Much could be learned from the rare opportunities to capture ships designed to go to the lower realms. The largest quantity of these belonged to the Harmonious Citadel, as they had taken everything from the border planet. They only had a small handful from the Trigold Cluster, as destruction was much easier than capture.

“I see,” Catarina nodded as she looked over the ships. “We have now confirmed they use overlapping formations and materials. Some suited for the lower realms and functioning on natural energy, and some for the upper realms.” She spoke mainly to one of her apprentices- a man called Koralo. He was older than her, showing signs of age, but he had humbled himself to ask for a position learning from her. And learn he did.

“It quite weakens both functionalities to mix them,” Koralo remarked. “And they don’t seem sufficient to reach any systems in the lower realms. What is the purpose of doing things this way?”

“I don’t think these are involved in the invasion themselves,” Catarina said. “They’re just for acclimation. Captured documents indicate that the tides of the world themselves will briefly provide pathways for transport. That matches up with what we saw- cultivators falling from the skies without the presence of ships. And they returned to the skies without them as well.”

“If these are just for training…” Koralo frowned, “It would explain the general lack of quality. I don’t expect amazing work from the Harmonious Citadel, but I’m surprised by the Trigold Cluster.”

“Don’t forget that most of them won’t be familiar with materials to handle natural energy. You were lucky that your training was an exception, even before you met me. I imagine their best formation masters are focused on other areas, rather than ships that are only needed every handful of centuries on average.”

The information they had was interesting, but not necessarily useful. As they didn’t intend to invade any lower realms, the most that could matter was the incomplete information on following the tides of the world to the lower realms. That was from the Harmonious Citadel- they hadn’t obtained any information along those lines from the Trigold Cluster. Velvet had some intention to make an attempt, but once something went missing from inside their outposts, security there would be greatly amplified. It wasn’t possible for an Integration cultivator to bypass every possible roadblock, but she was the best stealth expert available to Xankeshan. The Dark Ring had some, but outside of work that directly benefited them, the prices were too much for information they weren’t even certain was present. It was possible the leaders would be the only ones who knew, and the techniques would never be present on planet. That seemed like the sort of thing they would do.

Of course, the information wasn’t necessary- rather than descending to the lower realms to join the battle there, Ceretos and their allies would be relying on their own abilities to resist the invasion. They had Assimilation cultivators, after all, and they would either be a match for the invaders, or they would not. Another handful of Integration cultivators from the upper realms wouldn’t tip the scales much.

-----

Chikere’s eyes sparkled as she held her new swords. The material quality and craftsmanship were both exquisite. It wasn’t simply fine materials worked by Grandmaster Smith Sadiq’s hands, but a transformation of those materials into something greater. She could already feel their sharpness before she had approached, and now that she held them upon her palm she almost felt as if she would cut off her fingers with the slightest breeze.

The shape of the weapons was nothing special- one was a single edged curved blade, while the other was a larger straight sword with edges on both sides, tapering to a fine point. The design and balance were perfect, but not ornamental. They did have a certain visual flare from the techniques involved. Instead of the silvery-gray of many metals, the inclusion of their former wielder’s blood had turned them into a rust color. What looked like impurities in the structure were veins, though there was neither flow nor hollow- nonetheless, this was what remained of their former wielders.

Chikere would be honored should her life result in a blade so fine. However, she also had no desire for it to be over yet. She just hoped that when it ultimately came about, her end would bring something to the world.

“I want more,” Chikere said.

“I can make more, should you bring me the materials,” Sadiq commented. “However, I imagine you will eventually grow bored of similar results.”

“I asked about cultivators slain in the lower realms…” Chikere’s gaze focused on the smith’s eyes. “Do you think it would work?”

“We still have no way to know. The results could be something disappointing,” he shrugged. “Or they could turn into something spectacular.”

Chikere nodded, “Then I will find out.”

“That wasn’t a suggestion,” Sadiq said. “There are many other options available for you in your hunt for the best swords.”

“No,” Chikere said firmly, “I have to try this.”

Sadiq shrugged. “It’s your time and effort. Do as you please.”

Chikere knew she would need to study the available bits and pieces of techniques if she wanted to descend to the lower realms. She thought it would be interesting to be back and see how things had changed. She just needed to do it without setting foot on Tatera. She wasn’t confident in sneaking after the Trigold Cluster, and there wouldn’t even be a worthwhile reward for her risk. Presumably, she could leave from a different destination- but now she had to study it.

-----

The shift in the tides were obvious now even to those who had not felt the last change. Anton looked up at the sky, keenly aware that only ten years remained before the time had come. Only a decade, as if that were a small amount of time. And perhaps it would be. What could he do in that time? Advance his cultivation a single star, perhaps two if he were fortunate. That was not without value, but it was not as significant as before. He was currently bound to fifteen stars, with one available. He had his eye on several choice individuals for future attempts, but the nature of the stars and their distance made him hesitate.

They were distant enough that he might no longer be able to reach some of the options if he wished to return in time- that was how far away they were. More than a system or two or five. A vast distance even traveling beyond the speed of light many times. His observations had determined there were stars with a radius more than a hundred, possibly even a thousand times that of the stars he was accustomed to. There were also some that were smaller by a significant margin- not as promising in terms of candidates, but still something he would eventually scope out in person. But for the moment, he could only look at them through ever more powerful telescopes, seeing them as they were decades or centuries earlier.

After the observatory had been destroyed in Vandale’s death, the best of which Anton had been aware, he had rebuilt it bigger and better. Yet if he were to compare to Rutera, it was almost rudimentary in its construction. Formations had augmented its gaze, but they could do the same without one lick of natural energy- and with their energy augmented technology they could do so much more. In addition to that, the observatory was limited by its placement. The peak it was on was one of the better places upon Ceretos… but out in space was better. There was no atmosphere or particles of any kind that would interfere with the gathering of light there.

It was wonderful. Anton hoped to be alive to take advantage of his newest telescope more, after the invasion. But if he was not… he would not find himself particularly upset. The only thing he would regret when he died would be if he happened to not protect what he cared about. At some point that had been his family, then one sect… and now he had several planets that he could say he was fond of most of. What a strange twist his life had taken over the last two centuries.

-----

Rutera was under the assumption that they were still unnoticed, the natural energy from their planet insufficient to catch the attention of the upper realms. But they were not being careless. Constant military growth was expensive, but they had plenty of reason to go through with it. The advent of ‘proper’ cultivation among their people was extending lifespans, such that the generation who experienced war with the Sylanis Cluster would not have faded away by the time of the invasions. They hoped to not be a target- but if they were not, their work was not in vain.

General Nicodemo took a look at the model of The Independence in front of him. In his opinion, it was still the best of the warships they had made. Some were bigger and more powerful, but this one represented the most. But he wasn’t here to just play with models- though he would be quite happy to. Instead, he had to remind people why they were doing this. He looked upon the room full of executive leadership- which included Aneirin Park, no longer president. Not because a term limit was implemented or because the man couldn’t have won, but because he had chosen to step down for a new generation of leadership. And while Nicodemo could say he was not dissatisfied with the man’s leadership during the past, anyone who let the military act as necessary was sufficient.

“The time is approaching,” General Nicodemo said. “We do not know if Rutera will be invaded. But, if we are not… our efforts are not in vain. Our allies would be glad for reinforcements, and as everyone here knows they have more than sufficient resources to compensate us for our help.” He looked over the cabinet members and other general, as well as the new president- though she’d had her position for more than a few years now. President Riccarda Cavaino. “Not that we should approach this as a mercenary endeavor. Ceretos and Weos have been great partners in enlightening us on the matters of cultivation, and with uplifting the state of our planet itself. I would not have imagined an industrialized system like ours could manage such a beautiful and functional harmony with nature.”

That was the thing that made it popular. It wasn’t making things better for cultivators that had been popular, but the mere fact that crops would grow larger with less visible effort. The fact that that in turn fed back into other things was secondary to many. There were still some who would prefer to capture all of the natural energy around them to power whatever they pleased, but that was limited to specific applications such as power distribution plants. Who would ever have imagined that not solar nor wind but the very atmosphere itself could be one of the most sustainable energy sources? Of course, Rutera still had other options. Fusion plants, once they had gotten past the early hiccups, were quite efficient and safe. Simply absorbing natural energy from the surroundings wouldn’t be enough to power the planet, but it could provide a significant part of what they needed.

“We owe them our aid, as soon as practicable. We will be keeping our fleets within our own system until we are certain, after which if there is no invasion upon us we will be joining our allies. It is unfortunate that we will miss the initial, critical weeks- but our own safety is paramount.”

“What about the vessels sold to the other systems?” one of the council members asked. His position was… not agriculture. Something to do with animals, perhaps? There were so many, Nicodemo found it difficult to keep them all straight.

“Those can no longer be considered part of our own fleets. Their sale provided the budget to keep production on others going, providing millions of jobs throughout Rutera and our expanded colonies.” There were now permanent and rapidly growing settlements on- or around- every major planet in the system. Though some were clearly less desirable, the available space, jobs, and the ease of moving about resulted in at least a modest amount of people living anywhere. Nicodemo tried not to look at the finance minister. This was no time to get into a stupid scuffle- soon enough, nobody would be concerned about the military spending. It was just difficult to sustain it for so long without a specific enemy. But the wait was nearly over- and as regular citizens began to feel the change in flow, they would realize. Though avoiding unnecessary panic would be a whole other job.