This Fruit of Abundance, bestowed by Yaoshi, had an incredibly straightforward effect.
Much like the blessings sought by Abundance followers in the past, simply planting it would release enough power to revitalize a dead planet, even making the entire planet 'alive' again with ease.
If consumed by an individual, it would likely create another powerful Emanator of Abundance, comparable to Shuhu.
To put it bluntly, this small fruit alone was enough to drive the factions devoted to Abundance into a frenzy.
"Always causing trouble."
[Firefly] glanced at the fruit in his hand and sighed. An excessively strong Abundance power wasn't necessarily good for a planet—at least not for the creatures living on it. Like the Vidyadhara, who once lived in abundance on the Ambrosial Arbor, only to end up in a sorry state where they couldn't even defeat their food sources.
"Mercy's Bane, this is for you."
He casually tossed the fruit—capable of creating an Emanator of Abundance—to Mercy's Bane as if discarding trash.
She was stunned for a moment, then became overjoyed. As an Emanator of Propagation herself, she knew the value of this fruit better than anyone. Yet, Her Majesty the Empress had gifted it to her so readily...
Mercy's Bane, having taken human form after being an insect, felt genuine gratitude for the first time. She felt an overwhelming surge of devotion.
But clearly, [Firefly] wasn't interested in such sentiments. He had made this decision simply because if the fruit wasn't consumed, keeping it around would attract 'thieves.' While Jiang Qiao wasn't afraid, being constantly harassed would be annoying. Better to let a suitable person consume it.
And Mercy's Bane was clearly the perfect candidate. Already the strongest Emanator of Propagation, she was adept at wielding Emanator powers. Combined with the inherent connection between the Paths of Propagation and Abundance... even her name, 'Mercy's Bane' (慈孽 - Cíniè, lit. Merciful Sin/Evil), carried echoes of Yaoshi.
The moment she consumed the fruit, possessing dual Paths of Propagation and Abundance, both at the highest tier, Mercy's Bane would rank among the very top of all Emanators.
"How does it feel?" the silver-haired girl asked casually, watching Mercy's Bane eagerly devour the Abundance fruit.
The latter was incredibly excited, almost vibrating with energy. "Good, better than ever before... Your Majesty, I feel unparalleled, surging power...! This power... this power suits me perfectly!"
It wasn't just about gaining the power of another Path. Mercy's Bane's inherent ability of 'Evolution' was actually rooted in the Path of Abundance. Tayzzyronth, the Aeon of Propagation, had created Mercy's Bane Swarm King out of necessity.
But Propagation's power, unlike Yaoshi's Abundance, struggled to perfectly achieve biological evolution, despite the close relationship between the two Paths. There were always limitations and flaws.
But now that Mercy's Bane had truly become an Emanator of Abundance, everything changed. The power of Abundance made her name truly fitting. The evolution of life was now fully within her grasp... the constraints she faced as an Emanator of Propagation simply melted away, like water finding its course.
"Have the Paths intersected?"
[Firefly] instantly understood the change occurring in Mercy's Bane, a look of realization crossing his face. While Path intersection was mostly a game mechanic, in the real world, Paths weren't strictly singular entities.
After all, whether Abundance, Preservation, or Propagation, these Paths ultimately expounded upon the concept of 'existentialism.' Therefore, Pathstriders walking similar roads, even if their paths diverge, would eventually reach the same destination. Paths as closely related as Abundance and Propagation were thus more likely to 'intersect.'
"It seems you're satisfied with this power. That's good."
"However... the name 'Mercy's Bane' is somewhat attention-grabbing... and I don't think it sounds very nice," the girl added, struck by a thought.
Mercy's Bane didn't understand the issue—it was hard to expect aesthetic sense from an insect. The names of the five major Swarm Kings were almost all chosen to reflect the essence of their abilities.
"From now on, your name shall be..."
Looking at the white-haired, blue-eyed, kind-faced mature woman with a familiar countenance, [Firefly] pondered for a moment before saying:
"Brunhilde."
"Thank you for the name, Your Majesty!"
Mercy's Bane—now Brunhilde—clearly had no objections and was, in fact, quite pleased. For a Swarm King, any gift from the Swarm Empress was cause for ecstatic joy.
---||---
Having personally created an Emanator of Abundance, Jiang Qiao realized he probably didn't need to worry about terraforming anymore. After all... who could be better at environmental modification than an Emanator of Abundance?
Brunhilde's potent Abundance and Propagation powers swept across the entirety of Planet Balmung. Dust settled, and withered wood bloomed anew. Green sprouts, trees, and abundant fruits appeared everywhere, painting a scene bursting with life.
Furthermore, having Brunhilde handle this brought another benefit.
Empowered by Abundance, she perfected 'Evolution.' The former Mercy's Bane Swarm King, now Brunhilde, seized the opportunity to refine the life processes of the 'beasts,' 'avians,' and the 'Glamoth' survivors. Previously, heavily injured and dying, she could only set the general premise—'as long as they don't look like bugs, any form of evolution is fine'—and let her progeny grow and evolve freely.
Consequently, due to the harsh environment, while the Swarm survived and evolved through sheer tenacity, following the principle that life grown in extreme environments becomes extreme, the 'beasts' and 'avians' had become unsightly monstrosities.
Now, she had the chance to use this power to refine the 'life processes' and 'genetic blueprints' of her kin.
In a period both brief and long, all the 'avians' and 'beasts,' under the influence of Abundance and Propagation, completed evolutionary processes that would normally take tens of thousands of years.
They dazedly rose from the ground. Feeling the 'conviction' engraved in their hearts even after evolving beyond insectoid forms, they gazed towards the distant silver-haired girl who filled them with immense joy and reverence, and uttered their first words after their evolution:
"Long live Her Majesty the Empress!"
Among them were the former Glamoth Iron Cavalry, 're-birthed' by Brunhilde from the 'Cocoons' [Firefly] had gathered and created. Though they were no longer entirely the same individuals they once were, their new lives were now imbued with a different meaning.
At the very least, the Empress they believed in, the Celestial Empire of Glamoth whose might awed the universe, was no longer a 'lie' told by others to deceive and exploit them, merely to squander their lives.
[Firefly] watched it all. The reborn Balmung now also had its new name: 'Nottung.' The power of Abundance had 'revived' the land but couldn't bring back the lost iron and blood. But that didn't matter. A new nation needed a new beginning.
"This nation needs a new city."
"Hmm... True. The environment's way better, but it's all trees and grass... gives off a 'back to the stone age' vibe." Silver Wolf paused, then nodded in deep agreement. "…So, uh, want me to whip one up with Aether Editing?"
Though reluctant to use Aether Editing for basic construction work, seeing the reverent gazes of the newborn Glamoth citizens and their primitive state—barely covered by makeshift leaves—Ms. Silver Wolf felt she should contribute something. After all, if she did absolutely nothing, where was the sense of participation?
"Alright then, I'll leave it to you."
"Create a city encompassing this entire planet."
"Sounds kinda fun... Wait, hey! Are you trying to trick me?" Silver Wolf's eyes lit up initially, but she quickly caught on, spitting out imaginary dust and grumbling, "Who turns an entire planet into a single city?"
Though not impossible—rumor had it the Corporation's center, Pier Point, was such an entity—the scale of Pier Point was completely different from Planet Nottung, the heart of the Glamoth Empire! Planet Nottung was among the largest planets known in the entire universe. If she undertook that project, Ms. Silver Wolf felt she'd be drained completely dry.
"You do it if you want!" Silver Wolf rolled her eyes. She wanted a sense of participation, not to become a veteran construction worker!
"Alright then."
"I'll do it myself."
"Huh? Are you serious?"
"Can't be helped. Who else but the Empress of the Glamoth Empire? The capable do more, I suppose."
Seeing the silver-haired girl's resigned smile, Silver Wolf mumbled indistinctly while chewing her gum, "No... you actually want to do this... Fine, I'll help too... I just want some participation points!" She even emphasized the last part to avoid misunderstanding.
"Okay then... Let's create the capital of this nation together."
Together~ Together~ The girl's gentle voice echoed in her ears, and Ms. Silver Wolf felt as if she'd drunk some magic potion, the words reverberating in her mind. Only after snapping back did she feel a bit unhappy... Why are we doing construction work together? The cosmic wolf girl pouted, her cheeks slightly flushed, but didn't back down.
After sharing their Aether data...
Right there, on the former site of Wolsong, two instances of Aether Editing began loading simultaneously.
['Ideal City' Project Confirmed]
[Data Import Complete, Function References Verified]
[Model Established]
[Data Synchronization Complete]
['Prometheus' Entering Overload Mode, Power Output 200%]
"Edit, begin!" they declared in unison.
[We shall merge the world into a city, and build a city into the world.]
Terrifying Path power surged into Aether Editing, aided by the authority of Truth.
The entire Planet Nottung underwent a cataclysmic transformation.
Skyscrapers imbued with a sense of advanced technology erupted from the ground, completely overturning the primitive landscape from moments before.
The bewildered citizens of Glamoth found themselves immersed in a brand-new environment.
Gazing at the towering cityscape reaching for the heavens, Silver Wolf felt a wave of satisfaction, though she couldn't help but shoot a resentful glance at Jiang Qiao. He actually tricked me into doing this... My Aether Editing nearly caught fire!
"By the way, where did you get those 'materials'? They were pretty useful," Silver Wolf asked suddenly, curious. Aether Editing didn't create things from nothing; construction still required raw materials. Energy could work, but Ms. Silver Wolf realized after using them that the 'raw materials' Jiang Qiao had procured were exceptionally effective, almost as if 'specifically designed for construction.'
"Hmm... Borrowed them. I doubt THEY minds," [Firefly] replied, his expression turning slightly awkward as he brushed off the question.
While ordinary Imaginary energy could work, Path powers often carried subjective attributes. Thus, Paths like 'Destruction' weren't suitable energy sources for 'building materials.' Propagation and Abundance were similar—great for maintaining environments, but lacking for construction.
Luckily, they'd just encountered someone whose specialty was a perfect match. Driven by the desire to do the job right... he had used that connection to 'borrow' some 'building materials' from a certain stone-headed entity. After all, even Akivili praised the quality of that stone head's plasterwork.
---||---
Elsewhere, the aforementioned stone head, busy with its own construction, suddenly noticed a chunk of its materials missing, feeling vaguely puzzled. Didn't I use less than that? Where did the missing stuff go?
After a moment of contemplation, Qlipoth's mind conjured an image of a particularly annoying individual. Hmm, it must have been that one. Ever since that rascal Akivili disappeared (or maybe died?), that one was the only one who'd bother harassing THEM. Harassing me is one thing, but now starting to eye my wall plaster!
Mr. Qlipoth, feeling vaguely annoyed, didn't think the missing plaster was a big deal, but felt it necessary to give that clown a couple of good whacks the next time THEY caught them. Otherwise, today they steal plaster, tomorrow they'll be drilling holes in THEIR walls!
While Qlipoth silently added 'certain god of Elation stealing THEIR wall plaster' to THEIR mental ledger...
---||---
In another world, Ms. Firefly remained blissfully immersed in the 'making friends' game of the Elysian Realm, unable to tear herself away. Compared to being a Glamoth Iron Cavalry, this world was so much fun! Friends everywhere~ And cute cats to pet~
Whenever Ms. Firefly recalled her past self finding 'joy in battle,' comparing it to her present, she couldn't help but sigh wistfully. Fighting isn't fun at all!
If she weren't too embarrassed, Ms. Firefly would have asked Jiang Qiao if she could get an extension package or something~
Elysian Realm, awesome!