[Bonus chapters for 600 powerstones, next at 800... Definitely going to make this every 300 ps next week...]
Though Leonel was inwardly seething, his expression didn't change much. He looked like that innocent boy who tricked Joan and her knights for all those months.
There were two reasons the Capital would try to stall for time like this.
One is that they wanted to slow his growth. Powerful beings were good for the benefit of Earth, but their existences would be difficult to control after enough time passed. Earth's current technology could probably put Leonel in a grave right now without much issue, but whether or not that would still be true in a year or more was still unknown.
The second reason was less sinister. It was possible that it really would take this long for the two of them to be accommodated for. It was definitely not easy to build those devices.
Leonel had no ability to deal with the wrist watch on his hand currently. Even now, he couldn't even damage it, let alone take it off. If this was considered low level, who knew how much more was put into those high level ones? Leonel couldn't imagine.
There was still one other reason Leonel didn't flip out though, aside from the fact it would be stupid to do so. Even if he couldn't enter the Zones… it didn't mean he didn't have other methods to grow.
"Does that mean we'll have to sit idly for those months?" Leonel asked with a slight frown.
Even if Leonel knew it was foolish to have an outburst, it would be even more foolish to pretend nothing was wrong. If he didn't show any discontent, it would be even more suspicious.
"Of course not." Maia replied with a light smile. "Even if you cannot enter Zones, we still need your help to clear out Invalids. The sooner our Province can start running like normal again, the better. Those like you and Miss Aina will be the backbone of such efforts."
Leonel's internal sneer deepened. As long as he was on Earth and not sent back in time through a Sub-Dimensional Zone, how could any of his actions be hidden from them? Leonel wouldn't be surprised even if they assigned a satellite to monitor his every move.
'My own personal satellite. I can't lie, that sounds kind of cool.' Leonel lightly joked with himself in an attempt to better his mood.
After a few more rounds of empty words, Maia dismissed the other Tier 5 officials and personally monitored the remainder of the registration process.
As the night waned, more and more of Leonel's secrets were laid bare, a process that only made him more and more uncomfortable.
In the end, Maia's lingering fragrance became like the venomous gas of a poisonous serpent to him. She was practically attached to his hip, reading his expression diligently as though trying to find if he was hiding anything else.
Leonel wanted to hide some things, but he ultimately decided against it.
In truth, he knew that he might have had some leeway. For example, the Empire's scanners seemed to have a problem with judging the merit of things at and above the S-grade. If not for this, why would the broad stroke 'Variant' grade exist?
If Leonel really wanted to, he could have passed off some high level treasures as being graded higher than they really were and use the excuse that he traded in his lower level rewards for them.
However, there were two reasons Leonel decided against this.
Firstly, he simply wasn't confident in continuing to hide these things. Not to mention technology of this era, even technology of a few hundred years ago was already potent enough that no one could escape under its detection. Leonel wasn't foolish enough to believe that he was the exception.
How could it be possible for him to continuously dodge the scrutiny of countless eyes and cameras? In the end, he would be forced to never use those rewards again for fear of the retaliation his lying would cause. The trade off wasn't worth it. These rewards were too useful to him.
Secondly, there was an even more chilling possibility. What if the Empire was feigning ignorance?
Hadn't they already done so once? They clearly knew this Metamorphosis was coming, or else their wrist watches wouldn't be able to analyze Zones. Yet, they had said nothing.
Who was to say that their detection devices weren't several times better than what they displayed and they were instead keeping some things covert to weed out dangerous variables and potential traitors?
Such thoughts made the cold in Leonel's heart grow chillier.
So, for now, he obediently took out every one of his rewards, describing them all to the best of his ability. Even when he came to those five objects Montez gave him, even though he didn't truly know what they were, he still gave his best explanation.
"… I was interested in Force Art, so I picked out these five things. This quill can draw Force Art, while these materials help in creating treasures that rely on Force Art."
This was Leonel's best guess. He believed that the pair of black gloves, the ores, and the special silver blob were all connected in some way.
Seeing Leonel so obediently bring out so many treasures and describe them one by one caused Maia's expression to ease.
Though she seemed in charge, the appearance of two Variants put great pressure on her. She wasn't lost to the fact this era had changed. Personal strength meant much more than it had in the past.
Unfortunately, her own awakened ability wasn't very great, though, she was still more than satisfied with it. It wasn't wrong for Leonel to be so shocked that she was so young, because the truth was that she wasn't. In fact, her 60th birthday would be very soon.
Of course, Leonel didn't know this, or else he might very well faint from shock.
This aside, she had a very good impression of Leonel right now and even found him to be quite adorable. Before she realized what was happening, she was treating him like her own grandson, seemingly not noticing that her current appearance of a 20 year old woman in her prime made it look more like she was flirting rather than doting on a youngster she was fond of.
Eventually, Leonel finished. He even decided to trade in some of his lower level treasures like his previous pair of shoes in exchange for some Ascension Points.
A long while later, he was brought to his living quarters.
As a Variant, it wasn't a surprise that Royal Blue Fort wasn't stingy with him. In fact, he received a large mansion near the core of the hidden city to himself. He didn't even know what to do with all of the space.
He collapsed into bed, staring toward the ceiling expressionlessly. A wave of fatigue assaulted him. It could be said that this was the first time in almost a year that he had had such peace. But, it was ironically peace given to him by obediently dancing to the tune of the Empire. It was quite a bittersweet feeling.
Leonel didn't even realize when he fell asleep. It wasn't until the sound of a ringing doorbell woke him up the next morning that he realized he had dozed off at all.
He had to practically sprint through the massive mansion for him to get downstairs in a timely manner, only to find a delicate beauty wearing a black military outfit filled with pockets waiting for him.
"Let's go do some missions." Aina said lightly.
Her voice was as refreshing as morning dew.