Soul of Searing Steel

Chapter 945: Ether Ring World

The envoys who joined the General Assembly had visited the entire installation in Zeta Ram with the help of the guides, with some of the luckier ones amongst them even given the opportunity to visit the land of Mycroft.

Even so, they were puzzled.

Where did they obtain all these resources?

It was not underestimation but sheer confoundment. The people of Mycroft hid nothing about themselves and generously revealed their homeworld and Void installation with no hint that they were making a fool of themselves, but that was precisely how those envoys had easily noticed that the total population of Mycroft had not even exceeded three billion.

They were simply too few.

Any Void civilization needed a bottom-line population of at least ten billion intelligent individuals, although that was for a society of medium-sized physical beings. Populations of special individuals such as the Rund would probably not have exceeded three billion either, but they held great advantage in terms of scientific research and engineering—a Rund needed no tools to be the equivalent of a small manufacturing center, an entity that could establish a small colony from scratch in a few years.

On the other hand, the people of Mycroft had none of such exceptions, having a lacking population as an Extraordinary civilization. They relied mainly on the advantage of their own champions and cutting-edge technology, but to gain the blazing presence they had before to viciously conquer and subjugate, their supporting resources and auxiliaries should have been at a terrific number. By logic, the Mycroft people must have amounted up to at least eight billion to be able to maintain operations on such a fleet and their dozens of large-scale Void installations.

Yet in actuality, they did not.

Although Legendary champions and gods were fundamentally in possession of skill and equipment that transcended the ages, and entities that fused such forces into their own body, essentially a humanoid warship or fortress. What was it that supported the Mycroft civilization, allowing them to fight tirelessly and conquer Void civilizations that were hundreds of times their own size?

There was only one answer—some of their champions were far more powerful than they had imagined.

“—We have to dismantle the mass of at least three worlds to build such a ring.”

A mid-sized world hovered in the darkness nearest to the Silent Void in the fringe system of the Galaxy of Beginnings. Its World Barrier was spotted, emanating fine silver radiance, just as it was covered in sheets of blackness that drew in all light like a stubborn stain that was spreading. Seven distinct divine light also swirled on the outer orbit of the world, constantly adjusting the black barrier and correcting the world’s parameters, as well as drawing in boundless Steel Particles from the Void to work with. One could tell that it was not the world’s original form—it had clearly been modified by artificial means, with the seven lights being one of the overseers.

Within the ether vacuum inside the world slowly illuminated by starlight, the Giant God of Steel who outsized stars stared at the sun before his eyes, while an inconspicuous blue spot that was the Legendary mage Nostradamus stood on his shoulder, murmuring in awe. “We took apart the celestial form inside the world, even extinguishing its star and absorbing all matter… but it’s not enough. It is far from enough.”

“We have to break apart the mass of at least three worlds to forge a Ring World, with the condition that the mass of that world is not lesser than this world.”

“…We will do it even if it takes thirty.”

The gaze of the God of Steel was unmoved despite his friend’s voice, and he spoke quietly, “The Ring World must be made. It’s the most important objective for our arrival into the Multiverse, bar none.”

“It is the decision you and the Seven Gods have made. Not even Israel told me about it… and?”

Nostradamus was silent for a moment. He gazed at the star Joshua had created, a cluster of blinding sparks that would continue burning over a billion years and could not help but remember the sight of that same man fighting in the winter lands of Northern Moldavia just over a decade ago… He seemed to have flown every step of the way unto this day, to stand as equals with the gods—even surpassing them.

We are being dragged and pushed forward to a future that would never come, and the flag which is doing all that dragging and pulling is right beside me.

“The Seven Gods are calibrating the parameters of an entire world and confirming its ether density and stability, while you’re here creating a star.”

Ending his thoughts, the old mage regained focus after half a beat and spoke softly while rubbing his head. “I won’t ask why… but what are you going to do after this, Joshua?”

“After you and the Seven Gods have built the Ring World that orbits the star, where do you intend to guide us?”

Joshua said nothing for a long time.

It was a lot later that he spoke with a softer, even gentle voice, “Then… I will leave hope.”

Joshua raised his hand. Silver luminous mist flowed out from his body like a welling spring, while Nostradamus matched him by opening dozens of portals to transport those mist to predetermined nodes. Nearly endless, the mist hence spread to the orbital trail that was almost 150 million kilometers away.

The full length of the massive orbit was an astonishing 940 million kilometers—a length that would take light an hour and fifty minutes to cover. However, the luminous mist was spread quickly thanks to Nostradamus’s dimensional nodes, with a faint circular silhouette that encircled the star hence appearing in the ether realm.

Anyone watching from beyond the world would have seemingly seen a god drawing a regular silver circle on a dark paper.

“This specially designed star can provide optimum light and heat. The Phoenix before has inspired me—I could help a star develop a basic consciousness and adjust the light radiation on demand while also maintaining absolute gravity stability in the single-star world.”

Joshua pointed from across the Void and kept flicking his finger, as if scrawling around randomly like a child, in the direction of the star. Nostradamus, however, knew that it was not random—in the five minutes when light reached the place, the single line of silver began to spread from the trail where Joshua pointed, turning into a massive ring that was 940 million kilometers long and 13,000 kilometers wide. Through it all, thick silver mist kept surging out of Joshua’s body, filling the ring surface of around seven trillion two hundred and twenty-two kilometers.

The silver mist hence distinctly drew over the ring that had the surface size of 24,000 standard worlds, sketching the outlines of mountains and oceans while marking the border between heaven and earth, creating plains, basins, hills, and islands.

Though silhouettes, the silver mist painted them all vividly—the radiance scattered and swirled in the dark world while the massive ring silhouette whirled. The simulated mechanical stress was destroying every node of that ring construction, but it was not the time to consider material integrity for it was a realm of ether, a force which governed momentum and direction, and the mechanical stress could even be converted to the stability of the ring construct.

After that, the Seven Gods would come and grant their divine blessing upon the great ring, inscribing it with eternal divine runes. It was a world and a star—a celestial construct created deliberately, a great wonder that would never be created if not for Extraordinary power. It was the impulse that flowed in the blood of the Mycroft people—their grandest and most romantic fantasy.

“The template has already been made, Master Nostradamus. It’s a joint design from the Seven Gods and I, and I’ve even invited the Commanding Will of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds and the Knowers’ technicians in the planning stages.”

Joshua had lowered his hand, the template of silver mist gradually stabilized into a most intricate design, seemingly to be completed in the future by just filling it with materials. “A massive artificial world which can accommodate populations of billions,” the Giant God said quietly with all four hands held before his chest, “an Ether Ring World.”