Chapter 72: "The Briber"

Inside the Kingdom of Disorder, the silver-glass goblet in Nareth's hand swirled with an amber liquid, rippling with strange gold-brown patterns, as though countless eyeballs soaked in molten gold.

He tilted his head back and drank.

As the liquid slid down his throat, a pearly glow bloomed across his knuckles, and faint golden specks appeared on his fingernails.

At the same time, a flood of information surged into his mind.

While suppressing the overflowing power of the potion, Nareth began organizing the Beyonder abilities of the "Briber."

The core ability, naturally, was Bribery, by offering something tangible or symbolic Bribe to a target, he could elicit various effects. 

There were four main applications:

Bribe-Weaken: Within a certain period of time, the target will become weakened, significantly lowering their ranged and melee attacks, defense, and control over the Briber.

Bribe-Arrogance: The target would become proud and Arrogant, lowering their intelligence, and causing them to make mistakes or wrong judgements on their situation.

Bribe-Charm: The target will feel an intense feeling of good or would have a good perception of the Briber, making it hard to have negative intentions towards them. Sometimes the target will be completely unwilling to fight the Briber, and in the right conditions, there is a small chance that they will instead fight their allies on the spot.

Bribe-Connection: This establishes a 'relationship' between the Briber and the target, or in other words, it creates a Connection between the 2 parties.

Aside from these core functions, Nareth's spirituality was enhanced, and his physical body received a minor boost.

His skill in throwing was now mystically enhanced, making the act of hurling bribes much more precise and effective.

At the same moment, in Vostroya's orbital starport, a man in a golden robe, as tall as the average adult, stood beside a bald giant. Both scanned the bustling facility.

The giant wore a green robe, with a vivid multi-headed serpent tattoo coiled around the right side of his face.

The golden-robed man extended his awareness outward. Countless conversations and thoughts flooded into his mind.

Beyond learning of Nareth's fascination with strange beings and objects, several snippets of chatter piqued his interest:

"Solapuv, I just came from Paradigm City, the hive capital designed by Monarch Nareth himself. You know, it's unlike any other hive; it's stunning."

"True to its name, Paradigm City should be the standard for all hives. I hope I live to see that day."

"One day, after I've birthed eleven children, I might just complete one of Monarch Nareth's 33 conditions and qualify to live there…"

Peering down with interest, the golden-robed man's eyes sharpened. He pierced through the toxic clouds to the city with the thinnest industrial smog.

It towered skyward, the tallest hive city in the world. The tip of its highest hive-spire was only a few dozen kilometers from the starport.

Seconds later, in fluent High Gothic, he spoke to the man beside him holding a double-headed spear:

"Come. Let's see the hive your brother built, the one praised by the Vostroyan people."

They headed for the landing platform. Even from hundreds of meters away, the guards noticed the tall spear-bearing figure.

As the captain prepared to issue orders, the golden-robed man's gaze flickered, and the captain froze. His mind went hazy, forgetting both his words and thoughts.

Now, the guards only saw the green-robed man, and the spear in his hand became invisible to memory and sight.

After ten more steps, the golden-robed man slightly furrowed his brow.

He realized that this starport was completely different from any he'd seen on Terra or other hives. The workers here shone with hope.

A glimmer of surprise flashed in his eyes, and his anticipation for Paradigm City grew stronger.

Half a stellar cycle later, aboard a luxurious flyer, the golden-robed man asked in Vostroyan:

"You're all licensed guild merchants from various hives, yes? This is my first time visiting Paradigm City. Can you tell me what makes it so special?"

Before he spoke, no one had noticed his presence. But once he did, everyone turned their attention to him instantly.

Five wealthy merchants stared in awe at the man whose angelic features lit up the entire cabin. How had they failed to notice him before?

One merchant, wearing a trendy black robe and a wrist bracelet made of symphony of the sea bone beads, took a few seconds to respond, then instinctively addressed him with honorifics:

"My lord, to say what's different... It's completely different."

"Paradigm City was designed by Monarch Nareth himself. Though it retains the hierarchical structure of other hives, you rarely feel the division."

"The top-hive, upper-hive, mid-hive, lower-hive, and underhive are more like parts of an industrial machine, segments of a supply chain."

He paused, dissatisfied with his own explanation. Facing someone so distinguished, he felt the need to offer a better answer.

"For example, factories in the underhive recycle other hives' waste into raw materials. Lower-hive plants refine those into Miguel Steel. The mid-hive uses the steel to build mag-lev trains, depending on the use case."

"Upper-hive residents use selected steel to craft precision weapons. The families of the top-hive might forge elite armor from the best stock."

"Mag-lev trains climb upward, offloading steel tier by tier. The division of labor isn't what shocks people…"

He inhaled deeply, eyes shining.

"What does shock people is this, the workers' only difference lies in their income."

"Under-hive residents have real, attainable paths upward, either by improving their skills or through childbirth."

"Yes, the criteria are still strict. But it's much more achievable than the mythical ascension of the past."

"This gives them drive. They no longer work just to survive, they work to change their destiny."

He ended with a suggestion:

"You should visit the under-hive. Unlike other hives, Paradigm City has no dangerous mutants or hostile hive creatures."

"By under-hive standards, it's clean and orderly, and even inside the dome, garbage is rarely seen."

The golden-robed man nodded, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Thank you for the insight and advice."

As they spoke, the flyer trembled slightly and came to a halt.

The wealthy merchants, hoping to speak further, found themselves frozen, as if moving in slow motion, watching the two men leave.

Walking along the spotless streets, the green-robed man commented:

"Air pollution here is minimal. If it weren't for the world's natural air currents, it might be pollution-free."

The golden-robed man nodded slightly, eyes locked on a fast-moving mag-lev train in the distance.

"Let's go check that out."

Moments later, three kilometers from the freight terminal, the green-robed man watched as inspectors randomly checked containers:

"One hundred containers, each with one hundred precision-crafted las rifles. Powerful weapons for common folk, far higher quality than products from other hives."

"It seems this brother's governance has improved lives without compromising military quality."

"The armor, grenades, and other gear are also top-grade."

The golden-robed man nodded in agreement and said:

"Let's go to the under-hive, see how he's handling the mutant problem."