"Niflheim, huh."
Damien felt it was pretty cliche for the evil organization to be the one plotting nefariously, but he still listened to what the old men had to say.
"We haven't figured out what exactly Niflheim is planning, but we know that in the end, they will destroy the planet. They aren't only this planet's enemy, but also that of our Cloud Plane. They've been attempting invasion for many years."
Xiao Zhen continued. "As for our own goal, it is to siphon a part of the natural mana already in this world's atmosphere. Although there are no negative effects in the long term, the denizens here will progress slower for at least a decade before the mana levels return to normal."
Hearing this objective, Damien fell into thought. Truthfully, he didn't care about earth at all after he had saved his mother. He already had plans to move her to Apeiron, where the mana density was thicker and society was at peace, so she could live a better life.
After all, even in the 4 years he had been gone, earth had become a small battleground for the stronger worlds within the cosmos. The old man had mentioned the Cloud Plane, and Damien already knew of its existence.
It was one of the many worlds that were discovered through the gates that opened on earth. And the way the forces of both Niflheim and the Cloud Plane received earth's location was most likely through citizens of earth who were swayed by wealth or power.
It had already been mentioned that entry through gates back to the beginner world wasn't permitted to outsiders, so any other possibility could be immediately ruled out.
"And so? Why do you guys need the mana of earth?"
Yin Jian and Qin Huo looked toward Xiao Zhen. He was their representative and the one with the most power of the three, so decisions like revealing more about their world to Damien rested on his shoulders.
Xiao Zhen took a moment to consider the pros and cons of such an information exchange. On one side, he could gain a valuable ally in this talented youth and also continue unobstructed in their plans with earth, while on the other, there was the risk of this youth going over to the enemy side and spilling their secrets.
He never once considered the consequences of having Damien himself as an enemy. Even if Damien was powerful by their standards, against their entire world he was nothing.
Hell, even against those major powers on the Central Continent he was but another young genius who had the potential to rise in power.
Thinking this far, Xiao Zhen decided to answer Damien's question. "The peak powers of our world have discovered new methods of gaining levels called cultivation.
"Cultivation is a simple process, as it involves absorbing and circulating ambient mana in specific patterns to increase mana capacity and even level.
"It was a shocking discovery, but it made sense in the end. Experience points that contribute to leveling up are gained when one enhances or adds to their 'legend'.
"This concept is one that the system constantly reminds us about when we make large achievements, but it's never fully explained. We still don't know exactly what a legend is, but even years of hard work spent cultivating will earn you experience to level up.
"While the process may be tens, or even thousands at the higher levels, of times slower than more conventional methods of leveling, it is still extremely beneficial.
"The only problem is that with the advent of cultivation, the mana levels of the world weren't able to keep up. This wouldn't have been a problem if it was discovered in the present time, but it's been a common practice in our world for tens of thousands of years.
"And in the recent times, we've encountered a major threat to civilization."
Getting this far, Xiao Zhen's face became solemn. "We haven't discovered exactly what they are, but there is a force behind Niflheim that is plotting their movements. We've discovered that this force is much greater than we can fathom.
"In preparation for war that might come when this force makes a move, the peak powers of our Cloud Plane have decided on the strategy of stealing mana from lower worlds to supplement our own.
"This way people will be able to gain strength faster without having to worry about depleting the mana density of the world."
Damien listened to all this with rapt attention. These weren't conflicts on the country scale or even the continental scale, these were wars between worlds. Just thinking about such a grand battle made his blood boil.
And he knew what the most likely backer for the forces of Niflheim was. It had to be the Nox. Ever since their invasion of Apeiron, they'd apparently kept quiet, but it was obvious they were gathering forces to strike once more.
And from what he was hearing, they weren't planning to strike Apeiron, but countless other worlds instead.
'Just what is their purpose? Is it just for domination, or is there something bigger?"
Damien couldn't help but feel that there was some kind of grand scheme behind the scenes, but he shook off that thought. He didn't have the strength nor the ability to unravel such things.
Rather, his thoughts were on something else. 'The Cloud Plane seems to be much stronger than Apeiron, and if they're going to war with Niflheim…'
It'd definitely be something he wanted to get involved in. Maybe he couldn't stop the war or act as a one-man army, but he could definitely deal some heavy blows if he planned his moves right.
Still, that came later. First, he had to deal with the troubles taking place on earth. While he didn't care much about it, he knew his mother held attachments to this world. Even if it was just for her sake, he couldn't allow it to get destroyed.
But putting it through a decade's worth of setbacks was nothing major. They would still be able to build themselves back up, and Damien assumed that with such a low quantity of mana, other larger worlds wouldn't hold much interest in earth.
"Very well. I don't mind if you guys continue with your plan concerning the mana gathering, but I expect full cooperation when it comes to Niflheim. We can discuss other matters after that is taken care of."
The three old men nodded. Although Damien was still just a boy, there was something about his aura and demeanor that made them feel subservient. Even Xiao Zhen felt this. It wasn't a matter of strength nor wits, as together they surpassed Damien in both of these fields.
Simply, they felt the natural aura of a leader. Not the kind that would sit in the shadows or lead an empire, but of a spiritual pillar who could effortlessly unite people under his banner.
'The future of this boy will surely be bright." Yin Jian thought to himself. He might have just been a spectator for most of this conversation, but he still had his own opinions on the proceedings.
Damien and the three old men talked for a few more hours about various matters before he finally took his leave. He once again decided to walk home, as he had many things to think about.
'Those old men said that the so-called villains are being transformed and granted power beyond their own level. And those that receive this power mutate into alien-like beings. It sounds awfully similar to the story of the Nox on the temple walls.'
Back then, the Nox had converted people into puppets for their own use, and when the invasion happened, those followers went around murdering innocent civilians like madmen.
The soul fragment of Kurt Galloway had mentioned that these people had abnormal strength, yet they didn't mutate into strange creatures.
'Well, the methods of a lackey obviously won't be as refined as those of its master.'
Damiens's first priority was to move his mother and Elena off of earth. If there was even the slightest chance that earth would become a dangerous place, he wouldn't allow them to stay here.
'There's also the matter of the Cloud Plane.'
Truthfully, Damien wanted to go to the Cloud Plane alone. He even wanted to leave Rose behind.
It wasn't that their strength couldn't contribute to his goals or that he didn't want their company, rather, he felt that it would be more convenient if there were fewer outsiders suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
His initial thought process wasn't like this, though. He had wanted to bring Rose along for this adventure as he had plenty of fun when they explored the secret realm together, but he had a hard time convincing those old fogeys about it.
It took an hour to even convince them to allow him to accompany them, so when he asked to bring others he was vehemently rejected.
'Well, I can deal with that problem when the time comes. For now, let's deal with the matters on earth.'
He kept getting sidetracked thinking about the future, but he couldn't help himself. Although dealing with schemes on earth was necessary, it didn't spark his spirit of adventure like traveling to other worlds and participating in planetary battles did.
Earth was simply a chore, while those other matters were going to be done out of his own volition
'Well, let's deal with Niflheim now.'
