Chapter 457
Concentric rings of carved runes fit a surprisingly compact space around Vari. Though her understanding of formations would inevitably be improved from so much exposure to Catarinas work, it wasnt on such a quick time scale that Vari thought she would ever actually approach the same level of skill. But she didnt need to. Everyone had different specialties, so knowing how formations worked was only important in a general sense- recognizing them and not carelessly entering unfamiliar arrangements.
Thinking about how much it cost to put together this particular formation, with inlaid materials individually worth more than everything she had approximately a decade prior made Varis head spin, but shed received a split of everything theyd won in battle which was quite a lot, considering that more than a handful of Integration cultivators from rich sects had been taken out by their group. Even if she got a slightly smaller share, Vari still felt that she was receiving too much though she couldnt be quite sure how much of that was the Holy Harmony Technique speaking, telling her to be a good subordinate. In truth, Vari didnt mind following others, but having it be compulsory was quite unpleasant.
Which was why the majority of her acquired wealth had been poured into this formation, and the various vessels containing concentrated upper energy. She had remained at the peak of Life Transformation for more than a few years, and was finally taking a chance at advancement. No, she was going to succeed. Or perhaps her method was flawed and she would die or have horrible side effects. Either way, she wasnt being half hearted about her efforts.
If she simply wanted to advance through the normal processes of the Holy Harmony Technique- or even the Glorious Harmony Technique- Vari was rather certain she could accomplish that but it wouldnt achieve the results she wanted. All that delving into the deeper secrets of the Harmonious Citadels cultivation styles would be pointless.
To some extent, all cultivation ran on belief. It might be confidence or mental fortitude or simple understanding of insights, but what one believed greatly changed what they could do. It didnt make the impossible possible, but it could make the barely-possible more achievable. The Harmonious Citadel took this a step further, focusing on it and relying on the power of devotion for the growth of some of their best disciples- and for their saints. Which in turn meant it came with related flaws.
The Saints promised to protect the members of the Harmonious Citadel. Whether they meant it or not, or even actually said anything of the sort, they spread that belief. That made it true enough, and believed enough in the relevant ways. It wasnt just a rumor spread about them, but a belief fostered by them.
Interpreting the phrase The Saints protect the members of the Harmonious Citadel could result in many possible interpretations. None of them had to be right, and Vari was betting that she didnt have to personally believe the one she was going to rely on. Enough people did, which was all that mattered. They chose to tie themselves into the Harmonious Citadel and those like her who didnt actually have a choice shouldnt be harmed by her actions.
There would only be one chance. Activating the formation was simple, requiring her only to shift a small cylinder into the center, dropping it in so the patterns matched. There was no active control of the formation that would be happening, instead it only gathered an augmented energy, as well as hopefully increasing Varis connection to the metaphysical components of the Harmonious Citadel. She could only trust that some amount of that worked.
Power swirled around and through her. The Saints swore to protect her. Protection was not just against physical things, but mental compulsion and of course tracking. Vari didnt care to consider whether it would protect against such things from those outside of the Harmonious Citadel- she simply wanted to be away from their influence.
The Saints sword to protect her, and to use their power for those of the Harmonious Citadel. Vari was part of the Harmonious Citadel, as far as they were concerned. She had it on good authority that she had not been allowed to leave. Any possessive instinct they possessed towards her and other members should reinforce that.
The ship to carry the diplomats was differently arranged and slightly more luxurious than the science ship, but still mainly utilitarian. A dozen crew members were there to make sure it ran smoothly, as well as a few assigned to making the travel comfortable. However, at the level of the cultivators on board even if they had to stand in one place for several weeks they would not be too uncomfortable.
With less natural energy as they left the system they couldnt distract themselves with cultivation in the same way but interacting with the crew and each other still made time pass swiftly. Personally, Anton felt watching the distorted view of the stars was another interesting way to pass the time. There was a slight blue tinting in some of the stars as they had accelerated, but that was overwhelmed by the change that happened when they shifted into subspace. Anton hadnt received a full explanation, but the purpose was that distances were shorter within subspace, thus reducing the time required to travel. Though it was achieved through alternate means, Anton thought it felt slightly like what happened to people who ascended- though he couldnt confirm the details having only observed people ascending, while only feeling this particular phenomenon from the inside. Subspace distorted views of the stars, making some seem larger or smaller or changing colors. He wasnt sure what caused all of them, but it was quite interesting. The distortions changed even if the relative positions of stars seemed to remain basically static around them- with the exception of Ceretos star and Ruteras star.
If Matija was around he would have asked more questions, but he didnt want to bug the obviously uncomfortable individuals on this ship too much. It was reasonable to be nervous around those of great power, but Anton tried to make them as comfortable as possible which mostly involved leaving them alone.
When they dropped out of subspace, Ruteras star was still quite some distance away. Yet, it was also suddenly more tangible, at least to Anton. He did his very best to not draw from it in the slightest, though it left him feeling rather weak. The trip didnt appear to have been detrimental to his health, however. If he chose to draw upon Ruteras star, he imagined he would feel quite similar to home.
The small chance of him dying along the way had been calculated for. He was still more comfortable traveling in the ship than flinging himself through the void of space alone- and hed never felt truly detached from the stars, though within subspace the connection to either felt dull.
At the moment they were outside the system, and soon enough Anton discovered why they came out where they did. They passed by several gorgeous planets on the way to Ruterea. Planets with people on them, verified not just by their guides but by Antons own senses. They seemed to live in controlled environments, which was sensible. The Ruterans didnt seem to have any individuals who could function without normal bodily needs.
Then they came into sight of Rutera itself. From the specific arc they had traveled, Anton imagined they had intentionally come to the night side, revealing a glowing spiderweb of light. Bright cities, not unlike the arrangements of cultivator populations upon Ceretos but with more actual light instead of concentrated natural energy. Though Anton could tell that Rutera had its own reasonable quantities of natural energy to draw upon, simply being used in a different manner.
He noticed structures floating outside the atmosphere- some with people, some smaller and without anyone aboard. He learned these were orbital stations and satellites, and from what he could tell there had to be thousands of them around Rutera.
Their entrance to the atmosphere was a careful descent- fighting against gravity to keep themselves maintaining a reasonable speed. The ship protected those inside from the heat of reentry, both with the materials and control of energy directly, and experiencing it from inside was quite interesting
Following that, he was treated to the sight of tall buildings teeming with people as they made their way to their proper destination. Though the population of Ceretos had been climbing significantly in the last half century, it was possible there were more people in this city than any of their individual countries. Millions perhaps tens of millions, though they also covered quite a wide expanse to achieve those numbers.
