Chapter 1353 First Expedition [1]
The Heavenly World's size had been mentioned multiple times. It was huge enough to be a universe in its own right, and with so many people living together, it was difficult to have a hierarchical power structure that could be properly maintained.
Or at least, that was what Damien thought.
The Heavenly World was split into eight cardinal regions, the Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern, Western, and Northwestern Regions.
Each of these regions was split into roughly ten thousand principalities that were run by minor forces, and each of those principalities was split into countries, kingdoms, and states that were run by smaller influences.
There was a strict structure where, the larger the influence, the more influences they had under them. And no matter how large an influence was, they would always be under someone else.
At least, for the most part.
The number of subsidiary clans and influences was uncountable, but in each region, there were four influences that governed all the rest, a total of 32 in the entire world.
And above those 32 were eight great clans.
These were the highest authorities of the Heavenly World. They each had sovereignty over an entire cardinal region, and they had power greater than the combination of all of those under them, which allowed them to stand on top of the world without having their positions shaken.
"The Straea Clan of the North, Vega Clan of the Northeast, Holy Empire of the Northwest, Veritas Clan of the East, Dragon Clan of the West, Kyushu Federation of the Southeast, Divine Order of the Southwest, and…Void Palace of the South."
Together, the eight great clans ruled the world.
They were supreme.
And the clan that called itself Damien's birthland was one of them.
'Wow. I knew my father had some status here, but I never expected it to be to this extent.'
There wasn't much information on the actual layouts of the cardinal regions or the nuances of each great clan, but just seeing Void Palace listed among forces that couldn't be reached no matter how much of a genius one was definitely had an impact on Damien's heart.
'So I need to go to the Southern Region at some point, and right now, I'm in the Eastern Region.'
"The Veritas Clan, huh…"
Was it a coincidence?
Why did the captain of this starship share that surname?
'There's no way it's a coincidence.'
Damien didn't believe in coincidences anymore. All of the coincidences he'd encountered in life were guided by something bigger than him, and this one had to be the same.
'I don't know what position Yulia Veritas has in her clan, but if she can throw her name around without any worries, it can't be small.'
Then again, perhaps she couldn't say her surname so easily and revealed it to him for another purpose.
'This is troublesome. I didn't know Void Palace was this relevant, so I didn't take that many countermeasures to conceal myself. If there are any physical traits or other cues that give away my identity, won't I immediately be engulfed in things I can't control?'
If there was one thing he gathered through his interactions with his father, it was that something complicated was going on in his life.
The situation of Void Palace wasn't something he could know at this time, and with his position as a legitimate heir to that place, unless he could be confident he wouldn't be touched, he had to be careful not to die early to schemes.
'I'll have to change my appearance before I leave.'
The gears in his mind began to turn as caution filled his veins.
He had an end goal, to reach Void Palace, but he needed to get strong enough to handle himself in this world before he did.
If he could randomly jump on a starship and meet someone stronger than him, he could very well meet people of that level constantly as he traveled.
'For that, I should create a foundation in the Eastern Region before I make my way to the South.'
"Huu…"
Damien took a deep breath.
He didn't spend much time on it because of how vague the information was, but he could feel the weight of those great influences on his shoulders.
They were filled with True Gods, people he couldn't beat with even his current power, and Demigods were just regular troops to them.
He wasn't at the bottom again.
That was an exaggeration made by people from the lower universe who didn't know better.
There were countless existences below him, even within the ranks of Demigods, but there were just as many above him.
He was just average.
And he had a ways to go before he could run around like a supreme genius again.
'Okay. Let's start planning.'
There was more information about the Eastern Region in the token than the rest, since that was where they currently were, and there was plenty written about Asteron, his current destination.
If he wanted to make a name for himself in the Eastern Region and explore the Heavenly World, this was his chance to do so.
And he didn't plan to waste it at all.
Along with the geographical and societal information in the token, Yulia also provided him with knowledge on the progression one had to undergo in the ranks of Divinity.
Unlike the vague structure where people just trained until their limit that existed in the lower universe, the Heavenly World had a totally defined system for how to rank up and grow.
It was less complicated and more complicated at the same time.
The leveling mechanic from the system still existed, but the way to increase one's level changed entirely.
Just killing was no longer enough. The new system relied on "Divinity" and "Legends."
The Demigod rank lasted until level 799, and at level 800 one would gain the opportunity to challenge True Godhood.
Experience would only be granted if one did things that either enhanced one's Legend or defined one's Divinity.
It was a vague way to describe things, but when it was applied to the individual, it was far easier to understand.
Damien's Divinity was that of the Hegemon God.
He had to stand above everyone else and conquer. If he accomplished feats that furthered him towards the position of Hegemon God that he formed his Divinity around, it would be enhanced along with his level.
As for the section about Legends, Damien was too familiar with it. He'd been working to increase his Legend for a large part of his life, and he didn't need an explanation of what it meant to do so.
Still, it was a non-linear system that completely diverged from what he knew, and if he wanted to follow it, he needed to completely change his mentality.
Kill, Eat, Evolve, the mentality that got him through the First Dungeon, finally became irrelevant.
And Damien was all for it.
Funnily enough, no matter how much he enjoyed the simplicity of the previous system, this one was far better for him.
Because he really didn't have to do anything.
He was Damien Void. He was the man who created Legends by just existing.
All he had to do was act like himself, and those conditions he needed to fulfill would fulfill themselves naturally
With a mechanic like this, how could he not be pleased?
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