Death… And Me

Chapter 3721: Not Limitless

Rifindio went silent for a moment before asking. -How did you find out about it?-

Rean told Rifindio that the war in F974 seemed to have started because of it. ”So, since you are also a Universe owner now, I thought you would have some idea.”

-I didn’t want to talk about it since you helped me become a Universe Owner, and I’m thankful for that. I wanted you to focus on your objective and find your way home, nothing more. Sigh... anyway. You do know that after the Space-Time Realm, one’s lifespan is basically infinite, right?- Rifindio asked first.

Rean and the others nodded, waiting for Rifindio to continue this explanation.

-However, Universe Owners that got to that level through the use of a Universe Root Egg are different. They have a certain amount of time to reach the Peak Stage of the Celestial Realm and then take the next step. That’s because the Universe Root Egg slowly, truly very slowly, erodes your mind.-

Rifindio continued. -From what Victor told me, it is actually more or less common for a Universe Owner here in the Werdlem Empire to reach that stage. Still, we are talking of millions of years before the very first side-effects start to show, maybe hundreds of millions, let alone reach the end stages. You might as well even disregard that such a thing exists at all.-

-Just like Triaglia and the other Universes that took part in the Golden Palace, all Universe Owners in the Werdlem Empire have their chances to pass their mantles to the next generation... Unless you became a Universe Owner through other methods, but I won’t comment on those. The ways to select the next Owner vary according to the experts in charge of their Universes’ Region, but it happens. In our case, the Golden Palace was what Victor used.-

-But, there are a few times that a Universe Owner never manages to get himself a successor. Or maybe they simply don’t want to take the next step and want to be the Universe Owners forever. Anyway, the point is that the lifespan of a Universe Owner who uses a Universe Root Egg is not infinite. There is a limit of time before they lose themselves. That’s what is called a Universe Owner’s Expiration Date.-

It was the first time Reliance heard about it. ”So that’s why our Universe is now in a war to decide which power will take the position. But... the ones who started this war were actually our Demon Beasts Race, not the Werdlem Empire. The Werdlem Empire just accepted it. It’s just that the reason for us to start it was this Expire Date.”

Indeed. Reliance commented before that Ratria-Ket and Ploto-Ume were the ones to bring all the other powers together to challenge the Humanoid Races and the Ermmel Clan at their top. How did they even know about that?

-Makes sense,- Rifindio nodded. -Rean, you were a Divinity Realm Expert before, so you have already comprehended the laws, right?-

”Obviously,” Rean nodded. ”At the moment, we only need energy for our cultivation, nothing else.”

-Then focus on the laws of the world,- Rifindio guided Rean. -You comprehended the Major Laws of Light and Darkness. Pay very close attention to the four sublaws of those major laws, or just one of them is also fine. To be more specific, pay attention to the connection they have to each other as part of the Major Law. If what Victor told me is correct, you should feel, even if just so slightly, a tiny disruption between them.-

Rean looked at Kentucky, and both nodded. The two of them already knew the Major Laws, after all. They closed their eyes while flying, focusing on those laws. In fact, even Roan and Celis did the same in the Celestial Soul Dimensional Realm.

It took some time, but ultimately, they found it, Rean being the first. ”Found it! Wow... If I didn’t know what I was looking for, I would never have noticed this disruption at all.”

Kentucky was the same. ”Got it here as well. I checked the Dark Laws.”

In the Celestial Soul Dimensional Realm, Roan and Celis found those disruptions in the Dark Laws for Roan and the Wood Laws for Celis.

-The laws of one Universe are the same as the laws you find in the Great Void and in the other Universes. However, when the Universe Owner has the Universe Root Egg merged with him and it begins to erode his mind beyond a certain limit, things change a little.-

Roan could guess the outcome. ’The Universe Owner’s eroded mind affects his own Universe Laws since he is connected to that Universe Root Egg. A new Universe Owner will need to take the place to restore the laws to their normality. Or, maybe the simple death of the Universe Owner, allowing the Universe Root Egg to come out of that merged state, will already be enough.’

-Both are correct,- Rifindio nodded. -However, who would want to let the Universe Root Egg go, right? Triaglia only did so after she was given the chance to progress and found a successor, me. The owner of F974... No, if he has already reached his expire date, he is definitely not in the state of mind to decide anything. It is definitely the Ermmel Clan that wants to keep the Universe Root Egg and get one of their members to become the next Universe Owner. Chances are, the Ermmel Clan has its Universe Owner sealed somehow, waiting for his demise.-

”And since the other top experts of the Universe, those in the Peak Stage of the Divinity Realm, noticed the disruption in the laws...” Kentucky commented.

-Exactly,- Rifindio confirmed. -Someone definitely noticed the disruption and took that chance. The Universe Owner of F974 is likely still alive, which shows that the Ermmel Clan still hasn’t acquired the Root Egg. The Werdlem Empire also understood that the Universe Owner is in his last moments, so it allowed the other powers to challenge for power. For the Werdlem Empire, this is a good thing.-

”How come?” Kentucky asked.

-It is a way of keeping control,- Rifindio stated the obvious. -By allowing everyone to give it a shot at acquiring the Root Egg, it shows it is willing to at least accept the Universe’s own beings to decide who will control the Universe. You can call it ’a certain amount of autonomy.’ No one likes dominant powers, after all.-

”The old saying goes...” Rean sighed. ”It is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.”

-I couldn’t have said it better. The various powers inside each Universe will never be able to challenge the Werdlem Empire. It controls all the Cultivation Energies of the Universe, after all. So, the fact that the Werdlem Empire at least lets them decide who will be the next Universe Owner is a big deal. Everyone knows that, and everyone accepts that. It is that simple.-

Rifindio then smiled. -Just don’t start to think I’m doomed or anything, alright? I have a very, very long time ahead before anything like that starts to happen to me.-

Rean nodded. ”Alright. Thank you, Rifindio. Let me know if you need anything.”

And so, Rean finished the call, acquiring the answer they needed.