Chapter 1414: Gathering of Clones
Sael and the five hundred soldiers delegated to him came back with an astounding victory. They had captured the remnants of the Empire soldiers, though Pyrrhus and a handful of others had managed to escape.
Hearing that Pyrrhus got away saddened Northern. That bastard owed King Ruger an apology for the way he spoke to him, and Northern had every intention of collecting. But there was no problem. If they didn’t meet now, they would meet later.
Right now, he was making the topmost floor of the Tempest Spire, not the roof, but the floor just beneath it, into something of his own personal room. And to do that, Northern had to bring back Elliot. The one he had sent to Hao.
The clone sat opposite Northern on a shadow couch that Northern had manifested using the Supreme Shadow. This was the blueprint for what he wanted to do with this floor, turn it into his own personal space shaped entirely from shadow-made furnishings. But he would need his former self’s brain and hands for it.
The problem was that the more he looked at Elliot, the less the clone seemed to be him. Elliot’s features had sharpened in ways Northern didn’t recognize, and his posture carried a weariness that Northern had never felt. He looked nothing like Northern.
"You have changed... are you still me?"
Elliot looked at Northern and allowed a thin smile.
"The only reason I changed this much is because Hao has overworked me without wages. Don’t complain, you set me up for destruction."
Northern raised his brows.
"You even talk back now?"
Elliot lowered his face and rubbed his forehead.
"Listen child, I’m not here for this... didn’t you tell Hao that you needed me here for a reason?"
He waved a hand before Northern could respond.
"At the end of the day, the same blood runs in you and Hao. I have been dedicating myself to alchemy, helping you create the red potion, and the next thing I know, I’m being called to do something else again."
Northern scrunched his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
"By the way, red potion? Is that the best you could do? What about a cooler name, like Healer X?"
Elliot said nothing. He froze, then pointed a finger at Northern.
"Don’t you ever... ever give me naming advice again."
He dropped his hand.
"What am I here for?"
Northern was silent for a moment, studying him.
’Is this really how I am, or is this one just a bastard?’
A knock came at the door. It opened with Northern’s consent and another Northern entered, flanked by two women.
This Northern was a more familiar Northern. He was the same one that had attended the academy, with inky black hair and blue eyes. He glanced at the Northern whose hair was more ashen than white, then at Elliot whose hair was snow white and stopped just above his collar, properly trimmed.
The women behind him took in the three identical faces in the room, each somehow looking distinctly different from the others.
The pink-haired lady leaned towards Nyssira.
"My lady... is this the person you find your heart beating for?" She glanced between the three of them. "Which one, by the way?"
Nyssira’s mouth opened. Nothing came out.
"Anyways."
The black-haired clone stepped forward.
"I’m set to leave. I’m going to need full authority over the Abyssal Citadel."
Northern turned to him.
"Ah right... I should give that to you."
He closed his eyes. Something shifted in his soul, not like moving a thing from one place to another, but like handing over a key. His clones were extensions of his own thought, controlled through a connection that his endless mental energy had made vast, but authority over a domain like the Citadel had to be deliberately transferred. His clones couldn’t use his copy ability, but this, at least, he could grant.
The black-haired clone nodded the next moment, confirmation that it had taken hold.
He cast a scornful look at Elliot, then turned to leave with the two women.
Northern’s voice stopped him at the entrance.
"Hey, and remember what I told you. Your name is Rian Artemis Reimgard. Don’t you dare use the name Northern out there..."
"Of course."
Rian didn’t turn around.
"I got that part the first time you said it. You don’t need to shout."
Northern blinked.
’No... am I really this rude?’
Rian paused at the threshold.
"Take care of our mom and dad here... I’ll go take care of my dad on that other side."
Northern waved him away.
"Whatever, whatever, just get out of my sight."
Rian scoffed and left with the two women. From there, he would make his way to the intercontinental sea and cross it to reach Nyssira’s home on the Northern Continent.
After they left, Northern turned back to Elliot.
"What I want you to do is turn this shadow into furniture that covers this entire place. If you need instant forging, I can provide you with that, but what I’m aiming to achieve is a shadow that can become anything without existing in a constant incorporeal state. If I want it to become a chair, I want there to be a set of materials it takes on to achieve that form."
Elliot leaned forward.
"So... you want to make your incorporeal shadow corporeal? And still capable of being incorporeal at the same time?"
Northern nodded at his words.
"Tell me, look at me, do you see me as a magician?"
"No... but now that you talk about it, how about learning some sorcery art? I’m sure there are people that know that stuff. Rughsbourgh at least does."
Elliot held the bridge of his nose.
"That’s beside the point here... if you want a damn sorcerer, then go create another clone for that. Why do you have to bother me with it?"
Northern shook his head with a grin.
"Right now, I can’t afford to waste clones. There’s a special project that I’m working on... so you’ll have to be all things regarding creation for me. At least I’m focusing on the forging path."
"Yes, I’m sure you have thirty other clones assisting you with that." Elliot’s voice climbed. "For me, Hao hired a thirteen-year-old boy who has to check his right and left hand to know which is which. I’m alone here... it’s just me! How can you have no sympathy for your own clone?"
Northern shook his head. "I do... I have sympathy. But I swear this won’t take too much of your time."
The clone glared at him.
"Even the best carpenter can’t create furniture with shadows. Me? I’m not even a carpenter at all!"
Northern’s face lit up. "Perhaps we should go to Elmuish and make you one then?"
Elliot tightened his fist.
"That’s beside the fucking point!"
At the same time, another Northern stood before Annette, Vida, and Revant. These three were ready to lead the first attack on the Empire.
