155 The Aether Hall

A name?  

Draco pondered over this silently for a few seconds before choosing a name for this unique entity.  

"Vitae." 

As an Energy lifeform, this was an apt name, which also fit the theme of the Capital City. Vitae seemed to agree to this, as he nodded and retreated from Draco slowly.  

"Thank you. Now, I shall take you through the functions of your Aether Hall." 

Aetheric Energy coalesced in the room to form a sort of board that one would usually see in schools. It was semi-tangible, meaning that it wasn't permanent. After all, if it had such an ability, this Aether Hall would be too heaven-defying.  

"Firstly, the Aether Hall is self-sufficient and can self-repair. It can automatically keep itself in tiptop shape both aesthetically and functionally, as long as there is Aetheric Energy around."  

The display on the board showed the Aether Hall being messy at one point, and then a large arrow showed the 'after' of the situation, where the Aether Hall was sparkling.  

Clearly, this avatar, or even this Aether Hall in general, had a sense of humor.  

"Secondly, the Aether Hall can defend itself and attack intruders. This is limited to only the Hall itself, so in case of an attack, you will still have to manually defend the rest of the City on your own. The strength of the Aether Hall is directly proportionate to the Aetheric Energy concentration of the City." 

"If the concentration is low, the attack and defense power becomes low, however on the opposite end, the attack and defense will be terrifying. At the current level of concentration, the power will be equivalent to a Rank 4 individual." 

The board displayed the Aether Hall sprouting buff arms as it flexed them. Then underneath this illustration, there were two arrows pointing to two different scenarios.  

The first was one in which the Aether Hall held a shield with its buff arms and defended an energy attack that was like a beam. The second one was the Aether Hall performing a suplex on a suffocating Dragon.  

"Thirdly, the Aether Hall controls the entirety of the area which the Aetheric Energy reaches. In other words, this is what decides your city limit as well as what notifies you about whatever manages to sneak inside." 

"You can expand your territory officially and forcefully if you increase the quantity of Aetheric Energy in the Capital City. Any place inside the reach of the Aetheric Energy produced by the Capital City qualifies as your territory." 

The board now displayed the Aether Hall spreading out tentacles that covered the land. These tentacles seemed to grab anything and drag them into the mouth of the Aether Hall.  

There were trees, rocks, and earth, and they were screaming for help while the Aether Hall laughed evilly.  

"And finally, the most important function the Aether Hall has, is to slowly transform external Worldly Energy into Aetheric Energy." 

"However, there is a caveat. The Aether Hall can only use this function to maintain Aether levels, but cannot increase them or produce it for non-maintenance." 

Draco nodded as he understood. In essence, the Aether Hall would keep the Aether percentage in the overview tab, which was 25%, stable. It would not increase unless Draco manually increased the concentration of Aetheric Energy in the Capital City. 

The board disappeared as Vitae had finished his presentation. He now hovered low to the ground and approached Draco.  

"If you'll follow me, Hall Master, I shall lead you to the anomaly I mentioned earlier." 

Draco shared a look with Riveting Night and Hikari before agreeing. "Please lead the way." 

Vitae acknowledged his assent and began to move through the halls of the building at a moderate speed, while Draco and the two women followed along just as quickly.  

Although the Aether Hall had changed greatly from the Mayor's Hall, Draco was still able to vaguely tell where they were going. Well, anyone could tell as long as they knew the old Mayor's Hall since they kept going lower and lower.  

Eventually, they reached what was formerly the basement, but the door was vastly different now. Instead of a plain and unassuming piece of wood, it had transformed into a greenish-blue portal. 

Vitae stopped before the portal and spoke to them slowly. "The small world Lady Hikari left in the former mine has fused into the Aether Hall, creating a strange function that defies understanding." 

"Please enter with me and take a look for yourselves." 

Vitae flew into the portal and Draco followed him without hesitation. Riveting Night and Hikari followed after wondering just what this was all about.  

When they all saw the world, they were flabbergasted.  

What had once been a small world with lush plains, endless trees and beautiful meadows with lakes and rivers had become a blank slate.  

No, not a blank slate. It had become a bizarre realm where the ground was covered in something like water, which seemed to be semi-solid since they didn't sink into it.  

In the center of this realm was a giant water drop that hung a few meters off the ground, with a column of water beneath it that formed a buffer.  

(Author's Note: Basically this https://i.imgur.com/LZacOtg.jpg) 

Draco stared at this with incomprehension. Riveting Night and Hikari looked just as confused as he did.  

What… exactly was this? What was this realm supposed to be? More importantly, what was it supposed to do exactly? 

The way Vitae had spoken earlier, they had expected that they would find some unparalleled wonder in this place, immediately understand what was going on and fall in awe from it.  

However… 

They were utterly clueless!  

Vitae seemed to notice their confusion and lowered himself to their level as his eyes remained fixed on that water drop that hung in mid-air.  

"That strange mass that resembles water is entirely comprised out of the Divine Energy that had formed this realm, but condensed. It cannot be damaged or removed, and it possesses a strange function." 

Vitae turned to Draco and Hikari. "As long as a Dragon manipulates it, it can produce Aetheric Energy manually. The rate of conversion is awfully poor, but it should be important to note that the resulting Aetheric Energy can be added to the City's quantity." 

The three became shocked now for an entirely different reason. Didn't this mean that they could manually expand their territory without having to sacrifice Aether Crystals?  

Originally, Draco had planned to do just that, but this saved him all kinds of trouble.  

Right now, he needed Aether Crystals so badly it wasn't even funny. He needed them for crafting equipment, for his Magical Engineering and to test other Tradeskills.  

Having to spend some on the Capital City had been painful, but he had no other choice, so he was prepared to grit his teeth and tough it out. However, he was provided with an optimal solution thanks to this anomaly.  

It seemed like the outrageous price in building the settlement as well as upgrading it had been worth it after all.  

It wasn't too surprising that someone had built over an Aether Mine before, as Aether Halls had existed in the old era. However, no one had had the privilege to build over an Aether Mine which contained a small world constructed with Divine Energy, which should be extremely scarce. 

This might explain why it showed up as an error.  

Draco shook his head though. While tempting, it was unthinkable to leave Hikari here to manually manipulate it as he needed her by his side. He himself couldn't do so either because he had a plethora of tasks to accomplish. 

"I noticed you talk about Aetheric Energy in the form of quantity and quality. Is there a difference?" Draco asked thoughtfully. 

Vitae nodded. "When concerning the quantity, this provides no benefit to the land or the people, but allows the territory to expand. Quality, on the other hand, is what allows the people to benefit from the energy, granting the current boons." 

Draco understood this. What the Aether Hall produced naturally was the 'quality' Aetheric Energy that kept what he saw in the overview tab stable and provided the current situation. 

The 'quantity' Aetheric Energy was manually produced after he threw in Aether Crystals or used this anomaly realm to make it, which would allow the territory to expand rampantly.  

Draco had one last question, which was: "How do I increase the quality?" 

Vitae shook his head. "You cannot do so manually. It will only increase automatically when you upgrade the city into a Kingdom. The Aether Hall will then become an Aether Palace and be able to naturally produce higher quality energy, which will provide even better boons." 

Draco nodded. "That's all then?" 

"Yes, Hall Master. That is everything for now." Vitae answered.  

"Good. I shall soon situate my family and loved ones exclusively, as well as my various breeding partners in this Aether Hall. Anyone else who doesn't fit this category is not allowed to enter the Aether Hall without prior notice and my explicit agreement." 

"The only exceptions to this rule shall be the Core members of Umbra." 

Draco gave that command before leaving the anomaly realm with Hikari and Riveting Night. He then turned to the two women and said: "We have to make some preparations. I originally planned to upgrade 5 buildings to Rank 7, but doing so now would be inciting desire where lust already exists." 

Draco turned to Vitae. "Lead us to the meeting room for the Aether Hall." 

Vitae nodded and led them along the hallways to a large room that was extremely lavish in decoration. The number of runes for just the temperature control almost rivaled the Rank 7 Shop.  

The couches were made with the best craftsmanship and the rugs were of various Rank 4 monsters. This was the opulent of opulent, even an emperor would feel his donger shrink in the face of such might.  

There was a throne in this room, which was styled in the visage of a golden lion. On either side of the throne was a smaller one, as if the Aether Hall had known he was with two important people.  

Draco turned to Vitae and the energy lifeform offered no explanation. However, Draco could swear he felt some smugness from the fellow.  

Draco ignored him and sat down on the lion's throne, while Riveting Night sat to his right and Hikari to his left.  

Riveting Night's throne was plain before she sat on it, but as soon as her buttocks touched the object, it transformed into a bright throne, which was styled with motifs of the sun.  

Hikari's also transformed into the motif of a Dragon, which was quite outstanding.  

As Draco enjoyed his comfortable throne, he felt a resonance from his armor. The Seal of Camelot that had been merged with his Dragorugio armor emerged and shed a sharp golden light over the throne. 

Draco was shrouded in a golden aura that seemed to radiate force and majesty to all, making even Hikari and Riveting Night feel the need to bow in front of him. 

｢System to Player Announcement 

Your Legendary Medallion, Seal of Camelot, has resonated with the throne of the Aether Hall. You have generated a King's Aura which lasts for as long as you remain sitting on the throne.｣ 

｢King's Aura – Passive skill 

Effect: Suppress all who refuse to pay respect to the King.｣ 

Draco was quite pleased with this resonance, as it gave him a temporary skill that would come in handy for the next bit. After all, any advantage he could get over the Hidden Powers would be favorable.  

A resonance wasn't something he hadn't seen before. He currently understood that what had happened with the Dragorugio set he was wearing, as well as the Dragon's Blessing potion, could be regarded as a resonance with the Dragon's Soul.  

It wasn't that the red bastard had managed to dupe him, but simply an aspect of the system. This was what Draco told himself to soothe his bruised ego. 

The Dragon Soul in question was woken up by the sudden surge of hate and killing intent in Draco's soul. It had been experiencing a pleasant dream involving finally manning up against its dominant wife, but that dream had been crushed just now.  

As such, the Dragon Soul was enraged, not noticing all the hate and killing intent that was pointed towards it. It could be forgiven, as anyone who was arbitrarily awoken when having a pleasant dream would also be furious. 

"WHO?! COME OUT HERE AND GREET YOUR FATHER, I!" 

The Dragon Soul's roar vented out all its anger and negativity. Truly, expressing dominance over others was its way of life. Since its wife bullied him, it would bully everyone else! 

What, you didn't like that? Well come over here and say that to its face! Then it will just bully you too for good measure!  

The Dragon Soul couldn't help but laugh at this time. It then calmed down and decided to look around.  

Its smile froze when it felt all that hate and killing intent, but it tried to reason that it must just be its own imagination. 

However, the Dragon Soul's neck shrunk when it saw the Black Dragon looming over it with a malicious grin. 

"Blackie greets Father Dragon Soul." The Black Dragon spoke in Draco's voice, mimicking the nickname the Dragon Soul gave it.  

The Dragon Soul at this moment was filled with fear and regret. Were they in the physical realm, it might have already dropped some Aetheric Energy from between its legs.  

'What a dog mouth! Weren't these the same lips that had allowed me to shift the blame of my crimes onto innocents? Weren't these lips able to convince people who were about to kill me to kowtow in respect?' 

'Why had these overpowered lips betrayed me today?' 

"What? So, it was Brother Blackie! Haha, what a coincidence, I was just dreaming about you." 

The Dragon Soul laughed heartily, as if the negativity and the tense situation was all but clouds.  

"Hoh? Tell me all about this dream then." The Black Dragon requested with a smirk.  

The Dragon Soul choked a little but quickly regained composure.  

"Hahaha! Why not! The details are still fresh in my mind!" 

While the Dragon Soul began waxing some eloquent verses that would make Shakespeare call it teacher, the situation in the real world had become a little tense.  

After all, various Hidden Powers had already arrived and were lining up. Many were simply waiting outside patiently for everyone else to gather, as they knew they wouldn't be the only ones paying a visit today.  

They also used this chance to observe this strange building which was supposed to be from the old era. It wasn't announced that it was an Aether Hall, but their discerning eyes were able to tell that this wasn't something from this era.  

They had already noticed the various benefits of the City, which strengthened their desire to get land here. NPCs couldn't seize player lands or property, but they could certainly attack players and bully them to the point of agreeing to whatever request they might have.  

Otherwise, some wouldn't even bother to try and discuss with Draco. They had largely left him alone because of Richmond and because his future was too bright.  

He would certainly be someone important during the Great War, allowing more people to survive until the end.  

But now, things were different. The benefits placed on the table were too great to maintain the status quo. If they all brought their descendants here and allowed them to enjoy these benefits, they could have more of them survive the war.  

The Hidden Powers also deigned to protect this city once their descendants came in. As long as they held this one bastion, the whole world could be left to rot for all they cared.  

With such a home base, limitless growth and rebuilding would be possible.  

Some came with arrogant minds, as not everyone was from the human race either. There were Hidden Powers that were members of neutral races or even some monster races.  

The only missing people right now were the Devils and the Demons, but those two wouldn't show up here anyway.  

Another thing was that Richmond and Nakiu were missing too, which made the Hidden Powers feel much more confident. Even if that old fart was powerful, he wasn't crazy enough to go against all of them combined.  

Some of the Hidden Powers had tried to rip through the void to enter the palace directly as a show of force, but they were knocked back forcefully, which made them angry.  

They had tried to oppress but had ended up being suppressed. This was a great loss of face when one considered who they were up against.  

A mere Rank 1 Immortal Adventurer.  

What's worse, those on par with them had been there to witness this shameful defeat. 

Everyone settled down and observed the building quietly. 

Eventually, the Aetheric Energy coalesced to show Vitae. He floated above the Hidden Powers in an imperious manner, which directly suppressed them as he was pure Aetheric Energy.  

"Good day visitors. We hereby welcome you to Vita Capital City, and as powerhouses of your own domains, you certainly are entitled to possess your own pride." 

Vitae made the nearby Aetheric Energy roil as his echoing voice became menacing.  

"However, do not try to damage the Capital City or the Aether Hall. Doing so will mark your enmity with us and as such, all attempts for any negotiations will be inevitably denied to you!" 

"Speak well! Behave well! You will be in the presence of the sovereign of Vita Capital City! Pay your respects and respect will be shown to you!" 

Vitae's words were forceful and heavy. Draco hadn't told him to say anything, but he decided to do this. He coalesced with Draco's blood and Aetheric Energy, so he shared a lot of Draco's characteristics. 

The Hidden Powers weren't fully suppressed, but their desire cooled down a bit as they acknowledged Vitae's words, no matter how unpleasant they were.  

It would be unwise to show open hostility so soon. It was best to be cordial, at least until the terms of the agreement had been laid down. Then they could still start applying pressure to increase the number of benefits. 

Vitae saw their looks and decided enough was enough.  

"Please follow me through the Aether Hall to my Master's Throne Room where you will be received at his leisure." 

Every word from Vitae's mouth suppressed their dignity and clarified their positions as the lower party, but the Hidden Powers kept quiet.