Chapter 535 - 494: Just Lie Flat, and Treasures Will Come
This just went to show how absurd the "title subsidy" really was.
Even if he stopped exploring right now, this title alone was enough for him to just slack off in the Tomb Star Realm. Plus, he didn’t have to fulfill any duties as an heir, and there was no one above him to answer to.
All he had to do was enjoy it!
It was like starting at a new company where the boss was stuck overseas and couldn’t interfere with business operations. The employees just had to clock in every day, kick back and read the paper, and they’d still get their full salary and maximum benefits. They could even use company assets however they pleased...
He absolutely loved it here.
He liked it here even more than the Cave of the Stars!
Humming a song, Shi Ming searched through the city’s ruins. He detected a landmark that seemed to be a planetary administrative center, but he didn’t find a single Civilization Stone. Twelve years of corrosion had caused all the unprotected tokens to turn to dust. Only those that had been sealed away could have possibly survived.
After a day of exploring, he found the second piece of "usable infrastructure" that the Eye of Destiny had mentioned.
A mercenary terminal.
He perked up.
This was right up his alley!
But the real question was, were there really quests from 120,000 years ago that hadn’t expired and could still be claimed?
...
...
...
Candela, the Time Giant who controlled [Time], pulled the old Divine Council from the river of history. Beside an ancient stone table, five distinct chairs were arranged in a 1-2-2 formation.
The old man, Bertutan, who’d had a "brief encounter" with Shi Ming, sat alone on one side.
A hazy woman whose face was indistinct and a woman who appeared to be pregnant sat to his left. A lifeless puppet of creation and the Time Giant, who had shrunk to a normal size, sat to his right. The Star Skirt woman and Ron stood behind the hazy woman and the Time Giant, respectively, participating in this "meeting" as their attendants.
"Heheheh, it’s been over forty thousand years since we all last gathered, hasn’t it? Amoniev is as beautiful as ever, and Huang Ji is pregnant with her 1,121st child."
"The old man’s still talking as much nonsense as ever."
"Let’s get straight to business."
"Ahem. As you’ve all sensed, deep within the Tomb Star Realm, the will of the dead Cosmic Country shows signs of a possible rebirth. Once it is reborn, the deathly stillness of the Tomb Star Realm will be broken. This also means it will no longer be a forbidden land, and we, the new gods who have guarded this place for 120,000 years, will be the rightful heirs to the divine legacy," the old man Bertutan said.
The lifeless puppet spoke in a decaying voice, "That is as it should be."
The hazy woman, Amoniev, who controlled [Concealment]—and who was also the older sister of the Star Skirt woman Shi Ming had encountered—mused for a moment. "That may be so, but the birth of a new Cosmic Country’s will is an extremely long process. The recent disturbances all indicate that it is being forcefully suppressed by the deathly aura. Huang Ji, with her extensive experience in childbirth, should understand this well. Without intervention, the new will could not be born even in another hundred thousand years."
"That is indeed the case."
Huang Ji stroked her greatly swollen belly.
"Then shall we catalyze it by manipulating time? If we do, perhaps the new Cosmic Country’s will would be naturally inclined to our side," the Time Giant, Candela, offered his opinion.
"No."
Bertutan shook his head.
In a matter of moments, he had a plan.
"Even if we accelerate it ten or a hundredfold, it would still take a very long time. Candela, your dedication is undoubtedly selfless, but for this matter, it can only be accomplished better if we all work together.
"This time, we must work together to open the seal on New God Star.
"Uncle Tian will provide the lifeless creation puppets. Huang Ji will sense the state of the nascent will. Miss Amoniev will provide the necessary concealment. Candela will comprehend fate and catalyze time. And I will arrange for the nascent will’s enlightenment.
"As for our two young friends,
"They will provide the necessary support.
"In this way, our great undertaking will surely succeed. The Divine Country will shed its old, dead shell and dispel the shadow of silent extinction. The reborn will of the Cosmic Country will grow vigorously under our guidance, and when the new First Civilization Cosmic Country appears once more—"
Bertutan paused.
It was as if he could see a brilliant future.
"We,"
"will also become true gods."
This time, none of the "gods" raised any objections. Clearly, such an outcome would benefit every one of them. Although the matter of Bertutan handling the enlightenment seemed unsuitable to many, it was not the right time to voice such opinions. It wouldn’t be too late to discuss it again after confirming the true state of the Cosmic Country’s will.
And so, the matter was settled.
Next came the preparation time.
The lifeless puppets of Creator Uncle Tian could carry the thoughts of these new gods, but they couldn’t allow them to use any skills. Fortunately, Huang Ji was also participating in this plan. Her authority could perform a secondary modification on the lifeless puppets, granting them a state of "about to be born but not yet born." With this, the new gods could use the puppets to slightly influence the reality of the Tomb Star Realm. However, it was limited to just that. Because the puppets lacked physical bodies, they couldn’t carry any treasures in or out.
Huang Ji’s 1,121st child was also due in three days.
Therefore, the gods decided that in five days, they would jointly open the seal on New God Star and infiltrate it.
"Heheheh, this New God Star has been desolate for nearly 120,000 years. With nothing better to do, I previously initiated the enlightenment of a civilization within it and cultivated Firebearers to guide them. Right now, they have only just emerged from their state of ignorance. After all, they are new sprouts growing from ruins. You will surely be delighted to see them."
"Of course."
The other four new gods each had their own unspoken criticisms but did not voice them.
They walked upon this planet as if on a stroll, suddenly feeling as if they had returned to countless years ago. Back then, Huang Ji was still a young girl; now, she was the mother of 1,121 children. Yet the other four, especially the Time Giant Candela and the Secret Walker Amoniev, were no different from before. 120,000 years had not left a single trace on them.
Ron followed behind the Time Giant.
In a trance, he sensed a familiar aura from a patch of ruins. It was a convergence point for a tributary of fate that belonged to him alone, one that not even Candela could perceive.
His expression remained normal, and he gave no sign of what he had sensed.
...
...
...
Shi Ming activated the [Mercenary Terminal].
After a 218-second wait, the mercenary terminal, which had been shut down for many years, finally welcomed another mercenary. After the welcome screen unique to the First Civilization Cosmic Country, it displayed the quests available to an [Heir of the Gods] with X-rank clearance.
His pupils widened slightly.
’Holy crap.’
’There really are quests that haven’t expired after 120,000 years!’
[W-Rank Quest: Find the Numbers.]
[Find information on the origin of numbered, Nirvana-class skills. Reward of 200,000 Civilization Stones for each verified piece of intel.]
[No time limit.]
...
[W-Rank Quest: Slaughter the Calamity]
[In unknown corners, evil creatures known as Calamities are infiltrating the Star Sea. Kill a Disaster-class evil creature and claim a reward of 250,000 Civilization Stones based on the energy residue left after the kill.]
[No time limit.]
...
The mercenary terminal’s quests were ranked from A to Z, with A being the lowest and Z the highest. In reality, however, Y-rank and Z-rank clearance didn’t exist; X-rank was the pinnacle of quests.
The quests that hadn’t expired after 120,000 years were mostly W-rank and X-rank.
There was only one A-rank quest, the lowest level.
The reward was also pitifully small—
[A-Rank Quest: Will Resonance]
[In the central plaza of the Cosmic Country, the Pure Sword is embedded in a stone pedestal. It is a flawless object born from the Star Sea. Anyone who can pull out the Stone Sword will complete this quest, receiving 20 Civilization Stones and the title "Warrior in the Stone."]
[No time limit.]
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PS:
About "Creator Uncle Tian who controls [Silence]," I remember I originally wrote "Father," but I don’t know how it became "Uncle" when I looked at it again. Uncle Tian it is, I guess...