As they stepped outside, Marcus got his first real look at this world.
The house stood in what appeared to be an upper-middle-class neighbourhood with clean streets, elegant buildings with amazing architecture, and not a piece of trash in sight.
Women walked confidently in flowing clothes or tailored suits, while the few men visible kept their heads down, hurrying about their business.
"Hurry up! Why are you taking so long to walk? Are you paralysed?" A woman said, as she glared at her male servant who was walking behind her with what Marcus counted as tens of bags in his hand, full of items.
"Sorry." The male servant replied, with his head down.
"Hmph." The woman snorted and kept walking.
Marcus watched this with shock. He had known that the world he was in was cruel to men, but seeing it first-hand was something else.
In the distance, massive buildings rose above the city, catching the morning light and fracturing it into rainbows across the skyline.
"Stop gawking," Jasmine hissed. "You look like you've never seen the city before."
'If she only knew.'
Marcus straightened his shoulders. "Just nervous about today."
"Obviously."
Elara sighed beside him. "She's nervous too, though she'd never admit it. The Empress Academy only accepts the top fifty talents each year."
"Hmph. I'm not nervous. I'm guaranteed to enter the academy. I know my worth." Jasmine tossed her hair, shooting Marcus a withering look as Elara unlocked their vehicle.
The chrome hovermobile gleamed in the morning light, making Earth's so-called "futuristic" cars look like children's toys. Marcus slid into the back while Jasmine claimed the front passenger seat.
Floral scent enveloped him, so different from his basement's stale pizza and sweat aroma.
'Like comparing sewage to a garden,' he thought, drinking in the luxury.
The car hummed to life, lifting smoothly before shooting forward at impossible speed. Marcus braced for g-forces that never came—the ride felt like gliding on air.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Central Plaza.
"I can't wait to see the Frost Empress again!" Jasmine bounced in her seat, practically vibrating with excitement. "Her aura last year was incredible."
'The Frost Empress attending a talent ceremony?'
Marcus's pulse quickened. In the novel, she had been the most terrifying of the five rulers, a woman who could freeze a man's heart with a glance.
As the hovermobile settled into a parking space, Marcus caught his first glimpse of the plaza. Thousands of people crowded the space, mostly women in flowing attire that ranged from normal to ostentatious.
"Wow," he breathed, unable to contain himself.
Jasmine twisted around, eyes narrowing. "Why are you acting like it's your first time here?"
"It's still cool," he replied lamely.
'So many women,' he thought, scanning the crowd. Men were scattered throughout, but they were clearly the minority, perhaps one male for every eight or nine females.
"Elara! Over here!" A sharp voice cut through the crowd. Kayla waved enthusiastically, her daughter standing beside her with an expression of boredom.
As they approached, Marcus felt nervous.
'What if she tries anything suspicious? What do I do? I can't do anything.'
"Jasmine!" Kayla's daughter squealed, embracing her friend. "Are you ready? I'm so nervous!"
"Please, Liana," Jasmine scoffed, though she returned the hug. "We've been preparing for this our whole lives."
Kayla's gaze settled on Marcus, her expression souring. "Still dragging this one along, I see."
"He deserves his chance like anyone else," Elara replied firmly.
"Hmph. Well, at least dress him properly next time. The ceremony's begun attracting nobles in recent years."
That caught Marcus's attention.
"Registration is this way," Elara guided him toward a long line of teenagers. "Just give them your name when you reach the front. I'll be in the stands with Kayla."
"What about Jasmine?" he asked.
"You know this already. Previous talents register separately," she said, looking at him weirdly.
"Right." He said, trying to play off his ignorance.
Marcus joined the queue as Elara departed with her friend.
All around him, teenagers fidgeted nervously—primarily girls, with only a handful of boys scattered among them.
"Another male?" A girl ahead of him turned, looking him up and down. "Waste of space in the ceremony. When was the last time a man awakened anything worthwhile? Hmph. Whatever, at least he has some good looks on him. He can be a good toy."
Her friend smirked. "My mother says men are evolutionary dead ends. That's why they're dying out."
"I heard rumours that the Matriarchy will not allow males at their ceremony starting from next year," a third chimed in.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I heard that they will be tested separately."
Marcus kept his face neutral, remembering the novel's details. In this world, women had evolved superior genetics that allowed them to resonate more deeply with mana. Thus, allowing them to awaken stronger talents.
Men rarely developed significant abilities, mostly weak ones that helped with labour or being a servant.
The line inched forward as the massive crystal in the plaza's centre pulsed with increasing frequency. Above it, floating platforms carried what must be important officials and nobles, watching the proceedings with interest.
Then the crowd hushed.
A woman descended from the air to the highest platform, her mere presence causing the temperature to drop several degrees.
Hair like spun silver cascaded down her back, contrasting with a gown that seemed formed from ice itself.
Her face, inhumanly beautiful and just as cold, surveyed the gathering with detached interest.
The Frost Empress had arrived.