Chapter 1189: A Month
Anthony sat calmly as he began to speak, "Since I was the one who called this meeting, I will speak first," he stated. "I’ve called this meeting in relation to Ascension to the Upper Galaxies," he added.
He paused for a moment before going over the meaning of Ascension, the Upper Galaxies, and the Calling, just in case some people didn’t know about them. After all, there was nowhere Lucian and Aura Nova would have gotten their information from, so Anthony only went into brief detail because of the two. Even then, he made sure to cover the most important aspects, ensuring they understood the significance of what was being discussed.
Aura Nova and Lucian Darkheart were left speechless the moment Anthony was done explaining. Especially Aura Nova, as she had no idea about any of this. Lucian, on the other hand, had some idea but didn’t know it was actually possible. After all, he had never heard of the Ascension despite all the planets, solar systems, and races he had visited throughout his journey.
As for Aaaninja, as Anthony had guessed, he had gotten the information from the River Of Time, so he sat composed as though he possessed even more information than what had just been shared.
"So I will begin by asking, how many of you plan not to Ascend?" Anthony asked as he sat calmly, knowing this was the most important question.
At his question, nobody spoke. Everyone had already decided to ascend. Even Aura Nova and Lucian, who had just found out about it, had already made their decisions. After all, there wasn’t exactly much left to do here with the deaths of both the Demon King and God. Compared to the opportunity that lay before them, remaining behind seemed almost meaningless.
Seeing that nobody spoke, Anthony nodded his head and continued as he simply went straight to the point. "As I said earlier, this meeting is due to the Ascension, which is why I even brought my subordinates into the discussion," he began.
"When we answer the Calling, there is a high chance that we may be thrown into danger or some sort of test to prove ourselves worthy of the Upper Galaxies," Anthony explained. "Which is why I came to propose that everyone answers their Calling at the same time, so in the event that something happens, we would be able to fight together," he continued.
Anthony paused for a moment, but nobody interrupted him as they all listened with rapt attention.
"Of course, we are all powerful and strong in our own right, which is an undeniable fact," Anthony continued as no one asked any questions. "And do I need to say that I’m the strongest person here at the moment, yet I still called this meeting for cooperation, which speaks about the seriousness of the danger," his tone remained calm and practical. "And we need to remember that from the moment we answer the Calling... our abilities, power scaling, and strength might plummet or even vanish entirely." He paused briefly before continuing. "Of course, the test part is all a bit of speculation on my end, but our strength reducing isn’t," he added in finality.
Everyone fell silent as they considered Anthony’s words, their minds calculating various possibilities and scenarios. The more they thought about it, the more reasonable his proposal sounded. None of them truly knew what awaited them beyond Ascension.
"But if we are truly ending up in various Upper Galaxies, are we even going to take the test or whatever trial together?" Aaaninja asked calmly.
Of course, he had tried asking the River Of Time, but the being had said it had already done more than it could and that the rest was left up to Time itself... which was a rather ironic answer considering who had given it.
"We don’t know until we truly try. If we end up taking the trial separately, then I guess we’ve done everything we could as a group," Anthony replied calmly.
Everyone else nodded. Although the possibility of going through the trial alone existed, none of them were afraid. Each of them had passed through various battles, adventures, and hardships over the years, which was why they were all confident in themselves, whether alone or together. Confidence born from experience was far different from arrogance.
"I accept the proposal," Lucian spoke, his tone calm. He had no reason to reject it.
Aura Nova nodded her head in agreement as all of Anthony’s subordinates also agreed. Aaaninja didn’t speak; he simply nodded as well.
"I suppose we can move to the second part of the meeting," Anthony continued. "The timeline for the Ascension. I’m sure everyone here has family or friends they will have to say their goodbyes to before they leave, as we aren’t sure when we can return here next. So we need to select a date for Ascension, giving everyone enough time to say their farewells," he stated.
Everyone stayed silent as it dawned on them that they would really need to leave their families behind. Well... they could bring them along eventually, but that wasn’t a topic for this meeting. Anthony planned to tell everyone that later on, and they would all find their own ways of bringing the people important to them to the Upper Galaxies. For now, however, the reality of departure weighed heavily on their minds.
"How about a month?" Aaaninja suggested.
After all, he couldn’t just walk up to his parents, say goodbye, and leave in a couple of days. That was what ungrateful children did, and he was anything but that. He planned to spend that entire time with his parents, grandparents, and his girlfriend. If this truly was the beginning of a new Chapter in his life, then he intended to cherish every remaining moment he had with them.
Although one month may seem too long, they had been within the Acarnis Galaxy for centuries. Why was a month suddenly too long?
"That would be a perfect amount of time," Aura Nova added, her mind flickering to Rain, the man who had taken her in as a daughter. Her thoughts then shifted to Charles Evander and Bill, her two friends. There were many things she wanted to say to them before she left, and one month suddenly didn’t seem nearly as long as it sounded.
Anthony sat amused. ’Look at their emotional faces. I guess they would all be glad when they find out they don’t have to abandon their families,’ Anthony thought to himself. He could already imagine their expressions when he eventually revealed that piece of information.
"A month it is, then. Any objections?" Anthony asked.
Nobody spoke up, as a month was perfect for everyone to get ready. It was long enough to settle affairs, spend time with loved ones, and prepare themselves mentally for whatever awaited them beyond the Calling.
And with that, the meeting officially came to a close.
In a month, they would all take a step further along the path of Ascension. A path that would carry them beyond everything they had ever known and into a future none of them could yet see.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Golden tickets? Super gifts? This shameless Author is on his knees.
