Elder Cultivator-Chapter 1239

Watching the distortion beast nest had become a task that required constant attention. If the Lower Realms Alliance was going to allow its continued existence, they also had to be responsible for any side effects that it might cause. Thus, they tracked the movements of any distortion beast coming and going from the area.

With each year, its trajectory took it further and further from the Origin Cycle. It was still uncertain if their position along its path had been poor luck or some sort of plan- though they didn’t have any evidence of the latter currently, except that the movement itself was intentional.

More often than not, Devon found himself responsible for a multi-month shift watching the nest. If he actually had any pressing business he could have refused… but wanting to spend more time with his wife wasn’t quite sufficient. She was only a short trip away in the Origin Cycle, though that trip was also increasing in distance.

Devon was one of the first choices because he could defeat the distortion beasts nonlethally. The typical response was to annihilate them, but the unique ones deserved study. In addition, they couldn’t be certain that whoever had somehow imbued them with insights wasn’t monitoring their existence. Obviously killing some of them was inevitable, but destroying the nest was the most likely thing to be noticed. If it was gone, the individuals involved might pull away from the potential destinations outside the galactic plane.

Devon was never actually bored. It was possible to bring along whatever entertainment he wished, including friends, but he still spent most of his time cultivating. Most of the rest was spent on teaching individuals who needed his insight in particular- enough that they would travel hundreds of lightyears. It wasn’t many, but there were always some. That was going to be the case when you were one of the top cultivators in the realm.

At the moment, there was an overlap with Devon’s watch and one Anton had chosen to take. His grandfather was always pleasant company to have. They sat aboard a small space station that had been assembled near the distortion beast nest- less than a percent of a lightyear, but still further than the most distant planets in the average system. It was just close enough for the systems to detect any significant changes. Those cultivators with advanced senses could pick up slightly more, and of course they could approach if necessary.

“You didn’t bring Bear Hug?” Devon asked.

“They don’t like empty space. Maybe some stretch when we’re passing near a system. And they’d just insist on trying to make more friends, now that they’re stronger.”

Anton was seated casually, lounging on a comfortable but not overly luxurious chair. At some point in his life, sloppy posture would have been a nightmare. After he cultivated, his body was a bit more forgiving. That was good, because proper relaxation required few rules to limit behavior.

“Do you ever think it could work? The communication thing,” Devon clarified.

“Either they can’t communicate, don’t wish to, or are so alien in their thinking that we don’t have any overlap,” Anton shrugged. “That’s my opinion. So, no. These were the best shot, and I didn’t see any signs of understanding. Even their insights seem… what’s the word? Computerized?”

“Programmed, maybe,” Devon suggested. “They have a specific set of cultivation insights that they use repeatedly. Either they can’t learn more or it’s terribly slow.”

“Now, if it looks like a monster and acts like a monster…” Anton shrugged. “With the acts perhaps being more important, I don’t think we can really say much different.”

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Devon grinned slightly. “I bet we’d try much harder if they were cute.”

“That would be horrifying. Assuming they still attacked from subspace and tried to devour everything.”

“That’s a given.” Devon looked off into the distance- vaguely towards the upper realms. “Do you think they’ll find anything with this project? We have a trajectory and a theoretical point, though I don’t know what made people choose a specific point on the curve as the destination.”

Anton nodded slowly. “Others have specialties we can’t even begin to delve into. As for whether anything will be found… I don’t know. But there certainly is something to be found, so it’s worth an attempt.”

“... Do you think you could sense it? Whatever it is? Just stretch as far as you can go? I know your senses have extended… vast distances. Even into the upper realms.”

“Not that far into the upper realms,” Anton corrected. “Rarely more than a few systems. With the tides, or artificial tides. As for your actual question… I doubt it. The distance I can reach varies depending on numerous factors, but several hundred lightyears is always pushing it. Especially away from bound stars or… any stars, really.”

“I thought that perhaps, free from interference, it would be easier.”

“Up to a certain point. After that, I really need to extend myself. Thus the bound stars, or riding along a flow of energy. Out there is… not quite empty. But close enough.”

“Have you thought about what sort of energies might exist in a different galaxy?”

“Not at all,” Anton said. “We’ve far too much learn in this one for me to bother. We’ve carved out our small section, and our major troubles here aren’t yet resolved. I might like to see it all someday- but I’d never reach the upper realms. The lower realms is far more than enough, though.”

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“Do you think you could… split? Take some part of you that practiced Fleeting Youth and leave it here, while sending some of yourself to the upper realms?”

“Have you been talking to Bear Hug? Their ideas aren’t good for anybody,” Anton said. “And it’s far too late for me to do anything like that.”

Devon nodded slowly. “What about for the step beyond Unity?”

Anton made a face. “Even if it exists… I don’t see it on the horizon. Unity may stretch endlessly, or reach an end I didn’t foresee… or I simply might not make it. Though I’m not disappointed at the growth potential I still have. Far be it from me to complain about that. Anyway, I’ll leave the cloning to the experts. Or the enthusiastic amateurs.”

“When we first began cultivating… Life Transformation seemed like the furthest anyone could go. Ascension was more of a dream than a reality. Not that I even heard much about it for a while, given my circumstances.”

“I sometimes wonder if people would do better if gradually introduced to such concepts. Some would, I imagine. Others would want to see the furthest reaches anyone could go to motivate them.” Anton shook his head. “Hiding knowledge from those who ask for a complete picture wouldn’t do well, so now that we do know all this we have little choice.”

“Ever think about going back to farming?”

“Every day. And when I get the chance, I do. For some reason, some people don’t think that’s the most important thing that I could be doing. As if people don’t need to eat.”

“Food is plentiful. And widely distributed. I think they might be right this time.”

“Perhaps. But we could always do a little more. Or better take care of our fields while keeping the same output.”

-----

Bear Hug got to meet so many relatives of Anton. One of them was apparently not blood related, whatever that meant. Bear Hug knew about blood, obviously, but human families were still a weird concept. Bear Hug liked the idea of someone made from them, and maybe part of someone else, but they didn’t know if whatever was made would become a person. It would be quite disappointing for it to not.

Of course, Bear Hug often made more Bear Hug, but that wasn’t family. Because Bear Hug didn’t provide company for themself, no matter how many there were.

Prospero was also not related to Anton, even though he felt like him. But the one who didn’t feel like anything apparently was. “I am pleased to meet you, swordmaster Chidi.” Was he supposed to be a grand swordmaster? Sword grandmaster? Or was there a better title?

Chidi’s response was the sort of unstable that those not familiar with the energy language tended to have. It was also… quiet? Normally, Bear Hug interacted with a lot of powerful people. Chidi didn’t have as much stuff behind him, but his energy was solid when it appeared from the nothingness.

Solid, but faint. Though his response was still easy enough to understand. “I’ve heard much about you. Though you coming to the upper realms was quite unexpected.”

“Well…” Bear Hug was slightly embarrassed about that. “It was kind of… spontaneous?” That wasn’t quite right. “Maybe just poorly planned.” Other people were near to help translate, if necessary. Some people in the upper realms had studied the language for fun, and Engineer Uzun had wanted to visit the lower realms to meet Bear Hug, apparently.

He had comments on Bear Hug’s ‘plans’, apparently. “It is a fault those of us who strode far along have been fortunate enough to survive. Any of us who did not undertake an ill advised or otherwise hasty step somewhere in our cultivation… are probably lying. Though I do believe communicating to your allies is important.”

“Well, yeah.” Bear Hug had to admit that. “I was just thinking about not communicating some things. So that if I died people didn’t have to think about feeling sad before they became sad.”

“Trying to spare heartbreak might actually be worse,” Uzun commented. “It appears similar to a lack of trust.”

“Oh. Do you think Anton is mad at me?”

“I suspect you would know, having talked with him. If he was, he certainly recovered. With his good friends, he will recover from troubles. Alone, of course, we would be quite worried.”

Bear Hug ‘nodded’. Mostly, it was just wobbling their upper part, since humans did that. It was a big enough movement that those feeling for energy fluctuations would pick it out. “So… why did you want to meet me? I’m not made out of metal.”

“Quite a number of mechanical or electronic components aren’t,” Uzun replied. “Also, you certainly have metal in you. Most elements are metals, in fact. Many compounds simply do not behave the same way.” Uzun paused. “As for why the interest… you are unique. Or part of a limited group. I think that’s reason enough. I had also heard about the interesting manner in which your energy was stored.” He was without shame in how he observed Bear Hug’s energy. Personally, they thought more people should be like that. “I had thoughts that it might help with technological improvements.”

“Will it?” Bear Hug asked.

“Perhaps. If you would submit to a full scan of yourself here, full of upper energy, we would have more data to help.”

“Are you gonna make a plant computer?” Bear Hug asked.

“Organic computing is… difficult. Especially where energy is involved. So, probably not,” Uzun admitted. Bear Hug only understood part of those words right away, though. Technology words were related to human civilization, and Bear Hug hadn’t been that close to it for that long.

-----

“Hmm.” Anton got a faraway look suddenly.

“What?” Devon asked. “Is there any danger?” Usually, that would result in Anton pulling out his bow.

“No. I just sensed something unexpected. Klar is ready to accept a higher degree of Unity. Considering the total number of sapient individuals… I don’t know whether that is fast or slow.”

People needed to connect to others for unity to mean anything. So where there were so few- and they had little community- it wasn’t strange that Anton hadn’t been accepted for some time. Then Bear Hug had made it their mission to ensure that Anton was everyone’s friend, including those that didn’t seem to want friends. Friendship wasn’t strictly necessary for Unity, but it could only be good.

Most other populated systems Anton had already been familiar with, having bound their stars long before. They were already ready for Unity when he advanced.

One more system- especially one like Klar- wouldn’t make a difference in Anton’s power… but perhaps he could make a difference in their future. A positive one, obviously. That was always the plan.