"I… don't know about the others… but I chose to give up on the Empire once the current Emperor took the throne.
Bernard was never… the intended Emperor for the Empire, instead it was his eldest brother, Edgar, however he was assassinated weeks before the appointment of the title 'Crown Prince' was to happen.
Because… I had sided with Prince Edgar in the battle for the position of Crown Prince, I was sent to the Deep North once Prince Bernard took the throne." Viscount Henderson said with Viscount Riley backing his words.
"Similarly, my family was all banished to the Deep North because of our ties to the both the Henderson family and Prince Edgar." Henderson made it seem like his family was unlikely caught into the fold, but Esmond saw Baron Howards face twist in annoyance.
Luckily Esmond had Angela by his side who kept telling him about their history she'd come to know as a child growing up in the noble capital.
"Hendy the butcherer… known for clearing a horde of beasts that would have overtaken the capital at the time which had gone through some damage from the last war.
When he returned, he was named the butcherer because of his knack for the single attack he would perform on each animal, that was more than enough."
"Riley the chain lord, capable of crushing his opponents with a whip of the chains he would wrap around his arms."
"The Ward and arm of the Righteous, Howard and Wright.
They were known to have a deep connection with the common folk and would fight justice for them when nobles would overstep their rights."
.
Angelas words were loud enough for the nobles to hear who weren't alone as their wives sat quietly and watched everything go down.
They were concerned about their children mostly who were occupied with some training along side the droids while others got the opportunity to play with the gaming consoles brought over from the space.
Esmond wasn't going to involve them unless they were of certain age however seeing the eldest child among the present nobles was only 14, so she wasn't brought in.
.
Hearing what Angela had to say about the nobles seated in front of his eyes, Esmond realised they would have ruffled too many feathers that were connected to Bernard, and instead of killing them, he prepared to send them away for fear of backlash.
"Mm… What about you two?" Looking over at Baxter and Byrde, Esmond wondered what the mighty Lord of the Bearclaws and Bloody Baxter had done to face the wrath of the Emperor.
"*Sigh* What do you want from us kid?
Better to get things over and done with…" Carleton Byrde asked instead, flicking back his grey head of hair that was covering his face that was earlier drooped down.
Carletons hazy eyes seemed to have dealt with his fair share of chaos and problems which could have ended his life much earlier, but he continued to put through and survive.
He only had one problem and that was Esmond, who Carleton could not understand at all.
Having lived for over 6 decades, Carleton had never seen a place like Vileta.
The Clansmen were especially frightening and concerning since they could conduct spells without the need to chant and run then continuously.
If they were to attack the Empire in full force, Carleton predicted they could have the entire Empire within their control in only a couple weeks at most.
.
"Fine…
I want to seal and develop the are known as 'Vaadan'.
If possible, I'll turn it into the home of a nation unlike any other on this planet.
And once everyone here has settled and the nation has been strengthened appropriately, only then will we think of expanding outwards…" Esmond explained his plans for the region while Angela called in a droid housekeeper to serve them drinks and food.
"First off I've already started work on transforming and rebuilding your towns similarly to Vileta, however they will have their own uniqueness to them that will help increase their value.
Another part will be the connection of the two rivers from Vileta that will extend to your towns before connection with the stream that leads into the Rippling Icy River that leads into the depths of the valley.
The river would continue to the point where the proposed Landport was going to be established, since it would allow for a man-made lake to be created easily in the area."
One of the droid servants were handing out some folders with more detailed information that was passed to everyone.
Included inside were the design schematics with Roses artistic representation of their town's appearance and Archies layout of the town.
Also written down were the plans that would be implemented during the next phase of expansion.
Trains were also included within the plans as Esmond wanted them to be included in the region's development since it would fasten transportation of goods but also reduce the congestion that would fill the roads eventually.
.
Carleton had a hard time believing everything stated within the folder.
Even looking over at Preston Baxter, his right hand within the Deep North, who only nodded in reply once he'd read over everything.
"By the looks of things, you won't need us to manage Vaadan one bit…
So, like I said earlier… what do you want from us?" Carleton said, looking directly at Esmonds galaxy encompassing eyes, which had no end to them.
Esmond smiled with a charming grin that sparked an old vision within Carletons heart he long yearned for.
"Lead the people in your towns…
Have them provide and live among the society to develop the economy.
Most of all… I want to make you all core members of the Council that will work directly with me and help my vision for Vaadan come to life."
Near the end of the report, it stated the region of Vaadan would become a land where his forces and the people of the land could develop beyond their simple lives.
They would be the very backbone of Esmonds plan to have Vaadan become the Capital of his magical forces' tempering.
Because the Deep North wasn't managed well which left to large amounts of beasts bundled together, there would be many areas that would need to be cleared and the Two Generation Clones would be ideal for the job.
Having made his decision long ago to bring the Clones to Stovi for training, Esmond hoped they would bring great stimulus to the area.
They would train at both the Dungeons within the space and then come over to Stovi to work together in clearing foul beasts that the droids wouldn't approach.
.
"Everything seems… in order…
But the job of this Council you are offering us seems to be far too good to be true."
In all honesty their job wasn't anything at all.
They would help socialise with the other nobles in time and help expand his influence.
Otherwise, the only job offered to them was to build upon their strengths and form a secretive force of the Council which would act as the enforcers.
Esmond had plans to incorporate his droids, but he also wanted the nobles to include their people for the sole reason to entice them to serve him of freewill.
Eventually Esmond wanted them to join him outside of Stovi and include them within his vision for control over Earth, but Isabelle made a solid point that they should be the nobles that provide support to him on Stovi instead.
Kanes plans for the takeover of the Trika Empire required people to help the people step forward into the next era.
Vaadan would become the most advanced region within the whole of the Empire, with the rest of the Empire taking several months to finally reach the same level of development.
The Church and its followers would forever be a pain in the ass to deal with until they realised how the Church was exploiting the people.
Not all were bad, so Esmond had several ideas to help get them onto his side and his version of the Church, yet it still required someone to be at the forefront for the world to see.
Esmond had no idea how to bring it up with the person in question but hoped it would be easier once he asked for some help from a certain individual.
However, his current issue was convincing the nobles before him to start training their Knights according to Esmonds plans.
They were a little sceptical about sitting around all day and not doing anything until they were called for.
Eventually Carleston signed the document, which made the others fold and signs as well.
.
"For now, you will all live and stay here.
In one weeks', time you can return to your homes as they will have all been completed and upgraded.
When you returned, you'll address your people and what is going to happen in the future.
Some will be uncomfortable at first, but it's your job be up close and personal with them."
Esmond asked one of the droid servants to lead the nobles to their children when they were ready, as he was heading back to the cabin.
He'd been there for a nearly a day and it was time to return home, which would be close to the time of sunrise on the 20th of February.
Since there was time to eat, train, shower and get ready for his university class, Esmond arrived back in the space and quickly headed home.
.
"You want me to pick you up?"
"Yeahhh…
If that's ok...?"
"Sure, just sent me the address of your house.
Shouldn't take me long May."
Esmond hung up the phone before texting Amelia what was happening.
He knew it would invoke some anger in Amelia, but Esmond had already tied his fate with hers and wasn't planning to let Amelia be the 'one that got away'…
There was also something nagging him in his mind that was saying to keep May close.
'Listen here, I found absolutely shit all about her family background other than they are some wealthy family with deep roots in China.
So deep that it seems like China is shielding them… in part…'
Carter had told Esmond everything he'd found about May and the Cai family.
Amelia replied quickly saying it was fine, but she wasn't too happy about it all.
Esmond knew a date was in order and promised to take her out over the weekend.
Just as he stepped out of the house and was preparing to leave, a called pulled up into his driveway.
Waiting to see who came was the driver, Esmond quickly recognised the Auburn head of hair with hints of brown.
The long slender legs that came out from the driver seat, firmly fitted around the shape of her body, as well as the suit coat and white blouse underneath gave her a charming aura that Esmond didn't expect would pull the strings on his heart.
'Layla…'