Chapter 424 Exposure
Chapter 424 Exposure
--
"Well, I knew that this would eventually happen. I just didn't expect that it'd be this early." Cedric sighed while looking outside the window. "But I suppose it's much better for you to be informed of what we're dealing with so that you'd know what to do moving forward." Experience tales at empire
He turned around and saw the faces of the High Marshals and other important people of the Prime Earth Federation.
The clues he and Acala left behind, hinting at the existence of other races and civilizations out there, had all been collected and analyzed for a while now, but it wasn't until today that they all came to him seeking answers.
"Yes, there are many other lifeforms out there," he confirmed, which didn't really surprise anybody since they've met demons after all. "And yes, I have met a lot of them personally; I even befriended a handful of them."
"Your Excellency, does that mean that you've been out there?" One of the staff hesitantly asked.
Cedric turned to this person and said, "Well, technically yes. But not really."
"My mind, and recently my body, had gone somewhere far beyond our Solar System. You see, I was scouted by one of the organizations there and had been doing well so far. In fact, since after the Origin Energy Storm that happened, which revitalized the small territory of Azure Terra way back then, I was already a...participant of that organization."
"It's why I was able to increase my strength way beyond your conceptions. Weren't you all wondering where I got all of the cultivation methods I've placed in the depository? Well, I can tell you that the majority of those came from there. I bought them and brought them back here."
Again, most of them already suspected that this was the case. The hints all pointed to it, and they've made several conclusions on their own already, so it wasn't truly that surprising.
"Are they a threat to us? Should we prepare for another invasion?" Raven Armstrong, one of the High Marshals, asked.
"No. There's no need for any of you to go that far." Cedric shook his head. "The alliance isn't a threat to us, and even if they are, we simply are way too powerless to make them treat us seriously. In front of them, the Demon Race wouldn't even be considered as ants. In fact, they call demons Space Pirates there because it's an apt description for them. Even the Demon God himself didn't dare to get anywhere close to the place since he would be killed before he knew anything that happened."
Cedric then proceeded to reveal everything about the alliance to them. He started the story at his first contact with Big Han, then his participation in the Tower of Prodigies. He also told them the heirarchy of races within the Scarlet Dust Alliance as well as the sheer disparity between their civilizations and prosperity.
And to convince them that everything he said was real, he took them all with him in the virtual world, because he can do this but only for a limited period of time, and showed them the myriads of races roaming around there freely and showcased just how advanced the alliance's civilization was.
Shocked would be an understatement of what they all felt this time. It was simply too mind-boggling to personally witness the greatness of the world beyond their solar system.
Just the sheer size of the Primeval Scarlet Dust Realm was already enough to overwhelm them, even more so when they started seeing other lifeforms scattered across the communal world.
Cedric admitted that even he hasn't had nearly enough time to explore even 1% of what the entire alliance could offer. It just so happens that he's the first of their kind to be here, and he's doing his best to know his environment so he could guide others properly when the time comes.
He also revealed to them his position as Solaris Prime's first governor. The act of him essentially registering himself as the owner of the Solaris Prime and being now the main decision-maker of how things will go in this solar system from here was even more shocking to them.
Someone questioned the necessity of a governor. And to that, Cedric said:
"Yes, it is indeed necessary. And whoever the governor was must be strong not only in terms of cultivation but also intellect-wise. Without a governor, this place would've been branded as a free territory despite us being here. If it were to continue that way, then a second invasion should be expected, but this time, whether we survive another one of those, would be uncertain."
"I'm the strongest around for now, so I'm really the only person that could shoulder this responsibility. If I want to pass it on to another person, then a certain level of criteria must be met. My replacement shouldn't be any weaker than I am, and for someone to reach my current level, years of waiting and steady development is a must. So until then, I will be the governor of Solaris Prime."
Everything he said made sense to them. Yet their exposure to all of this led them to feel some doubts.
Understandably so; this was all too much for them to digest right now. But if there's one thing certain about all of this, it would be the fact that their race as a whole still has a long way to go before they could catch up to other races. Humans as a whole are way too weak to mingle with others.
And to make things even more challenging, Cedric just had to say this:
"Solaris Prime may or may not move closer to the physical location of the alliance in the future. It shouldn't be too much of a big deal since I could just set up a law that our world is closed off from visitors. That said, being near there would certainly change many things for us, so our progress must be faster than this."
The others could only smile wryly at that. As if they weren't already doing their best to keep up with everything else, he just had to add this. It would take years, decades, or maybe even centuries before they can catch up with everything. Cedric surely has a lot of faith in them.
"...but yeah, that's about it," Cedric concluded once they returned to the real world. "In the grand scheme of things, humans are simply too miniscule to matter. However, with this knowledge upon you now, who can say that it will stay that way?"
"Anyways, that place calls for me, and I must respond." Cedric stated, "I will keep guarding our home while I still can, but eventually, I will step down from these responsibilities. I can't babysit us forever; I have my own goals to pursue as well, and I've done more than enough for our race. The rest is up to you."
"So while I'm still here, don't be shy. Be bold and make as many plans as you could to prepare for the future. Don't worry about anything else while I'm still around. Take your time, but don't take too long either."
After saying his piece, Cedric left it to them to digest everything that was revealed to them. He guessed that it would take some time for them to wrap their minds around these new revelations because that's what happened to him.
Truthfully, Cedric never planned on abandoning this world. This was his home, and he would always prefer this place more than everywhere else.
He only said those ominous words to forge their independence. He has given all of them a vague time limit of his protection before he eventually 'disappears', giving them enough pressure and forcing them to move forward faster.
Sure, Cedric did think of passing down his responsibilities to other people eventually to free himself so that he could pursue his personal matters. It's only natural for him to do so since he had worked too hard for their sake. But this doesn't mean that Cedric plans on turning his back on his world and his people.
He isn't thinking of changing his race, appearance, or nature, no matter how tempting it was. He was proud of who he was and never thought that humans were any less than other life forms out there. Every race has its own pros and cons, after all.
But at the same time, humans can't rely on him forever. While it might seem that he's forcing them into this situation, they're actually way better off being inducted into the alliance this way instead of facing another invasion.
At the very least, this way, Cedric was there for them and could offer them immense protection.
Cedric had faith in his people. They've been through a lot and are certainly resourceful. He's just giving them a push in the right direction.
Speaking of the right direction...
Cedric returned to the sky castle. He discovered that his wives just put their children to sleep so they had some free time.
"Well, this conversation was going to happen sooner or later anyway. It might as well happen now."