Chapter 4086: Losses and Gains! II

She reached up to touch his face with fingers that carried the temperature of absolute zero and infinite heat simultaneously…Order containing all states at once.

“If it was just me alone, yes, I would be terrified. But with you in the picture, with these connections between us, I feel like everything can remain orderly and straight. That this power can truly be used to establish order once more across the Folds, rather than becoming another tool for those who already have too much.”

HUUM!

Noah looked into the eyes of this woman he had begun being around not too long ago…time was relative when you could manipulate it, but he was becoming fond of her more and more as moments accumulated into meaning.

Her trust was a weight he chose to carry, her faith in him a responsibility he wouldn’t shirk.

He nodded at her answer, acceptance and determination mingling in the gesture.

Then he sighed… from recognition that reality insisted on interrupting intimate moments with practical concerns.

“Okay. But for now, it seems like we have to wrap up our venture into the Primordial Early Excavation Depths.” He shifted slightly, his expression growing more serious. “The Ninth Level is proving to be a bit… difficult.”

The ninth level!

After the first level’s revelations, Noah, Moiraine, Sigrid, Ruination, and the Infiniverse had continued their descent through the Primordial Early Excavation Depths for hours that felt like days.

Each level had presented new challenges, new treasures, and new understanding of what the Earliest Folds had left behind.

The results of their delving were profound, each discovery amplified by Noah’s three Glyphs of the Principle of Perpetual Harvest!

|Ore of Early Resonance Obtained: 47 units|

|Enhanced by Perpetual Harvest: 470 units total|

|Uses: Shore construct enhancement (Abode, Aquarium, Totems)|

|Refinement possible: 1 ingot = 100M CQ/PQ when consumed|

|Note: Enough to upgrade entire Shore infrastructure|

|Crystallized Temporal Fragments Obtained: 234 units|

|Enhanced by Perpetual Harvest: 2,340 units total|

|Primary use: Instant century-growth for plants|

|Secondary use: Permanent soil enhancement when powdered|

|Note: Sufficient to accelerate Shore’s agricultural evolution|

|Essence Gems Obtained: 13 units|

|Enhanced by Perpetual Harvest: 130 units total|

|Direct consumption: +1 Billion CQ/PQ per gem|

|Alternative: Dissolve in Sacred Waters to summon Eminent/Kleos Marine Lifeforms|

|Note: Strategic reserve for rapid advancement or Shore population|

|Paradox Minerals Obtained: 156 units|

|Enhanced by Perpetual Harvest: 1,560 units total|

|Primary use: Forge tools functioning beyond normal limitations|

|Special property: Items work within Doorways to the Loom|

|Note: Sufficient for complete paradoxical armament set|

The loot obtained had been abundant!

The Essence Gems and Ores of Early Resonance particularly so as they represented billions in Complexity and Purity

But perhaps the most peculiar discovery had been an Early Creature Artifact on the fifth level.

|The Slipper of Existential Humiliation|

|Classification: Worn Early Creature Artifact (Left Foot Only)|

|Alignment: Living Quantum Authority (Somehow)|

|Condition: “Well-loved” (Translation: Beaten to hell)|

|Primary Ability: Conceptual Diminishment|

– When used to strike beings or authorities: Target becomes “small and meaningless”

– Effect scales with wielder’s contempt for target

– Note: Particularly effective against those with inflated self-importance

|Secondary Ability: Quantum Embarrassment|

– Target exists in superposition of dignity and humiliation

– Observers collapse wave function toward whichever is more brutal

– Warning: May cause existential crisis in beings

|Additional Note: Right slipper presumably still being worn somewhere|

…!

Noah contemplated this absurd arsenal while stroking Sigrid’s hair, his consciousness split between the intimate moment in the Abode with many others and his main body standing in the Ninth Level.

The contrast between peace and danger, between victory and challenge, defined his existence now.

The previous eight levels had presented terrifying existential hazards….environments where paradox itself attacked, where concepts became hostile, where the mere act of observation could unmake the observer.

These hazards had slowed their progress more than any enemy could have.

Until now, they had encountered no other Remnant Lifeforms besides Kelgar. Only hostile environments and the endless need to break through crystallized reality to continue forward.

The Ninth Level changed that.

They stood now in an environment that defied simple description. Waves of Living Conceptual Authority saturated the space with pressure that made breathing an act of will.

The realm stretched vast and broken…grey-bronze earthen fragments and crystals floated everywhere, filling space with chaotic patterns.

Each piece, from pebble to boulder, carried lethal conceptual authority. A single impact from even the smallest fragment could injure an Honored Living Existence, each one containing concepts that shouldn’t be weaponized.

At the center of this maelstrom of hostile geology stood their second Remnant Lifeform.

But this one made them all become somber, because the power emanating from it was unmistakably that of a Duke.

Exceedingly so!

|Ninth Level Reached: The Conceptual Graveyard|

|Ambient Danger: Extreme|

|Remnant Lifeform Identified: Aurelius the Severed Echo|

|Classification: Isolated Clone of Fold Dweller Aurelius|

|Status: Cut from original, existing on residual authority|

|Memory State: None (Pure instinct and power)|

|Power Level: Duke (Exceeds standard parameters)|

Noah studied these prompts with stern focus. The pressure emanating from this being exceeded even Duke Gwendolyn’s.

“That creature is filled with entropy,” Sigrid said, her voice cold with recognition of danger. “If any of us step within its proximity, our lesser complexity and purity will be overcome. We’ll be led into irreversible, cyclical entropy…dissolution that feeds on itself until nothing remains.”

The Remnant, Aurelius the Severed Echo, stood with disturbing elegance.

Unlike Kelgar’s degraded state, this clone seemed well-preserved.

Radiantly blue hair flowed like liquid sapphire, eyes shimmered like blue galaxies containing their own gravitational pull.

His body was surrounded by chaotic energy of impossible blue…not just the color but the concept of blue weaponized, made hostile, given intent to unmake.

Ruination’s eyes blazed with interest at Sigrid’s warning. The prospect of facing entropy, of ending that ended endlessly, appealed to her nature as an Early Living Ruin.

“No,” Noah said, stepping forward with authority that made even Ruination pause. “We won’t be able to overcome this creature. Beyond having Duke-level power, its authority exceeds normal Dukes.”

He paused, and his eyes flashed with something devilish.

“But that doesn’t mean we cannot at least make an effort.”

2/5

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.