Chapter 831
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Chapter 831
Sunlight reflected off of the waters into Three Squeaks eyes. The travelers had been given permission to stay with the Heavenly Lake for a time. There was no intent to join them in the long term, but Three Squeaks very much wanted to study them.
He found Slick was quite willing to talk with him, though he preferred to be in the water more often than not so Three Squeaks either had to sit on the shore or swim. At least the newt was willing to come to the surface, because it was difficult to talk underwater.
So how big is your territory? Three Squeaks asked.
We control the lake, and a small area around it.
I suppose that makes sense, Three Squeaks nodded. You dont have many people who would want to go far from the lake. Though there are some chipmunks a half day thataway you might want to offer to join you.
Slick shook his head. We are not interested. What we have works perfectly well for us. Why should we seek to add to our numbers?
Well, it would be good for them. They dont seem to understand proper cultivation at all.
So?
... Im sure theyd be useful eventually, Three Squeaks said.
Perhaps. But why not spend that effort to develop what we already have? The others and I can spend our time comprehending the heavens.
Well, he supposed they didnt have to care about others. Choosing to keep what they had was reasonable enough, and it wasnt like they were going around killing people. What about other ways?
Other ways of what?
Cultivation, Three Squeaks said.
Slick shook his head. We have hardly developed this path. Why should we waste our time with others?
Not everyone is suited for the same thing, Three Squeaks said. Though there are basic refinements everyone can undergo. Being intentional about strengthening every part of the body and mind results in much smoother progression and balanced strength.
Each part? Slick asked.
Inside and outside, every organ, at least as a group, bones, skin, and things like that. Maybe newts have things meerkats dont, but its more effective than letting natural energy settle inside of you on its own. Its inefficient.Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
Perhaps we will have some youths try these things.
Oh, a warning. Tell them to be careful with delicate parts. Like the brain. You definitely dont want to force things anywhere, but especially there.
We have had some who would try to strengthen parts of them, but they often sustained crippling injuries later.
Because their body was unbalanced. If your muscles and tendons are strong but your bones are not, you can break them.
That does seem to match our experience, Slick admitted. What else? The mind?
Well, weve picked out various aspects we think encompass most things, Three Squeaks explained the basic parts of Spirit Building, though without the insights tuned for the One Hundred Stars. Its easy to forget about your body, with all the natural energy youll have, but you shouldnt.
Yes, Slick nodded. I lost a leg because of such a mistake.
Three Squeaks furrowed his brow. ... Did you have five legs?
Of course not. That would be absurd. It grew back, as is natural.
Is it?
For a newt. Sadly, the frogs have a hard time with it.
A hard time? Three Squeaks asked. Is it even possible for them?
I can, actually, Crossed Antennae pointed out. Much of their conversation happened through pheromones, mostly telling each other to stop interfering. But they still used their sign language, as it was a good extension of natural communication.
In general, Fearsome Mandibles was stronger than her sister. There was a reason shed chosen her name, after all. But at the moment, she was kind of concerned that resisting too much would snap her limbs again. The chitin was still thin where they had broken before, and while the actual changes were small it took a significant amount of natural energy to heal things perfectly. If not, shed walk around with stiff legs, at best. In short, she couldnt do much. But once she healed, shed definitely be stronger, and then nobody could stop her!
-----
Devon was just about ready to move on from Vrelt to check out Nidec, only a handful of systems away. There was a reason the two had been discovered at a similar time, after all, but there were no known connections besides physical closeness, on the scale of the explored lower realms at least.
It was about that time Aerona came to him with the news. Have you heard?
If its something worth bringing to my attention and recent then I dont believe so, Devon said. What is it?
They were doing some preliminary scans of Nidec, preparing for the next step. And they stumbled upon something.
That thing would be? Devon prompted her as he was aware she wanted.
The Exalted Quadrant, Aerona said with flair. What do you think about that, huh?
... Sounds terrible. Awful and unfortunate. Why cant any world have their own problems, huh?
Because the upper realms have been working very hard for untold millennia making things bad for us, Aerona said.
Yeah but besides that. Aerona just shrugged. So, how bad is it?
Thats the thing the factions are both known to the planet and somewhat sympathetic. I heard that Ceretos well, you befriended some of your local factions, at least.
True, but the ultimate consequences went beyond just here in the lower realms. I cant say I dont want to sway them to our side, but Devon shook his head. The connection would be from each of these isolated groups to those in the upper realms, not between each other. Then again, Id like to hear what they think. If they even have anyone associated with who we know.
I believe the names of the Worthy Shore Society and the Hardened Crown Sect came up.
Really? What are the chances of that? Devon frowned, Actually, quite high I would suppose. If theyre the type to send people to dwell in the lower realms, it would make sense they did it more than once. This means well have to get in contact with Syrinx, to see if our part of the Hardened Crown is even interested. Their former sect head yelling at them from the upper realms opened up diplomacy with them again, but Devon shrugged. Its a bit much to ask for them to convince another part of them to join our cause.
Thats what people like me are for, Aerona said. Official policy will have to be discussed, of course, but I think we should angle for that connection. Much better than unrelated people showing up and effectively threatening them.
It sounds like a delicate process. One which might not concern me directly. But I dont mind going along with someone who has a plan.
Plan is a big word, Aerona said. I just want our borders to be secure and our people happy and prosperous. Udre was just as lucky to be found by the Alliance as I was to find you.
Pretty sure I was the one who went to Udre Devon grinned.
Yes, but if wed relied on you we would have missed out on us, Aerona said.
Devon shrugged, I cant really deny that. Id long moved past the desire to look for a partner. Your ability to change my mind on that is part of the reason we do so well together. Devon scratched his head. So for now, we have to wait around for decisions to be made, I suppose.
You can always push things one way or another, Aerona pointed out. But yes.
To think, this could all have been resolved a long time ago
Could it have? Aerona asked. If I recall correctly, the connection to the former Hardened Crown sect head in the upper realms came about some time after our systems came in contact. So if you had rushed into things, you might have begun hopeless negotiations with Nidec.
But we could have also completely prevented the transmission of information about Anchoring, I imagine, Devon said. But this is a problem faced perpetually. Speed and caution are at odds with one another, unless one is powerful enough. Even then there can always be harm to others. My grandfather has to deal with that, even though he himself is pretty much untouchable here.
And you too, soon enough, Aerona said.
Perhaps, Devon said. Though in such a case I would wonder if we might come across another group of similar power. Someone has to be the first to rise to a certain level of power, but we cant guarantee it was us.
Thats why you should always stick your best diplomatic foot forward, Aerona said. We look friendly but not weak. Then it doesnt matter if others are weak or strong, an appropriate response can be prepared. Aerona paused for a moment, This means I do need to focus on my personal cultivation, at least for appearances. But as youve said, time will solve that.
Devon nodded. Indeed it would. And as far as he was aware, they did still have a good amount of that, and it was best to make proper use of it.
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Chapter 831
Sunlight reflected off of the waters into Three Squeaks eyes. The travelers had been given permission to stay with the Heavenly Lake for a time. There was no intent to join them in the long term, but Three Squeaks very much wanted to study them.
He found Slick was quite willing to talk with him, though he preferred to be in the water more often than not so Three Squeaks either had to sit on the shore or swim. At least the newt was willing to come to the surface, because it was difficult to talk underwater.
So how big is your territory? Three Squeaks asked.
We control the lake, and a small area around it.
I suppose that makes sense, Three Squeaks nodded. You dont have many people who would want to go far from the lake. Though there are some chipmunks a half day thataway you might want to offer to join you.
Slick shook his head. We are not interested. What we have works perfectly well for us. Why should we seek to add to our numbers?
Well, it would be good for them. They dont seem to understand proper cultivation at all.
So?
... Im sure theyd be useful eventually, Three Squeaks said.
Perhaps. But why not spend that effort to develop what we already have? The others and I can spend our time comprehending the heavens.
Well, he supposed they didnt have to care about others. Choosing to keep what they had was reasonable enough, and it wasnt like they were going around killing people. What about other ways?
Other ways of what?
Cultivation, Three Squeaks said.
Slick shook his head. We have hardly developed this path. Why should we waste our time with others?
Not everyone is suited for the same thing, Three Squeaks said. Though there are basic refinements everyone can undergo. Being intentional about strengthening every part of the body and mind results in much smoother progression and balanced strength.
Each part? Slick asked.
Inside and outside, every organ, at least as a group, bones, skin, and things like that. Maybe newts have things meerkats dont, but its more effective than letting natural energy settle inside of you on its own. Its inefficient.Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
Perhaps we will have some youths try these things.
Oh, a warning. Tell them to be careful with delicate parts. Like the brain. You definitely dont want to force things anywhere, but especially there.
We have had some who would try to strengthen parts of them, but they often sustained crippling injuries later.
Because their body was unbalanced. If your muscles and tendons are strong but your bones are not, you can break them.
That does seem to match our experience, Slick admitted. What else? The mind?
Well, weve picked out various aspects we think encompass most things, Three Squeaks explained the basic parts of Spirit Building, though without the insights tuned for the One Hundred Stars. Its easy to forget about your body, with all the natural energy youll have, but you shouldnt.
Yes, Slick nodded. I lost a leg because of such a mistake.
Three Squeaks furrowed his brow. ... Did you have five legs?
Of course not. That would be absurd. It grew back, as is natural.
Is it?
For a newt. Sadly, the frogs have a hard time with it.
A hard time? Three Squeaks asked. Is it even possible for them?
I can, actually, Crossed Antennae pointed out. Much of their conversation happened through pheromones, mostly telling each other to stop interfering. But they still used their sign language, as it was a good extension of natural communication.
In general, Fearsome Mandibles was stronger than her sister. There was a reason shed chosen her name, after all. But at the moment, she was kind of concerned that resisting too much would snap her limbs again. The chitin was still thin where they had broken before, and while the actual changes were small it took a significant amount of natural energy to heal things perfectly. If not, shed walk around with stiff legs, at best. In short, she couldnt do much. But once she healed, shed definitely be stronger, and then nobody could stop her!
-----
Devon was just about ready to move on from Vrelt to check out Nidec, only a handful of systems away. There was a reason the two had been discovered at a similar time, after all, but there were no known connections besides physical closeness, on the scale of the explored lower realms at least.
It was about that time Aerona came to him with the news. Have you heard?
If its something worth bringing to my attention and recent then I dont believe so, Devon said. What is it?
They were doing some preliminary scans of Nidec, preparing for the next step. And they stumbled upon something.
That thing would be? Devon prompted her as he was aware she wanted.
The Exalted Quadrant, Aerona said with flair. What do you think about that, huh?
... Sounds terrible. Awful and unfortunate. Why cant any world have their own problems, huh?
Because the upper realms have been working very hard for untold millennia making things bad for us, Aerona said.
Yeah but besides that. Aerona just shrugged. So, how bad is it?
Thats the thing the factions are both known to the planet and somewhat sympathetic. I heard that Ceretos well, you befriended some of your local factions, at least.
True, but the ultimate consequences went beyond just here in the lower realms. I cant say I dont want to sway them to our side, but Devon shook his head. The connection would be from each of these isolated groups to those in the upper realms, not between each other. Then again, Id like to hear what they think. If they even have anyone associated with who we know.
I believe the names of the Worthy Shore Society and the Hardened Crown Sect came up.
Really? What are the chances of that? Devon frowned, Actually, quite high I would suppose. If theyre the type to send people to dwell in the lower realms, it would make sense they did it more than once. This means well have to get in contact with Syrinx, to see if our part of the Hardened Crown is even interested. Their former sect head yelling at them from the upper realms opened up diplomacy with them again, but Devon shrugged. Its a bit much to ask for them to convince another part of them to join our cause.
Thats what people like me are for, Aerona said. Official policy will have to be discussed, of course, but I think we should angle for that connection. Much better than unrelated people showing up and effectively threatening them.
It sounds like a delicate process. One which might not concern me directly. But I dont mind going along with someone who has a plan.
Plan is a big word, Aerona said. I just want our borders to be secure and our people happy and prosperous. Udre was just as lucky to be found by the Alliance as I was to find you.
Pretty sure I was the one who went to Udre Devon grinned.
Yes, but if wed relied on you we would have missed out on us, Aerona said.
Devon shrugged, I cant really deny that. Id long moved past the desire to look for a partner. Your ability to change my mind on that is part of the reason we do so well together. Devon scratched his head. So for now, we have to wait around for decisions to be made, I suppose.
You can always push things one way or another, Aerona pointed out. But yes.
To think, this could all have been resolved a long time ago
Could it have? Aerona asked. If I recall correctly, the connection to the former Hardened Crown sect head in the upper realms came about some time after our systems came in contact. So if you had rushed into things, you might have begun hopeless negotiations with Nidec.
But we could have also completely prevented the transmission of information about Anchoring, I imagine, Devon said. But this is a problem faced perpetually. Speed and caution are at odds with one another, unless one is powerful enough. Even then there can always be harm to others. My grandfather has to deal with that, even though he himself is pretty much untouchable here.
And you too, soon enough, Aerona said.
Perhaps, Devon said. Though in such a case I would wonder if we might come across another group of similar power. Someone has to be the first to rise to a certain level of power, but we cant guarantee it was us.
Thats why you should always stick your best diplomatic foot forward, Aerona said. We look friendly but not weak. Then it doesnt matter if others are weak or strong, an appropriate response can be prepared. Aerona paused for a moment, This means I do need to focus on my personal cultivation, at least for appearances. But as youve said, time will solve that.
Devon nodded. Indeed it would. And as far as he was aware, they did still have a good amount of that, and it was best to make proper use of it.
Chapter 831Sunlight reflected off of the waters into Three Squeaks eyes. The travelers had been given permission to stay with the Heavenly Lake for a time. There was no intent to join them in the long term, but Three Squeaks very much wanted to study them. He found Slick was quite willing to talk with him, though he preferred to be in the water more often than not so Three Squeaks either had to sit on the shore or swim. At least the newt was willing to come to the surface, because it was difficult to talk underwater. So how big is your territory? Three Squeaks asked.We control the lake, and a small area around it.I suppose that makes sense, Three Squeaks nodded. You dont have many people who would want to go far from the lake. Though there are some chipmunks a half day thataway you might want to offer to join you.Slick shook his head. We are not interested. What we have works perfectly well for us. Why should we seek to add to our numbers?Well, it would be good for them. They dont seem to understand proper cultivation at all.So?... Im sure theyd be useful eventually, Three Squeaks said.Perhaps. But why not spend that effort to develop what we already have? The others and I can spend our time comprehending the heavens.Well, he supposed they didnt have to care about others. Choosing to keep what they had was reasonable enough, and it wasnt like they were going around killing people. What about other ways?Other ways of what?Cultivation, Three Squeaks said.Slick shook his head. We have hardly developed this path. Why should we waste our time with others?Not everyone is suited for the same thing, Three Squeaks said. Though there are basic refinements everyone can undergo. Being intentional about strengthening every part of the body and mind results in much smoother progression and balanced strength.Each part? Slick asked.Inside and outside, every organ, at least as a group, bones, skin, and things like that. Maybe newts have things meerkats dont, but its more effective than letting natural energy settle inside of you on its own. Its inefficient.Nvl-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.Perhaps we will have some youths try these things.Oh, a warning. Tell them to be careful with delicate parts. Like the brain. You definitely dont want to force things anywhere, but especially there.We have had some who would try to strengthen parts of them, but they often sustained crippling injuries later.Because their body was unbalanced. If your muscles and tendons are strong but your bones are not, you can break them.That does seem to match our experience, Slick admitted. What else? The mind?Well, weve picked out various aspects we think encompass most things, Three Squeaks explained the basic parts of Spirit Building, though without the insights tuned for the One Hundred Stars. Its easy to forget about your body, with all the natural energy youll have, but you shouldnt.Yes, Slick nodded. I lost a leg because of such a mistake.Three Squeaks furrowed his brow. ... Did you have five legs?Of course not. That would be absurd. It grew back, as is natural.Is it?For a newt. Sadly, the frogs have a hard time with it.A hard time? Three Squeaks asked. Is it even possible for them?I can, actually, Crossed Antennae pointed out. Much of their conversation happened through pheromones, mostly telling each other to stop interfering. But they still used their sign language, as it was a good extension of natural communication.In general, Fearsome Mandibles was stronger than her sister. There was a reason shed chosen her name, after all. But at the moment, she was kind of concerned that resisting too much would snap her limbs again. The chitin was still thin where they had broken before, and while the actual changes were small it took a significant amount of natural energy to heal things perfectly. If not, shed walk around with stiff legs, at best. In short, she couldnt do much. But once she healed, shed definitely be stronger, and then nobody could stop her!-----Devon was just about ready to move on from Vrelt to check out Nidec, only a handful of systems away. There was a reason the two had been discovered at a similar time, after all, but there were no known connections besides physical closeness, on the scale of the explored lower realms at least. It was about that time Aerona came to him with the news. Have you heard?If its something worth bringing to my attention and recent then I dont believe so, Devon said. What is it?They were doing some preliminary scans of Nidec, preparing for the next step. And they stumbled upon something.That thing would be? Devon prompted her as he was aware she wanted.The Exalted Quadrant, Aerona said with flair. What do you think about that, huh?... Sounds terrible. Awful and unfortunate. Why cant any world have their own problems, huh?Because the upper realms have been working very hard for untold millennia making things bad for us, Aerona said.Yeah but besides that. Aerona just shrugged. So, how bad is it?Thats the thing the factions are both known to the planet and somewhat sympathetic. I heard that Ceretos well, you befriended some of your local factions, at least.True, but the ultimate consequences went beyond just here in the lower realms. I cant say I dont want to sway them to our side, but Devon shook his head. The connection would be from each of these isolated groups to those in the upper realms, not between each other. Then again, Id like to hear what they think. If they even have anyone associated with who we know.I believe the names of the Worthy Shore Society and the Hardened Crown Sect came up.Really? What are the chances of that? Devon frowned, Actually, quite high I would suppose. If theyre the type to send people to dwell in the lower realms, it would make sense they did it more than once. This means well have to get in contact with Syrinx, to see if our part of the Hardened Crown is even interested. Their former sect head yelling at them from the upper realms opened up diplomacy with them again, but Devon shrugged. Its a bit much to ask for them to convince another part of them to join our cause.Thats what people like me are for, Aerona said. Official policy will have to be discussed, of course, but I think we should angle for that connection. Much better than unrelated people showing up and effectively threatening them.It sounds like a delicate process. One which might not concern me directly. But I dont mind going along with someone who has a plan.Plan is a big word, Aerona said. I just want our borders to be secure and our people happy and prosperous. Udre was just as lucky to be found by the Alliance as I was to find you.Pretty sure I was the one who went to Udre Devon grinned.Yes, but if wed relied on you we would have missed out on us, Aerona said. Devon shrugged, I cant really deny that. Id long moved past the desire to look for a partner. Your ability to change my mind on that is part of the reason we do so well together. Devon scratched his head. So for now, we have to wait around for decisions to be made, I suppose.You can always push things one way or another, Aerona pointed out. But yes.To think, this could all have been resolved a long time agoCould it have? Aerona asked. If I recall correctly, the connection to the former Hardened Crown sect head in the upper realms came about some time after our systems came in contact. So if you had rushed into things, you might have begun hopeless negotiations with Nidec.But we could have also completely prevented the transmission of information about Anchoring, I imagine, Devon said. But this is a problem faced perpetually. Speed and caution are at odds with one another, unless one is powerful enough. Even then there can always be harm to others. My grandfather has to deal with that, even though he himself is pretty much untouchable here.And you too, soon enough, Aerona said.Perhaps, Devon said. Though in such a case I would wonder if we might come across another group of similar power. Someone has to be the first to rise to a certain level of power, but we cant guarantee it was us.Thats why you should always stick your best diplomatic foot forward, Aerona said. We look friendly but not weak. Then it doesnt matter if others are weak or strong, an appropriate response can be prepared. Aerona paused for a moment, This means I do need to focus on my personal cultivation, at least for appearances. But as youve said, time will solve that.Devon nodded. Indeed it would. And as far as he was aware, they did still have a good amount of that, and it was best to make proper use of it.
