Can he though Manifest directly in the room The NLC representative asked She leaned forward her eyes traveling up and down RandidlyÆs body
Lady Iellaya looked over at Randidly The expression on his face clearly conveyed that he didnÆt really understand what he was being asked Considering he didnÆt know much about the Nexus that made a fair amount of sense So Lady Iellaya decisively shook her head He cannot
There were two types of wards on this interview room and both of them were quite strong Lady Iellaya didnÆt even fancy her own chances of breaking through them in a short amount of time One set of Engravings limited new substances being created in the room and the other prevented any substances coming into the room through any method but the door But Randidly Ghosthound got around both of these from working with the small bits of biological matter that were already present in the room Which kept the display within the acceptable range of power level for the Drill Sergeant after the initial shock faded
Also The other NLC woman adjusted her glasses Commander Ghosthound has been on leave since earning his command correct Do you believe that he has retained his edge while being away from the front for the past few months
Yes Lady Iellaya could respond here without any irony or artifice His work ethic is staggering As youÆve likely noticed from the report his planet is still undergoing the Calamities In an effort to better prepare the situation in the Nexus for his homeworld he is completely dedicated to improving his own capabilities He is their lifeline
Next to her Commandant Wick shifted slightly like a bear waking from hibernation But isnÆt that also a drawback We cannot have him leave to face the Calamity while the Nexus struggles against the greatest threat to existence we have ever encountered The Nether will not wait for his planet
He will not be returning to help his planet with the Calamities Lady Iellaya responded calmly She actually had no idea what Randidly would do at that time but being honest here was a death sentence He understands that his greatest chance of protecting his planet is by working in the Nexus With enough Coins of Territory his entire world would be safe regardless of the outcome of the Calamities
The Commandant folded his hairy arms The smaller of the two NLC members stirred again And just to be clear he never has actually done anything as Commander He was appointed to that position only a few months ago Since then there have been no major attacks
That is true Lady Iellaya allowed She opened her mouth to speak again of the capability Randidly Ghosthound demonstrated but the Special Investigator cut across her
LetÆs put it to a vote The Xyrt Brigade soldier squinted down at Randidly before speaking again with a shrug I abstain
For The larger of the NLC members said
Her smaller counterpart frowned at her Against
For Lady Iellaya said Then she looked to Commandant Wick
The man was silent for several seconds clearly savoring the power he possessed as the swing vote It was exactly to give him this opportunity that Lady Iellaya had spoken first everything was to prime his mood to accept this candidate As long as the Commandant agreed Randidly would have the chance
Lady IellayaÆs heart began to sink as the Commandant sighed He has no experience with this sort of task but I must admit that he does have some unpolished charm So well I cannot in good conscience put him in charge of our most talented youths He is no more but a boy himself I also abstain
Without three Fors the motion fails This applicant is rejected the smaller NLC woman announced
Lady Iellaya felt very cold The Special Investigator shooed Randidly like he was a naughty pet Okay okay we are done with you Send the next applicant into the chambers
Chapter 1496
Randidly glanced over at Lady Iellaya after being so summarily dismissed from the interview hall Her expression was tight and her skin was pale But there wasnÆt a twitch from the feathers along her arms she had no will to fight against this pronouncement It was clear that she considered the issue decided then and there
Toying with the idea of releasing a combination of images to change their impression Randidly slowly stood But as he looked at the disinterested expressions of the people on this panel some deep part of Randidly reminded him that there were legitimate reasons for avoiding social contact sometimes His instincts werenÆt entirely detrimental to him These were all capable individuals of the sort that Randidly had wanted to interact with Even just meeting them like this spurred him to train harder and reach their capabilities
But none here were without an agenda of their own Their careful machinations wheeled and clicked behind their every action Walking too deeply amongst the powerful individuals would mean less and less time that Randidly could spend on improving himself he would constantly need to dedicate some energy to staying on his toes So he turned away from this Path when he was rejected Perhaps this is for the best Just a few months in just a few months I bet IÆll make significant enough progress
I still want to focus on perfecting the Grim Chimera but thatÆs just as a foundation for activating three images at once When all of my images reach the Pinnacle
Randidly walked out of the room Octavius Shrike was waiting there beyond the doors and either he had been listening into the interviewÆ or the result was clear from RandidlyÆs expression Either way he turned without speaking and led Randidly back through the winding halls of the military base to a more civilian area
With a casual swipe he opened up the Nexus Ways after they were safely clear of the military wards and led Randidly through a portal They popped out into a busy area and Randidly looked around with interest Seeing a nearby ledge Randidly walked over to it and looked down Then his eyebrows rising he looked up
They were standing on one of the highest of a series of floating circular rings the interior of which was lined with shops Each ring was at least the size of several city blocks People hopped up and down around the outside of this strange chain while Randidly could see the familiar walls of the NexusÆs hollow spine around them The level that Randidly and Octavius were on seemed to feature a variety of armors Randidly patted Sulfur to reassure it that it was not being replaced as shopowners enthusiastically waved him over to take a look
Octavius looked at Randidly sighed and then turned to stare out of the edge of their ring Unfortunately it wasnÆt as peaceful as it initially seemed Whole groups of people crawled over the railing as they ascended from below or lightly stepped off in front of them to drop down to another location A group of size gelatinous humanoids with eyeballs visibly floating in the suspension of their bodies were shouting boisterously as they clambered upward clearly new to the Nexus Two tall figures wearing cloaks that covered all the details of their features moved silently intent on their path toward a shield shop near to where Randidly and Octavius were standing A constant throng streamed by them giving the area an extremely cloistered feeling despite how far the rings were from the outer walls
This is Bray Street Octavius eventually said It seemed like RandidlyÆs failure to obtain the job hit him like a giant emotional hammer strike That realization made Randidly somewhat uncomfortable But gradually as though each of the surrounding people carried away a tiny handful of the OverseerÆs sorrow as they passed OctaviusÆ expression improved All thirty six rings are considered the streetÆ Now I wouldnÆt recommend actually buying anything here the prices are reprehensible But it will give you a good idea of the standard of materials and equipment available in the Nexus
Then Octavius cleared his throat He was once more regaining his serious expression If you want I can give you a tour of the other important Nexus landmarks below the surface until we have enough citizenship tokens to get you to Tier I you cannot see the surface But the Grand Colosseum the Suspension Chamber and the Altar of Sacrifice are all definitely worth seeing