Chapter 524
I dont get it, Everheart said. There werent even any people there!
First of all, there were hundreds of people from the Sylanis Cluster, Anton corrected him.
Are you saying you dont approve of me killing them?
... Second, it was completely unnecessary to destroy a whole planet for that.
Medao was a dwarf planet at best, Everheart shrugged. If we need another pile of rocks in space I can toss one together.
... Do you break everything you touch? Anton asked.
Yes. But it was going to happen eventually anyway.
Planets dont just fall apart.
Itd go out with the sun, Everheart shrugged. In like a few billion years or some crap like that.
I fail to see how an event that will happen far beyond your lifetime excuses just smashing things that arent yours.
First of all, Im planning to be here when the sun goes out. Well, not here here. Everheart shrugged, Id watch from the edge of the system, maybe, unless I was busy. Just because youve accepted being mortal doesn't mean I have.
In a way, the admission was disturbingly comforting. At least it implied that Everheart would be sticking around and keeping most planets intact, unless he wanted to hang around in an empty system. Sure, fine, Anton shrugged. But consider this. Now Medao doesnt exist for those billions of years. I hope you enjoy your Worldheart.
Pfft, Everheart waved Anton off, A tiny, energy lacking place like that doesnt have a Worldheart. Anyway, I still argue that blowing it up was the most efficient and nothing important was lost.
Im just worried about where you draw the line if you have a line.
I totally do, Everheart said. I wont do something like that if allies were present, Anton nodded- too early, apparently, Unless there were at least like, twice as many enemies in terms of total combat power.
Anton put his head in his hands. Whyyyy.
Theyd probably die anyway.
Or you could help them. The normal way.
Wow you pansy. Fine, Ill shift it to three to one. Antons eyes narrowed. ... Four to one?
People not born into clans or powerful sects, you mean, Anton nodded. Shed previously explained such things. Its generally better here. Even the worst sects recognized that meritocratic advancement gave them stronger cultivators. Some were just hesitant to let people grow too quickly for fear they would break away once they felt strong enough. The Order dealt with that by doing their best to assess the character of the individuals they recruited- both before them joining, and during their development.
People were free to leave if they so chose, but there was little benefit to that. The Hundred Stars was a sect that paved the way to ascension- there was little better on offer, for those who could follow the sects rules. They were not particularly onerous, either, but not everyone fit into the mold. Some were directed to other places that better fit them. Some were rejected. Others, generally those who had committed crimes and tried to conceal it, were dealt with. Nobody was arbitrarily killed, but there were laws in place for a reason. And these days, going from country to country to escape criminal consequences was becoming less and less useful. The two continents were closely tied, and even the Exalted Archipelago worked with them on such matters. And some sects were actively helpful in general.
How do you like it here? Anton asked Merve.
I still have trouble believing that any of this is real, she admitted. I have a few friends, I think. But Ive just barely accepted there was one decent person like you. So many people also seeming that way together makes me think theyre hiding something. Even if I trust you that this is all legit.
... the Sylanis Cluster seems awful, Anton said for perhaps the hundredth time.
I cant say everyone had the same experience as me, but yeah. It was garbage. Cant you get that Scholar Eulogius guy to blow up some of their planets? He seemed into that idea.
No. For numerous reasons.
Merve sighed, Yeah, I get it. I appreciate that you purged the Ultimate Phoenix Sect. They were some of the most prominently visible garbage. Did you know there used to be like, a dozen phoenix sects before I was born? They merged with the rest which basically meant killing anyone who wouldnt join them and enslaving all their phoenixes.
The Ivory Maw seems worse, Anton pointed out.
Merve shuddered, I spent most of my life operating on the assumption that they were boogeymen. Something made up to scare kids and adults.
Yeah, sorry. It seems theyre real.
I had a list, you know, Merve said. A mental one, of people I wanted to get revenge on. The funny thing is, most of them died unrelated to me. And now I just dont want to see their faces again. I get to sit here not worrying about anyone killing me and striding closer to Ascension.
You made your choice, then? Anton asked.
Merve shook her head. I dont know. I just always defaulted to that idea so that I could get away from everything. Plus, Worldbinding cultivators have to be exceptional. If not, they get chopped up by the others pretty quick.
Is that why there are only a hundred in the Sylanis Cluster? Anton asked. Because if Ceretos had those numbers wed have more. If it scaled proportional to population, Ceretos might have four hundred? They had eight at around two billion people, and the Sylanis Cluster was said to have about a hundred billion. And that wasnt mentioning that Ceretos had less than thirty years of this, while the Sylanis Cluster had centuries. Im hoping we can take more advantage of that. Get them to fight each other.
I wish I was engaged enough in politics to make suggestions, Merve shook her head, But you already know what I do. Open hatred doesnt really last long, and I have no idea about secret grudges.
Well, thats fine. Well just deal with what we have.
Anton didnt have to have a reason to return to the Order, like he was now, even during war. Rutera needed him, but this was his sect. Even so, Anton didnt just leave them alone. Nthanda and the Great Queen were there. And he was working with the official policy right now. They werent just planning to let the Sylanis Cluster keep staying on the offensive, but the trifold alliance was in a moment of internal focus and rehabilitation. Weos had their new Assimilation cultivators still settling into their power, everyone on Ceretos was training, and Rutera was definitely not about to unveil their new secret battleship. In a couple years, maybe. That thing was taking forever to build, so it had better be good. It would have been finished already, but they kept coming up with more improvements and loftier ambitions as they realized just how strong Worldbinding cultivators were and what they needed it to be able to withstand if it wasnt just going to be an expensive pile of junk after one battle.
Not that anyone had told Anton all that. Officially.
