Thats great then, Catarina nodded. It works.
They had teleported from outside the Order to the main headquarters of the Glorious Fla Palace. Without anything in the way of real fanfare, they departed and arrived.
Despite the lack of official fanfare on her part, there were excited cheers from all around them. Anton didnt have any real part in putting the whole thing together and just happened to fill in the numbers. He found it exciting, but so of those who had been more closely involved were much more enthusiastic. And the mbers of the Glorious Fla Palace, who were always quite expressive in their actions. Annelie also happened to be present, giving a fairly subdued but honest round of clapping.
Im impressed, Anton said to Catarina. I didnt really expect it to fail since you were confident, but Im still surprised. Teleporting like this seed like the sort of madness that is exclusive to Everheart.
Its not, though. There were traces of similar formations found in the Luminous Ocean Societys area.
I never heard about that, Anton admitted. Though it wasnt really relevant to what I was doing.
Catarina nodded, It was long after you went. They also werent imdiately recognizable because they seed to have been intentionally destroyed- likely before the attacks.
It does seem to be a security hole, Anton admitted. If anyone can just use these
Its not quite that simple, Catarina said. But we have to assu the invaders would be able to activate them. We thought of that, and these are designed to be disassembled easily. Catarina pointed out a few stones sunk into the floor that could easily be removed, without which the formation would be missing critical functions. Those keystones can be removed safely by anyone.
What happens if you try to teleport sowhere that has done that? Anton asked.
Nothing, Catarina replied straightforwardly. Except likely a waste of a significant amount of energy. The test of doors Everheart had is actually a better representation of what is happening. Theyre more like portals that you just happen to be across the threshold of when they activate. So if they dont activate, theyre nothing.
Thats comforting to know, Anton nodded. Though I worry that agents of the Twin Soul Sect could just replace the sections that were removed.
It would require them being in control of both ends and able to coordinate their efforts. And in the event of an invasion, the plan is to destroy the keystones, or perhaps more. Catarina shrugged, Though keeping them out of important areas is also the best precaution. This one was mostly ant to be temporary. Though the Glorious Fla Palace liked the idea of convenient travel to Graotan.
How easy are they to use? Anton asked.
The process is simple. However I should note that we had set up energy stored ahead of ti for this test. If we were to activate even this small formation we would require the expenditure of the majority of ten Essence Collection cultivators energy stores.
Thats not too bad, Anton admitted. Especially if it could save weeks of travel between continents, for example.
Unfortunately, distance is also a factor. From the shores of Brogora to Aicenith is several tis the distance of this formation, requiring markedly more energy. A few dozen Essence Collection cultivators couldnt transport much more than themselves. There is a minimum amount of energy required for activation, and more based on the amount of stuff transferred. More or less.
What about storage bags?
They only seem to care about the outer portion, which is insignificant. However, there are so calculations still to be made. Earlier tests had anomalies in energy required that we estimated to be inversely proportional to the beasts fatigue levels. The sa might apply to humans.
Which ans? Anton understood all of the words, but her explanation was insufficient for him to do more than just guess what she ant.
Higher level cultivators will likely have to exhaust themselves to travel through. Natural energy seems to be one of the factors of total quantity.
That makes it a bit difficult to use them to send reinforcents but helps with security issues.
Except invaders could simply use objects storing energy. Its ultimately inefficient since most cannot be restored, but war is a ti people accept inefficient.
I feel like youve had these conversations with other people already, Anton admitted. Sorry to make you catch up when I dont really have anything to do with them.
Its fine, Catarina smiled. Theyre all valid concerns.
So about going back ho
We walk. Or fill it up with energy and teleport.
I think the latter is ultimately more efficient, Anton remarked.
Thats right. First I have to talk to those working over here though, Catarina gestured towards the red walls around them, and the people cheering and waiting nearby.
-----
The world was changing so much Anton had a hard ti keeping up. He wasnt sure if that was true for everyone, but having gone from not being a cultivator to witnessing lost techniques like teleportation formations be reacquired and put into effect he didnt know how to react. Plus there was re-establishing communication with the rest of the cultivator world, connecting more people together. It was all so much and felt too fast but also too slow. Or perhaps, too late.
Anton wondered what Everheart was thinking. If he had an accurate ti of the invasion, why not give it? Along with that, if he could have given a few more decades or a century how much more progress would they have now?
The tomb of ascension even caused significant damage to the Twin Soul Sect, catching so of their mbers in a trap. It was a sha it hadnt gotten all of their highest ranking mbers, but no sect- even a distributed one like the Twin Soul Sect- would send all of their mbers to one place together. Especially when others could take the risk and ultimately give them the information they sought anyway.
If that had all happened a century before actually, Anton could think of plenty of reasons why it wouldnt have gone well. If it werent a ti of crisis, there could be wars between the continents. And if the Twin Soul Sect had been weakened a century before, there would have been a century for them to rebuild and develop counterasures. Anton wasnt willing to say that Everheart was right about everything, but he could at least understand there were reasons for what the man did. Ultimately, there was no way to say what was right, since only one course of action could actually happen.
At the current mont, Anton was taking a break. He wasnt the sort of person who could just sit around and do nothing of course. He still cultivated, and he was actually living with the Rileys in Carran. Catarinas father and mother didnt need him to work on their farm, but they also couldnt stop him. Nobody had ever been able to, but now at least they couldnt say he was too old. He was older, but cultivation allowed him to remain active.
These are so good looking chickens, Anton complinted Jasper on his work as they fed the chickens in the morning. That rooster I feel like you dont have to worry about foxes breaking in with him on guard.
Thats right, Jasper nodded. Theyve grown big and strong. Had to upsize the coop for them. But it also takes more work to keep them contained he shook his head. They can peck through wooden fences eventually, and seem liable to wander off if we dont keep a watch on them. And while foxes might not be able to challenge them, so of the bigger beasties out in the forest might find them a good snack.
Anton nodded. I hear Timothys father has been keeping down the beast population, right?
Him and the hunters. The problem is, theyre attracted closer to town now. Greater concentrations of natural energy and all that.
Anton nodded. That was one of the risks that hadnt been initially obvious, but it should eventually stabilize. And though the total number of those fully devoted to cultivation was not all that much higher, those who practiced the profession of a hunter could handle the local areas. It was the sa sort of risks people always had to manage.
Im amazed at how these crops have changed, Jasper looked out over nearby fields. The Rileys farm had expanded over the last two decades simply because of their prosperity and ability to work more land. Everything they planted now thrived in an environnt high in natural energy. So of the plants had been developed in the intervening ti while others had been taken as they were. Most of what the Rileys grew were still suitable for people who didnt cultivate, or only cultivated a small amount. So had larger concentrations of natural energy that required a cultivator to process. They ate so of those themselves, and sold the rest.
If they hadnt begun to cultivate under Antons guidance, the couple would have been at the age where they were considering retirent- or at least cutting back on the work. Catarina obviously hadnt taken over the family business, but they knew that would be the case two decades prior. Now they were both in Spirit Building and felt younger than when Anton had first t them. They wouldnt impress anyone with their cultivation speed, but at their current rate of advancent they would still be outpacing their aging for a while. Ti would eventually catch up to them, but it got everyone.
Anton was aware of that for himself, but he was pretty sure that the invasion would get him first. He couldnt sit out of it even if he wanted to. He knew anti-ascension techniques, and Everheart had insinuated that the invaders would be looking to wipe out anyone who knew them. Though he could be lying about that just to spur people to action. That actually sounded quite plausible. Nonetheless, it would hopefully motivate those who thought passivity might save them. Anton supposed that individual lives might actually be spared that way, but that wouldnt protect the worlds advancents.
So Anton asked. How s that queen going for ya?
Ill be honest, Jasper shook his head. Its weird. Flora is actually the one who interacts with the ants the most. They cant communicate much, except we can tell them to stay out of certain places. Seeing them wandering around the house is weird, but they clean up crumbs and the like. They help clear the fields of waste, too. Hardly have to worry about other bugs, though locust are still a threat. He shook his head. What are they for?
Do you really want to know? Anton asked.
Maybe not, Jasper sighed. Theyre a defense against cultivators I guess. So we appreciate that.
Anton nodded. Thats the general idea. Its pretty safe here, but you never know what might happen. It wasnt favoritism for them to have so of the ants, either. Not entirely, anyway. They had been cautiously allowed to expand over the years, but their higher intelligence and ability to communicate on a small level eventually won out. While most of them seed slightly less intelligent than the first queen that still liked to hang around Anton, they all understood the sa things.
Moderation in expansion and cooperation with humans. They were specifically aware that if they made humans angry they might get wiped out. While it wasnt necessarily the best basis for a relationship it was true. And while the ants were a threat in so ways, they were actually more of a threat to cultivators. If they chose to, they could attack and kill a cultivator. Perhaps a handful, before people caught on and wiped them out. The sa was basically true of normal humans though. One colony might kill a few. And it also included, in theory, ascension cultivators. The risk of a few people dying- which hadnt happened at the hands of the ants a single ti in more than a decade- was very easy to weigh against the re possibility of taking out an ascension cultivator. Calculating with human lives was callous, but possibly necessary.
And again, they understood that cooperating with humans was better. People liked dogs even though dogs could kill a person. Besides, no matter what happened they probably wouldnt be a bigger threat to humans than humans were, so letting them live in peace was perfectly reasonable. Though Anton hoped that when the right ti ca, they would understand they were no longer supposed to be peaceful.
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