CH 83

"Where are we?" An amazed Emilia looked around the place where they found themselves in. The ground was filled with plants, young weeds and a few sprouts. The ground was impeccably even, with not a single rock or dirt sticking out. She can even see the water just over the horizon. 

Speaking of light, she tried to look for its source. But even when she spun around twice, she didn't see anything like a sun. But the light that hits her body feels warm and she could even tell that the light was yellow from the light that hit the ground.

In front of Zel was the same island that he had seen when he first 'awakened'. If he was being truthful, he wasn't expecting to go back here for a while. He still hadn't done a single plan to completion after all, this was so unexpected.

"This place? It's a pocket dimension." Zel raised his hand and the portal they entered closed and the edges of it shrunk back down to a ring. After fiddling with it to make sure it didn't get any damage, Zel looked at his territory and smiled.

"Pocket dimension?" Curiosity got to the young girl as she went up next to Zel and faced him with an enthusiastic smile. She had seen much too little of the world, now she's able to see something that no one else had seen before. Of course, she'll be curious.

"A pocket dimension is basically a copy of reality, a compressed space that uses external energy to sustain itself. This is like a planet that only I can go to, and I can even change it however I like. But unlike a normal dimension, this one ceases to exist when I die." A look of content appeared in Zel's face as he recounted the many trials he faced to try and make this whole pocket dimension thing work.

It was during his last foresight that he was given the opportunity to create one, which he did. It was much more vast as this one, but in the end, it was as empty as this one as well. What's the point of having a large kingdom when there's no one to live in it?

"So, you own everything here? Can you, like, make things appear out of nowhere?" A thought passed by as Emilia wondered about how he said this was. She has always loved to explore her imagination and had made drawings of a few as well. If he created something like this then he should be able to make anything, right?

"Ehh.. Well, yeah. Kinda. Technically, we're in a space that's built inside my Artifact that's being sustained by my mana and time energy. Everything in here can be altered by me, but if I do it too much then the pocket dimension loses its stability. It's a copy of reality after all, too many modifications and it could break."

"So, you can't just change it whenever you want?"

Zel looked on as disappointment flashed on Emilia's face. He wondered why she was so down before he understood that she probably wanted him to make something. He wasn't sure what it could be, but he wanted her to tell him herself.

"I can't do it too much, but I can do a few changes when I have enough people who follows me. For example, you joining my council makes you connected to this pocket dimension as well. That means I can ease off the energy I'm using to sustain it and have it be spent somewhere else."

A smile dawned upon Zel's face as he lifted his hand and the ring glowed red once more. This time, Zel wasn't about to be let down by having no resources at all. Having Emilia as his first Council member gave him a lot of room to expand. What was most important for now, however, was for him to bring her memories back.

"Show me how many Kingdom Points I got, Toph."

[Kingdom Points: 1300]

"Holy shit! That's way higher than I thought I'd get. Is it because of her being special? What's the usual reward for recruiting one Council member?"

[Kingdom Points are rewarded based solely on the recruit's current capabilities. Emilia Halsey's current capabilities are already enough to give the user enough support to warrant this amount of Kingdom Points.]

"Is she really that good? As expected of my Emilia. Tell me, Toph. Is there going to be a way for me to earn more Kingdom Points from her?"

[As she grows stronger, more Kingdom Points will be awarded. It will be updated every midnight, when the user is asleep.]

"I see. Then I don't have to worry about running out now. Toph, please help me place down the Memory Hall."

[Understood. Please select the location from this map.]

A top view of the island appeared before Zel as he stood with his hands behind his back. The curious Emilia was able to see what Zel was seeing as she was now a member of his council. But it does not mean that all council members are allowed to do so, it is mainly Zel allowing her to see it.

"Is that the map of the whole place?"

"Yeah, and this is what we're building."

A small square appeared in the map as soon as Zel's hand pressed against it. It didn't look anything special when seen from above, making it quite disappointing for the young Emilia. It looked like a box, a golden topped box, but still just a box.

"What is it for?"

"Memory Hall is a database of all the memories I have made during my foresight 'journey'. When we get you in there, you can see the future through my eyes."

"..."

Looking at the screen, Zel thought that placing it right in the middle sounds like a good place to start. If he's going to use this place a lot, he'd be a lot more secure if he takes the center as his 'personal' property. He's going to take this kingdom out of here sometime in the future anyway, he should make it so that the most important place is in the most secure place.

"Place it here."

[User's desired specifications have been analyzed and taken into account. Please choose from the following designs.]

Three building styles appeared before Zel, each giving off different vibes. One was a tall building adorned with multiple pillars showing stylized murals of his achievements. At the center of the building is an altar, a throne and a small panel. It looked ancient, but quite aesthetic.

Personally, Zel liked this style the most. The only problem was that its price was way too high for him right now.

-1000 Kingdom Points-

Another showed a highly modernized, homely style of structure. The front had a glass wall while the other three were made of blue, rune engraved steel. A style similar to that of the buildings of his City of Oculus's innermost walls. The interior was clean and crisp, an all-white interior wall and ceiling with black tiles laid on the floor. A design that is dear to his heart but is also a memory he wanted to forget sometimes.

-300 Kingdom Points-

It is only the last design that made his eyebrows raise. It looked nothing like he had built before, it was too... plain. But that's also the cheapest one to build, costing him only the base price of 100 Kingdom Points.

"What's the reason for the differences in cost, Toph?"

[Each of these designs output differences in efficiency. The base model only gives the user a 10% Efficiency Rating. A Red Time Marble would only allow a year's worth of memories.]

Details suddenly appeared as Toph talked about a specific model. Their specifications such as their floor area, height, tensile and compression strength and even their expected lifespan were presented. Scanning through them would take a professional's knowledge to fully understand, thankfully Zel was one.

[The mid-tier model boasts a 30% Efficiency Rating, while the top-tier model boasts a 100% Efficiency Rating. Their complexity in construction and quality of materials is also taken into account when determining their price.]

"What would you recommend I do, Toph?" Zel looked closely at all his options but he was already inclined to go with the mid-tier one. But since he had someone who can give him a good opinion, he might as well ask.

Toph was an artificial intelligence that takes his memories as its database. It is a culmination of all the information he gathered throughout his many lifetimes. Its opinion will always be welcomed.

[If the user intends on keeping a large supply of Time Marbles, the higher models would be a better alternative. If the use intends on creating more structures, then the user could use the rest of his Kingdom Points another way. Completing all of them with basic models would be possible if the base model is chosen for all of them.]

After thinking about it for some time, Zel nodded his head. He looked beside him where a curious Emilia was staring at his back. Her cute expression instinctively made him give her a smile before speaking to Toph once again.

He wasn't aware of the fact that his mana core was emitting a foreign mana that was taking the shape of a small book. One that resembled the artifact of the Emilia from the future. Something that she placed on him before he left, hoping that it would bring them back together again.

"I see! Thank you for the advice. Let's go with the base model then, Toph."

[Initializing Construction... 

Construction is now ongoing...

Time to completion: 15 seconds]

The moment Zel and Emilia heard Toph speak, a rumbling sounded out from beneath the two of them. Then a hole appeared in front of Zel and Emilia that expanded at an alarming rate, but it immediately stopped expanding when it had a size similar to what was shown to them earlier.

When it finally finished, a light appeared at the position Zel indicated earlier. Starting from the bottom, it eventually dulled out, leaving behind a ten feet tall structure in its place as it left.

The structure was simple, it's walls unadorned and a dull gray. The only thing that stood out from its appearance is the runes etched all around it that glowed from time to time. Giving it a strangely mesmerizing appeal. There was no window at all, and the roof was flat as well. It looked like a concrete box with two doors. Its two doors are sealed shut, but when Zel raised his hand towards it, the doors opened.

"Wow!" Emilia's eyes glowed in awe at the sight before her. A building suddenly appearing in but a moment of time cannot be replicated anywhere else, at least none that she had knowledge about. But even if there was something like this outside this place, it didn't detract from its marvel.

"Let's go in." Zel smiled as he looked at the building with undisguised relief. He wasn't sure exactly about how he feels about its appearance, but it was irrefutable progress. Besides, it was clear from Toph's suggestion earlier that this is the best choice.

The inside of the building was just as shabby as what can be seen from outside. There was only a seat in middle with a small panel on the side. Apart from that, only the runic walls were present.

"Sit there and I'll get you started. It should only take a few minutes, so don't worry about it taking too long. Also, don't move too fast when you wake up. Just rest for a while and it will go away."

Zel lead Emilia to the only chair in the room and took out five Time Marbles. He wasn't going to be thrifty with his wife, he was going all out. The reason he only took out five was because that seems to be the number of sockets available.

"You ready?" Looking at the nervous Emilia, Zel couldn't help but smile. Even though she was scared, she trusted him. Maybe a part of her already had a connection with him, telling her to trust him. Maybe he was just thinking too much, maybe he was right. It didn't matter, he'll just show her.

"I'm ready." Seeing that Zel still didn't have a single trace of bad intentions in his thoughts, Emilia followed through with it. She trusted her gut, although she was also quite young, a factor that made her more gullible.

"Then, I'll see you later." Pressing down his ring against the panel, Zel saw that the Time Marbles were already getting drained of their energy. The energy passed through the panel, down to the runes that littered the room. A deep, red brilliance filled the room as Emilia slowly closed her eyes.

'What the hell?'

It was then that Zel felt a pang in his heart and a book emerged from his chest. It felt like something was torn from his soul, which was exactly what happened when it left his body. Zel instantly recognized the book, as he was the one who made it for her. It seems that she had plans of her own.

The book hovered before Zel after breaking out of his body. It looked like it was waiting for his permission, even though it could decide for itself. A choice that Emilia might have given him, a choice between seeing her again or creating new memories. But the choice had already been made even before it was asked.

"Hurry up and go to her!"

The book shook a little as it looked like it was pleased. Zel merely smiled as he watched the book go to the panel and placed itself above the Time Marbles.

The crimson room changed into an intense blue color that made Zel experience great pleasure. It seems like he was being embraced by her as they laid on a soft, warm bed. Tears of melancholy dropped from his eyes that looked intently at Emilia.

The radiance of the artifact visibly reduced until it turned into a normal looking book. When it did, the book floated once more before plunging itself into Emilia's chest. Waking her up.

"Emilia?" A cautious Zel approached Emilia who looked like she was still a little out of it. Her eyes were unfocused, looking like she wasn't even aware of where she was. It was only when Zel placed his hand on her cheek that she turned her attention to him.

"Tiger! You're so small!" Emilia then pounced on Zel and gave him a much-needed embrace. Zel, who couldn't believe how easy it was, hugged her back. He was already tearing up when he thought about what he would have done if it didn't work.

Would he be able to live with himself knowing that he failed?

"Emilia, I-"

"Blerghh!" 

But their reunion was cut short as Emilia heaved her entire lunch at Zel's neck and back. Zel's eye twitched as he felt the vomit slowly reach his buttocks. His entire body frozen from the weird sensation he was experiencing right now.

'Ahh... This is my fault.'