A few days later, the old powers began arriving at Lootwell’s five main branches.

They did not come quietly.

Some arrived in flying palaces wrapped in ancient formation light.

Some came on flying beasts.

Some walked through the gates with only a few attendants, but the pressure around them made the ground seem lower beneath their feet.

They brought witnesses.

They brought servants who looked too alert to be servants.

They brought allies who wore the expression of people convinced that they were standing on the side of history.

...

At the main territory in the West, Lucien, Vivian, and Eirene hosted the summit.

At Grand Confluence in the Middle Continent, Virel, Aniel, Tavian, Mirelle, and Auren received the delegations.

At Ironhaven in the North, Elias and Kael stood with representatives from the Obsidian Collegium.

At Dawnforge in the East, Lilith, Seran, and Seraphine took charge.

At Bellhaven in the South, Clara and Seravelle joined forces beneath the quiet gaze of the bells.

Five branches.

Five stages.

One summit.

The world watched the guests arrive and saw hospitality.

Lucien saw a net receive its fish.

•••

The Origin Mirror Framework was already waiting.

Not openly.

Every guest who entered was recorded.

When the first confirmed Keeper entered the western main branch, the Origin Mirror accepted his body.

His flesh belonged to the Thousand Races. His bloodline had roots in the world.

Nothing looked false at first glance.

Then the reflection appeared.

It was distorted. Like a person standing before still water while something beneath the water wore his shape a heartbeat late.

Lucien watched the record form in silence.

Another Keeper entered.

Another distortion appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

By the time the first wave of old powers had finished passing through the gates, the evidence had already begun to pile up.

The Keepers were indeed the False Incarnates.

Lucien did not act yet. None of the administrators did.

They had already agreed.

The summit was not the place to strike.

If Lootwell exposed the Origin Mirror records immediately, the Keepers could claim the system was biased against ancient practitioners. They could accuse Lootwell of forging evidence after being challenged.

Some people might believe them.

The world did not understand the true significance of the Origin Mirror Framework.

So Lucien let them enter.

Let the Origin Mirror record them.

Let them speak.

Let them believe they were walking into a debate.

Knowing was not enough.

The world had to see enough.

Only then would the blade fall cleanly.

•••

The Keepers noticed the scrutiny.

Some glanced at the entry formations.

Some smiled faintly, as if amused by the efforts of juniors.

But none of them refused entry.

Refusing the branch gates after demanding the right to witness the survey would look absurd.

So they walked in.

Their allies followed behind them.

Some looked arrogant.

Some looked righteous.

Some looked uneasy, as if the weight of the branch around them was heavier than expected.

A few elders deliberately released pressure.

Just enough to remind the hall that old powers still existed.

The ordinary attendants nearby paled.

Lucien noticed.

Vivian noticed first.

She smiled gently and moved one step forward.

The pressure in the western hall softened at once. Not because she overpowered it, but because her presence gave the weaker people somewhere to stand.

•••

When all delegations were seated, the broadcast began.

Every communication device across the five continents lit up.

This time, no progress bar appeared.

Only five summit halls, displayed in orderly panels, each bearing the Origin Verification Seal.

A short safety delay was announced to prevent dangerous leyline coordinates, sealed-region names, or unstable formation details from being released carelessly.

The public accepted that.

More importantly, the summit was visible.

The old powers saw the broadcast and felt satisfied.

A public stage was useful.

They believed seniority, ancient records, and caution would impress the world.

Lootwell was satisfied too.

A public stage was useful.

Every word spoken under verification could become evidence.

•••

The summit opened with Lootwell’s statement.

It was short.

Lucien spoke from the western hall, while the other branch hosts sat beneath their own seals.

"Lootwell welcomes all representatives, old powers, neutral witnesses, and local authorities who have come to discuss the leyline survey."

His voice was calm.

"The proposed survey is not a seizure of land. It is not a forced opening of ancestral sites. It is not a demand for worship, surrender, or obedience."

Across the five continents, the public channels remained unusually quiet.

"Lootwell’s purpose is simple. Before any intercontinental teleportation array is built, we must understand whether old spatial pressure points, sealed regions, natural leyline flows, or settlements could be harmed."

The map behind him changed, showing only broad regions rather than dangerous coordinates.

"Ancient warnings will be respected. Verified dangers will be avoided. Witnesses may observe. Records will be kept."

Lucien paused briefly.

"But vague fear cannot be allowed to decide the future of five continents."

That line settled heavily.

Eirene continued from beside him.

"Today’s summit will address four questions. Which sites are dangerous? What evidence supports those warnings? Who holds authority over those sites? And what conditions can make a non-invasive preliminary survey safe?"

At Ironhaven, Kael added the political frame.

"Lootwell is willing to adjust routes based on verified concerns. Lootwell is not willing to abandon public safety because of unverified pressure."

At Bellhaven, Clara spoke last.

"The bells will witness sincerity. The records will witness words. The world will witness conduct."

That was enough.

The public did not feel threatened.

They felt order.

The Keepers listened.

Some smiled.

Some narrowed their eyes.

The debate had begun.

•••

The first Keeper to speak in the western hall was an old man in plain gray robes.

His hair was white.

His face was kind.

His reflection, recorded silently by the Origin Mirror, moved half a breath too late.

He stood with the grace of someone used to being obeyed.

"Lootwell has risen quickly," he said. "But speed is not the same as understanding. Ancient ley lines are older than your branches, older than your systems, and older than the roads you wish to build across them."

The words were well chosen.

They did not accuse.

They lowered Lootwell by measuring it against age.

Many viewers nodded despite themselves.

Lucien answered without raising his voice.

"Lootwell does not deny that ancient ley lines may contain danger. That is why the survey is necessary."

The old man’s smile thinned slightly.

Lucien continued.

"Refusing to inspect unknown danger is not caution. It is blindness. We are not asking to tear open sacred ground. We are asking to identify risks before a road is built near them."

The western hall quieted.

The public listened.

The answer did not disrespect age.

It turned age into responsibility.

The old man sat down slowly.

He had not lost.

But he had not pushed Lootwell back either.

•••

In Ironhaven, the northern Keepers came prepared.

A stern old woman placed several brittle scrolls on the table. The records showed ancient teleportation failures, spatial collapses, broken arrays, and several disasters that had swallowed cities in forgotten eras.

The broadcast blurred the most dangerous formation diagrams, but the fear still reached the public.

This was a strong move.

Even incomplete records could frighten people.

"Intercontinental paths are not merchant roads," the old woman said. "One mistake can wound a region for centuries."

Before the fear could settle fully, the Obsidian Collegium representative stood.

"We will verify the records."

The old woman paused.

Elias added calmly, "Lootwell accepts the possibility of danger. That is why the Collegium was invited. Submit copies of the records. Dates, formation style, leyline classification, and cause of failure will be compared against existing archives."

Kael smiled politely.

"If the records are genuine, they will help protect the world. If they are incomplete, they will be completed. If they have been altered, that will also be recorded."

The old woman’s fingers rested on the scrolls.

For the first time, her confidence did not look effortless.

The public reaction shifted.

The records had frightened them.

The verification reassured them.

Lootwell had not dismissed danger.

It had given danger homework.

•••

At Grand Confluence, a broad-shouldered elder from an old merchant lineage spoke for the opposing side.

"A teleportation array that can move merchants can also move soldiers."

That argument struck cleanly.

Many people understood it at once.

A road could become trade.

A road could become invasion.

Virel answered.

"Any road can move soldiers. That is why roads require law, witnesses, and records."

Aniel followed softly.

"The difference between a road and an invasion is not distance. It is governance."

Tavian placed a prepared document on the table.

"Lootwell proposes public route records, branch entry logs, witness review for military transport, and emergency lockdown authority shared among approved branch administrators and neutral observers."

The elder had expected denial.

He received regulation.

That was harder to attack.

Mirelle smiled from the side.

"Merchants prefer roads that do not suddenly become battlefields. We are very selfish about that."

A ripple of laughter passed through the public channels.

The tension eased.

The argument remained serious.

But fear had lost some of its teeth.

•••

In Dawnforge, the eastern delegation attacked the newest wound.

A returned formation master with silver eyes looked at the communication device beside him.

"Yesterday, Lootwell changed every device across five continents. Today, it asks us to trust that it will not control movement the same way."

That argument was dangerous because it touched truth.

Lootwell had changed the devices.

Everyone had seen it.

Lilith leaned forward.

"The update exposed impersonation and preserved private messages."

Her voice was flat.

"Public deception was restricted. Private speech was protected. That is the difference between control and rule."

Seran smiled faintly.

"Also, anyone who dislikes the update may stop using public channels. They may return to shouting rumors in marketplaces. The range is worse, but the tradition is older."

Several viewers laughed before they could stop themselves.

The formation master’s expression tightened.

Seraphine then spoke in a gentler tone.

"Power without rules is dangerous. Power restrained by records, witnesses, and limits is safer than hidden influence without accountability."

That answer landed better than mockery alone.

Dawnforge’s public hall remained calm.

The Keepers had tried to make the update look like domination.

Lootwell made it look like public hygiene.

•••

In Bellhaven, the southern attack came wrapped in moral concern.

An old monk with a face like weathered stone spoke beneath the quiet bells.

"Communication devices. Branch routes. Public channels. Now intercontinental travel. Is there any part of the world Lootwell does not intend to touch?"

The question was sharp.

Proud factions liked it immediately. Those afraid of change liked it more.

Clara smiled.

"Roads touch travelers," Clara said. "Wells touch the thirsty. Medicine touches the sick. Bells touch those who need warning."

She looked at him calmly.

"The question is not whether something touches the world. The question is whether it heals, records, protects, or enslaves."

The bells above the hall gave the faintest hum.

Seravelle added, "If Lootwell enslaves through roads, Bellhaven will oppose it. If Lootwell protects through roads, Bellhaven will witness it. We are not here to worship convenience. We are here to judge conduct."

The southern hall fell silent.

The old monk did not immediately answer.

The public did.

Not with blind cheering but with thought.

That was worse for the Keepers.

A crowd that thought could still be moved.

But not as easily.