Chapter 887 - How long remains? (Patreon)

“How long remains?”

“Three or so hours.”

“Well, that is awkward.”

“Fuck you.”

“As someone with such feeble stats, I would not be so… punchable right now.”

“I have spent more years honing my martial arts than your entire civilization has existed.”

“There is that one meme I feel I could us-”

“I will punch you.”

“Typical woman when losing an argument.”

“Something tells me you would be burned at the stake if someone else from Earth heard what you just said.”

“I usually only subject myself to my best jokes. And I have been threatened with worse. But, look, I am not good at these things, so I mostly just act as my normal self. I do not know what else to say to… well… you know… help with these things.”

“What you are doing is okay… I appreciate it.”

“Enough to unlock mid pristine rarity in my system shop?”

“Dream on.”

“As expected. Is Diligence dealing with the situation?”

“Him, Humility, Temperance, and Patience.”

“Will you get shouted at?”

“It’s okay. Long term, I did more than any of them. I deserve to take a break once in a while.”

“So, yes?”

“They will be reminding me of this for decades.”

“And what happens now?”

“I do not know.”

“You what?”

“I mean, I have ideas, and there are contingencies we have prepared that they can choose from. But as I said, I am currently entirely without my powers. Even summoning you here was triggered by an item with a charge. I cannot even see what is happening outside.”

“I can respect that. And this place? I was always curious but never asked.”

“It is usually called Sanctuary. You can start working on your own as a peak Absolute. If you get there.”

“Is this an official name, or can I give it my own?”

“You do not like it?”

“Not that much. It sounds like a place where you run to when you become powerless to do anything else.”

“…”

“And now you stay quiet. Did it bring up a thought you never considered?”

“Just shut up.”

“I swear, some of you look even more inept than I thought. Like you do not even give things proper thought and just roll with things.”

“What a stupid and arrogant thing to say, coming from someone younger than most of my clothes.”

“It is your problem that you cannot get with the times and dress more modern.”

“I will punch you.”

“Oh no! Granny, please, do not! You will tear your clothes, which are so ol-ouch… what are you…doing? You asshole, you think I won’t fight you back!? Ouch. Stop! No, no, not my right arm, break the left!… Ouch, I will stop, I will stop. I was only joking!”

“I warned you.”

“What the fuck were those movements? Are you a mantis or something? But I bet I could fight you if I spent 700 days in mental training instead of 690.”

“You could not.”

“I could not, but it is a nice thought. Do you have more of that tasty wine?”

“You shattered it all.”

“I would never. You must be wrong, and it was someone else. By the way… did it really have such a value?”

“Yes.”

“Fuuuuuuck.”

“I was saving some of them for hundreds of years.”

“I could use a rag to wipe some from the floor and squeeze it into the glass. Do you think I would be able to sell it then?”

“I do not think that someone with that kind of wealth would go so low as to drink it, even if it is that rare.”

“I would not tell them about the rag-squeezing part.”

“Be my guest then.”

“Okay, okay… damn, some of them are mixed together. Oh, can you give me a piece of your sleeve or something? I cannot use my clothes as they are not that clean and-”

“Sure.”

“Oh, a big piece of your sleeve, wow, the cloth feels nice. Is it expensive?”

“Yes. If I see you trying to sell it as something the Ruler of Greed used to wear, I will kill you.”

“I would never-”

“Do not lie to me.”

“Okay, okay, maybe I would, but why do you have to be such an ass and not allow it? It’s not like it will cost you anything.”

“I will punch you.”

“I bet Kindness wouldn’t mind… ouch, ouch, my arm, my arm! How are you so fast?! I said break the left one if you have to! I was joking, I was joking. Look, look, I am even wiping your floor now. Do you have any vials I could use? In one of the drawers of your table, maybe?”

“Each of the drawers is a Spatial Cache.”

“What?”

“You heard what I said. Though the compression is not that high. It was something gifted to me long ago.”

“Is it not… too expensive?”

“Are you saying that such a nice gift is wasted on me?”

“You are hearing things again. Why would you not rather have a few more pouches or a purse you could carry with you?”

“It is spatially locked to my Sanctuary, so they could omit some of the enchantments, and that made the production simpler and faster. But yes, it is very valuable.”

“How valuable?”

“You truly are an avaricious person, are you not?”

“I don’t even know what that word means.”

“Someone who has an obsessive desire for wealth.”

“Oh. Not really then? In the end, it is all just things that come and go. They might be useful at times, though, and if I have an opportunity, why would I not use them?”

“I saw your records.”

“My actions do not make my words untrue, and actually, they might even confirm them.”

“I guess.”

“Plus, I just asked for some vials, and you started bragging right away. So, are you not the ever-vicious person here?”

“I will punch you.”

“Was that a smile? It was, was it not? Do you also like a good lame joke? And when I say lame, it is not to put it down. I am someone who highly appreciates them.”

“...you have a pretty smile.”

“My mom used to say that when I smile, I look like the happiest little gremlin to ever exist.”

“That is a very good comparison. I think it just looks so true and honest I cannot help but feel my eyes pulled to it. You know, like there is no other intention, nor is it forced. Just a pure, happy smile.”

“I guess. Though, tell that to me when I start smiling in the middle of a fight at some guy who pissed me off.”

“Heh. I guess it is two kinds of smiles then. I just know which one I like more.”

“If you decided to flirt with me, you could at least give me a vial or a few bottles of that drink.”

“There are trillions of men that would fall at my feet if I wanted them to do so-”

“Here you go, bragging again.”

“-much nicer men. Much more handsome men. Much more stable and reasonable men. And in between them, millions of them with more power than you-”

“This is starting to be rude.”

“-so why would I flirt with you?”

“I guess.”

“Moreover, you don't look like you've got long left, so why waste my precious time? Five more years? Maybe you can stretch it to seven?”

“Something like that.”

“It seems we’re in a similar position. Still refusing to tell me what you’re planning?”

“Nope.”

“Have it your way then.”

“I will. What about Lissandra?”

“She… she left somewhere, and we cannot track her anymore. We suspect it is one of her repositories that might have remained undiscovered ever since the fall of Eladore.”

“One even you do not know about?”

“I wasn't privy to all of Master Lissandra's secrets. There were surely armories and laboratories she kept isolated from Eladore, because of the danger they held.”

“Even to a planet like Eladore?”

“Not the planet. Eladore is one of the most powerful ones in the universe. It was more likely because of the dangers to the population.”

“Is that not kind of fucked up, with how the average Champion there was likely powerful enough to defeat an Absolute?”

“It is, as you said, fucked up.”

“Well, I should have expected that. And what does it mean that the planet is powerful?”

“I want to ask you one thing before I answer.”

“Go ahead.”

“During your conversation with her, you mentioned that place being yours. Then, instead of heading straight to Eladore, she went to some other place to stay there until her body accepts her new heart. Did you talk about Eladore?”

“Yup. If you wanted it, you would already have taken it, so do not change your mind now.”

“I would never… but as for your answer, a more powerful planet mainly means it is more durable. On Eladore, for example, I could walk with my presence fully unleashed and in my true body without it breaking the planet. If I did that on your planet, just my presence would cause catastrophic damage, and after a while, it would exterminate all life on the planet. On powerful planets that have gone through many pairings or other sorts of strengthenings, our powers spread slower. There is much more ambient mana, the planets are bigger, the materials you can gather there are of much higher quality, and the animals become more powerful.”

“What would happen if you moved all people from Earth to Eladore or if they paired now?”

“Nothing good. Currently, as they are now, all of them would die, other than people who went through the tutorial, the ones clearing dungeons, or those leveling up.”

“Well, I will think of something. Can an Absolute aid that process?”

“How annoying.”

“What?”

“You always ask the right sort of questions. Many of my disciples did not even think of asking some of them. And yes, if the pairing is in progress and you kill an enemy Absolute, you can aid the process through a Sovereign Spark. The enemy world’s spark will cooperate with you until someone else claims it or until it merges with your world’s and fully comes under your control. Powerful Absolutes can, through a Sovereign Spark, shift the continents during the Pairing. You can put all the continents of both worlds next to each other or separate them with a sea and then take over the other world’s territory. Without their Absolute, it is an easy thing to do. Though, if anyone does that, be careful. Sometimes Absolutes separate them by such a distance so they can destroy them without hurting the people from their own.”

“That is fucked up.”

“I did that once.”

“I… I see.”

“I was young, much weaker then. It was after Master Lissandra died and before I became a Ruler. They killed many of the people I befriended. It was so easy, I had already killed their Absolute, and no one could face me. I offered them mercy, but they still tried to poison the planet and fought until the last moment. I do not even remember the name of that planet.”

“I would probably do the same.”

“Would you now?”

“Likely. So, how much time remains?”

“Quite a while,” she says, and as I sit on the armrest of her chair, she rests her head against me.

I do not push her away, and we stay like this. I even reach out and caress the back of her head, curious what expression she might be making under her hair.

The rest of the time we stay like that, someone throwing in a sentence or two to fill the silence. Usually just silly things, but once in a while, things that feel like we have not told anyone else.

I think I know what she meant when she said she is in a similar position to me, but even now, I do not push her or ask about it.

So we just talk as if we are confessing to each other before death, and I do not think we will have such a conversation ever again. Once this is over, we will go back to how we were previously. I will keep these words to myself and myself only, and she will do the same.

I think we both believe the other is silly or straight up stupid, though neither one says it out loud.

I also know she can use her powers. Even though she put them somewhere else, she took some of my mana to use it for telekinesis previously. She could likely easily take more of it again to send me away, and she used that telekinesis to reveal that to me. It is a slight hint that I do not have to stay here.

Yet, I do not ask her for that and continue to pretend.

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