Chapter 4280: The Astral Codex and Everythings! IV

|I am thoroughly analyzing this new tool and the system it represents, Master. The potential applications are... extensive.|

On the first page of the Codex, a single, magnificent Astral Arcana Glyph was displayed. It was a shimmering, conceptual card of light, and on its surface was a picture of a massive, crimson-gold flaming serpent, its body a river of fire, its nine pairs of wings spread in a glorious, terrifying display!

|Astral Arcana Glyph|

|Name: Nine-Headed Sol Serpent|

|School: Elemental|

|Rarity: Common|

|Description: ’The sun is not a gentle warmth; it is a relentless, all-consuming fire.’ This Arcana summons a manifestation of a Primordial Sun Serpent, a creature of pure, incandescent rage. The Serpent unleashes a torrent of nine distinct, guided solar flares.|

|Cost: 2,500 Units of [Elemental] Everythings, 1000 Units of [Basic] Everythings.|

|Requirements to Cast: None.|

|Effect: Deals 550 Quadrillion in Complexity-based Living Existential Elemental Damage, striking up to nine separate targets. Applies [Immolation] to any target not collapsed, dealing a residual 10 Quadrillion damage per second for one minute.|

|Cooldown: 10 Seconds.|

...!

Oh.

Oh!

Noah and RUIN/EDEN processed the information in a silent, lightning-fast exchange.

’550 Quadrillion damage... from a ’Common’ Arcana?’ Noah thought.

|The damage output is indeed disproportionate to its rarity classification, Master. However, the cost is also significant. 2,500 Units of a specific Everything is not a trivial expenditure. But the most significant anomaly... is the cooldown.|

|A 10-second cooldown on an ability of this magnitude is not just unusual; it is a conceptual impossibility. It violates the standard principles of existential energy transference and recovery.|

A 10 Second cool down for an attack thst could decimate many powerful beings!

Noah turned his gaze back to Vulcan. This terrifying fucker had not just given him a powerful tool; he had given him a mystery.

"How can one acquire more of these Astral Arcana Glyphs?" he asked, his voice a calm, even tone. "Of even rarer ones?"

Vulcan looked up from the schematics, a devilish, knowing smile on his ancient face.

"There are two paths. The first is the path of a merchant. You can seek out other bearers of a Codex and trade. Arcana for Arcana, a simple, elegant transaction. Or if you have something that other Early Creatures want, some may part with their Astral Arcana Glyphs. The other path... is the path of an artist. You can obtain the methodology to design your own. A knowledge handed down to our Lord Gilgamesh himself, a gift from THE Living Spirit and THE Living Dimensional. You can only obtain such knowledge from him."

He leaned back, his massive form radiating an almost insurmountable authority.

"But such a methodology is a state secret of the highest order. One would need to give... immense contributions to our cause to even be considered for such a gift by Lord Gilgamesh. And even then, one must have the power of an Elder Early Creature to even begin to comprehend the weavings, and an amount of Everythings to fuel the creation process that would make the cost of casting seem like a pittance."

WAA!

Everythings. The other factor. The fuel for this entire, impossible system.

Noah’s eyes shone with a new, bright light.

"How do you cultivate them? Everythings."

|Master, my own progress on designing a cultivation methodology for Everythings is almost complete. The integration with your armor, which contains its own unique cluster of Everythings, has provided the final, critical data points. However, before I present my findings, understanding how these Early Creatures cultivate them would be ideal for cross-referencing and optimization.|

Vulcan looked at Noah, and he smiled. "Now you are asking for state secrets," he rumbled, his voice a low, amused growl.

"But... I did give you an Astral Codex, and it is a rather useless trinket if you have no fuel for it. So... I may as well tell you how to cultivate them."

He paused, a flicker of something almost like generosity in his ancient, starlit eyes. "Of course, if cultivation is too slow for your tastes, you can also barter and trade for different Units of Everythings. We have... a rather extensive collection. If you work for us...well, that is also another way."

He raised a hand, and a new bundle of light, this one a soft, verdant-gold, floated from his palm. "This is the Early Everything Cultivation Modus Operandi, a gift to our Lord from THE Living Spirit. It outlines the two primary methods of cultivation. It is a philosophy as much as a science."

The light floated to Noah and merged with his being. As Vulcan spoke, the knowledge bloomed in his mind, painting a picture of a new, impossible kind of farming.

"The first method," Vulcan began, his voice taking on the tone of a master lecturer, "is what we call the Way of the Garden. It is a slow, patient, but ultimately fruitful path. You begin with a Seed of Everything. These are rare, but can sometimes be formed when a Living Existential Authority is pushed to its absolute limit and then collapses in on itself. A seed of Paradox from a failed spell, a seed of Law from a broken oath. You take this seed and you plant it in a plot of existentially fertile ground."

He gestured to the forges around them. "From this seed, a Tree of Everything will grow. Its growth is slow, and its harvest is meager at first, yielding only what we call Basic Units of Everythings...the raw, undifferentiated stuff of concepts. But," his eyes gleamed, "if you nurture the tree, if you feed it, if you bathe it in the very Living Existential Authority from which its seed was born, then it will bear a different kind of fruit. Specialized Units. The Everything of Law, of Origin, of Paradox. The very currency of power."

HUUM!

|Analysis of [Farming-Based Cultivation].|

|Conclusion: A sustainable, long-term method for generating both Basic and Specialized Everythings. The primary bottleneck is the acquisition of Seeds and the constant, high-level infusion of authority required for Specialized Units.|

|Your Radiant Shore is an ideal environment for such a garden, Master.|

"The second method," Vulcan continued, his tone shifting, becoming more... personal, "is the Way of the Self. It is a faster, more direct, but ultimately more limited path. One can give a part of their own Everythings, the very essence of their being, to a Seed. You can sacrifice a piece of your own innate courage, your own sorrow, your own strength, your own emergy. The Seed will consume it and instantly transform it into Basic Units of Everythings."

He shook his head at thid method!

The Way of the Self!

The Way of the Garden!

Two methodologies...to forge Everythings!

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