Chapter 667: Einherjar (1/2)
Zac knew what Henry was talking about. The moment the grace period ended and its shroud was lifted, then Earth would most likely find itself inside the sphere of influence of some faction of the Zecia Sector. It could be within the borders of an interplanetary clan, or inside some empire like the Dravorak Dynasty or the Allbright Empire.
In either case, their appearance wouldn’t go unnoticed, and their treatment would largely depend on their strength and what kind of faction they were attached to. A new planet with prominent progenitors would probably get treated as promising elites to integrate into the fold, and the citizens would lead pretty carefree lives.
However, if the planet was just filled with wastrels, the reception would get a lot worse. Zac had read records where citizens of newly assimilated worlds were essentially turned into cannon-fodder for wars or had their home planets terraformed into factory worlds with a toxic atmosphere. The System wouldn't interfere if it was unsatisfied with the planet's performance.
The Assimilation would also bring some new challenges for its population, and the planet might even undergo some changes like gaining new Mystic Realms. Zac was generally confident about the situation, but it was possible that the System would add some sort of twist to the Assimilation since someone like him was the Planetary Leader of Earth.
Henry obviously wanted him to take a step back and stay on as a protective umbrella for humanity, to not take undue risks. Going after Leandra was obviously a goal fraught with danger. However, would Zac really back away against the challenge, or would he rise up as Emily wanted?
The very core of Zac’s being was set ablaze at the thought of letting things rest. It roared in defiance at the prospect of just moving on, to stay and continue to slowly accumulate on Earth. There was no way he would ever see Kenzie again that way, no way for him to mete out punishment. Every fiber of his body urged him was forward so that he would never have to feel this powerless again.
”I understand where you're coming from, but I will never let this matter go,” Zac said with a shake of his head as a fire ignited in his eyes. ”I will leave Earth very soon to temper myself. I’m not sure how long I will be gone.“
”Alas,” Henry sighed as he turned back toward the stele, his back hunched even lower.
“It will definitely take more than a hundred years before I can go after that cultivator though, and I will be here for the Assimilation. Unless I fall before that,” Zac said as he stepped onto the stairs. “Once again, I'm sorry for your loss.”
Zac quickly left the hidden room, his thoughts a whirl as he flashed toward the closest Teleportation Array. Hearing about the Marshall Clan’s origins had brought up some things he had pushed away until now.
The truth about his own heritage.
Leandra had all but admitted that he had been experimented on. Both his bloodline and his Specialty Core were something the Kayar-Elu, if that was his mother’s organization, had implanted in him. That also made it impossible for Robert Atwood to be his biological father. It didn’t come as a surprise to him by this point, but having it confirmed still hurt a bit.
Zac stepped onto the array, and he appeared back in Port Atwood moments later, this time at the entrance of his Cultivation Cave. He sent a stream of energy into the miniature Pagoda he always carried, which meant that Triv would come over as soon as it could.
Meanwhile, he took a deep breath and stabilized his mind as he walked inside and sat down. The pit of guilt and sorrow was still there, but there was also a burning ember of conviction. He had almost completely given in to despair after seeing how impossibly powerful his mother was, but meeting Emily and Henry shook him awake.
No matter if it took ten, fifty, or a million years, he’d get Kenzie back and avenge Thea. There was even the chance of bringing Thea back to life, though Zac honestly didn’t hold much hope in that regard. It felt like clinging to something like that was like a crutch that would sully her memory. If he managed to reach such a level, he’d definitely do it, but until then he wouldn’t delude himself about her situation.
But for now, he needed to get a move on if he ever wanted to have a chance to catch up. Zac fought with reluctance for a few minutes until he finally opened his status screen, something he had avoided until this point. All of it looked the same as before, except for one part.
Nexus Coins
[D] 1 000 000
Zac blankly looked at the line in for a few moments, his mouth opening and closing upon realizing it was D-grade Nexus Coins he was looking at, not E-grade like he had before. One million D-grade Nexus Coins, what kind of wealth was that? Zac had managed to accumulate around 100,000 E-grade Nexus Coins in cash reserves before, mostly thanks to his sister’s lucrative business spilling over into his wallet.
One hundred thousand E-grade Nexus Coins were the equivalent of One hundred billion F-grade nexus coins, a massive fortune for most E-Grade cultivators. Yet all that wealth was just 0.1 D-grade Nexus Coin, so little that it didn’t even leave a dent on his updated status screen. Three years of accumulation as a Planetary Lord wasn’t anything but a rounding error in the presence of this terrifying amount of money.
His mind almost short-circuited, and he couldn’t help but question everything as he saw the number. Was there something he had misunderstood about Leandra Atwood? Why would she give him such a shocking sum of money? Was it just pocket-change to her, or perhaps a way to sever Karma? Why would she bankroll him if she knew that he would be gunning for her? Was she just that confident that he’d never catch up even after all he had accomplished until this point?
He couldn’t figure it out at all, and he could only close the Status screen with more questions plaguing his mind than before.
This amount of wealth opened all kinds of avenues for him, but Zac was still full of reluctance. That was essentially blood money in his book. Wouldn’t using it mean he somewhat accepted what took place two weeks ago? But he also couldn’t just throw that wealth away. He knew that cultivating as a mortal required shocking amounts of wealth. The E-grade was just the start. If he acted to uncompromising he might find himself stuck in a bottleneck, and how would he save Kenzie then?
Thankfully, a deathly gust dragged him out of his impasse as his ghost butler arrived.
“Lord, I came as soon as you called. My condolences. Miss Marshall was a lovely girl,” the ghost said. “How about-“
“No,” Zac said without hesitation. “I’m ambivalent as it is about doing it with my enemies. I won’t turn my allies unless they ask me to. Besides, there wasn’t even a body left. But speaking of, how is the Einherjar?”
“They are improving every day. A few shows promise that would even be considered rare back in my Kingdom. Lady Vilari in particular keeps impressing. A body like hers would have caused a storm back home. She has already formed her first Dao Fragment, and she shows no indication of having exhausted her potential of the F-Grade. Only Rhuger is anywhere close.”
“Good,” Zac slowly nodded. “Have Vilari come over tomorrow. I have something to give her.”
The Einherjar was a project Zac started in secret two years ago which only Kenzie and Triv knew about. The progress of the people of Earth had caused Zac some pressure, and he realized that he needed more powerful, and absolutely loyal, followers if he wanted to keep the situation on Earth stable while he was off-planet. That had become extra important now that he had lost both Kenzie and Thea.
Triv had provided him with the solution; undead followers. It was something the ghost had been advocating since day one, and Zac eventually relented soon after returning from the Mystic Realm. However, he didn’t quite follow Triv’s suggestions and instead spent months looking for ways that undead naturally formed.