Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse

Chapter 4253: The Early Laboratories! I

Among the many arriving to witness the devastation, Noah saw them.

The Living Emotives. Their faces showed immense sorrow, their auras radiating a grief so profound it seemed to amplify the tragedy of the scene.

His eyes flashed with suspicion. He sent a silent command to RUIN/EDEN.

’Keep a closer eye on the Transcendent Emotive Folds from now on.’

|Confirmed, Master. Continuous, deep-level surveillance has been initiated.|

|Hypothesis: There are significant gaps in our current knowledge regarding the motivations of the entities within THE Loom.|

|It is possible that the Justiciar’s secondary objective of inducing fear and harvesting Emotive authority was a directive added by THE Living Emotive for their own purposes, separate from the primary function of the Lodestone failsafe.|

|The mentalities and intricacies of Level One Scale existences are, by their very nature, complex and often contradictory. More data is required to form a complete picture.|

Yes. Those in THE Loom gained nothing from this public display of terror. All the Justiciar had seemed to collect were Everythings saturated with the authority of Emotive. The why of it all... the answer had to be in the Earliest Folds.

”Collect more data here,” Noah murmured, his voice a low command to RUIN/EDEN. ”Note how the Living Emotives react. For now... let us get some answers.”

|Yes, Master.|

—

Back in the Early Veiled Shore, Noah’s main body stood on the golden sands, the quiet, purposeful hum of his domain a soothing balm on his turbulent thoughts.

He needed to be stronger. He needed to be faster. He needed to be ready for whatever came next.

|Master, the subject Infiniverse has completed the forging of forty new Seed Glyphs of Perpetual Harvest. The endowments are ready for distribution at your command.|

He nodded. ”Proceed.”

A new storm of verdant-gold light, a hurricane of pure, conceptual growth, descended upon the Shore.

Forty endowments, each one a testament to the impossible, recursive power of his Principle, washed over him as all were used for him!

When the storm passed, he felt... denser. More real. His power, already measured in the dozens of Quadrillions, had taken another leap.

Khor floated beside him, her expression now a mask of grim resolve. ”I will go back with you,” she said, her voice a quiet, unshakeable promise. ”Even if I am just a voice in your head, I will help.”

Noah nodded, then turned his gaze to the pulsating, crimson-blue cluster of infinity symbols that was his new system.

”RUIN/EDEN, how close are you to grasping the Cultivation of Everythings?”

|Analysis is ongoing, Master. The methodology is complex. I have not yet reached a point of practical application.|

He had expected as much.

For now, he had to use the tools he possessed.

He looked over at Sigrid, at his Mother, at Moiraine, and everyone else here who was acclimating to their own existence.

He looked towards The Infiniverse who nodded her head as she had much to do.

He then...closed his eyes, his will reaching into the very heart of his being, to the star-chart of his Early Atlas of the Folds.

The other part of his body that was Ozymandias was already contained in the depths of his existence, and he would unleash it for potentially more opportunities as needed to make sure he could stay in the Earliest Folds as long as possible.

With all preparations ready...

He activated it.

|Temporal Traversal Initiated.|

|Analysis: The unique signature and weavings of the Justiciar have been cross-referenced with all accessible temporal data points within the Atlas.|

|A match has been found. The weavings correspond to three potential locations within the Earliest Folds.|

|Due to the complete advancement of all 159 Towers of Osmont to the Vital Lighthouse stage, and the current strength of your Heart, a precise destination can now be selected.|

|Destination Locked: The Early Laboratories.|

A column of pure, temporal light, a river of a billion frozen moments, descended and enveloped his form.

The traversal was different this time. Smoother. More stable. The violent, chaotic journey of his earlier trips had been replaced by a serene, controlled descent through the layers of time.

His Vital Lighthouses were not just anchors; they were a navigation system, a perfect, celestial GPS guiding him through the storm!

|Traversal is stable. Estimated duration in the Earliest Folds: 7 Days.|

HUUM!

Not hours, not a day, but 7 days!

He could stay in the Earliest Folds for 7 days!

The process...was unfathomably quicker this time around.

The light faded, and he arrived after what seemed like mere seconds.

WU!

He stood in a grand, open-air location, surrounded by massive, monolithic white stones that were arranged in a complex, concentric pattern.

He was at the very center, on a raised platform forged from a seamless fusion of stone, wood, and a strange, dark metal that seemed to absorb the ambient light.

The air was clean, sterile, and hummed with a quiet, intellectual energy.

|Welcome to The Early Laboratories.|

|Scanning of nearby areas has begun.|

|Preliminary scans show multiple Early Creatures gazing directly at you.|

..!

”...”

Noah’s gaze swept across the stone-henge-like area.

At the edges, standing silently between the great white stones, were nine figures.

Nine Early Creatures, their forms perfect and powerful, staring back at him!

All of them were adorned in simple, elegant white chiton robes.

RUIN/EDEN’s analysis flashed in his vision, a cascade of names and terrifying numbers.

[Lyra – 50 Quadrillion Complexity, 50 Quadrillion Purity]

[Orion – 80 Quadrillion Complexity, 80 Quadrillion Purity]

[Cassiopeia – 120 Quadrillion Complexity, 120 Quadrillion Purity]

...

[Cepheus – 400 Quadrillion Complexity, 400 Quadrillion Purity]

...!

None of them showed hostility.

Their gazes were calm, curious, and unnervingly analytical, as if they were scientists observing a fascinating new specimen.

In that tense, silent moment, a new voice echoed out from a distant, unseen location, a voice filled with a terrifying, impatient power.

”What are you all doing? Bring the newcomer that has been sent over!”

The voice was a thunderclap of authority, a command that made the very stones of the laboratory hum.

Noah’s eyes opened wide as the frequency of this voice was unique.

And it was a voice that, shockingly, did not belong to an Early Creature.

It felt like the voice of...a Fold Dweller!

And yet, it was commanding Early Creatures!