Chapter 846
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Chapter 846
One by one, Devon flexed his fingers. If he didnt know better, he almost wouldnt have been able to tell which ones were his originals and which were part of the replacement arm. They had the technology to make it blend in, after all. Chikere had been an exception where she hadnt wanted her arm to look entirely natural, but everyone else could get replacement limbs rather easily. And that didnt just mean Devon, with his position of privilege. No, pretty much anyone in the Lower Realms Alliance could- though they wouldnt have an arm that could stand up to an Assimilation level battle like Devons. Not that it would do most people any good if they had an arm that would last beyond their own death.
I should get one of those, Naamah commented.
You dont need one, Treloar pointed out. Better to have a flesh and blood arm you can grow stronger yourself. And if you end up needing a replacement later he shrugged.
Aerona was part of the diplomatic group as well, but unlike with Vrelt, their efforts on Nidec would be focused on familiarity rather than professionality. In short, they wanted those who previously had connections with the Exalted Quadrant to convince their brethren that they would be better off cutting ties with the upper realms.
And Devon would be there, because it wouldnt hurt to have backup. In truth, he found it quite agreeable to be less involved. No spying and the like. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, it wouldnt be necessary.
Were there risks involved, directly interacting with Nidec? Absolutely. They could send information to the upper realms that would be quite troublesome. Then again, perhaps they already had. And if such information had to go somewhere, at least the Exalted Quadrant was probably less bad than the Trigold Cluster. Probably.
Which was the whole point of letting the decent factions that had occupied Ceretos try to convert these people.
Would it result in another war? Devon hoped not. But if it did, the alliance would still be more prepared. Aside from Devons personal growth in strength, fleets were closer in case of an emergency. Not that anyone from Nidec was supposed to know that. Otherwise, it would be a threat- and there were enough of those with the mere existence of Assimilation cultivators.
Speaking of which, Nidec seemed primed to develop their own version of post Life Transformation cultivators that would stay in the lower realms. It seemed they had managed to retain their cultivation techniques beyond the last cycle, and in fact the only reason they hadnt already developed an Assimilation equivalent was because they were so successful with ascensions. But seeing Devon and the others would doubtless inspire them, regardless of whether they actually shared anything.
That was a risk they had to accept, of course. If Nidec grew stronger and chose to be an enemy, they would have to deal with those consequences. But given that Naamah was here, Devon really didnt worry about it too much.
Alright, well, time to go crack some skulls, Naamah said.
If you were talking about anyone outside of your own sect, I would say you should reconsider that being your first option, Treloar said. But I suppose I will trust your judgment as a member of the Hardened Crown Sect. I will be talking with the Worthy Shore Society and some others for much more subdued interactions.
Yeah, well, well see which of us make them join us first.
Its not a race, Treloar said.
You only say that because you think youll lose.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
Devon smiled slightly, looking over at Aerona. She shrugged. At least Treloar took the diplomatic courses, Aerona whispered. Though he was already the kind of person who understood such things
Strangely enough, if Naamah does well it might really change things, Devon commented. If she can convince anyone that its better to side with us, of course.
Well, it is, Aerona pointed out.
Now we just need everyone to believe it.
-----
When the horse whinnied, Three Squeaks thought he might actually get a conversation. What right has a tree rat to tell me what to do? I take no orders from even lions!
Wow. This guy couldnt even recognize meerkats? Rude. Also, he hadnt even slowed down. If you dont stop immediately, we wont be merciful.
The horses response was to speed up. The guy was pretty fast. He was half a kilometer away, and might reach Three Squeaks tree in a dozen seconds or less. Maybe a little more, if other trees got in his way.
Open fire! Three Squeaks called. Everyone, prepare to attack! More than a dozen lions from the Kapok Coalition were present- they hadnt been able to perfectly predict the arrival of this fellow, but they sent some beefier warriors. Three Squeaks shot a few arrows of his own, while others came from the skies. Not terribly many eagles had taken up archery, but those who had were literally untouchable. Any lack of muscle efficiency in their shots was made up for by better cultivation.
Sharphoof didnt charge forward alone, instead he ran along with- and then slightly ahead of- dozens of others from his pack. They ranged from Spirit Building to Essence Collection, at least in a general sense. They might not be proper cultivators, though.
Those on their sides formed into lines, lions reach to move to surround the approaching horses. Especially Sharphoof, who was pulling ahead of the pack. Yes, every single one of their side held their place. And not even a single warthog named Half Oink was charging towards the enemy alone. Because that would be crazy and ruin the whole plan.
So she wouldnt do it. Right?
Three Squeaks didnt let his disbelief stop him from continuing to fire spirit arrows at Sharphoof. If nothing else, he forced the horse to sway back and forth, and he could at least wear down the fellows defensive energy. But he sure had a lot of it. Life Transformation was no joke. It was a good thing they had eagles and some hippos and a variety of everything from the Lower Plains Coalition. And some smarter warthogs.
But there was also Half Oink, who arrived in front of Sharphoof almost immediately. The horse reared back, stomping down on her head and the warthog took it directly to the skull. There was a loud sound as she was struck, and then an explosion of dirt and dust filled the area.
Theyre not even sharp at all! Half Oink squealed through the dust. You lied!
Three Squeaks was glad that his senses could at least make out how she dodged away from his subsequent strikes, and more than that she flailed her tusks at his front legs, actually causing thin lines of blood as her focused natural energy cut through his defenses. Of course, taking a massive blow to her head first thing wasnt a great way for Half Oink to start a battle with a stronger cultivator. She wasnt looking too great, despite her rugged temperament.
Three Squeaks made sure to shoot at the most vulnerable bits of the horses legs, trying to keep him off balance while the eagle archers mainly went for the other horses- who were just engaging with their front lines. Actually, keeping their strongest cultivator away from the front lines was quite valuable it was just far too risky for Half Oink to do.
But as far as sharp went she was a winner in that category. The way she moved her head was not accidental, nor simple animal instinct. Her tusks were blades, honed against more than a few different sorts of enemies. And Half Oink was a proper Essence Collection cultivator now. Three Squeaks could probably take out any of the other combatants if he didnt have to cover her, but with the two of them and Echoing Cry in the skies they were actually winning.
And then, just as swiftly as he arrived, Sharphoof began to leave, turning and charging with his powerful legs. Half Oink couldnt even keep up.
Hey! Three Squeaks said. Did you think I was a liar? Your consequences arent even half done yet! Sure, this horse might cover a kilometer in half a minute or less but that meant Three Squeaks had at least five minutes of shooting at this fellow before he had to take a single step from his tree. Three Squeaks watched the flailing brown mane in disgust and took his time forming an arrow of fire.
It flew through the air, right over the horses back. The tail was ready to try to flick away his attack- but Three Squeaks had arced over it. And while the horse was rather agile, there was only so much he could adjust in a dead sprint. Piercing through his energy, his mane was set on fire. The horse almost immediately threw himself to the ground.
Good. He wasnt ever going to make it back to his own territory. And maybe the rest of the horses would learn to be nicer. Like the zebras. Sure, Three Squeaks didnt know any zebras who were people, but they were still decent.
Half Oinks smaller legs werent meant for long distance running, but even with blood streaming from her forehead she didnt give up the chase- and it took Sharphoof too long to put out the flames upon him.
Looks like it was time for him to learn what actual sharpness was like. It was a shame he hadnt even tried to talk. Why did it always turn out like that? Except for the reef. And the Heavenly Lake. And the leaf insects. And the lemurs. And the Kapok Coalition. Okay, fine, actually most people seemed pretty decent. But why did the bad ones get so strong?
Well, he knew the reasons for that too. Which was why he made sure to have lots of slightly-less-strong friends to make up for that.
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Chapter 846
One by one, Devon flexed his fingers. If he didnt know better, he almost wouldnt have been able to tell which ones were his originals and which were part of the replacement arm. They had the technology to make it blend in, after all. Chikere had been an exception where she hadnt wanted her arm to look entirely natural, but everyone else could get replacement limbs rather easily. And that didnt just mean Devon, with his position of privilege. No, pretty much anyone in the Lower Realms Alliance could- though they wouldnt have an arm that could stand up to an Assimilation level battle like Devons. Not that it would do most people any good if they had an arm that would last beyond their own death.
I should get one of those, Naamah commented.
You dont need one, Treloar pointed out. Better to have a flesh and blood arm you can grow stronger yourself. And if you end up needing a replacement later he shrugged.
Aerona was part of the diplomatic group as well, but unlike with Vrelt, their efforts on Nidec would be focused on familiarity rather than professionality. In short, they wanted those who previously had connections with the Exalted Quadrant to convince their brethren that they would be better off cutting ties with the upper realms.
And Devon would be there, because it wouldnt hurt to have backup. In truth, he found it quite agreeable to be less involved. No spying and the like. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, it wouldnt be necessary.
Were there risks involved, directly interacting with Nidec? Absolutely. They could send information to the upper realms that would be quite troublesome. Then again, perhaps they already had. And if such information had to go somewhere, at least the Exalted Quadrant was probably less bad than the Trigold Cluster. Probably.
Which was the whole point of letting the decent factions that had occupied Ceretos try to convert these people.
Would it result in another war? Devon hoped not. But if it did, the alliance would still be more prepared. Aside from Devons personal growth in strength, fleets were closer in case of an emergency. Not that anyone from Nidec was supposed to know that. Otherwise, it would be a threat- and there were enough of those with the mere existence of Assimilation cultivators.
Speaking of which, Nidec seemed primed to develop their own version of post Life Transformation cultivators that would stay in the lower realms. It seemed they had managed to retain their cultivation techniques beyond the last cycle, and in fact the only reason they hadnt already developed an Assimilation equivalent was because they were so successful with ascensions. But seeing Devon and the others would doubtless inspire them, regardless of whether they actually shared anything.
That was a risk they had to accept, of course. If Nidec grew stronger and chose to be an enemy, they would have to deal with those consequences. But given that Naamah was here, Devon really didnt worry about it too much.
Alright, well, time to go crack some skulls, Naamah said.
If you were talking about anyone outside of your own sect, I would say you should reconsider that being your first option, Treloar said. But I suppose I will trust your judgment as a member of the Hardened Crown Sect. I will be talking with the Worthy Shore Society and some others for much more subdued interactions.
Yeah, well, well see which of us make them join us first.
Its not a race, Treloar said.
You only say that because you think youll lose.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.
Devon smiled slightly, looking over at Aerona. She shrugged. At least Treloar took the diplomatic courses, Aerona whispered. Though he was already the kind of person who understood such things
Strangely enough, if Naamah does well it might really change things, Devon commented. If she can convince anyone that its better to side with us, of course.
Well, it is, Aerona pointed out.
Now we just need everyone to believe it.
-----
When the horse whinnied, Three Squeaks thought he might actually get a conversation. What right has a tree rat to tell me what to do? I take no orders from even lions!
Wow. This guy couldnt even recognize meerkats? Rude. Also, he hadnt even slowed down. If you dont stop immediately, we wont be merciful.
The horses response was to speed up. The guy was pretty fast. He was half a kilometer away, and might reach Three Squeaks tree in a dozen seconds or less. Maybe a little more, if other trees got in his way.
Open fire! Three Squeaks called. Everyone, prepare to attack! More than a dozen lions from the Kapok Coalition were present- they hadnt been able to perfectly predict the arrival of this fellow, but they sent some beefier warriors. Three Squeaks shot a few arrows of his own, while others came from the skies. Not terribly many eagles had taken up archery, but those who had were literally untouchable. Any lack of muscle efficiency in their shots was made up for by better cultivation.
Sharphoof didnt charge forward alone, instead he ran along with- and then slightly ahead of- dozens of others from his pack. They ranged from Spirit Building to Essence Collection, at least in a general sense. They might not be proper cultivators, though.
Those on their sides formed into lines, lions reach to move to surround the approaching horses. Especially Sharphoof, who was pulling ahead of the pack. Yes, every single one of their side held their place. And not even a single warthog named Half Oink was charging towards the enemy alone. Because that would be crazy and ruin the whole plan.
So she wouldnt do it. Right?
Three Squeaks didnt let his disbelief stop him from continuing to fire spirit arrows at Sharphoof. If nothing else, he forced the horse to sway back and forth, and he could at least wear down the fellows defensive energy. But he sure had a lot of it. Life Transformation was no joke. It was a good thing they had eagles and some hippos and a variety of everything from the Lower Plains Coalition. And some smarter warthogs.
But there was also Half Oink, who arrived in front of Sharphoof almost immediately. The horse reared back, stomping down on her head and the warthog took it directly to the skull. There was a loud sound as she was struck, and then an explosion of dirt and dust filled the area.
Theyre not even sharp at all! Half Oink squealed through the dust. You lied!
Three Squeaks was glad that his senses could at least make out how she dodged away from his subsequent strikes, and more than that she flailed her tusks at his front legs, actually causing thin lines of blood as her focused natural energy cut through his defenses. Of course, taking a massive blow to her head first thing wasnt a great way for Half Oink to start a battle with a stronger cultivator. She wasnt looking too great, despite her rugged temperament.
Three Squeaks made sure to shoot at the most vulnerable bits of the horses legs, trying to keep him off balance while the eagle archers mainly went for the other horses- who were just engaging with their front lines. Actually, keeping their strongest cultivator away from the front lines was quite valuable it was just far too risky for Half Oink to do.
But as far as sharp went she was a winner in that category. The way she moved her head was not accidental, nor simple animal instinct. Her tusks were blades, honed against more than a few different sorts of enemies. And Half Oink was a proper Essence Collection cultivator now. Three Squeaks could probably take out any of the other combatants if he didnt have to cover her, but with the two of them and Echoing Cry in the skies they were actually winning.
And then, just as swiftly as he arrived, Sharphoof began to leave, turning and charging with his powerful legs. Half Oink couldnt even keep up.
Hey! Three Squeaks said. Did you think I was a liar? Your consequences arent even half done yet! Sure, this horse might cover a kilometer in half a minute or less but that meant Three Squeaks had at least five minutes of shooting at this fellow before he had to take a single step from his tree. Three Squeaks watched the flailing brown mane in disgust and took his time forming an arrow of fire.
It flew through the air, right over the horses back. The tail was ready to try to flick away his attack- but Three Squeaks had arced over it. And while the horse was rather agile, there was only so much he could adjust in a dead sprint. Piercing through his energy, his mane was set on fire. The horse almost immediately threw himself to the ground.
Good. He wasnt ever going to make it back to his own territory. And maybe the rest of the horses would learn to be nicer. Like the zebras. Sure, Three Squeaks didnt know any zebras who were people, but they were still decent.
Half Oinks smaller legs werent meant for long distance running, but even with blood streaming from her forehead she didnt give up the chase- and it took Sharphoof too long to put out the flames upon him.
Looks like it was time for him to learn what actual sharpness was like. It was a shame he hadnt even tried to talk. Why did it always turn out like that? Except for the reef. And the Heavenly Lake. And the leaf insects. And the lemurs. And the Kapok Coalition. Okay, fine, actually most people seemed pretty decent. But why did the bad ones get so strong?
Well, he knew the reasons for that too. Which was why he made sure to have lots of slightly-less-strong friends to make up for that.
Chapter 846One by one, Devon flexed his fingers. If he didnt know better, he almost wouldnt have been able to tell which ones were his originals and which were part of the replacement arm. They had the technology to make it blend in, after all. Chikere had been an exception where she hadnt wanted her arm to look entirely natural, but everyone else could get replacement limbs rather easily. And that didnt just mean Devon, with his position of privilege. No, pretty much anyone in the Lower Realms Alliance could- though they wouldnt have an arm that could stand up to an Assimilation level battle like Devons. Not that it would do most people any good if they had an arm that would last beyond their own death.I should get one of those, Naamah commented.You dont need one, Treloar pointed out. Better to have a flesh and blood arm you can grow stronger yourself. And if you end up needing a replacement later he shrugged.Aerona was part of the diplomatic group as well, but unlike with Vrelt, their efforts on Nidec would be focused on familiarity rather than professionality. In short, they wanted those who previously had connections with the Exalted Quadrant to convince their brethren that they would be better off cutting ties with the upper realms. And Devon would be there, because it wouldnt hurt to have backup. In truth, he found it quite agreeable to be less involved. No spying and the like. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, it wouldnt be necessary.Were there risks involved, directly interacting with Nidec? Absolutely. They could send information to the upper realms that would be quite troublesome. Then again, perhaps they already had. And if such information had to go somewhere, at least the Exalted Quadrant was probably less bad than the Trigold Cluster. Probably.Which was the whole point of letting the decent factions that had occupied Ceretos try to convert these people. Would it result in another war? Devon hoped not. But if it did, the alliance would still be more prepared. Aside from Devons personal growth in strength, fleets were closer in case of an emergency. Not that anyone from Nidec was supposed to know that. Otherwise, it would be a threat- and there were enough of those with the mere existence of Assimilation cultivators.Speaking of which, Nidec seemed primed to develop their own version of post Life Transformation cultivators that would stay in the lower realms. It seemed they had managed to retain their cultivation techniques beyond the last cycle, and in fact the only reason they hadnt already developed an Assimilation equivalent was because they were so successful with ascensions. But seeing Devon and the others would doubtless inspire them, regardless of whether they actually shared anything.That was a risk they had to accept, of course. If Nidec grew stronger and chose to be an enemy, they would have to deal with those consequences. But given that Naamah was here, Devon really didnt worry about it too much.Alright, well, time to go crack some skulls, Naamah said.If you were talking about anyone outside of your own sect, I would say you should reconsider that being your first option, Treloar said. But I suppose I will trust your judgment as a member of the Hardened Crown Sect. I will be talking with the Worthy Shore Society and some others for much more subdued interactions.Yeah, well, well see which of us make them join us first.Its not a race, Treloar said.You only say that because you think youll lose.NvlRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Novln.Devon smiled slightly, looking over at Aerona. She shrugged. At least Treloar took the diplomatic courses, Aerona whispered. Though he was already the kind of person who understood such thingsStrangely enough, if Naamah does well it might really change things, Devon commented. If she can convince anyone that its better to side with us, of course.Well, it is, Aerona pointed out.Now we just need everyone to believe it.-----When the horse whinnied, Three Squeaks thought he might actually get a conversation. What right has a tree rat to tell me what to do? I take no orders from even lions!Wow. This guy couldnt even recognize meerkats? Rude. Also, he hadnt even slowed down. If you dont stop immediately, we wont be merciful.The horses response was to speed up. The guy was pretty fast. He was half a kilometer away, and might reach Three Squeaks tree in a dozen seconds or less. Maybe a little more, if other trees got in his way.Open fire! Three Squeaks called. Everyone, prepare to attack! More than a dozen lions from the Kapok Coalition were present- they hadnt been able to perfectly predict the arrival of this fellow, but they sent some beefier warriors. Three Squeaks shot a few arrows of his own, while others came from the skies. Not terribly many eagles had taken up archery, but those who had were literally untouchable. Any lack of muscle efficiency in their shots was made up for by better cultivation.Sharphoof didnt charge forward alone, instead he ran along with- and then slightly ahead of- dozens of others from his pack. They ranged from Spirit Building to Essence Collection, at least in a general sense. They might not be proper cultivators, though.Those on their sides formed into lines, lions reach to move to surround the approaching horses. Especially Sharphoof, who was pulling ahead of the pack. Yes, every single one of their side held their place. And not even a single warthog named Half Oink was charging towards the enemy alone. Because that would be crazy and ruin the whole plan.So she wouldnt do it. Right?Three Squeaks didnt let his disbelief stop him from continuing to fire spirit arrows at Sharphoof. If nothing else, he forced the horse to sway back and forth, and he could at least wear down the fellows defensive energy. But he sure had a lot of it. Life Transformation was no joke. It was a good thing they had eagles and some hippos and a variety of everything from the Lower Plains Coalition. And some smarter warthogs.But there was also Half Oink, who arrived in front of Sharphoof almost immediately. The horse reared back, stomping down on her head and the warthog took it directly to the skull. There was a loud sound as she was struck, and then an explosion of dirt and dust filled the area.Theyre not even sharp at all! Half Oink squealed through the dust. You lied!Three Squeaks was glad that his senses could at least make out how she dodged away from his subsequent strikes, and more than that she flailed her tusks at his front legs, actually causing thin lines of blood as her focused natural energy cut through his defenses. Of course, taking a massive blow to her head first thing wasnt a great way for Half Oink to start a battle with a stronger cultivator. She wasnt looking too great, despite her rugged temperament.Three Squeaks made sure to shoot at the most vulnerable bits of the horses legs, trying to keep him off balance while the eagle archers mainly went for the other horses- who were just engaging with their front lines. Actually, keeping their strongest cultivator away from the front lines was quite valuable it was just far too risky for Half Oink to do.But as far as sharp went she was a winner in that category. The way she moved her head was not accidental, nor simple animal instinct. Her tusks were blades, honed against more than a few different sorts of enemies. And Half Oink was a proper Essence Collection cultivator now. Three Squeaks could probably take out any of the other combatants if he didnt have to cover her, but with the two of them and Echoing Cry in the skies they were actually winning. And then, just as swiftly as he arrived, Sharphoof began to leave, turning and charging with his powerful legs. Half Oink couldnt even keep up.Hey! Three Squeaks said. Did you think I was a liar? Your consequences arent even half done yet! Sure, this horse might cover a kilometer in half a minute or less but that meant Three Squeaks had at least five minutes of shooting at this fellow before he had to take a single step from his tree. Three Squeaks watched the flailing brown mane in disgust and took his time forming an arrow of fire.It flew through the air, right over the horses back. The tail was ready to try to flick away his attack- but Three Squeaks had arced over it. And while the horse was rather agile, there was only so much he could adjust in a dead sprint. Piercing through his energy, his mane was set on fire. The horse almost immediately threw himself to the ground.Good. He wasnt ever going to make it back to his own territory. And maybe the rest of the horses would learn to be nicer. Like the zebras. Sure, Three Squeaks didnt know any zebras who were people, but they were still decent. Half Oinks smaller legs werent meant for long distance running, but even with blood streaming from her forehead she didnt give up the chase- and it took Sharphoof too long to put out the flames upon him.Looks like it was time for him to learn what actual sharpness was like. It was a shame he hadnt even tried to talk. Why did it always turn out like that? Except for the reef. And the Heavenly Lake. And the leaf insects. And the lemurs. And the Kapok Coalition. Okay, fine, actually most people seemed pretty decent. But why did the bad ones get so strong?Well, he knew the reasons for that too. Which was why he made sure to have lots of slightly-less-strong friends to make up for that.
