Chapter 162: The Future Hub of Knowledge
"Become your... disciple?" Calista muttered with an arched brow.
They hovered high above the scarred continents of Noxara, the reddish-yellow light of the four suns washing across the cracked earth and dark rivers far below.
Calista’s black eyes remained fixed on Akasha’s back as a quiet, practical question turned over in her mind.
’How exactly does he expect me to accept his offer... and I’ve known him for less than an hour?’
The idea itself felt absurd, yet the scale of what she had already witnessed made outright refusal equally difficult.
Akasha gave a single nod without turning around.
"That’s what I said, right?" he asked rhetorically. "And I won’t ask twice."
To Akasha, Calista wasn’t all that special—he was sure if he tried, he could find someone with an even more impressive set of aspects.
But, as usual, Akasha could be a bit lazy, and since Calista was the only one in this world with exactly what he needed, he figured it was best if she didn’t make things difficult.
He shifted his attention fully to Luna and Yume, leaving Calista standing a short distance away with her own thoughts.
Then the three of them began discussing the future of the world beneath them as if the decision had already been made.
"Alright, how exactly should we change this world?" Akasha asked, knowing things would have to operate much differently from Kalpa.
Simply because he didn’t have another Domain he could place on this world yet... Which meant he would have to set up a system that could protect the world... and also shape it in a way so it could become what he envisioned.
The Future Hub of Knowledge for his soon-to-be Pantheon.
Luna tilted her head, pink-and-purple hair drifting in the thin high-altitude wind. With them having all of Lane’s memories... they knew exactly what was needed for this world to begin its change.
"Well, for starters... we need to completely get rid of the influence of the Dark Thorn Pantheon... once that’s done, the world consciousness will eventually awaken again."
Although the Dark Pantheon members were all dead... their Pantheon was obviously still standing strong far away from the Orin Star System, which meant their influence was still strong on this world.
Luna then continued as she knew Akasha already accounted for such things.
"And as far as the world layout... I think a layered archive city, perhaps. Multiple tiers of restricted knowledge, each one requiring higher clearance."
Yume’s cooler voice followed.
"Or a single massive tower that... holds all the knowledge we gather?"
Akasha listened to both suggestions before speaking again, a thoughtful edge entering his tone.
"What if we removed the boundary between Topside and Underside entirely... and turned the whole world into an ocean of knowledge?
The only solid land would be the Vault of Knowledge itself, floating at the center."
Luna paused to mull over the idea.
Both she and Yume understood that his vision for the Orin Star System was far from ordinary.
Rather than making each world a place to live, he envisioned them as bases dedicated to specific branches of the Pantheon he intended to build.
This meant the worlds might not have continents or an abundance of structures at all—if that was how he chose to shape them.
With a nod, Luna spoke again.
"Well, love... that is not a bad direction. We could add smaller islands around the main vault so members can access the information they are cleared for without needing to enter the core structure every time."
The three of them fell into an easy silence, a shared understanding settling over the general outline of the plan.
After a brief pause, Yume tilted her head toward Calista, the strands of her blue-streaked hair catching the light as they shifted.
"Have you made your decision yet? If not, feel free to carry on with whatever you were planning."
Hearing this, Calista’s eyes narrowed even more... as this whole time she truly couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
’These beings are casually discussing something that goes far beyond simple terraforming. They speak of recreating... an entire world’
The absurdity of it almost made her laugh, yet the evidence of what they had already done kept the sound locked behind her teeth.
’Alright... maybe I won’t have to start from scratch.’ She thought to herself, ’At worst... I’ll be able to learn about their faction even if I decide not to join.’
She drew a slow breath and answered without fully accepting.
"I need more time. I have seen how dirty Pantheons and their leaders can be. I will remain here... watching until your work is finished... and then I will decide."
Akasha’s quiet laugh carried easily across the open air between them. He already understood the true shape of her hesitation.
"Alright. Just hope that decision does not end up biting you."
Calista might have thought she had another choice, but in truth, she didn’t.
Now that she had decided to stay, if she didn’t choose to become a disciple of Akasha.... especially after the events she was about to witness, there was simply no way she would survive.
With everything settled and his determination to reshape the world firmly in place, Akasha sent a brief, silent message to his True Self.
Moments later, a crisp notification appeared in his vision.
[You have created a new artifact.]
[Dreamer’s World Editing Seed – A seed that, once planted in a world, will allow the user to edit the world’s landscape and restore the planet’s fundamental health over the course of two years.
All residual hostile influence is purged as the seed expands.]
----
Akasha gave a small nod as the seed materialized in his open palm—a smooth, softly luminous core of condensed dream potential that pulsed once against his skin.
Without further delay, he spoke in the Language of Gods, the absolute authority of the words settling over the entire planet like a quiet law.
"Project my voice across all four continents."
As he went on, his voice sounded like normal speech, yet every living soul on Noxara heard him as clearly as if he were right beside them.
"To the people of Noxara, I am the Lord of Dreams," he declared in his introduction. "From this moment on, the Dark Thorn Pantheon has no claim over this world.... You will never need to fear them again."
As he continued speaking, he waved his hands and hundreds of clean portals began opening across the four continents, each one positioned within the vast reach of his nine-hundred-million-kilometer Divine Sense.
Swirling gateways hung suspended in the air—over cities, deep in forests, and above crumbling strongholds—waiting.
"If you wish, you may join the Dreamer’s Pantheon. For now, I expect nothing from you. Take all the time you need to rest and recover," he said casually, never intending to force anyone to be part of what he was building.
"If you choose not to join, I will grant you a single starship to take you beyond the Orin Star System, free to travel wherever you please.
But no matter your choice... every one of you must leave the world of Noxara."
With the words spoken, Akasha descended through the skies with Luna and Yume beside him, Calista trailing just behind.