Enlightened Empire

Chapter 475: Return

A ship's bow lightly dinged against the pier on a small island in the middle of the Narrow Sea. For decades, only an old, decrepit ferry had landed here, to supply the locals with the necessities for survival. Back then, the island hadn't even had a pier in the first place. This time, the visitor weren't coming on an old ferry, and they hadn't come to bring supplies either. In fact, much more than just the pier had changed ever since Corco had last arrived here on the Lonely Island all those years ago.

"So this is where your cultivation research happens?" Sumaci asked, and looked around the island's beautiful landscape, most of it untouched by human hands due to the sparse population. "Why this place in particular?"

They talked as they walked along the paved dirt road up the island and towards the main building, the seat of the island's lord, and Corco's leading expert in cultivation research.

Of course, they were accompanied by their usual horde of guards. Even though this island in particular was considered a high security area and had no inhabitants beyond servants of the southern king, Corco had long given up on reigning in these overprotective nuisances. They could follow him wherever they wanted, so long as they didn't limit his movements. Until they did, he would simply choose to ignore them.

"For our research, we needed a place which was sufficiently isolated, to run our experiments under more controlled conditions," he explained to Sumaci, while doing his best to ignore the two dozen people who were marching behind him in lock-step. "Bonus points if it's a place that's easy to defend, and hard to infiltrate. I mean, we don't want our new discoveries on cultivation stolen by enemy forces, right? When you consider all those categories, the Lost Islands around Medala are a perfect choice."

'Lost Islands' was a collective term for many small islands all along Medala's coastline, though not all islands off the coast were included. Only those which housed an exiled member of House Pluritac were considered 'lost'.

Whenever a new emperor climbed the Silver Throne in Arguna's Moonlight Zigurrat, other members of the imperial family who had fought the ascension — mostly other imperial princes with their own ambitions towards the throne — would be sent into exile here, to prevent any further internal struggles from weakening Medala, or the authority of House Pluritac.

Once the exiled princes turned seventy, they would be allowed to leave their islands and join the Ancestral Hall, a deal which was meant to keep them quiet and the empire stable. Usually, these islands had no inhabitants other than the exiles, their families, and a handful of servants. In order to guarantee security, as well as discourage any ambitious lords from seeking out these exiled princes for a coup, the islands would be stricken from any official maps for the duration of the exile, thus the term 'Lost Islands'.

"Wait, the Lost Islands?" a shocked Sumaci asked. "But that means this island has an owner already, right? One of the former princes would be living here, wouldn't he?"

Sumaci waited for Corco's confirmation before she continued. "Isn't the exiled prince technically the lord of this land? What happened to him after you began your research?"

Of course, Corco could have answered all her questions on the long way here already, but he thought it would be more exciting — and more fun — to retain some mystery in their relationship. As expected, the conversation was shaping up to be suitably dramatic for the occasion

"Oh, he's still here," Corco said in a mysterious, low voice, while trying hard to suppress a grin.

"And the island's owner has no problem with you running those experiments here?" Sumaci asked, as if she was still oblivious. Although she had to have figured out the whole story by now, she was playing along with her husband's whims splendidly, as always. Thus prompted into a punchline, the husband laughed his most flamboyant laugh and unveiled the secret.

"Of course not, he's the one leading the experiments after all."

Not long after, the king and queen of southern Medala met with the lord of the Lonely Island: Eclestius Caelestis Pluritac, brother of Medala's last emperor Titu, and exiled prince of the imperial family.

"Uncle!" Corco shouted as soon as he saw the exiled prince, as if they were old friends. Most of it was for show, of course, and not only because they were practically strangers.

Although Eclestius looked no older than Corco, the king just couldn't develop any feelings of intimacy towards this uncle of his. Not only had Corco been betrayed by his family members more than once in the past, Eclestius in particular just had to look like the spitting image of Amautu, of all people. It really didn't endear him to his king and nephew. Still, appearances had to be upheld, so Corco played the loving nephew, while Eclestius played the king's loyal servant.

"Yes, unfortunately we were not informed when exactly the royal delegation would arrive, and there was a storm yesterday as well. Our people had to retreat inside, and so could not welcome their king directly at the port, against all our wishes," the Amautu-lookalike explained. Since Corco's exact schedule was not made known due to safety concerns, even the excuses were reasonable. Moreover, the exiled prince also motioned over to a table he had set with all kinds of delicacies. "Let me make it up to you with a welcome appropriate for a king."

As Corco looked over the tables, he realized that much of it were foods common in Saniya's castle. A lot of it was imported, or difficult to prepare. Clearly, this uncle of his had taken great pains to please his king. They had even brought out some ice cream.

"Ah, this is certainly a gesture I appreciate." Corco sat down and bit into a fresh peach, while trying his hardest to not think how much of his research funds had been wasted on this attempt at making him happy. "To be honest, I could never really relax on my way here, since I've been anticipating the results work too much. So I really just want to hear about your research right away, if that's possible."

Rather than focus on the wasted money, Corco would much rather see where the rest of it had been spent, and whether or not the people here had done their jobs properly in the first place. Luckily, Eclestius didn't look nervous when he was reminded of his duties, which meant that they had left enough of their funds untouched to fulfill their orders.

Or he's just a really good actor, Corco added in his head.

"Of course. I have already ordered Master Joren to bring the detailed reports here as soon as possible," Eclestius said, before he finally turned to Sumaci, just in time. Any longer and his disregard would have been considered rude towards his queen.

"And what about Queen Sumaci?" he asked Sumaci, who had already sat down next to Corco and had begun eating, despite the earlier lack of a greeting. "Would it be necessary for the queen to refresh herself elsewhere? This lord can send for his lady, to keep the queen company while this lord and King Corcopaca handle the boring, work-related matters."

When faced with the prince's old-fashioned treatment, the queen of the Verdant Isles barely looked at him and just kept eating. Not even her smile dimmed, not even a little bit.

"Ah, no thank you, I am just as excited about the research as my husband is," she simply explained, while barely looking up.

However, the lord looked at her in derision and said: "Is that so?" in a cold tone which expressed how little he appreciated her presence here.

Maybe her careless behavior — suitable for the pirate queen she was — would have been considered free-spirited and confident had they come from Corco. Coming from a woman however, such actions were unacceptable in the conservative Medala. That was especially true for someone like Eclestius, who had been stuck on an island for forty years and hadn't experienced any of the social changes his old home had gone through in recent years.

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Although the exiled prince's attitude was understandable, it certainly wasn't excusable. Just when Corco wanted to remind his uncle of his mistake — and his place — Sumaci had already struck first.

"I do have a question though," she said. While her smile was still unbroken, she was now staring straight at Eclestius. "Why would an exiled prince be given the important task of cultivation research? Isn't it more appropriate to give it to someone more trustworthy, or more competent? What do you think, Lord Eclestius? Do you believe yourself suitable for your role?"

Sumaci's sharp words certainly hadn't come unprovoked. Not to mention, while she spoke so righteously, she openly ate a meal paid with money which had been designated for research. When faced with the results of his corruption, what could the exiled prince possibly say in response? Predictably, his face paled and flushed alternately, trying to keep composure in the face of provocation. Before Eclestius could explode and make their visit needlessly complicated, Corco decided to step in as a mediator.

"Come on, Maci, don't be rude. Lord Eclestius is my uncle. Who would I trust if not my family?" he asked. Though his voice was insincere, it still conveyed his attitude. While he wouldn't support corruption, they weren't here to clean up dissidents.

"Based on recent events, I would not trust the Pluritac family with much," Eclestius replied with a sad smile. Not only was he talking bad about his family, he was also devaluing his own position, in an attempt to step back and offer his apologies. It was an old-fashioned way of doing things, no longer used in Corco's modern Medala, but the king still understood the old rituals he had learned as a child.

"Well, that's not untrue," he simply brushed over the issue, before he sat up and added: "Anyways, we apologize."

"Yes, I was rude," Sumaci added, quick on the uptake as always. "I should not have questioned Lord Eclestius' qualifications."

"Not at all. It is a question I had to ask myself many times," Eclestius added some more self-derision, again an attempt to get closer to the royal pair and to make up for his previous rudeness. However, Corco had heard similar arguments from just about every member of his government when he had first made Eclestius his head researcher, so the topic only served to annoy him.

"I'm not sure why everyone is so surprised by this appointment," he complained, before he explained his thought process. "I mean, Uncle Eclestius is an expert on cultivation. He knows the family cultivation techniques as well as me, or even better. Not only does he know the imperial cultivation technique, he also knows all techniques of the family vassals. That gives him some of the most thorough insights into the subject among anyone on the Twin Isles. Plus, he hasn't had much to do here recently, no offense," he added at the end towards the exiled prince, to make sure he hadn't offended his host. However, Eclestius just shook his head.

"Please do not feel concerned," he said, so Corco was free to continue.

"Anyways, with all that time on hand, you must have spent a lot of it on cultivation. You've no doubt gained some unique insights into various techniques in the process. Not to mention, I did promise you a position at my court. I couldn't get you off the island, so I had to give you something in return."

When Corco had made his promise to appoint Eclestius to his royal council in return for allowing the southern army to cross the Narrow Sea, fulfilling his end of the bargain had been entirely impossible. After all, his reputation among the other two kingdoms — and among the elders of the Ancestral Hall — had still been particularly poor back then. At the time, had he committed another break in tradition like releasing an exiled prince without permission, his political enemies would have had even more excuses to attack him.

Although for political reasons, Corco hadn't been able to free the exiled prince so far, he still hadn't forgotten his promise. If nothing else, the Lonely Island of Uncle Eclestius had received much better treatment ever since Saniya had become responsible for its supplies.

As the head of Saniya's cultivation research, Eclestus had also received sufficient power and responsibility to keep him happy for a while. Not to mention, this method would also keep him stuck here, and under control, until Corco could guarantee his loyalty. Though of course, Eclestius wasn't the only exiled Pluritac who had become part of Corco's government, and his appointment on the island wasn't the only safeguard against his defection either.

"On the topic of the king's court, how are the king's servants? Are they all well?" Eclestius asked cautiously, while keeping Corco in full view. Meanwhile, the careless king just started eating, while openly saying what his uncle only dared to allude to in hints.

"If you're asking about Caecilia, she's doing very well. I hear my people put great trust in her, and she's taken over a considerable role within the ministry."

Eclestius' daughter Caecilia di Pluritac had been the first to greet Corco back when he had first arrived on the island. As part of their deal, the girl had been integrated into Corco's bureaucratic system. Though of course, she and her young son also doubled as a hostage in case Eclestius ever thought about sharing their cultivation research with Pacha or Amautu.

"Yes, Caecilia has always been in charge of finances on the island." Eclestius sighed. "To be frank, we are all a bit lost without her."

"You really taught her well," Corco said, while deliberately ignoring the exile's plea to see his daughter again. At the current rate, they would meet soon enough anyways, but this wasn't a decision he wanted to make without a prior threat assessment from the ghost warriors.

"Thank you," a terse Eclestius replied this time. Since he seemed to be in a bad mood, Corco decided to throw the man a bone.

"And from what I've heard, you've done a great job with your own work, just like your daughter," he said. "At this rate, I will soon have to take you off the island and appoint you to even greater tasks."

"If King Corcopaca truly believes so, then I do not understand why it was necessary to put some lowly foreigner servant next to me and supervise my work," Eclestius complained out of the blue, rather than accept Corco's diplomatic words.

Maybe in this specific matter, he was speaking from the heart, Corco thought. He probably had long been looking for an excuse to vent about his fellow head researcher.

"So things haven't been going well then?" the king concluded in an easy-going tone. He didn't really care if the two people in charge of research were friends, so long as they got the job done.

"We've mostly kept to ourselves. We each do our duties, and avoid conflict," Eclestius reassured Corco, though his sour face told the king that his uncle also had far less charitable things to say about his colleague.

"Well, that's good," Corco said, ignoring the silent complaint once more. "Anyways, it's not like I don't trust you, but there's just a way the people of the southern kingdom do things. The people I've taught understand that way, but you yourself cannot, which is why I couldn't let you lead the research alone."

Although Corco wanted to leave it at that, Eclestius didn't reply. Instead, he was just staring at the king, waiting for a better answer. In desperation, the king turned to his faithful wife. Yet even here, he only encountered a devious twinkle in her eye, and not one word of support.

Thus, the king steeled his heart and explained further, even though he found it tedious. Since they were still waiting for the written reports, they didn't have anything better to do anyways.

"First off, Joren is one of my personal students, which means he knows the way we write down data and keep books. Not only that, he is also my former archivist, and the man who set up the Medalan Imperial Archives in Saniya. We need to keep the documentation of this research consistent with the rest of our documents. Otherwise, we'll eventually end up with several competing systems in the government and just confuse everyone. I mean, no offense uncle, but you don't even know the New Yakua script."

New Yakua was a writing system which Corco had invented to simplify the old Yakua characters. The goal had been to make them easier to learn for the broader public. Of course, most old nobles disdained from learning such new fashion aimed at commoners. Though to Corco's surprise, his uncle shook his head.

"No, the new script could be learned fast enough, same as Rapra Castle's method for bookkeeping. I have mastered both years ago."

Much to Corco's astonishment, it seemed like his uncle was quite open to new things, and also far more motivated than he had thought.

"But still, you didn't know them when we started the research here, right?" he argued, not unreasonably.

"That much is true," Eclestius had to admit. Satisfied with the exiled prince's softening attitude, Corco righted his posture and continued.

"I didn't pick Joren to partner up with you just because of the bookkeeping methods either. Methodology itself was a factor as well. In the southern kingdom, we've been working under a new system called 'empirical science'. Every government program has to adhere to this system. We approach our cultivation research in an empirical fashion as well, or at least that's the goal. To do that, I needed someone here who had some experience with empirical methods already. Since you've seen Joren work with empirical methods over the last few years, I'm sure you're now familiar with them by now."

"Indeed I am," Eclestius replied. "The methods are cumbersome, and give slow results."

"But they also give precise results," Corco emphasized. He wouldn't accept any detractions against empiricism, not in his house... even though it wasn't his house at all. Instead of listening to any more slander, he finally wanted to get to some real results, if only a taste until the reports arrived.

"Even if progress has been slow, I'm sure you've discovered many interesting things by now," he tried again to spark some enthusiasm, yet once again, his stuffy uncle shook his head.

"There has been nothing remarkable," he claimed. "Certainly nothing which could compete with the majesty of the World's Embrace."

Without any evidence to the contrary, Corco couldn't judge if they really hadn't found anything, or if his uncle was just biased towards their old family cultivation technique. Although he really hoped for the latter, for now, the king could only sigh.

"Sounds like we'll have to see it with our own eyes then," he just said, and leaned back in preparation for a long and uncomfortable wait.

Yet as if on queue, a knock on the door from one of Corco's guards indicated the arrival of the second lead researcher on the southern kingdom's cultivation project, and the long-awaited reports with him.

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