Chapter 782
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Chapter 782
Looking at the grim battlefield in front of him, Anton knew he had seen more death for less reason but he was never going to enjoy it. Even so he looked down at the creature sitting in his hand. Im fairly certain that was cheating, you know?
The Great Queen gestured with her whole body. Someone had to do it. You were too slow. And unlike my ants, each and every one of these are special.
Anton sighed, I just didnt want them to get overconfident and take a bigger loss later. But youre right. This was already too much.
Just enough, the Great Queen disagreed. They must be able to stand strong on their own. And we have to know how they react.
Anton had little choice but to agree. Rather than being concerned about the instincts of beasts and how they might act, he was more concerned about how thinking beings would respond to a rapid increase in power.
He was pleased to see there was a discussion as they began cleaning up the battlefield. It wasnt a pleasant one, but one that had to be had nonetheless. He listened to what they were saying with great interest.
What do we do with them? Contented Grunt asked. Or with us?
They were currently shuffling the bodies of their own dead- warthogs, meerkats, and the single eagle- to one side of the battlefield. Forceful Snort nudged one of his fellow with his snout. We must honor them with this burial thing. We cant leave them on the surface to be eaten by scavengers.
And the lions? Three Squeaks asked, looking towards them.
Their power should be ours, Deep Purr said. Though eating them wouldnt be much good for us meerkats.
Contented Grunt tramped forward to one. It made my stomach feel bad, the large hippo commented. But I think the slow one said something about this. From death comes life? Plants can grow from them, maybe?
Three Squeaks nodded, I know some of this. But they would likely have to be buried too.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.
So they would get the same respect as the rest of us? Forceful Snort grumbled. I dont like it.
Perhaps we will figure that out later, the meerkat Sustained Chittering added her own angle. There is another problem. They must have young somewhere. They must be dealt with somehow.
We cant let them live here! the captain of the guard commented. But I also dont want to kill them?
They would have killed ours, Forceful Snort complained. But they will die on their own regardless. I say let them.
There was little consensus on what to do with the lions, and much resentment. Ultimately, they simply began to bring their own dead along with them, however they could. Anton wanted to provide them some assistance, at least in terms of tools like sleds or the like. But ultimately he wanted to let them try to develop tools on their own and he didnt want to interrupt their tasks. Though he would be available, should they ask for assistance, he expected they would handle things on their own.
-----
An artificial arm reached up towards Chikeres head, its sharpest part extended. It drew closer and closer to her face, and then she scratched her nose. She very much appreciated that. Not the fact that her nose had an itch to begin with, but that she could resolve the matter. She was trying to do her best to appreciate such things.
At the current moment, she had precious little besides herself. Friends didnt count, of course. They were an entirely different category. And while she wasnt going to just assume they would always be around, she knew that her particular friends would be if she had the option. And the same was true in reverse. She just didnt know if she had anything to offer right now.
Her technical cultivation still existed, she just couldnt use it in combat. Swords were the only thing she knew how to fight with, and it really wasnt great to be using her own blood for that. After all, she didnt have nearly enough to make as many swords as she would like.
But beyond feeling sorry for herself, and using what she could of her cultivation to try to recover from her longer term injuries, she was also talking with some lady recommended by Engineer Uzun. Though she didnt really know what talking was supposed to accomplish.
Hello, Nola, Chikere said as she entered the office once more. It was obviously supposed to make her relaxed, but nothing could match how she used to feel about swords in that regard.
Welcome back Chikere. Have you thought about what we talked about?
Something about respect? Chikere tilted her head. She didnt really get it. Nola was supposed to be a head doctor, but she hadnt looked at Chikeres head a single time. At least, not up close or anything.
Respect for what? Nola asked.
Respect for me? Chikere nodded. I think I had a lot of respect for myself. I was very strong.
Living among them as he had, he found no trouble recommending them to join with the larger lower realms alliance. It was beneficial for both sides, so once he was certain that their friendliness was not just a ploy like Ekicts initial impression had been, the process had begun. Now, there was little need for him to stay among them any longer.
You will be moving along soon, then? Aerona asked. Assigned to somewhere else, I imagine?
I can choose where I go, Devon reminded her. But I really should. I have no intention to linger here forever.
A shame, Aerona crossed her arms.
Devon sighed, You know things wouldnt work out between us like this. If I am to remain in one place, it wont be here but home on Ceretos.
We could have tried it, she said.
And what, we visit each other yearly? Or less often than that? Devon shook his head. You arent free to roam, and Im not content just remaining somewhere. Aerona was a fine woman. Personally, the fact that she was officially an Empress was a point against her in his book but only because he wasnt a fan of official duties despite his recent position.
Well, perhaps that is how things must be she shook her head. I suppose it wouldnt look good in the near future regardless. People might think things. So where would you be heading next?
Progress with Nidec and Vrelt is currently glacial. The former is at least positively inclined towards us as far as we can tell, so perhaps there. At least our reconciliation effort with Ekict have gone well. Their older generation really left them in a difficult position politically and well, everything. My niece had a good hand in the process, since the war could have easily resulted in festering bitterness for those who survived, regardless of the reasons for their losses.
Indeed. And your grandfather is the first Enrichment cultivator, was it? Is there anyone in your family who isnt exceptional?
Sure, Devon said. Lots of them. You just wont hear about them. And ultimately, aside from making sure they arent living in poverty, we tend to drift apart. After all, those who arent cultivators dont live that long. Its been over ten generations since everything happened, after all.
Aerona nodded, then steered the conversation back in the other direction. So, Nidec or Vrelt. Do you think you would be in danger at either of them?
That would depend on if they had a reason to go all out and kill me. I find that unlikely, though. They should understand how powerful we are. So even if Vrelt is unfriendly, at most they would chase me off. If they even accepted me to begin with. We could honestly use more cultivators trained in diplomacy from the beginning.
I am, Aerona pointed out.
And you are also the empress of Udre, Devon pointed out. Not a great representative for the lower realms alliance in general, no offense.
That is true, she admitted. But I was chosen for this position, and though there is not necessarily and end to my term perhaps the structures of government might change.
Im sure you could prevent that, if you wished to.
Indeed, she said. I have great influence here. But the same reason I was chosen is the reason I would not resist such changes, and perhaps encourage them. Besides, I feel little power as an Empress when compared to a single Integration cultivator.
Come now, Devon said. Udre was not weak before we arrived. You fought off an invasion from the upper realms, after all.
We survived, she agreed. At the loss of most of our best cultivators. We were only recovering slowly, before our interactions with you.
Regardless, Devon said. You could reach Integration yourself soon enough.
I might say the same of you and this Enrichment stage, no?
Devon shook his head. I wouldnt expect so. Perhaps a century or so, if Im lucky.
Aerona grinned. You speak of it so casually, when I have yet to reach a single century myself. I have some distance yet to cover. She paused. So, which one would you choose?
Probably Nidec. Vrelt has too much potential for conflict. Not that I mind fighting, but Id rather do so intentionally. Too risky for me. Nidec seems like theyre hiding something, which might be worse but Id prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Well then, Aerona said. Remember you are welcome to stay as long as you please, whether in an official capacity or not. And keep in touch, either way.
I can do that, Devon said. It was good for him to have powerful friends, even if there wasnt anything beyond that.
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Chapter 782
Looking at the grim battlefield in front of him, Anton knew he had seen more death for less reason but he was never going to enjoy it. Even so he looked down at the creature sitting in his hand. Im fairly certain that was cheating, you know?
The Great Queen gestured with her whole body. Someone had to do it. You were too slow. And unlike my ants, each and every one of these are special.
Anton sighed, I just didnt want them to get overconfident and take a bigger loss later. But youre right. This was already too much.
Just enough, the Great Queen disagreed. They must be able to stand strong on their own. And we have to know how they react.
Anton had little choice but to agree. Rather than being concerned about the instincts of beasts and how they might act, he was more concerned about how thinking beings would respond to a rapid increase in power.
He was pleased to see there was a discussion as they began cleaning up the battlefield. It wasnt a pleasant one, but one that had to be had nonetheless. He listened to what they were saying with great interest.
What do we do with them? Contented Grunt asked. Or with us?
They were currently shuffling the bodies of their own dead- warthogs, meerkats, and the single eagle- to one side of the battlefield. Forceful Snort nudged one of his fellow with his snout. We must honor them with this burial thing. We cant leave them on the surface to be eaten by scavengers.
And the lions? Three Squeaks asked, looking towards them.
Their power should be ours, Deep Purr said. Though eating them wouldnt be much good for us meerkats.
Contented Grunt tramped forward to one. It made my stomach feel bad, the large hippo commented. But I think the slow one said something about this. From death comes life? Plants can grow from them, maybe?
Three Squeaks nodded, I know some of this. But they would likely have to be buried too.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.
So they would get the same respect as the rest of us? Forceful Snort grumbled. I dont like it.
Perhaps we will figure that out later, the meerkat Sustained Chittering added her own angle. There is another problem. They must have young somewhere. They must be dealt with somehow.
We cant let them live here! the captain of the guard commented. But I also dont want to kill them?
They would have killed ours, Forceful Snort complained. But they will die on their own regardless. I say let them.
There was little consensus on what to do with the lions, and much resentment. Ultimately, they simply began to bring their own dead along with them, however they could. Anton wanted to provide them some assistance, at least in terms of tools like sleds or the like. But ultimately he wanted to let them try to develop tools on their own and he didnt want to interrupt their tasks. Though he would be available, should they ask for assistance, he expected they would handle things on their own.
-----
An artificial arm reached up towards Chikeres head, its sharpest part extended. It drew closer and closer to her face, and then she scratched her nose. She very much appreciated that. Not the fact that her nose had an itch to begin with, but that she could resolve the matter. She was trying to do her best to appreciate such things.
At the current moment, she had precious little besides herself. Friends didnt count, of course. They were an entirely different category. And while she wasnt going to just assume they would always be around, she knew that her particular friends would be if she had the option. And the same was true in reverse. She just didnt know if she had anything to offer right now.
Her technical cultivation still existed, she just couldnt use it in combat. Swords were the only thing she knew how to fight with, and it really wasnt great to be using her own blood for that. After all, she didnt have nearly enough to make as many swords as she would like.
But beyond feeling sorry for herself, and using what she could of her cultivation to try to recover from her longer term injuries, she was also talking with some lady recommended by Engineer Uzun. Though she didnt really know what talking was supposed to accomplish.
Hello, Nola, Chikere said as she entered the office once more. It was obviously supposed to make her relaxed, but nothing could match how she used to feel about swords in that regard.
Welcome back Chikere. Have you thought about what we talked about?
Something about respect? Chikere tilted her head. She didnt really get it. Nola was supposed to be a head doctor, but she hadnt looked at Chikeres head a single time. At least, not up close or anything.
Respect for what? Nola asked.
Respect for me? Chikere nodded. I think I had a lot of respect for myself. I was very strong.
Living among them as he had, he found no trouble recommending them to join with the larger lower realms alliance. It was beneficial for both sides, so once he was certain that their friendliness was not just a ploy like Ekicts initial impression had been, the process had begun. Now, there was little need for him to stay among them any longer.
You will be moving along soon, then? Aerona asked. Assigned to somewhere else, I imagine?
I can choose where I go, Devon reminded her. But I really should. I have no intention to linger here forever.
A shame, Aerona crossed her arms.
Devon sighed, You know things wouldnt work out between us like this. If I am to remain in one place, it wont be here but home on Ceretos.
We could have tried it, she said.
And what, we visit each other yearly? Or less often than that? Devon shook his head. You arent free to roam, and Im not content just remaining somewhere. Aerona was a fine woman. Personally, the fact that she was officially an Empress was a point against her in his book but only because he wasnt a fan of official duties despite his recent position.
Well, perhaps that is how things must be she shook her head. I suppose it wouldnt look good in the near future regardless. People might think things. So where would you be heading next?
Progress with Nidec and Vrelt is currently glacial. The former is at least positively inclined towards us as far as we can tell, so perhaps there. At least our reconciliation effort with Ekict have gone well. Their older generation really left them in a difficult position politically and well, everything. My niece had a good hand in the process, since the war could have easily resulted in festering bitterness for those who survived, regardless of the reasons for their losses.
Indeed. And your grandfather is the first Enrichment cultivator, was it? Is there anyone in your family who isnt exceptional?
Sure, Devon said. Lots of them. You just wont hear about them. And ultimately, aside from making sure they arent living in poverty, we tend to drift apart. After all, those who arent cultivators dont live that long. Its been over ten generations since everything happened, after all.
Aerona nodded, then steered the conversation back in the other direction. So, Nidec or Vrelt. Do you think you would be in danger at either of them?
That would depend on if they had a reason to go all out and kill me. I find that unlikely, though. They should understand how powerful we are. So even if Vrelt is unfriendly, at most they would chase me off. If they even accepted me to begin with. We could honestly use more cultivators trained in diplomacy from the beginning.
I am, Aerona pointed out.
And you are also the empress of Udre, Devon pointed out. Not a great representative for the lower realms alliance in general, no offense.
That is true, she admitted. But I was chosen for this position, and though there is not necessarily and end to my term perhaps the structures of government might change.
Im sure you could prevent that, if you wished to.
Indeed, she said. I have great influence here. But the same reason I was chosen is the reason I would not resist such changes, and perhaps encourage them. Besides, I feel little power as an Empress when compared to a single Integration cultivator.
Come now, Devon said. Udre was not weak before we arrived. You fought off an invasion from the upper realms, after all.
We survived, she agreed. At the loss of most of our best cultivators. We were only recovering slowly, before our interactions with you.
Regardless, Devon said. You could reach Integration yourself soon enough.
I might say the same of you and this Enrichment stage, no?
Devon shook his head. I wouldnt expect so. Perhaps a century or so, if Im lucky.
Aerona grinned. You speak of it so casually, when I have yet to reach a single century myself. I have some distance yet to cover. She paused. So, which one would you choose?
Probably Nidec. Vrelt has too much potential for conflict. Not that I mind fighting, but Id rather do so intentionally. Too risky for me. Nidec seems like theyre hiding something, which might be worse but Id prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Well then, Aerona said. Remember you are welcome to stay as long as you please, whether in an official capacity or not. And keep in touch, either way.
I can do that, Devon said. It was good for him to have powerful friends, even if there wasnt anything beyond that.
Chapter 782Looking at the grim battlefield in front of him, Anton knew he had seen more death for less reason but he was never going to enjoy it. Even so he looked down at the creature sitting in his hand. Im fairly certain that was cheating, you know?The Great Queen gestured with her whole body. Someone had to do it. You were too slow. And unlike my ants, each and every one of these are special.Anton sighed, I just didnt want them to get overconfident and take a bigger loss later. But youre right. This was already too much.Just enough, the Great Queen disagreed. They must be able to stand strong on their own. And we have to know how they react.Anton had little choice but to agree. Rather than being concerned about the instincts of beasts and how they might act, he was more concerned about how thinking beings would respond to a rapid increase in power. He was pleased to see there was a discussion as they began cleaning up the battlefield. It wasnt a pleasant one, but one that had to be had nonetheless. He listened to what they were saying with great interest.What do we do with them? Contented Grunt asked. Or with us?They were currently shuffling the bodies of their own dead- warthogs, meerkats, and the single eagle- to one side of the battlefield. Forceful Snort nudged one of his fellow with his snout. We must honor them with this burial thing. We cant leave them on the surface to be eaten by scavengers.And the lions? Three Squeaks asked, looking towards them.Their power should be ours, Deep Purr said. Though eating them wouldnt be much good for us meerkats.Contented Grunt tramped forward to one. It made my stomach feel bad, the large hippo commented. But I think the slow one said something about this. From death comes life? Plants can grow from them, maybe?Three Squeaks nodded, I know some of this. But they would likely have to be buried too.N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.So they would get the same respect as the rest of us? Forceful Snort grumbled. I dont like it.Perhaps we will figure that out later, the meerkat Sustained Chittering added her own angle. There is another problem. They must have young somewhere. They must be dealt with somehow.We cant let them live here! the captain of the guard commented. But I also dont want to kill them?They would have killed ours, Forceful Snort complained. But they will die on their own regardless. I say let them.There was little consensus on what to do with the lions, and much resentment. Ultimately, they simply began to bring their own dead along with them, however they could. Anton wanted to provide them some assistance, at least in terms of tools like sleds or the like. But ultimately he wanted to let them try to develop tools on their own and he didnt want to interrupt their tasks. Though he would be available, should they ask for assistance, he expected they would handle things on their own.-----An artificial arm reached up towards Chikeres head, its sharpest part extended. It drew closer and closer to her face, and then she scratched her nose. She very much appreciated that. Not the fact that her nose had an itch to begin with, but that she could resolve the matter. She was trying to do her best to appreciate such things.At the current moment, she had precious little besides herself. Friends didnt count, of course. They were an entirely different category. And while she wasnt going to just assume they would always be around, she knew that her particular friends would be if she had the option. And the same was true in reverse. She just didnt know if she had anything to offer right now.Her technical cultivation still existed, she just couldnt use it in combat. Swords were the only thing she knew how to fight with, and it really wasnt great to be using her own blood for that. After all, she didnt have nearly enough to make as many swords as she would like.But beyond feeling sorry for herself, and using what she could of her cultivation to try to recover from her longer term injuries, she was also talking with some lady recommended by Engineer Uzun. Though she didnt really know what talking was supposed to accomplish.Hello, Nola, Chikere said as she entered the office once more. It was obviously supposed to make her relaxed, but nothing could match how she used to feel about swords in that regard. Welcome back Chikere. Have you thought about what we talked about?Something about respect? Chikere tilted her head. She didnt really get it. Nola was supposed to be a head doctor, but she hadnt looked at Chikeres head a single time. At least, not up close or anything.Respect for what? Nola asked.Respect for me? Chikere nodded. I think I had a lot of respect for myself. I was very strong.Living among them as he had, he found no trouble recommending them to join with the larger lower realms alliance. It was beneficial for both sides, so once he was certain that their friendliness was not just a ploy like Ekicts initial impression had been, the process had begun. Now, there was little need for him to stay among them any longer.You will be moving along soon, then? Aerona asked. Assigned to somewhere else, I imagine?I can choose where I go, Devon reminded her. But I really should. I have no intention to linger here forever.A shame, Aerona crossed her arms.Devon sighed, You know things wouldnt work out between us like this. If I am to remain in one place, it wont be here but home on Ceretos.We could have tried it, she said.And what, we visit each other yearly? Or less often than that? Devon shook his head. You arent free to roam, and Im not content just remaining somewhere. Aerona was a fine woman. Personally, the fact that she was officially an Empress was a point against her in his book but only because he wasnt a fan of official duties despite his recent position. Well, perhaps that is how things must be she shook her head. I suppose it wouldnt look good in the near future regardless. People might think things. So where would you be heading next?Progress with Nidec and Vrelt is currently glacial. The former is at least positively inclined towards us as far as we can tell, so perhaps there. At least our reconciliation effort with Ekict have gone well. Their older generation really left them in a difficult position politically and well, everything. My niece had a good hand in the process, since the war could have easily resulted in festering bitterness for those who survived, regardless of the reasons for their losses.Indeed. And your grandfather is the first Enrichment cultivator, was it? Is there anyone in your family who isnt exceptional?Sure, Devon said. Lots of them. You just wont hear about them. And ultimately, aside from making sure they arent living in poverty, we tend to drift apart. After all, those who arent cultivators dont live that long. Its been over ten generations since everything happened, after all.Aerona nodded, then steered the conversation back in the other direction. So, Nidec or Vrelt. Do you think you would be in danger at either of them?That would depend on if they had a reason to go all out and kill me. I find that unlikely, though. They should understand how powerful we are. So even if Vrelt is unfriendly, at most they would chase me off. If they even accepted me to begin with. We could honestly use more cultivators trained in diplomacy from the beginning.I am, Aerona pointed out.And you are also the empress of Udre, Devon pointed out. Not a great representative for the lower realms alliance in general, no offense.That is true, she admitted. But I was chosen for this position, and though there is not necessarily and end to my term perhaps the structures of government might change.Im sure you could prevent that, if you wished to.Indeed, she said. I have great influence here. But the same reason I was chosen is the reason I would not resist such changes, and perhaps encourage them. Besides, I feel little power as an Empress when compared to a single Integration cultivator.Come now, Devon said. Udre was not weak before we arrived. You fought off an invasion from the upper realms, after all.We survived, she agreed. At the loss of most of our best cultivators. We were only recovering slowly, before our interactions with you.Regardless, Devon said. You could reach Integration yourself soon enough.I might say the same of you and this Enrichment stage, no?Devon shook his head. I wouldnt expect so. Perhaps a century or so, if Im lucky.Aerona grinned. You speak of it so casually, when I have yet to reach a single century myself. I have some distance yet to cover. She paused. So, which one would you choose?Probably Nidec. Vrelt has too much potential for conflict. Not that I mind fighting, but Id rather do so intentionally. Too risky for me. Nidec seems like theyre hiding something, which might be worse but Id prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt.Well then, Aerona said. Remember you are welcome to stay as long as you please, whether in an official capacity or not. And keep in touch, either way.I can do that, Devon said. It was good for him to have powerful friends, even if there wasnt anything beyond that.
