The notification came to Yosef as he was sleeping. No, rather than a notification it was an alarm. Once he was conscious, he was already aware of the source. He had felt it before, and neither individual was hiding their power. He still read a quick summary of the notification, not that he would forget their names.
An automated system had already asked for them to wait. The two were believed to be patient… but Yosef wasn’t going to risk a single extra second before contacting them. “Welcome back, Anton and Bear Hug.” His eyes flicked across information that he already knew. “We would have come to greet the two of you, had we been aware of your arrival date.”
“Alas,” Anton replied, his voice projected to devices on the edge of the system and then transmitted to Yosef with only a fractional delay, “We didn’t know precisely when we would return. Do not feel a rush to prepare a formal reception for us. We would not mind some time spent in relaxation.”
None of the people that should be interacting with them were in the system. It was a bit much to ask Janer to remain in the system for multiple years, just to respond to their return. They hadn’t actually been certain Anton would end up specifically here, regardless. There were a handful of systems he could have passed through on his return trip. Or he could have circumvented Aretis’ domain entirely.
“We can prepare-” Anton had apparently previously mentioned preferring modest accommodations, “-a comfortable stay for you.”
The automated systems recommended several possible locations. They were all next to lakes. Yosef wasn’t sure if any of them were appropriate for the two most powerful individuals their people had ever seen. Even if one of them was algae. He picked the second nicest of the listed accommodations. The first had a current occupant that Aretis would happily kick out for the pair. They just couldn’t do it fast enough to avoid Anton figuring it out.
The customer themself probably wouldn’t complain when given a full refund and free accommodations at the highest luxury resort the Aretis Coalition had to offer, but it was more important for their guest to believe he was going along with his stated preferences.
“I’ll direct you to some rooms you can use. I can serve as a local guide if you are interested.”
“Thank you. What is your name, young man?”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
Another voice that Yosef had so far only heard in recordings. A strange voice, artificial in a way that was nothing like Aretis’ tech. “We’re going to be friends!”
“I’m sure we will,” Yosef smiled, in case they could hear it. He didn’t really feel it though. He was just nervous. The chances of them appearing here were slightly higher than any specific system, but he wasn’t ready. He was just the person who was considered good enough to be assigned the duty.
Anton was far more intimidating in person, and less… terrifying. Yosef wasn’t even sure his brain made sense. Replicated energy measurements made Anton feel like a battleship at the ready. Feeling him fly towards the planet and instantaneously stop was like a planet destroying meteor approaching, only for it to suddenly disappear. Except it could suddenly reappear.
Nobody knew what sort of weapon Anton used. Everyone agreed he didn’t need a weapon, but they still augmented the power of cultivators. They did have some assessments that indicated the man used a bow, though he’d never pulled one out. That was based on the callouses the man bore on his hands. Some were probably from archaic farming tools that they had seen him handle on his previous visits. Analysis indicated that some of the more prominent ones indicated he used a bow.
But nobody was certain, because a cultivator of his prowess didn’t need to have callouses. They could have been fake, a distraction.
Yosef centered himself. Calm. He was picked for this. It was fine. The recordings all indicated a pleasant temperament. Except the moment when he’d tried to break out of the spatial cages.
They should have let him go. Yosef should have turned off the indicators streaming into his ocular implant. He did not want to know that the estimate of Anton’s power had been adjusted by a fraction of a percent since the last measurement. That didn’t seem like much, but the absolute delta in power was more than Yosef’s current strength.
Yosef hoped that their measurements had simply been off. He didn’t believe it though.
“Welcome,” Yosef said. He’d taken a cross-planetary teleport to meet them at their accommodations. There was no way a ship would have made it faster than Anton. In any other circumstance, Yosef couldn’t have authorized such a trip on the spur of the moment. He could do so much, but it didn’t make him feel safe. “I hope you find your accommodations suitable. If you would like, we can get Janer here at the earliest timeframe.”
“That’s not necessary. If he’s busy with something, you don’t have to interrupt him.”
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Oh no. Anton didn’t want to interact with Janer again. Was it because Yosef was stronger? He wasn’t a better diplomat, though. “He expressed the desire to meet you again upon your return.”
Yosef couldn’t read the algae creature… except as it intentionally allowed him. “I want to see him again! And Felicitas. And Marty! And the robot!”
Yosef should be noting those names. He mentally signalled his implants to keep track of them. Unless Anton objected, they would absolutely be accommodating Bear Hug’s request. “We can do that.”
“That’s great!” the artificial voice conveyed enthusiasm. And then- he was surrounded. What could Yosef do? His power was quenched and he was going to drown. No, there wouldn’t be time for that. He could be crushed to a paste as swiftly as one would snuff out a match. “I’m Bear Hug. Are you okay? You look nervous! You should meet new people more.”
The power around him pulled back. Yosef laughed as the tension released. What else was he to do? “Maybe I should.”
“Have you met all of them?” Bear Hug asked. “No wait, there’s a whole lot of people here. You probably can’t meet everyone.”
“I have met sir Janer,” Yosef commented. His implant told him that Bear Hug had previously appeared genuinely friendly. A useful reminder. Was that really possible? How could anyone so strong care about someone weak like him? He wasn’t an outpost commander or a ship captain. At best he could have told the defenses at the edge of the system to try to restrain them… and he wasn’t actually sure he was authorized for that. Yosef didn’t wield any real power.
“He’s nice. Wanna come swimming? Anton said there was a lake!”
“Certainly,” Yosef smiled. “We can swim together.” Rational thoughts didn’t always win, but Yosef was managing to come up with something. If they were going to kill anyone in revenge, he wasn’t important enough to start with. Was he powerful as far as raw cultivation went? Sure, but he wasn’t important. And that was only by the standards of Aretis. Things ended at Life Transformation. That was what they had always understood.
Obviously Ascension was a path that could be taken… but that was asking to be thrown into the lion's den. One combined with a brood of vipers and insanity. The upper realms were not safe.
Yosef’s implant indicated that Anton and Bear Hug were continuing to engage in occasional low level energy manipulation. It wasn’t comforting to know, because nobody really knew what it was for.
Swimming was fine, though. It was strange to see Bear Hug collapse onto the surface, but not unexpected. Previous video was available, and the information he’d been brief on included it. As far as anyone could tell, Bear Hug really was just algae. And clearly also a person, or piloted by one. It was difficult for Yosef to judge if it would be more terrifying for someone to be displaying such power from another system.
Even then, that person would probably be the weaker of the two. Deep analysis of Anton’s power had brought significant concern to Aretis. He was a potential threat to the entire Aretis Coalition all on his own. It was presumed that they would win such a conflict, but nobody should have had to calculate that. And winning was a generous word at the project losses.
Yosef swam after making sure that everyone was contacted and that they were shipping a very specific remotely operated robot from another system because Bear Hug wanted to see it for some reason. Not another of the same line and model, but the exact same one.
As he was taking a break on the shore, Anton approached Yosef. The old man hadn’t spent much time in the water, though his senses were roaming all about the place. A thin bubble of energy that covered everything.
“You don’t have to stay.” Was he being dismissed? He couldn’t fail at his duty. “I’m sure we’re being monitored just fine without you.” Anton sat, splashing his feet in the water. “You’re worse at hiding your emotions than Janer.”
It was true. Yosef couldn’t deny that. “I need to stay.”
“Alright. Have you thought about what you are connected to?” Anton asked. “Or what you want to be connected to?”
“... What?” Yosef was taken off guard.
“I assume you want to surpass Life Transformation. You’re still young enough to do it without worry. I can tell you that much without worry. Lay the groundwork for the future. What first comes to mind?”
Anton sighed. Yosef felt like he had failed an important test somehow.
“Your cultivation indeed involves fire, but are there specific properties you covet? Your essence would be a good start. Then search for something that exemplifies those properties. If nothing exists, perhaps create it. Within your heart is fine, but it can be something tangible. Or a place or idea.”
Yosef’s thoughts were racing. He thought Anton was done, but there was one more line.
“Keep it in mind for later. Don’t worry if it takes time.”
With that, Anton stood up and left him to his thoughts. Yosef had known that the Lower Realms Alliance stepped beyond Life Transformation- he’d just never considered that he might do the same. Or was he being set up for failure?
No. Why would Anton even bother? Seeing him in person, it was impossible for Yosef to doubt his sincerity. If he had ill intentions, he would bring down the whole of Aretis at once, not one decently talented cultivator with the bare minimum of connections or status.
What would his flames be like? Would they be as powerful as the hint of stars within Anton? They probably wouldn’t be as warm and friendly.
One or two at a time, people trickled in from other systems. Yosef watched as everyone who had previously interacted with the pair was far more relaxed than him. Including Marty, who was literally not important at all. With no offense to him, his cultivation talent was worse than Yosef and he had no connections. At least, not before Anton first gave him advice.
“Thank you, senior Anton,” Marty said upon arriving. “I would have likely ended up dead by now if it were not for you.”
Yosef watched as Anton nodded approvingly. “Is that one new? It appears you have gotten into crafting. It’s well done.”
“W-well,” Marty blushed slightly. “I just got a kit. I did make a few customizations, but I’m not a gunsmith. I don’t understand all of the necessary fields to make all of this.”
Felicitas felt stronger than should have been possible. She was already at the peak of Life Transformation, so Yosef wasn’t sure how that was possible. She certainly hadn’t advanced… but the idea that she could might have done something.
Janer didn’t appear to be hiding anything as he spoke. The social cultivator just seemed relaxed.
And the robot… was swimming around with Bear Hug, with Felicitas controlling it. A high performance capture robot… in a lake. At least it should be waterproof.
Yosef pondered what sort of fire he should have.