100 more people just joined the Mystic Guild, making it a total of 300 people.
The recruitment occurred a few days ago and the newbies are now going out there clearing missions like their life depended on it.
As usual, Ashton welcomed the new arrivals and watched over them. With the new wave of members entering and being introduced to new facilities that they've never seen before, the activity within the guild obviously cranked up.
Still, this was the least of Ashton's concerns right now.
It hasn't been long since he completed his atavism, becoming a half-fey. He's still adjusting to the new things within him, though he's not in a hurry, he wanted to enjoy them.
The sensation of being close to nature was inexplicable. He felt like life would bloom at every step that he took.
He didn't want to be eye-catching. He wanted to remain being the big wig in the shadows. Thankfully, that's just an expression. Grass didn't actually bloom wherever he goes and alright with that.
The changes in his Providence though, are what really shocked him.
He didn't expect that something like that would happen. At this point, he had changed his Providence for the 2nd time.
Back then, his Providence was average at best. Then he got a ticket from the System which allowed him to essentially re-roll his Providence. It was also because of that, that his Mageroot and Magical Artifact changed as well.
And now, his Providence changed again. Though it's still called the same name, what it does completely changed.
This is a little ridiculous since he specifically remembers learning that the innate aptitude of a person was impossible to change. Yet here he was.
Anyhow, this is all the System's doing so he can't complain at all. If anything, his reworked Providence worked with his style.
So long as he kept doing what he was doing now, he'd become more and more powerful. This is what really gives him the confidence to continue his work. Even the System itself seems to be encouraging him.
Chirp!
"Oh, hello there..." Ashton smiled and greeted the little friend that landed on his shoulders.
It was a small bird. Its feathers were a mixture of green and yellow. Its beady eyes looked around in curiosity and chirped happily.
This bird is the first Fey-beast he converted using the Fey Atavism Platform.
Do not be mistaken by the bird's seemingly innocent look, for it can instantly shift into, what Ashton would describe as a Velociraptor in an instant. He had seen it happen and it was glorious.
It's only looking like this because it judged that the environment was safe, that's all. The moment it senses even the vaguest hint of danger, it will shift to its true form without any hesitation.
The development of this Fey Beast stunned Ashton though. He certainly wasn't expecting something from his old world to show up in this world. It's like a dreaded crossover now that he thinks about it.
He initially thought that maybe his thoughts influenced the evolution process.
Ashton experimented with a tiny swallow, one that was weak and on the verge of dying. During the conversion process, he thought to himself that it would be nice if this ritual can make this little swallow become something big and strong, just so that it will know what it was like...
Lo and behold, it turned into a freaking dinosaur that shapeshift. How incredible right?
Yet now, he isn't really sure if his thoughts actually affected the evolution process or if it's just the way it is.
Because right now, he's watching as Boar turns into a Triceratops and an injured dog turning into a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
All of which, can shapeshift as this bird could...
'They did say that animals of modern times were descendants of Dinosaurs but that was on Earth, not here. So why is this happening?' He mused to himself.
'And it's not like they're like ordinary Dinosaurs either too...'
'This little fella can fly at Mach 5 speed and has Sound Based abilities. The Triceratops had detachable scales all over its body that it can use to either attack or defend.'
'And this T-rex is just an absolute unit. It's pretty average compared to the two so fact but its stamina, endurance, and persistence are off the charts. Plus, those jaws are nothing to scoff at either.'
'Were the Dinosaurs of Earth able to do this? Well...I probably would never know, but the Dinosaurs of this world certainly can.'
'Hell, maybe they can even stand toe to toe against the invaders!'
Truth be told, Ashton had other plans...
The Fey Beasts were supposed to replace Domesticated Demons to, hopefully, become Humanity's new source of food and nutrition.
Well...they can be edible. It's not like they are corrupted or something.
The problem with the DBD Project was mainly corruption. It's hard to maintain the integrity of a Demon's Flesh while getting rid of its corruption completely. That's what's costing them so far.
Fey Beasts, or in this case Dinosaurs, don't have that problem. It's just that, it's already obvious that their sinews would be extremely tough due to how they were built. While there are ways to work around that issue...this isn't really what he had in mind.
'No rush, I guess. We'll eventually figure it out.' He thought to himself.
For now, Ashton gave these guys a temporary home. He doesn't really have anything planned for them right now so they can just chill.
[Sir, Oracle Felica, and Mary wish to speak with you.]
He heard Jerry's voice through the System's interface, notifying him.
'I'll be right there.' He replied.
"Alright you three, stay here and behave. I have somewhere to be."
The dinosaurs replied to him in their ways and went to their territories. Thankfully, this place was large enough to accommodate them without risking any aggression, allowing him to leave peacefully.
He took a step forward, and space warped around him, allowing him to shorten the amount of time needed for him to arrive at his destination.
It took him mere seconds to arrive at his office, the one at the Federation's Headquarters. There, he saw Felicia and Mary waiting for him.
He took a second to register their expressions and boldly guessed that what they were about to say wouldn't be good.
"Alright, spill. What happened?"
"Which first? Good or bad?" Mary asked in return.
"Huh, didn't know that you came bearing good news with the look on your faces." He pointed out, "Alright then, humor me with the good news first."
"We pretty much understand how the Stargazing Pagoda works now." She replied.
"Okay, tell me more." Ashton was intrigued.
"The Stargazing Pagoda is indeed a tool for Astrology It shows us the movement of the stars and allows us to study it, mimic it, etc. The movement of the Stars can be deciphered to learn about certain aspects of this world and predict the future. Meanwhile, mimicking it allows us to basically develop the lost Branch of Magic which is Astromancy."
"I already know that..." Ashton stated, "What's new?"
"Among the things that we can observe through Stargazing, it includes the Providence of this World." Felicia stated.
"..."
"Through you, we've learned that the Providence of this world was being preyed upon by the Invaders. It wasn't until both of us saw it, through Stargazing, with our own eyes that we started understanding the weight behind your words."
"...you saw it?"
"Indeed." Felicia said, "It felt...extremely vexing. Their reckless plundering of our Providence was slowly killing our world. But there's a silver lining in this."
"The Providence of those who are staying within the Last Bastion isn't affected. For now at least..." Mary continued: "The rest of the world is still dying but at the very least, we're not losing much Providence as before. In fact, we saw that there was a positive trend rising sharply since a few days ago."
"Cool..." Ashton said, "The rise of Providence means that Humanity is prospering. That is a good thing. Now, what's the bad news."
"It wasn't just us who noticed this." Mary replied somberly.
And oh how Ashton hated how that instantly clicked in his mind. He didn't even need them to elaborate on who the other party was since he immediately realized who it is. But he did ask them this...
"Are you certain?"
"Very certain." Felicia replied.
"...we have some measures preventing that from happening, right? Are they working properly?"
"Those measures are only limited to this world," Mary replied this time. "It's only blocking those who were already here. As for the those that don't...meaning the real force that is being blocked by the Twisted Heavenly Tree, they notice it for sure."
This dampened Ashton's mood instantly. He sighed and went silent for a bit.
"It seems that even with our meticulous preparations, we still underestimated their ways." He said, "Any other discoveries?"
"Yes." Felicia nodded, "Since they have discovered that their subtlety isn't working the way it was. They are now attempting to force their way in."
"..."
"We learned that they mobilized to make further attempts on landing. We're afraid that within the next couple of days, the Twisted Heavenly Tree's barrier will be under heavy assault."
