The Sinful Life of The Emperor

(A/N: A part of this chapter relies on the actions of a character that has been only mentioned in flashbacks. Two flashbacks to be precise - Chapter 105 and Chapter 160. I'm mentioning it now as many readers might not remember the details ^^ ).

The blazing orbs continued to float high above the crystalline pool.

[[Hall of Legacies]]

As soon as the voice entered his ears, Zed looked around but saw no sign of lifeform other than his own.

The pool spanned into an area far greater than his eyes could see. He didn't think the source of the voice was far away. The voice was far too clear to be from a distance.

As he tried to find the source, a blinding mass of light appeared high above. The flash of light converged into a large face. Half of it was white and another half black with tiny star-like points all over. The face was that of a female but not a human. From forehead, three crystalline horns protruded out that resembled antennas.

[[Welcome to Hall of Legacies]] The feminine face said.

"Who are you?" Zed was taken aback.

[[The matrix of this hall.]] The female face answered. Her voice was plain, without any emotions, neither warm nor cold.

"?" Zed looked at the face in confusion.

[[You humans usually refer those of my kind as Artifical Intelligence. You can call me as Enchantia.]]

Artificial Intelligence? AI?

Zed has heard rich people in cities having their own personal assistants in the form of AIs. They were advanced machines with their own intelligence and ability to learn from past experience. He assumed they didn't have a physical appearance but obviously, Enchantia was different. Perhaps she was advanced AI.

Zed raised his head up. He couldn't see any sky or ceiling. All he could see was an unending space that was filled with floating orbs.

"How could this even be called a hall?" Zed muttered to himself. He shook his head and brought his eyes back on Enchantia.

"You won't kill me for trespassing, right?" Zed cautiously asked. His experience with foreign lifeforms in the spaceship has not been good.

[[No. You are not a trespasser so there is no reason for me to kill you]] Enchantia answered. [[Or is that you want me to kill you?]]

"...." Zed's lips twitched. "Of course, not."

Zed glanced at the shining orbs.

"What are those orbs?" Zed enquired.

[[Legacies]]

"And whose legacies are they?" Zed further asked.

[[Paragons of my homeworld who have long ceased to exist]] Enchantia informed him. [[The orbs contain their memories, experience, knowledge, and wisdom.]]

Zed was astonished by her words.

[[Every living being is destined to die. In a way, leaving behind a legacy is immortalizing oneself as long as a legacy is received by a worthy heir. The achievements of a lifetime would be forever remembered and passed from one generation to another...]]

"I see," Zed observed the orbs. The glow from the orbs and light particles around them was soft and spellbinding.

Zed felt a strong urge to touch the orbs. Just then, a crystal board appeared below his feet. Before he could react, the board rose up and left the pool.

The board soared towards the nearby orbs. It stopped after Zed was close to five orbs.

He stretched out a hand and placed it on one of the orbs. The orb flashed brightly and clusters of light swept out.

Zed automatically closed his eyes as he felt his consciousness sucked into the orb.

Zed found his mental projection in a bright, clear world. The sky was different from that of Earth with its clouds twisted in a chaotic whirpool and dark lightning.

As far as his eyes could see, there were myriad castles and palaces. He found himself above one castle where a humanoid creature clad in a dark robe was floating. He has long, messy yellow hair tied in a ponytail. He has three slanted green eyes and a large fin on the back of his neck.

"Rincewind Otiluke, surrender," A colossal ghost-like figure shouted. "You might be a Dark Mage but you can't win against us."

This figure was accompanied by an army of titans.

"Surrender?! Never to likes of you!" Rincewind Otiluke raised a finger towards them.

With a mere gesture of his finger, the entire space bent and gravity defied the natural order of the world. The titans felt chains of berserk gravity pulling them. And before they could even blink, they soared towards clouds before slamming down on the ground like bolts of thunder.

The ghost-like figure was stunned by such a high difference in strength. The nozzles on his body expelled streams of turbulent gases that rushed towards his enemy.

"You might be close to immortality," Rincewind Otiluke's eyes were filled with disdain as he continued. "But you have forgotten that immortality can also be a curse."

He summoned a space-time barrier around the ghost-like figure, and even before the ghost-like figure could detect it, his body ripped into countless pieces.

"Space magic!" The ghost-like figure was overwhelmed. His consciousness blurred and he realized his enemy was sealing every piece of his body in different dimensions.

"No!" The ghost-like figure screamed before fading into various dimensions and sealed until the end of time...

Zed was taken aback by the one-sided battle. He realized size and numbers didn't matter in front of overwhelming strength.

His eyes were filled with a strong yearning as he looked at Rincewind Otiluke.

How good it would be to have such space powers...

The next moment, his consciousness was back in the Hall of Legacies. The lust of power was visible in his eyes as he retraced his hand from the orb. He was almost drooling like a man at the sight of a gorgeous naked woman.

Enchantia observed his demeanor and her face showed a faint smile.

[[It is always so easy to trick humans.]] Enchantia remarked to herself. She brought his attention on her as she said, [[You can only take a glimpse to legacy until you accept it fully.]]

"Oh!" Zed nodded in understanding. "I guess I will take glimpses from other legacies before deciding."

He touched another glowing orb and his consciousness was sucked into it.

[[This will be much easier than I thought.]]

Zed found his mental projection in a vast, high-tech genetic lab. Holographic projections of DNA strands were projected above a console.

Hundreds of species he has never seen before were sealed in large experiment rigs. Virtual screens were floating on the rigs; displaying biological records and experiment progress along with the body charts.

In the center of the lab, a radiating biological energy generator was placed. It was connected from the floor to the ceiling.

Zed has only lived in slums so his experience with technology was limited. But the recent five days in BSE79 has expanded his horizons so he was able to guess that the various equipment here were far too advanced. There were no wires or pipes visible. Everything in the lab was systematic and organized properly.

Zed focused his eyes on the end of the lab. A large virtual interface system was attached to the lab wall.

A humanoid, purple reptile - resembling a male lizard - was moving his hands on the interface. The creature has rectangular pupils, horizontal eyelids and six arms. Red wristband like outgrowths protruded from his ankles, and from the fingers, glinting claws stretched out.

{{Lord Xeced}}

A voice came from the virtual interface. The next moment, a holographic projection of a mechanical organism appeared.

Xeced raised his head and looked at the projection.

{{The High Table wishes to congratulate you on your progress on Genesis}}

Xeced didn't reply and focused on whatever task he was carrying out before.

{{His Highness will like to confer you royal honor for your contributions. We are sure your progress will help us in avoiding calamity.}}

"I'm busy and have no time to waste," Xeced said in an annoyed tone. "So stop annoying me."

{{As you wish, Lord Xeced. Please do remember the races of Celestial Elysian Plane are grateful to you.}}

"Knowledge of science," Zed was awe-struck by the lab and the conversation he just heard. "Great scientists are respected everywhere... their influence is no less than powerful mutants."

He now lusted after knowledge of science...

Once again, he was back in Hall of Legacies. The fascination he held for these legacies was growing stronger with every second. Without wasting any time, he grabbed another orb to take a glimpse.

[[Humans... enticing them is so easy and that is especially true for the weak ones like him. No, alluring powerful ones is even easier. They will do anything to advance further.]]

Enchantia thought to herself. She could sense Zed's emotions turning stronger with every orb he checked.

He saw glimpses of echelons doing what was deemed impossible. Magic, science, fantasy, reality wrapping... every scene left him hungry for knowledge and power.

The sad memories of his slum life further fueled his thirst for the legacies. He wondered just how great his life would turn after he accepted the legacies. He would no longer be hungry or controlled by anyone. He will not have to fear slum overlords nor Castor Damon. He will be able to escape spaceship and be as far as possible from Cosmic Spark...

Enchantia looked at the overwhelming thirst and longing in his eyes. He was wide-eyed as he looked at the sea of glowing orbs.

"I could definitely fulfill my dreams!" Zed wondered aloud.

As he muttered the word 'dream', a chill ran through his spine. Goosebumps exploded all over his body and his skin crawled with a thundering sensation.

"Damn! How could I become so muddlehead?!" Zed slapped himself on his cheeks. He tried to overpower the overwhelming thirst for knowledge and power his mind was exploding with.

"No! The legacies could help me in my dreams... I need to grab them..." Zed's mind was filled with opposite thoughts. "Food, vanity, women... the legacies could give it to me... I can rule everyone on the planet and punish those who offend me."

Zed gritted his teeth and jumped from the crystalline board.

Enchantia was stunned by his actions. She looked in disbelief as he jumped inside the pool. She realized he was trying to use the pain from the fall to overpower his lust.

[[How can a human teen overpower the greed enhanced by Legacy Orbs?]]

The pool was shallow so the shockwaves from fall gave him a concussion along with the cracking of few bones. Thankfully, the regenerative and healing property of the crystalline liquid made him recover in no time.

Zed threw out the liquid from his mouth before rising on his feet. He wiped the liquid from his face after which he brought his eyes on Enchantia.

"I'm grateful that you will see me worthy enough to allow me to check legacies," Zed said, his voice clear. "But I will politely refuse your kind intentions."

Enchantia remained silent.

"Could you tell me where the exit is?" Zed asked.

[[How did you overpower your innate lust for power and knowledge?]] Enchantia ignored his question and asked what she wanted to know.

It was normal for a living being to desire the life of those powerful than them. Those from poor and middle-class envy the life of the rich. They live the glamorous life of rich through movies, magazines and stories. In a way, most sources of entertainment were a chance to allow the masses to experience wish-fulfillment.

Similarly, the weak and servant class were fascinated with the lifestyle of the royal class. They too desired the power to rule over the masses and experience what it felt like to have control over countless lives.

The overwhelming reality of life often sends one in depression. To overcome this, the brain gives a dosage of pleasure through dreams and wish-fulfillment entertainments.

The orbs, on the other hand, were beyond the scope of the human mind. The scale of grandeur they offered was not something a human could resist.

World-shaking power, an ocean of knowledge, a chance for immortality, unending influence...

Everything offered by the orb suppressed the rationality of the brain. It made one spellbound to the opportunities the legacies carried.

What's need to be mentioned is the orbs only fuelled the innate greed and lust. They increased one's own fascination by showing the grandeur once could achieve...

[[Answer me, kid.]] Enchantia once again asked him on how he overpowered his own lust.

"Dreams," Zed answered with a sigh. "Eternal Wisdom of Dreams."

[[?]]

"Years ago, someone I met through a chance gave me the greatest gift in existence," Zed explained with a smile. "I still remember every single word she muttered to me before I received the gift:

*As long as you wish for materialistic benefits, regardless of whether it is food, money, clothes, or even strength; your life would only become worse. None of them are things you can afford to have in your current state.

The society out there would not spare you if you have a treasure you couldn't protect. Greed is not restricted to your slums*

Enchantia didn't really what he meant or the person he was referring to meant. She didn't know the context so it was hard for her to make sense.

[[Are you sure you wish to give up these great legacies?" Enchantia asked.

Zed raised his head towards the countless glowing orbs. The soft, soothing glow reflected on his face... offering him an opportunity to escape his current predicament.

"Yes..."

***

Present.

Year of 2025.

The Fair, Desolate Blood Forest.

Inside the room, Kiba let out a heavy sigh as he recalled his first experience with Legacy Orbs. He grabbed the rose petals soaring above the table.

"Pythia, just think about it," Kiba looked at Pythia who was sitting across him. "Paragons of that world spent their entire lives in a path that was filled with blood and corpses. They did what we humans usually consider as immoral and sinful... slaughter, scheming, betrayal, and any heinous crime you can imagine. Yet, you actually believe, that in the final moments of their lives, they gave everything they achieved to the next generation through Legacy Orbs?"

Pythia contemplated his words for a minute before saying, "They didn't want to let their achievements to be wasted... passing their struggles and gains to next generation is a way for them to fulfill their dreams through others."

Kiba shook his head. She was right by her views, and it was also in line with what Enchantia said. He disagreed though.

"The Legacy Orb you have is about immortality," Kiba said while observing the petals in his hand. "It contains memories of time related to Asmodeus Freyr Burislav. From what you showed me, he came across as a cynical and sinister king who cared about no one but himself. Do you really think he wants some unknown person in future benefiting from his years of struggles? "

"I..." Pythia's eyes furrowed. She knew the answer but she wanted to believe people in the final moments would leave behind legacies in order for their progress to be not lost.

"You know how subtle hypnotism and brainwashing works, right?" Kiba asked.

Pythia nodded her head.

"And can anything be a better medium than memories of the person?" Kiba asked further.

"!!" Pythia's eyes turned wide and her breathing turned heavy. Her hands startled trembling as she realized the gravity of his words.

"Most effective way of planting a mental suggestion! Just plant a seed of thought and it will germinate on its own and become a tree..." Pythia was horrified as she contemplated. "And I wouldn't even notice it due to my subconscious bias and my own desires of immortality!"

"We shall take our leave," Kiba left the chair. "Thanks for everything."

Ashlyn also rose to her feet. Both of them stepped out of the room.

Pythia didn't say anything including goodbye. She grabbed the rotating time pendant tucked in her cleavage.

" Asmodeus Freyr Burislav!"

Kiba and Ashlyn walked out of the shop and came back on the streets of the bazaar. The voices of shopkeepers and hawkers were suppressed due to jostling and noisy crowd. The sun was glaring with intense heat but the crowd remained unaffected.

"Let's eat something," Kiba suggested to his companion. "We usually have our lunch now."

Ashlyn nodded in agreement and they changed their directions.

A few minutes later, they returned to Garrick Angel Inn. The price here was high given it was #1 inn in The Fair but the quality was superior. Both Kiba and Ashlyn wanted to enjoy a delicious lunch and they were not worried about cost.

Soon, they entered the dining hall. The hall was large with around twenty tables most of which were currently empty.

Kiba did saw two familiar faces. One was Isabelle - the fifteen years old waitress. The other was old man Waldo Woods - the unlucky servant of deceased Fitz Moran.

Waldo was sitting at the end of the hall. He was sulking but he tried to forget his sorrow by stuffing food dishes.

He glanced at Isabelle from time to time and wondered just how great it would have been if Fitz has not tried to make a pass on her. Had Fitz not done that then most likely "Dark Star" Myiesha Noach would not have turned him into damn molecules. Myiesha did say Fitz was alive but Waldo was not sure if it was any good with molecules dispersed in air.

"I think the first face I saw after my birth was my father...otherwise there is no way my luck would be so bad," Waldo mumbled while munching down on a chicken leg. "I need some stroke of luck."

Kiba and Ashlyn sat down across a table in a corner of the hall. Isabelle was happy to see the magnanimous patrons again. She cheerfully offered them a menu while secretly praying for a big, advanced tip like yesterday night. She was looking at them with adorable puppy eyes and both of them easily understood her intentions.

Kiba smiled at her pleasant attitude. He retrieved a money card worth $10000 from his storage space and handed it over to her. Ashlyn did the same but without any visible emotions on her face.

"You both are the best!" Isabelle thanked them from her heart. She wished more customers would follow their lead. As she thought this, she glanced at Waldo who was also looking towards her.

Waldo's cheeks twitched. He has observed everything that trespassed just now and knew what her adorable eyes wanted. While he has a good amount of funds left, he wasn't rich enough to waste it on tip!

"Don't be a miser," Kiba said from his chair. "Be generous and share your wealth with less fortunate."

"Easy for you to say!" Waldo cursed rather loudly. "Besides, I'm the unfortunate one here!"

Ashlyn returned the menu back to Isabelle before bringing her emerald eyes on Kiba.

"Shameless," Ashlyn thought while letting out a soft breath of air.

The money cards he used so far have been stolen from others. Just yesterday, he looted the entire profit from Byron's Charm Shop's owner by using Nutcracking Demoness. Poor owner was shedding bitter tears when he saw Kiba happily taking a combined wealth of $100000.

And yet now, Kiba - with a straight face- was asking others to be generous and share their wealth.