From past experience, Hector understood he had to prepare people before dropping them onto Union Central. It would be especially important for Xian who might suspect they were being attacked by Arahant mental manipulation when things began popping up in their vision. Zara nodded in agreement with what he said but continued to hang on his every word. He took that as a sign that she'd heard this information from her father but never visited the world herself. The others appeared befuddled by the new information.

When he formed his transit sphere, no one hesitated to enter. A few minutes later they arrived outside of Tian Tower. Hector walked the new arrivals through the process of registering their presences with the System. At the same time, he was pondering the message he'd received. It was not the standard 'welcome back to Union Central' one.

I require your assistance with a problem. Please do not leave before we talk.

He didn't know what to expect from the ambiguous request. It was easy to imagine all sorts of problems the System could have. The problem could be anything from a threat to the System's secrecy to a world-ending disaster. When he had his guests set up, Hector transferred ten thousand credits to each of them and explained how banking worked.

"This is amazing," Dorian said. "I have instant access to all of my money anywhere I go? And no one can ever steal it?"

Mei rubbed her chin. "How much ten thousand?"

"That's enough for you to live comfortably for several weeks."

"Unempowered food though," she pointed out. Mei's thick accent had softened considerably since the last time he encountered the maidens. He imagined Dorian had a lot to do with the rapid improvement.

Isabel had barely stopped staring at the skyscrapers since their arrival. She pointed at a particularly tall one in the distance. "How do these buildings stay up?"

"Their bones are strong metal," Hector said.

Isabel nodded in acceptance. "Very clever. Do the windows break often?"

"It's very strong glass."

Zara cut in. "How do we connect with potential allies?"

Hector had prepared for this question. "We need to send a message using a computer, then we'll have to wait for a response. It may take several days."

"Are the credits you provided intended to support us during that time?"

"That's right. All of you should be able to stay in this building here. It's populated exclusively by Xian dreamers and rogues. I own a room in it." Step one of his dastardly plan had been to convince them to travel to Union Central. Step two was getting them to spend a few nights in comfort.

"That seems reasonable. Make arrangements for us."

Step two complete. Hector led the others into Tian Tower, verbally granting them permission to enter the lobby as a resident. He suspected the System would give him far more leeway than that, but didn't want to take advantage of his connection too much.

The cafe was being manned by Esther, whose eyes lit up at the large group Hector had brought. She closed the distance so far it almost seemed like she'd teleported. "Hello! Are you four looking for somewhere to stay? We recently had a couple of suites open up."

Hector look back and forth between an Esther in sales mode and the gathering of powerful warriors. It took him a moment to realize the source of confusion. Everyone was still veiled. "Esther, this is Lord Zara and her retinue."

At his words, Zara dropped her own veil, causing Esther to flinch. "Greetings… uh, Lord?"

Zara sighed. "Formal courtesies are relaxed while I am in exile. You are free to address me as a casual superior."

Hector cleared his throat. "She dreamed the life of an Alfar, Zara. She doesn't understand Amaratti etiquette. It might be easier to just have people address you as 'Lord Zara' and understand that when they behave inappropriately they don't mean any disrespect."

The woman gave Hector a firm look. "I hardly rate the title of Lord at the moment, Hector. For years I shamelessly played the role of subordinate to one who should be my peer. Then when she turned on me, I fled instead of defending what was mine. By the standards of Amarat, I am a disgrace. If it wasn't for the language barrier, I would join a Zing sect as an elder and forget about my ambitions."

Hector kept his features still. "Are you looking to settle outside of Amarat?"

"The only places on Tian free of Amarat's influence are Zing and Bentley. The first does not allow stray 'Immortals' to wander about outside of trade zones. The second does not tolerate anyone above level nine to live. I either gain the strength to defend myself or I remain in exile."

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That was almost like a sign from fate that it was the right time to push. This was going far more smoothly than he'd anticipated. Maybe too smoothly, given his usual luck. "Have you considered living on another world? Before you give the obvious objection, hear me out. You can visit Oceania to harvest cores, then come here to consume them and strengthen yourself in peace."

Zara stared at him. "Every meal here would rob my reserves of precious energy. Every trip between worlds would cost dearly."

"Import food. The trips need to happen anyway for your foreign allies."

Zara's attention shifted to Darius, who shrugged. "None of us are low level enough that aural cultivation is a viable strategy. You must admit it would be nice to sleep soundly for once, Aunt Zara."

"Your missed sleep is caused by factors other than fear, Dorian. But I accept your point. We can evaluate the merits of Union Central." Zara snapped her fingers at Esther. "Are you the concierge? Prepare rooms for us."

As simple as that, step three of his plan was complete. Zara, Dorian, and the two surviving Azure Spear Maidens were living on Union Central. From here, he just needed to convince someone worthwhile to trade favors with a Xian Lord. Hector had no idea how challenging that might be. Fortunately he was friends with the foremost spy in all of Union Central.

Hector left his comrades with a flustered Esther and secluded himself in his bedroom. "What did you want to speak about, System?"

I am making arrangements to occupy Stronghold Alpha.

That was unexpected. "Have you revealed your existence to the Reconquest?"

My existence remains secret. My arrangements thus far are limited to preparing a team of Users for duty on the front lines. I require a porter to bring them to Aes.

"You realize I can't find a destination I've never visited?"

With your permission, I will negotiate a trip to Alpha on your behalf. Transit is desperate enough to place more humans on Aes that he is considering non-combatants. One of the lesser known reasons for the Reconquest is that every human placed on Aes reinforces the dimensional membrane of the world. Fighting monsters is almost an afterthought at this point. For my plan, you will claim that you have low level Xian prisoners that need relocated.

That seemed like too obvious a lie. "You want me to claim I have prisoners?"

It should work. The Amaratti established a presence on the world they call New Mart as a penal colony where political prisoners were stranded. In later centuries the world became more of a colony, but its original status is common knowledge.

Hector twirled his pointer finger. "Go for it, System. It will make me feel better asking for my favor. I want to trick Zara into participating in the Aes Reconquest. She thinks we're here to recruit allies to help her hunt aquatic beasts on Tian. What I want are some leads on people who might be willing to exchange like for like."

I am going to be honest, Hector. I thought you were doing something foolish when you appeared on Union Central with the company you are keeping. Somehow you have surpassed those expectation.

"Surpassed in a good way?"

Not a good way. Given I do not have a personality profile on Zara, I cannot model her behavior. That doesn't stop me from predicting she will not contribute to the Reconquest. Fighting on Aes requires energy she will not willingly spend. It would delay her own goals. Her apertures are barely above nine, making her the weakest Lord to pass through Union Central since my awakening.

"Well, you can blame that on Thrakkar being a shit father who won't give her any help."

Didn't he?

"No, not really," Hector said.

It seems obvious to me that he trained, tested, and delivered a candidate for her retinue.

After a moment, Hector conceded the point by not arguing. Besides, there were other things on his mind. "Can you actually see my soul apertures or is the survey results the best you can do?"

I have much more clarity than the crude analysis would suggest.

"There's an element of cultivation I wasn't aware of. The Xian say that there is a 'blessing' that happens on advancement."

All kinds experience that phenomenon. You took advantage of it once at my suggestion to rapidly heal a strained aperture, if you recall.

"What about the anchor of the aperture?"

Anchor?

"Where the aperture connects to the soul."

Contrary to every analogy used by humans, there is no sharply delineated boundary between an aperture and the greater soul structure. The two metaphysical surfaces overlap a great deal.

"Are you saying you can't see the aperture anchor?"

I believe I see it well enough to question the very concept. It seems like a silly Xian idea.

"Well, I've been told that if I undergo the Tribulation to become a Lord that my soul apertures will detach because I didn't receive the blessing. What do you make of that claim?" After Hector's question, his field of vision remained clear for a time. Finally, words began to appear.

I can confirm that Zara and Dorian and Matthias have significantly more contact points between the mesh formed of their aperture substance and the main soul structure than you or any other Xian currently on Union Central, even when adjusted for level. Each blessing appears to result in the creation of additional contact points. Using my observations of the native Xian population and my memory of their advancement statistics, I've developed a rough model. My estimate is that someone of your level should have twenty percent more of those contacts than you currently do.

Hector sat on his bed and leaned against the wall. The independent confirmation of the revelation made by two separate Lords left him feeling hollow. He'd already accepted these facts. Nobles trained those under them to become powerful subordinates, not potential challengers. He couldn't even blame them for misleading him. He'd messed up before he ever left Earth. And considering the betrayal of Volithur, it was hard to argue they should have trained him better.

I have never witnessed a Xian face a Tribulatio. My knowledge is limited to myths and stories. All sources agree they involve lightning.

"What are the survival rates?"

These sources cannot provide reliable statistics. The risks they speak of could be exaggerated for dramatic tension, or the frequency of positive outcomes could be inflated due to survivorship bias.

Hector sighed. "What do you think? Do I give up the dream of level ten?"

Perhaps. Until I witness a Tribulation, I can only speculate.

"I guess level nine is pretty good." He popped to his feet. "Give me the names of people who would be willing to help Zara hunt beasts on Tian."

I have a better idea.

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