Building My SSS-Rank Universal Empire: From Trash to Cosmic Overlord-Chapter 168: What?

The moon shone gently in the sky, but at the moment, it was covered by a dark cloud, making the area darker than usual. However, the street was lined with glowing orbs set into thick rods.

Currently, two guards wearing the purple of the Athrimir Clan were walking down the street. Each carried thin metal tablets set into a small shelf, the tablets covered in symbols that had been etched into them.

Commonly known as "information tablets," they were one of the most common methods of passing information. From one station point to another, specific information would be sent through waves of magic and recorded into these tablets.

Once the tablets were collected and placed into an enchanted tool made for them, they would imprint the information onto blank papers, which were then sealed before being sent to the corresponding recipients.

The entire operation was shielded with strong enchantments, making it difficult even for enchanters to break through and view the information. Each night, the tablets were transferred to where they would be imprinted into letters.

The two guards were performing their nightly duty of transferring the tablets as usual. Unbeknownst to them, a raven perched atop a tree had been watching them for the past few nights.

The raven was as dark as the night itself, blending into the shadows. Even its eyes held no light as it observed them. As the guards passed beneath the tree it perched on, the raven flapped its wings.

Its wings stretched forward, blotting out the space in front and momentarily covering most of the street. The two guards remained unaware, continuing their walk, but from the shelf they carried, a tablet was missing.

The raven watched them go, and beside it, a tablet floated. Its beak opened, and a voice spoke.

"This makes it the fourth message I’ve intercepted now. Eventually, they’ll notice, but it should already be too late."

The voice belonged to Kren.

The reason he had been able to intercept the messages without being discovered until now was that the security level on communications from the Borderland and its surrounding areas was low.

Kren wasn’t trying to stop the central Clan of the Clan Leader from receiving the messages, his goal was to prevent the news from spreading to other factions that could exert pressure on the Clan Leader.

Kren cast his gaze into the distance as if sensing something. Seven streets away, a shadow outlined itself into a figure made of thick darkness. It held Kren’s facial features and dragged a dead woman by her leg.

His mouth curled into a smile. "I hate informants."

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It was morning in Kazekiri, the capital of the Athrimir territories. In the largest building at the center of the city, within a hall meant for dining, three people sat in silence, eating their food.

At the head of the table sat Thorold Athrimir, the Clan Leader of the Athrimir Clan. His green eyes were cold as he stared at his food, seemingly having forgotten about the other two in the room with him.

The second person was Thrain Athrimir, the Golden Knight. His purple hair was carefully combed to the side, and his smooth face appeared almost gentle.

The third person was Nadia. She sat with a straight back, her brown eyes weary. Though she wasn’t a stranger to sitting with them, this was the first time in three and a half years, ever since it was discovered that Vale carried the forbidden mark.

Her hand tightened slightly around her spoon as she remembered. A lot had happened since then. She was now a Knight rank of the Mystic Order and a Captain in the Guard.

Thrain Athrimir was now an Errant Knight. He, like Vale and Nadia, could be considered a true genius of their generation. But, of course, one of them wasn’t here.

Suddenly, Thrain set down his spoon and smiled at her. "How have you been, Nadia? Congratulations, I heard you are now a Knight rank."

She didn’t trust that smile. Ever since Vale had been sent to the Borderland, she had been constantly watched and monitored, as if they were waiting for him to contact her.

Her gut tightened at the thought. She didn’t even know if he was alive.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the thoughts away and smiled back. "Thank you, my lord."

Thrain laughed. "Stop, don’t call me that. The rank of Lord Lieutenant doesn’t apply when I’m with family."

Family? Nadia felt a sudden chill, a looming sense of impending doom. At the same time, a flash of anger surged within her. How dare he call them family when the only one who ever treated her as such had been thrown into the Borderland to rot?

Again, she felt that familiar, helpless anger. The only way she could save Vale was by advancing to higher ranks.

Why did they invite her to this kind of meeting?

In response to his words, she only gave a small smile.

Thrain was about to speak again when the Clan Leader’s voice cut through the air, flat and devoid of emotion.

"Captain Nadia, the Magistra of Vrdanp died three days ago. You are to go there and take over as the new Magistra."

Both Nadia and Thrain froze.

What?

Nadia stared in undisguised shock at the Clan Leader. It took her a moment to even recall where Vrdanp was located, a town far from the capital, holding little significance to Kazekiri.

A Magistra was the leader of a town, responsible for both its military and civil affairs. The Athrimir Clan’s structure allowed regional chiefs to swear loyalty to the Clan Leader, preserving their own Clans under the larger Athrimir banner.

However, some places did not fall under a chief’s control. In those locations, individuals known as Magistra were appointed to rule in the name of the Athrimir.

In theory, Knights were eligible for the position, but in practice, it was rare unless the role fell into the hands of a wealthy normal human.

Is there a hidden meaning to this?

Nadia’s mind raced as she tried to recall all she could from her studies.

...Yes! Vrdanp is very close to the Borderland...

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the Clan Leader, but the man continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Thrain, on the other hand, had a complicated expression on his face as he watched his father, like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Like something had been snatched from his grasp.