Chương 568: Chapter 536: The Future of the Multiverse

Both gods clearly had something planned for Thalion, and it didn't take a mind reader to see that they considered those plans to be falling apart.

"Besides the show in five months, is there something else I need to know?" Thalion asked, trying to steer the conversation toward a far more unpleasant subject.

"First of all, we need to cancel your participation in the next show. By now it is quite clear that you won't reach D grade in time. Being part of the third system event will also be impossible. The others will all be D grade, and that is a disadvantage you simply won't be able to make up for." Solan dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand.

"Far more important is what is happening in Integrated Space. Normally, after the first person reached peak S grade, the new universe would simply open up, granting unrestricted access to anyone who wanted to come and go. Now the lower regions of integrated space are being sealed off, and from the information we extracted from several gods who had visited the Oracle, it appears that they will soon be connected to the new universe.

This could happen through portals or even by the system physically moving entire galaxies. We highly suspect that it will happen after the third system event." Thalion still didn't understand why that was so troubling. Sure, another galaxy might suddenly appear nearby, but there should only be D grades living there. Why all the panic? The Chosen from the rival factions on New Earth seemed like a much bigger threat.

"Okay, I still don't see why that is such a problem. None of those newcomers should be particularly difficult to handle, right?" He added the last part when both gods looked at him as though he was the dumbest mortal they had ever encountered.

"You really don't know?" Nyssa asked after several uncomfortable seconds had passed. His expression must have answered the question for her because Solan immediately continued.

"Most E grades who managed to enter the new universe through incursions were relatively weak. After the third system event, there won't be any restrictions preventing those living inside the currently sealed regions from entering."

"E grades won't be the issue. The problem are the D-grade sects. Some of them are thousands upon thousands of years old. Against a D grade who has spent millennia fighting, training, and surviving every single day, things become very difficult."

"On top of that, those factions are enormous. Some possess hundreds of D grades under their command. They also have equipment capable of traveling through space." Now Thalion finally understood where the wind was blowing. The other factions had probably known about this for quite some time through the Oracles and had already begun preparing. Meanwhile, his faction had been left completely in the dark.

"I assume we don't have one of those D-grade factions on our side?" Thalion asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Of course not," Nyssa replied with visible annoyance.

"But we are still trying to negotiate with some of them. The problem is that many of those factions are rather unhappy with us gods in general. We are part of the reason they never managed to compete for the more valuable regions that our larger factions controlled."

"On top of that, they are sealed off just like the new universe. Giving blessings is almost impossible. You have to carefully choose the right faction, something the Oracles have already helped many others accomplish."

"And none of those factions are friendly toward us." Nyssa's expression darkened.

"The short version is this: you aren't attending the show, and you definitely aren't participating in the third system event. If it becomes public knowledge that you're still E grade, you'll turn into a very lucrative target for the newcomers for multiple reasons."

"We absolutely cannot risk losing you during a system event where your chances of surviving against the elite of the elite, all of them D grade, are close to zero." Nyssa sounded genuinely irritated while explaining it all, and Thalion was very happy not to be the main target of her wrath. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Well, what isn't yet can still become, he thought.

Because right now seemed like the perfect moment to tell the gods about his plans for the next five months. Unfortunately, he still had to listen to them a little longer.

"The next issue is that the portals will remain as restricted as they are now," Solan continued.

"Normally that wouldn't be a major problem, but with everything happening this era, it is a disaster."

"This faction is already weak. It lacks any real military force and desperately needs every bit of assistance it can get..."

"Okay, look. I see that the future is quite difficult, but I also have to come clean about a few things. I am going to be part of the show and the third system event. Nothing you say will stop me from attending." Thalion figured it was better to tell them now before the gods became even more upset. Judging by the looks they gave him, that probably wasn't possible.

"Say that again," Nyssa said in complete disbelief. Thalion had always been confused when people said that. It was clear the gods had heard him perfectly fine, so was he supposed to repeat himself or not? From his perspective, the situation wasn't nearly as bad as they made it out to be. Sure, the recent setback had been horrible, but he had never planned on reaching D grade before the third system event anyway.

Solan was the first god to recover his bearings and desperately tried to find some middle ground by explaining exactly how much of an idiot Thalion was.

"I feel like I'm repeating myself, but you are absolutely not taking part in either the show or the event. I think we provided some very solid reasoning. You, on the other hand, must have slammed your head against a wall a few times too many.

"You might have missed the fact that a bunch of random E-grade elves almost killed you a few days ago. Whatever you've done to yourself has weakened you tremendously. Let me guess, you tried to fuse the elemental without any proper preparation even after receiving all the information you needed.

"Furthermore, you don't have a blessing or a powerful bloodline. Fighting those people at E grade would be suicidal."

"You're looking at it from the wrong perspective." Thalion shrugged.

"I'm going to enter the show as an E grade and then win the third system event. Like I said before, there is nothing you can do to stop me." He continued pressing the issue despite being in arguably the worst shape of his life.

"What are the drawbacks if he dies during the third system event?" Solan asked Nyssa in a tone that sounded almost rhetorical.

"Rumors could spread that we don't care about mortals. We already have a very small mortal faction, and the next target of our enemies will definitely be Cassi. If he runs his mouth too much during the show, most people will probably think we're idiots for not talking him out of it. Some might even believe we forced him to attend." Nyssa sighed.

"So overall? Not good." Thalion, of course, saw things very differently.

"Look, I have a little over five months to get ready. It's going to be tough, but I'll manage.

"What I need from you two is simple. First, get that Echovore god over here because I need proper instruction. Second, I need more forms. Preferably something that helps my wyvern. It's the only form that's really lacking at the moment." That finally startled the gods. Only now did they seem to realize that he was completely serious about participating in the third system event. Before, they had probably assumed he was joking or confused.

"You're actually serious?" Solan asked. He rubbed his forehead.

"Hmm. Fine. I do have a few forms prepared, but we've been withholding them since you weren't available. How does it look with the Echovore? Would it even help a mortal?" It was Nyssa's answer that truly unsettled Thalion.

"Perhaps. I left one of its babies alive and untouched. In a week or so, we could give it a try." Thalion had no idea what that meant, but he desperately needed help understanding what had happened to him and how he could potentially take advantage of it.

"That is indeed great. On another note, I seem to have suffered some sort of backlash, but I'm not sure how to recover from it. The pathways that are still intact feel overloaded, and my normal healing is only fixing them very slowly." He paused.

"The question is, how do I get back into top condition quickly?"

"That sounds like a massive backlash." Nyssa swore under her breath.

"Just what have you done? The only E grades I've ever seen in a similar condition were people who literally blew themselves apart and had to be stitched back together."

"In short, there isn't much you can do. At least not as a mortal. Some forms of damage simply require time to heal.

"There are a few things that will help, though. First, don't go out and fight. Second, remain as calm as possible while meditating and slowly moving energy from your soul core through your soul body.

"At first you'll need to drastically reduce the amount of energy you move until it no longer hurts."

"If it does hurt, it will have an overall negative effect." That didn't sound much better, but at least it was something he could actively work on. While Nyssa was explaining the recovery process, Solan appeared to be skimming through the forms he currently had available.

"I've got a few forms stockpiled. For your wyvern, I found one with an affinity for both ice and storms. It's built rather slim for a wyvern and possesses an exceptionally strong domain. The elementals I found also have skills specifically designed to strengthen one's domain." Now Thalion was starting to like where this conversation was heading. Mostly because they were finally focusing on how he could become stronger rather than dwelling on the disastrous future ahead.

Soon he would have to face the elite of the elite in one of the most insane trials the multiverse had ever produced. Afterward, he would somehow need to find a way to deal with whatever came next. The future looked incredibly dangerous. Still, what worried him most wasn't himself. It was his friends. He hoped all of them would make it through what was coming. Honestly, it was already a miracle that everyone was still alive and growing stronger with every passing day. Hopefully that lucky streak would continue.

For once, they were really going to need it.