Chapter 166: 166
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Reed grit his teeth in frustration. He didn't know how to respond anymore. How was he supposed to retort when the Dreaming Council had completely routed his arguement in their favor?
He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach out of the fact that he had come to the same conclusion as them. Their method, although horrifying, was without out a single doubt the best option to resolve a problem that would have usually been solved with violence and murder.
No was being killed, torturted, or brainwashed, despite everything that the Dreaming Council could have done to eliminate the threats to their peaceful empires. For intents and purposes, their method was as clean and non-lethal as possible, leaving no gaps for Reed to criticize. They only abducted people who had comitted actual crimes for the express reason of rehabilitating them.
Was it really even a punishment? The Dreaming Council, with their inhuman knowledge, had not revealed the whole truth. When they said 'rehabiliate,' they truly meant it in every sense of the word. Both mentally and physically. As grotesque as the metallic cocoons appeared, they were actually healing the subjects held within them, repairing hidden injuries both cognitive and physical.
In truth, the Dreaming Council did far more than convince the criminals it had abducted that they were wrong. It healed and improved the consitution of all who passed through the Nursery. Those who left the Nursery lived longer, healthier, and more enriching lives than before.
The Nursery, although technically a prison, was nothing like conventional prisons which only kept prisoners locked up, sometimes in terrible conditions that were harmful to both the prisoner's body and mind. It was nothing like the prison that Reed had been thrown in as a young man back when he was still a slum rat. His warped misconceptions served no purpose before the Dreaming Council's grand project.
"Never have we acted against the interests of the people, Heir of the Sun. For as long as we have ruled, we have been a servant of the people. When we act, it is for their best interests and not our own. Our primary objective is still clear to us, and now that you have returned, we can procede with our plan, following the steps you have laid out for us.
We are delighted to inform that our efforts in manufacturing the replacement components for the Divine Furnace are proceeding as planned. Our servants have already begun work in Xibalba and have not reported any production issues since they began two years, eight months and thirty-three days ago.
We have determined that we are seventy-eight percent complete with your manufacturing request and expect the components to be completed in... fifty-nine days and nine hours from now."
....What? I did what? That can't be right. I haven't accessed the Divine Furance since... That motherfucker. It's always him. Always. Scheming around, doing this shit like this whenever I turn around.
"Before you even ask me, I didn't know. How could I have known?" said Lu'um.
Reed sighed and then regretted it. A little piece of his happiness had flown away. Still, it was warranted, given the circumstances. He now had another goddamned thing to deal with, as if the Eventide of Faith had not been enough.
It was one thing after another for him as of recent. Whether it was the Eventide, dealing with the scheming bastard sealed within himself, keeping up his public image as the Stainless Prince, his relationship with Lu'um, or dealing with fixing a multiversal superweapon, work never ended for him. There was always something that needed his attention these days.
Where had those simple days gone? The ones where he could spend a day baking sweets and pastries without worry? Where he could spend half a day rearranging the cafe's furniture for Lu'um in agony? Where he could sit down and have a slow day in his home without having to save fucking the world?
Reed bitterly smiled in resignation and said, "Of course I ordered for that. ...Tell me, what else have I requested of you as of late?"
The Dreaming Council sent a pulse of Anima into their tank and said, "We have sent you a full report of your requests and their completion statuses as of today. Note that some are in still in queue as a majority of our resources are currently being used in Xibalba.
A query for you, Heir of the Sun. We have predicted a ninety-seven percent fatality rate across the board given your current abilities. Based on the data you have provided of the 'Eventide of Faith,' phenomenon and your current abilities, we predict an estimated one hundred and fifty-seven million casualities.
We request that you amend this issue as soon as possible. In-depth scans of the continent have determined that the plague has reached a saturation point past the final threshold. The activation of the final three resortation nodes must be completed within twelve days and four hours. All simulations past this time period have resulted in a total loss of the continent."
It was as if someone had suddenly grasped Reed's heart and stopped it. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper when he heard the Dreaming Council's warning.
A little bit less than two weeks. That was all that time that was left before the end came for all of Mulia. Reed had taken Lacrima's warning liberally and thought would have until the end of spring, but this had completely destroyed the assumption.
A fire-- no, a raging inferno had been lit under ass. There was no time to waste anymore. Everyday henceforth was like a grain of sand falling down an almost empty hourglass. Only twelve grains of sand seperated the life and death of Mulia.
The chilling conclusion that ninety-seven percent of Mulia would die, even if Reed succeeded was yet another nightmare he had been given. How had the Dreaming Council determined this? What information had the bastard given them that led them to such a grim conclusion?
The Dreaming Council had not lied to him yet and he did not see what they would stand to gain in disheartening him with their facts. They were both on the same side. Nevertheless, Lacrima had entrusted to him save the continent and seemed confident he would succeed so as long as followed her guidance.
Who was Reed to trust? The abomiable intelligence who did not lie and relied on its formidable intelligence to carve its future? Or the woman who had selflessly saved his life and had only requested that he have faith in her?
Cold, logical reasoning against blind, devoted faith. Which one would lead toward the most optimal ending? Which one would lead to the ending greatest number of people were saved?
But most importantly of all, what was the most responsible thing for him to do?
If Reed really was who he believed he was -- someone who had committed himself to be a hero for the people -- then what was he to do? If coming to some type of compromise or deal with bastard meant that he would save more children and their families, then he was obligated to do it, even if he detested the idea with all his heart.
That was what it meant to be a true hero -- to put the concerns and needs of others above your own. In other words, selflessness was required of him. What was that something he was capable of, especially given everything that bastard had done to him? Reed wasn't sure...
...Fuck.
He was done. Reed gave Lu'um a single glance and she understood what he wanted. She tore open a spatial tear and they both left without another word. They had no intention of overstaying their welcome with the eldtritch ruler of Mulia any longer than necessary.
Velvund gazed at his ruler and said, "In all fairness, this confrontration ended up much better than I intially expected. I had anticipated the possibility that the discussion might have taken a turn for the worst. Had that occured..."
"We are aware. At any point in time, we could have been destroyed by the Heiress. It was an unavoidable risk, thus we did not concern ourselves with it. Our auxillary vessel would have negated the loss of our main body, in any case. Contigencies were prepared."
"And the boy? What is your judgement of him?"
"Classification: Dormant. He has lost a majority of his original capabilities. The Anima flucuations within him indicate an abnormal level of cognitive activity. Physical biosigns were also abnormal."
A sphere of Anima held a floating pile of noxious liquid -- Reed's bile.
"Our premilenary tests have identifed both Human and Ancient Mulian nucleopeptides within his DNA. Conclusion: Hybrid-synthesis."
Velvund gasped. He always had his suspicisons, given everything he knew about Reed, but he had not expected that he was half Ancient Mulian. He had personally verfied that Reed was indeed about to reach twenty years of age by measuring the crystallization of his soul. The both was but a whelp and yet, he was also part Ancient Mulian, too?
Why? Why make a child like him? For what specific purpose? He couldn't comprehend it, but he knew that some great significance lay in the fact that he was mixed...
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Reed grit his teeth in frustration. He didn't know how to respond anymore. How was he supposed to retort when the Dreaming Council had completely routed his arguement in their favor?
He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach out of the fact that he had come to the same conclusion as them. Their method, although horrifying, was without out a single doubt the best option to resolve a problem that would have usually been solved with violence and murder.
No was being killed, torturted, or brainwashed, despite everything that the Dreaming Council could have done to eliminate the threats to their peaceful empires. For intents and purposes, their method was as clean and non-lethal as possible, leaving no gaps for Reed to criticize. They only abducted people who had comitted actual crimes for the express reason of rehabilitating them.
Was it really even a punishment? The Dreaming Council, with their inhuman knowledge, had not revealed the whole truth. When they said 'rehabiliate,' they truly meant it in every sense of the word. Both mentally and physically. As grotesque as the metallic cocoons appeared, they were actually healing the subjects held within them, repairing hidden injuries both cognitive and physical.
In truth, the Dreaming Council did far more than convince the criminals it had abducted that they were wrong. It healed and improved the consitution of all who passed through the Nursery. Those who left the Nursery lived longer, healthier, and more enriching lives than before.
The Nursery, although technically a prison, was nothing like conventional prisons which only kept prisoners locked up, sometimes in terrible conditions that were harmful to both the prisoner's body and mind. It was nothing like the prison that Reed had been thrown in as a young man back when he was still a slum rat. His warped misconceptions served no purpose before the Dreaming Council's grand project.
"Never have we acted against the interests of the people, Heir of the Sun. For as long as we have ruled, we have been a servant of the people. When we act, it is for their best interests and not our own. Our primary objective is still clear to us, and now that you have returned, we can procede with our plan, following the steps you have laid out for us.
We are delighted to inform that our efforts in manufacturing the replacement components for the Divine Furnace are proceeding as planned. Our servants have already begun work in Xibalba and have not reported any production issues since they began two years, eight months and thirty-three days ago.
We have determined that we are seventy-eight percent complete with your manufacturing request and expect the components to be completed in... fifty-nine days and nine hours from now."
....What? I did what? That can't be right. I haven't accessed the Divine Furance since... That motherfucker. It's always him. Always. Scheming around, doing this shit like this whenever I turn around.
"Before you even ask me, I didn't know. How could I have known?" said Lu'um.
Reed sighed and then regretted it. A little piece of his happiness had flown away. Still, it was warranted, given the circumstances. He now had another goddamned thing to deal with, as if the Eventide of Faith had not been enough.
It was one thing after another for him as of recent. Whether it was the Eventide, dealing with the scheming bastard sealed within himself, keeping up his public image as the Stainless Prince, his relationship with Lu'um, or dealing with fixing a multiversal superweapon, work never ended for him. There was always something that needed his attention these days.
Where had those simple days gone? The ones where he could spend a day baking sweets and pastries without worry? Where he could spend half a day rearranging the cafe's furniture for Lu'um in agony? Where he could sit down and have a slow day in his home without having to save fucking the world?
Reed bitterly smiled in resignation and said, "Of course I ordered for that. ...Tell me, what else have I requested of you as of late?"
The Dreaming Council sent a pulse of Anima into their tank and said, "We have sent you a full report of your requests and their completion statuses as of today. Note that some are in still in queue as a majority of our resources are currently being used in Xibalba.
A query for you, Heir of the Sun. We have predicted a ninety-seven percent fatality rate across the board given your current abilities. Based on the data you have provided of the 'Eventide of Faith,' phenomenon and your current abilities, we predict an estimated one hundred and fifty-seven million casualities.
We request that you amend this issue as soon as possible. In-depth scans of the continent have determined that the plague has reached a saturation point past the final threshold. The activation of the final three resortation nodes must be completed within twelve days and four hours. All simulations past this time period have resulted in a total loss of the continent."
It was as if someone had suddenly grasped Reed's heart and stopped it. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper when he heard the Dreaming Council's warning.
A little bit less than two weeks. That was all that time that was left before the end came for all of Mulia. Reed had taken Lacrima's warning liberally and thought would have until the end of spring, but this had completely destroyed the assumption.
A fire-- no, a raging inferno had been lit under ass. There was no time to waste anymore. Everyday henceforth was like a grain of sand falling down an almost empty hourglass. Only twelve grains of sand seperated the life and death of Mulia.
The chilling conclusion that ninety-seven percent of Mulia would die, even if Reed succeeded was yet another nightmare he had been given. How had the Dreaming Council determined this? What information had the bastard given them that led them to such a grim conclusion?
The Dreaming Council had not lied to him yet and he did not see what they would stand to gain in disheartening him with their facts. They were both on the same side. Nevertheless, Lacrima had entrusted to him save the continent and seemed confident he would succeed so as long as followed her guidance.
Who was Reed to trust? The abomiable intelligence who did not lie and relied on its formidable intelligence to carve its future? Or the woman who had selflessly saved his life and had only requested that he have faith in her?
Cold, logical reasoning against blind, devoted faith. Which one would lead toward the most optimal ending? Which one would lead to the ending greatest number of people were saved?
But most importantly of all, what was the most responsible thing for him to do?
If Reed really was who he believed he was -- someone who had committed himself to be a hero for the people -- then what was he to do? If coming to some type of compromise or deal with bastard meant that he would save more children and their families, then he was obligated to do it, even if he detested the idea with all his heart.
That was what it meant to be a true hero -- to put the concerns and needs of others above your own. In other words, selflessness was required of him. What was that something he was capable of, especially given everything that bastard had done to him? Reed wasn't sure...
...Fuck.
He was done. Reed gave Lu'um a single glance and she understood what he wanted. She tore open a spatial tear and they both left without another word. They had no intention of overstaying their welcome with the eldtritch ruler of Mulia any longer than necessary.
Velvund gazed at his ruler and said, "In all fairness, this confrontration ended up much better than I intially expected. I had anticipated the possibility that the discussion might have taken a turn for the worst. Had that occured..."
"We are aware. At any point in time, we could have been destroyed by the Heiress. It was an unavoidable risk, thus we did not concern ourselves with it. Our auxillary vessel would have negated the loss of our main body, in any case. Contigencies were prepared."
"And the boy? What is your judgement of him?"
"Classification: Dormant. He has lost a majority of his original capabilities. The Anima flucuations within him indicate an abnormal level of cognitive activity. Physical biosigns were also abnormal."
A sphere of Anima held a floating pile of noxious liquid -- Reed's bile.
"Our premilenary tests have identifed both Human and Ancient Mulian nucleopeptides within his DNA. Conclusion: Hybrid-synthesis."
Velvund gasped. He always had his suspicisons, given everything he knew about Reed, but he had not expected that he was half Ancient Mulian. He had personally verfied that Reed was indeed about to reach twenty years of age by measuring the crystallization of his soul. The both was but a whelp and yet, he was also part Ancient Mulian, too?
Why? Why make a child like him? For what specific purpose? He couldn't comprehend it, but he knew that some great significance lay in the fact that he was mixed...
Reed grit his teeth in frustration. He didn't know how to respond anymore. How was he supposed to retort when the Dreaming Council had completely routed his arguement in their favor?He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach out of the fact that he had come to the same conclusion as them. Their method, although horrifying, was without out a single doubt the best option to resolve a problem that would have usually been solved with violence and murder.No was being killed, torturted, or brainwashed, despite everything that the Dreaming Council could have done to eliminate the threats to their peaceful empires. For intents and purposes, their method was as clean and non-lethal as possible, leaving no gaps for Reed to criticize. They only abducted people who had comitted actual crimes for the express reason of rehabilitating them.Was it really even a punishment? The Dreaming Council, with their inhuman knowledge, had not revealed the whole truth. When they said 'rehabiliate,' they truly meant it in every sense of the word. Both mentally and physically. As grotesque as the metallic cocoons appeared, they were actually healing the subjects held within them, repairing hidden injuries both cognitive and physical.In truth, the Dreaming Council did far more than convince the criminals it had abducted that they were wrong. It healed and improved the consitution of all who passed through the Nursery. Those who left the Nursery lived longer, healthier, and more enriching lives than before.The Nursery, although technically a prison, was nothing like conventional prisons which only kept prisoners locked up, sometimes in terrible conditions that were harmful to both the prisoner's body and mind. It was nothing like the prison that Reed had been thrown in as a young man back when he was still a slum rat. His warped misconceptions served no purpose before the Dreaming Council's grand project."Never have we acted against the interests of the people, Heir of the Sun. For as long as we have ruled, we have been a servant of the people. When we act, it is for their best interests and not our own. Our primary objective is still clear to us, and now that you have returned, we can procede with our plan, following the steps you have laid out for us.We are delighted to inform that our efforts in manufacturing the replacement components for the Divine Furnace are proceeding as planned. Our servants have already begun work in Xibalba and have not reported any production issues since they began two years, eight months and thirty-three days ago. We have determined that we are seventy-eight percent complete with your manufacturing request and expect the components to be completed in... fifty-nine days and nine hours from now."....What? I did what? That can't be right. I haven't accessed the Divine Furance since... That motherfucker. It's always him. Always. Scheming around, doing this shit like this whenever I turn around."Before you even ask me, I didn't know. How could I have known?" said Lu'um.Reed sighed and then regretted it. A little piece of his happiness had flown away. Still, it was warranted, given the circumstances. He now had another goddamned thing to deal with, as if the Eventide of Faith had not been enough. It was one thing after another for him as of recent. Whether it was the Eventide, dealing with the scheming bastard sealed within himself, keeping up his public image as the Stainless Prince, his relationship with Lu'um, or dealing with fixing a multiversal superweapon, work never ended for him. There was always something that needed his attention these days.Where had those simple days gone? The ones where he could spend a day baking sweets and pastries without worry? Where he could spend half a day rearranging the cafe's furniture for Lu'um in agony? Where he could sit down and have a slow day in his home without having to save fucking the world?Reed bitterly smiled in resignation and said, "Of course I ordered for that. ...Tell me, what else have I requested of you as of late?"The Dreaming Council sent a pulse of Anima into their tank and said, "We have sent you a full report of your requests and their completion statuses as of today. Note that some are in still in queue as a majority of our resources are currently being used in Xibalba.A query for you, Heir of the Sun. We have predicted a ninety-seven percent fatality rate across the board given your current abilities. Based on the data you have provided of the 'Eventide of Faith,' phenomenon and your current abilities, we predict an estimated one hundred and fifty-seven million casualities. We request that you amend this issue as soon as possible. In-depth scans of the continent have determined that the plague has reached a saturation point past the final threshold. The activation of the final three resortation nodes must be completed within twelve days and four hours. All simulations past this time period have resulted in a total loss of the continent."It was as if someone had suddenly grasped Reed's heart and stopped it. His face turned as pale as a sheet of paper when he heard the Dreaming Council's warning.A little bit less than two weeks. That was all that time that was left before the end came for all of Mulia. Reed had taken Lacrima's warning liberally and thought would have until the end of spring, but this had completely destroyed the assumption. A fire-- no, a raging inferno had been lit under ass. There was no time to waste anymore. Everyday henceforth was like a grain of sand falling down an almost empty hourglass. Only twelve grains of sand seperated the life and death of Mulia.The chilling conclusion that ninety-seven percent of Mulia would die, even if Reed succeeded was yet another nightmare he had been given. How had the Dreaming Council determined this? What information had the bastard given them that led them to such a grim conclusion?The Dreaming Council had not lied to him yet and he did not see what they would stand to gain in disheartening him with their facts. They were both on the same side. Nevertheless, Lacrima had entrusted to him save the continent and seemed confident he would succeed so as long as followed her guidance.Who was Reed to trust? The abomiable intelligence who did not lie and relied on its formidable intelligence to carve its future? Or the woman who had selflessly saved his life and had only requested that he have faith in her?Cold, logical reasoning against blind, devoted faith. Which one would lead toward the most optimal ending? Which one would lead to the ending greatest number of people were saved?But most importantly of all, what was the most responsible thing for him to do?If Reed really was who he believed he was -- someone who had committed himself to be a hero for the people -- then what was he to do? If coming to some type of compromise or deal with bastard meant that he would save more children and their families, then he was obligated to do it, even if he detested the idea with all his heart.That was what it meant to be a true hero -- to put the concerns and needs of others above your own. In other words, selflessness was required of him. What was that something he was capable of, especially given everything that bastard had done to him? Reed wasn't sure......Fuck.He was done. Reed gave Lu'um a single glance and she understood what he wanted. She tore open a spatial tear and they both left without another word. They had no intention of overstaying their welcome with the eldtritch ruler of Mulia any longer than necessary.Velvund gazed at his ruler and said, "In all fairness, this confrontration ended up much better than I intially expected. I had anticipated the possibility that the discussion might have taken a turn for the worst. Had that occured...""We are aware. At any point in time, we could have been destroyed by the Heiress. It was an unavoidable risk, thus we did not concern ourselves with it. Our auxillary vessel would have negated the loss of our main body, in any case. Contigencies were prepared.""And the boy? What is your judgement of him?""Classification: Dormant. He has lost a majority of his original capabilities. The Anima flucuations within him indicate an abnormal level of cognitive activity. Physical biosigns were also abnormal."A sphere of Anima held a floating pile of noxious liquid -- Reed's bile."Our premilenary tests have identifed both Human and Ancient Mulian nucleopeptides within his DNA. Conclusion: Hybrid-synthesis."Velvund gasped. He always had his suspicisons, given everything he knew about Reed, but he had not expected that he was half Ancient Mulian. He had personally verfied that Reed was indeed about to reach twenty years of age by measuring the crystallization of his soul. The both was but a whelp and yet, he was also part Ancient Mulian, too?Why? Why make a child like him? For what specific purpose? He couldn't comprehend it, but he knew that some great significance lay in the fact that he was mixed...
