eyes widened.
He looked deep into the eyes of the man across the table from him, and that's when he saw it.
His heart raced uncontrollably.
He had high hopes for Damien. Not only because he was the son Dante went through so much trouble to raise, but because he'd heard a lot about Damien's exploits in the lower universe and the Heavenly World.
It was quite expensive to purchase information from the Sapientia Clan, but this knowledge came to him for free.
Why?
He could only assume Damien did something to earn their favor. Otherwise, even Void Palace with their status and relationship would have to pay a hefty sum for anything of the sort.
When Brontus saw Damien after hearing the stories that seemed to be unbelievably exaggerated, he realized that the man wasn't someone born to disappear in the annals of time.
The spirit he saw from Damien was something only an emperor could possess. That aura, that gait, was exactly the reason Dante took the Lord position of Void Palace when it was created.
Only he had it. The rest of them simply couldn't compare.
What did Dante do with that spirit?
He created an influence that nobody in the world could ever touch.
Yet, he disappeared when they needed him most, and by some twisting of fate, his estranged son arrived as if to fill in the void he left.
With the same spirit and the same determination, he had arrived.
And the first thing he did was ask a simple question.
What was holding Void Palace back?
'His plan…'
Brontus could already picture it.
'He wants to take Void Palace to unimaginable heights.'
To a place only Dante had ever glimpsed.
And Brontus, as a man who'd followed Dante for millions of years…
"Huu…"
He took a deep breath.
"How far do you plan to go?"
It was important to ask the man himself.
"How far?" Damien echoed, as if he was mocking the gall of such a question.
"I don't ever plan to stop. Not until Void Palace stands true again."
Not until they returned to their position above even the eight great clans.
Brontus grinned.
"I like your ambition."
"I hope you can match it."
"Match it? I'm afraid it's already too late for that."
He reached into a nearby bookcase, and pulled out a single book. It looked only around a thousand pages long, but when he opened it, it expanded into a massive compendium filled with knowledge.
"This is what you're looking for," Brontus continued as he flipped through it.
"Clan structure, members, internal and external relationships, usable forces, finances, notable history and happenings, everything you could wish for is here. It is my wife's proudest work, the true written Legend of Void Palace."
Damien looked down at the book with genuine shock plastering his face.
"Did you just say…written Legend?"
"That's right. It's exactly what you're thinking."
"Fucking hell…"
Damien cursed unwittingly. He genuinely couldn't believe something like that existed.
Legends existed everywhere. They were the Heavens way of documenting all things. They were the ethereal form of the system, the Apeiron Records, which took them and made them visible for people.
Void Palace had a record, a Legend, just like all other things.
And somehow, Persia Solstice managed to recreate something only the elusive Apeiron Records had ever managed to do.
She had made a Legend tangible.
Damien had high expectations for Void Palace, but this was beyond his wildest dreams.
'If it's at this level, then maybe "that" will also be possible.'
He made plenty of realistic plans to raise Void Palace, but he also had some ambitions he thought they'd never be able to accomplish simply due to the realm of possibility that reality caged them in.
Until now, he and his wives were the only ones he knew who were trying to escape those bounds.
But this changed everything.
Void Palace was already on the same wavelength since long ago.
Which meant…
"Hahahaha…"
He couldn't help but laugh.
"This…"
He had to change his plans a bit.
'This is going to be a lot of fun.'
