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The Verge Of An Empire 43
Lights, muffled music, a mixture of expensive perfumes, laughter, voices. On the ground floor there are entertainment rooms, poker and bridge tables, cozy nooks for those who want to drink and talk in private. And also girls. Mostly human, but according to my predecessor, lovers of strong and furry women from the Lups tribe were among the top of our society. I don’t know who you have to be to be seduced by such fanged treasures ... Although no, I know everyone by name.“Thane el'Moria?! Inresh squeaked. "Put on your mask, hurry up!"“Come on, little one, less than me, these thanes and gentlemen respect only ratlings. Fear doesn't count. I see you have nothing unusual here?“It’s the same as always, my thane. They look at you.- Let be. Don't follow us.We went to a remote part of the palazzo, away from the "work zone". Despite the fact that, when I reached the Rosebud, I did not find any destruction or their victims, the vise of anxiety did not loosen. It was dark in Incival's room, a
The Verge Of An Empire 44
"Thane el'Moria!" What a joy! Glad to see you!“Thane el'Cha…surprised by the meeting. What are you doing here?“I’m waiting for Master Mosenheim to be free. This mossy stump is always busy with something, and out of the kindness of my soul I prefer not to make a fuss.- Hm. If I may, what business do you have with Mr. Rector?“Strictly businesslike,” el'Cha smiled like a fox. “Would you like to sit next to me and wait too?”- Alas, I must hurry. I'll have to bypass you in line.- Yes you! Drop it! Queues are so vulgar! he chuckled.“Go ahead, Sebastina.How to understand that the future of imperial alchemical science is in good hands? Inspect the office of the chief alchemist Mescia. Not just an office littered with awards, certificates and expensive furniture, but an office-laboratory, stuffy, dark, saturated with pungent odors, with alchemical utensils on the tables. A solid part of the space is occupied by a gurgling monster atanor, on which there are no identifying marks, except
The Verge Of An Empire 45
– Is it possible in practice?- It's hard to say for sure. The newest documents, which contain evidence of successful experience in this area, date back to the twelfth century BC. Try to check the veracity of what was said! But one thing unites them all: they all say that the homunculus did not last long. The process of disintegration of this creature took from several hours to several days, but this creature always died, having exhausted a certain life resource. I think it happened because of the original mistake. By growing a homunculus from scratch, you can create a long semblance of life, but reviving it in the form of an adult, you get a flawed craft."Attempts to raise a large homunculus instantly?"- Right! Wrong! Artificial life is also life, but what is life, tan el'Moria?I clearly watched as Mosenheim, carried away, got more and more pleasure from our conversation, which concerned his favorite topic - alchemy. Not wanting to wait for my reaction, he answered himself.- Life
The Verge Of An Empire 46
- First, I am ready to listen to the proposals of the audience. After all, they didn’t just come to listen to me, perhaps they have worthwhile ideas.There were not so many worthwhile ideas, most of those present preferred to remain silent, and Thane el'Vanshar was frankly bored in general. He was whispering quietly to his colleagues, el'Balog and el'Farhash, the same sharks of the eastern financial world. If Mork were around, he could see real cold-blooded predators. Echoes of rumors reach the mother country about exactly how the company operates, gutting the Maldese markets for spices and fabrics, but as long as money and goods flow in an unceasing stream, the rulers of Mescia do not care. If we face the truth, we are no better than Malodius, the same parasites who live at the expense of others. But the Malodius are weak and vulnerable, and we are a huge and strong bloodsucker that cannot be stopped. This is if you look at the truth. But we can't look."If I may be allowed, I will m
The Verge Of An Empire 47
“And I saw him wring the neck of a Maldis mage. He poured it with a continuous stream of fire, from the temperature of which the stone would have flowed, but Gantz continued to shove forward, only getting hot, but when he got to the enemy, crunch! In my opinion, his strength is also increasing.“You are not very happy about your cousin's arrival, Brian. Although he was kind to you. I heard that the family did not love you, sorry if I allow myself to touch ...- Not at all. Over the years, moaning that I was not loved by my relatives became a kind of bad habit. Or a romantic part of a dark halo. In any case, it is stupid and humiliating and should be got rid of. To put it bluntly, my whole family would love to come to a luxurious funeral they paid for, just to see me in a coffin. The exceptions are my uncle Kryptus and his eldest son Gantsaros. The first one despises me, but as long as I stay away from my family, I don't bother him. The second is surprisingly friendly, the reasons for
The Verge Of An Empire 48
- So, - I shook the blade from side to side, peering into the slits of the mask, - your nightly visit is solely for the purpose of caring for my well-being? Is that what you were guided by when you blew up Scoalt Yard when I was supposed to be there? Is that what you were guided by when you tried to kill my friend? Or maybe this most incomprehensible concern for me made you put me in a wheelchair and unleash a monster on me, the likes of which I have not yet seen?“Recent incidents were accidental, my friend. Coincidence.- I'm not your friend, and, therefore, the first were not accidental!- Justifying myself, I can only admit my guilt in the fact that I am not able to keep track of all my hands. Please, Brian, drop it all and go! You will not be harmed...“You are mistaken, sir, if you think,” I raised my voice, “that my own safety or my own life are paramount values for me!” I have the honor! I have a debt! Let's lie down with bones, having only fulfilled our duty! So say we, el'
The Verge Of An Empire 49
This is my job and I can do it myself. Sebastina, get my clothes and weapons ready.- Listen, master.And now we are already riding in the belly of a metal monster breathing hot steam. Silently. Usually we are not very talkative, I order, Sebastina confirms that she understood the order and immediately obeys. The ideal relationship of master and servant. Sometimes I talk out loud about something and ask her opinion, but this is the same as talking to myself. And otherwise, Sebastina is perfect, so we didn't have moments when she managed to do something wrong and then feel guilty.- Stop it.- Master?“We got passed by a move or two. He knew that mind-clouding spells and other debuffs didn't work on you, and he prepared better than we could have expected. Damn it, I didn't expect anything like this at all! All of a sudden, he showed up at my house! Did you hear what the experts said? The bastard burned the best protective seals, cut them... Are you listening to me?“I failed you, maste
The Verge Of An Empire 50
- I'll be brief. As you may know, a victorious parade of regiments of the colonial army will soon take place, after which the banners of the defeated rebels will be laid at the imperial tribune. My hosts, the Emperor himself in particular, want this glorious event to go off without a hitch. In connection with this, I sent away from the city many of your ... hmm ... soldiers. But I'm not so naive as to believe that they have all been removed. Before I make my proposal, I would like to thank the audience for ... cooperation. And for the fact that you did not try to kill each other, despite the fact that there are heads of competing ... organizations here. In particular, I want to thank Mr. Oscar Bainley for coming here voluntarily today, even though my people could not find him.The sounded name sharply cooled the emotional background, strengthened and nurtured the flowers of sincere fear. They began to turn around, looked at each other with even greater suspicion, tried to peer into th