Chapter 4178: Tezka’s Warning (Part 1)

"I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a demonstration." Lith shook his head. "Forewarned is forearmed. I can’t risk any of you talking about my newfound abilities and one of the Dead King’s informants relaying the information to him.

"I’d rather play my hand close to the vest and keep the advantage of surprise. The only thing I can add is that my sister possesses the same abilities. Tista, if you please."

She stood up and assumed her Indech form as well. Tista manifested her powers in counter-clockwise order and in a slightly different manner. The Awakened this time were ready and lit up their eyes with Life Vision.

They confirmed to the other guests that Tista had indeed conjured the power of the elements without consuming an iota of mana, something that only a bloodline ability could achieve.

"What about your emerald eye?" Ryssa the Dryad asked. "Why did neither of you activate it?"

"Because its ability is too powerful, and therefore unsuited for a friendly gathering like this." Lith lied through his teeth.

Lith had activated his Spirit Eye only once, during the fight against Ruugat of the Earth. He had a vague idea of how it worked, but none about how to wield its power at will.

Ryla couldn’t help him with that because no Fomor had ever developed a seventh eye and, based on what had happened to Tyrants and Morok, they weren’t supposed to. The Spirit Eye was the only piece of the Indech puzzle that still escaped Lith’s grasp, but he had no reason to let Orpal know that.

"For my third and last announcement, I’m glad to inform you that the Royals and I have cleared the final details of the civilian DoLorean’s production. It is possible to place your order from today onward, and they should be available to the public by Spring."

Lith conjured a hologram of the enchanted car, showcasing its features and limits compared to those available to the army, for his guests. Their maximum speed reached the third of five gears of the original, and inside a city, they weren’t allowed to fly higher than the perimeter walls.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard about the... events in Amrok." Lith needed a second to push the memory of Elfiam’s death to the back of his mind and refocus his gaze. "The experience had a profound effect on me, and led me to improve on the DoLorean’s safety measures.

"To prevent fatal accidents, the power core will now trigger to protect both those inside the car and those hit by the car. The hard-light constructs will cushion the impacts to ensure that nobody gets hurt.

"I know that some of you might ask, what if someone tries to kidnap or kill me? What if protecting those people ends up hurting me? I thought about it as well since this is a problem that the magicless members of my family already experienced."

Lith looked at Raaz and Elina for a second.

"My answer is to allow the external safety features to be disabled with the push of a button when needed, but it comes with conditions. The DoLorean immediately sends an emergency distress signal to the authorities and starts recording everything that happens inside and outside the car.

"The footage will help the Constables to find the culprits and will be deleted at the end of the investigation. A similar feature will automatically activate in the event of a violent impact, regardless of whether it is caused by distraction or ill will.

"This way, if a DoLorean gets shot down or the driver loses consciousness, the passengers can be rescued even if they lost their communication amulet. Also, if the DoLorean is abused to target or kidnap someone, the culprit will be easily caught.

"Let me be clear, I know that no one likes their privacy to be violated, yet I refuse to let my creation be exploited in a tool for hurting people. Without such features, the DoLorean would become a smuggler’s best friend and a murderer’s favorite getaway vehicle.

"I won’t let that happen. I will not let another drunken idiot reap another life and get away with it with my help." Lith’s voice lowered in anger. "For this reason, the Elfiam System is mandatory.

"If you cause accidents, even if no one gets hurt, you’ll receive a warning that will escalate in fines based on your monthly income if you keep endangering yourself and others for petty reasons.

"After the third fine, the DoLorean will be repossessed and sold to someone else. Remember that the removable imprint means that anyone in your family can use it, but also that the DoLorean can be taken away at any moment.

"Also, the culprit will be added to a blacklist and forbidden from purchasing or driving another DoLorean. In case the ban is violated, the owner of the borrowed DoLorean will be blacklisted as well unless they report it stolen."

Lith had to add nothing else after that. The Kingdom didn’t take theft lightly, especially when it involved powerful artifacts. A noble arrested on such charges would spend years in jail, sullying their family’s reputation for generations.

The loss of social influence and connections would be enough to cripple their political power unless the culprit was disowned and kicked out of the family.

"That’s it." Lith smiled, trying to lighten the mood again. "These are the gifts I have prepared for my 21st birthday for the Kingdom. My DoLorean, the full power of Void Magic, and my own prowess as an Indech. I hope you like them."

Lith gave his audience a bow and was answered with a round of enthusiastic applause.

The DoLorean’s safety measures were a bit of a letdown. Powerful mages and people liked to keep their secrets and disliked sharing their location like that. On the other hand, however, it didn’t take much to understand the DoLorean’s potential for crime.

’I guess I’ll have either to be extra careful or travel the old-fashioned way when I need secrecy.’ Many people thought. ’The silver lining is that I can entrust the DoLorean to those numbskulls of my children without risking they kill each other in an "accident".’

Dinner was served after the announcement, allowing the guests to discuss everything they had seen and heard during the rest of the evening. At the end of the dinner, the party moved to the lounge.

Hot beverages and stiff drinks were served while the guests formed small cliques to chat about shared interests or get acquainted. The nobles of the Kingdom and the Awakened of the Council swarmed Lylka, asking her many questions about her clan and the state of Zima.

Tezka, instead, moved freely and used that time to turn his lies into truth.

"I’m curious, dear Fyrwal, is the evolutionary procedure you are developing viable for Emperor Beasts who don’t have a Guardian progenitor?" He asked, making her shudder. "Someone, I don’t know, like me?"

’The Suneater was and is terrifying as a ’mere’ Fylgja. If he were to become a Divine Beast, only Grandfather himself would be Tezka’s match. Maybe.’ She thought.

"In theory, yes. Yet it’s too soon to tell." Fyrwal actually said, keeping a warm smile.

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