NOVEL NEXT 143. Trains and Tracks
[ Reputation System v0.1 ]
User: Ravenna Solarius / Joy Cha Kim
Reputation Level: 71 — (3 / 120,400 EXP)
Current Reputation Points: 210,000 RP
Titles Unlocked: Raven of the Sun Palace, Unruly Princess, Beast Slayer
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A tired sigh escaped Ravenna's lips as she dropped into the silk chair behind her desk. Her transparent silk night robe hung loosely from her shoulders, the fabric slipping slightly as the early morning sun began to peek over the horizon, its golden light washing across the room in muted streaks.
She rubbed her temple and muttered under her breath, "Things are accelerating faster than I anticipated... though I suppose I should've seen it coming."
Her fingers moved almost mechanically as she opened the [ Spend Reputation Points ] menu projected in the air before her, the familiar blue interface flickering to life.
[ Spend Reputation Points ]
Access to the Internet: 100 Points per Hour
Access to Magic Spell Library: 100 Points per Hour
Geographical Scans: 5 Points per 1 Kilometer
Nullify Minor Poison Damage (Self): 250 Points
Nullify Minor Poison Damage (Others): 350 Points per Entity
Minor Heal: 1,000 Points per Entity
Major Heal: 1,500 Points per Entity
Lie Detector: 2,000 Points per Use
Change Appearance – Locked
Copy Skill – Locked
Loop Back 1 Minute – Locked
Enter Celestial Realm – Locked
She selected [Access to the Internet], spending 100 RP without hesitation. A browser tab blinked into place in midair, and she quickly navigated to the official website of Light's Conquest.
Ravenna skimmed the chapters, her eyes narrowing with every paragraph. details were diverging. The timelines were fracturing further with each move she made. What had once been a slow-burn political drama had started accelerating into the early stages of the endgame.
The Cult of Absolution.
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The name sent a chill down her spine. They were the central antagonistic force in the novel—secretive, ancient, and catastrophic in their ambitions. According to the original plot, the Cult didn't become active until the reappearance of the Witch of the West—the dangerous disciple of the Absolute One, the primordial being who had created the world and was later struck down by his twelve divine children, The 12 Gods and the Saintess during the Age of Creation's end.
Now, however, things had changed.
"Damn it…" she muttered, leaning back, letting the back of her head rest against the chair. "They're active already. Earlier than in the novel. Too early."
It was too much to be coincidence. Her presence and interference had triggered premature movements across the continent. Even though she'd expected deviations from the original plot, the early emergence of the Cult was a dangerous variable. And more worrying still was the intel she'd just discovered from Aurora—the Cult had already infiltrated the imperial court.
"There was nothing about that in the original novel," she whispered. "Nothing at all. If they've embedded themselves into the heart of the empire this early…"
She exhaled sharply and sat upright, eyes flashing with grim determination. "Then I don't have time to wait."
Her goal had always been clear: to become Empress of Ancorna within five years, per her divine contract with Goddess Herptian. But now she had more reason than ever to rush that ascension. The Final Arc of the novel was still far off, even with all the timeline distortions. Yet the storm clouds had already begun gathering.
She couldn't afford to let the Cult of Absolution establish a foothold close enough to Kim Dukedom.
"I'll need to tighten security around Kim Dukedom," she muttered, fingers drumming the surface of her desk. "If the cult has mind-control level spells, then even loyalists aren't safe. No wonder Aurora was so terrified…"
The Cult's origins predated even the gods themselves. They wielded magic formulas long lost to the rest of the world—forgotten rituals, mental dominion spells, soul-binding pacts. Dangerous was too soft a word.
Ravenna began piecing things together aloud. "The Hercule Crime Syndicate has been working with the Cult to locate this era's Witch. That's consistent with the novel. But… they've also allied with the Conley Empire to wage war on Ancorna."
Her brows furrowed.
"Why did they partner with Conley?" she wondered aloud. "In the novel, that detail was never explained. Was Conley already involved with the Cult? Or is their alliance with the Syndicate purely political? Are they being used?"
Her gaze drifted out the window toward the pale sunlight creeping across the horizon.
"Otto and Bolita…" she murmured. "The two free cities. Major centers of magical trade and independence. In the novel, Conley eventually annexes both through military and economic pressure. That process has already started in the background."
She bit her lower lip in frustration.
"I didn't want to get involved in that conflict… but now?" She shook her head. "If I let Conley seize them, it's fine. Everything will go just the way the novel had but Worse, if the Cult is behind it, they could use that power to disrupt the balance entirely."
Her eyes narrowed as she reached a conclusion.
"I'll have to annex them first."
She hadn't originally planned to make a play for the free cities this early, but if the Cult was pulling strings from the shadows, then her only option was to get ahead of the game—claim the territory before Conley or the Syndicate could.
She leaned back again, closing the menu and rubbing her eyes.
The reputation system window slowly faded away, leaving behind silence once more.
"I need something else to focus on," she muttered, feeling the anxiety weigh down on her chest. "I've been going over this again and again in my head... I need a break."
Without waiting, Ravenna turned her attention to the scattered folders and scrolls on her desk—civilian projects in progress, military developments, and infrastructure proposals. The familiar routine work, though tedious, was grounding. Tangible. Manageable.
As the light continued to creep into her office, she pulled the first file closer, muttering under her breath. The first file was titled "Prototype Trains and Tracks"