Bali was surprised at the sudden intruder. He neither panicked nor tensed.
As a peak level 9 in two divine paths, he was one of the strongest beings under Sovereigns.
If he had to be honest, he would be top 3.
He was one of those people that wouldn't be scared even if Abyss King came.
"You are the Dreamer? Keke." Bali chuckled.
He was curious. Very very curious.
Who the fuck was this guy?
What was his purpose?
Was he running a shady company or something?
Otherwise, why give such an absurd promise?
Letting a Dual Awakener reach Sovereign state?
He wasn't a child to be fooled. No. Even children knew better than to trust a suspicious-looking man's words.
"I feel pity." Dreamer didn't confirm his identity and went on in a pitying tone like one would comfort a sad child. "You are so talented, so hard working and so loyal, yet a factor you outside your control became an obstacle you could never cross."
Crack!
Bali clenched his fists together. Just for a moment, he was angry.
Not because of his words, but his tone.
He was being pitied!
I lived all my life and only sought results. I appreciated the ones that appreciated me, I respected the ones that gave me respect, but pity…
I don't want it!
"Keep that pity to yourself and get out of my spaceship," Bali said in a calm yet indisputable voice.
"Aye~ You didn't believe my words, did you?" Dreamer shook his head. He seemed to be utterly disappointed and also a bit sad.
"Unlike you who has the power but shrinks responsibility, I have work to do," Bali said with a piercing gaze.
He hated people who evaded the responsibility that came with their power. And Dreamer…he had great powers but what responsibility did he bear?
"Ignorance is bliss. You cannot even begin to comprehend what I'm doing." Dreamer laughed lightly.
Bali was taken aback and a seed of doubt was planted in his mind. 'I can't verify or strike off his words. But an awakener of this capability must be doing something instead of wasting their time.'
Still, Bali didn't care. He walked to a compartment, wore his armor, and said without any change in expression. "Good luck convincing other people. I got work. Lots of it. The banquet was nice but now I'll need to work overtime."
"…." Dreamer was silent as he watched the exit to the space shuttle open.
Bali already realized the space shuttle was under Dreamer's control. The guy fricking hacked it!
But so what?
He could travel through space.
As he was about to step out, Dreamer's voice sounded again.
"I heard your conversation with the little guys." He said and a recording started playing.
The voice and the words froze Bali.
The voice…it was his voice. And those were his heartfelt words.
"I can't make it to Sovereign after all.
But over the years, many who could make it died.
So, sometimes I wonder…what if it was me who died? What if they lived?
Would Humanity have another Sovereign?
Would the War end? Would peace finally ensue?"
Listening to those words he said to Varian and Sarah, Bali's body trembled as his chest heaved up and down. Every word came from the depth of his soul and resonated with him on a deeper level.
"You…" Bali suddenly didn't know what to say.
"You didn't die. You are alive.
Life or Fate or Karma, whatever it is. It's on your side. It chose you over your dead comrades.
Perhaps one of them could've achieved the Sovereign state.
You believe you live in their stead and memory, shouldn't you at least try?" Dreamer's words pierced his heart like a needle.
Yes, my life was saved by countless people. If they didn't choose me over their own life, I'd be long dead.
My seniors, my master, my colleagues…too many people sacrificed themselves for me to be alive.
Now, I also have the chance to do something they would've done if they were alive.
"Explain." Bali sighed and looked at the hologram once again.
He could only see Dreamer's eyes, but Bali felt boundless confidence from those eyes.
It was as if his every action was anticipated his every action. Those eyes didn't change from the beginning.
Bali dismissed them as arrogant when he first saw Dreamer, but only now did he begin to slowly realize the truth.
"You know how a normal peak level 9 goes to Sovereign. You just have an extra step, that is…" Varian explained the ins and outs patiently.
Bali thought for a few minutes and muttered with a frown.
"I'm not sure if this is going to be harmful. Merging Origins? Never heard of it. What if I die and my squad loses its head? The planetoid I'm guarding, the patrol duties I take…"
One by one, his duties popped up in his mind.
All those thoughts tried to persuade him. It was a risky, foolish endeavor. If he was killed, then the army would suffer a significant loss.
A peak level 9 awakener was no joke.
But—
"Is that all?" Bali asked. He wasn't going to risk it foolishly, but he decided to at least know the damn thing before making a decision.
"Heh." Dreamer smiled lightly and said. "Controlling Origin just by yourself is incredibly hard. Have an external stimulation, use it to sense the Origin, and build a connection."
Bali squinted his eyes and nodded.
External changes could cause internal changes.
After all, if an awakener advanced from level 8 to level 9, Origin moved on the Divine Path.
In a sense, external and internal are connected. Internal cannot be accessed or changed easily, but external…he has more control over his external reality.
Dreamer tapped his armrest and continued in a casual tone.
"Since you're a Dual Awakener in Fire and Space Paths, pick something that's extremely stimulating.
You must have done it already, but this time, focus on bringing one of the Origins towards the other.
Relatively, it's very easy. You aren't connecting to the Origin, you are just 'willing' the Origins to merge.
Then, use the external stimulation and you're good to go." Dreamer concluded and leaned back into his throne.
Bali remained stranded as he thought hard. As Dreamer said, the only thing that mattered was external stimulation.
The more the better.
If he chooses Fire, then the best place is obviously. Fire Abyss' Hell Zone. But practicing there was impossible.
So the only option was to dive into one of the suns.
But there's a problem
During Blink, the Sun split into two and created a chaotic aura cluster in the middle.
It severely affected the Fire Mana. Thus, it might be counterproductive and he would likely be subjected to danger.
That left him with Space Path.
If he took Space Path, he'd need a place of extreme Space stimulation. There were only two know areas he knew of.
A special region in the Hollow Abyss—impossible for practice.
The boundary between Outer Space and Inner Space.
What are inner and outer spaces?
If the universe could be treated as a small sphere with a big sphere covering it, they're living in the outer, bigger sphere—Outer Space.
The smaller sphere was inner space.
There's a vast gap between this smaller sphere and the larger sphere.
The smaller sphere is surrounded by special space fluctuations called "layers".
Layers are like the official boundaries of the smaller sphere.
Once you reach level 7, you can enter the layer. At Sovereign state, you're on the verge of breaking out of the layers and entering the Inner space.
Why are these considered good places for space stimulation?
Because the space between smaller and larger spheres is hyperactive. Even more importantly, the space in the layers is incredibly chaotic.
If he could stay inside the layers, Bali would get all the stimulation he'd need.
It's the best solution, but there's a problem again.
Space tends to push everyone out to Outer Space.
Even a peak level 9 can't resist that push for a long time and eventually needs to come back to Outer space.
But there's a way to circumvent this problem.
Space stones!
If he had many space stones, he could use them and stay in the 'layers' for longer.
Bali's eyes flashed a myriad of emotions before they burned with resolution.
He decided to try.
His only worry was that he might end up hurting his Origin.
But what if he succeeded and became a Sovereign?
The rewards are too huge to not risk at all.
If he was a Sovereign, he could end up bringing the much-needed peace!
This might as well be the final year of Abyssals!
Of course, he was still cautious.
He decided to make an alert mechanism. If he failed due to hurting his Origin, he'd inform the world about the harm of this method and personally hunt Dreamer.
But…he hoped it'd work.
If he could be a Sovereign…
"You will be a Sovereign," Dreamer said with a smile as if reading his mind.
Looking at the gleaming confidence in Dreamer's eyes, Bali felt like he was being infected too.
Maybe he would be a Sovereign…maybe.
He looked at Dreamer with a complex expression and said.
"I don't know if it's all a lie, but all my life, I struggled.
I am going to struggle now too.
I will give it a try.
If it shows even the tiniest of results, I'll procure every space stone I could and hit the Sovereign state."
"Hahaha." Dreamer simply laughed.
Bali waited until the laughter quietened down and asked. "So, what do you want in exchange?"
"…." Dreamer fell silent for a while before he tilted his head. "Nothing much, I just hate Shadow Order.
Whenever I find one of their bases, gimme a hand and slaughter those bugs."
Bali shook his head. "That's my duty. I'll do it regardless. You can ask for a favor… never mind, take this."
He retrieved a metal badge from his storage ring. It was a dark red badge with silver edges.
"If I become a Sovereign, then I'll fulfill any three favors you seek as long as it doesn't go against humanity and my dignity."
He threw the badge into outer space.
"I hope you aren't too late." Dreamer's eyes glowed. 'Or I'd be a Sovereign first.'
"Go." He signaled to Boo and waved his hand.
Bali's space shuttle shot out towards Mars.
And soon, the metal badge that was previously drifting in the space was dancing on his palm.