Chapter 347: Lost Continent Reclamation; Acala's Response
She would just live and act like any other human being—something that she's grown used to doing ever since she healed from her injuries. She has been asleep and in pain for so long that any form of entertainment was a luxury to her.
In these times, she could walk among her citizens. She's in disguise, and they treat her like any other human being. She's exposed to the rich emotions that humans have, and she loves them. She never thought that there'd be a day when she'd be as relaxed as this, and she had Cedric to thank for making this possible.
Now, she's no longer in pain or in danger of dying. Furthermore, she has friends and companions who care for her. They have no idea who she truly is, but it's better that way. They're common people, after all; they don't need to know.
However, today isn't like most days...
To ordinary civilians, it might be. But for those who worked in the Federal Army, it's not.
Acala, being Prime Earth's manifested consciousness, obviously knew what was going on. Not knowing it would be far more challenging, considering that Prime Earth's body is literally hers.
She knows that the army is waging war against the demons of the Lost Continent. She heard their plans, and she could also see and feel what's happening there, even though she's nowhere near that place.
Acala is not worried about them. With her knowledge about their plans, she could tell that her input or support was completely unnecessary. She's confident that they will be just fine. Besides, there is someone who could instantly save everybody in an emergency, so there's really nothing to worry about here.
What truly concerns her are those outside of her reach.
Yes. She felt the animosity of the Demon Prince just now. The shiver she felt when he attempted to rip Purgatory apart greatly alarmed her because she didn't think that he'd be so bold.
The Demon Prince was also among the ones affected by the oath she forced upon them. If he violates it, he will surely suffer some severe consequences, regardless of his strength or background. After all, this oath was formed under the observation of the cosmic laws. The Demon Prince might be strong, but he's definitely not way stronger than the Cosmic Laws.
That's why she's shocked when she feels him attempting to violate the oath by forcibly ripping Purgatory apart to forcibly land on Prime Earth. What made him so bold and brave to recklessly ignore the consequences of his actions? She truly has no idea.
Fortunately, somebody interfered. No, it's not Cedric. He's currently doing the same thing as her—calmly observing the situation without having any intention of interfering. However, the one who made a move was definitely related to him.
The one who repelled the Demon Prince and sent him crashing to the main ship of the Space Pirates was Rocky, the sentient golem puppet Cedric brought from the Tower of Prodigies.
Rocky and Granitas were both golem puppets who served as the glorified butlers of Acala. Both had the strength of a grand solar sage and were definitely enough to protect Prime Earth for a very long time.
Cedric didn't give any orders for Rocky to attack. The golem did so in its own initiative. It was probably judged that if the Demon Prince blew a hole through Purgatory and truly landed on Prime Earth, Azure Terra would suffer greatly. Cedric's orders were for them to be the last line of defense for this world, so this move was under that consideration.
Also, it doesn't look like Cedric cares about how they do their jobs. So long as Prime Earth is safe in the end, he doesn't care what method they use to fulfill their duties.
That said, knowing that something happened to the Demon Prince meant that the Space Pirates would truly be wary of humans and Prime Earth from now on. As far as she knew, the Demon Race were simple creatures; they're arrogant because they're strong.
They look down on the natives of underdeveloped worlds simply because they're ignorant about the true vastness of the cosmos, which is ironic considering that they're literally space pirates.
But because Prime Earth suddenly revealed one of its hidden fangs, in the virtue of producing someone who could force the Demon Prince to eat a bitter loss, she doubts that they'd continue underestimating the natives and this world after this.
'Well, he doesn't seem concerned at all. I don't know if that's good or not.'
Acala thought to herself after seeing how Cedric seemed indifferent about what just happened.
'But I also shouldn't rely too much on him.' She continues, 'He has already helped me a lot. I can't keep being a burden or a shackle that holds him back.'
There's a solemn look on her face as she makes a decision. Deciding to ignore the commotion on the Lost Continent, she mobilized her vitality to do something that would help herself in the future.
Previously, Cedric gifted her a chance. It's an opportunity to join the Tower of Prodigies as staff. Due to her being the frame of the Acala System on Prime Earth, she is eligible to apply as a system operator in the tower.
She has learned a thing or two since joining that place. At first, she was surprised to see many other world spirits like her, but as time passed, she'd grown used to it. As their youngest member, Acala has been pampered by these senior world spirits, and she has learned a lot from them. .net
Acala should've been applying these lessons in real life since then, but she has been neglectful due to her sheer confidence in herself and Cedric. This mistake is something that she will rectify starting from this moment.
The movement she made couldn't be sensed by anyone; even those on the main ship of the Space Pirates who have been trying to monitor the situation down here wouldn't sense this. Cedric could, but he's obviously different. The Demon God might also be able to sense it, but she has never seen him.
Acala was strengthening the Purgatory Realm. This was her protection against invaders, after all. Through this action, she's also bolstering the oath she formed between her and the Space Pirates. Moreover, she also strengthens her hold on their soul network, the key to their false immortality.
Previously, she's been unable to fiddle with this thing too much in fear of inciting their full wrath, but after learning from her seniors, this was a simple matter for her. Essentially, she's chaining them down even more than they already were.
Her actions will certainly cause them to suffer immensely. Its impact will certainly be felt once the war on the Lost Continent is over.
Aside from reinforcing the Purgatory Realm, Acala also began her arrangements for evolution.
Again, this was something she learned from her senior world spirits and working hard on her new job. She exchanged for a 'cultivation technique' that world spirits can use. Obviously, a world spirit like her couldn't follow the Life Evolution path, but there are some other paths available for them.
One is through devouring and assimilating other planes of existence to evolve. The higher the quality of the material, the better. Another is by consuming infant world spirits, something that Acala would never dare to do.
There are more ways for a world spirit to evolve, but the method she chose was by absorbing and assimilating higher forms of concept laws. The speed of her evolution using this method will fluctuate a lot, but at the same time, it's the safest and cheapest way to do so.
Higher forms of concept laws are abundant everywhere. Even if Acala uses her entire strength to absorb them, they would regenerate faster than her pace of absorption, so it's fine. Moreover, she wouldn't have to face the troublesome Heavenly Tribulation through this method.
This will obviously take some time, but if this world wants to keep up with Cedric's pace and requirements, this is a necessary process.
There is a high chance that this will alarm the Space Pirates too, but it's fine. Not many things will remain a secret forever. She's ready to face the music along with her citizens.
"I see. Go on with confidence then. I'm here."
As expected, Cedric immediately understood what she was trying to do. He could probably tell what she's thinking too; this isn't surprising for him.
She won't lie, though. His words might've been brief and simple, but they're all the validation she needed. And with his support, she felt even more confident about her decision to pursue her evolution into a stronger world spirit.
As for Cedric himself, obviously he's not against this. He's been waiting for her to take the initiative, actually. And now that she did, he could finally rest easy. At least now, this world finally has a direction, and it's heading towards the same path he imagined.
"But it seems that there are some certain pests that are feeling a little too restless."
Cedric's eyes narrowed as his golden eyes seemingly pierced through the depths of the sea.