Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

Chapter 263: Shaken

--

"Are you really okay?"

Cedric turned around to see Erica, who had a worried expression on her face. His eyes were automatically drawn to the Alpha, and the Omega signs were reflected on her pupils. She reached out to caress his face and said,

"You've been so silent since you returned, and I'm worried. Did something happen? You know you can tell me, right?"

Cedric could just feel his fondness for her. He leaned to her touch, closed his eyes, and sighed in relief before replying:

"I'm okay, just... overwhelmed, I suppose. I'll bounce back eventually. I'll be fine."

He could tell that she wanted to ask more but forced herself not to, opting to respect his wish to not say more than this. Instead, she just hugged him, offering her presence and company. Honestly, this was more than enough for Cedric.

If she were to know the truth, she'd probably feel the same; she might even react worse than he does because what he learned was just beyond overwhelming. It was mind-blowing.

To think that the universe was truly that vast—Cedric couldn't help but think that this prison of theirs truly limited their vision.

"Do you need space to think for a bit?" Erica asked tentatively. Cedric could tell that she's choosing her world carefully because she didn't want him to misunderstand.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I still need to digest everything I learned after all. Sorry, I'll make it up to the both of you soon, I swear."

"It's okay." Erica smiled softly. "You don't have to apologize. I'll make myself busy then, but if you ever need me, don't hesitate to call me okay."

Cedric buried his face on the crook of her neck and muttered, "I love you."

"I love you too," Erica shyly replied. "Okay, enough of this mushy stuff. I'll go now."

Cedric kissed her before letting her go. As soon as she left the room, Cedric's expression turned blank. He disappeared from the room as well and appeared in the isolation room. He activated the runes inside and sat in the middle of the room to organize his thoughts.

A green token appeared on his hands, the same one that Big Han gave him.

He received a total of three green tokens and one violet gold token from the titan. The green tokens contained information, and the unique token was his pass to arrive at the 'opportunity' that Big Han referred to.

Cedric had already skimmed one of the tokens, which caused his turbulent mood. That token contained information about the cosmic alliance that Big Han talked about.

The Cosmic Alliance is called the Divine Council; think of it as some sort of government body that ruled the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm.

As for the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm, it's the name of the Divine Council's territory. It spans through at least thousands of galaxies, worlds, and strange realms. It's a cosmic giant.

The Divine Council was founded by six races that, once upon a time, vied for hegemony over the entire realm. From the brief history he got from the token, the great war lasted for millions of years until a ceasefire was suggested and the alliance was founded.

As for the six races that founded the alliance, they were: the Wise Dragon Race, the Mystic Fae Race, the Primal Beast Race, the Ancient Titan Race, the Divine Celestial Race, and the Holy Spirit Race.

Each race has unfathomable foundations and a long history. Their territories span several galaxies and are extremely strong, so much so that even the tiniest movement from them causes worlds to shatter.

It had to be known that even though these six races founded the alliance, they weren't the only ones there. With how many living beings there are in this vast, vast realm, it's understandable that some would have the qualifications to join the alliance as long as they signed the agreement.

There are many 'Nomadic Tribes'—races t that are not well-known to the alliance—who signed the agreement and had been working for the alliance. In exchange, they could qualify for or compete for more resources to develop their world and their race even further.

Reading all of this causes waves in Cedric's heart. The information was so much that he thinks he's dreaming. He couldn't even wrap his head around it. Sadly, it was real. It's both terrifying and exciting.

The information contained within this token was just a preview; Cedric knows this too. If he wanted to learn more about this, he'd need to make direct contact with the alliance. Of course, that's under the assumption that he qualifies for it.

Grasping another token, he sank his perception inside, and another wave of information crashed into his mind. He assimilated everything and organized it. This one contained information about the 'opportunity' that Big Han offered him.

Unknowingly, instead of gaining the opportunity to see the real state of their solar system and a small chance of understanding the raw Concept Laws, Cedric instead gained the qualification to enter the Tower of Prodigies.

The Tower of Prodigies is an entry-level trial that the Divine Council created to spread their influence and make themselves known throughout the entire Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm. It is open to everybody except for the Six Leading Races themselves; they instead send people to manage the trials or make recommendations.

This [Tower of Prodigies] was rich in resources; there was a short list of what it offered based on the information contained in the token. Cedric only recognized 5% of that list, and those are cultivation techniques, treasure pills and medicines, divine equipment, arrays and formations, and so on. As for the rest, Cedric had no idea what they were; there were no descriptions he could work with.

Again, just to reiterate, this is just a'short' list of what the [Tower of Prodigies] could offer, and this isn't the most valuable thing someone can get here. At most, these so-called'rewards' are the unwanted trash of the six races, and this was their way of getting rid of it.

The true reward that challengers are after is membership. Yes, it's a piece of paper, but this piece of paper held more value than all of the things that the tower could offer.

Getting this piece of paper means that the challenger could become a cosmic citizen, and that alone would grant them access to unimaginable things they've never seen before. If they work hard enough, they could join a respectable cosmic sector and share their blessings with their people, bringing them an unprecedented golden age.

However, before anybody could even daydream about this, they must first ensure that they can clear the challenges before them. Nothing is free after all.

Once again, learning all of this caused turbulent waves in Cedric's heart. How truly overwhelming! In front of the Divine Council, humanity wouldn't even be considered ants; they're merely a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things.

It's somewhat disheartening, but it's the bitter truth that he had to accept. Humans can't even deal with space pirates that are plundering them, so what qualifications do they have?

On the other hand, though, this was a chance for their rise. Big Han, an ancient Titan, praised them for having potential, and for someone like him to say those words, maybe there's hope.

Additionally, being exposed to the real giants of the universe made the Demon Race seem less intimidating to him. It's funny how quickly his perspective changed because barely a month ago, he's still lamenting about the disparity between them and how small humans truly were.

Well, nothing much changed, really. Cedric just opened his eyes to the true expanse of the galaxy, that's all.

The third token contains the cosmic map, which also works as a pin for his current location.

It's the first time that he has analyzed a map this large. Instead of landmasses, he's looking at large swirls of galaxies and the sectors where they operate.

He wasn't surprised to see that, compared to the grand expanse of this realm, the universe where Prime Earth was located is at the far edges of the map. It's so unbelievably small, inauspicious, and dismal.

Cedric feels so tiny—so small, worthless, even—it's a bitter pill to swallow and wasn't good for his mental state, but it's the reality.

He could wail, complain, lament, and throw tantrums all day, and nothing would change. Compared to the sheer size of the realm, humans are just as valuable as specks of cosmic dust.

"But...the opportunity is here," Cedric muttered to himself.

His gaze and heart burned as he held the violet gold token in his hands. It felt both hot and cold to the touch. Cedric held on to it as if it were his lifeline.

"I can save us...with this."

Cedric forcefully calmed his mind. He's too excited and impatient, making him prone to making mistakes.

"No need to rush, Cedric," he told himself. "You have time. Settle down, reclaim your peace, and keep an open mind. Stay true to yourself and your goals. Stay grounded and humble."

Phew!

It took Cedric an hour and a half to calm down. When he felt that he's finally ready, he sank his perception of the violet gold token and felt a strong pull taking him somewhere.