Azimuth: The Elden Throne

.

.

.

—---------------

Ever since Dale rose to a high enough position in Resko, he was given the ability to issue tasks and their appropriate rewards based on nothing but his wishes and the resources within Resko and his own pockets.

At first, he was limited in what he could do, and in a way he still is...

He didn't quite know what to expect of this.

Over time, his Reputation grew, and so did his position.

And the more he explored this 'privilege', the more he came to understand its limits.

Dale understood that with a high enough position, he could theoretically alter how the System worked within the City, as it wasn't just limited to him issuing and creating Quests based on the situation.

With items, powers, and other objects, Dale's level of manipulation increases, as the System will recognize his own capabilities and translate them into 'authority' over it.

If Dale issued an order to pave the roads, a Quest would form, maybe even an event as well, his words could and would be correlated to notifications by the System.

This wasn't something exclusive to him, it would take a while, but players would likely, one day, find out about this as well.

He also believed it to be mostly due to his high position in a High-End zone.

And atop that, if Dale could convince the Elders to do something, then as the representatives of the Village, the System would act as well to complement their wills and wishes.

Dale could create Events just as easily as he could issue Quests, he just needed to pile up the 'variables'.

In fact, he was even researching if he could create something like a Dungeon by capturing a monster and trapping it, or some other obscure method.

But that would have to be left for another time.

The 'Authority System' (A name he inveted) was very malleable, but there were no tutorials on how to use it.

He had to test everything, one command, one idea at a time. And eventually, come to an understanding of its inner workings, limits, benefits, etc.

That is how he birthed this idea in the first place, because he could change Resko significantly, albeit he was unsure of the consequences of it to his position itself.

He had been warned before, that abusing his powers may lead to undesirable outcomes… But this was necessary, as Dale couldn't quite see a better world for both players and NPCs unless he abolished all of the demerits that currently affect the players due to their past actions.

However, that wasn't a good solution either, it would only cause mayhem to sprout.

It was okay for extremely developed regions like the Major Cities and Capitals, but Resko could not give the players complete freedom... Not that they had it there in the first place.

It was just that the difference in scale between the regions was such that the limitations binding the players were much more evident here as compared to inside the Capital.

In any case, that was the gist of his plans, taking shape, one line at a time as he went back to his place.

But his day was far… Far from over.

…

/Later…/

Time passed quickly, it was as if the clouds were on hyperdrive.

Birds rushed in the air, chirping happily as the danger within the forest was over.

Sometimes, Dale felt he could see them rush into the skies whenever he looked at them from the window.

It was faint, but Dale felt that the forest had grown a little as compared to before.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he wouldn't be surprised if that had actually been the case.

After years if not decades of living with a parasite within them, the forest was now clear of it, for the most part.

But with the Karkavan and himself, any other Devils that dared try to fill the void created by their predecessor would end the same way as it did... Becoming leather for Adamante's future works.

A hilt would do too.

Still, if he felt like this, it meant something was definitely happening, and that was good enough.

With the sand being drained into the ravine together with the forest's recovery, maybe the green fields would one day cover all of Resko again, and the dried rivers and waterfalls that surrounded it would return.

Resko was located atop a plateau after all, even if everything had been buried by the sand...

The rainy season was coming, maybe it would prove to be beneficial, this time around, instead of the disaster the Villagers had to prepare for.

It was just a matter of time...

/Tap tap tap…/

Inside his room, Dale had set up a temporary table and chair in a corner, tapping furiously into a holographic keyboard as he defined the rules and ideas of this "Leaderboard system" so that the game's system could then built upon it.

It was important to be clear about everything he wanted because in normal times, when a Quest is issued, changing its contents is a bit complicated unless some things align.

The System was rather strict in this regard, and he wasn't going to have anyone to complain to once things went awry, so he kept writing, as much as he could, trying to think ahead as much as he could.

... This might take a few days of planning and thinking though…

This may be a lot of work but this was also a test on Dale's part; Being the first time he had ever done something this big and out of his own volition, he wanted to see if he was good enough to envision a better future and of enforcing it on his own.

And to also see if this degree of control and manipulation would be accepted by the System, in the end.

If it worked, then new doors would open... If not, then he would have to rack his brains for solutions again.

/Knock!/

/Creak…/

"Hm?"

Sometimes, as he wrote down, Illia would enter the room to deliver him food, it had been the second time that day, just to show how long he had been sitting there.

From the time they left Babylon, a bit over 2:30 Pm, to now, about 7 Pm.

This was his dinner.

Still, considering Dale's situation, everything he learned and experienced while in there...

Shouldn't he be training?

Well, from the perspective of the Villagers… No. Not at all.

Dale had just recovered from a gruesome injury and mental shock after dealing with the Devil, he sitting down and studying was the best anyone could ever want.

That is why no one came to his room to drag him to training, not even Yumi came to have him help her in her experiments.

And even though Dale was completely fine, he didn't mind the moment of peace, he quite enjoyed it.

But as soon as he was done with this, he would go back to training.

So he quickly pushed away his keyboard, eating with Illia and the children downstairs with a smile on his face, and once he was done, he finally played with the children for once, until they grew tired.

Once that was done, he wished Illia a good night's sleep before returning to his chair.

The night was long and his body was strong, sleeping 3 to 4 hours was more than enough, maybe even less.

Like that, the clock ticked as it passed 12, and soon enough, the sun rose again.

It was the dawn of the second day.

…

Day 2

/Tap tap tap…/

Dale slept at night and woke up with the moon still up high, opening his eyes before anyone in the Village, even the hard workers.

For the common Villagers, their days started at around 5:30 Am, just enough time for a meal before going to the field.

As for the Survivors… They were too tired to do anything.

Weeks on end of extremely hard work and worry before being suddenly thrown into peace, without having to think about the abominations of the forest or their meals...

They were living their dreams and with it, exhaustion hit their bodies.

Some were still sleeping, snoring away loudly at their beads… And no one bothered about it.

They knew that instead of throwing them to work, now was the time to get to know each other, because they wouldn't be going anywhere...

There was no such place...

Although… Some would soon wake up, to watch the sunrise between the desert and the forest...

"..."

By now, in normal times, Dale would be moving to the training grounds to complete his daily training Quest, but he couldn't do that now.

/Tap tap tap…/

He instead kept writing, as ideas kept washing over his mind.

…

Eventually, Illia knocked on his door, offering him breakfast which he quickly ate right in front of her.

As always, it was delicious, his face said it all, and he was all too honest for her.

She left with a satisfied smile, being happy someone appreciated her food so much.

Lunchtime came and with it, Dale decided to stop, it was time to discuss some things with everyone.

He wanted to finish his project, but he first needed to see how everyone was faring, and if possible… Seek out their opinions.

And as obviously as one might think, his first target was none other than Illia.

No matter how small or insignificant the work of a cook may sound, her ability was nothing to scoff at.

Not only was she able to teach others her profession, but her ability to imbue buffs into food was invaluable, especially for the players whose Stat Cap was 100.

It may be due to the origin of the ingredients she uses, as cooking can be seen as a form of alchemy, but it's her skillful use of her tools to bring forth the best in every slab of meat she cuts into that truly shines light into her craft.

The development of her profession is of the great interest of Resko itself... And Dale.

That is why he listened to her words, her praises, her fears, her concerns, and what she thought about her future as well.

It didn't matter if she gave him a Quest or not, human beings cannot be defined by letters on a screen every time.

Dale would pursue this 'Quest' with or without the System's assistance.

He would guide her or try to pull her into a world where she could smile and be proud of herself...

[Illia's Intimacy has risen slightly]

It seemed to be working… Somewhat…

Albeit he didn't quite know what he was aiming towards…

…

From then on, his day became frenetic.

Not knowing who to visit first, Dale walked on the streets until he stopped by the Mercenary Guild, meeting with… No one.

Aside from a lot of Players.

By now the Mercenary Guild was almost run by them, which wasn't bad per se.

The only thing the Guild needed was Quests, usually made by Misgurd before being placed on the board on the side.

Most were repeatable, and that was what Players usually did.

In either case, none of the Villagers were there. But that was to be expected, since to avoid contact between Players and NPCs, Dale ordered for the repair of a Manor to be transformed into a Library.

Although it was strange to not see Misgurd around, as he was someone who took his job quite seriously as it meant the world to him.

After failing to find him in the building, Dale went to the back training area where he quickly found him, training with Testros… And a few others.

Upon inquiring, Dale came to learn that many youths of the Village and many warriors of the Survivors, including their youths, all wished to become stronger, bonding over their goal that originated from their living conditions and from experiencing a 'Hero' with their own eyes.

Him…

"Wh..."

In a very awkward discovery, Dale stood in the training field under the gazes of dozens of people, not quite knowing what to do or say back to their expectant gazes.

But in the end, he managed to say something to them, words he took out straight from a book's passing, however, that seemed to do the trick as everyone returned to their training, more excited than ever.

[Ding]

He received a notification about his Reputation increasing a little, but that wasn't of his concern.

With that, he continued his exchanges with Testros and Misgurd, and he came to understand more of everything that was going on.

After training him and rescuing the people from the forest, Testros realized that the Southern Corps of the past was over, or better put, he came to terms with it, and in a rather calm and professional way.

Maybe it was his age speaking, or the fact he had resolved all of his past regrets... The bigger ones at least.

But that this didn't mean they were gone.

Their remnants remained, and the possibility of rebuilding the past stood.

So he took it upon himself to train them, not as soldiers, not as replacements of the past, but so they could protect themselves, and their families.

He knew what was waiting for them, the Devil wasn't the end, at most, it was a start.

And everything started with the basics… Even though that couldn't be said for the boy next to him… He was an exception... A very glaring and odd exception...

Not that it mattered, he was trying his best to pick those up too.

And as he said before, Testros wasn't going to train him anymore, because just like him, he needed to pursue his own training also.

There was someone much better to teach him now, at most, Testros was there to help him with the basics...

As for Misgurd, he had grown tired of placing the blame for his condition on his arm and age, so he decided to pick up the sword again and train once more.

He didn't require physical training as that was something he did every day, his muscles spoke for themselves, but like the old man next to him, he needed to surpass himself if he wished to be anything but a 'decent' mercenary.

Seeing his old friend had grown strong in the years since they last met motivated him even more, as it only made his excuses… Excuses.

He was going to surpass himself, just like him.

Seeing his resolution made Dale smile, and although he had yet to trigger his Unique Questline, it seemed as if that was going to happen soon.

And for Resko, having one more Elite Warrior rise was enough for commemoration.

He wished to discuss his idea regarding the outsiders, nonetheless, with both of them occupied, Dale moved on.

For a moment, he thought about who he should be meeting first, but after thinking about it, he decided to deal with some of the 'calmer' Elders first…

Since he had a lingering suspicion Tina was going to talk a lot… And a LOT!

He had already made peace somewhat with Yumi, so he made his way to Barme, hearing the clinging of iron from afar as the temperature rose from the heat of his forge.

He didn't expect much to have changed since they last met a day or so ago, but if there was anything, he would confirm it now.

The days were always very dynamic in Resko, a lot could change within 24 hours.

That is why, he, as the Lord Candidate, needed to be aware of everything that occurred within its walls...

For everyone's sake.

…

.

.

.

Notes

Hello! Thank you for reading!

It's likely that the next few chapters will be like this, "small" depictions of what everyone is doing before we proceed with... "One week later" and the like.

Anyway, that's it, peace!

(This chapter's Title is unusually long... Sheesh...)

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!