During Theodore and Eleanora's first meeting, they had briefly touched upon how they should handle smaller discoveries, like singular, isolated, relatively unremarkable worlds.
To both of them, they didn't really mean much, therefore they had decided to simply not even bother sharing them with each other–they were free to do with them as they wished. This was worth mentioning as it was actually relatively common to come across them, although they were not as frequent of a sight as bigger clusters.
Whilst Theodore's Subordinates had been making use of the Lesser Void Scouting Array, they had found not only that group of dozens of worlds, but also a lone one not too far away from them, yet too distant to be considered a part of it.
Its Energy concentration was extremely low, which was why it would not have powerful figures running about, and due to its relatively 'small' size, its population wouldn't be too excessive. Ultimately, it was decided that it would be searched for anything of interest once, then its people would be handed over to Cheong Suhyeon.
Therefore, not too long after he had enjoyed some tea with Eleanora and returned, Theodore strolled to the nearest Teleportation Array, where the fledgling goddess awaited him with a somewhat amused smile.
"Did you ask her?"
Smirking in response, he nodded.
"Yeah, and she agreed. But you'll have to wait a little while until she's got the time for it."
Originally, challenging Eleanora to a duel had been Cheong Suhyeon's idea. With Theodore's Coattail Ascension in play, Attribute-wise, the Dragon Family heiress would be at a significant disadvantage, allowing her to force his business partner into exposing some of her means.
That alone would already make it a worthy exchange, but she couldn't help but want to beat some sense into that woman too while she was at it. She had made the–in retrospect–mistake of asking about what sort of relationship the two had that necessitated the two of them meeting up regularly, and was met with the joking explanation of it being a 'trial marriage experience'. As someone aiming for the spot of a wife, how could she possibly sit still and do nothing about this?
Naturally, she was painfully aware that she alone would not yet be capable of facing a Supreme Pillar heir by herself, even with all of the enhancements which she had been blessed with. That was why she had roped Vigdis into this whole mess. The two of them each had their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as combat styles, therefore they might be able to reveal some more of Eleanora's cards.
All of this was not just a petty squabble over Theodore, but primarily her own way of showing him all of the support that she could. Despite him currently working together with his fellow contestant, there was no way to know if or when hostilities between them would break out.
That aside, she also wanted to see how she currently measured up against one of the considerably powerful Heaven's Chosen. Overall, these friendly spars would provide Theodore with far more benefits than Eleanora would receive.
Due to this, she had expected the request which she had put forth to be denied outright–yet her potential rival's actions had surprised her.
'... is she actually slightly interested in Theo?'
Furrowing her brows, she considered the possibility, growing a bit displeased. Having only just coupled up with him, to have another competitor's approach be on the horizon didn't sit right with her.
Of course, she knew that the most likely reasons for Eleanora not shooting down this proposal had nothing to do with any sort of romantic interest. She and Vigdis were both intriguing in their own right, so to cross blades with them was certainly a worthy cause. Additionally, more trust between the two sides could be established. However, that could very well be a double-edged sword.
"Come, let's go!"
Before Theodore could ask her what she was thinking about, Cheong Suhyeon had already wrapped her arm around his and was dragging him towards the Array's centre. A second or two later, a bright light filled the chamber, turning it a pure white.
-----
"A party of five? Please follow me, I'll show you to your table."
Sporting a professional, 'kind' smile, a young man in a waiter's uniform greeted the most recent group which had arrived at the restaurant that he was working at. Fortunately for him, this bunch did not contain any troublemakers–very soon, they had all taken a seat and placed their orders.
"Got it, Bede! Go and wind down a little, you've been at it for six hours. I know that we're busy, but we can't have you collapse!"
After his boss strongly encouraged him to relax, the youngster retreated behind the scenes, got himself a drink and chugged it down eagerly. It hadn't yet been apparent, but he had been extremely parched.
Leaning backward, he rested his head against the cool wall and stared outside, at the stars twinkling peacefully beyond the window. No matter how one looked at him, he was really just a regular guy. Maybe relatively handsome, but still an average person.
Nobody would ever have considered that he was a Heaven's Chosen participating in the Heavenly Succession–not only because he was really nothing special, but also due to no one knowing what that competition was.
'What rotten luck! I can't believe I ended up in a place like this. I cannot even cultivate here! This was supposed to be my chance to rise to greatness. How could it all go so awry from the very beginning?!'
Massaging his temples, he narrowed his eyes, his gaze disgruntled and resentful. Before he had followed what he had judged to be fate's calling, he had worked a similar job in a world not too different from this one. Yet as soon as his marvellous journey was supposed to begin, he was dropped off in a backwater even worse than his home!
It was slightly more technologically advanced, allowing him to engage with vapid entertainment whenever he wished, yet no cultivator would ever be capable of breaking through into the Energy Refinement Stage. How was a world with such pathetically low Energy concentration even allowed to be a part of the first round's event venue?
'By the time that the second round starts, who knows if I'll still be alive? ... I wish something extraordinary would occur to break this deadlock. But who am I kidding? Nothing ever happens he–'
Suddenly snapped out of his internal monologue by the ringing of his phone, he casually checked its screen, only to widen his eyes and freeze up in astonishment. At this very moment, every single citizen of this country had got the same message, an announcement by the government.
'Global Emergency: The Arrival of the Spiritual Energy Tide. How to survive the coming times.'
This introductory part alone was already enough to make the vast majority of people question whether or not they were hallucinating, but it was absolutely real. Reading further, they were informed of a most pertinent discovery that had been made less than ten minutes ago.
Out of nowhere, the omnipresent 'Spiritual Energy' all around them had begun to increase in concentration, and it was seeing no sign of stopping. During the few minutes that it took for the officials to draft their message, it had doubled fifty times over!
Due to the extremely low power ceiling of cultivation in this world, there was no particular focus placed upon it. Of course, there were some old martial art families that swore by it and whose members could overpower half an army by their lonesome, but overall, technology still won out by a lot. However, all influential figures worldwide had always hoped that they could truly embark on the path of cultivation one day–after all, that would lead to unfathomable power and a longer Lifespan.
Ages ago, all governments had set up stations that would constantly measure all data related to 'Spiritual Energy' in real time. If any changes took place, this news would immediately be escalated to the highest authorities.
And today, after everyone who had originally signed off on this matter had only their bones left, there were finally promising news!
'Huh. Come to think of it, now that I'm trying to sense it... yeah, the Energy concentration is snowballing!'
Closing his eyes and letting the outside world brush against him carefully, Bede soon showed a bright, relieved smile. It looked like all of these years that he had spent wasting away as a wage slave were not in vain! Instead, they had merely been the prelude to his rise–a trial, if you will.
Ignoring the shocked chatter in the rooms all around him, as well as the job that he had originally only taken a temporary break from, he hastily rushed back home. Whether or not his boss could deal with all of those customers didn't matter to him–it was time to cultivate!
Grinning from ear to ear for a while, Bede eventually calmed down, then he carefully began to refine his body. Previously, it hadn't even been worth it for him to try doing so, but now, everything was different.
All those warnings about the imminent evolution of the plant and animal life residing in this place alongside the regular people didn't worry him, neither did he care at all about the various wars that would likely break out between nations. Once they had got their hands on unprecedentedly powerful experts, old grudges and rivalries would certainly be ignited anew, plunging the world into a new age of chaos.
But what did any of that have to do with him? He had far bigger fish to fry and the throne of the Heavenly Emperor to claim!
Right as he was about to fully focus, he felt an unexplainable urge to look outside. His mind growing a little dull, he didn't even attempt to resist and simply did exactly so, walking to the nearest window and staring up into the sky.
There, a divine figure which he could only describe as a goddess was strolling through the heavens, her radiant light illuminating all lands akin to the midday sun, banishing the night. At her sight, a deep reverence welled up within Bede's heart, causing him to fall to his knees in prayer.
With tears of joy streaming from his eyes, his gaze was trained on the deity above, his mouth muttering oaths of devotion and piety. Not once did a single doubt come to his mind–the goddess was his faith now! Nay, it had always been, he simply hadn't been aware of this previously. My, what a fool he had been!
"Dear goddess, forgive me, for I have sinned. To be unaware of your existence is inexcusable. I know a single lifetime is not enough to atone for this, therefore I shall eternally serve you in the afterlife!"
Fanaticism shimmering in his eyes, he ended his impromptu prayer with these words, then bowed deeply facing the direction that the divine figure had disappeared in. Moments later, he completely returned to normal and resumed his cultivation. Other than the fact that he was now a reverent believer, nothing about him had changed.
It wasn't just him who was affected–absolutely everyone who could perceive Cheong Suhyeon's existence in any way was. All that she had to do to 'recruit' all of this world's inhabitants into her flock was to travel around it once at a relatively slow speed, showing herself in public.
No blood was spilled, and no conflicts took place. It was a silent takeover, leaving everyone's souls forever in her grasp. In exchange, the people would get to enjoy an eternal peace, free of unnecessary suffering. No more petty squabbles would occur, and no governments would clash–in fact, they would all come together for a single purpose soon enough.
Casually observing all of this from afar, the culprit behind the 'Spiritual Energy Tide', Theodore, patiently awaited his saintess' return. Due to all of the Energy Veins now within his body, his mere presence sufficed to cause a new age to dawn upon this civilization, albeit somewhat temporarily. Whatever Energy that they consumed, it couldn't recover naturally, unless he returned.
But that didn't matter to him at all–he didn't even pay it any attention, as from his perspective, it was inconsequential. The moment that Cheong Suhyeon got what she had come for, he brought this interlude to a close.