Chương 9: Perks of Power

One of the enduring mysteries across every Realm in existence is the expression of magic. No matter where mana is channelled and magic is cast, the arcane energies of the world always prefer to be cast as Glyphs. To that end, understanding what Glyphs are is extremely important. Simply put, they are the language of magic. Every Glyph means something specific.

That is why mastering Glyphs begins by learning them in a form academically called Conceptual Glyphs, where the mage learns concepts represented by magic, to be used at best as Subglyphs for their spell circles. In a similar fashion, if Glyphs are words, then spell circles created using Glyphs are the sentences of magic and Glyph Prints are the alphabets making up the words. Since not everything in the universe can be represented by a single word…

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Introduction An Introductory Treatise on Sorcerous Glyphs High Academ Merivius N. The moment Lancet heard those words, the moment her eardrums reverberated with the power in Ryland's cast, her heart threatened to seize up. Space cracked open as Ryland stuffed his hand into the dark whorl edged with golden cracks. He pulled out two oblong orbs gleaming with sunlight. It happened so quickly, Lancet didn't even get the time to feel shocked. Had he just literally broken open reality itself?

It shouldn't be surprising anymore that this man was capable of feats like that. The whole meeting was really just an exercise in just how flabbergasted Lancet could feel. And yet, she had to make an effort to close her jaws hanging open. Especially when she saw legitimate proof that his incantation wasn't just a fluffed-up name for a basic spell. Eventually, Lancet managed to nudge a shocked Seri into bringing in some Inscribed gloves. Those fruits Ryland had pulled out were serious magic. Wandering Goddess…

Lancet swallowed. The hymns of the Old Church often had references to several divinities, one of the most prominent of which was the Wandering Goddess. It was said that where her tears fell, undying trees bearing fruit that could turn the eater immortal grew from the blessed ground. As such, they were considered Relics of the most priceless category.

So much so that the Old Church had a regulatory body specifically built for controlling the dissemination of any items, artifacts, and so on that were associated with the Wandering Goddess—and with any other divinity within their purview, of course. And it wasn't simply because selling such things could make the seller inordinately rich. They were priceless for ascension too. For gaining ranks and earning magic. Nobles ingested supplements made from divine Relics like the Goddess's Tears.

Healer Mages experimented with them to create serums of agelessness. The Old Church itself doled them out as tiny grains at the rare religious function, a way of showing that they still retained some level of power despite all the changes within Androvia and the Accorded Realms. Essentially, if people knew Ryland possessed not one but two of the Tears, he'd be put on watchlists for sure. Unfortunately, Lancet couldn't really feel anything further. She was all out of shock.

"We will take utmost caution," Lancet promised as Seri carefully took the fruits in her gloved hands.

"These will stay safe with us for the rest of eternity if need be." Ryland chuckled, possibly noting her near-desperate sincerity.

"I'll need them before long. But yes, thank you. I could have stored them in my own space, but…" He maintained his smile.

"I thought they would be one last bit of evidence of my identity. And since I'll be withdrawing them eventually, it will help me remember I actually have a bank account." Lancet just nodded mutely.

"I must inform you, sir, that while we prize ourselves on our confidentiality, there are certain things we must report according to the law. Not the existence of the Tears, don't worry. Rather, the law requires us to report if any of the old, immortalized accounts are reopened." Ryland hummed at that. His face remained impassive so it was impossible to say what he was thinking, but she could tell that he was running through the implications of her statement at breakneck mental speed.

"As you wish," he said.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, sir," Lancet said.

"Allow me to mirror the question—is there anything else, anything at all, that we can help you with?" Ryland smiled wide.

"No, I believe we've done enough. Thank you very much. Come on, Viren. I promise I'm not forgetting anything this time."

"Are you sure, sir?" Ryland was already moving to the door.

"I'm positive." Then he paused.

"Wait, was that rhetorical?" Viren snickered.

"No, sir." He nodded at the two bank ladies before leaving after his… actually, Lancet had no idea what their relationship was. Certainly not father and son. Apprentice and master, maybe? Though even that seemed odd. Beside Lancet, Seri seemed to physically deflate. Lancet herself felt something akin to that too. And more besides. Lingering anxiety about how she had acted, a slight giddiness at what the future might hold, and of course, the strong undercurrent of disbelief tingeing the whole experience.

Whatever else happened, Lancet was pretty sure she'd be talking about this day even with her grandkids twenty or thirty years down the line.

"Last call!" the conductor shouted.

"Last call before departure for the north!" Ryland and Viren's hurried steps got them into the train just in time. This was why he preferred to rift to places. That way, he was almost never late. The train was an interesting construct. Fast though they had to move, Ryland had still noted how it was wider than the versions he was familiar with from other Realms. It was also tall enough to be double-decker.

Large windows populated both floors, with a few curious passengers looking out at the station and the surrounding town. One of the reasons they were a tiny bit late was because Ryland had leaned down at the edge of the tracks to observe the feat of magical engineering that was Vyrdian trains.

"Sir, we're going to be late," Viren said, somewhat anxiously. Stolen novel; please report.

"Ah, how intriguing." Ryland would have thrust his head under the carriage to peer closer, but that would unfortunately have resulted in a safety violation.

"While the Inscribed wheels are large and closer together on the underside, there is a supporting frame above them that is also Inscribed with Glyphs. What I wouldn't give to take a closer look…" Viren looked like he wanted to haul Ryland to the train carriage by his cloak." Sir."

"You're right. I can take a closer look." Ryland winked at the boy.

"We'll just make sure not to tell anyone, alright?" Viren just looked relieved that he was being followed into the train. Ryland was happy to let Viren take the lead, for he was a little busy casting a spell." [Omniscience]." As they got onboard, Ryland's spell circle activated on his right eyeball. The sound of space cracking within his body was always very odd, especially when it was this close to his ear. But he could now look closer at the train's undercarriage as his eye was displaced through spacetime.

He found the location where the Glyphs were Inscribed pretty easily.

"Ah, how simple but ingenious," Ryland said.

"The—""Tickets, please." Ah, right. Ryland was inside the train now. He took out the shiny card from the bank.

"Here you are."

"That is not a ticket, sir, that's—" The conductor paled." A five -star card?" With a hasty jerk to get into position, he bowed deeply, quite like what the bankers had done.

"S-sorry, my lord. I didn't mean any disrespect. Please, follow me. I will lead you to the first-class carriage immediately."

"No need to apologize," Ryland said easily. Viren just shook his head and sighed. The train started trundling along as they walked. With one eye, Ryland noted that they passed by compartments of sleek wood serenading the rather wide walkway in between. Soft cream-yellow light made everything feel warm and gold. There was a pleasant scent too. Clearly, the train staff did well to keep everything both spotless and welcoming. The number of passengers decreased the farther up the train they went.

Eventually, they reached a set of wide, sliding doors manned by a couple of guards in fancy uniforms.

"Five-star card," the conductor said. The nearest guard laughed.

"Good one, Colm."" I'm serious," Colm, the conductor, hissed.

"Open the door." Both guards straightened at the utterly mirthless look on the conductor's face. They surveyed Ryland. The same Glyph flashed on both their helms, and he felt a tiny magical probe poking towards him. One that recoiled as soon as it brushed his presence.

"Right this way, my lord," the first guard said, having lost all his earlier humour. He dragged the sliding door open so fast, it almost slammed into the wall.

"Please forgive my doubt. We haven't seen a five-star card in, well, I've actually never seen one."

"It's alright," Ryland said.

"I've never seen a five-star card before either." The guards stared as Viren laughed softly while Ryland followed the conductor in. Viren's laughter faded quickly as they entered the first-class carriage. His muttered "Woah!" summed up Ryland's feelings adequately. He had thought the train well-maintained and a well-to-do establishment in general. Now, inside the first-class carriage, he saw its true ostentatiousness.

The tiled walls bore intricate mosaics painting all sorts of scenes, from tranquil meadows to bloody battles. Instead of individual compartments, there were entire rooms complete with a small bed, dressing table, as well as other odds and ends. A fountain spurted wine into the air at the far end of the carriage, while a wide variety of food was attempting to seduce everyone towards the buffet table. Viren went a few steps ahead of them, goggling at everything. Clearly, this was his first taste of opulence.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" a man said from the buffet table, his orange clothes even louder than he was. He glared at the guards.

"Close the doors, you fools. You're letting in your rancid odours." Ryland sniffed. He liked to think his senses were rather well developed.

"I smell nothing off-putting emanating from them."

"Sir—" Viren said. At the same time, the conductor turned to the man with the extremely full plate.

"My lord—""Silence!" the man said. He stomped over, his moustache quivering much like the tottering pile of food on his plate.

"When I speak, you listen and obey. Forget speaking at the same time, we should not be breathing the same air, even. Don't try and tell me that these two hooligans are some sort of royalty in secret, conductor. Your days are numbered."

"That's true," Ryland said.

"I have neither noble nor royal blood. Complete commoner, is yours truly." He turned to Viren.

"How about you?" Viren looked like he seriously wanted to be concerned, then he blinked, as though remembering something.

"No, sir. I'm a lousy commoner too."

"Well, there you have it, conductor," Ryland said.

"That man there is certainly right about one thing."" That man," the man sputtered.

"I am the Lord Stowen Kohn. You will address me by my rightful title." At the mention of his name, Viren stiffened. Hmm, did the boy have something against the lord? Had one of the bullies responsible for Tallow getting lost in the dungeon been a Kohn?

"Sir," Viren said.

"Can I have your card for a moment?"

"Certainly," Ryland said. Lord Stowen Kohn's face turned a shade of apoplectic red at being ignored.

"What is the meaning of—" Viren flashed the golden card right in his face.

"Take a look at this, you gluttonous jellyfish. A five-star card. Five, Calamity-kissing stars." The lord stared agog. Ryland's card had stupefied Stowen Kohn so much that he had forgotten he was supposed to be angry. Honestly, at this point, Ryland would do well to figure out just what the five-star rating on his card meant. Obviously, it was a symbol of status. An extremely high status at that, if it was wowing even food-loving lordlings.

But beyond that, Ryland would have loved to know what exactly the context surrounding it was.

"Right this way to your room, my lords," the conductor said, clearly trying to hurry them away from there before things turned into an actual conflict. Their voices had caused other nobles to emerge from their rooms to observe what was happening, and poor Colm clearly wanted to prevent any spectacles from occurring. Feeling sorry for the fellow, Ryland retrieved the card from Viren unceremoniously and followed along.

"If you need anything at all," the conductor said once they entered their room.

"Please don't hesitate to call me. On behalf of the entire train, we are at your service, my lord." He left after another deep bow. When Ryland took his seat, he was faintly impressed that he didn't feel the carriage shaking or trundling along. It was only his senses heightened by his Inscribed Glyph of Proprioception that allowed him to pick up the minute vibrations travelling from the wheels and the undercarriage into their actual cabin.

He didn't know where exactly the Engineer Mages had put in the clearly powerful stabilizing magic keeping everything steady, but it was certainly there. Yet another outstanding feat of Glyphtech.

"Does this sort of thing happen to you often, sir?" Viren asked as he sank into the nearest plush seat. Tallow emerged from within his academy robes, peeking at their new surroundings.

"Now that has to be a rhetorical question," Ryland said.

"I—yes, well, alright." The way they were using magic to enhance the suites within the first-class carriage was marvellous, just like the frame of the undercarriage that supported extra-wide cabins. Rooms here took up both floors. This meant they had a lot of vertical space to fit in a great deal of extravagance. There was the bed and some seats—all luxurious—on the ground. Then there was a curved dining table complete with chairs and cutlery a few handspans above, set on a platform extending from the walls.

Higher up were other things like a vanity, an armoire, and the bathroom too. All accessible by a simple lift that ascended gently when the occupant wanted it to. It didn't even need magic from the passenger to operate. Just two taps of the foot activated the central circular Glyphtech platform to make it rise.

"Wow," Viren said, rising on the platform before falling and then ascending yet again.

"This is fun." Tallow was jumping from dining table to vanity to armoire and so on.

"Yes," Ryland said.

"Fun, and ingenious. Kudos to the mages who advanced the Glyphtech this far. I still remember being stuffed like fish into metal cans on wheels when trains first came out." Viren almost fell off the lift.

"Trains came out ages ago, sir." Then he grimaced, muttering what sounded like " Centuries ago…"

"Yes, they did. Did you know that back then, people got poisoned on trains? One of the best research areas of Glyphtech was finding how different materials react to mana. It turned out the alloy they used for the original trains exuded a toxic odour that could cause your innards to dissolve after prolonged exposure."

"You don't sound like your innards got dissolved, sir." Ryland tutted.

"You sound like you're almost disappointed my innards didn't get dissolved." Viren flushed, deciding against coming down from the dining table. He was also spared the need to confront the awkwardness when a short rap resounded on their door.

"Please open the door, my lord," said a sharp female voice.

"I am Ophelia Brigmont, an Exalted-ranked member of the Heartshield Knights." A bit above Ryland, Viren choked on air.

"A Heartshield Knight?" Ryland didn't get the time to ponder it. Another knock resounded.

"Please allow me entry, my lord," the Knight said insistently.

"I must verify that you have not forged your identity."