Chapter 196: The Exploding Sun’s Offer
Garden Ring was the smallest ring of Trial Planet, but it remained hundreds of square miles in size. As a result, the Trial Garden was some ways off the entrance.
The three Lords, their followers, Jack, and the most ambitious of other cultivators broke into a jog. Of course, at their speed, a jog was about as fast as a pre-System humans sprint. Everyone else remained behind to look for their fortune in other gardens. Brock gave his big bro a thumbs-up from afar, which Jack returned. Salin waved. So did Nauja.
Jack didnt let himself get swallowed by sentimentality. There was plenty of time before they reached Trial Garden, so he adjusted his jogging to arrive beside Lady Priya and her team.
Hey, he said.
Hello, brother! Chotuthe jovial fat man who could turn into a golden giantsmiled widely. Kareena, the silver-haired healer, nodded in his direction.
Hello, brother Jack, Priya said. Enjoying the jog?
Jack laughed. At this point, Ive had enough working out for my entire life. Thank the System this is easy.
True. I guess running without being hunted is a rare thing nowadays.
They shared a smile. I wanted to talk to you about my master, Jack cut to the chase.
Brother Shol.
Right. Is he okay? Last time I saw him, his spiritual projection was torn apart by the Dao of a C-Grade. I hope that didnt hurt him.
Oh, of course not. Dont worry. That kind of spiritual projection is minimally tied to its creator. At most, it gave him a light headache.
I see. Thats a relief.
He did speak a lot about you, she added, narrowing her eyes. Said you were a prodigy. A talented man put through the right circumstances. A future prospect of our faction.
Master Shol said that?
As far as Jack could remember, Master Shol had been very light on compliments. He just kept pushing Jack as far as possible.
He did. Im guessing he wasnt as expressive around you, but thats just because he takes being a master very seriously. Hes usually a pretty easygoing man.
Are you sure were talking about the same person?
She laughed. People change depending on the one across from them, Jack. Dont be surprised.
Ill try.
A minute of silence followed. Finally, Priya said, Have you considered his offer? About joining our faction.
Jack almost broke his stride. Youre direct, arent you?
Of course! Thats the way of the Exploding Sun.
Mine, too, Jack agreed, saving time to think about it. Had he considered Master Shols offer?
Actually, did he even have an offer?
Back in the Integration Tournament, Master Shol had talked with his own master, an Elder of the Exploding Sun. Shehis masterhad promised to take in Jack and help protect Earth from the Animal Kingdom, but only if he won the Tournament.
Which he didbut then, the Hand of God pressured the Exploding Sun to back off. Shol defied his masters orders to protect Jack, which ultimately ended with his spiritual projection getting destroyed by the Planetary Overseer.
I didnt think I had an offer, actually, Jack finally replied. Last I heard, it was canceled.
Really? I dont know the details, but Shol was pretty adamant about it when he spoke to me, and his spiritual projection was already destroyed by then. In fact, he insisted that I should try to recruit you at any cost if we met in Trial Planet.
He said that!?
Sure did.
Still Sorry to insist, but I have to ask. It was my understanding that your faction had received pressure fromhe lowered his voice to a whisperthe Hand of God to let me go.
She considered it for a moment. Her dark hair flapped over her shoulders as she ran. As I said, I dont know the details. Im guessing that the circumstances changed at some point. After all, youre in Garden Ring with the power of a peak E-Grade and still many levels ahead of you. Any faction would go to great lengths to recruit you now. Whatever the Hand of God offered us before, it is probably too little in comparison to your current potential.
I see. So Master Shol meant that, if you find me here, Ill be good enough to recruit.
Probably. I can always contact the faction to ask. I just have to go through one of the communication Elders to do that, and, ah That wont be fast.
You can contact your faction from here?
Of course. Everyone can. Doesnt your faction have telepathy? Seeing Jacks empty look, she continued, Probably not. In any case, faction telepathy allows you to communicate with others from the same faction. It works on a limited amount of individuals, of course, but I was given a spot as our representative in this Garden Assault.
I see
He had almost forgotten about that. In the faction shop, telepathy cost a hundred million credits. He had to buy it and talk with the professor. Find out what was happening on Earth. Give them a hand.
Was he or was he not the faction head, goddammit?
So, Priya continued, knowing you have a standing offer, what do you think?
Jack, being the cautious person he was, considered it for an entire three seconds. If my previous deal with Master Shol still applies, where the Exploding Sun protects my planet, then sure.
Great. Priya agreed. And, just like that, Jack had promised to join a faction. Ill have to ask to be sure of that, of course, she added. Im guessing the Elders will want to see your performance in this ring before committing to protecting an entire planet. That would beexpensive. She grimaced. If you want my advice, just keep excelling, and everything will be fine.
Thats what I plan to do.
Jack didnt know how to feel. Relieved? Hopeful? Overwhelmed? Or doubtful?
This was not the first time the Exploding Sun promised him protection. Last time, they took it back. Who was to say they would deliver this time? If the Animal Kingdom and Hand of God just offered them more things in return, maybe the Exploding Sun would turn a blind eye to Jacks plightagain.
At the end of the day, all he could depend on was himself. If the Exploding Sun helped him, it would be because he brought them enough benefits to make it worth their while.
For now, he should stick to his guns. Grow stronger as fast as possible, still aiming to defeat the Planetary Overseer before the end of Earths grace period. That way of thinking had benefited him thus far, and it would help him in all possible ways going forward.
All the Exploding Suns offer achieved was to make him less desperate about it. It was a welcome breath of fresh air.
And yet, Jack realized there was something missing. Yes, his first priority was saving Earth and his people, and the Exploding Suns offer was a positive thing in regards to that. So, why did he feel disappointed, deep inside his soul? Why did the thought of laying back, of saving the Earth without personally defeating the Planetary Overseer, leave him unfulfilled?
With shame, he realized he enjoyed what was happening so far. The mad rush for power. The despair. The danger. The exhilaration.
Am I addicted to chasing power? he wondered, gazing deep inside himself. And, if yesis that bad?
He didnt know, but when was power a bad thing? His mind was set the right way. He wasnt greedy, arrogant, or exploitative of others. He didnt neglect his responsibilities. He just wanted to become stronger. Was that a greedy thing to ask?
His thoughts returned to their previous conclusion. He would keep the Exploding Suns offer in mind while still trying to become as strong as possible. If things worked out, great. If nothe would return to Plan A and defeat the Planetary Overseeror die trying.
Oh, and by the way, Priya said, snapping him out of his thoughts, I dont have the rank to invite you to the sect, obviously. That will have to wait until we exit Trial Planet. There is a deacon with usshe can invite you.
Oh! Then, is Trial Planet surrounded by immortals?
Right now, yes.
Not just any immortals! Chuto added from the side. The Hand of God is going crazy for something. Can you imagine they summoned an entire fleet of starships?
A fleet of starships? Jack asked, trying to conceal his worry. He knew what the Hand of God was going crazy for. The Ancient ruins. The Life Drop. And, by extension, him.
Oh, yes. And not just any old fleet, either. They have ships filled with immortals. Theyve ordered all their cultivators inside Trial Planet, except for Lady Minervas team, to scour the rings for something. Otherwise, the Hand of God would outnumber all of us on this ring. I hear theyre even using deep-scanning equipment to search anyone exiting the planet!
Chuto, Priya chided him, frowning, but he only snorted.
What? Everybody knows that. And besides, brother Jack will belong to our faction soon. Whats the harm in sharing a little gossip?
Theres always harm in sharing gossip, she retorted, motioning with her head towards the Hand of God group. Everyone was in close vicinity, so Chutos words were definitely overheard.
Hey, you are the one who said we should make friends. What better way than harmless chatting?
You dont have to be a clown to make friends
Priya and Chuto must have been good friends, because they embarked into a small argument that lasted for a while. Jack, however, wasnt paying attention. His face was calm, but his mind was racing.
Deep-scanning equipment They search anyone who exits Trial Planet His heart was beating fast. Can they find the Life Drop?
The voice had mentioned that nobody could sense the Life Drop without special equipment. Well, someone had special equipment. That sucked. Unless the Hand of God decided they had found everything there was to find, or unless they abandoned the search, Jack was a sitting duck.
When exiting Trial Planet, everyone teleported to one of many set points in the surface, where Hand of God starships were usually waiting to transfer them to the teleporters leading farther inside the galaxy. In other words, there was no way for Jack to escape unseen.
Can I walk all the way to the surface? he wondered. He had entered from a massive staircase in the surface, and there wasnt anyone waiting there. Not all entrances were exits. What other choice do I have?
If this deep-scanning could find his Life Drop, teleporting out would be a problem. If it couldnt, and he was caught sneaking through Trial Planet, they would suspect him, which would also be a problem.
What to do
It was a worrying dilemma. Thankfully, it was also a future dilemma. For now, Jacks goal was simple: enter Trial Garden with the Lords and secure as many advantages as possible for himself.
Jack, Priya spoke again. He turned his head, pretending he was focused all along. Factions aside, every Lord has a quota of two followers, and I have fulfilled it already. If you want to join Trial Garden, you will still have to do it as a treasure hunter.
Right. Of course, I understand. And what exactly does that entail?
Following us around. You help where you can, and you also take some risks that we and our followers want to avoid. Basically, if something is dangerous, you do it.
Jack raised a brow. Like a meat shield?
Exactly.
That doesnt sound like treasure hunting.
You get great treasures in return. Wethe Lordsare only interested in the Top Treasure, and our followers will be rewarded by our factions. Treasure hunters get every other treasure found insideand there are a lot of them.
So, we risk ourselves for treasure.
Sounds more like treasure hunting now, doesnt it?
Jack fought to keep the smile from rising on his lips. Got it. So, our relationship does not extend inside Trial Garden.
Sadly, yes. If everyone played favorites amongst the treasure hunters, it would be chaos
Fine by me. I dont plan to die.
It wasnt just fine. It was perfect. Jack had long set his sights at that Top Treasure. If Priya wasnt going to be his ally, he didnt need to feel bad about taking it from under her noseif he managed.
Jack grimaced. The truth was, he remained underleveled. He lacked the strength to battle the Lords, and it was highly unlikely that he would level up twenty-fives times inside Trial Garden.
Given those, emerging victorious and getting the Top Treasure was a tall task Maybe even an impossible one. He also had to survive after taking the Top Treasure, because the Lords wouldnt be happy. Still, he could a take a look at things. If his chances looked too dim, he wouldnt just throw his life away. Suicide by Lord was how he wanted to go.
However, who knew how things worked in Trial Garden? Maybe the Top Treasure could be claimed through more than battle strength. Maybe there would be a sort of contest between them all. That made sense, because Jack could hardly see the factions sending out their top disciples to duke it out until only one remained alive.
That all goes to say, Jack would be ready. If an opportunity presented itself, he would make sure to be in the perfect situation to utilize it. If there was a chance, he would seize it.
Moreover, this wouldnt be a simple battle of strength, because he couldnt stand against the Lords yet. He would have to use his brainand all the research hed poured into his almost-PhD might finally come in handy!
He couldnt be half-hearted about this. While they journeyed in Trial Garden, he would try to identify everyones strengths and weaknesses, their patterns, along with anything they could exploit.
One might say that this approach didnt fit the Dao of the Fist. But they would be mistaken. The Dao of the Fist had nothing against trying ones best to prevail in a tough situation. Besides, going into battle unprepared was hardly commendable.
No; Jack couldnt just punch his way out of this one. For the first time since the Integration happened He would need an actual plan.
The prospect made him giddy.
Look, brother! Chuto called out, pointing in the distance. We have arrived. Thats it: Trial Garden.
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