After the call ended, Thorn took us to meet the Mother of the vessel, Mother Lapis. Just like with the other Metong that we had met, she was a woman made of silver metal. However, perhaps it has something to do with the rank of Mother, but she had a distinctly more motherly figure.

When Mother Lapis heard the full situation from Thorn, she did not seem to be as surprised as I had expected. Maybe she guessed something like this would happen? We wouldn’t have been able to do those teleports earlier without her approval, now that I think about it.

“You three get comfortable.” Mother Lapis told us in a kind tone after Thorn left to prepare for her new assignment. “I apologize in advance, but we don’t have anything on the ship that meets your dietary needs. If you’d like, we could stop along the way?”

I shook my head. “That’s alright. I have some rations with me that we can have until this is over, and Casey can still get some food for us if need be.” I glanced towards the lycan girl, who returned a confirming nod.

Originally, food had been my biggest concern, because my rations would last me only so long. But now that we have met the ‘true’ Metong race, I no longer felt the need to be worried. The food I had on me could last me up to a week, and with access to the Boundless Caravan, everything was taken care of.

“Do you have any guest rooms that we could use in the meantime?” I asked Mother Lapis, knowing that it wouldn’t be a good idea for us to just wander around for a few days without anywhere to rest our head.

“Of course!” She replied positively. “Speaker Harven, please retrieve three guest bracelets.” Turning her head to look at a male Metong, Lapis gave out that order. Soon, we were presented with three silver bands, one for each of us.

“These guest bracelets were designed to act as a guide for anyone that we invite aboard the vessel.” Mother Lapis explained as I took one of the bands, placing it on my wrist. “Simply tell it where you want to go, and it will interface with the ship’s computer to highlight the path for you.”

I thanked her for the explanation, looking down to the bracelet and telling it that I wanted to go to ‘personal quarters’. The bracelet shone briefly, before a blue line lit up along the ground, starting from my feet. This line led out of the bridge, but I did not immediately follow it. Instead, I looked towards Jocelyn and Casey, offering them a small nod.

Taking that as the signal to mean it was safe, both of them equipped these guest bracelets as well. When they asked for their own quarters, similar blue lights appeared from their feet, moving parallel with mine. As we left the bridge, these lights moved to the side of the hallway floor, serving as a guide without obstructing normal foot traffic.

Our time aboard the Metong vessel was… honestly not all that bad. In a way, it reminded me of the Emergence. Everyone was friendly to us, and there was a definite sense of camaraderie between the various Metong.

Roughly six hours after the conference call with the High Mother, there was another teleportation. The room I was staying in, sadly, did not have an exterior window. However, when I asked the guest bracelet to go somewhere that I could look outside, a display screen appeared on my wall.

To my surprise, I found that I was able to access a number of external cameras. The planet that we had arrived at was large, at least as big as Deckan. Numerous satellites hovered in orbit around the world, but when my eyes went to the planet itself… I did not see a single ocean. There was no green on the planet, only endless black and silver, with lines of red that spread out in a network.

Does this mean that they are like the March, and live on a factory world or something? I mused slightly, before shaking my head. I turned my attention to the structure just outside of the ship. We appeared to be docking at a large space station, moving up alongside one of its exterior ports.

As I saw this, I tried to manipulate the controls of my camera to get a better view. Instead… the camera seemed to dislodge from the ship, causing me to immediately worry that I had broken it. It was only when I found that I was still in control of the camera that my concern vanished.

With the camera hovering outside the ship, I was finally able to get a look at the Metong craft. It looked nothing like the structure which had attacked the Emergence. For one, it was several times larger, with a long and sleek appearance. Its form did not seem to shift at all as I was watching, unlike the ever-changing structure of Mother Lyra’s craft.

Turning the camera, I saw a transparent hallway extending from the station’s airlock and connecting with the ship. I controlled the device to move in closer, curious about… well, everything at this point.

Once I had positioned the camera directly next to the transparent hallway, I found that there was an invisible barrier preventing me from accidentally colliding with it. From the corner of my eye, I saw the station airlock open, and the High Mother appeared, walking towards the ship.

After traversing half the distance, she paused, looking at my camera and offering a light laugh. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t able to hear her, but I saw a line of text appearing on my screen.

Curious one, aren’t you?

I gulped when I saw that, thinking I might get in trouble for ‘spying’ on the leader of their race. To my shock, however, I found the camera flickering for a moment before appearing next to her. “There, that’s better.” The High Mother nodded her head. “I suppose you’re curious about the Unspoken Word?”

“Yes.” I spoke instinctively, seeming to realize that her question no doubt meant that she had a way to hear me. “You don’t look like you’re carrying any incredibly deadly weapon.”

“Oh, I’m not. Not at all. I’m only coming to personally pass your friend the recording I promised, and bestow the right to activate the Unspoken Word. The device itself will be installed on the ship, along with the upgraded generator, while we identify a destination for your trip.” As she spoke, the airlock of the ship opened up, and she stepped through. Naturally, I had my camera follow her through the halls.

“If it’s not a problem, could you ask your friend if she would let me see this caravan firsthand? Distribution of goods across such a vast distance is incredibly appealing, and I would like to see how it is done.”

“If you want, I could tell you a bit. It’s not like it’s some big secret for our people.” When I said that, the High Mother turned her head to look at me in surprise.

“Truly? I expected this to be a well-guarded practice. While it is incredibly helpful, it is equally open to abuse. Imagine if you could simply smuggle a highly destructive weapon into an enemy territory without being detected.”

I cleared my throat, shaking my head. “It doesn’t really work like that. There aren’t any private trade channels in the caravan, and it isn’t under the control of the government. If you put something up, it is possible for anyone to see it. And it can only be accessed by people who meet special requirements.”

The High Mother furrowed her brow. “You say that it is not under control of the government, yet its access is restricted. Are these not contradictory statements?”

“It’s not the government that restricts the access, but the gods. In order to use that trade platform, you need to be a priest of both Ryone and Leowynn. After that, you are able to register with the caravan, and can create a special coin to open the platform.”

“Ryone? Leowynn? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with these names… if we are discussing gods, then the only one known to us would be the High Father, Tubrock.”

Hearing the High Mother’s response, I gave a small nod. “Tubrock’s one of the gods as well. There are twelve in total that serve the Keeper and make up the Greater Pantheon.”

“Keeper, Greater Pantheon… I’m learning more and more new terms.” The High Mother seemed delighted as she neared the bridge. “If there is a Greater Pantheon, does that mean that there is also a Lesser Pantheon?”

“That’s right. From what Thorn said, you consider a Class Nine lifeform one that has converted its entire body into energy, right? That should be a process similar to becoming the Perfect Self. After that level, it’s possible for a mortal to ascend to godhood by cultivating their divine energy. Those who ascend, the Mortal Gods, we call the Lesser Pantheon. The Greater Pantheon lives outside of the mortal world, and even the Lesser Pantheon cannot enter their home.”

The High Mother gave a nod as the bridge door opened. Seeing as official business was starting, I decided to silently watch without interrupting. Mother Lapis gave a brief glance towards the camera, nodding at it before greeting the High Mother.

The two seemed to simply exchange a handshake before the High Mother smiled at her. “Activation rights have been transferred. Until your mission is complete, you have received the temporary title of Green Cardinal. After you return, I’ll be going over your performance. If I find it satisfactory, I will be making this an official position, and you will be in charge of our operations within these alternate universes.”

Mother Lapis let out a surprised gasp, bowing towards her superior. “You honor me, High Mother.”

“I am merely offering you the chance. If you fail to live up to the expectations I’ve set, it will be given to another. However, you have always had a remarkable work ethic, so I feel at ease trusting you with this.” After saying that, she turned back towards the hall. “I’ve already acquired the coordinates from your ship, and we are working on finding a destination for your teleport. In the meantime, the Unspoken Word will be installed. If you require anything else, simply let me know.”

“Of course.” Lapis nodded her head as the High Mother exited the bridge.

“Now… where were we?” She asked, directing her attention at the camera again. “What is this Keeper you spoke of? Someone that even the High Father serves… while I personally find the idea hard to believe, I trust that you would not lie to me over a matter which could be so easily researched later.”

I gave a slight chuckle, nodding in agreement. “The Keeper is the creator of all things. He created the gods themselves, and the system that governs the various worlds. There isn’t much known about him from before he announced his presence to the world, but the gods have unanimously confirmed that they serve him. As the leader of the Metong, I believe that Tubrock would confirm as such with you as well, should you offer him a prayer to ask.”

“I think I’ll do just that.” She mused lightly, nodding her head. For a moment, she closed her eyes in focus, her footsteps never stopping as she walked through the hall. “It is as you say. The High Father rarely answers my prayers so directly, but his voice is unmistakable.”

I let out a sigh of relief that Tubrock didn’t give her the cold shoulder or anything like that. If he had ignored the prayer, the High Mother might have found it harder to believe me. “I’ll let the girls know that you’re on your way.”