"If you become an official Arcanist, you will have the right to save 1 million of your people, ensuring the Styrex race does not become extinct," Jean-Claude continued calmly. However, his words made Kroll's eyes trembled due to the countless implications.
"And since I'm on the more lawful side, I'm willing to sell back the rights of this plane back to you once you have the means to exchange for it with something of equal value."
"You are?" Kroll asked.
"That's right," Claude nodded. "I can even have it in writing." By the time Kroll is capable of buying this plane's back, it would have no use to Claude, since he would have used the knowledge to boost his career to another level. Things like minerals are not so valued by him, since the Empire is rapidly reaching the era in which most magical minerals — except a few rare ones — can be easily artificially manufactured.
The only valuable thing left is the law of this plane, but Claude was still in the process of raising his willpower, and it will take a while before he meets the requirements. By then, he'll have more than enough planes to help him.
"I would like for that," Kroll said immediately. He did not know whether this man was telling the truth, but he had no other choice but to put his trust in him.
"No problem." Claude snapped his finger to summon a contract written in Kroll's language. He did not temper with it, and it was a standard soul contract guaranteed by the Empire.
"You understand that all these advantages are base on the premise that you pass the test and become an Arcanist, right?"
"I do."
"Good," Claude nodded before handing him the contract. Kroll read from top to bottom, ensuring he did not miss a single letter or punctuation. Finally, he decided to sign.
"How do I sign? Do I use my blood?"
"No, just write your name," Claude said as he manifested a pen.
"Sir, you should stop if you don't want to kill him," the Sorceress suddenly said. Kroll was immediately on alert, while Claude frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten how frail his soul dimension is? A soul contract may have devastating effects, so I suggest using a Bloodline Contract."
"By the Arcane Emperor's beard, this fact did slip my mind," Claude said embarrassedly. He was thinking about his future prospect as a Tower Master and the other benefits Kroll might bring him that he forgot.
"Let's change the contract." A new contract with slightly red designs appeared on the table. "For this one, you do need to drop your blood." A red light flashed from the contract before bursting into two lights that entered Claude and Kroll's body.
"Satisfied?" Claude asked, and Kroll could only nod. "What now?"
"According to the law, I can't teach you any of our magic yet, but I can teach you about our language, culture, and history." Claude handed him a small crystal ball, the size of a tennis ball. "Put it on your forehead, and you'll begin the information transmission.
Kroll played with it briefly before following instruction. His closed eyes then experienced a myriad of emotions, mostly shock, awe, and a longing for the future. Claude shook his head, thinking how past transmission usually gave a terrible headache.
It took a while before Kroll woke up, and Claude immediately asked him what he thought.
"Is the Arcane Emperor real?"
Claude laughed out loud after hearing this question: "His rise does sounds like a story written by a third rate writer, doesn't it? But he's real."
Kroll was momentarily quiet: "What kind of person is he? I mean, I want to know your personal and truthful opinion."
"That's an interesting question," Claude said, taking a moment to mull it over. "Despite how gloriously the history books portrayed him, he's not perfect. The man is basically a dictator, he is lascivious, and paranoid to a fault. However, there are two things that all Arcanists agree about him: his unparalleled magical talent and the fact he is a visionary."
The Age of Exploration revealed to the Arcane Empire how much the Emperor's paranoid was warranted. As they travel to other planes, arcanists discovered countless civilizations that were on the rise and destroyed in an instance due to a small moment of carelessness. The terrifying part is many of these carelessness were mistakes they almost made but saved due to the Emperor's paranoia. That's why the Emperor's motto of being extremely curious while being extremely cautious became more popular during this time.
"I see," Kroll nodded.
"Well, that's it for now. You can rest, and I will take you to the test in about a month or two."
"A month?"
"Yes, this world won't last long," Claude replied casually, and he was correct. This plane felt quickly. The next day after their meeting, Claude sent his army, composed of the Knight Legions and the Golem Legions. In just one day, they decimated the Korak Empire, with only President Virek and a few nobles escaping intact. The odd thing is there was not a single casualty in the process.
The legions appeared in the most populated area, cast a spell, and everyone fainted. This result was expected when a higher civilization fought a weaker one, especially when said civilization have such a fatal flaw. With such a weak soul dimension, mental/soul spells were the nemesis of this plane.
The next target was the Vanisha Empire. The conquest took two days, but only because Empress Serashi destroyed the first legion Claude sent. However, after seeing this defeat, he sent a legion controlled by a Tier 8 Golem, and Serashi had to run away with tails between her legs.
The last target was the Sassyx Empire. However, before Claude's legion arrived, the Emperor and all the best warriors and troops of the Empire had already disappeared, heading to a place that was considered a taboo area in this plane.
…
"General, you haven't told us why you insisted on bringing us here?" Serashi asked, her expression still pale. She had just experienced the greatest humiliation in her life. With one glance, that puppet almost killed her.
"Be patient," General Dragongfist said as he led all three former emperors deep into this cave until they found this large stone that was more than 20 meters tall.
"That's why you brought us here?" Karak asked, not hiding his impatience.
"Do you know of our ancient history?" the General asked. "Long ago, dragon and giants ruled this world, while we were nothing but slaves."
"Are you really giving us a history lesson now?"
"During that era," the General continued calmly. "Our kind did not accept our fate and rebelled, but we never succeeded, do you know why? If you say it's because we were weak, then you would be wrong. We are a wise people, so many of the forefathers found ways to imitate the power of giants and made it applicable to us. Those original warriors were no less than the current era."
"So, why did we lose?" Serashi asked.
"It's because of our souls," the General replied. "With one look, the giants and dragons could make the most powerful warrior submit." The room was immediately quiet.
"You know what happened next. King Otis Dragonslayer appeared out of nowhere and conquered both races before establishing the Styrex Empire that ruled the world. The Dragonslayer family ruled the world for many millennials and used to treat giants and dragons as pets — something only they could do."
"Are you suggesting this stone is related to the Dragonslayer family and can help with the problem of our soul?" Serashi asked.
"This is not a stone, but a dragon's heart," General Dragonfist replied. "And yes, this is the key to saving this plane."