Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1762: Insane

There were any number of reasons the Petals of the Seeing Thorn could have separated from the Seeing Eye Guild in some distant past event. Maybe they didn't progress the way the Seeing Eye Guild hoped, maybe they had a difference of opinion on how to do something, or maybe they had just naturally grown apart.

When so many people were trying to coordinate for a mission that took place in a completely separate Heaven- one that couldn't be easily visited from another Heaven-it was only natural that a few things went wrong.

But the essence of it all was that it didn't matter what the answer was.

The fact the Seeing Eye Guild didn't know who he was the moment he arrived meant that they had no connection left with the Petals of the Seeing Thorn anymore. That meant their current relationship was non-existent, which likewise meant that it was safe to assume that the Petals of the Seeing Thorn were responsible for their own survival.

The Quest had mentioned the Seeing Eye Guild, but said nothing of the Seeing Thorn.

From Sylas' deductions, that meant that if he applied pressure to the Petals of the Seeing Thorn, the odds that they'd stick to the original mission they were given were very low.

Things could go one of two ways.

Either the Petals of the Seeing Thorn would remain loyal to their original Heaven, or they would defect.

If they remained loyal, they would feel like the Seeing Eye had already been exposed, and thus would have to prioritize their own survival so that there would still be a chance to fulfill their original mission.

If they defected, then it was even easier. They wouldn't even see themselves as members of the Cryst Heaven any longer, and thus it would be even easier for them to choose to stay away from all of these matters.

Either way, Sylas won.

This was why information was so valuable. But it could be said that without Reaper Sealwright, Sylas wouldn't have been able to form this final connection at all.

"Then what do you want to use the City for instead?"

Cassarae handed the City Stele over. It pulsed with a rainbow of colors the moment it touched Sylas' palm, when before it had looked little different than the usual Silver City Stele embellished with a little bit of fluttering lights.

"Well, thanks for nothing," Cassarae cursed the City Stele. Clearly, it hadn't liked being with her.

"Myself," Sylas answered.

"Yourself? How are you going to do that?"

Sylas pointed and the pulsing golden portal of his Hibernation Realm appeared.

"Show off."

"It's not that simple, though," Sylas said, still a bit lost in his own thoughts. "I'll have to work out some things."

"Well now I'll have no Affiliation, no City Stele, and no responsibilities."

Sylas looked up at her and seemed to really look at her for the first time since he had arrived.

The room around them was as bland as could be, and in the depths of space, even the windows didn't have much other than twinkling blackness for them to see.

"You want a baby?"

Cassarae stared at Sylas blankly. After several seconds, she seemed to register what he was saying, and her eyes started to twitch.

"Did you knock a few screws loose?"

Sylas shrugged. "Just asking. You sounded like you wanted something to busy yourself."

"Are you actually going to leave me on the sidelines this whole time?"

Sylas fell into silence. He didn't know if he should say it, but after a while, he ultimately decided that he probably should.

"I saw something that's hard to explain. But regardless, it was something that made me feel like the world was almost too large for the first time. And that thing... reminded me too much of your Class. There's a problem here. No, there are too many problems—too many things I don't understand."

"...Alright," Cassarae finally said. "But if you think I'm just going to stay home with swollen feet and a big belly, you've got another thing coming. If you don't give me something to do, I'm going to go and find something else to do."

"We'll see about that after I finish this."

After Sylas said this, he turned to leave.

"Then what do I say to Olivia and the others? They're still part of the Petals of the Seeing Thorn."

"Only as your subordinates."

"Not Nyssa."

"That affiliation treasure has more than one use," Sylas said from afar.

Cassarae pouted. "You want me to save her too?"

"I owe her."

"Fuck you, Sylas Brown."

"I'm only fucking you, Cassarae Grimblade."

"Then why the hell am I so dry!" she shouted after him.

Sylas didn't reply, but there was the slightest tug of a smile on the corner of his lips.

This time, he had to succeed no matter what.

And, of course, he would.

**

Sylas entered the control room. Andromeda sat at the very center of the spaceship, its various power lines and tubes hanging out from it like a spider's webs.

There wasn't a real rush in Sylas' eyes despite the very real time constraints. It wouldn't be long now before Earth's Summoning was complete... and he didn't need to be a genius to know his enemies were coming. And they would be coming harder than they ever had before.

However, just learning wasn't enough. Often, the difference between those that did well in school and those that did the best wasn't in the time they put in.

The difference was in how they allocated that time.

Anyone could stare at a textbook for a few hours. But how you chose to learn was just as important as the effort you put toward learning itself.

Sylas somehow needed to improve an invention Old Brama had put his centuries of life behind enough to be able to withstand a surge from Call of the Titan... And yet this invention that was the pinnacle of Old Brama's abilities was

already worthless to Sylas.

The question was... how?

While it was insane of Sylas to even try and use Call of the Titan on Reaper Sealwright, he had to do something no less insane just to set himself up for such a chance.

"Come here," Sylas said to seemingly empty air.

But somewhere on the ship, the eyes of a female Professor opened.