Wake me up in 2395

Chapter 17: Third Day of Foundation Week, Imperium Union

Chapter 17: Third Day of Foundation Week, Imperium Union

“That was a marvelous battle and showcase of power!” The hologram projected the face of the Empress, she was smiling from ear to ear, as if very pleased that the winner was from Tre. “Tre is really the home of champions, and they have proven themselves again!”

Sumigaw ang mga tao mula sa Imperium City kasabay ng mga nasa Tre rin, they were all around me, and they cheered, pleased and happy for the outcome of the Battle Royale. However, Cassandra was far from happy. She was crying and mourning for the death of Percival, she knelt on where his remain and corpse lies, it was being projected on the screen for a brief moment, until the projector shifted towards the crowd of people cheering up for the victory of Tre.

Hindi ko alam, pero gusto kong yakapin si Cassandra. For the Imperium Union, this was just another game, but for Cassandra, this was a matter of life and death. Though I personally do not know her, I also grieve for her loss. Halata namang magkasintahan sila ni Percival.

I looked at Mayor Elizabeth, nakangiti lang din ito, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She seems to be surprised, dazed and confused too. Mukhang hindi niya alam na magkasintahan ang dalawa. I can sense the guilt in her, and I know it will slowly eat her alive. She sent two lovers in a battlefield to die, where it is expected only that one person shall emerge as the winner. She played a role in their tragic love affair.

“Cassandra Reeva, by the power and virtue that lies in my title and name, the Empress of Imperium Union, Holder of the Five Districts, The Most Benevolent, General of the Imperium Knights, I, Wynzelle Astarria, bestows to you a noble title, and you shall also be awarded on the sixth day, at the awarding ceremony.” The Empress declared, along with it, fireworks illuminated the sky along with the echoing of explosions from it.

The event for the second day is done, and we returned to the Palace in order to rest and get ready for tomorrow.

~*~

It was the next day, and it was the usual routine for me. I ordered breakfast and while waiting, I took a bath and took my leisure time at the Tech-Wardrobe, trying to figure out what to wear for the day.

I decided to wear a crimson dress with blazers on me, and I wore silk gloves too, and a rose-ring to do the finishing touch. Today was the day of the Imperium Auction, and I am excited to see the items that will be auctioned. In addition to this, the Astarria Family has already sent in advance the Imperium Cash award for me as the girl who helped in the accomplishment of quantum teleportation, it was fifteen million Imperium Cash and if I am to compare it to the old world’s currency where I used to be at, it is worth one hundred fifty million pesos. That was a lot. That basically makes me filthy rich now. I have to thank the Astarria Family for this very generous award.

Actually, when I checked my E-bank account, I was surprised to see the amount of money I have, because I had nothing, but then I also received a note from the founder, Warez, he seems to have used his power in order to get my contact, and his message is as follows:

We have sent in advance your reward and use it at your own discretion, whether you participate in the upcoming Imperium Auction or not. Thank you for your service for Imperium Union... And I also look forward to seeing you, and perhaps, for you to accept the offer of being the wife of Wrath and become a part of the family.

I sighed. It seems like the founder is still pushing for me to marry his great grandson, and his great grandson Wrath also agrees on it, hindi ako makapaniwala na gusto rin niya ako. Pero wala akong balak. I do not want to become a member of a filthy rich family who is hiding something from their people. I know they are hiding something and it is only a matter of time before I find out what it is.

When breakfast has arrived, I called for Lag and he immediately came to my room. Sabay na kaming kumain din, habang kumakain ay nilabas ko ang aking journal na rin at nagsimulang magsulat.

What is the Imperium Union hiding?

Why are they hiding this?

What is beyond the wall?

Is outside the wall truly inhabitable?

Iyan lang ang ilan sa mga listahan ng katanungang gusto kong sagutin ang aking sinulat sa dyurnal. It seems like Lag was curious what I was going on and about, however, he did not ask or pry. I guess it is his way of respecting my personal space, as I personally asked for a journal and pen for my own privacy. And I kind of thank him for it. Hindi rin naman sa wala akong tiwala sa kaniya, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. Mas mabuting hindi muna niya isipin at problemahin kung ano ang nasa isip ko hangga’t wala pang sagot o klarong clue man lang sa mga hinala ko. And it is also for his own good that he remains ignorant and oblivious.

“The auction will happen tonight, you’re already prepared. Hindi naman halatang excited ka.” Saad ni Lag, nakapantulog pa rin kasi siya. Magulo rin ang kaniyang buhok. His face is quite shiny and oily too, mukhang hindi rin naghilamos ito. Somehow, he looked human and this is a sight of Lag which is something new to me. Lagi kasi itong nakabihis at maayos ang itsura.

“Well, I am an early bird.” I smiled at him, “do you have any idea on the list of items that will be auctioned for tonight?” I asked.

He nodded, “yes, I received the list a few hours ago. Do you want to have a look?” He asked. Tumango naman ako. He then used his M-ring, and it seems like he sent the list to me, my M-ring glowed, and I opened it, revealing a message from Lag.

I opened it and saw a folder containing the list of items to be auctioned for the night.

I scrolled and saw several artifacts, blueprints, robots, machines, technologies, and other inventions. What caught my attention most though is this mechanical lion. A lion-robot. Nanlaki ang aking mga mata, hindi ko alam pero natuwa ako habang nakatingin dito.

Pantaleon. That was the name of the item. I looked at the descriptions and read it.

Invented by Mad Science. This is the only lion-robot. It has a feature of attack and defense. It is, therefore, good for combat and can also be a pet. It is loyal to whoever is registered into its system. It has no battery, and it is fueled by water.

I looked at the initial bidding price.

One hundred Thousand Imperium Cash.

And that moment, I knew I had to make this robot mine.

~*~

Sumakay na kami sa hovercraft, kasama ko sina Lag, Mayor Elizabeth, Mayor Marina, at ang kanilang mga partner. Tumungo muli kami sa Imperium Stronghold, specifically, on the arena, which now no longer looks like a forest, compared to yesterday, there were more people that flocked the divisions of Uno, Duo, Tre, Cin, and Qua, gayon din sa Zero. It seems like everyone is anticipating for the event to commence already. Magagarbo ang mga damit muli ng mga tao, at maingay.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Imperium Auction shall commence in one minute. The district that has the greatest number of bidders shall be declared as the winner, and as Royal Decree 192 of Year 2201, the abovementioned district shall be compensated generously through the Imperium Union Bank.” A robotic voice, the same as before, announced.

I looked at Zero District Area, right at the front-most row was reserved only for the Astarria Family, I only saw Wrath and Warez there, the rest, including Empress Wynzelle, are not present. Not like I care.

“Proceeding to the first item, an artifact called ‘Cellphone’, this is an old world technology which has almost the same features as the M-ring, the only difference is that it is not hologram and sense based.”

The collectors among the group started bidding after, they started with twenty thousand imperium cash. The highest bidder was from Duo, and it was fifty thousand imperium cash. I cannot believe that cellphones in this world are now considered antique. Parang natatawa ako na ewan. Ganoon na ba ako katanda? Well, I guess I am as technically, I am already four hundred years old.

“Please scan your biometrics at the side of the chair. Deductions will be automatically made after identity confirmation, and the item shall be directly sent to you.”

“Next, we proceed to—”

I got bored waiting for Pantaleon, my robot. Yes. I am already claiming this robot as mine, because it shall be soon. Hindi ako mapakali. Parang ang bagal ng takbo ng auction talaga kapag may inaabangan ka. Marami rin mula sa aking distrikto ang nanalo sa auction, mula sa hologram na naka-project pa sa gitna ng arena ay makikita ang ranking ng mga distrikto na siyang may pinakamaraming bidders.

1. Tre, 32 bidders

2. Duo, 29 bidders

3. Cin, 20 bidders

4. Uno, 19 bidders

5. Qua, 17 bidders

The carrier of Tre is Mayor Elizabeth, as she has already won over eight items, while Mayor Marina already got five items. On the other hand, Lag managed to get three items and they were historical blueprints, a certain ‘almanac’ from the old world, and another antique item that I forgot. I was not really paying that much attention, as I was waiting for Pantaleon.

“Everyone, Duo is catching up. We also have to defend our title as the nation of the greatest number of bidders!” Mayor Elizabeth cheered, boosting the morale of the fellow Trens around us, sumigaw din silang lahat. And the bidding continued... We won again, with another fellow from behind us winning this maid-robot.

From 32 bidders, it changed from 33 bidders for my district which was being projected at the center.

“Now, we have Pantaleon, invented by Mad Science, the initial bidding is one hundred thousand imperium cash.”

I smirked. It was my time to shine already, I pushed the button beside me, and it was my face that was automatically projected by the screen already.

“I’ll start with two hundred thousand imperium cash.” I declared.

Another alarm blared, and the screen showcased the face of a man from Duo, it seems like he will be my contender. “Two hundred and fifty thousand imperium cash.”

“Anyone who wish to bid for Pantaleon?”

“I double it. Five hundred thousand imperium cash.” I declared.

“Seems like you really want that robot, huh?” Mayor Elizabeth chuckled, her eyes glistening in delight. Well, me bidding was also like an act of patriotism for her, and it will also be beneficial for the district I am representing. So, I guess I am hitting two birds with one stone, “and I thought you were broke that is why you were not participating at all.” She remarked after, hindi ko na lang siya pinansin pa dahil masyadong nakatuon ang aking atensyon kay Pantaleon.

“One million.” The enemy from Duo declared.

I scowled, “two million.” I declared and everyone gasped. What? Was two million much? I still have thirteen million if ever that is taken.

“Anyone who wish to go higher than two million imperium cash?” Tanong ng robot, the contender from Duo seems disappointed and defeated, and I cannot help but smirk at my own victory. “Pantaleon is sold for Two Million Imperium Cash towards Primrose Ghani. Please scan your biometrics at the side of your chair, the money will be automatically deducted from your E-bank, and as the item is big, it shall be delivered to your room.”

I scanned my biometrics at the side of the chair, and after that, I saw a hologram projecting transaction success.

Pantaleon is mine! I smiled as I looked at this beast through the projector.

“Why did you buy that robot?” Tanong ni Lag matapos ang ilang sandali, “and two million? Not worth it. Too much...”

“It is my money.” I hissed.

He rolled his eyes, “whatever you say.”

I was too happy for my victory in order to be annoyed by Lag. Hindi ko na lang siya pinansin. It was also half an hour later when the auction has finally been finished, and my district, once again, was the winner. We had 54 highest bidders, and the second placer was Duo, with 48 bidders, then Uno, who had 40 bidders, then Cin, who had 38 bidders, and then Qua, who had 30 bidders.

Bumalik na agad kami sa Palace matapos ang auction. Mayor Elizabeth looks pleased too, and she has already contacted a cargo that will come and pick up her items, which shall be first shipped towards her city in Tre, the Fiducia City.

Also, tomorrow will be a rest day, and since I already have the entire map of the city in 3-dimension, I do not know what to do since there is no need to go around if I can just check the map, but I guess I have to live up with the thinking that experiencing things first-hand is better than using technology to accumulate such thing.

Nakatambay ako ngayon sa kuwarto ni Lag, para maiba lang din. He was busy looking through his papers, well, I guess he was also doing his job as the mayor of Ancora City. I watched him silently, I was waiting for Pantaleon, and it will be soon before he will arrive.

A few moments later, I received a notification. I rotated my M-ring, and read it.

Pantaleon has arrived.

My eyes widened and I rushed towards the front door, opened it, and looked at the door beside Lag’s which was mine, I saw a human-shaped robot and beside him was a lion-robot that was half my size. Its eyes were glowing with this blue hue, and he was shiny like silver. I cannot help but be amazed now that I am looking at this masterpiece closely.

“Delivery successful.” Aniya ng robot matapos makita ako, “to confirm, please let me scan your biometrics.” Aniya. Sumunod na lang din ako at hinayaan siyang i-scan ang fingerprints ko, when my identity was already verified, umalis na nang tuluyan ang robot.

Nilapitan ko ang lion na ngayon ay akin na, at saka ako ngumisi. There was no manual given, but I guess I will have to start first with registering myself into the system of this lion, in order for it to know that I am its master.

I let the scanner at the chest area of the lion to scan my biometrics.

Primrose Ghani, owner of Pantaleon.

Successful.

And with that, Pantaleon started to move.

Nag-isip ako ng gagawin nito. Tanging kaming dalawa lang din ang nasa koridor.

“Sit,” utos ko, at umupo nga ang robot. Hindi ko maiwasang mapangiti. This is mine to command!

A few seconds later, I received a notification once more and I checked it up, and saw Pantaleon Guide and Manual. Oh, it seems like this was given late. Siguro kailangan kasi munang i-register ang sarili ko sa sistema ng lion na ito bago ako mabigyan ng guide sa kung paano ito gagamitin.

I decided to go inside my own room and leave Lag’s, sumunod naman si Pantaleon.

I slouched on the couch and started reading the manual that was being projected through the M-ring’s hologram feature.

It was not that complicated, really... As I can command Pantaleon using just my voice. Ang aking boses lang din ang papakinggan nito, according to the manual, dahil ako lang ang naka-register sa sistema nito. Also, as stated beforehand, it has the defense and attack feature.

Ang astig!

Now that I think of it, ever since I came here, wala pa akong nakitang mga hayop... Not even a bird, a dog, or anything. That made me somehow send a message to Lag.

Primrose: Why is it that I have not yet seen any living animals around?

It was a few minutes when he replied, and I read it.

Lucius: All animals went extinct, at least two hundred years ago.

Kumunot ang aking noo. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa aking narinig.

Primrose: Humanity really has caused the doom of the world.

A few seconds later, Lag replied once more.

Lucius: Not humanity, but the lack of humanity.

And now that I think of it, he was right. I did not argue anymore, tumingin lang ako kay Pantaleon, my robot. There was this hint of sadness in me as I was looking at the living proof already that I will no longer be able to see any live and real lions, just the mechanical ones. I was not pleased with the news that I heard, but I guess I should have seen it coming knowing that everything in this world is now artificial, even the meat that we eat is, since there are no longer any live farm animals to begin with.

I sighed and decided to go to bed as it was already late night, but before I slept, I also left a last message to Lag.

Primrose: Let us tour the city tomorrow and go around famous landmarks. You shall guide me. Tomorrow is a rest day, but tomorrow I shall tire you out. Good night, Lag.