Chapter 1473: Sea

To put it simply, Khan wanted to evolve through the True Chaos, using it as a reagent to ensure he achieved an even more superior state.

Still, due to the True Chaos’ overbearing nature, the process might take over Khan rather than elevate him, and Liiza could only suggest ways to limit that risk.

In human terms, Liiza wanted Khan to stop filling his attunement with mana right before the last step to solidify his existence as much as possible. In that case, adding the True Chaos to his being would have a lower chance of affecting him negatively.

Now, Khan knew he was close to the once-so-distant one hundred percent mark. He felt almost complete, but the attunement with mana required increasingly greater amounts of energy, meaning that the last step was the hardest to fulfill.

Things were even harsher for Khan due to his unique existence, and the current situation didn’t help. He had just finished absorbing the Nak’s home world, and planets made of mana didn’t exactly come easy.

Nothing would probably ever come close to that, meaning that Khan would have an even harder time employing Liiza’s strategy and completing his preparations before the unavoidable battle against the God.

Of course, Khan didn’t even know his current attunement percentage and had yet to consult the scientific side of his organization. He wasn’t good at that stuff anyway, so he would let Garret and Liiza devise something that might work.

Exhausting that much-needed conversation left Khan and Liiza with nothing more to say. At least, the couple couldn’t think of anything more important than the religious silence demanded by Khan’s father’s tomb.

But time wasn’t on the couple’s side, and they had already wasted much of it during their sweet break. Khan’s phone also began buzzing to no end at some point, so the two eventually decided to depart.

Teleporting existences of Khan’s caliber was no easy matter, but those weren’t regular times. Even if Khan technically was a foreigner to Earth now, the Global Army didn’t get in the way of his trips, allowing for a smooth return to Aynor’s quadrant.

The night had descended in that boundless but destroyed desert, but its radioactive properties kept the temperature high enough to remain comfortable.

Moreover, the area never had the chance to become cold in the first place. The human troops had restored most of the surviving city’s blocks, reactivating their heating functions and artificial illuminations. The same went for what was left of the defensive wall, and things didn’t end there.

Khan, Liiza, and Yeza appeared at one of Aynor’s restored teleports, only to witness the area’s drastic transformation. The improvised and relatively uninhabited encampment they had left was no more. It had turned into a sea of metal tents and people that stretched as far as the eye could see.

That sea was hardly surprising. The most important meeting in the entire regulated universe was happening on that piece of desert. The Scarlet Eyes’ attack and the Thilku Emperor’s presence had made the event so meaningful that anyone would jump at the opportunity to attend it.

The sea was also quite diverse. The vast encampment and desert mostly featured humans, but more Thilku, Fuveall, Ef’i, Kros, and Niqols had arrived, each gathering in various areas to remain among their kind.

Of course, the desert remained dangerous, so only powerful mana-enhanced warriors could occupy its sands. The others had to stay within the encampment or near the quadrant’s borders, where ships and more makeshift structures had taken form.

Also, there was a stark separation between the main group of evolved soldiers and everyone else. Actually, the former only took into account the fearsome Thilku Emperor since his vicinity was too dangerous for any mortal or weakling.

The teleport Khan and Liiza had appeared upon was in the open but on just-restored streets, so they couldn’t exactly see the entirety of that immense gathering.

However, the couple’s senses could span the entirety of that interspecies meeting, even noticing how Khan’s troops and the Global Army’s forces were working overtime to provide assortments of drinks and supplies to everyone.

Khan also spotted various cauldrons, with Doku jumping between each one of them to ensure the booze’s quality. Somehow, a proper feast had already started, and the Niqols didn’t hesitate to add their traditional vibes to that celebration.

That immense gathering of people made the dead desert warm, loud, and strangely happy. Things weren’t perfect, but the night was young, and the flowing booze was bound to facilitate some much-needed interspecies bonding.

That was the first real step toward the alliance the regulated universe needed to survive, and Khan almost felt like relaxing at its sight. Mere years ago, it would have been impossible to imagine such a still-brittle but widespread unity, but it had happened nonetheless.

Of course, what was cause for celebration for many was just another political headache for Khan. He would love nothing more than to enjoy that massive interspecies party, but he was too important not to play his role, especially since many people he had to address had come to Aynor.

The first of those people stood before the teleport, surrounded by human soldiers. Prince Thomas had been warned about Khan’s return to Aynor, so he had made sure to be there to greet him.

“My Prince,” Prince Thomas called, lowering his head in respect. “My Princess. My Princess.”

“Uncle!” Khan exclaimed. “Are you here to drag me around and talk some sense into people?”

“I wished to congratulate you and your wife on your successful journey first, My Prince,” Prince Thomas stated. “Also, I’m handling all the figures within my authority to handle while your grandfather is trying to bring the other nobles to the table.”

“That’s good,” Khan responded, glancing somewhere in the distance. “I also sense my Aunt out there? Why is she with the Niqols?”

“My sister and the Shaman Zalpa have bonded while caretaking for the little Princess, my Prince,” Prince Thomas explained, only for Liiza to experience some panic at the idea of meeting Princess Rebecca again.

“So,” Khan uttered, “Can I just go and get drunk with the Emperor?”

“You can do whatever you want, My Prince,” Prince Thomas stated. “However, Mister Bizelli wished to give you a more detailed briefing and discuss the Orlats issue.”

“What Orlats issue?” Khan asked, refraining from groaning.

“Our Fuveall allies contacted known Orlats cells,” Prince Thomas revealed. “Our troops in lawless zones also helped with their contacts, but things went poorly.”

Khan sensed that something was off, so he decided to investigate further. “Poorly, how?”

“The Orlats used the confusion across every affected location to steal what they could and run away, My Prince,” Prince Thomas described. “It’s unclear where they went.”

Khan heaved a sigh at the sky, throwing his head back. He knew the Orlats’ nature, but that was simply short-sighted. Still, he had expected some species to react like that in the face of that universal war.

If anything, that gave Khan the chance to make an example out of those who broke the alliance’s unwritten rules.

“Get me Garret,” Khan said. “I want to get to Chigoilara as soon as possible.”