Birth Of The Crafts-God

When evening came around, Lucas prepared to leave for the Mertens family. Just as he was about to step out, he sensed a presence behind him.

"Are you leaving?" Melissa asked Lucas as she stared at him with a dejected expression.

"Please don't leave me alone."

Lucas felt a prickle in his heart as he heard those words.

Since he was going to meet the Mertens family head, who could possibly be one of the people against him, Lucas had felt it was unwise to bring Melissa along. However, he had forgotten that the little girl had lost all her memories and she saw him to be her only family.

Although Melissa was used to staying alone during the day, back when the store was in a better state, it didn't mean that she liked it. For a child this young to be left alone for eight hours of time, was unhealthy for their growth.

"Alright. You can come with me." Lucas smiled.

He surmised that there shouldn't be much of a threat meeting the Mertens family head this evening. Since it was an invitation taken seriously by them, it was unlikely for the host to play some games with him, so Lucas felt there should be no problem bringing Melissa along with him.

. . .

The sun had already set and the nightlife of Baylands City was just about to kick in. Many were already getting off work and the skies were crowded with hover vehicles and shuttles. However, the Central Prefecture district was a little bit different.

Although it had the same towering skyscrapers and floating vehicles, the Central Prefecture district had its own appeal, even at this time of the day.

West Wing district was known as the city's economic centre, specifically for vestige-related items, as well as the home of all freelancers. The Eastern Crown district was a residential location. It was also another economic centre of the city, except it was one that catered to the average hyuman.

The South Mountain district was a residential district and was one in the truest sense.

As for the Northwave district, it was the production location of many of the city's local goods. Apart from the absence of vestige-smiths and vestiges, the Northwave district produced all other types of daily equipment and technology.

On the contrary, the Central Prefecture district was simply the home of vanity, wealth, and riches. It was said that in every three persons spotted in the city, at least one had a net worth of three hundred thousand federal coins.

This might not sound like much, but it was a lot. Back on Earth, they would be the equivalent of a multi-millionaire.

This made Lucas recall a certain city-state back on Earth. It was called Manaco, and it was said that everyone in the city was a millionaire at the very least. Just the standard items and experience cost more than they would anywhere else on Earth, and there were lots of opulent spots for the rich as well.

Lucas didn't know much about the city-state of Manaco as he spent the majority of his time in the lab. He also didn't have enough money to bother to go there. Despite his fame and title as a national treasure, Lucas was poor, or rather, average in terms of income. This was mostly because the country of Rhodia funded all of Lucas' expenses, from living expenses, to travel, leisure, and food expenses. As such, he had no savings or investments he could call his own.

But even with his lack of experience regarding the class city-state of Manaco, Lucas was sure that the Central Prefecture district thrived way more than it did.

With the night life soon to kick off, the Central Prefecture district was preparing to show another side to the world.

Floating 'islands' rose into the sky with fancy decorations all over them and buildings erected on them. Some of the buildings flashed with neon lights while the others had an ancient design.

From what Lucas knew, these islands were gambling dens and every building on them was either a hotel, or a spot for gambling. Being located in the sky, it was difficult to track what took place there. Even when one tries to view into the buildings through a satellite, it was impossible to do so.

Apart from the floating islands, there were a bunch of other unique sights in this upscale district. Even the hover cars and skyscrapers were different from those in the other districts, appearing to be more grand and stylish.

"Mr Saunters. Please this way."

A middle-aged man approached Lucas once he exited the light-rail train station, and directed him towards a fancy hover car that looked just like a limousine on Earth.

It seemed like the Mertens family had taken proper steps to ensure that Lucas' visit was as smooth and comfortable as possible.

After a short while, the vehicle had arrived at the Mertens family's complex.

Being a top four family, the amount of land and number of buildings the Mertens family owned was a lot. The family's main house was an area the size of at least six world class stadiums [1] which made it really vast. There were a bunch of buildings in the area, housing either the family's members or staff. There was also a few skyscrapers that served as administrative buildings to the family's businesses. All of the Mertens family's companies were headquartered in the Central Prefecture district.

Typically, the Central Prefecture district prevented companies from opening corporate headquarters in the area, as it tried to persevere its nature as a luxurious area, but the top families were an exception.

There was also a mini park with a lot of attractions in the Mertens family estate, a grand palace that would put a lot of monarchies on Earth to shame, a few artificial mountains, and a lot more. The Mertens family even had a floating island which was a sort of resort for the family members.

So large was the estate that Lucas and Melissa needed to get into designated shuttles right from the main gate. If they were to take their time walking, it would take them at least two hours to get to their destination as the path wasn't straight.

The entire estate was clearly designed by a world class architect, as despite having a ton of buildings, there was no sense of disorder. Instead, it felt like everything was in sync with the other and placed in the best position they could be.

Despite that, what attracted Lucas' attention wasn't simply the vastness of the estate or the magnitude of the buildings. Rather, it was the increased stellar energy concentration.

'The entire estate is covered with a stellar matrix.' Lucas couldn't help but be amazed. Discover exclusive content at empire

This was the first compound that Lucas had discovered to be covered with an inscription. It wasn't like such was rare in his past life, but he has never noticed any here. Not even the EVL's branch office had such a thing. The main reason for this was the cost of setting up such a rune.

The number of talented and experienced vestige-smiths required, the materials needed for the inscriptions, as well as the equipment that would be needed to adjust the land's terrian to the most suitable state. All of these required money, and the EVL won't be spending such on a branch office.

However, it seemed like for a top four family, making such arrangements in their main house was nothing. Although it would take an exorbitant fee, the benefits were worth it. Regardless, the cost was still something not just anyone could handle, especially for an estate this big.

In summary, the Mertens family estate screamed of wealth, and it made Lucas understand the power of money.

"Please come in."