The dwarf started to speak in as much detail as possible, wanting desperately to keep the ancestral weapon. The galaxy they were in now was called the Timeless Star Galaxy.
The dwarf firmly stated that this was the oldest galaxy in the universe, being one of the first to exist, as well as the largest in terms of size. When it was born, other galaxies already existed, and countless more appeared afterward. However, all the oldest ones have ceased to exist, and many that came later have also vanished. The Timeless Star Galaxy, on the other hand, is still alive and will exist forever.
The reason for this is its core, where the highest-level space-time laws in the universe reside. Its power is uncontrollable, and time is constantly reversed and distorted, causing this galaxy to never age. Its size is due to the fact that, with its long life, it has swallowed countless other galaxies.
Alm and Bruno listened in surprise. An ancient galaxy to the point of being one of the first to exist? This meant it already existed before the queen ascended. This opened up many possibilities, but the queen wasn’t foolish. She had certainly already eliminated everything that should remain secret.
The confirmation of this came shortly afterward. The planet they were on was called the Four Kingdoms; it was dominated by four Great Ancestral Nations. This name wasn’t by chance, as they were very, very old nations. They are almost as old as the galaxy, and they last to this day.
These four nations have heritages so ancient that they’re impossible to trace. They are terrifying existences, with their own deep foundations. The population is immense, and natural resources are abundant.
According to legends, no sect can compare to them in terms of heritage or power; however, they hide their power, and this might just be a legend. In fact, the dwarf was sure that this was just a façade.
Even though the universe is dominated by sects, the four nations are still titans and the dominant power in this galaxy. They are different from the sects and maintain an imperial regime, and the four have a royal family composed of four very ancient beast races. They are: Immortal Crane, Kun Peng, Zaori, and Celestial Jaguar.
The star around which these nations were born and lived has long since gone out. At a certain point, the four began to live in separate worlds through space-time laws. The four races specialize in these laws, something very rare that helped maintain their hegemonies.
At one point, these four nations, which were always at war with each other, were pacified by the heroes. Suddenly, they began to live close, on the same planet, within their worlds.
The reason they live together is that they were given the mission to protect and seal the great Void Forest, which has three separate areas within it. With the power of the four space-time beasts, they were chosen by the heroes to maintain the place.
The whale asked, thinking of something: "Wait, aren’t there sealed worlds in this galaxy?"
"Not in the usual way like in other galaxies. But there are three regions in the Void Forest, and they’re equivalent to sealed worlds. They have cultivation restrictions for entry and contain treasures; but they only open once a year for seven days," the dwarf replied calmly.
The whale nodded and asked, "Since this is under the exclusive control of the four nations, why are they recruiting people to enter?"
"It turns out that the mortality rate of the royal family in the four nations, in recent centuries, has become very high. Among the youngest, the numbers are frightening, and there are not enough low-level people to enter the Red Void Forest." The dwarf spoke with a serious look. "The reason for this is not disclosed or unknown. Inside the forest, logically, many die, but this also happens outside it."
Alm and Bruno nodded, understanding the dwarf’s look. He couldn’t state this because he lacked proof. But certainly, the four families have never ceased warring and must be quietly killing each other in search of more power.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Things escalated and escalated secretly, and those who suffer the most are the young and weak who cannot defend themselves. This resulted in the four nations having to recruit outsiders to enter the forest and obtain resources.
"The situation is so critical that, in recent centuries, the four imperial races are creating hybrids, mainly with humans or races that have high fertility. All to have more powerful cultivators to use. This is an extra attraction for outside cultivators to come, as they can gain a lot in the forest and even join the royal family by marrying someone of low rank," the dwarf added.
A basic summary of the powers of the four imperial races was given. Alm and Bruno had already heard legends about these races but had never seen them for real. Then the dwarf spoke more about what he knew of the Void Forest.
Despite the name, the forest was a gift for the four nations, containing a huge area with 12 divine mountains. Around the mountains, there were dense forests, full of dangers and treasures. The Red Forest comprised the area of 2 mountains; 4 in the next, and 6 in the last.
’Divine mountains...’ Alm and Bruno murmured, they had heard of that before. In the universe of Rehvka, when they went for the second time, there were mountains with the same name. They were seals where immortal cultivators were placed, and their powers served as fertilizer to create something new.
In the forest, there were the usual dangers of frightening forests. The dwarf didn’t know much more, nor what these divine mountains were.
Alm and Bruno quickly reflected and had no doubts they should enter that place. However, they instinctively felt that something was missing and that there were many strange things all over the place.
Seeing the whale’s thoughtful look, the dwarf asked: "Are you planning to go in?"
Alm and Bruno didn’t know for sure, but initially, yes. They nodded slightly. The dwarf began to speak, giving them a current overview.
"The Kun Peng nation is very powerful, but also extremely strict and doesn’t accept hybrids most of the time. The Celestial Jaguars are more flexible, but their members tend to be very aggressive and fearless; whenever they enter the forest, many die. They’re a risky choice. The Zaoris are balanced in command but lack individual power and use recruits as a shield; not out of malice, but because their race is like that. If you choose them, everyone in your group must know how to defend themselves because they won’t have support in that regard."
The dwarf finished, and the whale was intrigued. "And what about the Immortal Crane?"
"They’re the only nation clearly in decline. In the current generation, there are no pure Immortal Cranes with enough cultivation to enter the Red Void Forest. In fact, there’s only one pair of hybrid twins from this race, who are leading the recruitment and will be entering... but no one is crazy enough to go with them. They’re too weak and young, it’d be suicide... and anyone with a bit of sense knows the danger isn’t just what’s in the forest. Those twins and all their recruits will be buried in the forest and never return."
Alm and Bruno immediately nodded; it was perfect. By entering with this race, they could have more freedom and wouldn’t need to answer to anyone. They probably just want to survive and wouldn’t waste time causing problems for the whale’s group.
"Great, thanks for the information. You can keep the weapon, but never reveal how you got it. And never come asking me for more."
The whale spoke seriously. The dwarf nodded, understanding the message. Then his eyes shone with the great gain he had made.
During the conversation, the whale asked many details, and they were well-informed about the situation. The whole conversation lasted several hours, and it was already night. The whale left calmly and sensed the location of his group’s people through the array.
There was no rush; there was almost a month left before entering the forest. But it would be good to enter an ancestral nation soon and take advantage of the free time; they must have many valuable ancient things.
As soon as he stepped out of Larimar Market, he saw Nebai approaching alone. Her eyes were distant. When she got closer, she saw the whale and woke from her thoughts. She ran up to him. "Sir, I’ve given all the possible information to your missionary."
Bruno noticed a peculiar fluctuation in her. Was she angry? It seems Zaimo messed things up, and things weren’t going as imagined. But... she seemed very emotional about it and was struggling to hide what was leaking out of her.
’It seems it wasn’t so bad; he made an impression on her, maybe a bad one, but he still left his mark. But for her to return alone, slowly walking under the moonlight, deep in thought... she’s quite dramatic.’ Bruno reflected lightly.
Alm ignored it and responded with the whale, "Great, I’ll stay here for a bit. I’ll bother you when I need to return to the Yinblood sect."
"Never, sir, the profits I made with the weapons cover the costs of your trip and mine; there’ll still be plenty left. I’ll have everything ready with the market commander here. You can return with everyone to my market on planet Gloom at any time."
The whale heard this and nodded, satisfied. This Prana Law was very useful; they couldn’t wait to go to the dwarf galaxy and sort everything out. Having this law available at any time would be essential.
The problem was they were still too weak to destroy the followers of the God of Wealth. They also needed to resolve the issue with Zaimo to get the hammer.
Nebai continued lightly: "About the information on those bastard followers of the God of Wealth. All the dwarves are working on it, and eventually, they’ll show their hand, and we’ll discover where their headquarters is."
The whale nodded. She then said goodbye and entered the Larimar Market. Everything was ready; now they just had to find out what awaited them.
He moved, sensing through the array the location of everyone until they noticed they were gathering at a single point. Alm and Bruno narrowed their eyes; they were fighting.
[Optional Mission Available: 02]
Suddenly, the green window appeared, making the whale stop.