Chapter 1277: Ironblooded Wendimars
Zac's confusion only grew as the Monarch led him through the city, happily introducing its various aspects with uncomfortable deference. The tail of curious onlookers only grew, and Zac soon started to feel like a zoo animal. It was clear that he'd borrowed Terea Wendimar's identity, explaining the brand's undulations. However, they didn't see him as Terea.
Truga Ur had called him a 'son of the Empire,' so they saw Zac as himself. The fact he was a Draugr didn't seem to register, though the mayor briefly lost his train of thought when Zac intentionally released a wisp of Miasma. Zac had the credentials, but the citizens of Black Zenith weren't unthinking puppets. There were limits to how far he could rely on his borrowed identity.
His perceived status as a Wendimar appeared to grant him quite a bit of leeway, which brought some questions of their own. The grand reception didn't match the fragmented memories Zac gleaned during his breakthrough. Clan Wendimar was only Kristvan and his daughter, excepting a few mortal branches dozens generations removed. Neither of the two exemplified the 'Ironblooded Wendimars' that even the commoners seemed to have heard of.
Furthermore, Kristvan Wendimar was a Baron, the lowest level of nobility. So, who was the 'Marquis Wendimar' that Truga Ur mentioned? Was this a butterfly effect of his previous actions as Terea Wendimar? Zac improved her breakthrough, allowing her to reach greater heights and restore her family. Except, didn't the previous vision take place during the System's awakening? If so, there'd be no time to restore anything.
Zac's deliberations were interrupted when the mayor stopped in the middle of a large square. Zac looked up, startled at the familiar obelisk before him. It was almost identical to the large statue in the middle of the Ensolus Ruins, with twenty-three waves glittering under the sunlight.
"It's the latest model, storing not only the signature of the twenty-three departments but all 729 founding families," Truga smiled.
Things finally clicked. Zac was by no means an expert on the Limitless Empire, but his time in the Order of the Empyrean Chalice had given him a basic understanding of its history. Like most factions, the Limitless Empire had much humbler beginnings. The Emperor was far from his height of power when the empire was founded, barely strong enough to gain a foothold on a vast continent filled with powerful factions.
Even then, Laondio managed to turn hundreds of sects and clans into loyal vassals. The records said they were moved by his grand vision and willingly joined his ranks. That account didn't convince Zac. Remembering his bloodline Vision, Zac rather believed that Laondio used his purification arrays and his mysterious fate-bending abilities to bring people to his side.
These vassals became the Limitless Empire's foundation. A few kept pace with the Emperor during his ascension, growing in might until their families became known as the Nine Imperial Bloodlines. Their leaders became Kings and the Emperor's closest confidantes. The other families reached their limits much earlier, and many declined into obscurity.