234. Need for more Reputation Points

User: Ravenna Solarius / Joy Cha Kim

Reputation Level: 78 — (250,001 / 380,400 EXP)↑

Current Reputation Points: 1,000,090 RP↓

Titles Unlocked: Raven of the Sun Palace, Unruly Princess, Beast Slayer

{ View Reputation Log } { Spend Reputation Points }

Ravenna exhaled a long, weary sigh as the glowing interface of the Reputation System hovered before her. The faint light from the translucent blue screen bathed her face in a ghostly hue, its digits mocking her with their precision. “I spent eight hundred thousand points just to get all forty ships into the Origin Domain…”

Her voice was calm, but beneath that composure was the sharp edge of frustration. She lay sprawled across the wide velvet bed, her head resting against the silk pillow, the gentle rocking of the magic ship beneath her like the heartbeat of some vast creature. Even though the vessel was far more stable than an ordinary ship, the faint sway of the ocean was still there: a subtle, rhythmic reminder that she was, quite literally, adrift between ambitions.

“It couldn’t be helped,” she murmured, eyes half-lidded as the glowing screen faded from her view. “This was the fastest way to go about it.”

Reaching to her side, she summoned another projection, Light’s Conquest, the original novel’s website. The scrolling text reflected in her dark eyes as she skimmed through the chapter list, cross-referencing timelines like a commander preparing for a war campaign.

“In the novel, this was when Eugene went to Morgen Dukedom to push back the Conley Empire…”

Her fingertip paused mid-scroll. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. “But I’ve accelerated too many events already. If that’s true, then anything meant to happen months, or even years from now might occur far earlier than it should.”

The realization carried weight. Her choices were rippling through the established timeline, compressing destinies and rewriting fates.

She tapped to open another entry in the book’s digital version, Prince Landon’s Rebellion, a pivotal moment where Prince Landon rose against the Imperial Court by aligning himself with the vassal states.

“Landon’s rebellion…” she whispered, eyes narrowing as she read. “That means the Empire’s internal chaos is almost due.”

She sat up, her fingers drumming lightly against the bedside table as ideas began to form like sparks.

“If I play this right, I can move during the rebellion, strike when the mainland is in disarray. Take control of the coastal ports that have been blocking me for a while now.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The thought brought a faint glimmer of satisfaction, but her gaze soon flicked back to the Reputation System interface. The glowing number of her remaining points felt too small, too fragile, against the magnitude of what she intended to do.

“I need more reputation points,” she muttered under her breath, leaning back into the shadows. “If I want to accelerate my plans and use the Origin Domain’s time dilation to its full advantage then I’ll have to make a show for more points.”

The faint hum of the magic ship filled the silence as the sun rising deepened. Outside her window, the vast ocean reflected the sun’s light like shards of broken glass. Ravenna’s dark eyes glinted faintly in the bright light, calculating, patient, and hungering for the power to twist fate further still.

“The world moves faster now,” she whispered to herself, closing the book. “And I intend to move faster than all of it.”

Northern Coast, Kim Island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire

“Look at it go!” Katrina yelled, her voice almost lost to the thunderous roar of the machine as the Iron Beast rushed forward, a plume of white steam billowing high into the pale blue sky. The gleaming black engine, all pipes and polished steel, tore down the newly laid tracks between the rolling golden dunes. Sand swirled in its wake like a storm, scattering into the dry air as the rhythmic clatter of metal echoed across the desert plain.

It was the culmination of all of the work, months of sleepless nights, experiments, failures, and finally, triumph. The steam engine train of Kim Island was alive.

Richard, the head fisherman of Kim City and one of the oldest residents of the island, stood a few paces away from the tracks, his thick hands gripping his cap to keep it from flying off in the hot desert wind. “By the Lady’s grace,” he said, awe spreading across his weathered face. “Never thought I’d see the day we’d build something faster than the desert winds themselves.”

Beside him, Sarah, folded her arms, a smile playing on her lips. “Once she gave the designs, the theory, and the will,” she said, eyes gleaming as the train’s whistle pierced the sky, long and proud. “All we needed was Her Highness to give us the time… and the impossible became inevitable.”

The Iron Beast screeched as it slowed down, the hissing of its vents letting out thick coils of steam that danced in the golden sunlight. Katrina jumped down from the platform, her conductor’s coat still half-buttoned, the excitement practically radiating off her. Her short hair was sticking to her forehead with sweat, her cheeks flushed from the heat and exhilaration.

“Miss Sarah! Mister Richard! It works! The speed gauge hit seventy before I even pulled the regulator halfway!” she said, half laughing, half panting. “Do you realize what this means? We can connect this harbor to the mines in under half a day!”

Richard whistled low, still staring at the machine as if it were a living thing. The engine, made of reinforced black steel and enchanted brass was a marvel of hybrid engineering. It ran on coal and Tar, its furnace fueled by desert thistle cores that burned hot and long.

“I remember when she first arrived,” Sarah said, brushing sand off her skirt. “Everyone thought Her Highness was mad. Cement and steel buildings in the middle of a desert, and now this thing a train…”

Richard chuckled, shaking his head. “Aye. They called her mad then. But now? Now they call her a lady favored by the goddess’s wisdom.”