Riseth and Alistair entered the expansive room, greeted by the richly decorated mahogany floor, bookcase pillars, and the scent of paper and old books. Surprisingly, the floral aroma of nature also filled the air. Typically, Alistair had to be close to Mitania to catch her floral scent, but now it permeated the entire room. He quickly spotted her leaning against her desk as her presence was intense despite her restraining her aura a lot. The difference in Grade was vast, and he could tell she was by far the most powerful individual he had met, much more so than before.
"I think that's her true body," Riseth commented as they exchanged a glance.
Alistair nodded, sharing the same suspicion. It was somewhat concerning that even her clones were more powerful than Sol and the other natural gods he had encountered, but this was on a completely different level. He trusted her intentions, especially since she had always helped and guided them and now made no effort to mask her emotions. If she tried to deceive them, he doubted he would be able to tell. As they approached, he sensed her anticipation and satisfaction as she waved them over with a casual smile.
"Riseth, Alistair, it's so good to finally meet you both in person," Mitania said, embracing each of them briefly.
"It's nice to meet you, too. We are grateful for the opportunity to thank you in person for all your help," Riseth replied with a polite smile. Alistair concurred with her statement.
Both felt a bit stifled by the sheer power difference, but Alistair relaxed as her floral scent washed over them, his tension easing as her facial leaves turned a vibrant yellow. She accompanied this with a radiant smile as she inspected the two of them.
"A Nephilim? I am impressed with your progress, and I apologize for interrupting your training during the trial, but there are some things I would love to discuss," Mitania said.
As she spoke, roots grew out of the ground, forming a round, tree-like table and chairs padded with moss. She then served them tea, placing the cups before them. Alistair initially presumed it was just tea but quickly realized it was far too magically charged. "What is it with gods and serving ridiculous drinks?" he mused as he took a seat next to Riseth.
Both Alistair and Riseth immediately noticed the intense life force radiating from the drink. They exchanged meaningful looks, knowing the tea alone would be more than worth their time.
Mitania continued to smile at them as she took a sip of her tea. "Don't worry; the tea will just strengthen your body and enhance the quality of your pathways once you advance to the next grade," she assured them. "It's a small thank you for taking the time to meet with me."
Alistair gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Mitania. It's just that the last time Sol offered me something to drink, we had to rush to refine the essence."
Mitania chuckled. "You don't need to worry about that. I'm curious, though; what did Sol give you?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
"It was some Ambrosia," Alistair replied.
"Ambrosia?" she asked, with some surprise. "Good for him, that's a very rare and obscure concoction, and being able to concoct it is a coveted skill in the multiverse."
They began recounting what she had missed and sharing their experiences from the past half-year since they had last seen her. Mitania listened intently as they exchanged information. Both Alistair and Riseth took a sip of the tea, feeling a surge of energy course through their entire bodies, leaving a faint trail of energy tracing through them.
"What are those pathways you mentioned earlier?" Riseth asked.
Mitania wore a motherly smile as she leaned back in her chair. "You shouldn't be able to sense it. But your energy flow in Tier 9 and below is quite suboptimal. Once you reach the next grade, your pathways will become more physical in nature. This will significantly improve the flow of energy within your body, allowing it to compress energy more efficiently. In turn, your stat points will have a greater impact than they did before."
"So, kind of like meridians and dantians?" Alistair inquired. He had read about them but had never been able to sense such pathways within his body.
"Yes, though I don't really use those terms since I'm not a cultivator," Mitania replied, somewhat annoyed. "I'm generally not a fan of cultivation terminology. They tend to overcomplicate and aggrandize things."
"You still recommended a body cultivation technique," Alistair pointed out.
"It was recommended by the system, and I agreed with its assessment," Mitania explained, somewhat strained. "There's a big difference between body cultivation and normal cultivation. For example, you don't need to worry yourself with inner demons and other issues cultivation comes with." Alistair nodded in response, already aware of this from his own limited research. He noted that Mitania wanted to add something but couldn't. It felt like he had made a mistake or was under another misconception, but when he tried to ask, the system restrained him from doing so. Which pretty much confirmed he had one more misconception to work out.
"I am impressed that you managed to become a Nephilim with your first evolution," Mitania said. "I underestimated just how much effort you have put into your foundation, and now you've caught up with the rest of the elites. I'm sorry for pressuring you, and I'm glad to see my worries were unfounded."
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As pleasant as their exchange was, Alistair felt it was time to ask why she had requested to meet them. "Thank you, but you were right. I needed that push. But let's put these topics aside for now. Why did you request to meet us?"
Mitania wore a warm smile, her leaves shifting back to a light teal coloration as her demeanor turned more serious.
"You're right. We got a bit carried away," she said. "I called you here to make you an offer."
Alistair internally groaned at the prospect of more god-like beings trying to get a hold of him, but he would hear her out because he owed her at least that much.
Mitania chuckled. "Don't worry. My offer is a bit different from what you might expect."
He was taken aback for a moment, realizing she had seen right through his aura, veiling his emotions. He watched her place a metal plate that looked like an oversized coin on the tree-like table.
It depicted a massive, intricate tree enveloped by feathery wings. She encouragingly waved her hand, indicating that he should pick it up. After exchanging a brief glance with Riseth, he did so. Inspecting the large coin, he noticed numerous incredibly dense and intricate runes, almost invisible to the naked eye, and some that seemed to be not even physical but spiritually engraved. Using Identify, it revealed itself to be a [Crest of Connection for the Lyraxis Ascendancy].
Alistair gave Mitania a questioning look, suspecting what the crest might be. "What is this exactly?"
"It's a magical array that ensures that we can communicate even after the initiation. Additionally, it designates you as a potential disciple of our faction. Consider it a token of our association, providing you protection by serving as a deterrent to other factions in the multiverse, among some other features," Mitania clarified.
Alistair shook his head apologetically. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not currently looking to join any faction. My focus is on nurturing my own clan and seizing the opportunity before the bridges open to more powerful individuals. Besides, I'm hesitant about affiliating with a faction from another universe," he replied.
Mitania smiled, raising a hand placatingly. "Don't worry. I want you to grow and experience those things as well. This won't put any obligations upon you, only open doors that might have otherwise been closed." after a short pause, she added, "I can only hand out one of these crests to a chosen individual as a reward for my services in the Initiation, and I want it to go to the two of you,"
"But why us? There must be billions of people that fit the same criteria we do," Alistair questioned as he hesitantly looked over the crest.
Mitania's laughter enveloped them like a warm summer breeze. "Don't underestimate yourselves. I have numerous reasons, but above all, I like the two of you, and my intuition tells me I am making the right choice. Also, your personality and potential align perfectly with what my husband seeks in a disciple, Alistair."
It all sounded quite positive, but he wasn't quite sure if there were some things he wasn't aware of, so he turned to Riseth.
"What do you think? Also, do you know anything about the Lyraxis Ascendancy?" Alistair inquired over their link as he ran his thumb over the crest in his hand.
"My intuition tells me to trust her. Mitania has done right by us and helped us a lot. I think we can trust her," Riseth said over the link. After a short pause, she added, "Our available information on factions from the multiverse is limited outside the most notorious ones. What I do know is that they did not invade any freshly integrated universes so far as they aren't mentioned as an invader, but I don't know anything else about them."
"Can you tell us a bit about your faction?" Alistair inquired.
"I can't divulge too much with Riseth present, as I am constrained to sharing information with the chosen individual. Fortunately, the system is already quite lenient due to your resonance," Mitania explained apologetically.
"What I can say is that our interests and actions are closely aligned with yours. We wield considerable power, and our faction is well-respected, but we tend to keep a low profile on the multiversal stage," Mitania continued. "But this is all in the far future. You can ask me or my husband by using the crest once you leave the trial."
"There are still some things I'd like to know. Are you the leader of that faction?" Riseth inquired.
Mitania looked at her with some surprise. "Yes, my husband and I are part of the leadership. My mother is one of the founders," she responded.
"And if Alistair ends up joining, would that obligate the clan to do the same?" Riseth asked.
"No, we do not force anyone to join us or place arbitrary demands on our members. They are free to stay mostly independent and lead their own clans without merging them into the fold," Mitania replied.
Riseth nodded and leaned back in her chair, seemingly satisfied.
"You mentioned your husband and that I would make a good disciple for him. What can you tell me about him?"
Mitania's leaves took on warmer colors as she began talking about her husband. "Sotarr is strong, reliable, and kind, much like yourself. He was talented and managed to prove his path and like me, he is close to reaching godhood, but I can't say much more than that,"
Alistair thought it over and nodded, satisfied with her explanations, as he stored the crest in his storage. He was a little surprised she wasn't already a god based on the power he sensed, which made him wonder what differentiated a god from a high-grade individual. Based on what she had said, he could just ask her once it became relevant, and having access to someone he could trust who was far more knowledgeable than himself was already a great boon.
"Thank you for looking out for us. I'll be sure to get in touch once things calm down a bit," Alistair added with a grateful nod.
"Hold on; there is one more matter that needs resolving. Would you humor me for a bit longer? There is someone you should meet," Mitania continued. Alistair then sensed someone entering the room.
What approached them was an extremely advanced-looking Gundam-like Synth Lord with somewhat distinct designs from the ones Alistair had seen in the Automata trial. It looked powerful and sleek, imitating a humanoid form, and was distinctly male. What stood out was the coloration of his right arm, which wasn't too dissimilar from Alistair's armor. It was slightly shorter than him, and most of his body seemed to be made of the dark green hue of natural adamantine with clear indications of mithril and other metal alloys being worked into the rest of the humanoid body. A quick identify revealed the synth to be [Adam - lvl 91].
"Alistair, Riseth, it's good to see you two again," came a familiar voice.
"Adamar?" Alistair asked in disbelief as they stood up to greet the newcomer.
"It's just Adam now. You two have changed a lot since I last saw you," Adam jokingly said, embracing Alistair before turning to hug Riseth as well.
"Look who's talking. We leave you up to your own devices, and you turn yourself into a Gundam," Alistair retorted, still taken aback by the drastic change the elf had undergone.
He sensed some confusion at the term, but Adam seemed to ignore it and take it in stride. "A lot has happened; I am sorry for not getting in touch sooner," Adam said apologetically as Mitania created another chair for him.
They all sat back down, eyes fixed on Adam, eager to learn what had transpired since they last saw him.