Chapter 290: Re-Cultivation

Eliomor continued with its explanation as everyone listened attentively, their curiosity growing with every new piece of information it revealed. "When the Veil disappears, Aether energy will surge throughout the entire World. This will change the fundamental structure of the World as well as the existing cultivation hierarchy. Everyone will need to abandon Spirit Energy completely."

"In other words, everyone will need to change their primary source of energy from Spirit Energy to Aether. That may sound simple when explained like this, but the actual process will be much more difficult." Everyone frowned upon hearing that.

They had already expected that they would need to adapt to the new energy once the Veil disappeared, but abandoning the Spirit Energy they had spent years cultivating was an entirely different matter.

Their entire cultivation had been built around Spirit Energy, so the thought of suddenly abandoning it naturally raised concerns about what would happen to everything they had achieved.

"You will all regress back to the lowest cultivation stage after abandoning Spirit Energy, but..." Eliomor paused, causing everyone to widen their eyes slightly. ’Regress back to the lowest cultivation stage?’ Atlas thought as he considered how absurd that sounded.

Yet almost immediately, another thought appeared in his mind. ’Why didn’t I think of that? I could alter the Logic governing Orivian’s entire cultivation system and—’

His thought stopped before it could fully develop.

A strange sensation suddenly appeared inside his mind, almost like an instinctive warning telling him that he should never attempt something like that. Atlas’s expression remained calm, but he immediately understood the danger behind that warning. ’...The pain in my mind. If I tried to do something like that, the backlash would be so severe that I would instantly die.’

He remembered the functions of his Trait, Metadata Axiom, and the protection it provided. However, it could never save him from something that originated from within his own existence.

’And the death would be internal, because my own ability to alter Logic would be the thing that caused the backlash.’ Atlas concluded before shaking his head slightly and dismissing the thought entirely.

There was no reason to take such a risk simply because he had discovered a theoretical method of bypassing the problem. He would rather understand the situation first than recklessly interfere with something he didn’t fully comprehend.

"You all needn’t worry about that," Eliomor continued. "When you regress back to the lowest cultivation stage, the moment you begin absorbing Aether energy, your cultivation ranks will surge rapidly because Aether is a million times purer than Spirit Energy and possesses properties far superior to it."

The mechanical voice spread throughout the realm, and this time even Seraphiel’s eyes widened slightly. ’A million times purer?’ She couldn’t help but wonder whether something like that was actually possible, but hearing it directly from Eliomor left little reason to doubt the statement.

Everyone except Zaakrax’s four old friends displayed similar expressions of shock as they processed the sheer difference between the two energies. If Aether truly possessed such an enormous advantage over Spirit Energy, then the coming change wasn’t simply a loss of their current cultivation. It could potentially become the beginning of an entirely different level of growth.

"As for anyone wondering why we cannot simply use the Aether energy surging into the World to stabilize the Veil, that is also not viable. If we attempted to do that, the outsiders would detect us almost immediately. It would be better for the Aether to naturally rush into the World while those outsiders remain unaware that this World is any different from the others."

The shocked expressions around the table remained, but everyone eventually nodded after understanding the reasoning. The Veil’s purpose was to conceal Eliomor from the outside Galaxy, so using the newly arriving Aether to reinforce the very barrier that was supposed to disappear would defeat the purpose of allowing Aether to enter the World naturally.

They could no longer maintain the old protection forever, meaning they would have to prepare for what came afterward instead.

A moment later, Atlas finally spoke while remaining seated. "I understand everything quite well now, but... what’s the plan you have in mind to retaliate against the outsiders? And how does this entire situation concern me? I don’t care even if the World were to be destroyed by those outsiders. I can simply live in a space where they cannot detect me."

The entire meeting immediately fell silent.

Everyone around the table knew that Atlas wasn’t making an empty threat or trying to provoke Eliomor. He was simply stating his honest opinion. Even if Seraphiel were to tell him that her family and everyone she cared about were still in this World, Atlas would most likely give the same answer without hesitation: ’I can simply take them into the same space and let them live there.’

As long as he and Seraphiel were safe, Atlas had no reason to involve himself in a conflict that had nothing to do with him.

Seraphiel also seemed to understand his position as she turned toward him. She knew that Atlas wasn’t someone who would allow the expectations of others to dictate his decisions, and she would never try to force him into becoming something he wasn’t.

If she constantly became an obstacle to his choices simply because she wanted him to act according to her own ideals, then how could she call herself the partner who intended to live with him forever? She would rather understand him and remain beside him than force him to change.

Everyone around the table seemed to reach the same conclusion, and any leverage they might have thought they possessed over Atlas disappeared completely. A long silence followed before Eliomor finally spoke. "It doesn’t concern you. I don’t mind if you simply leave this meeting. Whether you remain here or not is your choice."

"But the main reason I called you here was so that you could understand the situation this World is facing. After hearing everything, you are free to leave if you want. And..." Eliomor paused briefly before continuing honestly, "...as you are currently the strongest person in the entire World, I was simply hoping that you might be willing to stay and help me somehow."

Eliomor didn’t try to hide its own weakness or pretend that it had everything under control. It was the consciousness of the World, but that didn’t mean it possessed unlimited power or knowledge. It had called the people sitting around the table because it needed them to understand what was coming, and Atlas was the one person whose strength could potentially change the outcome of what happened after the Veil disappeared.

Even so, Eliomor knew it had no right to demand anything from him.

Atlas stared at Eliomor for a long moment before eventually nodding. "I see...I understand. But you should still know that I won’t be helping anyone at all. It doesn’t concern me, that’s all I can say right now. You can continue your explanation. I’m all ears."

Atlas was completely direct, and there wasn’t a single lie in his words. Although his response was undoubtedly harsh, Eliomor understood his personality well enough by now to know that Atlas wasn’t saying it out of cruelty.

He simply didn’t consider himself responsible for protecting an entire World, and nothing Eliomor said could suddenly change that part of him.

"Alright...So, during these two months, none of you will simply be sitting around waiting for the Veil to disappear. First, you will inform the entire World about the situation through your own methods and calm the people down as much as possible. Once that is done, you should all go outside... outside of this World, and immediately begin the process of ’Re-Cultivation’ using Aether energy."

Eliomor’s explanation finally gave everyone a clear understanding of how they were supposed to use the remaining two months. They weren’t being given two months to simply wait for disaster.

They had two months to prepare their entire World for the transition, inform the people, abandon their dependence on Spirit Energy, and begin adapting to Aether before the outsiders could discover what had happened.

Atlas, however, remained focused on Seraphiel as another thought quietly formed in his mind. ’I am no hero of this World, nor do I want to be one even in dreams. I just want to live with her peacefully...’ His gaze remained calm as he looked toward Eliomor’s floating consciousness, ’But if it comes down to those outsiders laying a hand on her... or me...’

He didn’t finish the thought.

Atlas simply remained seated, silently listening to Eliomor’s explanation while keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself.

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[A/N: Hey guys I apologize but only 2 Chapters today as I am extremely tired after all the work I needed to do today, I have three different Jobs, so please understand...tomorrow 10 more Chapters will be added in the privilege tier 5, so wait for that!

Thanks for understanding.]