Death… And Me

Chapter 4398: Great Voids

As Fohui continued working on the silver boxes, Rean’s attention shifted elsewhere. The same happened with Roan, Celis, and Kentucky.

Without saying another word aloud, the four of them focused their consciousness on the Orb System instead.

’Sister Orb?’ Kentucky was the first to call out. ’You’re back?’

[Hum?] Sister Orb sounded confused. [What do you mean? I’ve never left... no, wait!]

Her voice suddenly stopped. A moment later, countless memories flooded back into her consciousness.

[Shit! I was forced into hibernation after absorbing the Great Void Echo Energy!]

’Exactly!’ Rean immediately replied. ’So what happened? Can you explain it now?’

[Give me a moment. I need to organize everything first.]

The Orb System immediately began running a complete diagnostic. Several seconds passed before Sister Orb finally spoke again.

[I understand now...]

Knowing the twins’ group was waiting, she began explaining.

[Let’s start with what you already know. That strange energy truly originated from another Great Void. More specifically... it was that Great Void’s Echo Energy.]

That much wasn’t news anymore.

The twins already knew every Great Void possessed its own Echo, one that governed the Great Void itself. The Werdlem Empire had tried to seize control of the Vinx Great Void by obtaining its Echo, only to be stopped by the twins’ group with the help of the Primordial Demon Beasts.

’Right...’ Rean nodded. ’So what happened after you absorbed it?’

[It became an addition,] Sister Orb explained. [That Echo Energy has now been integrated into the Echo of our own Great Void. Because of that, our Great Void’s Echo can now establish a stronger connection with the Celestial Plane. Since I’m directly linked to it, my own processing capabilities also increased.]

She paused briefly before summarizing,

[In other words, the Orb System became stronger.]

She quickly added another clarification.

[Don’t expect anything dramatic, though. A single new Echo doesn’t drastically change the Orb System’s functions. It did unlock a new quest, however. Ah, right... Ahem...]

*Pin!*

[Congratulations, Hosts.]

[The source of the unknown energy has been identified.]

[Its applications have been incorporated into the Orb System, increasing its processing power.]

[Reward: 100 Orb Points.]

*Pin!*

[New Quest Available.]

[Normally, the Echoes of other Great Voids are forbidden from interacting with the Celestial Plane. Whenever a cultivator ascends, the Celestial Plane completely destroys any remaining traces of their Great Void’s Echo to prevent such interference. It reaches the point where the ascenders have both bodies and souls destroyed and remade.]

[However, since Celestial Energy can descend into the Great Voids, the opposite is also possible, although considerably more difficult.]

[Echo Energies from other Great Voids are highly beneficial to the Orb System. Hosts are encouraged to collect additional samples to further strengthen the Vinx Great Void Echo.]

[Objective: Integrate new Great Void Echoes into the Orb System.]

[Base Reward: 100 Orb Points for each new Echo integrated.]

[Additional Reward: Determined by the difficulty of acquiring each Echo.]

The twins’ group didn’t even bother complaining anymore.

At this point, Sister Orb had long since developed the habit of acting all robotic when speaking about the quests, even though she didn’t need to.

’A hundred Orb Points...’ Rean rubbed his chin. ’You said one additional Echo doesn’t change much, but it still improves the system, right? Besides your processing power, what exactly changed?’

[For the first Echo, mostly my processing capabilities, yes.] Sister Orb sounded rather proud of that improvement. [Don’t underestimate it, though. It should allow me to assist you with much more complicated Array calculations than before.]

Rean’s eyes immediately lit up. ’Now that’s something worth hearing!’

Roan, however, focused on another point. ’Other than that... is there any practical reason for us to keep searching for more Echoes?’

[Of course there is!] Sister Orb answered almost instantly. [If you integrate another Great Void Echo, for example, I should be able to function as your Dimensional Realm once again.]

That immediately caught everyone’s attention.

[At that point, you’ll be able to physically return to the Vinx Great Void whenever you wish, provided the surrounding space hasn’t been sealed or distorted due to battles or whatever reason.]

That was a tremendous piece of news.

Even now, the twins had no idea when—or if—they would ever be able to return to the Vinx Great Void physically. They already knew that the Law God Realm was definitely not enough for such.

That didn’t prevent communication, of course.

Whenever Rean or the others wanted to speak with someone back home, Sister Orb could bridge the connection without any problems.

Actually setting foot there again, however, was another matter entirely.

If recovering their Dimensional Realm truly required only one more Great Void Echo...

Then it instantly became one of their highest priorities.

Roan pondered the matter for a moment. ’One more Echo...’ He remembered the guardian cores. ’The amount of Echo Energy inside that single core was already enough to cause this change. There is definitely much more scattered throughout these ruins. Would gathering more from here be enough?’

[No.]

Sister Orb immediately poured a bucket of cold water over everyone’s expectations.

[The quantity doesn’t matter. Only the type does.]

She continued before anyone could object.

[Every guardian core in these ruins carries the exact same Great Void Echo, and so do the other functions of these ruins. Integrating a second sample of the same type accomplishes nothing. And honestly... I doubt you’ll find another type of Echo anywhere near the Besgol Region.]

Roan had expected as much. Even so... It was still disappointing. ’I figured,’ he admitted.

There was still one unresolved question, however.

’Sister Orb,’ Rean spoke up again. ’The previous quest had two rewards. One was the 100 Orb Points. The other was supposedly understanding the connection between these ruins and the Sacred Relics.’

[Not exactly,] Sister Orb corrected him. [The wording was "possible understanding." It was never guaranteed. Fortunately, I did figure it out during the integration process.]

Everyone immediately paid attention.

[The Sacred Relic... is nothing more than a direct connection to a Great Void’s Echo. The Echo itself is what generates the influence that drives the Godly Creatures away.]

The moment those words were spoken, countless pieces of information suddenly connected inside the twins’ minds.

Their Intent Weapons.

Their Echo-enhanced Godly Sense.

Even techniques such as the Sanctuary, which directly interfered with the Celestial Plane’s power...

Everything suddenly fit together. Why were the Sacred Relics the only safe places? Because of other Great Void Echoes! It was that simple.

’So...’ Rean slowly pieced it together. ’The Echoes... are what allow cultivators to survive in the Celestial Plane...’

[Exactly!] Sister Orb confirmed. [The Sacred Relic protecting the Besgol Region is connected to the exact same Great Void Echo as these ruins. They’re both drawing power from the same source.]

She sounded somewhat regretful afterward.

[Unfortunately, the Sacred Relic completely isolates that Echo for its own operation. That’s why, when Rean and Celis entered the Sacred Relic before, my system couldn’t detect anything unusual.]

Even after receiving those answers, countless mysteries still remained.

Who had created the Sacred Relics?

Why were they connected to Great Void Echoes in the first place?

What had happened to those Great Voids and the cultivators there?

Were they still alive... or had they already disappeared?

Unfortunately...

No one could answer those questions yet.

’Alright,’ Rean accepted the explanation without dwelling on it further. ’At least now we know these ruins belong to another Great Void’s Echo. So... can that knowledge actually help us right now?’

[It can.]

*Pin!*

[The ancient technology preserved within these ruins would be of tremendous value to the Besgol Region.]

[However, each Sacred Relic is connected to a different Great Void and therefore uses different ancient technologies. As such, technologies from different Sacred Relics are fundamentally incompatible.]

[New Quest Available!]

[Extract the information stored within the central core of these ruins and deliver it to the cultivators of the Besgol Region.]

[Reward: 120 Orb Points.]

Rean stared at the new quest for a long second. ’I asked for information that would help us complete the mission... not another quest telling us to complete the mission.’

[120 Orb Points are pretty helpful, though.]

Rean sighed.

He wasn’t even surprised anymore. ’Fine... So you don’t actually know anything useful about these ruins?’

[I do,] Sister Orb corrected him. [I can sense the location of the central core.]

Rean immediately became interested. ’Where?’

[Inside the Light Pillar Structure.] She paused for dramatic effect before adding, [Exactly in the center.]

Rean, Roan, Celis, and Kentucky stared blankly for a second. ’...That’s it?’

[That’s it.]

They couldn’t help rolling their eyes. ’We practically knew that already!’

Well...

Not for certain.

Until now, it had only been their most likely guess.

At least Sister Orb had confirmed they had been heading in the right direction all along.