CHAPTER 181: LET’S TRY

Leander let out a sigh, then spoke calmly: "Each empire on Earth will send five people. Obviously, everyone will send the most talented ones they can. But unfortunately, this caught everyone by surprise. No one could’ve guessed, since the first time it happened was a hundred years after the original mission, and the second came fifty years after that."

"You probably know the Earth’s Rookie Presentation Tournament was about to happen, right? It was already announced and will happen in six months. The rule for that tournament is a max age of thirty and a max of three rings. Since it’s a big deal for the empires’ morale, all the most talented people have been preparing for ages and already reached three rings. That’s why... right now, our empire and the others don’t have their top two-ring talents available to send."

Darian nodded, understanding. Yeah... he’d definitely gotten lucky again. No doubt the empire had five better candidates than him. Even the twins ended up in this, and they were just newbies.

Of course, even as newbies, they had an ancestral awakening—something super rare—and people like that were usually hidden by the empires. As for Darian, he’d only recently become a standout after doing so much crazy stuff.

Rhea spoke excitedly: "Since you three are family and from the same clan, and the empire didn’t have many other options to fill the team, they decided you could pick the two missing members yourself. That way you could build a more cohesive team with people you trust. Way better than throwing in two random egomaniacs."

Darian nodded, excited. Honestly, he didn’t even need to think. The clan only had three others he could choose from anyway, and Leander wasn’t part of that phase anymore.

"I’ll take Veyle and Matteo," Darian said. "The twins are from the Mystic class, they can fill any role. I need a tank with Matteo. And Veyle’s blessing might come in handy in the middle of the chaos. Harper’s gonna be a bit..."

"No, she won’t complain," Leander cut in quickly. "She doesn’t wanna keep fighting and training like before. Her focus now is on working as a recruiter. Harper wants to fully take over my mom’s position and help that way."

Darian let out a relieved breath. Harper used to seem a little competitive and liked to fight, but looks like her focus had completely shifted. Now she just wanted to help people, just like Rhea had helped her back then.

Rhea added: "You guys don’t have much free time. You’ll be leaving in fifteen days. That’s why my son came. He’ll take the twins to the Array. This special mission will be their first real training mission."

At that moment, the twins seemed to finally stabilize.

The conversation lasted almost two hours, since Rhea explained everything about when she took part in the mission.

Leander focused on them, sensing: "Almost two rings... pretty similar to you too."

Darian nodded. In the other universe, since everyone was in spirit form, any Spiritual Guardian could easily sense each other’s rings. But once back in their original body, a person could freeze all their energy inside the ring. That made it impossible for anyone to tell how many rings they had.

Of course, the slightest use of power would reveal it, so Darian just kept it frozen and no one would find out he had two rings immediately after returning. After the fifteen days, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

Lucy and Lucius opened their eyes. Leander waved, and two cards were handed to them. Each had a billion credits for them to use however they wanted. Darian got his credits automatically added to his card. Checking it, he saw an extra 1.5 billion. The three of them were now richer than most clan leaders in the empire.

"Go with Leander and give it your best. This is super important for your futures," Darian said, without going into much detail.

They clenched their fists. No one revealed anything else—partly because it was an empire rule, and partly because, in the end, it wouldn’t change much. Darian only found out later that all the enemies inside the Array changed for every person. Only the numbers stayed the same. So, the twins would have to adapt to whatever enemy type they got and win on their own.

Without wasting time, the two left with Leander.

Darian walked out of the building alone. Outside, there were lots of small jets lined up on a short runway, all available for rental. He got in one and selected his destination in the AI pilot.

’Whoa! Is this an inscription? Why’s there this iron cage around it?’

Niara’s voice popped up mentally, full of excited questions. She had woken up with him but had stayed quietly listening to everything until now.

Darian explained that this universe couldn’t have inscriptions because there was practically no natural power here. Everything was either technology or brought in from another universe.

Niara listened and started observing the abandoned cities they flew over. She asked everything she wanted, nonstop. The trip passed quickly with the two of them chatting.

When they landed near the capital, Niara was blown away by everything she saw. In other places, with all the natural power flowing, natives didn’t waste much time on science or making stuff like this. That’s why Earth and similar universes were really unique.

Darian arrived at the clan... then froze at the entrance, shocked.

Everything looked insanely bright, massive, and imposing.

In the center, there were a dozen tall buildings that seemed to glow on their own. And it wasn’t just an illusion—they were built with materials from other universes and had their own power. Around them, dozens of other buildings of all sizes were scattered.

Each had a purpose and type of training, all built with top-tier artifacts and materials. And the best part: the clan was still only 70% complete. Darian had more and more resources now to make it even better.

Darian moved slowly toward the main building. Sadly... he didn’t have time to spare, even though he really wanted to check out and test every single facility there.

As he passed through the glowing door, he saw Veyle, Harper, and Matteo waiting for him.

Leander had said he sent a message to the two who would be going on the mission, so they were probably already getting ready, but still chose to wait for Darian.

Darian sighed, understanding. Then he told them he had found Lanalia and explained everything that happened. The three of them had been at the Academy, but were taken away just days later for the assault and... they hadn’t had the courage to go see her either.

"Don’t worry, she’s a strong woman. Next time we come back, you’ll have a nice surprise," Darian said, keeping quiet about the Academy he had just claimed for himself. "Anyway... I also asked for her permission. I’m going to use the body in the egg. For now, let’s focus on getting ready for the mission."

He said that to the two of them, then turned to Veyle and handed her a spatial ring.

"I found a few things about alchemy. And also some interesting materials. If you want anything, don’t be shy to ask Leander. He’ll buy it for you right away. Money’s not a problem."

She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her excitement. "T-thank you. I’ll do my best."

Darian nodded. After saying his goodbyes, he moved alone toward the clan’s treasury.

When he reached an underground door, a scanner checked him thoroughly, then Darian showed his card. It worked like an ID for all Spiritual Guardians. Leander, of course, had already listed Darian as fully authorized to use and do whatever he wanted. He was the leader, after all.

Once inside, everything was empty.

Darian had only left money and points for Leander to use—everything else he took with him. It was a huge treasure room, and at the far end, he saw a single incubator.

Leander had told him earlier: the body inside the egg was 100% complete. If it had a soul, it would’ve been born by itself. But that was never going to happen.

Niara watched everything in silence, but Darian could feel her excitement.

He picked up the incubator and opened it. This egg, along with several others, had gone through all kinds of modifications and experiments so any random soul could use it. Freon wanted people from his clan, after dying, to start over without needing to reincarnate. But those modifications always failed in the end.

"My theory is that the soul has to be compatible with the body. And also... there needs to be some kind of power to replace the world’s laws and link the soul to the body," Darian murmured to Niara.

"I don’t think anyone could be more compatible with this body than you. Even the type of mutation, with that extreme atavism, is similar to yours. As for the power to link... I think I’ve got that."

She nodded, and the white power appeared in her hand. According to her master, that power could heal and purify anything. Even if a soul was badly damaged, as long as it wasn’t completely dead, it could restore it.

Something inside that body was permanently broken, making it impossible for a soul to link naturally through the world’s laws. Could he heal that?

"Go on... let’s try," Darian said, and Niara’s soul slowly separated from his.

She drifted out, eyes locked on the egg. Taking a long breath, she moved inside the egg, then into the small body within it.

Darian moved the white power, covering the egg completely...

...

...

...

*Crack!*

After a few silent minutes, the shell broke.

But... at the same time...

Darian’s eyes went wide.

A deathly Yin surged out from inside.