...….
"..."
Azmodeus listened in on the conversations that all the other passengers were having, as he was able to understand the gist of the place they found themselves in.
Starry Shrooms, eh…? I wonder what would happen if I 'borrowed' one or two of them?
Maybe I should 'borrow' more than that…
He was having some extremely precarious thoughts as he stared at all the condensed Starry Qi Shrooms with a hint of avarice in his piercing gaze.
"I wouldn't recommend it." Pan Nu interrupted his thoughts while taking bites out of a chocolate covered apple cinnamon strudel.
"...You always do that…" Azmodeus muttered with a twitching smile as he turned his head in the direction of the girl sitting atop his shoulders, occasionally dripping chocolate on his once clean robes.
"Well, when you're so easy to read, it becomes hard not to point out all the dumb things you think about doing," Pan Nu remarked while laying her cheeks against the top of his soft, crimson-colored hair, still chewing on chocolate.
Azmodeus let out a soft sigh at the shenanigans of that troublesome girl as he put stealing all the Starry Shrooms to the back of his mind, leaving it up to his future self in order to solve.
Err, I meant to think 'borrow', not steal… I'm not a criminal…
He tried to convince himself that he wasn't a convict in the making, even though he had Septillions of lives to his name, making him a certified psychopathic serial killer!
At least, that would be the case if he were on Earth, but in the Infinite World of Cultivation, life was worth less than dirt…
"Everybody may leave the Astral Leap Locomotive, but please remember to be cordial and respectful upon meeting the Ten Astral Principality Princes."
The voice of the Astral Leap Locomotive's driver seemed to resonate throughout countless stacking dimensions as all the participants for the Astral Leap made their way to a glowing sign that hung over a door—a sign that said:
'This is an Exit. If you're not an idiot, then leave the train before the tether effect of the Astral Train Station pulls the train through the Endless Void at a speed that your feeble bodies would be unable to withstand.'.
Of course, most of the text was in fine print, but that didn't change the fact that there was clearly an enormous amount of danger that came along with staying inside the train for too long.
And as much as Azmodeus wanted to figure out what benefits he could acquire from this tether pull, he wasn't an idiot, so he made his way to the exit and took his first step into the world where the Astral Leap would be held.
It was a wonderful feeling, marking the first true step on his journey outside of Prometheus, holding an unknown number of opportunities-
"Where'd you put that chocolate bar I lent to you?" Pan Nu questioned from atop his head, interrupting his thoughts.
"...I ate it…"
"Why…?"
"You gave it to me… to eat…"
"I was letting you hold onto it for me, not asking you to eat it."
"..."
"..."
The silence was deafening...
"Anyhow, let's go see what these Astral Principality Princes are all about." Azmodeus broke the silence with a dry voice as he continued walking over the clouded, glass-like world.
After a few minutes of taking relatively slow steps across the glass world, Azmodeus, along with the rest of the Astral Leap participants, had their old English-style clothes transformed back into what they were wearing prior to breaking the world barrier.
FWIP! FWIP!
Following this subtle reverting session, a few illusory figures sitting upon ostentatious purple and black thrones materialized in the air above the Astral Benevolence Castle.
"We are the Astral Principality Prince's, and we appeared in front of you for only one reason: not because we care about your lives, but because we need your compliance in order to use your essences after death."
The leading seated figure's voice boomed out, interrupting the walks of everyone below the ethereal castle that stretched on indefinitely.
BZZZT! BZZZT!
The castle violently buzzed as a few energy tendrils were unleashed from its confines, subsequently causing an immeasurable number of scrolls to shoot in the direction of all the overlapping dimensions, landing in the hands of all the participants.
"To ensure that your deaths will not be in vain, the signing of these contracts will allow everyone here to have purpose in their lives even after death, and all you need to do is… sign…"
A voice like that of an Archaic Devil slithered into the ears of all the people gathered within overlapping realities.
"..." "..." "..."
Many of them instantly signed the contract, as they were all figureheads of their respective worlds before breaking the world barriers—the strongest of the strong.
And it was because of their achievements that many of them overlooked the contract signing, summing it up as nothing more than cordiality.
However, for the few cautious or smart ones, they read over the glowing contracts in front of their faces, scrutinizing the fire-red words embedded in the paper.
The Principality Princes knew what these participants were doing, but in the end, it made no difference if they looked over the contents of the contracts or not, for in the end, everyone would eventually sign.
Never in their wildest imagination would they have imagined there to be a man who not only read the contents of the contract but also had an extremely unique system that was capable of warning the host of any potential harmful substances or devices.
And just as Azmodeus predicted, a few bright lights flashed in front of his face.
BLING!
*Ding!* *Warning! It is highly advised that the host not agree to the contents of this contract!*
'Then, what do you suggest I do in this predicament…?' Azmodeus asked from within his subconscious.
It wasn't like he could simply fight the Astral Principality Prince's to the death, as even if all his stored Evolution Essence was used up, the probability of surpassing those ancient monsters in strength was… nil…
But luckily for him, the system had a solution in mind.
...….