Chapter 14: The Timekeeper's Inheritance
The nobles had their swords.
The mages, their scrolls.
But kings… had watches.
And once, all of them were made by Valcoren Timeworks.
I. A Fallen Giant
Founded during the first unification era, Valcoren had produced enchanted chronometers, ceremonial timepieces, and royal-grade wristwatches for generations. Every coronation for the last 300 years had been timed to a Valcoren second.
But greed, failed innovations, and one too many counterfeits drove it into ruin.
Their final auction took place in a crumbling hall in Norfall, the Valcoren seal barely visible on the broken arch above the door.
[System Notice: Asset Available – Valcoren Timeworks (Distressed Status)]
Value: Historical + Magical Legacy
Hidden Benefit: Unknown Artifact in Inventory
Risk: Public perception = "dead brand"
Reward Potential: Monumental (with restoration)
I bought it for one gold coin.
II. The Vault Below Time
Hidden in the wreckage of the Norfall workshop was an iron door, locked by a puzzle only a Valcoren heir could solve.
[System Bonus: Time Sigil Deciphered – Access Granted]
Inside: a dusty library, enchantment blueprints, and a glass pedestal. Upon it sat a single broken watch, its hands frozen at 11:59:59.
Name: "The Last Second"
Class: ???
Description: "This watch stopped when the Empire fell. Some say it chose to."
Status: Dormant
Energy Signature: Residual Temporal Magic
Hidden Interface: [Incomplete Time Loop Node – System Compatibility Possible]
Ardenn stood beside me and whispered, "This isn't a watch. It's a keystone to something forgotten."
III. Revival Plan: Valcoren Reforged
I issued orders immediately:
Restore the brand: High-end boutiques under Hollow Rise Holdings.
Appoint a Master Enchanter to oversee modern magical-watch hybrids.
Limit release to nobles, kings, and influential guild leaders.
We would make time itself a currency only the powerful could afford.
[Company Rebranded: Valcoren Ascendant]
Slogan: "Every Second Is a Throne"
Prestige Bonus: +30 Nobility Reputation
First Commission: Duke Selwin's coronation watch (value: 5,000 gold)
IV. The Clock Beneath the City
At night, alone, I studied the watch.
The system glowed faintly.
[New Interface Detected: Chrono-Relic: "The Last Second"]
Possible System Sync
Warning: This device remembers time
Syncing may trigger buried temporal permissions
Proceed?
I clicked: Yes.
Ding.
SYSTEM UPGRADE: ChronoCore Interface Enabled
New Feature: Timeline Fork Detection
Passive Skill: Second Glance – Once per day, foresee the outcome of a major decision for 3 seconds
Locked Perk: "Rewrite the Moment" – Requires Time Signature Completion
The gears of the old world were moving again.
But this time, I was holding the key.