Chapter 836 — The Brain-Computer Connection Project

"Magical technology is hardly the only new thing in these lands," Byron said with a smile and a note of pride. "You have been gone twenty years, and you happened to miss every earth-shaking change. Now you are just in time to return to the Southern Region—believe me, everything there will leave you staring."

As he spoke, he raised the wine glass in his hand; in the crystal-clear vessel, the deep red wine reflected the light. "Welcome to Cecil."

Asarena raised her glass as well, and a crisp clink rang out in midair; after sipping the fine wine, the red-haired dragonborn could not help but shake her head with a smile. "I do rather miss the old days in those cheap taverns, when everyone would down one mug of rotgut beer after another from oak cups... watered-down swill that tasted awful, but the cups could be knocked together to your heart's content."

Byron chuckled, then stole a glance at Victoria, who was talking with Sir Golosh not far away, and quietly leaned his upper body toward Asarena, lowering his voice. "If you're interested, once we're back at Winterkeep I'll treat you to something with more kick—you know our Cecil frost-resistance potion? Fifty-two proof, sauce-aroma style, drink it by the bucket. Now that has kick..."

"I look forward to it," Asarena said, leaning in as well and speaking with a smile in her low voice. "But for now, tell me about your years since. What is your adopted daughter's name? What sort of child is she?"

Byron could not help but laugh with delight. "Her name is Pea, and she is a very good child..."

...

In the east of the continent, night had already fallen over Aldernan.

A court noble in a dark coat hurried along the deep, secluded corridors of the Obsidian Palace; the glow of magic-crystal lamps fell upon his face, which was beaded with fine sweat, and the crisp sound of his boots on the stone moved past column after column and door after door, until at last he arrived before the doors of Luo Yan Augustus's bedchamber.

A palace guard in black light armor, warblade in hand, stepped forward sidelong and blocked the court noble's path. "Lord Boymire, His Majesty has already prepared to rest, and you have no authority to enter the inner palace at this hour."

The court noble called Lord Boymire looked at the guard before him; his face was unnaturally pale, his muscles seemingly taut with excessive tension, and more fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. Such abnormal behavior only made the fully armed guard more wary.

"I... I have something important that I must report to His Majesty at once," Lord Boymire said, spreading both hands in an attitude verging on pleading. "Very important. This matter is truly very important—if it is too late, it may be too late!"

The palace guard looked at the man before him and, after a brief moment's thought, nodded. "My lord, I can relay your words on your behalf."

"No, I cannot say it now... I may have only one chance to speak, and I must tell His Majesty myself..." Lord Boymire clutched the hem of his garment tightly, as though something horrifying were watching him from behind; he seemed to be summoning immense courage to fight back some instinctive dread, yet still insisted on seeing Luo Yan Augustus. "Please go in and announce me—at least let His Majesty know that I came..."

The two guards at the door exchanged a troubled look. "My lord, please do not make us..."

But the guard had barely gotten half his sentence out when a voice suddenly came from behind the gate, cutting him off—a gentle female voice, yet carrying a certain indisputable quality, saying from within: "Let him in—this is the Emperor's command."

At the sound of that voice, the guard immediately straightened up and answered with solemn deference: "Yes, Miss Delan."

Then the magically sealed inner-court gate slid silently apart to either side, and the guard at the entrance nodded to Lord Bomaier: "You may enter."

Lord Bomaier stepped across the threshold, and behind that heavy, ornate gold-inlaid gate he saw a young woman standing to one side—black-haired, black-eyed, with delicate and gentle features, yet a face utterly blank and expressionless. She wore the robes of the highest-ranking lady-in-waiting, and her gaze rested quietly upon him.

This was the royal head maid of the Obsidian Palace, the highest-ranking official of the inner court—a "maid"—and yet in this place, this "maid" served as a partial mouthpiece for the Great Emperor Luo Yan.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Delan..." Bomaier said.

"No need," the royal head maid said coolly, and as she began to walk she raised her right hand slightly to point ahead, "Please follow me. His Majesty is already waiting for you."

(A book recommendation: The Legend of Cyber Heroes—why recommend it? It's all in the title! p.s. Personally I think it's worth a look; at the very least, the opening has the proper cyberpunk flavor to it.)