In an open world, it's the world itself that's open, not him.
As the Main Deity, Lucius represented his world in the Celestial Council.
In the grand multiverse, each open dimension functioned like a sovereign nation. The Leviathan Federation, his dominion, was one such realm. Its citizens were entitled to accept missions and contribute to their completion.
Conversely, the inhabitants of the Leviathan Federation could also issue missions to other worlds, enabling mutual exchange and cooperation…
"There must be some restrictions on these trades and missions, right?" Lucius asked. "Every world operates under different rules. If people are constantly moving back and forth, it's bound to cause chaos."
"Of course," Flash replied. "In principle, trades and missions are only allowed between worlds of the same tier. But in practice, a one-tier difference in either direction is usually acceptable."
Lucius nodded. That seemed fair. No wonder all the entries he'd seen earlier were related to Tier 2 and Tier 3 planets.
After all, if the gap was too wide, there could be no meaningful interaction. Tier 1 worlds hadn't even earned the right to join the Council, and a powerful being from a Tier 4 world could literally blow away a Tier 2 planet with a single breath. Trade and cooperation were meaningless under such conditions.
"So, this Council Envoy role of yours," Lucius asked with a smile, "that's a mission assigned by the Council?"
Flash blinked in surprise at the sudden question, but then laughed. "Yes and no. I'm employed by the Multiversal Hero Association."
"That's the alliance of superheroes from the DC Universe?" Lucius guessed.
"Not just DC," Flash replied, grinning. "It includes members from Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Sony… basically, any world with superheroes. But only the good guys get in."
"…"
Hearing Flash casually mention "Marvel" and "DC" felt bizarre, like someone punching through the fourth wall. It was like Naruto suddenly discussing Weekly Shonen Jump, or arguing over whether Oda or Toriyama drew better manga.
Lucius continued chatting with Flash, getting a rough overview of the multiverse and the Celestial Council.
To his surprise, the Speed Force was classified as one of the Cosmic Primal Forces.
If that was the case, then upgrading to Origin Virus might not be as difficult as he'd thought.
Of course, Flash was protected by Council regulatory forces, so Lucius couldn't lay a hand on him. But across the multiverse, especially in superhero realms, there were countless Flashes. Capturing one shouldn't be too hard.
After Flash left, Lucius began exploring the functions of the "Council Office."
It operated much like the computer systems he'd known in his past life, but with one key upgrade: it could be controlled via thought.
For example, when Lucius focused on the keyword Cosmic Primal Force, all relevant data bubbles nearby lit up instantly.
...
Mission: Enter the Dragon Age plane and assist the Kingdom of Ferelden in slaying the ancient god Urthemiel, corrupted by Fallen Cosmic Energy.
Reward: Advanced Blood Magic.
Contract: Hiring B-class or above combatants to explore the ruins on Planet Ukandam.
Reward: Yggdrasil Fruit.
Trade: Buying Mind Stone fragments. Price based on completeness, 10,000 to 1,000,000 universal credits.
Mission: Join the Infinity War. Prevent Thanos from using the Infinity Gauntlet to annihilate the universe.
…
Lucius browsed through the listings. Many missions and trades mentioned the Cosmic Primal Force, but not all were direct matches.
As the system had said, the Primal Force permeated the entire multiverse, manifesting in countless forms.
Terms like "Fallen Cosmic Energy," "Mind Stone," "Yggdrasil Fruit," and "Infinity Gauntlet" were all likely embodiments or artifacts derived from this primal power.
His strategy was simple: get his hands on them and test things out. If one didn't work, try two. If two didn't work, try three. And if three failed… collect them all.
With that in mind, Lucius broadcast his own trade request into the information network:
Trade Request: Buying items embodying or linked to the Cosmic Primal Force. Name your price.
He didn't know the going rates yet, so he left the price open-ended. Watching the market would teach him soon enough.
As for universal credits, according to Flash, it was the most widely trusted currency across all open dimensions within the Council's jurisdiction. Any digitized world could exchange its native resources for credits through the Council, but the exchange rate was poor, and the Council took a cut each time.
That's why most dimensions preferred direct trade or bartering, less overhead, better deals.
Every world had its unique specialties and resources. When it came to large-scale procurement, bartering was often the most cost-effective. Universal credits were mostly just a reference point.
A planet might, for example, trade a nuclear weapon valued at 10,000 credits for a celebrity of equivalent value from another world.
With his plans in place, Lucius returned to the Leviathan Federation planet and temporarily sealed off the Ultra Wormhole connecting it to the empire.
Once a world opened its borders, it was like establishing international gateways, beings from other dimensions could legally enter.
But the Leviathan Imperial Planet hadn't opened yet. To prevent alien intrusion, he closed the major portals, leaving only a few hidden access points for secure communication.
Once everything was arranged, Lucius distributed the tasks he'd selected to high-ranking Trainers and mythic Pokémon.
Two teams were quickly formed:
Lance and Anabel, partnered with Rayquaza and Hoopa, would head to the Dragon Age plane to assist the Kingdom of Ferelden against the corrupted ancient god, Urthemiel, who commanded the invading Darkspawn.
Brandon and Steven, teamed with Regigigas and Zamazenta, accepted the contract to explore the ruins on Planet Ukandam.
These were missions Lucius had already flagged as promising.
The enemy in the Dragon Age dimension, Urthemiel, was classified A+, but with Anabel and Lance backed by two A-class mythic Pokémon, they should be able to match it, especially with local allies in play.
Brandon, with his archaeological expertise, and Steven, a mining specialist, were perfect for the Ukandam ruins expedition. With Regigigas and Zamazenta backing them, they were more than equipped to retrieve the Yggdrasil Fruit, a known embodiment of Cosmic Primal Force.
As for Lucius himself, he would personally travel to the Marvel Universe Dimension and take on the Infinity War mission.
Like the Pokémon world, the Marvel multiverse consisted of countless parallel universes, each slightly different, some diverging due to historical deviations, others altered by external interference.
Lucius's target was a world whose timeline had been dramatically disrupted by foreign forces.
Upon accepting the mission, a surge of high-level Ruleforce descended. Lucius could immediately feel it, the strength of this power was leagues beyond his own.
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