Tower of Heaven

The next week passed like that. The coronation ceremony was set to approach at the end of the eighteen-day period as was designated by the original timeline of this world, and Atlas used the time before to learn how to manage the empire.

It was mostly out of personal sentiment, but it was also a beneficial thing for him to learn.

'If I wish to create my own Society in the future, I must understand these managerial matters well.'

There was a lot of paperwork, even more than he had to do back on the 25th Floor. This time, the paperwork he was given the responsibility to fill out was actually important and related to the lives of several millions of people.

Luckily, Kade already had training in these matters that he was provided with since young. As Atlas started to undertake these menial tasks, the knowledge of Kade Von Ataraxia entered his own mind and became his own skill. He made rapid improvements, and though the capital faced what could have been a great disaster, everything had mostly calmed down.

A funeral was held for Kaladyn and Klyde five days after the events that transpired. Though it was unnecessary, Atlas tried his best to change the people's perception so Klyde wouldn't be remembered in shame.

If only he was given the chance to repent…

But that was in the past now. The characters in this world were simply too real. It was hard to not see this as an existing place somewhere out in the vast world.

Atlas walked the streets with a hood over his head so he wouldn't be recognized. He observed the lives of the people here.

'Kade's feelings for his father…'

They were justified in a sense. The Emperor was truly as great of a person as Kade saw him to be. It was also true that the Second Prince overlooked his father's flaws, but he didn't feel that those flaws needed to be considered.

After all, Kaladyn Von Ataraxia was the one who created this kind of atmosphere where commoners could enjoy peace.

'This land has a similar atmosphere to the continents of my time. Back then, it was rare for an entire continent to not be enveloped in war if it was not ruled by strong cultivators.'

Even then, the mortals were always at war over petty land squabbles and other such things. If this was a reflection of that time period, the former Emperor truly was a great man.

The atmosphere of these streets almost reminded Atlas of his hometown in the mortal world, Arthia City. It made him miss the parents he left behind, and most importantly, it made him regret his decision to leave them behind even more.

In this life, as Kade Von Ataraxia, he felt the emptiness of losing a parent for the first time.

'I have to see them.'

He couldn't leave his final memory with his parents as one where he left them without a word. He had to go see them again in Arthia City. He had to make sure they were doing fine.

However, he could not do that until he found a way to return to the mortal world. The Tower made it almost impossible, but this place had a slogan, after all.

'The Tower of Heaven is a place where anything is possible.'

So, Atlas would eventually return to the mortal world and see his parents again. He would make sure of it.

Nevertheless, he didn't come out to the streets of the capital just to reminisce. Actually, he was on his way to a very specific shop.

It was a rundown old place in the middle of the commoners' shopping district. If anyone saw the next Emperor roaming these streets, they were sure to faint from shock.

The hood was the only thing keeping the people's sanity intact, and so, as he entered the shop, Atlas kept it on.

It was a small place packed with trinkets to the point where it was difficult to walk. There was an old man seated at the counter, fiddling with some sort of contraption and paying no mind to the customers at the door.

In fact, he didn't notice Atlas until the sounds of metals scraping against the ground as they were moved entered his ears.

Once Atlas cleared a path for himself, he approached the counter.

"Can I help you with something?" The old man asked in surprise more than anything else. He clearly wasn't expecting anyone to enter this place.

"Are you Hammond?" Atlas asked.

"I am, but what does that have to do with you?" The old man countered, somewhat offended.

"I heard you were the best runesmith in town," Atlas responded in the same breath.

"There is something I need your help with."

Before the old man could respond, Atlas removed both his cloak and his shirt. Along with the signature blonde hair and red eyes of the Imperial Family, the large mark on his chest was revealed.

It was something Atlas found while he was stuck in the Imperial Prison. Despite this not being his original body, the Serpentseal Mark was still present on his chest.

'It is tracking my soul, not my body.'

For that reason, regardless of what body he was in, the mark would follow. It was truly a dubious method.

'However, it is also why the solution to my problems lies here, on the 30th Floor where I am not inside of my own body.'

Here, he could get the mark removed from his soul so that it would be gone by the time he returned to his original body.

And, as the mark's signature remained in the simulated world, Dusk would believe that he was still within the 30th Floor Cumulative Trial for at least several days before they realized that he'd destroyed it.

"You are… Never mind that. This is…"

The old man got over Atlas' identity faster than he expected him to. After observing the Serpentseal Mark for a moment, the old man came out from behind the counter and walked to the front door, locking it with several different mechanisms.

"First of all, allow me to greet you again, Your Majesty. I apologize for my rudeness."

The old man kneeled on the ground, giving his greetings.

"No need for that. Today, I have come here for your skills, so if anything, I should be the one kneeling. This mark is a machination of the Dark Cult that seems to have the ability to track my movements. I would like to request your help in removing it."

The old man got up off of his knee and nodded.

"Certainly, it is a seal filled with dark qi. Though it will take some time, I should be able to remove it before your coronation ceremony, Your Majesty."

Atlas smiled.

The old man was definitely wise. He didn't mention anything excessive after understanding the importance of the matter, and from his appearance, he didn't look like he was going to spread the news anywhere.

'If he were real, he would be an ally worth trusting.'

But, that was a different matter.

"Your Majesty, please follow me into the back room."

Atlas did as he was told.

In this trial, he'd already defeated Cain, which meant that from the next floor onward, he would actually be able to escape the inescapable game. With the runesmith's help, the Serpentseal Mark would also disappear, removing Dusk from the equation. Find more chapters on empire

Just…

As the coronation approached, Atlas got the feeling that he was forgetting something.

Something else that he was supposed to find on the 30th Floor…

What could it possibly be?