Gehrman sat in his room.
It hadn't been that long till he actually finished furnishing it. For months after the New Workshop had been made the space had only been filled with a single bed, a ceiling light, and nothing else. Now though, it had a comfy carpet, a desk of synthetic wood, a television screen, and a simple chandelier. All of it was in the style of Yharnam, and as such it was rather simplistic.
In truth, any citizen of NSCQ who saw the room would consider it a bit cramped. But that was the way Gehrman liked it. It reminded him of his days working as the First Hunter. And though those times were strenuous and filled with violence, there was still comfort in going back to what he knew.
He lay on his bed with a frown. At that moment, he almost looked like a normal teenager. Only the sublime red vest, clean pants, and loafers sullied the image. At the moment, he was in deep thought considering future events.
Gehrman reflected on the past couple months and the development of the New Workshop.
What had started as a meager Block of a hundred or so people had become nothing short of a city, and soon it might very well be entitled to the title of metropolis.
The New Workshop had grown to encompass all of Oskar's territory, meaning that it was made up of a thousand Blocks of land. But even that didn't do it justice. With the superior infrastructure of the Workshop, larger buildings with apartments and flats could be made en masse, and in return the population grew denser than any other place in the Outskirts.
Gehrman had prepared to be busy, but this was far beyond his expectations. He was practically making a new government here.
And in fact, the building in which his meager room was situated had become the center of all law, court, and justice.
There had always been police officers and stations in the Outskirts, but it was common knowledge that they held no real power. The forces of the District Bosses vastly outnumbered them.
But in the New Workshop Gehrman was too happy with that, so instead he had the forces of the District Boss and the local police force merge. This way, the bodyguards, enforcers, and hitman became actual legally official individuals…to a degree.
As with all peoples in the Outskirts, no one here had citizenship. And just because they were allowed to work with the Government policing force, didn't mean they gained any more notoriety. This whole thing was actually a loophole in the law that Gehrman had found while he was doing research into the Government's exact policies and practices.
Unfortunately, his memory was still at his limit, and he had been shuffling things around to intake new information. Though he had all the resources for it, he had not memorized the entire law database put forth by the Government.
But he didn't need to. That was what delegation was for.
At the moment, he was working with the district bosses of the 10,000s and the 8,000s and training them for administrative positions.
This was fairly easy as a rumor was flying around that The Red Judge had personally gone and visited Caiman, and now the most dreaded boss of the Outskirts was nothing more than a puppet…which was technically true.
Nevertheless, Gehrman made sure it was clear that Caiman was the one still in charge for the time being, that way it would be easier for the old man to corral any loyalists.
But even then it was obvious to all that the one with the most power in the Outskirts was The Red Judge. What had initially appeared to be a whimsical trip from a bored Master had officially become a grand and ever-evolving program in the Outskirts. The New Workshop held unmatched prestige after fending off multiple Awakened, and people were fearful of making any move against the territory.
The worries, rumors, concerns, and issues with the mundane people of the Outskirts was…taxing. Gehrman had become both incredibly exhausted and bored as of late. He could only scarcely visit his soon-to-be Hunters in the Dream Realm, and in fact had spent only an hour there in the past 4 days.
In that hour he had gotten the group of them together and basically ordered them to work together to survive. It was on them to figure out how to restore the city defenses and how to go about hunting.
Caster had watched this with an uncanny detachment that likely resulted from the nostalgia from the Forgotten Shore. Still, unlike that place there was hope.
Gehrman had shown them a path forward and even offered them dozens upon dozens of prototype Trick Weapons. They were now armed like Yharnam Hunters, and hopefully they would figure out how to become like them the same way Old Gehrman had: through trial and error.
Current Gehrman had much bigger things to deal with though.
He had to stop, or at least delay the impending war with Valor and Song.
At that moment, his communicator buzzed.
Gehrman sighed and rolled off his bed, stalking to the mirror and adjusting his face to that of the Red Judge. Immediately his face looked noticeably more worn, haggard, and frankly ugly.
"The lengths I go to keep people from thinking I'm a kid," Gehrman muttered as he felt the slightly wrinkled skin on his forehead. "At least I'm getting close…kinda."
Indeed, without realizing it, Gehrman had turned 16.
In truth, this had occurred during the beginning of his construction of the New Workshop, and he had simply failed to notice.
16 was also the prime age for young individuals to get infected with the Nightmare Spell and be pulled into their First Nightmare.
Though this varied wildly, with children as young as 12 and young adults at 18 getting infected. Dorian had been an especially rare case at 13, but there were still others.
Speaking of those others, in a few weeks all those who had passed the Nightmare Spell that had taken residence in the New Workshop would enter the Dream Realm. During that time, they would enter a random region and have to find a Gate to get back and officially become Awakened.
There were about 20 who had contracted the Spell and managed to survive. But even with Gehrman's last minute training, a lot of them simply did not have enough experience or enough time in the Workshop to truly become ready.
Among all the people in the 8,000s only 20 of the 458 lived.
And yet, this was actually an astonishing achievement.
The number of Sleepers that arrived to the Awakened Academy from the Outskirts numbered in the double digits each year, and every year those who did manage to make it to the Dream Realm died without making it back.
In fact, besides Sunny, there were only three others he had heard of who had originally been from the Outskirts. One of them was Soul Reaper, the Master with the odd Soul Core. And the other two were random Awakened who just so happened to take up a filler Government position.
For those 438 Dormant Beasts that had come from those failed Aspirants. Those that he had cleanly and swiftly killed this past year, he would make up for it by having all 20 of his Sleepers return to the New Workshop as Awakened, who could start bringing back actual revenue.
Which was very much needed considering that as things kept expanding, Gehrman's personal wealth (despite being absurd in size) was starting to dwindle.
He shook his head.
His thoughts were all over the place, and he needed to focus.
Gehrman exited and left toward the most professional room in all of the New Workshop: his study.
The reason his communicator had buzzed was because it signaled the approaching meeting that he had been organizing over the past couple of days.
This building, which had been renamed to Cathedral Ward (which caused no small amount of confusion given the lack of cathedrals and it simply not being a ward) was built on three levels.
The first was something of a court room, but the stands, benches, and even the flooring and walls were all removable, thus it could fill out any number of functions.
The second floor was Gehrman's personal laboratory, where he practiced blood manipulation and manifesting weapons while also experimenting with his Aspect. He now knew for certain that even if he came across a Soul Beast in the forest outside the fake Hunter's Workshop, no physical damage was done to his surroundings, only bits of madness leaking left any indication of the strange battles going on in his Soul Sea.
The third floor was Caster's suite. It was similar to the one he had in the Han Li residence, only a bit smaller. The old eastern style was very different from the rest of the building, which Gehrman had designed (fittingly) to resemble Cathedral Ward.
And just like in the Cathedral Ward in Yharnam, his room and study were below. A private elevator allowed him to silently enter any floor without any notice.
And soon that elevator would welcome its first guests who were not Gehrman, Cor, and Caster.
The Emissaries of the Great Clans.
Gehrman took his seat among a square of eight, well furnished seats. Naturally, they were also in the style of Yharnam, and were not at all dissimilar to the grandiose chair Laurence enjoyed.
The rest of the room was no less luxurious. Though it had been rather shabby, when a meeting room was proposed Gehrman decided that this was as good of a place as any. Still, welcoming the Great Clans made him feel a bit anxious, so he went all out with the design.
Stone arches curved into the ceiling, fading into a mixture of paint and 3d art made that ended up forming a map. This map was, in fact, the map of all explored Dream Realm locations. It was simplistic but beautiful in design.
Though it employed some bright colors that clashed slightly with the morose room, there was a reason for this. That was because it had originally been drawn by Milo, the boy that he hadn't been able to visit as much.
Though he had still not spoken a word, his affinity for art, drawing, and other such creative expressions had become quite apparent, and Gehrman decided to pay for him to get private art tutors as a way of making up for not visiting as much.
The results were impressive, unless told, no one would suspect it was created by a child of just 12 years of age.
That was the power of passion.
Gehrman smiled and glanced around at the rest of the room.
The walls were all bookshelves save for the sole entrance to the room which was a gated elevator. Lanterns provided dim lighting that cast slim shadows. Smooth wooden flooring along with a lack of distinct carpet made it seem demure, but in fact the room still screamed wealth and power.
"I wonder…is this a bit much?" Gehrman muttered to himself.
"I assure you it isn't," an old, cold voice said.
Gehrman looked to the door as the metal gates in front of the elevator spread apart for Saint Cor.
The old Transcendent looked around with harsh eyes. "These Legacys…they aren't just called princesses and princes for nothing. They are more important–and self assured–than any royalty in all of human history."
"Oh my, what a cruel thing to say," a low and seductive voice slithered into the room as the elevator dinged again. The gates opened mere seconds after Cor had entered, a testament to its superior engineering despite its archaic design.
Stepping into the room, the air immediately changed Beastmaster and Seishan entered.
Cor, to his credit, kept his cool even in the face of the alluring Saint's teasing.
All he did was grunt, not taking back his statement or showing any remorse. This surprised Gehrman and it made him realize something.
The Government was desperate to appease, but that did not mean that they were fond of the Great Clans.
"Gehrman," Seishan said tentatively. "Might I ask about your new appearance."
He blinked in confusion before realizing he was still wearing the "mask" of The Red Judge. He considered dropping it, but since he would likely be meeting new individuals from the other Great Clans he decided against it.
This face was much better for negotiations than that of a teenager.
"It's more professional," Gehrman said simply.
"It's grotesque," Beastmaster smirked. "And it's quite an insult to look like that in front of your fiance."
Cor stiffened at that last word. He was made aware of the deal of course. He knew the whole story, along with the meeting with Ki Song. After hearing that he had actually met the reclusive Sovereign, Cor paled and completely gave up on interfering with anything.
Apparently, no one in the Government, or any Legacy Clan besides the Transcendents, had seen her since she had returned from the 4th Nightmare. The fact that she, and all the other princesses had actually met with Gehrman was technically a secret, but it didn't really matter.
There was nothing anyone could do.
…besides Gehrman of course.
But that would come later, and only if it was necessary.
For now, he glanced at Seishan.
"Would you like me to revert?"
Her composure did not crack.
"Do whatever you deem necessary."
Beastmaster frowned but said nothing else. She looked between the two of them with a complicated expression on her face.
"Take your seats then," Gehrman waved his hand.
Each chair was grouped in two's and they formed the outline of a square. Cor sat with Gehrman, and Beastmaster and Seishan would sit together. Though it did seem like Beastmaster was about to make another comment, likely about "not sitting with your fiance" but after a sharp look from Seishan she stayed quiet.
But just as they were getting comfortable. All parties felt the arrival of the next pair.
Unlike Seishan and Beastmaster who were Awakened and Transcendent respectively, these were a Transcendent and a Master.
A very strong Master.
The first thing he saw were piercing vermillion eyes. Not a red that resembled blood, but one of a flying banner of war. This was the Master, he realized. And despite being lower Rank, she held a greater bearing than the older Saint beside her.
The Master had an athletic figure with slightly curvaceous features. In terms of beauty, she was by no means inferior to the Song Princesses (with the exception of Beastmaster, whose looks were enhanced specifically by either her Aspect or a strange Flaw).
She had the bearing of royalty. And based on the fashionable but medieval outfit she wore, it was clear she was of the knightly Valor.
This was Morgan, Princess of Valor.
Behind her the Saint exuded a deadly aura that was only surpassed by Jest, and perhaps Beastmaster, Silent Stalker, and Lonesome Howl.
He was older, about as old as Cor was. But he looked decidedly younger, with a far more pronounced presence about him.
"Welcome," he greeted them.
"I am the owner of this place, please feel free to call Gehrman."
Both the gazes of the two formidable forces locked on him. Their eyes examined him closely, sizing up the man who had avoided death at Saint Jest's hands.
He had no idea what conclusions they came to.
"Pleased to meet you, I am Morgan," the princess offered a half smile. "Hmmm, in such a cozy place, honorifics feel unnecessary. No need for the titles of 'Master' and 'Saint'" her eyes slid over to Seishan like a blade. "...or Awakened."
To his own surprise, Gehrman felt a ripple of indignation at the slight. But it was minor enough that not a hint of Madness leaked out.
Before a retort could be made, however, another voice entered the room.
"Well, that makes me feel a bit better about this," came the calm call of a young man.
The Gates opened to reveal a young Awakened with hair of night black with strands of starlight white. Though his build was seemingly average, he still had an ethereal air about him that made one feel he was perhaps only slightly less than the royalty in the room.
Indeed, both Seishan and Morgan eyed him with no less wariness than they did each other.
The Saint that this young man was paired with was a grizzled old man that reminded Gehrman of the fisherman of the hamlet near Brygenwerth.
Suddenly, a fog came over his memories at the thought of the Fishing Hamlet.
There are still memories that I am having trouble recalling? What could possibly be so important about the hamlet that the Moon Presence is still guarding its secrets?
Gehrman closed his eyes for a moment before opening them.
This was no time to think about his old home, he was in the midst of the future rulers of his new home.
Upon closer inspection. The new Saint had a few key differences than the fishermen he had known. Despite sharing a broad and strong build that paired nicely with his scruffy beard and scowl, he also had something that threw off the whole vibe for Gehrman.
The Saint had blue hair.
At first Gehrman had thought it was black, but he was now sure it was a deep blue, like the bottom of the sea.
This little thing was enough to fully snap him back to reality.
"I'm glad you could make it. I apologize for the late invitation, but I thought it prudent," Gehrman said.
The young awakened returned his words with a polite smile.
"Well, if your words are true, then we will take no offense."
Gehrman smiled and waved them forward. It seemed to be a quirk of Legacy's that they all spoke with a sharp tongue.
As they sat down. The tension in the room became palpable.
"Before we start, let's all share names quickly. I haven't met half of you after all."
The Legacy's looked around a moment, waiting to see who would respond first. In the end, it was Seishan who broke the silence. Though everyone in the room knew her, or at least of her, it made sense that everyone shared their name, not just those of Valor and Night.
Beastmaster went next, surprisingly responding with "Eubin" instead of her true name. To his start, Gehrman realized that he hadn't even known her real name, and he felt slightly bad about it.
After that, Morgan once again introduced herself.
The Saint that accompanied her revealed his name to be Madoc.
Gehrman realized then that he knew the man. His name had been written down many times in the writings that described Clan Valor. This was because he was the Soverign–Anvil's–older brother. And since Anvil was a cloistered king, Madoc was seen as the leader of Clan Valor.
Incidentally, Beastmaster also filled this role for Clan Song. In recent years, the rumor that the enchantress was now the one pulling the strings of Clan Song had been spreading.
The young man with the odd hair that was tinged with starlight was named Aether. Though he was also just an Awakened, Gehrman had heard about him as well. The mentions of him were scarce compared to Saints, but oddly he seemed to share the same prestige as Masters. Many considered him to be of equal potential to the clan's progenitor.
The individual known as Nightwalker was the one who created the House of Night in the first generation. However, unlike the founder of Song who birthed Ki Song and the founder of Valor who had Anvil, there was no child of Nightwalker who was Supreme.
In fact, there was no child of Nightwalker at all.
So despite enjoying the status of a Great Clan, they had long been waiting for someone with enough power to truly succeed him to come along.
Aether was believed to be that individual.
His companion revealed his name as Knossos.
Similarly to the other two Saints, he also was seen as the leader of the House of Night. And though this Great Clan had no individual leader and instead employed a council, Knossos was the elder of the Clan. In other words, he was the only one who actually filled the role that Madoc and Eubin were thought to possess.
Gehrman side eyed Cor. Not just to get him to introduce himself, but also to show his surprise.
He hadn't expected him to be able to get the very top of the House of Nights leadership to come. Gehrman had only hoped for a member of the council, and instead he got their elder and their most promising star.
It was quite fortuitous.
That was because he was trying to both sustain the power balance between Clans while also increasing their strength.
It might have seemed naive to share the products of the Workshop to all the Great Clans, but it was also the best option at the moment. In order to ensure peace, Valor had to believe that the New Workshop was not granting Song a significant advantage.
The House of Night was here to act as a reminder what would happen if Valor stepped over the line. If he managed to get them directly involved in the New Workshop, then Valor wouldn't use the excuse that Workshop was an independent entity with no Government affiliation.
Because even if they did, the outcome they least desired would come to pass.
They were not worried about the Government teaming up with Song, but of the House of Night lending their aid.
Morgan and Madoc seemed to be processing this simultaneously, as their eyes lingered on the emissaries of Night.
"What I would like is full transparency," Gehrman started after introducing himself once more. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
"So let me be clear. I am to be engaged to Seishan, which would make me an affiliate of Song. But this will not come to pass for another 2 and a half years. During that time I would like to build up a Workshop that will remain neutral and with the Government even after my engagement. I will be choosing a side, true. But all my knowledge and all of the Awakened trained here will be of the Government, and thus, free to all and neutral. Only my skills will be of employment to Song after the transition is made.
The Song sisters gave him a glance of the slightest disdain at this. But Gehrman met them with a passing glance.
The knowledge and the Awakened who would be born from the Workshop were seen as the most important resources, and to all others the tension between Song and Gehrman was because he had found a loophole in his agreement with Song in order to benefit himself more…but the sisters knew better.
As a Master, Gehrman was competing with Saints. When he reached that level, it didn't matter what his knowledge and weapons contributed, his own personal power would be enough to offset the cost.
Still, the show had to be put on.
If Valor and Night saw through this scheme they showed no indication. But even if they did, they were still in a position where it was tough to make a move just yet.
The easy answer was to obviously just kill him while he was still a Master. After he became a Saint, only the secret Sovereigns would be able to kill him. Needless to say, that was a non-starter.
But that desire to end him was being weighed against the benefit he could bring in the long term.
Despite surviving Jest, none one from Valor or Night had seen him go all out against other humans. They had only an inkling of how dangerous he truly would become.
It was their image of Gehrman versus the prestige of the New Workshop.
"That knowledge is currently being compiled to a database, but will also be physically printed to be taken to the Dream Realm. This includes necessary knowledge of miscellaneous unique engineering, Trick Weaponry engineering and Hunting techniques from my homeland."
Gehrman looked at them all individually.
"...I will also personally train any of your own whom you may send to the New Workshop in the techniques described. In addition, I will aid them in creating tools and equipment that suit all of your unique needs."
This referred mostly to more aquatic weaponry in the case of the House of Night. But it also could apply to agriculture for Song and construction for Valor.
It was unknown what Gehrman's personal tutelage would truly offer. But there was one thing that he knew they would all think when they heard this pitch.
'If we can learn all he knows…then we could make it our own, and then do it better.'
It was a fallacy brought on by pride. A blindspot for all Legacy's. Even the most humble and humane like Changing Star had this trait. And though Neph fought well against her instinct, those who had been surrounded by prosperous clans their whole life had no reason too.
And so each of their eyes sparked with avarice.
"Well then, if you are offering this I assume you are willing to forget that incident with the rouge child of Aegis Rose?" Morgan said with a tilt of her head.
It was a painfully obvious lie, trying to make it seem like the Squires came here because of their own greed and ignorance. But it didn't matter.
"No need to bring that up. Nothing was damaged, dirtied, or hurt on our end. So it doesn't matter," Gehrman said with the unnervingly stretched smile of The Red Judge.
Morgan, to her credit, did not flinch at the slight and instead received the words warmly. But underneath the surface, Gehrman suspected that she was burning with indignation at the reminder that 5 of their promising Squires were bested by a single ex-Legacy Awakened and a handful of mundane humans.
"Well then, let's get into the specifics."