After the tense events of the election were over, people thought that there would be a period of peace without such grand events.
They think the most exciting news about the Empire is cleaning up Dark Star, eradicating crime, or news about Imperial Council's corruption and depravity.
However, more than a month later, another major news spread like wildfire - the discovery of the Astral Realm.
The existence of other planes has opened a new door for the Empire. They now have access to countless civilizations, including the history, knowledge and resources of these civilizations.
People's understanding of the universe and how it works changed, and many felt that, as a collective, they were one step closer in their pursuit of Arcane Truth. Within just a few days of the news, countless Arcanist purchased information about the Astral Realm and began writing papers.
However, when Ian announced Empire's next expansion plan on TV, there was not much time left for these people. As long as Arcanist reaches the Sixth Tier position, you can buy or rent Astral Tower, a navigation spacecraft used to explore Astral Realm.
Everyone knows that Empire is entering the next First Tier segment of expansion and development, so the atmosphere throughout Milky Way Galaxy is cheerful and countless people are eager to sign up.
In a short period of time, Empire seemed to have returned to Age of Exploration, which was the period after Ian's first exploration outside Solar System.
At that time, the universe was a vast space full of unknowns and mysteries. Many Arcanist signed up to become explorers and traveled through Milky Way Galaxy.
Many people know that Age of Exploration is full of dangers, especially in its early stages. But they also know that this is an excellent opportunity to make a fortune, acquire more resources, and improve social and political status. The discovery of the cosmic plane is an opportunity even greater than it was then.
Therefore, countless people have decided to buy Astral Tower, even if they need to apply for a huge loan from the government or sign a restrictive contract to borrow one.
Exploring Codes and Pretense
Despite the large number of people signing up and eager to get a Astral Tower, not everyone qualifies. The guidelines for the Astral Realm sailing are strict, and those Arcanists who complained at first soon learned why.
They learned that due to what their predecessor - Wizard Race - had done, those powerful planes had hatred or coveted us Cosmic Faith Plane people. Therefore, they must be cautious during the voyage and must not leak their own information.
The thing about Luck is that these people have a leader and a competent government. Over the past 20 years, Empire has conquered a Eighth Tier plane and secretly influenced or changed its history.
This plane once had mages, but was ruled by gods; it later experienced a renaissance, and a man innovated Mage Path, creating Arcane Path. Under that man's leadership, the mages transformed into Arcanist, and successfully overthrew the gods' rule.
They took control of the plane and renamed it from "Glory Plane" to "Arcane Plane". Arcane Plane became the "birthplace" of all Arcanist to the Empire, and Ian forged a clean, new background for everyone to prevent their identities from being revealed. However, they had to be careful not to reveal the truth.
This measure is also effective against the gods of the local universe, who have also been eager to dismantle Empire.
The second issue to consider when starting a new era is that their timeline is still isolated, which complicates traveling to other planes. However, this is mainly a logistical issue.
Contact principles and tax policy
The third question is how to make contact with alien civilizations. Empire admits that war, invasion and plunder are the main theme of all Astral Realm civilizations. However, they hope to try a different way.
When dealing with weaker or less developed civilizations, Arcanist can use the Equivalent Exchange law instead of directly invading and plundering.
This approach is also encouraged when contacting stronger civilizations up to Eighth Tier level.
(Eighth Tier bit civilization is the limit that the most advanced Astral Tower currently sold can handle, and it is also the highest civilization level that allows Arcanist to interact.)
In addition, there are some regulations that must be followed, especially those regarding the enslavement of any world's indigenous people. In the Empire's view, population equals more Arcanist, which equals greater strength.
Empire explicitly prohibits slavery, but there are subtle differences on this issue.
Certain races, such as Abyssal Demons, are the embodiment of evil and chaos. It is impossible for such races to be domesticated or integrated into the Empire.
The rule for dealing with such species is to eliminate them.
Arcanist can enslave them, but the upper limit will be set based on personal rank and achievements.
The top leaders of Ian and Empire do not want these people to have a private armed force comparable to that of a country, thus shaking the foundation and power of the Empire.
Empire does not limit how Arcanist can interact with other planes - they can choose peaceful or violent means. However, following the agreement and adopting peaceful methods will result in tax breaks and other benefits to Fawley. Finally, these individuals are warned and must sign a contract promising not to intentionally create powerful enemies for the Empire.
The last issue that needs to be dealt with is taxes.
If Arcanist uses peaceful means to trade with the plane, they only pay 25% income tax (including knowledge and resources).
If they use violent means, the tax rate will be increased to 30%.
Although 5% may seem like a small amount, when it comes to an entire plane, this number is Astronomy.
Many people feel that this tax rate is high. After all, they know how many resources even a weak plane contains. However, Empire explained to them the multiple reasons for this tax.
First, if Arcanist encounters danger during exploration, they can contact Empire to request rescue.
This tax also covers Resurrection expenses in the event of their death (not actual death).
Arcanist also has the right to request assistance from the Empire in the process of conquest or trading.
However, depending on the level of assistance requested, the tax rate paid will increase to a minimum of 50% and a maximum of 70%.
The seminar official responsible for introducing the rules to everyone told them that the best job would be to find the plane coordinates and sell them to the Empire. Although Havika's mathematical model is excellent, it is still far from being able to map the entire Astral Realm, and these coordinates can help.
Additionally, if Arcanist discovers Ninth Tier or above, there is nothing they can do except wait for the restrictions to be lifted in the future. Therefore, selling information is the best option.
The attendees of the seminar breathed a sigh of relief after hearing about the tax and its Fawley, especially when they learned that, given the right reasons, the Empire could even save them from the threat of the Tenth Tier bit. After all, life is more precious than anything else.
Seminars and departures
The final part of the seminar was about detailed knowledge of the planes:
How to identify their level before entering.
How to deal with Planar Will.
Plane War and diplomacy courses.
How to identify people from the top planes and their relationships.
Finally, everyone signed the necessary contracts, received their Astral Tower, and began exploring the world. Empire took another major step toward its goal of dominating the universe.