Endless Forest, Blood tree grove. Two weeks later.
It was a beautiful morning. Adam was currently reading a book while refining his body. He's still in tier 4, but he has made good progress. Unlike others, he can multitask due to Zero. Zero can control mana even better than he can. The only thing Zero needs is for Adam to do it a few times to learn how.
Due to Zero being his subconscious, whatever he can consciously do, it can do as well. Not only that, it can do it even better than him due to its greater processing power. This was something he has not thought of when he first arrived. But it is now obvious when he thinks about it. His subconscious can process many times the amount of information his mind can. If he uses his mind to interact with mana, it's a given that his subconscious can do it as well, and even better than he does.
He's excited for the time when he starts treading his magus path. While others need to slowly connect with the elements and meditate upon their usage of mana; he could potentially do all that and more while relaxing.
While thinking about how easy it will be for him to advance through the tiers, he's interrupted by a scream of rage, desperation, and repentance.
"Aaarrrghh! Boss! I said I'm sorry already. Pleeease. Stop with the water spraying. I haven't drunk any wine and liquor in two weeks, and I have to hide every time I want to nap. Please. I'm sorry..." Sobs could be heard amidst the begging coming from Elena.
Adam looks over and sees Elena drenched with the Maid right behind her holding two spray bottles. One only needs to observe the glint in Cat-lady's eyes to know that she's greatly enjoying her current position of power.
Ignoring her plight, Adam returns to his book while petting Ghost and Jag, who were napping near him. "Don't worry Elena. Hardships will temper you. This is all for your wellbeing."
A flash of despair flashed across Elena's face. "Boss..please."
He looks at her for a moment then closes his book and stands. "Fine. Your punishment will end once we head to our meeting with the monkey king." He walks back to the cabin, ignoring the puppy eyes the maid was giving him.
"Thanks, boss! I promise I won't stab you again" Adam glares at her. "I mean, I'm very sorry." Elena gives him her best impression of puppy eyes. Something she's miserably failing given her amazonian temperament. It felt like a bulky bodybuilder trying to act cute. Shiver-inducing.
Back inside the cabin, he enters his tent and heads to his bedroom to pick up Tank and change his clothes. Switching his robe for his leather armor and weapons, he then walks over to Tank's rock, where the turtle was currently sleeping. Activating its floating bed, he picks the turtle up and places it on the platform. Done with his prepping, he leaves the tent and places it in his holding bag. Along with any of his belongings lying around the cabin.
Stepping back out, he takes out a lounge chair and lies down to enjoy the sun and wind caressing his face. About an hour later, he hears footsteps heading his way. Opening his eyes, he spots Rock, the council representative, heading his way. Yawning and stretching, he gets up and puts the lounge chair back in his bag.
"Are we ready to leave for the monkey king?" He asks the rep.
Rock nods "Whenever you're ready we can leave."
Adam nods "Good." He whistles for his companions to gather. Hearing wings flapping, he looks up only to spot Onyx heading for him in a nosedive. Stretching his arm, he waits for the Hawk to land. In the meantime, Elena and the maid have both come to his side. He looks at them and informs them "We're leaving. Elena do you have all your belongings on you?"
Hearing his question, Elena grinds her teeth. "My belongings? Do you mean the tent you so graciously allowed David to take? Or maybe that sleeping bag he left me? Which is way too small by the way."
Adam cocks an eyebrow and gives her a look. "Oh? You sound dissatisfied with me. Maybe you need to cool yourself. I wonder, how can we cool you down." He looks at the maid. "Cat, do you have any idea?" The maid hearing his question regains her earlier fervor and pulls out the spray bottles from her bag.
Elena and the cubs shiver upon seeing the spray bottles. "I mean. Yeah! I got everything packed and ready to go, boss!" She says with way more enthusiasm than necessary.
Adam nods then looks at Rock, who seemed amused at their interaction. "We're ready. We'll follow your lead. Elena carry the maid while we run. I'll take care of the cubs if they tire midway."
"Oh, I have to carry pussycat? My pleasure." She smiles, then smirks when she sees the look of fear on the maid.
The group begins running, going deeper into the forest. They were heading for a mountain nearby, where the monkey king set up his lair. About half a day of running later, they reach the foot of the targeted mountain, where a path to the top was visible. The path was paved with stone allowing one to comfortably walk without fear of slipping. Stopping at the foot, Adam drops the cubs, who were napping on his back. Elena unceremoniously drops the maid, earning her a glare from the latter.
Rock looks at the group and explains "Sir Adam can head up while the rest can wait down here."
Adam looks at him with a questioning gaze "And why is that? I don't trust you enough to head up and meet with a tier 8 without my attendant."
Rock chuckles in embarrassment "It's because the monkey king is....eccentric. The more people present, the more time we'll be stuck up there. How do I put it...." He looks around, avoiding the group's gaze. A while later he decided to stop wasting time and explains directly "The monkey king is always bored and loves to throw random celebrations. Coming with a group will only give him a reason to throw one and delay us for a while. His celebrations can last up to a month..." He looks away in a daze as if he was recalling fond and fearsome memories all at once.
Adam shakes his head. "I do not care. They'll be coming with me. As for celebration and whatnot, we'll simply leave once we're done with our business."
Rock looks at him with a pleading gaze. Seeing no change in Adam's expression, he slumps his shoulders and starts walking up the path while muttering inaudibly to himself. "Simply leave he says...crazy...''
Adam ignores his mumblings and proceeds to walk on the path followed by a curious Elena and a sore Cat-lady. The cubs were following groggily, having just woken up from their nap on Adam's back. Onyx was following from up high, and Tank was sleeping in the sling hanging from Adam's shoulder.
The more they walk the more signs of civilization they spot. Sitting areas along the path, railings preventing people from falling, and many other small things. They also saw many monkeys as well as monkey beastmen of all kinds. The majority were female. The ratio was about 8 to 2, female to male.
He asks Rock "Is there a city up there? And why are there so many women? "
Rock shrugs "The king is lascivious. He doesn't force anyone of course but he doesn't need to. His lineage is irresistible to anyone with direct relation to primates. The men are here to party as well as stay near the strongest primate on Aurora, and the females are simply here out of animal attraction. Some wish for children, while others are just lustful. The King accepts them all."
Adam got confused for a second. "Doesn't the council restrict people from intruding on the monkey's territory? and what of the beast in the surrounding areas?"
Rock answers him. "There are some monkeys and beastmen who make trips to the outside regularly to drop off anyone who wishes to leave. And pick up whoever wants to come. It is very rare for someone to leave. They live here without care after all, why would they leave. Of course, this is not the only city of the monkey king. At every blood tree grove, there will be a city nearby. Not every one of them is bustling, however, given the limited amount of monkey beastmen. Those are the only ones he allows to live near him. He refuses anyone else, including humans."
Adam was at a loss for words. He thought the council was basically enslaving the beasts, but it seems that certain concessions are allowed as long as they do their jobs properly. Well, now that he thinks about it, it makes sense. At his strength, the monkey king is no longer a regular beast but a full-fledged, thinking, and sapient living being. To treat him as a regular beast is only asking for trouble further down the line.
As they near the halfway point of the mountain, they start spotting more people. Most of them recognized Rock and bowed slightly whenever he passed by. He would wave his hands at them, but never stopped walking.
At half point, they spot a city built into the mountain. Half of the city was on the mountain overlooking the forest below from its vantage point, while the other half was dug in the mountain. Everything, from the gates to the roads down to the buildings were made from stone. There were vines and the like spread throughout, giving a touch of green to the grey of the rock.
Surprisingly, Adam noticed that the buildings were in the style of the Chinese empire from his past world. While curious as to the reason, he did not care enough to ask. He realized once he came to Aurora that humans and their cultures are basically endless. There were bound to be copies spread around the cosmos.
"So, where's the monkey king located?" He asks his guide.
Rock points at the city "He's inside the inner part of the city." He then points at the mountain peak. "He makes his brand of wine on the mountain peak."
"Good. Then let's head in and get our wine. I don't wish to stay longer than necessary." Adam reminds his Rock.
Rock looks at him oddly then shakes his head. "You will probably end up stuck celebrating here for a while."
Adam shoots him a glance. "You're not making sense. Look." He gestures at the city and its many denizens. "By your logic, he would be partying constantly. Why would he need to wait for someone to come and see him to celebrate?"
Rock shakes his head with a wry smile. "That's the thing. He IS constantly partying. I have been here for years, and I have never once seen him not have a drink in hand while surrounded by dancers."
This statement stunned the whole group for a while. Gathering his bearings, Adam replies. "No matter. Drinking, dancing, I don't care. Now let's get going." Adam whistles for Onyx to come down. He had the hawk stay on Elena's shoulder. Once Onyx was with them started walking towards the stone city.
The city itself had no form of defense. No walls or watchtowers. Nothing. It does make sense though. This is deep in the monkey king's territory. Any beasts wishing to invade would have to cross the forest filled with monkeys before reaching the mountain. They would then have to deal with a tier 8 monkey king if they wanted to leave with whatever spoils of war they wished to appropriate.
Once in the city, Adam notices there are no stores and the like. Only various areas where people were cooking or fabricating various objects and clothing. At every moment a monkey would seemingly drop from the sky with fruits or dead beasts for food.
He asks Rock. "That can't possibly be sustainable. What the hell is going on?"
Roch shrugs. "Nothing. You haven't seen it, but there are a few fruit and livestock farms on the other side of the mountain. Include the forest, and there's more than enough for everyone to eat their fill. The King does not wish for any kind of currency. He says it's one of the causes of human treachery." He chuckles slightly.
Adam shakes his head slightly. He can tell that while the monkey king was more than a beast, he still retains some of his animalistic thinking. While the concept of currency has indeed caused many wars and various other tragedies, it has also facilitated human advancement. You can't create a thriving civilization with bartering as a base. Some sort of currency has to exist.
Walking through the city, they can hear various people indulging in debauchery. While they can't see them, they can hear them clearly in between the buildings or inside them. Adam shakes his head at the lawlessness of the city. While there was no violence, it was not much better. At least violence pushes one to better themselves, or they die. Here? Just stagnation. Everyone is living like a beast, eating and f*cking.
Grabbing a fruit that looks like a mango from a random gathering, Adam peels it and starts eating as he heads deeper into the city. A few times some beastmen and women accosted them. Inviting them to eat and have fun, with a lascivious smile. Every time, Adam would gesture at Elena to take care of them. The tame ones would receive a glare while the insistent ones get kicked away.
About half an hour later; They get into the inner area of the city. Unlike the noisy outside, it was quiet inside. With a lot fewer people. And the ones here were only monkeys and monkey beastwomen. No men whatsoever. The monkeys were only here to drop food, drinks, and the like. From this sight, it was obvious the monkey king considered this whole area his harem's living place.
The women were all dressed in harem clothing. Jewel-encrusted bras covered by see-through long-sleeved tops of various colors that stopped above the belly button. At the bottom, they wore low-cut pants that had openings on the side showcasing their thighs. The pants were slightly puffy above the knees and stopped a few inches below the knees. As for footwear, they wore sandals. And just like their bras, they also had jewels here and there.
The reason Adam was so focused on their clothing is that he was planning to get some made for any lady friends he had in the future. Although he did not care much for the monkey king's way of life, he had to admit he knew how to make his women look pretty. He shot a glance at Elena and asked her.
"Elena, do you also have such clothes for your lovers?"
Elena looked at the ladies parading around and snorted slightly. "While I don't like men who are full of themselves, I do not want any of my lovers to be walking around looking like flowers. Although I do have some matching clothes I like them to wear on certain occasions.'' She did not elaborate, lost in her depraved thoughts. How does he know they were depraved thoughts? She was drooling slightly, and her hand was approaching her genitals.
He gestures at the maid. The maid seeing his gesture, instantly understood. "Arrrgh! Boss!! She sprayed me!! You have to let me punish her!" Elena screamed and pointed at the maid who was looking away.
Adam kept walking, following the guide. "I did not see it."
Elena kept glaring at the back of the maid's head all the way to the mansion. Adam ignored his attendant's shenanigans and waited for the guide to lead them in. Stopping by the mansion's gated fence, they are greeted by bulky monkeys standing guard. Rock approaches them and speaks a few words to them. One of the guard monkeys screeches at a nearby smaller monkey, who then heads inside.
Returning to the group, Rock informs them. "It shouldn't be long before we meet with the king.'' He hesitates for a moment, then adds. "The king can get under your skin if you let him. Try not to take everything seriously."
Adam nods back. "No worries. I'm not stupid enough to offend a tier 8 with how weak I currently am." He looks at Elena. "Have you ever met the monkey king?"
Elena shakes her head "No I have not. But I've heard about him. Some say he was born in a cultivation world but got kidnapped by the council heads. He has some weird abilities so it is hard to consider him purely a beast. I assume those abilities are related to his origin. If you're wondering if I can fight him? I'm not sure. Physically? We're probably not far apart, but if we add in his esoteric abilities then he'll probably beat me. He can't stop me from escaping though, so it's not a life-threatening situation."
Adam raises a brow at what he heard. "Kidnapped? And how do you know that?"
Elena shrugs. "People talk."
Adam ignored her non-answer and looks at Rock who was paying attention to their conversation. "Anything you'd like to add?"
Rock shook his head. "Not really. Even if you offend him, not much will happen. He knows not to offend the council. As long as you don't attack him, you're safe. But like I said, he likes to get under people's skin. Despite him being a beast, the council still values him greatly. I don't really know why. Some say it's because he occasionally provides the council with some of his blood for them to use but I'm not sure if that is the real reason."
"Ho? Is that the bloodline you used for yourself?"
Rock nods in agreement. "Yes. Not many can integrate with it though. The reason for that is unknown. I personally believe that the King has control over who can join his lineage."
"And that does not bother you? Having someone in control of your bloodline, the source of your strength?" Adam asks him curiously.
The monkey magus shakes his head. "Not really. The stronger you get, the less he can influence you. And even then, the amount of influence he can exert without it being fatal is limited. He could sap someone's strength or even seal their abilities but he knows that the council will simply kill him and harvest his body for anything they can use if he starts acting crazy. They can't risk some of their stronger assets falling under some beast's control after all. The same goes for most other bloodline magi who have bloodlines from stronger beasts. At my current strength, the most he can do is compel me to listen to him. And just that, listen, not comply. He can't order me against my will."
Adam knew of all this beforehand, but hearing it firsthand gave him a new perspective. He's glad that such things don't apply with slimes. The last thing he needs is some slime ancestor appearing out of nowhere to claim him as part of its lineage. While they can reproduce by fragmentation, that does not make the new slimes actual descendants, only clones. Each original slime (from nature, not fragmentation) is its own being. The only danger slimes pose to each other is assimilation.
A while later they get permission to head in the manor. The manor from the outside looked proper, but the inside was a different story. There were no walls or separate rooms, only a single giant area. Almost like the builder only wanted it to look nice from the outside but did not care for the inside.
Adam guessed it was at the monkey king's request. It was probably the same for the buildings spread around the city outside. His goal is probably to imitate civilization, to show the world he's not a beast.
In Adam's opinion, this only emphasizes his beastly nature. It would be better for the king to live as he would normally instead of acting like something he's not. People would not judge him for it, he was a powerhouse after all. And those who would judge him are either ignorant weaklings or stronger powerhouses. In either case, it wouldn't matter.
Due to the nature of the building, Adam could spot the king as soon as he came in. He was seated on a stone throne situated on a raised platform accessible by stairs. He was being taken care of by multiple scantily dressed females. Monkeys and beastwomen alike. They were dressed like the ones he saw earlier outside.
They were feeding him fruits and meat, pouring wine in his mouth on demand, massaging various parts of his body, and some were also dancing to music being played by other scantily dressed women. Truly a picture of debauchery at its finest.
Rock seemed used to the scene, as he simply kept walking and ignoring the beckoning ladies. He seemed well known and popular among the group of ladies. The monkey king did not even look at them when they came in, only now glancing at them from the side when they got closer.
He then spoke to Rock while groping some of the ladies.
"Would you look at that? Rock! The kid I never wanted but got stuck with. Are you here to get some allowance from Daddy Sun? Here come greet your stepmothers, and I might feel generous. You are my darling, unwanted, and ugly kid after all." He spoke genially as if he truly believed Rock to be his kid.
Elena had to hold back a snicker while Adam simply raised a brow at the attitude. Rock on the other had a vein bulging on his forehead. He was used to the attitude. But to be embarrassed like that in front of Adam was truly too much. Adam was a special student after all. Rock wanted to keep a good relationship with him. Something hard to achieve if looked like an idiot.
Hearing the surrounding ladies giggling, Rock finally could not take it anymore. "Ugly? ME?! Look at yourself!! You look like a carpet with a face. You damned monkey!! The day I took in your bloodline is the day I gave up my dignity!! Ahh, how young and stupid I was. Truly stupid. I mean I got bamboozled by YOU out of all people. It's just like you to be a creepy old monkey luring youngsters. I should have followed my friends and looked for a dragon bloodline. Even a garden snake would have been a better option than being related to YOU!"
The group in the meantime was shocked by the rant. It truly felt like something that came out from the deepest part of his heart. He probably held on to that for a while...
The monkey king's face changed upon hearing Rock. Eyes wide, teeth bared, nostrils flaring. Even his ears were wiggling a bit. All in all, despite what Rock said, the monkey king truly was handsome, if you take away the current anger on his face of course. Golden silky fur. Human-like face. Golden circlet on his forehead along with matching golden armor. Golden vambraces and boots as well. He looked heroic.
"You unfilial kid!! Watch me teach you some manners. I knew the human part of you was the problem!! If I don't spank your ass until people mistake you for a baboon, my name won't be Sun Wukong!! Come, come let Daddy Sun teach you respect. Ahhhhh, what would your dear mother say if she saw you." The now named monkey king was lamenting to the sky as if he has been greatly wronged.
Rock at this point was panting in rage. Despite his earlier advice to Adam, he was the one who let the king get under his skin. Elena at this point could not hold it in and was clutching her stomach laughing while Adam was shocked by the name he had just heard.
'Did he say Sun Wukong? Isn't he part of the Chinese pantheon? Did the Ascendants really kidnap a foreign God and imprison him here?' he looked at the surroundings for a moment. Women, alcohol, and food. 'Maybe imprison is the wrong term, but still...That's surprising. I wonder if there are other mythological beings in Aurora. I'll have to scrutinize the council database more closely.' While Adam was observing the mythological monkey king of legend, Rock was screaming obscenities at him.
"Pfft! You goddamned dirty furred chimp. ME? YOUR kid? You wish!! Everyone knows you shoot blanks. HAHAHAHAHA. And my mother, bless her soul, would have not even kept you as a pet were she alive. Come on. Ask Uncle Rock, and I'll teach you how to father kids."
Rock grabs his junk and swings back and forth. "You know how many kids I got. Come come, I'll teach you how if you call me father. It's easy. Are you even putting it in the right hole? Who knows, with all that fur you probably got sh*t aim. Is that why you smell so bad? You've been putting it in the stink instead of the pink? HAHAHA, stinky sh*t-d*ck chimp. HAHAHA."
Sun Wukong got shocked speechless for a second before his face turned red. "What did you say to me?! I got beautiful fur!!" He took out a small red stick from behind his ear. The stick transformed into a staff, with which he proceeded to beat Rock. Rock was still laughing and calling him names while getting beaten.
While things were turning crazy, Adam was more interested in the staff. The council probably has descriptions of the monkey king's equipment. He'll have to check it out if he doesn't forget. Now tired of the nonsense, he gestures at Elena who was cheering and laughing on the side.
Elena seeing Adam gesturing at her, takes out a steel marble. She flicks the marble at the monkey king at high speed, like a bullet. Sun Wukong, true to his legend and strength, flicked the marble back with his staff without even looking. Elena simply tilted her head, avoiding the otherwise deadly shot.
Sun Wukong on the other hand gave Rock a few more hits then stood up, straightening his fur and returning to his seat. Rock was on the floor moaning in pain.
Once seated, he looks at Adam. Adam was standing at the front, being the obvious leader. "So little man. Why did you come with my unfilial son? Did you wish to be adopted by me too? You're too ugly. Not enough fur."
Adam doesn't even bother responding to the provocation. He takes out his badge and shows it to the monkey king. The monkey king seeing the badge lets out a whistle. "Look at that. We got Mr.Bigshot over here." He looks at the ladies around him. "What're you doing ladies. Can't you see bigshot over there? Go Go, please him. Treat him like you would treat Rock if he was misbehaving. Give him a few spanks. From the look on his face, he will enjoy it greatly."
Adam's left eye twitches slightly. "Give me two vats of your wine. I don't have time for your nonsense." He was going to ask a few questions on his story and how he got here, but given his attitude, he figured he might get an aneurysm before he can get anything worthwhile.
Sun waves a nearby monkey to go get the wine. "Don't worry Mr.Bigshot, you'll get the wine. Don't want you complaining to those old farts after all."
He guessed the old farts mentioned here were the Ascendants. Seeing a chance to ask a question, Adam asks him. "Speaking of the Council Heads. How did you get here? I heard about you. Sun Wukong. King of the Flower Mountain. Born from a stone that fell from the heavens. Or so the legend says."
The monkey king, hearing Adam, perks up. "Oooh! You've heard of this King? Tell me what legendary feats of mine have you heard of? Are you perhaps an admirer of mine?"
He gets up and does a pose. Fist on his hips while looking at the sky. "You probably feel overwhelmed meeting a great being such as I. Do not worry little man, this King has always taken care of his followers. Stick to my side and you will not lack any female monkeys to mate, fruits to eat, meat to devour, and wine to drink. That is my, Sun Wukong's, promise." He said that with such fervor that any follower of his would probably tear up.
Adam decided to rain on his parade. "I heard you were a pawn in a game between the 'bigshots' and ended up getting sealed. I mean, it was only a legend by the time I was born, so I don't know what happened to my world's version of you."
Sun Wukong's fur bristled at Adam's statement. "Ahhhh! We don't talk about that here. Those damned Buddhists." He started rambling incoherently. A few minutes later, he loses steam and slumps back in his seat. "Ahhh you had to remind me of my younger days. I was such a sweet and innocent youngster back then. Traveling the world, seducing maidens, messing with that old fart Jade Emperor. The world was my banana, ready to be peeled and eaten. But Alas!" He leans back dramatically with his mouth open. The ladies on the side were waiting to hear the story until one of them gathers herself, and pours wine in the King's mouth.
Sun Wukong rights himself after swallowing the mouthful. "Ehum. Like I was saying, one day that old fart Emperor complained to the monks. That damn Buddha tricked my sweet and innocent self. He imprisoned me! ME! can you believe it? He said it was only for 500 years as if it wasn't much. But 500 hundred years with no Sun, can you imagine the darkness the world will go through." He snickers at his own pun. "Get it? I'm Sun Wukong. The Sun in the sky? No Sun means darkness. Ahh...I'm so great."
Adam cuts him off. "I already told you. I know of your sealing. I want to know how you got here." Adam knew that if he didn't stop this narcissistic monkey from talking, he will talk about himself for the rest of the day. And hearing him explain his own pun was punishment already. He didn't want to go through more.
"Humph! Ungrateful man. That's why you're so ugly and furless. You should listen to me speaking some more. You might capture a fraction of my greatness and MAYBE get lucky enough and grow some nice fur." He started brushing the golden fur on his arms with an enamored look on his face. He did this for a solid few minutes before he finally continued his story.
"So I was sealed under the mountain. Luckily that bald monk left my beautiful head out. Anyways, the old council fogies came across the world and decided they wanted a few things from there. As they were about to start plundering, more outsiders appeared. One of them was a demon. That fire fogie called him a devil. Anyways, once that devil appeared the council fogies decided to leave instead. As they were leaving the fire fogie saw me and correctly deduced I was the most valuable thing in the world and took me with them." He finished with a smug look.
Adam was one hundred percent sure that was not what happened. Understanding he won't gain much from this idiot, he decided to wait for his wine instead. Although the king could be faking his attitude to avoid giving away information, he doubts it. And if that was the case, well, kudos. He's a formidable actor. "Wow. Great story. Anyways, did the Council leave a teleportation platform around?"
The monkey king seeing Adam stop caring, just waved behind him. "Somewhere in that corner." And proceeded to then ignore Adam, focusing on the surrounding ladies.
A few moments later, the earlier monkey appeared followed by a few burly monkeys carrying large vats of wine. Adam approached the vats and stored them in his bag. He then got close to Rock and kicked him a few times to wake him up from his painful trance.
"Huh, wha-? where am I?" He looked around confused for a second until he remembered what happened. As the monkey king looked at Rock expectantly, waiting for a rematch, Adam slapped the back of Rock's head, getting his attention. "Let's go. Give me my wine before we leave."
"Ehum. Right, your wine. Here." He takes out a few vats of the regular wine for Adam.
Adam stores the wine and ignored both Rock and Sun Wukong, who looked like they were ready to throw down again. From the glint in their eyes, it seemed like something they both enjoyed.
'Those idiots. I understand Sun Wukong being so active. He's a monkey after all, even if was born from a rock. What about Rock? Damn, what's with his name now that I think about it. Is that why Sun seems to like him? Forget about it. Let's forget about those idiots. I'll just get my stuff from the council next time. I'll need to check the records closely to see if there are any more mythological or legendary beings and creatures on Aurora.'
He walked towards where the teleportation platform was. His group was following him from the back while paying attention to the new fight going on behind them. Spotting the platform, he steps on it and waits for his group to be on before activating it. "Let's go. Stop gawking!".
'Finally, time to go back home. I'll stay there until I breakthrough to tier 6. I'll then have to focus on breakingthrough tier 7.' He thinks to himself expectantly. He can't wait to breakthrough tier 7 and merge with the life-metal.
The teleportation platform flashes and the group disappears. Leaving behind two fighting monkeys.
Observation Platform. Space. Above Aurora.
While Adam was getting acquainted with Sun Wukong. There was a meeting happening between Olivia, Principal Blue, and the last of the Ascendants (The other three are hanging out with the company). All three were meeting with their main bodies.
Olivia was the crystallized floating spine and brain. She emitted waves of psionic powers, warping the surroundings.
Principal Blue looked similar to a fire elemental. His fire was golden, similar to the sun. He had the upper-body shape of a man, while the bottom ended in a wisp. You could also spot the same crystallized spine and brain glowing inside the body made of fire. While his face was featureless, one could see a beard if you squinted hard enough to differentiate the different shapes amidst the burning fire.
The last Ascendant was obviously the one representing the earth element. He looked like a man-shaped mixture of mud and rocks that constantly crumbled every time he moved. If one broke through the mud and rocks, they would see the same crystallized spine and brain that represented his and his peer's status as Ascendants.
They were currently communicating telepathically with each other. Olivia asked Blue the reason for his summons. ''Why did you call us, you moving camp-fire."
"Shut up old hag. Don't think I'm unaware of you spying on your daughter. You're creepy as hell. Someone of your age is spying on her own daughter like a stalker. Maybe I should tell her."
"You dare?! You portable matchstick!! Tell her and I'll tell your beloved students of your 'private collection'."
As Blue's fire started flaring, the third occupant finally spoke, cutting both of them off. His voice was low and gravelly. If a mountain had a voice and wanted to present a movie trailer, it would sound like him.
"Enough. I'm not here to listen to you squabble like an old couple. Why did you call us here Blue. You know that unless it's an emergency I'd prefer sleeping."
Blue hearing him humphs in displeasure. "Couple?! Me and that hag? I'd rather throw myself in the sun." He declares righteously. And shamelessly as well given he was a being made of fire.
"Anyways, I called you here because I discovered a gold mine. Enough worlds for Aurora to assimilate a whole new system. The resources are abundant as well. And from what I've seen, it is still untouched by outside forces. This could be a game-changer." Blue declares proudly and waits for their stunned reactions.
Olivia, tired of his posturing, berates him. "Well?! What're you waiting for? Death by old age? Tell us about it." The third occupant remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
"Humph, ungrateful bastards...I discovered a brand new multiverse. It's one born as such, not one that grew. It is still producing some new universes within itself. The natives all belong to the divine faction. I did not check too closely yet, so I don't know if they're the regular God race or the faith guzzlers type. I didn't want to alarm anyone watching me and Aurora."
Both his friends freeze in shock for a brief moment. Olivia then declares "We have to take everything we can before it is discovered."
The earth Ascendant agrees, but with a different perspective. "I agree, but we should instead cleanse Aurora and bring it closer to the multiverse. We'll use our reserve troops to plunder multiple worlds at a time.''
Blue's fire grew fierce hearing his friend's comment. "Look at you Lutum. If I didn't know any better, I'd believe you were the one attuned to fire." His friend snorts at his comment. Blue ignores him and continues
"But I agree. We should hit multiple worlds at once. Isn't such scenarios one of the reasons we grew our forces? We will store everything we can from Aurora and cleanse it. We don't want to leave a way for someone to follow. Those resources will grow back even more once we're done with that multiverse." The more Blue spoke, the larger his fire flared, showing his excitement.
To them, plundering is not as profitable as it used to be due to their current state of existence. They don't need resources, or the useful ones are so few in number that they can't even fathom finding some. There's only one reason they're excited.
It is because the majority of the multiverse Blue found follows one power system. This means that if Aurora assimilates enough worlds from there, it will gain said power system, on top of the one they already have. Aurora is still very young. It did not have enough time to devour many worlds, hence it only has its original power system. The one Blue and his companions used to ascend.
More systems means more powerhouse which also means more clout. At their level clout and reputation is important. Why? Because they don't have much else to compare. There's no point in comparing strength since existences at their level are impossibly hard to kill.
Take the devil from the company, for example. He's not a division head for nothing. Under his sphere of influence, as long as the concept of Sin exists, he will never die. The concept of Sin does not refer to the religious meaning. It refers to feelings of guilt, shame, and the like. Things that eat you on the inside. Religion does not matter in his case. Although religion is also something beneficial to him due to their addition of hell and list of sins. It only serves to empower him more. The icing on the cake so to speak.
Most major devilish/sinful figures are avatars or aspects of him used to spread more sin, though they are unaware of the nature of their existence. Only the main consciousness is aware. Of course, that only applies to places under his influence. As for how many multiverses and the like are under his influence? Only he knows. All this means that as long as sapient minds capable of judgment exist, so will he.
So comparing power and whatnot is useless. That is why Blue is so incensed from his previous losses. He does not mind joining the company, but he wants to join as a winner, not a loser. It's all about reputation. Adam is somewhat aware of this. That is why his opinion of the principal fell. Although he still respects his power and achievements, his character on the other hand? Yeah...
As for Olivia and Lutum? They have their own reasons for seeking more. Unlike Blue, they don't care much for reputation and clout. Olivia's reason is to find a way for her daughter to join her ranks and Lutum is because he also wishes for more tier 9s to appear on Aurora. Not for the same reason as Blue though. He feels that the more Aurora grows, the stronger its future targets. He doesn't want to be caught unaware and end up facing a group of tier 9s. Even if it's hard or impossible for him to die, that does not mean he wishes to lose his home.
Blue continues. "So we will target this new multiverse then? If we are, then we have to do it soon before it grows too big and it becomes a hassle to deal with."
His companions both send thoughts of agreement. Blue nods. "Great. I will scout the newborn multiverse to make sure no one is around. Once I'm sure, we will start with the cleansing of Aurora. It should not be too long. Ten years at the latest. I will alert the council in 5 years to give them time to prepare. At the time we will send away the normal citizens and recall all the previous magi and knights we sent to our subordinate worlds. I will make different divisions and place them under the more experienced magi as well as the list of talents. They will be the forces we send to take over the different worlds. Do you both agree?"
Both Olivia and Lutum agreed with the plan. Seeing as his friends have nothing more to add, he bids them goodbye and teleports away. Lutum leaves wordlessly, leaving Olivia alone.
"I will find a way for you Fay. I promise...Mama won't give up on you."
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Author's notes: Here ya go peeps. Earlier today, inspiration hit me like a truck. Almost felt like I was about to be Isekai'd. I figured the sky is the limit, so why not send Adam and co over to f*ck up some God's day. Maybe enslave a few? I'm not sure which pantheon to mess with. I'll probably pick two. I'm inclined to pick the Greek pantheon for the first simply because it's easy to sh*t on Zeus and co. And maybe Nordic for the second? For nostalgia's sake. Since Mc's first interaction with a God was with Odin. Of course, they won't be the same person. Then again, it is a few chapters down the line so I'll see what feels right at the time. Don't expect Mc to become some military mastermind. He's not a general. They are invaders, and they are stronger. They will kick in the door and act like it's a traphouse. I.e put everybody down and steal their stash. He might pick a few gods and goddesses as lackeys and test subjects. Who knows.
We also saw the monkey king. Ngl, wasn't sure if I should bring in sun wukong but then felt like f*ck it. what could go wrong? I blame the tens of cultivation novels I read for the inspiration. Plus, I liked the idea of the Ascendants pulling hit and runs. I picture them running away with the monkey under their armpit and it makes me chuckle. I don't know who else I'll add. Either way, hope y'all enjoyed the chapter.
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