A few days after the events of the tomb campaign, things had settled down in Neo Orcus.
Grieve quickly showed off his expertise as a 9-star undead General from the Ancient Era. He seemed to have retained all his Physical Arts spells he learned back in his previous life, and was now using it to teach the Rebornians and the Dragonborns everything they had to learn.
It was quite a wake-up call for the Dragonborns, as Grieve was quite strict about his training routines. He would have everyone up and running very early in the morning while the sun was still hiding in the horizon.
"Haaa…haaa… Bro Mike! Help…" Zion said, as he dragged his feet forward, completely beat from the laps he did around Neo Orcus.
Michael looked at the Rebornians and saw them all collapsed on the ground. Grieve was quite harsher on the Dragonborns, giving them ten times the hardships.
"Is this alright?" he asked Grieve, a little bit concerned.
"Yes, Michael. Even though this world had changed quite a bit since I died, I am still sure that the physique of these young ones are not quite up to par. They are not even better than our ordinary soldiers, definitely not fit to be a general for your kingdom…at least, I think so. I don't remember, hoho…"
"You old bones! We heard that!" Zion shouted back.
"Hey! No shouting at my junior other than me!" said Fudge from atop Grieve's skull.
"Bleh!"
Michael was, of course, exempt from all of this training under the guise of being a 'King'. Although Michael didn't regard himself as a royal, if it would allow him to skip training, then he would assume that role as fast as a rabbit.
Eventually, he was approached by Yuna and Agnes, who eyed Grievous with suspicion.
"Sir Michael… about your friend… who is he?" Agnes asked, her eyes moving up and down at the skeleton standing upright.
"Oh, I just found him someplace," he explained. "Why? Do you recognize him or something?"
Agnes looked at the Dragonborns and the Rebornians performing weird stances in unison. They seemed to be training in some kind of weird fighting technique that she hadn't seen before.
"That way of pure physicality, their importance on using bodily power… I have heard something about that kind of style only once," she said silently. "Back when I was a part of the Order, my master Kruger, showed me an ancient scroll. And even though I only saw a glimpse of it, I am sure that it is quite similar to what the Dragonborns are learning now."
"What's it called?"
"The Way of the Emperor," she said.
Michael thought about it and figured that it lined up with what he thought. Since Grievous was a general from the Ancient Times, then he would have knowledge and mastery of the fighting techniques back in those days.
"But… it was said that this Way was lost to time forever. Even the other Heavenly Knights are only privy to sparse scrolls they found survived in the Queens region," Agnes added. "If this is indeed what the Dragonborns are learning, then who is he?"
Michael looked towards the forest.
"He is Grieve. He is a Rebornian," he answered.
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After a while, the construction of the Golden Road had progressed far enough for it to see a glimpse of Angora City in the distance.
It wouldn't be too long before the capital city would find out about what they were doing. And according to Yuna, it would be better if they arrived in Angora City and announced it themselves rather than them finding it out for themselves.
"It will give you a strategic advantage," Yuna said. "If you earn the trust of the Master of the Magic Tower and the Head Knight in the Knightly Court, then you will have enough influence to allow the City to incorporate the Golden Road into their midst."
"I know how to meet with the Tower Master," Michael replied. "But, I don't know how to connect with the Knights."
"Don't worry. I will introduce myself and request a meeting in their Court. I have a feeling that they would certainly welcome your presence after what you did in the tomb."
Yuna was alluding to the fact that Michael showcased the true power of the Rebornians through the use of their myriad of Mithril Artifacts.
Even Knights had limited inventory of relic artifacts, which only consisted of fragments and sometimes broken pieces.
Yet, the Reborn company showed up out of nowhere and showed possession of a complete set of them.
"I wonder how they would react when they find out it's not just weapons the Dragonborns have, but also armor…"
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After a few days of preparation, Michael and his allies finally departed Neo Orcus to reach Angora City in a few days' time.
Michael brought with him the Grieve and the Dragonborns, Yuna and her escorts, as well as some Rebornians as support. Of course, Fudge and the Shadow Orcs were always present in the shadows, observing everything around them.
This would be quite a momentous occasion, as this would be the first time that Michael showed automobiles to the Queens region.
Although it was already quite normal to see cars in and out of Neo Orcus, it was still too secluded from the societies of the Queens region that practically nobody knew about it at all.
But once Michael showed it off to Angora City, it would eventually get spread to other territories as well.
This would all be part of the plan for Michael to break into the Golden 500, the ranking of companies all over the globe.
Integral to this plan was Jimmy, who was the journalist correspondent of the Nation of Reborn. He came with Michael to Angora City in the hopes of having his papers be published by his company.
Hopefully, this would be enough for the Reborn company to break through to the rankings.
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What should have been a weeks-long journey turned into mere days due to the speed and efficiency of automobiles.
In fact, it would have been much shorter if the Golden Road had finished its construction all the way to Angora City.
Michael was on a cliff, overlooking the Angora City in the distance.
He saw the Magic Tower in the distance. Even now, he could see the intricate magic and spells set up by the tower to protect the City from harm. It wasn't that much different from the Magic Tower back in Kingsbridge City.
Just beside the Magic Tower was the castle surrounded by a moat. That was where the ruler of Angora City lived.
And this castle was protected by the Knightly Court, which was made up of Knights and Squires from the Order.
Those three institutions were what comprised the political landscape of the capital city.
"Have you prepared for what's to come?" asked Yuna.
"I did," he replied. "I already asked the chocolate merchants to scout a potential headquarters for the Reborn company."
"I hope you brought a lot of money," she said teasingly. "Angora City is a capital city. Owning real estate there can be quite pricey."
Michael looked at Angora City one more time…and smirked.