C_Mantis
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Chapter 338
🕑 Added 2024-06-17 18:59:01 +0000 UTC7k chapter enjoy.
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Chapter 338
Matt wasn’t looking forward to the celebration, but between Allie’s excitement and Aiden’s waxing on about the event, he was at least interested in going, if for no other reason than to see the strongest people in the realm. Part of that was the Tier 48s and Tier 47s, they would undoubtedly be powerful, and uniquely so at that, but most of his interest was targeted at the realm’s other Ascenders.
They were his peers. The people that could fight him on an even level.
While he was fought out after the last war, Matt was already feeling the itch to pick up his sword, after even their short eight month break.
Getting there was as simple as waiting around as a group until a presence surrounded them and they appeared in the Palace.
Mara and Leon were restrained in bands of hardened air as they squealed and tried to break free, to the obvious embarrassment of the other royals, who avoided looking at the duo.
That brought a chuckle out of Matt, who walked over and gave both of them a hug before letting Liz and Aster make their rounds.
“It's good to see you guys again.”
Their reactions were unintelligible blurs of words as they failed to lower their perception to an understandable level, but they didn’t seem to notice and kept speaking.
Liz’s chuckles turned into outright laughs until the bands of air started to fade, where she blanched and tried to run to Allie, who just looked panicked at the happenings.
Liz didn't make it more than a few steps as Mara and Leon split into three and nearly tackled them.
Matt just let it happen and smiled as he was inundated with kisses and hugs. He might be hundreds of years old, and he was sure if it happened too often he would get tired of it, but after everything they had gone through in the war it was nice to be treated like a kid for a few moments.
He could feel Aster's agreement through their bond, but it was far more entertaining to watch Liz struggle against her parents preening over her new bloodline form.
Leon kept zapping her bird clone with tiny bolts of lightning while repeatedly saying ‘that's my girl’ while a phoenix Mara kept grooming phoenix Liz despite the bird's desperate squawks.
At the same time, Liz was also being peppered with hugs and kisses like Matt and Aster.
It lasted for almost a full minute until Rusty tackled Aiden and started giving him a nuggie, ruining his perfectly floating hair. “I can’t believe you held out on me. How could you?”
Aiden never got a word out edge wise as all the royals ganged up on him, including additional copies of Mara and Leon.
It took Manny clearing his throat a few times for everyone to separate, but it did eventually work and they were able to regain some level of dignity. Or, everyone but phoenix Liz, who wasn’t able to escape the claws of phoenix Mara.
“We have five minutes before we need to leave. Then I expect some minimum level of decorum from my royals.”
Matt was almost offended by the clear belief that the Ascenders and elites couldn't handle themselves with decorum, but on reflection, it was better to not ask for the impossible.
The royals bullied Aiden until he apparently shared some information about Authorities, after which they turned to the rest of them.
Harper greeted Matt, Liz, and Aster with a short nod. “It is good to see you three again. I hope the rigors of war haven’t been too onerous.”
Matt was about to say something polite about how they just did their jobs when a second Harper spoke with far more exuberance. “And hello from meeee!”
Matt nodded to the intelligent mask, Lyre. “And good to see you too, Lyre.”
“It is good! I—”
Their talk turned to the general state of the Empire in a polite small talk fashion, but it became clear that wasn’t entirely true when all of the other royals made their way to Matt’s orbit.
It didn’t take a genius to guess they wanted something from him. Matt didn’t expect it to be his mana; he already had deals with Manny for that. And while he would be happy to give the royals more, he wasn’t quite making so much mana that they should be interested yet. No, it had to be something else.
It was Tur’stal who broke the awkwardness. “We are all interested in the Aura rifts. You have said you intend to release them via your guild, but we are all eager to get access to them. Bottled Concepts aren’t cheap, and are subsidized by the government with various incentives. Even a few aura rifts could relieve some pressure and be a great post war boom for our local economies at the same time.”
Matt smiled at that and nodded. “I can’t really speak to it until I have my guild set up, but after we do some more testing I’ll release them and you can make as many as you'd like. I’m sure you all have a copy of my mana.”
That seemed to take Tur’stal and the others aback, and Matt raised an eyebrow in return. “What?”
Frederic cocked his head slightly in what might have been a nod or a light bow. “We are willing to pay. W—”
Matt held up a hand, causing the royal to stop. It was rude, but Matt wanted to make his stance clear. “Unless something is considered an imperial secret,” he nodded to the Emperor where he stood off to the side. “I don’t intend to hide or restrict what my guild is doing. At least not in terms of making a profit. I’m not trying to make money here. I’d open the aura rifts up to creation now, but from my talks with Erwin, I think there is still some ground to excavate with them. That is the only reason I’m waiting. I may have said it when I was young and naive, but I truly don’t want to profit from my guild. I want to make the realm a better place.”
That improved the mood substantially, at least until Aiden draped an arm over Matt’s shoulder. “I, on the other hand, want money and riches. Pay my— hey, don’t walk away! I was monologuing!”
Matt smiled at the interruption but didn’t complain. It felt weird to be dictating terms to the royals. Sure, they could take what they wanted, but he didn’t think they were the type to do so, even if they could. When he was younger, he didn’t really get it, but he now had a much better understanding of the Empire and how things like aura rifts would fit into the larger picture.
That, and he genuinely didn’t want to hoard knowledge. He wanted the realm to be a better place than he left it when he inevitably ascended. Aura rifts and things like it were the first steps towards that goal.
Manny stepped forward at that and nodded to Matt before saying, “It's time to leave.”
And then they were somewhere else.
Matt looked around and immediately found the massive copper planet surrounded by seven planets and one massive space station.
They were in the Minkalla system.
Not the same one where he had ventured into the planet, but even from here, he could feel the essence and mana being siphoned to the planet.
That wasn’t their destination, though. They couldn’t enter Minkalla again, and as much as Matt wanted to see just how much mana the planet could absorb, he wasn’t about to do something so stupid.
No, they flew towards the corporation space station and entered the top level, where they were greeted by their hosts. The Royals and Aiden quickly blurred through their own formalities and vanished deeper into the station, leaving Matt alone with his fellow Team Zero Ascenders.
If Matt was going purely based on physical appearance, he would have assumed that Ortizimanin was the Corporation’s Tier 50, and the golden-skinned woman standing next to him with a raven perched on her shoulder as the draconic man’s assistant. He may have only been about Matt’s height, and thus didn’t loom in quite the same way as was common among Empire dragons, but the way his white scales seemed to blend almost seamlessly with his advanced armor left quite an impression. It drew Matt’s gaze to him almost magnetically as he wondered just how far off his own armor was from the Minkalla bound version.
Matt tore his attention away from the dragon before it could be construed as rude, and respectfully inclined his head towards the trio. “Chief Executive Official JR, Violet Paladin Ortizimanin, Chief Logistics Official Kal’dire. It is an honor to meet you all.” To his sides, his fellows echoed their own formalities.
“Likewise, Ascenders Shadow, Light, Titan, Legion, Wraith. You have been most impressive,” Kal’dire replied. “It is our honor to welcome you.”
Before any of them could respond, JR fluttered over to Matt’s shoulder. He froze, the weight of one of the eight strongest people in the entire Realm literally resting on him. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? JR’s beady eye studied Matt intently, and he had to fight his heart rate from spiking. Had he seen something about his mana regeneration, even though he was at full mana, was wearing a mask hyper-focused around that area, and generally had done everything he could to protect his secret?
The raven’s beak gleamed, a deadly Tier 50 weapon sitting mere inches from Matt’s exposed neck. But as Matt opened his mouth to speak, JR finally broke the silence.
“Have you enjoyed your Pair-Linker? It was quite the clever gizmo, if I say so myself.”
Relief flooded Matt’s body, but he still kept himself very still outside of nodding in gratitude. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to show that he was thankful, the gift had been immensely appreciated. “I have immensely appreciated your gift, honored JR. I and my assistants have had many substantial breakthroughs thanks to it, to the point that one of my friends even experienced an Inspiration. It has also been an invaluable tool as I have practiced with my newest Talent, and allowed me to work on creating talismans out of pure mana stone, something I would have otherwise thought impossible.”
The Tier 50 bobbed his head in a nod. “Good, good. I am always quite saddened when my gifts go unappreciated. You ought to speak with your Emperor, I’m certain that we could arrange for some nifty little tools for you as you grow stronger.”
With a few flaps, JR returned to Kal’dire’s shoulder, and Matt felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. From his typical perch, he turned his calculating gaze towards Matt’s fellows. “Before the ceremony begins, I also wish to express my sincerest congratulations to the two of you. Presenting a threat large enough to encourage a buy-out with your first war? Absolutely marvelous! A true exemplar of what a Chosen can do. Ascender Legion, congratulations upon developing a blood-fire element. What do you call it?”
Liz kept her cool quite well, far better than Matt managed, and smoothly replied with, “Ichor, honored JR.”
“Ichor?” He seemed slightly taken aback, but then let out a screech that Matt supposed was laughter. “Well, I suppose it’s quite fitting! And Ascender Wraith, lest you fear I’ve forgotten you, allow me to express that should you ever desire assistance developing your ‘space ice’ aspect, I am quite willing to collaborate. I even offered my assistance to your Emperor, but he declined.”
JR swept his head from side to side. “What a short-sighted man. You really ought to persuade him to reconsider. My prices aren’t that high. Not for him, at least.”
Matt fought back a grin. Manny had warned them that JR was always looking to make a sale, but it was still amusing to see the bird’s tactics on display.
“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t keep you too much longer! I’ve marked your quarters, as well as several other locations of interest such that they should be obvious to you, Ascender Shadow, when teleporting. As for the rest of you, and Ascender Shadow, of course, should you decide to walk, we have an AI module you may download right here. It will automatically help you find your way around, inform you of events of interest that are occuring, and provide additional information about nearly anything you find yourself curious about.”
“It’s also fully private to you and de-obfuscated,” Kal’dire added. “Simply touch any of the maps, such as that one, to initiate a download, and it will guide you to only install the modules that are of personal interest to you. And if you prefer to not install anything onto your personal AIs, the station itself can provide all of the same functions simply by querying the onboard AI.”
She hadn’t even finished when Allie teleported over to the holographic map by the wall, tapped it, giggled, and teleported away once again.
After a moment, it became apparent she wasn’t coming back, and Zack inclined his head towards the trio. “Thank you for your accommodation of my partner’s eccentricities, and your general hosting of this event.”
The three foremost Corporation speakers returned their pleasantries, and guided them along their ways. Aster downloaded a copy of the onboard AI, but the rest of them stuck with simply messaging the station, and loosely marveling at the way it responded to their requests for direction. The station was capable of providing full-sensory guidance perceptible only to the person asking for it, and Aster had fun making their rooms smell like ice cream, while Matt instead settled for a tether of blue light racing off into the distance of the white hallways. They’d seen similar things before, but the Corporation’s version was impressive in a number of ways they’d never thought to imagine before.
With their personal guides, it didn’t take them too long to find their quarters. They checked their messages to determine where Allie was now and where they should be going next for their network.
As it turned out, they didn’t need to look very hard, as Lila swooped in almost immediately with Aiden and Allie in tow. They were swept up in seats made of sand and relocated in the blink of an eye to a massive sandstone cavern seemingly open to the stars above. Matt had to use his AI and connect to the LocalNet to determine where they’d ended up, only to find that they’d scarcely moved at all. He was in what he’d assumed was a minor amphitheater near their quarters, but was now highlighted as ‘Ascender Worldwaker’s Quarters.’
Matt started. The huge space was far bigger than what he and Liz had, let alone what Allie or Aster had, and was far more personalized than the sleek and stylish, but generic rooms they had been in. He opened his mouth to ask, but Lila preempted his question with a draconic grin. “You can customize your quarters pretty easily. Yours won’t be this big, but I’ve still got a few lingering perks with the Corporations after capturing Maxie.”
There was a snort from nowhere and Matt found the apparently empty room now filled with a number of other people.
Aiden immediately pointed and laughed at a stunning blonde. “Ha! Fuck you, Maya! How’s it feel to get your ass kicked? I wasn’t able to rub it in before, but now I can! Does the knowledge that I could have kicked your ass at any time burn at you? Does it irritate you? Ha!”
Maya rolled her eyes and made a rude gesture, but Matt’s attention was pulled to the massive dragon who had snorted.
Matt had met a fair few dragons in his time, but the enormous red dragon was on another level beyond them. A crown of horns ringed his head, surrounded by a halo of bright blue plasma, and his simple presence tickled the back of Matt’s mind with a sense of fear unlike any other he’d experienced. He felt the presence trying to persuade him to kneel and submit, beg for his life, or run for the miniscule chance of survival it might impart.
Even without the dragon being identical to the videos and pictures he’d seen, Matt would have been able to identify him from that alone. The elder dragon, Eclavorn. He and Gideon, the large man sitting in a chair next to him, had been the Federation’s last Ascenders before the Monster Collective’s war of independence, and their defection to the Monster Collective had been a very dramatic turning point in the war, and was sometimes cited as the reason the fighting grew past Tier 35.
Lila transformed into a dragon even larger than Eclavorn and dismissively flicked the younger Ascender with her tail. “I’m doing the introductions. Stop spoiling the fun. If you interrupt, I’ll punch you into the local star.”
Eclavorn growled at her, but otherwise didn’t say anything.
“Grumpy-scales here is Eclavorn, of course. That’s Gideon next to him, and despite what the Monster Collective may tell you, they don’t mind it if you refer to Gideon as Eclavorn’s rider. Just make sure you don’t mistake that for one of them being stronger than the other. Eclavorn gets all the press these days, but good ol’ Giddy does half the work himself.”
“Next to them, the self-proclaimed ‘deadliest woman in the Realm’, we’ve got Maxine. Don’t worry, no matter what you may have heard about her, she won’t blackmail you about stuff she reads off you.”
“Unless it would be funny!” Olivier butt in.
“Unless it would be funny,” Lila confirmed. “She’s also the only one of us who really likes politics, is our de facto therapist, killed her boyfriend, and got captured like a punk by yours truly and will never be allowed to live it down. Also if you value your wallets, don’t make bets with her or play any kind of bluffing game, poker included.”
Maxine stuck her tongue out at Lila, and Matt fought back a wave of fear. Cosmind’s abilities were the stuff of literal legends, and her confirmed feats included making an army kill itself to the last man, killing the Master of All in single combat, and wiping out another army with a hail of projectiles that she had launched six months before the army even arrived in that particular system. Her rumored feats were even wilder, including mind-reading and mind-controlling people ten Tiers above her, allegedly blackmailing entire Great Powers into buying her out of war Tiers, and more. If there was anyone in the entire Realm more likely to figure out his secret, he didn’t know who it might be.
He’d heard legends of the cold and calculating woman, and was completely taken aback by the truth of the matter; that was a friendly woman who looked a bit younger than him, reclining in a plush beanbag chair and giving a friendly wave. Her colorful hair was draped all across the beanbag, winding in on itself and glowing slightly, but it didn’t seem to be under her direct control. It paired well with her dusky skin, bright clothes, and cheery smile.
“Sup, guys? Good to meet you, you can call me Max. No, I’m not reading your minds, just your faces. Yes, y’all are like open books, but don’t let that bother you. No, I won’t actually blackmail you about anything I read off you, no matter how funny it would be. They’re just being mean. And yeah, I make a pretty awesome therapist, you can tell me anything. I promise, I’ve heard worse from some very loud thinkers. And if you want something to stay a secret, it’s between you and me.” She winked, then made a finger gun at Aster and winked again while clicking her tongue.
Lila snorted at that. “Nobody’s ever fessed to taking her up on the offer of therapy, but supposedly she’s done it a few times. Next to her is Sien, who you’d know as the Lady of Ill Dreams.” Lila leveled a glare at the Sect woman, who just waved. “You’ve met her kids, and I’ve had money riding on her kids being Gideon’s since they were born, but neither of them are fessing up and Max refuses to say anything either.”
Matt was shocked at the thought the twins had been the children of two Ascenders, but simply nodded. If that was true, he couldn't imagine growing up with two Ascenders as parents. Unless Sien raised them alone. It didn’t seem like anyone had proof of who the father was, which implied Sien raised them alone or in secret.
Maya snorted at the comment though, and interrupted Matt’s thoughts. “Count yourself lucky, I’m still certain they’re Balster’s. The timing works way better.”
“We can get back into it after I finish introductions, Maya. Wait your turn. Sien, want to say anything?”
“It is a pleasure to meet you all formally. I am certain that our forthcoming interactions will be most delightful and productive.”
The sect woman smiled at them, and Matt tried to match the twins to the woman in front of him.
He could at least see where the twins got it from. Blue and green skin were far less common in the Sects than they were in the Empire, where they already weren’t the most popular skin colors. But while her kids were fairly vibrant with their blue and green skin, each a deeply saturated hue contrasted by the reverse color of their hair, Jai Sien’s skin was a dark midnight blue, framed by flawless, long, and straight black hair which faded into smoke at the tips. All three shared the same glowing red eyes, an already-striking effect made all the more striking on their mother.
“You’ve met Olivier, who’s currently taking great delight in sitting in Wun’s normal seat. Wun’s been delving for nearly five centuries now, and there’s currently a betting pool as to whether he’s napping or just ended up stuck in a rift challenge.”
“Wun is Goldenrod, right?” Allie asked.
Lila nodded.
“Isn’t his entire thing that he’s crazy lucky? Why would you bet against him getting a rift challenge?”
“That’s what I said!” Olivier pitched in.
“It is not a constant,” Eclavorn rumbled. “And he certainly enjoys lazing about at times when he feels safe. Were he to not get a rift challenge, it is likely he would have taken the opportunity for respite where no one can bother him.”
“We’ll see. But next to him, we have On The Last Line - the ‘On’ is important- with Krodag, who you know as Lifegiver, but prefers Bottle. He’s way too loud, but is the best healer here. Greathammer, or Moe, or Lug… Don’t challenge him to an arm-wrestling match, even Gideon can’t match him. Ellen, or Jack, is next, and she’s probably the third smartest person in the room, nevermind what the Clans might tell you about her being a Mastermind.”
“Oi!”
“You’re right. Fourth at best. Moe clearly beats you. If she and Max ever get going at it, just enjoy the show. And then we have Brian. No, The Deadlord is not a skeleton, that’s just when he’s acting as Boney. He’s easily bribed by interesting dead bodies. Don’t let him talk you into giving him any of your corpses, Liz, it’s not worth it.”
“Spoilsport!”
“I don’t… leave corpses anyway. They just melt into blood,” Liz replied, clearly a bit unnerved.
“Spoilsport anyway! Also, Aiden, I don’t suppose you actually stuffed the body of that one Feddie merged guy somewhere, did you?”
“Nope, sorry.”
“Ah, I figured, but it was worth a try.”
Matt cast an eye over the four Legends.
“And last and certainly least is Maya, who just got whooped by someone three tiers weaker than her even with massive support.” The blond woman made a rude gesture, reinforced by an illusionary hand.
Lila turned as if to introduce the still-standing group, but was preempted by Aiden as he stepped up and waved, as though volunteering to go first. He was swatted with an errant tail, sending him flying into the back wall. “New to the group we have Allie and Zack, the most impressive Ascenders to be bought out this generation, and officially making them the youngest retirees in any of our records.”
At the mention of the buyout, Max glared at Allie and signaled that she had her eyes on the younger Ascender. Shortly thereafter, there was a whoop and faint cheer emanating from multiple points of the room, and Matt caught a glimpse of Allie teleporting between said points, cheering wildly for herself.
“Then finally, Matt, Liz, and Aster, officially becoming the fastest group to ever follow up another Ascension.”
Krodag whooped, cheering on Aster. “Finally, another support! We get [No Respect]!” A burst of aura flared around him at the shouted skill name just for the sand to engulf him.
“I swear, he’s an idiot.” Lila shook her dragon head back and forth before settling down. “Of course, it’s a common affliction here. I’m just happy that I got to do two introductions. That never happens. Anyways,” she swung her head back at Matt and those around him, “This group formed a few generations back, as a way for us to actually appreciate time with peers. Each generation’s own abilities change the texture a bit, but right now we’ve got occasional meet-ups and an AI group chat mainly courtesy of Max and Brian.
“Anyway, your first war was a bit skewed, in that you actually had a bit of a challenge, but you’ll figure out soon enough that it can be tricky being at the top. So, this is a place to unwind, swap tips, and appreciate the fact that we’re not all quaking in our boots about the dreadful and fearsome Ascender in our midst. You can be as formal or as informal as you like, but the only real rule is that there’s no shop talk if you’re currently in a war. That said, if there’s someone you’d rather not die in a war, we can try and accommodate it, within reasonable limits of course. And if they do die, well, try to not take it too harshly. We’re Ascenders, people die. The main goal is to keep the group going, getting us the best fights possible, so don’t screw it up too badly.”
Matt approved of the idea and just wished it could have saved Eric or Morgan’s life.
The other dragon snorted and looked at Matt. “Can you handle that boy? Losing your temper over just one dead mentor.”
Matt didn’t even hesitate and punched the dragon right in the nose. Manny had told him there was no reason to hold back with his mana usage and he would block any signs, so he had no issues throwing a full forty million [Breach] into the blow as well.
The explosion didn’t even move Eclavorn, but the scorch marks on his scales did give him pause.
The rest of the energy was absorbed by the collective power of the other Ascenders.
A tail came down out of seemingly nowhere and cut a deep furrow into the dragon’s flank and sent him sliding back in the sand hard enough to cause the entire space station to tremble.
Lila stepped over Matt and loomed above Eclavorn. “I told you not to taunt him, Eclavorn. Apologize.”
Matt was running hot, but the anger was quickly cooled by Lila’s back up and Eclavorn’s nod. “At least you’ve got spine.” He stood up and shook himself, the wound quickly filling and closing. “And I won’t apologize. None of you were willing to test the boy, and if he was going to be all hissy about it any time someone stepped on his feelings, it would be a problem. I refuse to have a new Charl, and I said that I’d test him, so I did. He passes, at least provisionally.”
Matt considered that. He supposed it did seem like they were broadly alright with basic physical violence as a commonplace conflict resolution, and if that were the case… yeah, he could see how this would be relaxing for them. Being able to just punch someone had to be good to keep conflict at a basic level.
Mindful of his cover Talent, Matt withdrew a good-sized mana crystal from his ring and absorbed it, refilling his mana pool before he absentmindedly used any more mana and started having his regeneration really pick up.
Maya regarded him with a bit of a hungry expression, “Oh, who I wouldn’t kill for that kind of Talent. Do you know how strong of a Law I could make if I could throw around that much power whenever? I’m jealous.”
Aiden finally crawled out of the sand, just to be flung back by Moe this time.
Sien walked over and explained the confusion. “A number of us are pissed at Aiden for hiding such a big secret for so long. Quite a few of us lost a ton on the bets on who would win their little fight.”
She chuckled and fanned herself. “I, on the other hand, am smart and bet that Aiden would shock us all. That made up for my losses in the other categories.” Glaring at the place Aiden was crawling out of the sand, she sneered. “Fucker nearly cost me half my fortune by not Tiering up via inspiration in the fight though.”
Aiden spat sand out, “It's not my fault that I already had my Authority inspiration.”
This time, Gideon kicked him to the other side of the room. Liz raised an eyebrow at the action, and he shrugged. “He pulled one over on all of us and this is pretty much our only chance to pick on him until one of us figures out our own Authorities.”
That made a lot of sense, and Matt nodded along even as Olivier ran Aiden all the way to the other side of the room before appearing right back next to them.
“So you guys are going to try for it before Ascending?”
Maya snorted at Allie's question. “Obviously. We wouldn’t be very good Gladiators if we gave up on such an impressive source of power before Ascension. After all, everything gets strengthened when you Ascend, from Talents to Domains, Skills, Natural Treasures, all of it. Plus, there’s a theory that the stronger you are overall the better all the upgrades are. None of us are ever going to Ascend at Tier 50, so an Authority’s our best bet at actually boosting it all. Aren’t you planning on getting one?”
Allie shrugged. “Can’t say I really thought about it. Need my Aspect first, ya know.”
Olivier nodded. “Touche. But yeah, pretty sure all of us want to make a go of it. Sure, it's dangerous but what isn't? We are Heroes after all. With Ellen to translate, maybe we can actually wring a few drops of knowledge out of Aiden’s spirit after all.”
Matt smiled at that. While he didn’t plan on sitting around forever until he got an Authority, he fully agreed with the thought process. If there was power on the table, why wouldn’t he reach for it? It was the same for Liz and Aster. It was surprisingly nice to be around people who shared that mindset and didn’t need such things explained.
He suspected that was the reason for the Ascender chat, if nothing else. If he and his team were the only Ascenders in their Great Powers, things would probably get very lonely very quickly.
Moe sauntered over to him just as Aiden begged off getting tossed around again. “So, I ‘ear you are ‘trong.”
Matt looked down at the dwarf and raised an eyebrow. “Pretty strong, yeah.”
Moe smiled. “Fantastic. When you reach Tier 35, we need to have a spar. It's so hard to find others who can match me in melee. It's usually just magic users dodging around and never getting in melee range. I’m begging for a good brawl. I punch you, you punch me, I punch you, you punch me. Eventually we’ll find a winner and it will be a jolly good time.”
Matt grinned. He couldn’t help it. He had seen the reports and knew he would be weaker than Moe in a pure melee, but he had so much more than pure melee, even if it was his preferred range.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Have fun sticking around then. I’m out in three hundred years. Janet begged me to stay longer, but fuck that. If Aiden is leaving and has his Authority, there is no reason to sit. Better to advance up to where it's marginally safer to try for an Authority. Plus, better senses and the whole shebang.”
Aiden, finally having crawled out of the sand, spat, “I take offense that you guys want to try for Authorities. It's my unique thing and you can't have it.”
Lila rolled her eyes even as she settled down next to Eclavorn, slightly off to the side. “Then why did you make us pay through the nose for the information? I bet you are already working on the next step.”
No one took her up on the bet, and Aiden didn’t bother to hide it. “Of course I am. What do you expect me to do? Sit and watch as other people use me breaking the mental barrier to catch up? I still bet that none of you manage it. It’s fucking hard. I can’t wait to hear about one of you blowing yourselves up mid-attempt. I just hope you survive so I can laugh in your face and not just at your body.”
Ellen leaned forward as if whispering a secret. “I hear all the Tier 50s are salivating at getting their hands on the info. I bet a personally customized AI that one of them kills themselves in the attempt.”
Allie leaned forward. “Ohh. I’ll take that bet. Not sure what I have to offer, though.”
Maya slipped into the group. “Teleportation, obviously. You don’t need to tell us your actual range, but like… we basically never get to meet up in person. Anything you’ve got or could build out would be great.”
Brian pitched in, “I wouldn’t mind a bit of collaboration to try and reinforce the chat infrastructure, either. Don’t know how your portal-making is, but some better synchronicity would be great.”
As Allie was chewing her lip, Max caught Matt’s attention, and she beckoned him over to where she was leaning against the wall.
“Can I talk to you for a second in private?” she asked once he got closer.
“Sure? What about?”
“One moment while I throw up a privacy shield.” She reached out her hand, clenched her fist and suddenly all sounds of chatter were silenced. The outside area was even muted to his spiritual sense though not entirely cut off, like it was on the other side of a wall.
”There. Nobody can hear what we say, and trying to read our lips won’t work either. I figured you wouldn’t want anyone overhearing this but it's clear we need to have a chat.”
“What did you want to talk about?” Matt asked more than a little wary. He had heard a lot of things about Cosmind and without Manny being within spiritual range he would have never allowed this.
“That, that right there. Like seriously dude, chill. I haven’t seen anyone so tense since… doesn’t matter.” She made direct eye contact and shot him a wink. “You’re worried about your secret getting out, I can tell. But, hey, hey, relax, okay? Your boss already paid me to not go digging and to keep it to myself if I do figure anything out. I usually figure them out because surprisingly people are really bad at keeping secrets. ‘Cept Aiden anyway. Can’t believe he managed to blindside me, I’m so mad. Not actually, it was a great show, but still. Point is, I don’t go digging for them. Everyone has secrets and I respect that. Besides, they’re usually wayyy less important than people think. At least to me. After the dozenth super special Growth Item, private super-special rift, or unheard of Natural Treasures you stop caring, and I’ve seen thousands. I’m sure your secret is great and all but I genuinely couldn't care less about it.”
“Thanks for the concern?” Matt was a little uncertain on how best to respond. It wasn’t often that someone out of the blue said that he shouldn’t worry about keeping his secret. He did remember Manny saying that he had paid some counter-intelligence people to help keep his Talent hidden, but that was fairly basic precautions that all Ascenders had, so far as he knew. And she seemed genuine in wanting to set him at ease but even if she had seen rare secrets she hadn’t seen one on the magnitude of his, so her reassurances fell flat.
Ultimately he wasn’t sure why she was bothering? Was it an act to get him to lower his guard? Was it genuine?
Matt had no way to figure it out besides outright asking so that was exactly what he did. “I’m not sure why you’re singling me out?”
“Well, mostly because of how stressed out you are. Most people’s body language isn’t practically screaming about how worried they are about their secrets getting out. And sure, out there, maybe it’s worth worrying about. But here? You could be Damien Duskblade himself reincarnated, and they’d just toast you. Whatever it is, it’s not a big deal. Not here, not with them. So don’t stress, and enjoy the party.” She bumped his shoulder playfully and added, “Sound good?”
Matt didn’t think he was on edge, and even a check of his physical body said he was perfectly at ease. He was incredibly nervous, but he wasn’t showing any signs. He was sure of that because Manny had said he’d cover for any slip ups short of outright stating hsi Talent if Matt made any.
“But I’m not stressed.”
At Max’s disbelieving look, he gestured at himself. “This is me relaxed.”
Max bit her lip and shook her head. “Ask your healer about chronic stress and hypertension then. I haven’t seen a bigger bundle of nerves in centuries. And now you’re worried about me reading your mind, stop that. I don’t mind-read friends, full-stop. Besides, not even I can read your mind without you feeling it. I’m just that good at reading your face, I promise you. I’ll sometimes phrase it like I can hear your thoughts, but that’s because it’s easier to talk like that.”
Stepping back Max held up her hands. “My goal here is to have friends. Nothing more nothing less. Yeah, I know I’m the big scary mind mage, but the point of this group is that all us big scary Ascenders can be friends, and that’s the only reason I’m mentioning all of this.”
Matt nodded, still a bit hesitant, but he tried to laugh it off. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep what you said in mind, but of course I’ve got secrets, who doesn’t?”
Max winked. “That’s the spirit. And if it continues to bother you I’m happy to give anti-mind mage lessons.”
Around them, the privacy screen dropped. Max gave Matt a fist-bump, and wandered off to start chatting with Zack, leaving Matt a chance to rest with his thoughts. Shortly thereafter, Sien elegantly swept in to sit next to Matt.
Sien took a sip of tea and let out a satisfied sigh. “So, you were one of the ones most commonly engaged with my children, and I must know how they did. What was the experience akin to? Did they conceal themselves adequately, or were they brilliant embers clearly outshining their dull fellows? And do you have any advice or ideas in regards to how they may better master their capabilities for future fights? I could certainly see about arranging for a fight with them, if you want.”
Matt ran over his interactions with Sien’s kids and nodded. “Sure. I have a couple comments. Once I figured it out, it made sense, but we really struggled to understand where the boost was coming from at first.”
Sien nodded even as Liz, Aster, and Zack joined him and added their own observations.
“Oh yeah it's a super cool power set but I’m more interested in why they don't just buff each other?” Aster's comment spurned on a few more as Sien happily bragged about her kids.
This… was kinda fun.
Comments
Crjourdan
I want to see Matt make a rift with the lemon bloodline fruit as a focus. That would be super interesting.
Grond (James)
Gideon was said to be tiny last time. Is this still true?
nolan saylor
I do feel Matt still feels young mentally. I wonder if that is because immortality keeps your mental self healthy as opposed to aging IRL. Even after war and loss he sounds young instead of an old soul. I enjoy how casual the upper levels of the Empire are. I don't think the others we've seen be so casual. Sure we haven't truly had an opportunity for such but I can't see most of them being so friendly with their royals. Maybe that is part of why Janet is so grumpy, stuck working with efficient people who are just bland and boring. Small talk on politics must be different when both are people who can actually effect it. -Like billionaires talking about the state of the environment... or politics. Matt is truly going to have his name echo as long as Duskblade. -Philanthropist extraordinaire. I am truly amused by the idea of Matt just pumping mana into Minkala to see if something happens. Maybe the planet works for Intents next. Or perhaps it stops absorbing mana to the shock of everyone, the glutton sated. Perhaps Matt suddenly gets Minkala as a bound item or admin access at least. Ooh, dragon paladin, and a violet paladin at that. I really hope he can use his paladin armor in his dragon form... A T50 on your shoulder sounds stressful indeed. Add in that physical contact might make It easier to hide Matt's Talent. I wonder what Blood-fire element JR would've developed it as a gift. I wonder if he now will lower the price for Aster as he will get no money if she makes space ice herself. Allie giggling with glee is worrisome and fun. What kind of ice cream smells? I definitely need to get to my meal. Wait, it is Worldwaker or Worldwalker? It could just be a name given by the Corporations. I do like it. I really do love normal interactions. The T50s really have the worst small talk. I still wonder how a dragon could be an ascender in the Feds. Maybe they weren't as bad before they got teamed on, this is them doubling down. Or perhaps there is a reason Gideon is called the dragon rider, a dismissal of Eclavorn. -Good on Gideon for not being a douche. -I guess one of the pair had to be though. To be fair I can understand being gruff if I grew up in the Feds as a less than second-class citizen. I wonder if Gideon fights as a rider, maybe partially a support caster. There was a cavalry Pather, actually two as the horse Aster met in the Academy. So maybe they were mounted in the beginning, but were they that way at T25 and beyond? Yeah, the Ascenders are an eclectic bunch. The fact that they are immortal peak warriors makes it more so. Here is our therapist, we just joked about how she blackmails people. Don't worry, also she killed her Ascender boyfriend. Cosmind has some awesome feats. It sucks Zack and Allie won't be able to rake up their own awesome feats. MAL probably won't either, but they will do some amazing things still. How much of Cosmind is propaganda, how much is her relaxing in retirement, and how much is just that Ascenders have a mindset able to separate work and play. Particularly those who join the group chat. -I wonder what relationship her powers had with becoming a therapist. Yeah, I greatly enjoy the idea of there being kids across GP Ascenders. -Gives me hope for Aster and Gan Le ;) Just think that if the twins can merge for buffs what an Ascender could do who apparently gave them that power. An Ascender based on luck sounds truly annoying to fight. Sounds pretty darn interesting to read about though. Well, maybe not if it they have so much luck it reads as plot armor. Allie cheering for herself is adorable. Krodag integrating Skills into speech is also fun. Yeah, much more fun to see Aiden bullied by people closer to his own level. Oh, ascension may be a boost to literally EVERYTHING. And that it is based on power level to boot? That ups the ante a bit. -I really am curious to see how GPs, and even individuals, react to Matt's Talents. How they react to the chance of improving their Talents... and balance that with doubt he'll help those outside the Empire or possibly help the Empire subjugate everyone with higher tiers. Matt loves Unbroken, but in the Concept of Death Chapters and others we did see the disconnect with how MAL were battle maniacs who loved improvement for the sake of improvement. They loved the climb, the journey over the destination of power. So I feel Matt has a pretty strong Talent for physical strength, so I feel that Moe's Domain has to be how he is unrivaled in physical strength. Both probably help, but still. Poor Janet. Loosing her Ascender right after her GP is drastically weakened. I do enjoy DW pouting like a kid. I would laugh if Virgil killed themselves. If someone does kill themselves it would be an interesting way of mixing up the Realm. Or maybe someone will ascender before the true war kicks off. It would be fun to have more ascender interactions. Group chats are good, but maybe they'll have a picnic. Maybe Lila gets her Authority and provides Sandwhiches at the picnic to celebrate. Max: I'm mad... actually it was awesome. I hope Cosmind lives and doesn't ascend before Matt's Talent is revealed. I want to see if she stands my her words of not being impressed. Manny paying counterintelligence as just paying Cosmind not to snoop is amusing. It really must be extra tough for Max as a mind mage ascender to make genuine friendships. I wonder if they have online buddies who have no clue who they are. (BTW, I promise I am definitely not Arnold Schwarzenegger.) "the point of this group is that all us big scary Ascenders can be friends" MAL does really need to spend a week, minimum, in a spa after this. One with a personal masseuse. A friendly offer, that he should probably take her up on. I do enjoy some calming slice of life after all the action. It's good to see MAL making friends and being happy.
Alex
Well, Aiden sure posted memes about the war and his fights with Maya, even while they were still fighting. Technically making fun of each other is shop talk?
Rowsdower
When Matt was learning Telekinesis from Harper, it was actually Lyre. It's a sentient growth item (their Mask). i believe we see them once or twice more than that.
Nicholas Grey
Have we met Lyre before?
Nicholas Grey
“leaving Matt alone with his fellow Team Zero Ascenders” - they’re not alone, the Corporation hosts are with them. Possibly “alone with [hosts]”? “Chief Executive Official JR, Violet Paladin Ortizimanin, Chief Logistics Official Kal’dire. It is an honor to meet you” - those positions are normally named “Officer”, as in “Chief Executive Officer”. Was this a deliberate choice, denoting that they are also “officials”, in that they are part of the formal government?
Julie Smith
I found this typo: 'Ascender Worldwaker’s Quarters.’ should be 'Ascender Worldwalker’s Quarters.’
Julie Smith
Interesting dynamic. They can be as harsh or rough as they want with each other because they're all so hard to kill. I'm not sure how they isolate their feeling over dead friends though, nor separate themselves from their Great Powers. I think it's just a no-politics zone where they can talk shop and relax, somewhat like scientists had during the Cold War period. I've been on a sports board where it's quite friendly, although people have different political opinions.
Reid Thompson
Did they not introduce the other sect ascender??
Dylan Alexander
You know I don’t think this whole group thing makes much sense because ultimately they are all on different sides and will happily kill each other for their respective great powers.
alex bozdog
Maya doesn't have plans to ascend, she just has plans to push out of the war tiers, that wouldn't matter for a true war since there is almost no way for her to go up at least 10 tiers in the 300 years she quoted while also working on an Authority
Lidja
I suspect Lila’s official reason for sticking around as a Tier 44 was to try and get a Tier 3 bloodline before she ascends. Staying in the realm where she can easily get Primordial Dragon blood is a great excuse plus she gets to fight later on.
Istyatur Elestel
And Mara made it pretty far on the path.
Istyatur Elestel
They already got Matt's merged domain (I am inevitable? Inexorable?), and Liz just upgraded to ichor. And we know that end of this book or start of the next will come with a nice pile of planets for the new duke and duchesses.
William Johnson
I'm thinking less about the bottled concepts/intents/etc. and more about the use of the rifts themselves. Apparently aura rifts help people build real concepts that can get them past the tier 15 bottleneck unlike the bottled ones which just get you past tier 5. If Matt can make a rift type that makes it easier to develop real intents etc. that could be a serious game changer.
Matthew Jacob Zarember
It would be really interesting to see their reactions when they find out his talent as every high-tier person who knows about it claims there will be a tier 50 war when it's made public. There is no way the ascender group would be as laissez-faire about a tier 50 war.
Alex
Aiden definitely knows about Matt's Talents; One Step Behind says that there's only a handful of people who would be able to figure out Matt's Talents just by looking at him, with Aiden being one of them. In one of the early war chapters where Aiden goes to Camp Lightfoot after getting ambushed he also says that Matt should make a water aspected breathing/talking skill since he hates using [Air Manipulation] to breathe; it's pretty clear that Aiden knows that Matt can make rifts, so it follows he knows about the mana situation. It isn't clear whether Lila knows, but when Matt lost to Soddus and Girang when he was still on The Path Lila says she knew of about a dozen skills which would synergize really well with him, so she probably knows, or at least has a decent idea too.
Piers Wilkinson
I think the issue, as we saw from the t50 summit, is that many of the GP leaders are dicks. Janet/Virgil would probably never share.
Jana
I bet Emmanuel will use Lila trying to get an Authority and Aiden trying to go beyond as a Front for why he is keeping them around for millennia to come all while bribing them to stay with fully charged rifts and the possibility for a T50 Ascension post war. Maya already plans to ascend which removes one ascender firmly in Team Fuck The Empire ( even if she herself doesn’t seem to be subscribing to that mindset). Btw. Does Lila and/or Aiden know about Matts talents? I d totally be up for a Reactions chapter, if they don’t:-P
Jordan
What if there was a news reel showing highlights of the final battles at all 3 tiers and we could see how common people react to the ascenders wrecking the opposition.
Alex
I don’t think a bottled intent could exist, and if it did I’m very sure people wouldn’t want to use it. Aunt Helen says waybackwhen in the tournament arc that if you didn’t have an intent when you hit Tier 25 you wouldn’t get a Tier 25 Talent, and nobody would want that.
Jeff Wells
I disagree. Despite what she says about "secrets aren't as important as you think", THIS secret is so big it's going to start a True War, which none of the current ascenders have participated in before. It's going to change the face of the entire realm, once it gets out. She simply cannot fathom a secret that big. She's just very perceptive and thinks Matt is overreacting. He's really not, but he still needs to learn to chill.
ShivaMcTimber
Yeah but after the path was finished. My point is that if Suzanne had been an actual part of MLA while still on the path, there is no way she would have stepped off. Their range of skills often got each other through the moments when they encountered something that was a good counter for one of the team (this happened with Matt at least once). A solo ascender like Suzanne lacks this advantage of numbers and varied skills/talents. The moment a solo ascender hits a good counter it can throw them, and this is more likely in higher rifts in addition to making rifts more of a grind. It's one of the things that never quite made sense. I am pretty certain Aster would never have been an Ascender were it not for Matt & Liz.
Renegade
"He was sure of that because Manny had said he’d cover for any slip ups short of outright stating hsi Talent if Matt made any." the "his" is off.
Walter
I ship it!
Mashiara
Basically they're the only ones that can understand each other. It's lonely being at the top. But as you can see, it doesn't bother them to fight with each other
Meyster
You're right, but there might be multiple T50 rifts or Matt can chill on planet to recharge for instancing as needed
Lidja
Manny thinks it will take a True War before the Great Powers start negotiating to share the resources of Matt’s mana. If nothing else they will need to negotiate how many rift slots each Great Powers will get and in what order.
Ted Burgess
Nice wrap up; would be even nicer to see Matt and company get some measurable power ups or rewards after 200 years of static fighting. I hope that’s on your agenda in the next two chapters.
-Sanguine-
Man catching up again has been a fun ride. First time I read this series there were maybe 2 dozen chapters? And then the second time was just past Minkala. Once the emperor pov is complete I’ll hang out for a while and let a book or two build up. See you all again in a little while!
C_Mantis
Also note like Maya and Aiden, they will happily kill each other given the chance. Its apex predators gathering because its the only others like them so the only ones who get them and the only ones who can challenge them.
Isley
good chappie
Thransk
It's the same reason while the ultra wealthy all run in the same circles in real life, it's the only people who truly understand what their life is like and their mindset
Justin B
When you’re one of a few that do something, many times you keep communication open with the others just because they’re the only ones that understand that part of your life. Even if you don’t particularly like them. Also they’re not always enemies, sometimes they’re allies.
BigFun
You can see the difference in Suzanne vs MLA in the last fight when they were capturing/killing elites that were fleeing to the HA. ALL the Ascenders were out fighting, no matter their condition. Suzanne was not. Not saying she isn't a badass, but the Ascenders push beyond their limits at all costs and she doesn't.
Greg Lambert
I'm kinda confused what is going on. And the point of enemies getting together.
Jason Hatter
Allister was the name.
0x0F
Nope
Andrew K
Liked the chapter, but one small suggestion - when they arrive at the station, the "leaving Matt alone with his fellow Team Zero Ascenders" part can be a bit confusing/misleading given their hosts are also still there. Just changing "alone with" -> "and" would avoid the issue.
ShivaMcTimber
Not sure about these responses - throwing out something nebulous like mentality doesn't sell it. It was the Yun Me and Mara show before Authority boy did his reveal. Given that Mara had way more advantages in her progression than Yun Me is more a testament to Yun Me's mental strength and sheer willpower plus her killer experience over tine. Same with many ascenders. Suzanne is another example. The writing basically simply went that Suzanne didn't make it. Would she have by becoming a part of the MLA team (team SLAM!) - she definitely would, hence my disagreement with a mystical mental faculty being the x factor - not convincing. Also I never quite understood how a team of three which could power through higher rifts together, but unlikely alone (especially Aster), that Suzanne would also have to quit solo, are considered superior to a solo ascender. Kinda baffling and counter to the idea of strength of any kind besides strength in numbers. Seems arbitrary and, until the war, not clearly demonstrated. All said and done, I think Suzanne will become another Yun Me eventually.
Chris
Im on iPhone so it was safari. it’s weird it shows the chapter ok on the website but if you go to reader view it shows 336. I’ve downloaded the pdf and that’s all fine.
SunStar
no, the last set defected to the MC
Owen Kaz
Yes, it was referenced somewhere around chapter 279-280 when they met after Matt's Ascension if I recall correctly.
d s
Does the federation have any accenders/slayers?
Robin Richards
Just because there are no Bottle Intents now, doesn't mean there couldn't be bottled intents in the future, especially if there are enough Aura rifts to experiment with. Though since intent is a post immortality domain ability there's much less value to them except for quickly advancing troops to Tier 25+
Alex
Is Lyre a Hills Have Eyes growth item? I figured they might have been a spiritual journey companion.
Violet
I think it's more likely that some of the Ascenders just stay out of things altogether. Not because they expect anything for it, but because a True War isn't any fun. Who wants to waste their time attacking down tiers and fighting total non-challenges? The only real fun is in fighting one another, and when a higher tier can just sweep in and break up the fight, even that stops being fun.
J W Walters
And also, she'd be able to tell that he's genuinely and sincerely only interested in using his Talents purely altruistically.
Jsar
Maybe, but that was a civil war. Side swapping there is a bit more likely I think.
MikeL
I did a very big double take, when I read “Allie or Aster” as “Allie & Asters” room.
Jsar
I think Manny has said he has goals similar to that, but no one will belive him. In a way the can't afford to belive him.
Baconater
Ascenders Club is rad
RedeyeA
No one is going to be able to tier up to 50 during the war anyway. The bribe would be about what they would have access to after the war.
Alex
Probably; there were those gem things that Manny got a few chapters back that help with intents, so I don’t see why there wouldn’t be a Rift type that does it too.
Meyster
@xarow if there's a mutually controlled space, like with Minkalla, that can allow people to grow to T50 and ascend what is the reason for a true war? Further backed by a promise that each GP will eventually be getting their own version of the same thing, why go to war?
Meyster
@abriel The planet itself, yes. But planets can support rifts of a higher tier than themselves, so while it would take a while to bring a planet from T30 to T46 or T47 to support the T50 rifts.
SunStar
Wait for the official Manny chapter.
Abriel Blauer
I don't believe so. Or there would be the equivalent of "bottled concept" for Intent
Matt H
The main issue that I foresee with that plan is that I don't think Matt will have the opportunity to advance a planet beyond the low 40s before the war is concluded. The Federation was already ganged up on in the past just for potentially having a T46 and a T47 planet at the same time. Add in the fact that the T50s have enough of a connection to the realm to know how many other high tier planets there are in the realm and even sense their general direction and there's no way Matt could ever secretly make a T48, much less a T49 or T50 planet. I'm positive that one or more of the T50s would immediately go there to claim it, even it that meant leaving their current Great Power behind and then building a new Power around that planet. I think the most that Matt and Manny will be able to do before war breaks out is advance the capital to T48 (along with a variety of lower level planets). At that point the war would kick off regardless of whether people know about Matt's Talents yet because that would be too much of an advantage for The Empire over the other Great Powers.
Abriel Blauer
I believe that Ascender are more of a state of mind before being strong. While Yun Me is maybe somehow close to the level of strength, I don't think she have the mentality. The club is more for people with a type of mentality than strength. As proof, Matt punched a pure-blooded Dragon at least 10 Tier higher than him without a single hesitation. That's the type of Club that is more than just strength. Also, what kind of mother ask the people that almost killed her own children how they were on the battlefield? I hear someone saying "Mara" in the background. But in short, even if Yun Me was in the Club, I don't believe she would relate.
Patrick Schuldt
Was the big reveal of Matt's talent to the allied powers T50 (forgot the name) off POV or will we get it? Wanna see his baffled reaction 😂 he is prolly wondering what the reason for a trübest could be
-Sanguine-
First (In my heart)
Clay Smith
I get why Cosmind places such an importance on the ascender group. Not only will her basic ascender status scare people but the fact she is a mind mage ramps that up to a thousand. She literally may be unable to make friends with hardly anyone outside of them.
SunStar
Yun Me is very powerful and capable, but power isn't really the only thing that makes that group. There is one way to be in that group and it is to hit T25 in 200 years under restrictions. That takes a certain type of person that Yun Me simply isn't. Power yes, but also mindset and approach to gaining power. She'd be the odd woman out as her mentality is not at all similar to the sorts of people in that group.
Xarow
This may delay the true war but not stop it. When it then did happen it would just ensure there were more higher tier people on al sides and make the destruction so much worse for lower tiers.
Abriel Blauer
It was said once, long ago, that in order to raise a Planet up to Tier 50, Matt and the Emperor (with his copy) would have to work together to accomplish it
Havokk
Very fun chapter. And Cosmind has definitely figured Matts secret out and at the same time will probably be the first to defend save him. What does an Ascender want more than anything ? to get stronger, and how do you get the most strength, by being Tier 50. She just met the one person who can help ensure she hits tier 50 before she leaves the realm..... yeah she is definitely on team Matt. That and the Emperor himself is paying her to help him out
Xarow
Thanks ‘stating hsi Talent if Matt’ > stating his Talent if Matt
Meyster
It could help with the concerns of the Empire growing too strong and hoarding power. We've already seen what happens to a GP that gets too strong too fast with the Federation. If the other powers each have the access to T50 rifts they'll be less likely to have a true war.
Tommy
Really fun chapter. Laughed out loud far too much at the ascenders’ antics. Great to see they’re all a bunch of battle mad lunatics Thanks for the chapter 👏👍 Edit: also, Max sounds cool, be great if they became real friends then we saw her reaction to finding out his talent 😂
RedeyeA
I have been thinking that most of the Ascenders will defect during the true war for the opportunity to get to tier 50 before ascending to the next realm. The extra talent and the ability to get there within a reasonable time frame with an actually good foundation will be too good of a deal. If Matt makes even a tier 49 planet so he can make tier 50 rifts easily, far more people are going to have the opportunity to get to the max tier. The main reason for the 30000 year terms for GP leaders is because that is how fast they can make tier 50s sustainably. I think Emanuel will be fine with letting others become tier 50 before ascending if he has enough people in his power block already tier 50. The ascenders are likely to be the first ones who will be bribed with tier 50 status to change sides.
ShivaMcTimber
Ooooh Authoritah Rift! Maybe in the ascended realms
William Johnson
So aura rifts help with forming a concept, I wonder if there's higher tier versions that help with Intents or Aspects...or Authorities? Thanks for the chapter!
James Skinner
Thanks!
alex bozdog
This would very much not work specifically because Manny is the Emperor. Anything Matt can make we know the Emperor can output ten times more (Stated he has a T25 talent that does that somewhere b4) Even if Matt is fully neutral and shared Manny would boost the Empire into the stratosphere solo.
ShivaMcTimber
A pity Yun Me isn't a part of the group, I feel she has earned that and she is interesting given that she isn't an Ascender level. Be nice to hear how she relates to Mara and the rest.
William Johnson
One of my guesses for the future is the Ascender group chat turning in to its own great power as everyone involved decides to fuck off from their respective leaderships. With Matt and Allie that becomes plausible, since they're basically perfect logistics as a duo. Just a gang of the most individually powerful people in the Realm running their own Path of Ascension independent of any other power.
Patrick Brennan
"You're secrets not that big" Next minute a true war is started because of his secret
Aaron Hardin
Its the biggest hurdle to reaching T48, but by treaty each power is limited to only 1 T50 (the leader) and 1 T49 (the leader's chosen successor), part of it is also a power having a planet go from T47 to T48 means that the natural treasures released from the T48 rifts are better than those released from T47, so the crafting of the entire power will go up since they naturally will have better materials to work with on top of there being more essence available for people to get via delving.
Meyster
Once Matt's mana creation gets out couldn't Manny pitch a shared planet with T50 rifts, kinda like the agreement around Minkalla. And then sell Matt's time to the GP's to make them their own T50 on a schedule
Kevin DD
I would like a reaction POV from Max when she finds out what Matts talent. "It's not that big a deal" ha!
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Draega
If the biggest hurdle to reaching t50 before ascension is resources/lack of high lvl rifts then Mat solves that easy, as long they can survive or hide from the war.
s476
I mean it would not suit matt, but I would have loved him to bet max, that his secret (talent) will shock her, if/when she learns of it
Matt H
This chapter makes me wonder if we might see some more defections whenever the true war ends up happening. Apparently it's happened before during a true war in the form of Eclavorn and Gideon. And I can imagine a scenario where some members of the group care more about their peers/friends and the benefits they can get from each other (mana, domain advice, teleportation, etc.) than the Great Powers they came from.
Bob Bryan
Hope we also get to see some new skill shards that matt and crew create along with the aura rifts. Wonder how the rest of the cornucopia of governments will react to those. Also hope sien and her kids survive, she's grown on me.
C_Mantis
Did the email work or does a webbrower work? I dont have the pateron app to test.
James Faulkner
I can’t wait for Max’s jaw to drop when she realizes his secret is probably the biggest one the realm has ever seen lol
Eduard Marciuc
I love this, having peers is fun and stress relieving for them and honestly the interactions are amazing
Chris
When I try to read this on reader view it shows chapter 336 for some reason.
John Sanders
ty
Luna_1001
ty
TimeDrawsNigh
Thanks!
