Negotiating with the Familia turned out to be unexpectedly intricate. David shamelessly exploited the elf’s connection with the emissaries for several hours until they finally came to an agreement.
He did exactly what Zachariah proposed: he offered his services to clear wastelands in other worlds. The Regressor vouched for his ability to remove the wasteland patches, which was enough to convince the Pantheon to hire him.
Once his ability was verified—David was sure the Pantheon gods used the System to confirm his claims—they became even more eager to make use of him. Knowing the value of his ability, especially after learning that gods and Ascendants had to use their hard-earned Might to remove the wastelands over the course of years, David could have asked for a lot. But he didn’t.
“That is all you desire?” the elf asked, his face void of color. He was exhausted, and he sounded it. “Your ‘clients,’ as you desire to label the holiest among them, are to ensure your safety. You do not care much about Voidlings, yet you do not wish to be bothered by other Ascendants and gods. Your clients must provide you with several items noted on this list, and you do not want anyone to question your methods or powers.”
When David nodded, his eyes trained on the list containing hundreds of items that he—his Sanctuary, precisely—needed, the elf continued. “The non-disclosure agreement is not negotiable, but you allow your clients to recommend you to other potential clients.”
David nodded once again.
“Her Holiness, Seraphine, has requested your aid,” the elf said, his voice laced with uncertainty and disbelief. His eyes were still void of color as he continued to listen to the voice on the other side. “The Founder has agreed to your terms. Her Holiness wishes to complete the contract in the Weave’s presence, binding your souls to the clauses previously mentioned.”
His lips parted again, but no words came out. David remained in silence for several minutes before the elf, drenched in sweat, continued. “The voting has commenced and concluded; the Founders agreed to work with you. I have been told to inform you that Lady Seraphine wishes to purchase the rights to construct a temple in your territory. A Minor Temple, alongside a World Gate.”
David was familiar with the terms and smiled. “I don’t think you can keep going. There seems to be no problem with my services. Once the contract is signed and verified by the System and the Weave, I can get to work.” He glanced at the elf and added, “I can negotiate the terms regarding the Minor Temple with Lady Seraphine on my own—if she is willing to talk to me.”
The elf was barely listening to David, his lifeforce no more than an ember.
“That’s what I thought,” he mused, casting [Transcendent Restoration] on the poor elf. Even the healing ability wouldn’t save the elf from the dregs, but he would survive. That had to be enough.
***
The contract with the Pantheon didn’t differ much from the regular contracts David was used to. It was an employment contract, filled with countless sentences that couldn’t have been worded more vaguely. He didn’t sign right away and demanded the contract be changed more than two dozen times, but eventually, they worked it out.
Lady Seraphine never contacted him about the Minor Temple, but the pitiful husk of an elf approached him for negotiations. It was surprising that the elf survived, and his joy was difficult to understand—until David noticed that the elf had been promoted. He was no longer at the bottom of the work hierarchy and had advanced through the ranks to become one of the Pantheon gods’ Sworn.
The elf was trying hard, probably too hard, to negotiate a great deal for Lady Seraphine, but David wasn’t having it. He didn’t necessarily need a Minor Temple of another god in his Sanctuary. However, it was always better to have someone to ask for help in dark times.
David allowed Lady Seraphine’s followers to step through the World Gate connected to the Minor Temple, but only if he could form a bond with them. Secondly, her followers had to help with the expansion of Orhain. They were required to protect the Sanctuary in times of need, share their vast knowledge with the rest of the Sanctuary, and perform hard labor for a few hours a day if they weren’t willing to share their experience with the young and helpless.
The elf collapsed a few times during the negotiations, and the last signs of his happiness dissipated as David added more demands. These included knowledge, but also Aether generators, Skill Runes, Power Fragments, and so forth. He did not sell Lady Seraphine a part of his territory either. He sold the permit to construct a structure in his territory while also demanding a hefty price to lease a small portion of his land to her.
She possessed no ownership and could be expelled at any moment. And, against all odds, Lady Seraphine accepted all demands. There was a little bit of back and forth, as well as a lot of cussing from the elf—David was fairly sure Lady Seraphine never uttered these words, but the origin of the curses hardly mattered—but they came to an agreement.
Only one day later, the Familia’s Gate came to be. David’s ticket to wealth and power unfolded before him, and he stepped through, leaving the Earthen Union once more.
***
David’s eyes crept open with a smile. Seraphine’s world had been different from what he expected. It was… lackluster, to put it simply. The Aether density was much lower than in the Earthen Union, and there were far fewer powerful monsters than he had feared.
David had been half-certain their contract would fail, and the Pantheon would have to pay a hefty fine for breaking several clauses. But nobody had bothered him in the last few weeks. Even after spending nearly two months in Seraphine’s world, he never encountered anyone—literally no one—the entire time he spent cleansing wasteland patches the size of several countries.
It was hard to tell how her world had survived after an entire continent had been consumed by Voidlings, but she had made it happen. And so did David—or Vitae Nihilum, in that case.
Vitae did most of the work, consuming nothingness and the remnants of Nihilum, all while David leaned back, using the enlightenment crystals as well as the Aether mist produced by half a dozen Aether generators to train. Both the crystals and generators were payments for his service, though he had to use them differently than expected, due to the low Aether density in Seraphine’s world.
His initial plan to spread the Aether generators through Orhain had to be dismissed, unfortunate as it was.
Now it makes sense. David grimaced, stretching his sore limbs. He could understand everyone’s desire to claim a portion of the Earthen Union. Seraphine’s world was not small, but it was weak. The strongest people were at the Platinum Rank, and even they were lackluster compared to the Platinum Classers of the Earthen Union.
Sure, Seraphine ruled over dozens of worlds, but he doubted the others would be much different. Zachariah’s commentary about the Earthen Union’s value had resurfaced in his mind multiple times a day over the last few weeks, and it made more and more sense.
The Earthen Union was special—rich in Aether and more closely tied to the Weave than any other world he had visited. Not that he had come around much.
But as mundane as cleansing and working out had been, David was satisfied with his gains.
[Congratulations, Ascendant, your tireless efforts have been noticed.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Your achievements have been recorded and reviewed, and Tagarn deems you worthy of the bond.
Planetary Bond (Frail) has been formed.]
The planetary bond was within his expectations. It would have been disappointing if the cleansing of one-fifth of Tagarn hadn’t been enough to be worthy of its connection. Even better, Seraphine hadn’t intercepted the formation of the planetary bond. For one, she seemed nice enough to follow his demands, and she was not allowed to stop the process either.
David’s contract with the Pantheon barred the gods from blocking their worlds from forming planetary bonds with him. He hadn’t been certain the Pantheon gods could do something like that in the first place, but it would make sense, given how much control Ascendants have over their territories. Since the Pantheon gods’ territories spanned entire worlds, David was certain they could have blocked him—if not for the contract verified and reinforced by the Weave.
If they broke a clause—depending on which—they would attract the Weave’s ire. Not only that, but they might even lose control over their territories. None of the Pantheon gods would want to lose their territories, as all of them had enemies to fight. They needed the power and could not afford to lose what they had accumulated over millennia.
Happy with the new planetary bond, David checked his status as well.
Name – David Stears
Rank – Ascendant ?
Divine Seed – (99,83%)
Source – 289 Droplets
Corrupted Divine Heart – [Vitae Nihilum – 401]
[Modification – II]
[Weave Optics] – [Bloodthrone Dominion]
[Promethean Constitution]
[Deryadus’ Arm] – [Sacred Beast Core]
[Arcana – I]
Cycle’s Embrace – 58
[Trait – I]
Devourer
[Laws – II/Intents – VI]
[Law of Blood] – [Peak(Minor)]
Bloodlust – (Advanced)
[Law of Unbinding– [Fragmented(6.82%) – (Ancient)]
Rend – (Superior)
Origin Attribute – (Intermediate)
Dominion(Vitae) – Domain of Vitae (Intermediate)
Pillar of Life (Basic)
Divine Compass
[Legacy Skills – I]
[Dao Comprehension] – [Superior]
[Class Skills]
[Lifeweaver – VI]
[Bloodlife Echo] – [Advanced – (3000/3000)]
[Equivalent Exchange] – [Tier-2 VII]
[Sacrifice] – [Tier-3 V]
[Weave of Life – [Tier-3 VII]
[Blood Manipulation – [Middle – Advanced]
[Unyielding Vitality] – [High(+) – Advanced]
[Monk – II]
[Spark/delete when shown to readers)][Aether Breath] – [Advanced(+)]
[Reinforce – Tier-3 XXV]
Body – Apex– V(19.01%)
Energy Pathways – Apex– III(0.73%)
[Serene Ego – II]
[Mind Palace] – [Transcendent – 10.29%]
[Soul Domain] – [Transcendent – 9.94%]
[Herald of Origin – V]
[Archaic Shackles – [Low – Advanced]
[Phantom Rush] – [Low – Advanced]
[Indomitable Will] – [High – Advanced]
[Primeval Pulse] – [High(+) – Advanced]
[Fearwrought] – [High(+) – Advanced]
[Skill Runes]
[Tier-2 – V]
[Blood Burst – [Tier-2 XXII]
[Radiant Expulsion] – [Tier-2 XXIII]
[Crimson Bulwark] – [Tier-2 XXVI]
[Chain of Will] – [Tier-2 XXVII]
[Two of a Mind] – [Tier-2 XXIX]
[Tier-3 – V]
[Healing Sphere] – [Tier-3 V]
[Mender’s Lattice] – [Tier-3 I]
[Bloodbound Bastion] – [Tier-3 I]
[True Sight – [Tier-3 XX]
[Herald’s Blessing – [Tier-3 XXIV]
[Basic – III]
[Transcendent Restoration] – [Low – Basic]
[Bleeding] – [Middle – Basic]
[Lacerate] – [High – Basic]
[Intermediate – I]
[Vital Weaving] – [Middle – Intermediate]
[Advanced II]
[Origin Lightning] – [Lowest – Advanced]
[Lifeweaver’s Bond] – [Middle – Advanced]
His Source was no longer growing as it once did. Its growth paled in comparison to the Corrupted Divine Heart, but that didn’t bother David. He was happy with his progress, which included improvements in pure Blood. While it would still take a while until his Source could hold onto 300 pure Blood droplets, the potency of each droplet grew rapidly with the increase in his ranking as an Ascendant.
Every bit of power flowing into the Divine Seed amplified the potency of pure Blood, which, in retrospect, empowered the output of every Skill. His Source was also more resilient, allowing David to hit even harder with Intents and Laws. Abusing his Source was no longer a problem, resulting in rapid Dominion development. The Domain of Vitae advanced to Intermediate, and it didn’t even interrupt his studies of [Reinforce] and the Law of Unbinding.
In some ways, it was unfortunate that he had to leave Tagarn. It was boring, but his gains were extensive. Every bit of wasteland he cleansed with Vitae boosted the Weave’s flow of Might, and it rose even further with the second planetary bond, reaching a new height.
Offering my service to those idiots was a good thing, he snickered inwardly. David’s opinion of Seraphine was good. She may be one of the Founders of the Pantheon, but she had helped him quite a bit. He also found out that Seraphine had challenged him before, offering him [Unity] before he became an Ascendant.
He hadn’t really spoken to her, but the occasional Divine Message from her had been enough to tell the kind of god she was. Really old, yet not as narrow-minded as one might expect from a being that had seen the birth and death of worlds.
“Do you have a few more worlds that need to be cleansed of the End’s rot?” David asked aloud, trying not to sound too hopeful. He’d soon advance to 2-Star, but even that wasn’t enough for him. It would be nice to have a few dozen bonds to rely on. Then again, he would have to return to the Earthen Union, maybe strengthen his bond with the Earthen Union, and expand his territory.
He… also wanted to see Maja again. Thinking about her that way was… weird, to say the least, but he caught himself longing for her. In a different way than raw desire. He wanted to feel her again, but there was more to it, and that was weird. Or was it not?
Space before him distorted, and a small World Gate came to be. Unlike average portals, which usually concealed what lay beyond, World Gates showed everything.
David saw Kamia from high above. Without a second thought, he stepped through the World Gate. He felt the Earthen Union’s familiar pull and smiled lightly as he emerged on the other side.
He fell from the sky as the World Gate behind him snapped shut, but focused on the golden letters forming around him rather than solving his predicament.
You have my thanks, in the name of Tagran and its people.
The End has long been a blight upon us—an eyesore, yes, but far more than that. For centuries, it gnawed at the edges of Tagran, threatening to consume one of my oldest worlds. I could not surrender Tagran to it, not without a fight. So I gave up my Might instead. It slowed the End’s rot, but never stopped it.
Tagran is old, and it is my home. And when strength was most needed, I was not strong enough—I was a mere check, unable to wield the power I now command. The rot burrowed deep into its core. It would have devoured all.
The Founders urged me to destroy it. I could not.
I did not expect this day to come. But Tagran has been spared. It is no longer collapsing.
Perhaps I’ve spoken more than I should. Still, I can spare a little more of my influence to show gratitude. Your power… I will keep it secret. I am bound to Tagran far more deeply than most gods would ever allow themselves—perhaps foolishly so—and through that bond, I felt all that you did.
The power you wield… I do not know how it obeys you, or why it responds to your call. But I am grateful. Perhaps our time has not yet passed. Perhaps…
Either way, I shall speak of your name. Others will hear of your service. You will need power for what is coming. And though few things rival the Might of planetary bonds, even they pale before the weight of the Union’s dominion.
A bit too tacky for my taste, but okay. David chuckled and released Vitae Nihilum to devour the golden letters swirling around him.
A moment later, he became the epicenter of power. It surged toward him from all sides and flooded him ceaselessly, filling every cell in his body with Might.
Thanks for the gift. I appreciate it, David thought, closing his eyes as he accepted the power needed to form the second Star.
In the meantime, he was still falling to the ground.
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